Expecting a great lunch or dinner and receiving lower than your great expectations might qualify as one of the "worst minor catastrophes" in the world, in the words of my co-worker.
Ma Peche, aka "Mother Peach", is the newest edition to the David Chang dynasty of pan-Asian cuisine that comprises the brand Momofuku, meaning "Lucky Peach." As a regular follower of Midtown Lunch Blog (a celebration of the wasteland that is the food selection in Midtown Manhattan), I was thrilled to hear about Ma Peche's opening in November 2009 and couldn't wait for a good reason to pretend I was fine dining ($10 lunch special, heyooo!). And unfortunately, pretend...it sure was.
Momofuku is known for their meats! They are known for having some of the best fried chicken in the city (inspired by Congee Village), the best pork buns, and one of the city's best pork ramen. It came as a HUGE disappointment to be (disappointed) by the meat in the dishes we ordered. I knew a $10 lunch special from the Momofuku Empire was too good to be true!
Exhibit 1: Banh Mi au poulet
First off, $10 for a banh mi and a coke is overpriced (this was expected), but the "banh mi au poulet" was half the size of a banh mi 40 blocks downtown for double the price. Really though, my main problem with this banh mi was the chicken, which is a shame because it's a chicken sandwich. I've never been keen on ordering chicken in Vietnamese restaurants (remember, never order Pho Ga, you wimp), but given Momofuku's reputation for fried chicken, I figured all bets were out the door. The chicken wasn't fresh chicken breast. It was some sort of chicken patty/roll with a dry, block like consistency that was a bit tough. And they get away with calling it "au poulet..."
Exhibit 2: Bun du riz (aka Pork Rice Noodles)
This initially caught my eye from Midtown Lunch blog, and I pretty much knew I was going to order it before I got to the Chambers Hotel. Behind those layers of green is actually very salty ground pork. Very salty. The dish almost tasted like it could have been an Asian Box of Hamburger Helper...guh. The noodles were interestingly shaped into little cones. The redeeming quality of the dish was that they were fun to eat, BUT I usually find myself with a healthy appetite, and I didn't finish the plate. Salty pork drew my mouth-watering appetite dry.
At this point, I was ready to leave without ordering the peanut butter cookie (from Momofuku Milk Bar) which everyone raves about, but my 6'3 businessman who opened the colossal, wooden doors of the Chambers Hotel from the top of the door handles has a soft spot for peanut butter, so we stayed.
As we sat in our cubicle-feeling bucket chairs placed diagonally far away from each other, my eyes drifted to the book Farm Animal Portraits placed in front of us on the bookshelf, and our waiter returned with a peanut butter cookie in a bag in his hand, almost high-fiving it over to us. Not even a plate! Just a cookie in a sweaty bag. Yipes. At least the center was chewy and peanut buttery?
Just say "momofuku" to Momofuku Midtown and get yourself over to Takashimaya on 5th Ave for the fine dining experience you deserve. Ma Peche ain't worth yer pennies!
