In the teeny tiny town where I went to college there was a teeny tiny place that made the best Korean food ever.  I’ve struggled to fill the void in my heart for copious amounts of kimchi since graduation, until I found Mokbar.  Mokbar to me is the perfect spot to go for lunch. Not only because of their awesome menu but most of all because you sit at the bar there is so shame in solo dining! Even better, Mokbar uses all natural and fresh ingredients for their awesome creations. The ramen trend in NYC has exploded over the last few months.  Mokbar stands out to me from the rest because it is the perfect combination of ramen you know and something a little new. They use traditional Japanese noodles but on top of that they add Korean flavors, broths and ingredients to bring ramen to the next level.

Ramen – Perfect Winter Friend – Mokbar

Two of my favorite dishes they do at Mokbar are the Kimchi Ramen and the Bulgogi Ramen.  The Kimchi broth is the most amazing clash of flavors.  It is fishy, sour and porky at the same time.  The Kimchi is an umami bomb for your mouth.  Also in the soup is a copious amount of tender braised pork.  I always go for the extra noodles, because for only $2 more you get 2x the noodles! Hooray for noodles! I’ve been working on my ramen slurping technique which hasn’t been easy and I’m pretty sure has resulted in me spraying broth onto the people seated next to me, sorry about that one. My bad. Bulgogi ramen is a little different because it is not served with broth.  The Bulgogi is topped with marinated ribeye, three types of kimchi, a poached egg and scallions. Breaking the yolk of the egg makes an awesome coating on the noodles and when you get the kimchi in there too, pure bliss.

I recently headed to Mokbar and celebrated Korean American Day with some awesomely delicious grub.  That day I decided to try their Ho Cakes, which were only $3 because of the holiday! Now that I’ve tried one, I’m hooked! The ho cakes are loaded with pork belly and have a perfectly crispy outside.

ho’ cake
as in Holy Crap these are awesome!

There is still plenty more on their menu that looks inventive and scrumptious. On my next trip I’m going to have to dig into their bibimbap and their Korean take on disco fries, French fries topped with ramen gravy, kimchi, cheese curds and nori *mouth watering*.

Can’t wait to eat up more Mokbar!

mŏkbar