As much as it pains us to say this, Momofuku Midtown is disappointing. We’ve been camping out here for a while now, eating our way through multiple incarnations of the lunch menu in multiple locations (hotel bar, and official restaurant space). Our verdict? It’s no question that that Má Pêche is a welcome addition to the midtown lunch scene, but it’s nowhere near as awesome as Ssam or Noodle Bar. You know that automatic feeling of “hell yes” you experience when headed to one of those other joints? Don’t expect that from Má Pêche. Sure, there are some good bites on the menu, but you wont find anything as indulgent and satisfying as the Momofuku specialties we’ve grown to know and love in the East Village. Plus, this shit is expensive. I guess that’s to be expected when you are closer in proximity to the Plaza than you are to the Mercury Lounge. There’s also something oddly uncomfortable about the space. The upstairs bar is strangely lit and sterile..almost like something you’d find in Terminal 5 at JFK. The main dining room feels like the perfect venue for a douchey finance guy’s annual white party. Not exactly comfortable dining in either scenario, but we’re sure the execs at News Corp will love it.
Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger
Food Rundown:
Oysters
A nice selection of selection of fresh oysters from New Brunswick, Washington and Massachusetts. Ever since we got back from New Orleans, all we want to do is drink beer and eat oysters. This city needs better oyster bars.
King Crab
We got a whole leg and claw (a quarter pound) for thirteen dollars. That’s actually a decent deal. Served cold, the presentation was cool and the accompanying calamari mayo was good too. We would definitely order this again.
Fluke
Nice sized chunks of fluke sashimi served in a pineapple and herb glaze. We really enjoyed the flavor combination of the citrus and fish, but really? This is what I’m eating at Momofuku? This appetizer is more expensive than everything on the Noodle Bar menu, and it just doesn’t fully satisfy. Where my pork buns at?
Asparagus Salad
It’s asparagus season, which means the vegetable is everywhere, and our pee smells. This salad was pretty good, and it better be for eighteen bucks. Diced asparagus are served with crab and egg yolk, and topped off with some salty little potato chips. Not bad at all, but a tough dish to eat with chopsticks. More on that below.
Mussels
Deep down, I was hoping that this was going to be THE reason to come to Má Pêche. Chang was going to invent the most delicious and unhealthy mussel I’ve ever had. He would maybe steam them, then bake them, then deep fry them and serve them with a crazy combination of pork belly, cornflakes, peppers and hot sauce. He didn’t. These mussels are good, but totally standard and run-of-the-mill, even with the presence of crab paste and beer batter. I had better mussels a couple of weeks ago at Prune.
Pork Ribs
Another dish I thought would be legendary and wasn’t. These pork ribs are decent, but again, not the kind of dish we expect by the swine master himself. I’ve had these three times now, and each time they’ve been consistently wet, gooey and slimy.
Rice Noodles with Spicy Pork
This is the most “Momofuku” dish on the menu. It’s similar to the spicy pork sausage and rice cakes entree at Ssam, but is somehow not as satisfying. Those rice cakes are truly special, and the rice noodles here just aren’t.
Short Ribs
I get that Chang likes his chopsticks, but most of these dishes would be better suited for a knife and fork. In this case, you’re served a nice sized bowl of savory short ribs in a thin stew of carrots and spaetzle. The meat was great – soft, tender and quite tasty – it’s just really hard to sop up all the goodness of this dish using chopsticks.
