Momofuku Ma Peche
House Made Ginger Soda
Foie Gras Terrine – Sarsaparilla, Malt, Brioche
Fried Rice – Lobster, Coconut Curry, Cilantro
Roasted Duck – Orange, Pistachio, Rutabaga
Fried Chicken – Thai Chili, Vinegar, Sesame
Creamed Corn – Pickled Jalapenos, Cotija Cheese, Cilantro
Cookies – Compost, Confetti, Cornflake Chocolate Chip with Marshmallow
It is always with cautious enthusiasm that I enter David Chang restaurants but with distant memories of a meal …or more importantly the trek to get there and the wait…at Noodle many years ago it seemed only appropriate to end my first Manhattan trip with my sister since that day at Ma Peche, the lone remaining NYC Chang restaurant I’d not yet visited. A brilliant white space in midtown with a consistently intriguing menu and the same subtly refined service as Ssam it was early lunch that brought us to Ma Peche before departing for Baltimore and DC and although dessert came in the form of three cookies from Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar upstairs since there is no proper sweets menu at lunch the savories more than picked up the slack in a rare event where there were even leftovers. Starting first with a truly inspired plate of creamy foie gras and a serving of lobster fried rice large, delicious, and packed with lobster that the chefs were cracking by hand in the open kitchen it would have seemed unlikely for the meal to get any better from there but that would be underestimating Chang and Co.’s skill with poultry; a defiantly rosy duck breast with crackling skin and a roulade of confit managing to wow and still falling behind the famous ‘Korean’ fried chicken for the best thing I ate during the 9 day duration of our trip, a one-two punch of sweet and heat that I’d have gladly paid double for and only wish I’d had enough stomach space left to enjoy more of as my sister had tapped out early on the rice and duck.
