Momofuku Seiobo

I went back to Sydney a few months ago for a work trip. It was great because the number one restaurant I knew I had to go to was Momofuku Seiobo! That night, I’m catching up with my buddy Ms V. The degustation was too steep for our budget so we decided to eat at the bar The bar had a limited amount of seats – only 5; so we decide to turn up early on a Monday night to grab those seats. We arrived slightly before 7 in the evening and they weren’t open yet. By the time we sat down, another couple appeared and there was only 1 seat left.

After dinner – I posted on Instagram and said “felt a little disappointed”. A number of people replied and said they enjoyed their experience at Momofuku but mostly with the degustation option. The food was very good but not too sure if it was worth the money. I guess I just had such high expectations and had been counting down the days to the visit.

I couldn’t see any door signage of Momofuku but Ms V pointed out a big peach so I guess that’s it. We ordered everything on the menu except for the pickles for two. We skipped the alcohol since it was a “school night”, however the sake and choyo offerings were very tempting. Darn, school night! Once we ordered, food started arriving in about, just after 5 minutes.

First up was fried Brussel Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette – $15. It smelt so good despite having fish sauce! I am personally not a fan of Brussel Sprouts so I was surprised that I enjoyed this dish. However, more then half way through this dish, me and Ms V had given up because we realised that the sauce had become quite overpowering the more we ate this dish.

Confit Chicken Wings $16 – this wasn’t bad but nothing amazing. I could taste the Korean soybean paste in this 🙂

Pork Buns – $15. The pork was tender and juicy. I knew before-hand that the pork buns had no skin, but it was nothing with an amazing “wow” factor. I did previously made these momofuku pork buns but with the added crispy skin and felt like it just needed crispy skin to bring it to the next level.

Spanner Crab Roll with Celery Salted chips $22. The bread was very dry and sadly the bread went untouched. The crab filling was a little strong with the mayo but still quite delicious. I couldn’t taste the celery on the chips but still happily gobbled them up because it was so crispy!

The Spicy Roasted Rice Cakes with Pork $17 was a winner in Ms V’s books. She loved the crispy bits and the tiny hint of spice. I echoed the same feelings. I have attempted cooking the roasted rice cakes (I haven’t blogged about it) from this cookbook but I couldn’t get the roasted rice cakes to crisp up as much as the Momofuku Seiobo version. It is definitely something I will order again if I return for the bar menu.

The winner of the day in my books was the Pickled Egg $4. There were notes of vinegar and a lovely gooey center. It’s steep at a price of $4 but I was glad that we still got it.

The service at Momofuku was exceptional and we were constantly asked if everything was okay. Although I did overall enjoyed Momofuku, I felt the food was a little mediocre for the price but once again I need to remind myself that it is a bar menu and a fast turn around for service was required. Nonetheless, I am still extremely keen on going with the degustation menu.

The Star 80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont, NSW 2009

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