New York Noodles: Baoburg

New York is a city of diversity. Of people, architecture, and, of course, food.  In this column I plan to share my search for some of the best noodles in NYC: whether that be a steaming hot bowl of ramen or a plate heaping with freshly made tagliatelle.  There are so many varieties of noodles and pasta, so many exciting and delicious in their own ways.

At her brand-new Williamsburg restaurant, Baoburg, Chef Bao Bao brings a new, creative fusion cuisine to her petite eatery.  The French menu is inspired by Spanish and Asian flare, creating an appealing medley of flavors in every dish.

Noodle-wise, Chef Bao Bao's restaurant is attached to her father's Ramen Yebisu and her mother's Chai Thai, so she has a lot to live up to. The tangy linguine aux moules has a nice kick, and the al dente pasta has a satisfying bite with the mussels (or shrimp) generously decorating the dish. 

But the standout noodle dish here is the Seared Duck Breast Noodle, a dish  totally unique in flavor.  Hot, thick, curly ramen noodles (from Sun Noodle in New Jersey), bathe in a hot bowl of spicy duck consommé, decorated with bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and pickled daikon. On top of this delectable combination rests thinly sliced seared duck breast, almost disguised as a pan seared tuna, its inside so rich and juicy, rare with a scorched perimeter that makes each bite of duck sprinkled with sesame seeds hugely enjoyable. Slurp up noodles entwined with duck, or bite into a slice of seared meat alongside the dense yet soft daikon.  Of all the ways to eat this dish, it's hard to do it wrong. 

The only dish on the menu served with chopsticks, this trifecta of French, Thai, and Japanese flavors celebrates Chef Bao Bao's background and unites three culinary cultures in a perfect way. She admits that this dish is her specialty, and special it is.    

This noodle dish is certainly unique to New York, and a must-try for any noodle lover.