Hungry Hippo

Let's champion the pig.




One of my all-time favourite meats is pork, which why I adore Momofuku, a relatively new ramen joint in the East Village. Clearly, the good folks who run Momofuku love pork as much as I do, so much, in fact, that the most of the menu features Berkshire pork from Eden Farms. These pigs are raised in a healthy, humane, environmentally-friendly way, and result in a quality meat that is very tender and beautifully marbled.

The restaurant itself has a soothing atmostphere for me, even though it is almost always packed. The space is long, so diners are seated at blonde wood bars, mostly facing the kitchen. I like watching my food being prepared, and I also am always pleased to see how clean the kitchen is and how well the food is treated. In addition to having Berkshire pork star in the menu, Momofuku mostly uses locally grown produce and seafood. Fresh, fresh, and fresh!

The dish that I never fail to order is the pork steamed buns, as seen in the top photo. Pork belly cuts are sandwiched between steamed buns that are painted with hoisin sauce. Add some scallions and a few slices of mildly pickled cucumber--ta-DAH! Scrumptious deliciousness. It reminds of Peking Duck, which can come in two versions: wrapped in thin "crepes" or in these steamed buns. The assembly of Peking duck is similar; a thin layer of hoisin sauce, some slivers of cucumber, and then the crispy, fatty duck skin (and a little flesh) in a bun.

Of course the noodles are not to be missed. The wheat noodles themselves have a nice texture to them, a sort of Asiatic al dente. I prefer the soup ramen, which is also shown above. Since I was sharing a bowl with another person who doesn't like poached eggs, I got the yolk all to myself. Score! Observe the shredded pork and pickles on the side, with (hidden from view) braised collards, scallions, and bamboo shoots. The soup itself is a rich pork broth, and my only critique is that the noodles are usually not salty enough for me. This tends to be a common complaint of mine, so perhaps I'm eating too much salt.

The sum up: yummy food, great pork, hott staff in full view, and good music selection (Stephen Malkmus and Danzig!). My own personal heaven.