I have never seen so much literature surrounding a restaurant’s booking system as I have with Momofuku Ko. Ko is the 2 Michelin starred jewel in the crown of New York’s darling David Chang’s Momofuku empire. When Ko opened in 2008, people were going crazy trying to get a place there. There are only 12 seats in the place, all seated around a bar surrounding the kitchen where the chefs prepare your meal in front of you. With two sittings for lunch and dinner that means there are only a total of 48 seats available per day. But to explain, each day at 10am an online booking system opens with 7 days worth of reservations in advance and people with the fastest fingers (or internet connection) are able to reserve one of the coveted places.
The furore has died down slightly (and prices have increased by nearly 50%) but it still almost impossible to get a place. I was somehow fortunate that somebody cancelled their booking the day before I flew out and the grid of red crosses suddenly contained one green tick. With the timer counting down the couple minutes or so I had to confirm my place and provide my credit card details (should I cancel without 24 hours notice they can then charge me) I made the quick decision to go for it before somebody else nabbed the spot. These weren’t the only restrictions here. The only menu is a 12 course tasting menu (but about 16 or more courses at lunch and $50 more expensive) and is already decided, you are only able to write a note regarding any allergies or dietary restrictions and they will try to accommodate them. There is also no use of mobile phones or cameras allowed (I therefore have no photos available for this review).
The hassle to get a reservation, plus the reputation of David Chang’s empire added substantially to any excitement so there was a lot to live up to by the time we arrived through the inconspicuous mesh metal door on 1st Avenue, the orange Momofuku peach being the only indication as to what was hidden behind. Inside is a tiny rectangular space with plain wooden interior and dominated by the kitchen/bar in the centre.
The couple waiters that were there seemed slightly frosty but were amicable enough and seated us at the end of the bar on the wooden stools. If you have a back problem be prepared to make do with sitting there for two hours. We were the first ones there as each duo is given a time slot to arrive ten minutes apart as to stagger the menu for everyone. Maybe that’s why I felt a bit cheap and exposed only asking for tap water in such an intimate environment, but hey, I’m paying enough for the meal so I’m entitled to stinge on the beverages if I wish (need) to. There are three chefs in the kitchen and they were friendly guys but not always the most talkative, which is guess is understandable considering they were non-stop busy making our dinner. As each dish was plated up they would be served and explained to us by the chef. Due to the number of dishes there were I’ll just list each one and write about some of the memorable ones:
1) Tataki of Spanish mackerel (where the fish is briefly seared and marinated) with beet puree and Mexican cucumber
2) Morel with chanterelle mushrooms and preserved lemon
3) New Jersey diver scallop, country ham, water chestnut, basil seeds and pineapple vinegar
4) Mushroom (king oyster, chanterelle, morel, mitaki) salad with pickled red onions, cilantro (coriander) & pickled jalapeno puree
5) Kimchee consommé, oyster, grilled pork belly, Nappa cabbage and charred beansprouts
6) Lightly smoked duck egg, fingerling potato, huckleback caviar, Japanese sweet potato vinegar, onions
7) Wild pickled ginger watermelon, lobster mushrooms & tortellini with Korean finger chilli puree
8) Steamed halibut, corn velouté, corn tempura, XO sauce, cherry tomatoes and scallions
9) Pine nut brittle, shaved Hudson Valley foie gras, riesling jelly, lychee
10) Stuffed lamb's ribs, leeks, Greek yoghurt, Thai basil (there were some pickled ingredients that I did not manage to note down)
11) Coconut lime sorbet and caramelised curry popcorn
12) Buttermilk spruce pana cotta, peach compote, peach sorbet, caramelised white chocolate, shortbread and spruce powder
As you can see each dish contains a complex combination of ingredients. The whole menu was remarkably enjoyable, practically every dish drawing out murmurs of delight from everybody around the bar. A particular favourite were the pork belly and oyster; the pork belly literally melted in my mouth into an unctuous meaty puddle and the consommé was immeasurably delicate and fresh. This dish was only surpassed by the pine nut brittle with foie gras. Whilst the chef was preparing the dish by shaving the block of foie gras I kept guessing as to what it was, thinking it was some sort of chocolate. The combination of buttery sweet foie gras with the brittle, jelly and lychee is one stand out gastronomical memory from the whole trip to NYC. The only disappointment of the evening was the tortellini dish, whilst the watermelon was curiously exciting, the tortellini was slightly overcooked and the chilli puree was completely lost. I later asked the chef what his favourite dish was and he instantly replied with “the tortellini, easily”, hm, slightly awkward. One thing I noticed throughout the superb menu was that in every single dish there had been particular attention paid to ensuring there were contrasting textures, something, which always worked incredibly well.
Momofuku Ko was an experience of numerous contrasts. Usually with a meal at this level, service and the surroundings tend not to be so muted and curt. One usually associates such refined food with a little more opulence. This is by no means a bad thing, just unusual. This theme of contrasts follows through into the cooking, be it flavours or textures. The atmosphere can at first be slightly off putting, if not daunting, but actually such exposure works well for it allows you to concentrate on the food itself as the star of the show. With resplendent presentation and delicate combinations of exotic ingredients designed to intrigue and delight, Ko is worth the hype, but more importantly the inconvenience and planning it takes to actually get a reservation.
Price: $125 Dinner. $175 Lunch (served Fri - Sun)
Where to go before/next: Reward yourself for managing to make it to and getting through such a fabulous meal with some cocktails at the highly rated and award winning Death & Co. bar on 433 6th street.
Website: Click here
Location: 163 1st avenue (between 10th & 11th streets)
Nearest Subway: 1 Av
Opening Times: Dinner 7 days/week. Lunch Fri - Sun
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