Momofuku Ko

05/26/09

Good Food, Good Service, Beautiful People

by msg_lover at Citysearch

My wife and I went there on Saturday and were seated facing the kitchen. I love watching how the food was prepared because it really built up our appetite. The guy running the kitchen was very courteous by answering my questions. He made my dish (Mayan Prawns and Grits) right in front of me and then when he served me my dish, he patiently explained all the components and then asked me afterwards how I liked my dish. Our waitress Jill who was cute as a button was very attentive and helpful with our order. We would definitely go back again.

• Pros: Creative Dishes
• Cons: None

03/28/09

Come if you don't mind the rudeness

by MikeFlatley at Citysearch

Absolutely horrible, horrible service. Every time I go here I feel I need to kow-tow to the waiters and greeters there just to get a seat or food to be served promptly. Employees just don't care. They see mad, crazy business and lines forming out the door and you can leave or complain if you want because you are dirt and they are royalty and people will always come here because the food is awesome so they don't have to treat you like human beings. They have absolutely awesome pork buns and pork noodle if you don't mind being treated WORSE than the livestock being served.

• Pros: Great tasting food
• Cons: Awful, awful service

01/04/09

overpriced, average dishes, but good steamed buns

by boyjimmy79 at Citysearch

Long waits for salty average food. I've orderd the pork ramen and kimchi stew. Both were extremely salty and below average. Much better ramen can be found at Ramen Sategaya a few block down on 1st ave. So far, the only dish I have found to be tasty are the Steamed Buns with Pork (but waaay over priced at $9 for a few bites)

01/01/09

BAD BAD BAD

by m1nt at Citysearch

160 Bucks for a BAR Seat? BAD attitude (unpaired access policy not clearly declared is an example) and Unpolite Policy? Neither Was GOD in Corduroy Trousers serving or cooking We could tollerate this way to do "Ristorazione". This place is Not Pinchiorri, or Cipriani. These kind of places can close today for us.

Always remember that Chefs and Maitres Should be Hosting Friends that opens their Homes to Friends.

Other Attitude are Fashion Fakes self delcarations.

11/26/08

worth the wait

by Boomski at Citysearch

It has been a while since I went, but it definitely worth the wait. All of the courses were interesting and well done. I had a late reservation and the chef's seemed more chatty than mentioned in previous reviews. Service was great. Maybe a little pricey, but whatever!! Bring on the frozen Fois!!

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Price, Ambiance

09/29/08

Good but uneven, terrible cancellation policy

by enlightningbug at Citysearch

I went to Ko before, sometime this spring. The food was very uneven--some dishes were completely outstanding while others were utterly forgettable. After all the hype I was prepared to be completely blown away... I was not.

I got reservations for tonight but could not go. I posted them on Chowhound, and fully assume that someone snatched them up. I checked on their site and did not see the green Xes showing my slot was available.

Now however I get an email from Ko telling me that I will be charged the cancellation fee in accordance with their policy. I would understand if they were left with an empty space--but I know for a fact that the reservations were taken by someone else.

I am so annoyed with these people. With customer service... no--attitude like this they will not survive the economic downturn where we all think twice before plunking down $200 for dinner. I certainly won't be going back--it just wasn't spectacular enough the first time I went to justify their S#$%& attitude.

• Pros: some dishes are truly inspired
• Cons: some dishes are real duds. crappy cancellation policy. BAD ATTITUDE.

07/22/08

Far too expensive - disappointing

by nygoodfood at Citysearch

After trying and trying and trying and trying and trying... (I stop here but you got me), I finally scored a table for 3 friends and me at Ko. The dinner set us back $235 each with drinks and 15% tip. I think it was worth half that because:

1- Booking this place is a major hassle. I probably spent over 2 hours online, 5 mins a day...

2- the food is good, sometimes very good, but sometimes also bland, and the prix fixe was raised to $100 vs the $85 in earlier reviews. For that price I would like real caviar (from a sturgeon, not paddlefish) and French truffle (not Australian). It was creative, but not worth $100. Still I loved the foie gras shavings and quite a few other things. On the other hand our duck was overcooked.

3- the main disappointment came from the wine and sake pairings. They were well chosen, but overpriced, you had to choose between the $50, the $85 and the $150 set of pairings and it was disorientating, the waitress was not so knowledgeable about the wines and she served the smallest quantities.

Overall my feeling is that it was good, but for the money I paid I would have liked them to be a bit more generous too, with the ingredients and with the booze! I might go back, just not until a while from now, and if meanwhile chef Chang gets bored and closes the place, I won't mind too much...

• Pros: Creative, good
• Cons: overpriced, wine and sake pairings not generous at all

04/24/08

Fantastic, once in a lifetime experience

by jnil at Citysearch

Just got home from Momofuku Ko after having had a memorable dinner there! The place is fantastic that I can't put words into motion to describe the experience...the fact that David himself cooks and serves right in front of you was fascinating and the dishes were so unique and delicious that my taste buds have never felt such pleasure!

Try your best to score a spot...the reservation system isn't too hard...keep at it...it'll be worth the pampering and special service you get!

Bravo Momofuku Ko...service, staff and all is great!

03/22/08

Best restaurant. Ever.

by geoffk at Citysearch

This is some of the most exciting food anywhere in the U.S -- provided you can get a reservation in the 45 seconds before tables are fully booked on-line each day at 10 A.M. David Chang et al. are geniuses, serving an 8-10 course menu for the bargain price (really!) of $85. While everything on the menu works in a seamless progression -- complemented uncannily by the $50 wine pairing -- several dishes are true world-class standouts: a torchon of foie gras grated over a mix of Riesling gelee, caramelized pine nuts and lychee, a kim chee consomme with raw oyster and grilled pork, a slow-cooked beef short rib with pickled vegetables and braised radish. Even the final savory course of miso soup with grilled rice cakes is surprisingly satisfying. Chang's talent is combining several flavors, textures and temperatures in each dish to create food that is vibrant, modern and unlike almost anything else in NYC. Not since an eating expedition to San Sebastian, Spain have I had such exhilirating food. The most interesting aspect of the restaurant is that you are served by one of several chefs, who stand directly behind a long counter preparing the food. For both the chef-struck and merely chef-curious, this is a fascinating experience. Food voyeurism at its best!

Editorial Review

by Contributor at Citysearch

Reservations for David Chang's high-end eatery can be made a week in advance at http://reservations.momofuku.com/.