My spouse and I stopped at Momofuku Fuku for a late-day snack
on a Saturday afternoon in mid-February 2017. The restaurant is open daily from
11:00 am to 10:00pm (11:00 pm weekends). Fuku accepts only credit cards as
payment; no cash is accepted. You can visit other locations at Madison Square
Garden, Citi Field, and Fuku+ in Midtown (in the previous lounge area for Ma
Peche at the Chambers Hotel).
David Chang is the chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurant
empire, which besides Fuku and Fuku+, operates Ko (see our review from May
2011), Ssam Bar (see our review from July 2013), Ma Peche (see our review from
January 2011), Nishi (see our review from January 2017), Milk Bar (a bakery
concept with owner Christina Tosi, and Ando (food for delivery). Chang also
operates a restaurant in Sydney, Australia called Seiobo (see our review from
August 2012). Additional restaurants are located in Toronto, Las Vegas, and
Washington DC. We are huge admirers of Chef Chang, and we try to dine at as
many of his restaurants as possible.
Fuku (which means “lucky” in Japanese) opened in June 2015
on First Avenue (near 10th Street) in the East Village in the space
previously occupied by Momofuku Ko (and prior to that, by Momofuku Noodle Bar).
Fuku offers 600-square feet of space, where you can sit at one of the few
backless wooden stools, or stand at chest-high tables. The restaurant resembles
an old-style luncheonette counter, where chefs prepare your food right in front
of you.
Fuku serves a limited menu that focuses on the perfect fried
chicken sandwich. The Fuku spicy fried chicken sandwich (which was not spicy)
is crispy outside yet juicy inside and uses chicken thighs marinated in
habanero purée, coated in buttermilk, dredged in a spice blend, deep-fried, and
served on a Martin’s potato roll with pickles and butter. We shared the spicy
fried chicken sandwich and the (all white meat) chicken fingers (served with a
spicy-sweet-sour green dipping sauce) along with a soft drink and a Tecate
beer.
We enjoyed the casual food at Fuku; the laid-back
counter-service restaurant is a good addition to the Momofuku family.
