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| - Upon arriving in the 6ix, I heard so much about this 3 story monstrosity, Momofuku, created by a New York chef, David Chang, to serve up noodles. I've also heard Toronto thinks it s the centre of the universe ( as does New York) so of course it's going to be big and bold, even for ramen! As Wikipedia states, it wasn't an accident that Chef Chang named his restaurants not only after the inventor of instant ramen, but also because the name in English is similar to "motherfucker" - Kudos Chef.
The place is very busy! They take reservations, but being solo in the 6ix I opted to stroll over and walk in, their host suggested the second floor and called up to the bar, to ensure I'd have a seat at Nikai.
It's loud, chaotic and filled with great energy. You are served by whoever seems to be walking by, the atmosphere is inviting and energetic, lots of couples, tables of friends laughing and sharing big bowls of noodles and ramen. The first floor has long tables, the second floor has sofas and comfy chairs while you wait for your table or the bar.
The bartender made fantastic cocktails, East of Eden (toasted bourbon, sake & lemon) was perfectly served in a classic stemmed cocktail glass. The bartender looks after the room, so don't be in a hurry for a drink or arrive thirsty. I'm not sure he actually likes people but he certainly loves the art of making a cocktail. I was dying to ask him to pull his pants up, alas, I had an evening of ass crack and noodles. I started with pickled vegetables, a bit much for one and too much celery, the couple beside me ordered kimchi, had a couple bites and left it, the appetizers seem more like they should be smaller portion add ons to the ramen and noodles, as it seemed a shame everyone (myself included) was smothering their dishes in sriracha to bring out flavour.
The food was good but not sure what the fuss is about, at the end of the day it's noodles and sriracha... Next time I'll try Sh?t?, the 10-course tasting menu, hopefully sriracha is banned from the third floor....
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