PrintFergus Henderson's Offal Meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar
Serious eaters descended on Momofuku Noodle Bar last night to sample the offal offerings of nose to tail dining pioneer Fergus Henderson. Hot on the trotters of his reported command performance at The Spotted Pig on Sunday night, Henderson, aided and abetted by Momofuku kingpin David Chang and his brigade, turned out an inventive and challenging ten item menu laced with all manner of esoteric fare. Chitterlings, lamb brains, pig tails, cheeks and trotters all graced the menu to the delight of the droves of NYC foodies who started to line up well in advance of the 5 p.m. opening.
I was able to get to Momofuku Noodle Bar early enough to make the first seating. I went alone and was fortunate that I was seated next to Ed O. I had never met Ed before but when we were seated together, and I realized that he was also going solo, I immediately asked him if he would like to share a few dishes. "I was about to ask you the same thing" he chortled in reply. Great minds think alike. Of course so do the criminally glutenous and we proceeded to order virtually the whole Fergus Henderson menu. It turns out Ed has a refined palate and a genuine appreciation for food. We ate our way, quite literally, from one end of the pig to the other, with a few other animals thrown in for good measure.
Here is what we ate:
Tender ribbons of grilled chitterlings had a surprisingly tangy flavor.
Lambs brain came battered and deep fried to a golden crisp. The green sauce, infused with parsley and dill, complimented the earthy, creamy nuggets. They were out of this dish by 7:30 p.m.
The crispy pig tails were perhaps the one disappointment in an otherwise wonderful menu. The flavor of the meat was excellent—deep and satisfying—but the breading was far too dense and undercooked. Although others in attendance (like our own Zach Brooks) seemed to love it, so perhaps I just had an off piece.
Confit of pig cheek and dandelion.
Deep fried rabbit.
My favorite dish was the roasted marrow bones with parsley salad, it is a staple of Henderson's St John Restaurant in London, UK.
Warm pigs head and bean salad.
Snail, trotter, sausage and chickpeas. Perfectly poached snails and al dente chickpeas in a hearty trotter infused broth.
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3 Comments:
So very jealous!
The roasted marrow bones with parsley salad is possibly the greatest single restaurant dish i have ever eaten. I had it at at St. John's in London.
MrKnish at 12:08PM on 11/04/08
I have to say, I thought the lamb brains were as good as any fried piece of food- and the green sauce was great, but it kind of overwhelmed the taste of the actual brains (which some people may have been happy about.) Definitely the least "strange" of all the dishes I tried...
Pig tails were definitely the highlight for me! Kind of reminded me of this amazingly good pig's feet dish at Hakata Tonton:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59445098@N00/2493133805/
Zach Brooks at 12:32PM on 11/04/08
It was awesome to see David Chang in the kitchen, cooking. My party of four tried everything.
I think my tops were:
1. bone marrow
2. pig cheeks and dandelion
3. snail, trotter, sausage and chickpeas
The only duds were the boiled egg and pigs head and bean salad.
kathryn at 1:01PM on 11/04/08