The new restaurant that has taken the food in scene in Sydney by storm is of course David Chang's Momofuku Seiobo. It was awarded the prestigious three hats and best restaurant in Sydney for 2013. So of course I had to check it out and what better opportunity than my husband's birthday.
You will soon see that Momufuku does not do things like they do in the normal hatted restaurants. This starts from the the time you want to make a reservation. Unlike having to book three to six months in advance to reserve a spot you can only book ten days in advance. But i'll share a little secret with you. To ensure you can get a reservation within this time frame it is necessary to do two things:
1. Set up an account with the restaurant a couple of days before.
2. Ensure you login at exactly 10 am and reserve the spot you want, keeping in mind you can only book ten days in advance.
When I got my spot confirmed I almost did a little victory dance! Bear in mind however you can't see the menu and therefore have no idea of what you will be served. But you dear reader will, because I am going to show you the type of food you can expect! But before I get ahead of myself let's go back a bit.
After I made the booking I must have received about three to four calls and emails confirming my booking. Yes I want the reservation and no I don't want to cancel. Whilst I found the the third and forth attempt to contact me a little grating it was an opportune time to tell them if you have any food allergies or dislikes.
When you see the restaurant from the outside it looks quite mysterious. There are silver vertical slats with no visible door. But lo and behold once you walk past and peer in, the doors open and you are welcomed into the restaurant.
The restaurant is far smaller than I had imagined. Its sectioned of with a bar at the end (that serves a separate bar menu to the rest of the restaurant) there are about four tables in the middle and then a cluster of bar stools where you can see the food being prepared in front of you. The small space lends itself to an intimate atmosphere. They play an assortment of music which you find yourself rocking away too. This is a large contrast to the usual pristine starched tablecloths and soft music you would expect at most fine dining venues.
When you are seated you receive a large drinks menu. Like most restaurants they having wine pairings. Unlike most restaurants they also have juice pairings. They unfortunately do not serve cocktails (even if you ask for it like I did).
Perched up on the bar stools, it's quite interesting watching all the Chefs prepare the meals, they are relaxed each person having a specific task and working in synchronization to each other. They even join in your conversation which occurred when I was commenting on their lobster roll and one of the chefs pipped in advising it was for the bar menu specifically. Such a shame it looked quite enticing!
And then of course there is the menu. There is thirteen courses altogether. The menu lends itself to a variety of cuisines most heavily influenced by the Asian regions with dishes such as pork belly steamed bun and beef with radish and fermented black beans. It is also a good combination of seafood dishes (crab and marron) with meat (beef, sweetbreads and pork belly).
Then there are the quirky dishes like the potatoes cooked in ducked fat and served with slivers of mushrooms and wait for it, parson's nose (which is really an euphemism for the fleshy bit of the chicken's tail end). As well as a very intriguing dessert which contains pear, sunflower seeds and Jerusalem artichoke (which is a vegetable but lends itself to a sweet flavor due to the high amount of fructose it contains).
The biggest twist in the menu for me is the last course to come out. During the meal the chefs had bought out a glistening pork shoulder on the bench. It sat under the spotlight, brown and gleaming. It wasn't being served so I though perhaps it might be another concoction for the bar menu. But I was wrong! At the end of the twelve courses, after the mandarin meringue and pear and Jerusalem artichoke, came the sweet richness of the pork shoulder. I was almost astounded when they bought it out, after all we had just finished the dessert and we were going back for meat?! They bought the dish to us adding "you have to eat it with your hands". Hmm interesting concept. I took a bite of the pork it was mouth wateringly tender, and coated with a sweet sticky sauce. There is no denying it was delicious but after twelve rich courses, the meat pushed us over the edge! We could hardly get up we were so full!
At the end of the meal as we paid our bill they bought out a little gift, it was a vacuum sealed bag of kimchi! Quaint little idea.
Overall it was a very interesting experience and will definitely take you out of the box you normally view fine dining. Get ready to be entertained and a little challenged in this fine dining experience!
Then there are the quirky dishes like the potatoes cooked in ducked fat and served with slivers of mushrooms and wait for it, parson's nose (which is really an euphemism for the fleshy bit of the chicken's tail end). As well as a very intriguing dessert which contains pear, sunflower seeds and Jerusalem artichoke (which is a vegetable but lends itself to a sweet flavor due to the high amount of fructose it contains).
The biggest twist in the menu for me is the last course to come out. During the meal the chefs had bought out a glistening pork shoulder on the bench. It sat under the spotlight, brown and gleaming. It wasn't being served so I though perhaps it might be another concoction for the bar menu. But I was wrong! At the end of the twelve courses, after the mandarin meringue and pear and Jerusalem artichoke, came the sweet richness of the pork shoulder. I was almost astounded when they bought it out, after all we had just finished the dessert and we were going back for meat?! They bought the dish to us adding "you have to eat it with your hands". Hmm interesting concept. I took a bite of the pork it was mouth wateringly tender, and coated with a sweet sticky sauce. There is no denying it was delicious but after twelve rich courses, the meat pushed us over the edge! We could hardly get up we were so full!
At the end of the meal as we paid our bill they bought out a little gift, it was a vacuum sealed bag of kimchi! Quaint little idea.
Overall it was a very interesting experience and will definitely take you out of the box you normally view fine dining. Get ready to be entertained and a little challenged in this fine dining experience!
The 13 course menu:
Smoked eel and apple
Steamed bun with pork belly
Potato, roe and parson's nose
Crab, chickpea and amaranth
Beef, radish and fermented black bean
Cauliflower, mushroom and smoked yolk
Sweetbreads, apple and star anise
Marron, seaweed and salisfy
Shortrib, carrot and kombu
Curd (goat's cheese), blackcurrant and mint
Mandarin, meringue and candied egg yolk
Pear, Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower
Sticky Pork Shoulder
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