Mmmmmmmomofuku

I met Halcyon and her DH Friday night in the city. We met for a beer at BXL, but opted for another spot for dinner. We trekked over to the east side for Momofuku (which the interwebs tell me means a) "lucky peach" and b) is the name for the man who invented the instant Ramen noodle. So say the Interwebs. I'd been to Momofuku Ssam, which was around the corner, but I hadn't been to this location. It's shared tables, so you never know who you'll sit next to at the table, which I think makes it kind of more fun. Of course, if you're not in the mood for that, you can also grab a seat at the bar. They don't take reservations, but even on a busy Friday night, we only waited about 10 minutes for our seats.

Halcyon's DH treated us to a bottle of Momofuku's house sake. They are both used to drinking it warm, which I've never done. However, Momofuku serves all their sake cold. We got the "Spring Snow" bottle, and I thought it was quite delicious! I've not tried a lot of sake, and I am not well-educated about them at all, but I thought this one was smooth, a little bit sweet, and quite tasty overall.

For my appetizer, I got the famous steamed pork buns. Holy Toledo, if you go, you gotta eat these buns. Even someone like me, who's usually skeeved out by visible fat on meat, can't resist the melt-in-your-mouth yumminess. The pickled cucumber and the freshly sliced scallion are an excellent complement to the fatty, salty meat. I dotted it with a few drops of sriracha sauce for some extra kick, but these buns hold their own as is, too.

Halcyon's DH ordered the crispy pig's ear, which came with a spicy/sweet dipping sauce, also dotted with scallions. I tried a piece or two, and it was actually quite tasty. I tried not to remember all the times we'd give crackly pig's ears to my mom's dog, the Late Great Fifi Marie. I guess I'd have to agree with the dog, though--they're delicious.

I am not normally one to seek out Ramen, but the description of the House ramen roped me in: pork belly, pork shoulder, and a poached egg: the Trifecta! My dish came out piping hot, with the MOST PERFECTLY POACHED egg quivering in the middle of the bowl. I almost hated to eat it. Many a time I've ordered 'poached' eggs only to get a heavy, over-boiled yolk. Not this time. It was pitch-perfect. Salty, brothy, savory, melty, I was happy all over. Had I been dining alone, I probably would have picked up the bowl and slurped the leftovers, but I maintained some sense of decorum. This time. ;)

Halcyon is a vegetarian, so she steered clear of pork and instead got a Ginger-Scallion ramen. I think she liked her dish, too. I hope so!