Momofuku CCDC

In celebration of Chinese New Year, C and I went to David Chang's Momofuku CCDC (and sister-bakery Milk Bar by Christina Tosi).  We tried different buns, the Momofuku ramen, and the beef noodle soup.  I can't believe I'm writing this but our experience was less than stellar.  The restaurant is really nice - large windows and interesting artwork.  Many have written about the uncomfortable wood benches.  I agree that they aren't the most comfortable.  The food, however, wasn't the flavor explosion we were imagining.  The buns, without a doubt, are better than the noodle dishes.  I rather enjoyed the pork brisket buns that includes pickled vegetables and a zingy mayonnaise.  C didn't like the flavors; not Asian enough he said.  The pork buns were tender and paired nicely with the hoisin dressing but they were just okay.  The ramen and the beef noodle soups both fell flat.  C said his ramen was bland, the pork belly was bland, the soup was watery.  My beef noodle soup was spicier but not something I would crave to eat again.  It did not come with a poached egg (the ramen does) and included very few toppings.  Really a yawn.  And at the prices Momofuku is charging, you should expect more than Daikaya and Toki.

Rather than order dessert, we decided to check Milk Bar in person.  It's a tiny space but very well done.  We had coffee and tried different cookies - all tasty but nothing exceptional.  For my birthday next month, I will probably have C pick up their layered birthday cake to give it try.

So even though we were really excited to try Momofuku, I'm sad to say that we were disappointed. This doesn't mean we won't be back to give it another try at some point in the future.

In the evening, we had a celebratory Chinese New Year dinner with GongGong and PoPo.  When it was time to go home, BB and DD got their red envelopes and two more from us (I bought extra large red and gold envelopes from the Kennedy Center gift shop).  The red envelopes are still tucked under their pillows for good luck.