Restaurant Review: Momofuku Nishi

After randomly checking the Momofuku reservations website every single day, I finally snagged a normal dinner time reservation at Nishi for 4! Generally, you are lucky to get the 10:30pm Monday night spot, so I considered this a big win. I had read mixed reviews - mainly saying that the food is great, but the restaurant needed work from an operations and business stand point. I don’t know about the inner workings of a restaurant or how to run a kitchen, but I can say that I only had a pleasant experience from a service perspective. It is also important to note that this was my first restaurant (in America) that had gratuity included, and I was happy to see it did not impact the server’s attitude or dedication to our table.

One critic was confused by the atmosphere and layout of the space considering the menu and elevated offerings (aka expensive dishes). This I will have to agree with. It was very loud and it struck me as a bit odd to see long, communal-esk tables paired with backless chairs. It looked like a ramen place rather than an upscale Asian-inspired Italian restaurant. The vibe is certainly not stiff and I appreciated the playfulness of the menu. Not just in the creative dishes, but also the footnotes on the menu adding suggestions and additional info.

Ok, so now let’s focus on the good stuff – the food! Based on reviews, we chose a number of dishes to share in an attempt to create a well-rounded meal.

First up was the beef crudo. This arrived as a bright pink plate of thinly sliced beef (basically carpaccio) laid out with watermelon radish and dashi ponzu. There were scallions and tiny onion crisps scattered on top. The beef was tender and the additional ingredients added that necessary crunch. We all enjoyed this one, and it was a decent portion.

Beef Crudo

Next was the shaved winter vegetable. Green apple and radish were sliced paper thin and folded into a flower-like display sitting in a pickled beef broth with horseradish. This was ordered last, purely as an attempt to add some greens and health to the table. Not worth it. It wasn’t bad, in fact it was crisp and refreshing, but it just did not hit the spot nor add anything to the meal.

Shaved Winter Vegetable

Next came the diver scallops. The menu says this is served with tiger’s milk and shio kombu. Since I had to look up what both of those things are, I will describe this dish as 10 small, tender scallops topped with salted seaweed and served in a bright green bath of acidic citrus goodness. This is a light dish and a great inclusion when building a multi-course meal.

Diver Scallops

Now for the heartier dishes. The chicken and dumplings were the ultimate comfort food. It reminded us of a deconstructed chicken pot pie but with flat, square noodles (“dumplings”) instead of crust. The sauce was creamy and savory and filled with the noodles, chicken, smoked shiitake mushrooms (that even Jeremy ate), and some other vegetables. The chili oil on top added the perfect amount of kick and flavor.

Chicken and Dumplings

The ceci e pepe seems to be the poster dish of Nishi, and I can see why. This was by far our favorite dish of the evening and we even contemplated ordering another one. The dish is not huge, but it is super rich, creamy, and absolutely divine. Noodles come in a small pile smothered in a creamy chickpea hozon sauce and seasoned generously with black pepper. Apparently there is NO dairy in this sauce, which is crazy yet fascinating. A must try!

Ceci e Pepe

The chitarra squid dish was not as we expected it. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but the squid rings were a bit fishy for my liking and the pasta sauce was extremely spicy. It contained XO sauce (spicy seafood sauce) and fresh and fermented chili. I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of this, and it was our least favorite of the evening.

Chitarra

Lastly, we ordered the roast pork entrée. It came as 2 large pieces covered with about a dozen roasted asparagus spears. Once you cut away the massive layer of fat, the pork was super tasty. I was disappointed though by how much of it I had to cut away. I would probably skip this next time and focus on more appetizers or pasta dishes.

Roast Pork

Unfortunately, we did not have any room for dessert. Maybe next time! I would definitely recommend Nishi to any foodie or Momofuku fan, but I wouldn’t send a picky eater. It was a good experience overall and we enjoyed our meal, but the menu is unique and there isn’t quite “something for everyone.”