Duck is cooking at Momofuku

Here is the question I asked when leaving the restaurant….does anybody ever have a bad meal at a David Chang restaurant because the answer is obviously no.  The food is just always amazing, unique, creative and just down right wow.  Now that I have that out there one of the latest additions to the menu is the duck.  Just like the bo ssam that must be reserved in advance, the same goes for the duck.  Note to self…do it. 

Uni
You can go there and seriously walk out full for days.  I asked how many other dishes we should order based on the size of the duck before we began.  There were five of us and we ordered a few others to begin and split.  We started with the uni.  If you love uni, you will love this.  Santa Barbara uni with sliced cherry tomatoes, mustard oil and what seemed to be tiny pieces of shrimp toast and an egg custard.  The combo was amazing particularly with the mixture of textures.

Bass
Next out was the Striped Bass.  Medium slices of raw striped bass mixed together with tiny pieces of plum, green peppercorns and a few leaves of a green herb.  A nice light tasty dish.

Bun
Our friend had never been to Momofuku so we had to get the pork bun.  A house specialty.  How can you beat a light and airy steamed bun stuffed with a slice of pork belly that has been topped off with hoisin sauce, sliced cucumbers and scallions?  You basically can't.

Newporkbun
We tried the new bun that they added to the menu too.  One large bun stuffed with a crispy pork belly, sliced heirloom tomatoes and a spicy mayonnaise.  A different twist on a pork sandwich.

Ham
This was unbelievable.  Thinly sliced ham from Edwards Wigam farm in Surry, VA served with a dense spicy mustard sauce and a piece of bread on the side.  A different take on prosciutto.  I also like how restaurants are starting to tell us who the purveyors are. 

Chanterelles
Chanterelles with pickled quail eggs, bone marrow and green juniper.  I would have liked to see the eggs a bit more runny to make the dish a bit messy but those chanterelles were divine. 

Duck
Here is the piece de resistance.  Juicy slices of duck with a crispy skin and a bit of duck confit was in there somewhere.  The pancakes were hard to resist.  They were just so flavorful that I ate one of them plain. 

Sauce:lettuce
The sauces were spicy, gingery and crispy.  You could use them all or try different ones for each wrap.  Love the lettuce.  This is similar to the bo ssam sides.

Brocolli
The two side dishes that came with that duck was is a cold broccoli dish that had little crumbly pieces that weren't bacon but had a similar consistency and there were also slices of something that tasted fishy.  I couldn't get enough of this dish.

Potatoes
These potatoes are made like the potatoes in Paris that sit underneath the chickens rotisseries just soaking in the drippings all day long.  The only difference is these potatoes sit in the rotisseries where the duck is made so they are coated with duck drippings and are just outrageous. 

Dessert didn't happen for us, we were done, although we could have walked over to Milkbar across the street.  We all rolled home but I'm coming back soon to Momofuku.  A serious WOW. 

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Comments (Archived):

  1. snooch

    just re-lived an amazing meal! great night.xo

    1. Gotham Gal

      let’s go back!!

  2. daryn

    wow, I love a well prepared duck, and this (and those potatoes!) looks amazing. We may be visiting again soon 🙂

    1. Gotham Gal

      they have one of those big glass rotisserie machines in the back that they roast the ducks in and the potatoes sit at the bottom and just soak it up. light in calories…lol.

  3. Phil Michaelson

    I love momofuko ssam bar soooo much.  I always order the pork buns and ham from Edwards Wigam farm in Surry, VA.  The trick to their mustard with ham has to be coffee.  I’ve started adding a touch of espresso to a homemade mayo/mustard spread I make for  ham and pork tenderloin sandwiches and it’s been delish. 

    1. Gotham Gal

      interesting. will give that a try. it is just so damn good there.

  4. Ryan Drew

    I saw the picture of the duck and my jaw dropped, and the chanterelles with pickled quail eggs, bone marrow and green juniper look amazing.For all the publicity David Chang receives, he is rarely lauded for the refinement of his dishes, which is apparent in the meal.

  5. Deirdre

    Salivating… love that place.  He just opened a Milk Bar a block from my apartment.  Danger.  I have Chang’s cookbook.  The Bo Ssam is not terribly difficult to make and it is delicious even at home!.. recommended for a festive party– just keep the fans on high while you’re cooking.  I nearly ruined a perfectly good relationship with my sister-in-law when I cooked it in her kitchen.  

    1. Gotham Gal

      I’ve made the Bo Adam. Not too difficult and a definite crowd pleaser