If you’re one of those people who look forward to lunchtime so you can drown the morning’s sorrows in a big steamy, soothing, nourishing bowl of ramen, join the club -- literally! Sensitive to the lunching proclivities of Toronto’s downtown crowd, Momofuku Noodle Bar recently added a little extra incentive for ramen junkies to get their midday fix with the launch of its Ramen Club.
As a member of this slurp-happy club, you’ll receive a Ramen Lunch Club Card into which Momofuku’s trademark peach logo will be stamped each time you drop by the Noodle Bar for a lunchtime bowl of ramen. Once you’ve racked up five peaches on your card -- and devoured five bowls of ramen -- you’ll be rewarded with a complimentary item from the ETC. menu. These include Red Kimchi, Red Dragon Rice Cakes (with bibim sauce, scallion and sesame), and Yunnan Rice Cakes (with basic, tomato, asparagus and goat cheese).
Along with steam buns, ramen is the original signature dish of David Chang’s Momofuku empire, responsible for putting both Chang and ramen on the North American culinary map way back in the early aughts with the opening of the original Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City.
Toronto’s Noodle Bar menu includes Chang’s classic Pork Ramen made with tender pork belly and a soft egg as well as Chicken Ramen featuring smoked confit chicken and charred corn. The recently introduced Wagyu Ramen pairs tender Wagyu beef with a black bean sauce. All three options offer tasty reasons to join the club.
Momofuku Noodle Bar is located at 190 University Avenue, adjacent to the Shangri-La Hotel. Lunch is served Wednesday to Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m.
