Momofuku Noodle Bar
Anju Road Rating: ★★★
Toronto's first Momofuku restaurant by David Chang, delivers hot bowls of ramen, noodles and a variety of buns, while splitting the top two levels with other concepts.
I have a love/hate relationship with Noodle Bar. I want to love it more than I do.
Spicy Tsukemen (pictured above) is up first, since it's the most redeeming bowl of noodles Momofuku has served me in the last two years. The complex spice of the thick dipping soup pairs well with the noodles, but the one thing that took it over the top for me was the shredded dry (what tasted like) Smoked Atlantic Salmon. That little bit of umami on the dry noodles took it over the edge and made for what can sometimes be a bland noodle experience, delcious on its own, even without the broth.
Okay time to get real.
The Chicken Yuzu Ramen was a disaster. Dry chicken and a clusterbomb of toppings made for a questionable bowl. I was hoping for a light and zesty experience but I got a mishmash of flavours and too weak of a broth. I think this was seasonal, but wouldn't be surprised if it permanently stays off the menu...
The classic Momofuku bowl that started it all is their Pork Ramen. It is solid bowl and seems to be the go-to order for most customers. The pork is to die for and it is definitely the only reason I'm still willing to pay $16 for a bowl of Shoyu Ramen.
The fact that the pork is so good however, I was hoping that it would translate well to the Pork Buns. I was wrong. Average dry pork is the best way to describe them. It is possible the ones we got were just overcooked, but was not a fan overall.
Now the Salmon Roe Chicken Buns, those were great! Deliciously crispy chicken with a burst of the ocean and a bit of spicy mayo to round it all out. 100% recommend those, but sadly the Sunday sessions are gone, along with those.
The Wagyu Katso Sando peaked my curiosity and I'm honestly pretty impressed. Delicious juicy waygu tartare between two heavily buttered pieces of toast, sauced simply with Takoyaki sauce and a bit of (spicy? tasted horseradish but not sure) mayo. Besides the bread being heavily greasy and me almost loosing a tooth to a very hard piece of cartilage, it was quite tasty. Although, potato salad? I would have preferred the famous pickled veggies on the side. I would recommend trying it while it's still around.
The Chicken Tan Tan was so close to being good. An overly salty sesame sauce glazed over everything is what ruined it for me. Once it's mixed it's a little more forgiving, but I would still recommend adding half the sauce and doubling the broth. It seems the Chicken Tan Tan and the Tan Tan Ramen are two varied versions of the same bowl, but either way, was so close to being good.
I don't really want to talk about the Ssäm sauce. I was excited, and then very let down. If you're a fan of hot sauce, skip this one.
Final Verdict
The main redeeming thing about this whole two year-long experience is that at the end of your meal, at least there's always cereal-flavoured Ice-Cream from Milk Bar. That, you can always count on being good!
Momofuku Noodle Bar
190 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5H 0A3
@momofukutoronto
Total Visits: 5
Anju Road Rating: ★★★