Berkshire Day

I checked out Momofuku last Friday evening and trying to find out what is the buzz about the place. The New York magazine rated this restaurant one of the best in NYC and this is where all the chefs in town go. They are infamously known for using Berkshire pork and sighting of wannabe celebrities. For crying out loud, the Berkshire pork buns run for $8 for two. It is nothing but a rip-off of the Cantonese version of Peking Duck. 2 strips or Berkshire pork belly meat top of with Hoisin sauce, Japanese cucumber and scallion. The ramen that I ordered didn't came out the way I thought it should be. Let's start with the noodle, it is not the yellow ramen but white soba and the soup was really bland. The soup, where's the "umami" flavor of sea kelp or hon-dashi? Momofuku's stock is nothing but dilluted shoyu based water. My order of "Bershire" pork ramen taste nothing like the really deal. It looks like pernil in soy sauce water with noodle and serveral strips of bamboo shoots. The use or abuse of "Berkshire" is unnecessary. I have had ramen that are 10 times better than this place used only the regular domestic pink pig. No need to sell gimmicks such as Berkshire, Allan Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams and ingredients from Doug Metzger Farm in Seneca, KS. I mean, do you know and care where is Allan Benton's and how to get to Doug Metzger Farm?? I know I don't. The secret is all in the soup. You still should be able to make a mega nice bowl of ramen with less expensive pork and great stock.