On our second attempt, we finally managed to secure reservations to David Chang's much talked about 2 Michelin star establishment. Momofuku Ko is situated at the old Noodle Bar space in East Village. The entrance to Ko is but a mesh stainless steel and wood door imprinted with a peach (the Momofuku group of restaurants' emblem) and as nondescript as a restaurant can possibly be-- there is no signboard, no neon lights, nor are there windows from which you can look into (or out of). In short, it's a place you'd probably walk right by unless you were really looking out for it. This is a place you go to for the food alone-- the decor is minimal, the service basic and the 12 diners are seated on stools around a bar counter where one can observe the chefs at work. We decided to forgo the wine pairing and each had a glass of a delightful frizzante rose lambrusco.
Here's the line-up, as I best recall (and my accompanying thoughts):
Trio of amuse-bouches: red pepper puree + japanese eggplant + green almond; lamb rib + green garbanzo bean puree; glazed biscuit + chicharrón (I liked the lamb rib amuse the most among the three though the chicharrón was also excellent.)
White fluke sashimi + watercress + peas + sesame (This was very good, though I've had something similar before.)
Sirloin carpaccio + buttermilk sauce + blackened scallions + crispy rice sheets (Best carpaccio I've ever had, hands down.)
Toasted brioche + bone marrow + caramelized pearl onions + comte and gruyere broth (This was lovely-- the bone marrow and onions both added a subtle sweetness to the dish. The cheese broth was surprisingly light and of course, very flavorful.)
Smoked soft boiled egg + hackleback caviar + fingerling potato chips + sweet potato vinegar + softened onions (This was good but the egg dish at Blue Hill is better.)
Almond crusted skate + roasted cauliflower + water chestnuts + almond milk foam (It's hard to go wrong with skate but this was over-salted.)
Orecchiette + asparagus + crawfish + ricotta (Most uninspired dish of the evening.)
Shaved foie gras + riesling gelee + lychees + nut brittle (My absolute favorite of the night. The combination of flavors and textures was sheer perfection.)
Long Island duck breast + seared mustard greens + honeyed white baby radish (This was very tender but I would have liked a far crispier skin.)
Apricot sorbet + cookie crumb + bourbon molasses (Very nice palette cleanser. Bourbon molasses gave an otherwise pedestrian combination of flavors more depth.)
Pretzel panna cotta + caraway crumb/soil + root beer sorbet (The consistency of the panna cotta was extraordinary; the root beer sorbet simply delicious; and the caraway crumb-- yum!)
Overall, this was definitely the best tasting menu I've ever had. Was I blown away by every course? Well, no-- but there a few that certainly did (the foie gras, panna cotta, carpaccio and toasted brioche + marrow come to mind) and should the opportunity present itself, I will love to pop by Ko again.
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