Ippudo vs Momofuku Smackdown!
65 4th Ave (bwtn 9th & 10th)
New York , NY
(212) 388-0088
See larger map and more nearby
VdV Rating: 4
PRO: They both rock
CON: Neither has an SF outpost!
I’ll tell you one thing, pilgrim: Momo’s gonna fuku-p your brand new white shirt!
First hint: DO NOT enter Momofuku, Ippudo or actually any noodle bar (as I can’t blame this on anyone besides moi) wearing a brand spankin’ new white shirt. Unless you eat noodles like a Samurai. Well, probably more like a professional noodler, if they exist.
Plant your entire face in that bowl, kittens. Or don a bib. Or take your shirt off. Whatever. Otherwise all bets are off for your cool new John Varvatos shirt you picked up in SoHo (sniff). Even the Tide To-Go Stain Stick I picked up at Duane Reade on the walk back to our hotel didn’t stand a chance against the gnawrlyness of MF’s ramen juice.
Second, as a wise (ok, old), man (yes, a man, a homeless man), spoke (stammered) to me on the way back from MF to our hotel…Which we love, kittens, the Thompson LES…except they took 45 minutes to get a GD bottle of vino delivered to my room this morning…I mean this afternoon…Yes. Anyhoo, this wise, stinky elder in a suit went toe-to-toe with me and said “You never know too much too soon, Grasshopper”. OK, I added the Grasshopper part but I kinda felt it. And how much more timely could that directive be? “WTF kinda tangent (and drugs) are you on”, you shrug? Here’s WTF, bitches:
We don’t know too much too soon and that’s my lame-ass excuse (thanks stinky homeless guy in the suit) for postponing my Ippudo vs Momofuku throw down I promised 2 years ago today. See how it all comes around? It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Word. And almost as painful as a marathon as well.
Soo. it’s downright chinchilla in NYC right now. Spring? WTF. Gonna pour snow any second. Yuck. But I digress. This is all about Noodle Wars! And Buns!
OK, so lemme break it down for y’all. Both Momofuku and Ippudo are very good. Next to Jonny Leitva’s (now at 10 Downing in NYC) and Matt Garcia’s (now running the Chef Show at Pier 23 in SF) ramen they would make special for us when Jack Falstaff was still in biz, it’s somma da best. Both. Bravo! And we’ve tasted each enough times to know.
Wow, the Link Fairy just barfed all over this blog. Enough! So here it is suckas. The Momofuku vs. Ippudo Smack Down!
Round 1: Ramen. The slightly more fine noodles and more well-spiced broth of Ippudo.We just has the 
Spicy Chicken Ramen at MF (the shit I cannot get out of my shirt), and it wasn’t spicy, it was smoky. And the noodles were a just little too thick for ramen.
Ippudo: 1, Momofuku: 0
Round 2: Buns. OK, I will admit Pork Belly is not my fave, and that is MF’s claim to fame. But the chicken buns with that awesome sauce at Ippudo rock it!
Ippudo: 2, Momofuku: 0
Round 3: Hmmm. R3, eh? Dang…OK, atmosphere! Ippudo is quite a bit more crazy, more…what is it…frenetic, I’d say. In a cool Japanese way (I don’t really know what that means, they just shout crazy shit in Japanese). Plus there’s a little cash bar to wait at, where they serve great buns, and an awesome downstairs communal-style room that’s just fun.
Ippudo: 3, Momofuku: 0
Knock Out! Ippudo wins, but it’s closer than it looked.
So, what to get at the winner? Prolly anything, but here’s VdV’s two faves:
Shiromaru Hakata Classic ($14), ‘The original tonkotsu’ soup noodle with pork loin chashu, kikurage, menma, 1/2 boiled egg, red pickled ginger, 
sesame & scallions. It’s simply f’ing awesome. Great spiciness, a pant load of pork, awesome textures and slurpiness.
Hirata Buns ($8) Steamed buns filled with choice of pork or chicken, served with Ippudo original spicy buns sauce. I like your yummy buns!
P.S. We were gonna hit Geofrrey Zacharian’s Lamb Club tonight but why patronize a douche, am I right?
