Spoon UF Takes on Momoyaki: A Korean Feast to Remember

Momoyaki is a great place to hang out with friends, get some food, and socialize. Recently, the Spoon team was invited to go to Momoyaki, a delicious Korean restaurant in Gainesville, for a dinner social. They were gracious enough to give us four complimentary appetizers of our choosing, which really set the mood for a fun outing, getting to know other chapter members on a more personal level. We also ordered a variety of main dishes, and the dim lighting of the restaurant gave us a more personal and private experience that helped us ease into culinary conversation. What better way to get to know others than with a shared plate of food? So let’s dive into the meal.

Appetizers

The first appetizer we got was the Pajun with seafood. This dish was a Korean-style scallion pancake that came with seafood mixed inside the pancake. My favorite bite of this appetizer was one with octopus inside, which mixed well with the doughy taste of the pancake, allowing for the seafood, and in this case the octopus, to shine through and stand out. This appetizer also ended up being a table favorite leaving almost none leftover.

The second appetizer was the Veggie Tempura, which consisted of battered and deep-fried carrots, julienne-cut onions, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, which was perfect for those in our group who were vegetarian. The tempura came with the veggies all fried and battered together in the style of four large veggie tempura pancakes. The texture was also pleasant since it was nice and crispy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. The flavor of the veggies was also very good, but in my personal opinion, the batter itself was slightly overpowering, and it tasted a bit greasy.

Our third appetizer was the fried pork Mandu which is a style of Korean dumplings. It was topped with mushrooms, sliced peppers, onions, and green onions and served with a hot and sour sauce. It was a classic appetizer, but it tasted like an average dumpling, so if you’re a fan of dumplings, this is perfect for you! If you’re normally not the type of person that gravitates toward dumplings you won’t be missing out from not trying it, especially considering that most of the toppings slipped off when I attempted to grab a dumpling (which may be due to my subpar chopstick skills, thankfully we have an article for that as well on our page).

Our final appetizer was the Mini Galbi, which was marinated grilled beef short ribs that came with a side of a pickled vegetable that I assumed to be pickled radish. This was another table favorite. I’m personally not the biggest fan of plain meat, however, this dish truly blew me away. The pickled veggies were delicious on their own and reminded me of the pickled veggies you’d find inside of a bahn mi. The meat itself was soft and tender and came attached to a small bone, which I love because of the added flavor from the bone. The marinade of the beef was an addictive flavor; it was sweet and had a nice tang that you’d find in a barbecue sauce, but still elevated the flavors of the meat. If I had been alone at that table, I would’ve definitely sucked on that bone for way longer.

Bibim Nangmyun

The entree that I decided to try was the Bibim Nangmyun, which is a cold noodle dish that I’ve never had the pleasure of trying before. This dish consisted of buckwheat noodles, mixed greens, and pickled radish stirred together in a spicy paste and topped with sliced sirloin, asian pear, and a hard-boiled egg. It was also served with an ice-cold dongchimi broth, which is apparently a radish water kimchi broth, and it was super refreshing. The Bibim Nangmyun was the perfect mix of sweet from the asian pear and spicy from the chili paste, however, it was not overly spicy to the point where those who can’t handle much spice wouldn’t be able to eat it. The noodles were super bouncy and chewy, unlike any other noodles I’ve had before. One downside was that the dish only came with two slices of the sirloin, and the sirloin itself wasn’t super flavorful, but the noodles and broth carried the flavor.

I would definitely go back for this cold noodle dish, and it made eating the leftovers very convenient since I didn’t need to reheat them (the serving sizes are that great, a good bang for your buck). During my second time eating this dish as leftovers, the spicy paste marinated in the broth and made it spicier but the flavor was much more concentrated and even more delicious.

The dish was also served with banchan if requested, which are Korean side dishes. The banchan of the day were spicy marinated broccoli, kimchi, and a stir-fried sweet fish cake. As someone who prefers my broccoli steamed and soft, the spicy marinated broccoli wasn’t a must, but it was fun to try. Kimchi is always a classic, but the sweetness of the fishcake truly stood out to me and it was my favorite addition.

Alaskan Roll

A gluten-free member of our group tried the Alaskan roll, which included salmon, cucumber, and avocado and was topped with sesame seeds. She stated that it was a basic sushi roll, so she couldn’t comment much on the flavors, but the roll was “well-filled and you could tell the ingredients were fresh!”

Bibimbap

A vegetarian member of the group ordered the Bibimbap, which is a traditional Korean rice bowl served with a sunny-side up egg, carrots, radishes, zucchini, bean sprouts, spinach, and your choice of protein with a side of gochujang pepper paste on the side. She mentioned that the dish “paired nicely with soy sauce, which brought out its savory flavor.”

Jeyeuk Bokkeum

The majority of the table opted for the Jeyeuk Bokkeum, which was a Korean spicy pork tenderloin marinated in a gochujang-based sauce and stir-fried with onions, cabbage, carrots, and sliced chili pepper garnished with scallions. One member said, “I thought it was delicious and the pork melted in my mouth!” She stated that the pork was a spicy yet sweet combination and that “it was a very comforting and satisfying meal. I’d definitely order it again.” While another member stated that the dish was very savory and delicious, and “reminded me of the Korean food my mom makes back home. The portions were great and made amazing leftovers.”

Sujeonggwa

We ended our meal with a complimentary cinnamon tea shot that the restaurant offered us. The table was split on whether they liked it or not, but I enjoyed it because it had a very warm cinnamon taste while still being super sweet at the same time, and I love a sweet drink. It was a fun little addition to the experience of eating at Momoyaki and contrasted the rest of the meal well.

Would I Recommend Momoyaki?

I would definitely recommend Momoyaki, both to those who want to venture out and try Korean cuisine for the first time and to those who miss traditional Korean dishes that their parents make back home. The service is very friendly and understanding when pronouncing complicated Korean words for the first time. The portion sizes were great, and a lot of us had enough for leftovers at the end of the day. They were equally comforting and delicious to eat the second time around. Thank you, Momoyaki, for this delicious cultural experience right at home in Gainesville.