It has been more than a few months since David Chang brought his Momofuku brand to Toronto. I have always wanted to try the place out since it opened but there were other restaurants on my list that I wanted to eat first. About 2 weeks ago, I finally rounded some friends and we decided to have dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar. 

The Momofuku building is adjacent to the Shangri-La Hotel and the Momofuku Noodle Bar is on the ground floor of the three-story complex. We all arrived at exactly 5:00 pm which was when they opened up for dinner, so the wait wasn't too long at all. Although, the seating wasn't too comfortable as they only have communal wooden tables with racks underneath for jackets/small bags (coat check is also available).

The menu was basically one page so the choices of food items were a little limited. There were only a few ramen options and the most staple items on the menu would be their Momofuku ramen ($15.00). Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling ramen that night so I didn't order it. However, one of my friends who did ordered it thought that it was decent, but that she had much better and cheaper ramen at other places.

One of the most recommended items on the menu would be their pork buns with scallion, cucumber, hoisin sauce, and wrapped in a white bun. The pork buns (2 for $10) did live up to the hype for me, and was definitely a personal favorite of mine. The bun was both chewy and soft. Additionally, the pork was savory, tender and basically melted in my mouth. 

Rice cakes are definitely one of my favorite Asian appetizers so I was very pleased that they offered it on the menu. The roasted rice cakes ($11.00) were cut into small pieces and topped with sesame and garnish. I enjoyed the chewy and crispiness of the rice cakes. Although, the portion was incredibly small for its price.

One of the guys ordered the cauliflower ($7.00) which I also did not try. 

For my main dish, I ordered the chilled spicy noodles ($14.00). The dish consists of cold noodles, sichuan sausage, black bean, and topped with cashews. I was a little underwhelmed with my meal as it was more salty than spicy.

Another friend ordered the hanger steak ($18.00). I tried a piece of the steak and thought that the steak was very tender. He enjoyed his meal though.

Overall, I found that the hype surrounding Momofuku Noodle Bar was pretty overrated. The food was pretty decent, but not super memorable. Momofuku Noodle Bar is however a great place to have a casual meal with friends over some shared dishes and sake. I found the service to be very prompt and the staff was friendly. I'd come back here; mainly for the pork buns.

RATINGS:

Quality of Food: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Overall Dining Experience: 4/5

Price: $$

Address: 190 University Avenue (Ground Floor), Toronto, ON M5H 0A3