When I learned that Tony Ho was opening a dumpling and noodle restaurant, I was eager to get there. He had long been the chef of RuYi, arguably the best restaurant at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino, especially since chef Jason Gorman left Dream Dance in 2011. Now, chef Ho is at the helm of his own place, Momo Mee, where the din of slot machines has been exchanged for a simple, Zen-like dining room and bar.
Dumplings are the star attraction and easily overshadow the noodle and rice dishes (except for one in particular, but I’ll get to that later). Xiao long bao ($12; aka soup dumplings) are the dumplings everyone is talking about. By my count, this is only the second restaurant in the city to offer them. To make them, dumpling dough is wrapped around a small pork meatball and chilled pork stock. When steamed, the gelled stock melts, creating a logic-defying, soup-filled dumpling.
The xiao long bao, served right from the bamboo steamer, comes with instructions from your server on how to avoid burning yourself with hot broth if you’ve never eaten them before. Honestly, it’s easier than it sounds: Pick up a dumpling gently, put it in your spoon, nibble a little hole in the top and suck out the broth. Then, just pop the dumpling wrapper and pork in your mouth. The broth is rich and coats your tongue thanks to all the natural gelatin, and the ground-pork meatball is generous. Between the steaming basket, hot broth and hearty dumpling skin, it’s great winter food.
Beef mandu ($8), a Korean dumpling, came six to an order. The filling of ground beef, scallions and vermicelli noodles had a nice tang thanks to chopped kimchi. They’re steamed before being pan-fried to a light, golden crust. They go well with the black vinegar dipping sauce. Szechuan spicy wontons ($8) are filled with pork, ginger and greens and served in a shallow bowl with bright orange chili oil over the whole thing. There’s also some broth in the bowl, but I’d rather just have had more of the chili oil for a blistering heat.
Non-dumpling (or dumpling-adjacent) appetizers include Indian samosas ($8), with an onion-heavy potato filling; whole fried chicken wings ($12) with a cumin rub; and fresh spring rolls ($6) with shrimp and pork. Five types of ramen ($13-$14) are offered, all with homemade noodles: shoyu, shio, miso, tonkotsu and vegetarian shitake. Bowls are large, with an abundance of noodles and chashu pork belly, which is braised until almost falling apart and sliced thickly.
You can get the same springy noodles in yakisoba ($13), a stir fry in a dark, umami-rich sauce, along with a large amount of chashu pork, chicken, beef, tofu or shrimp. Break the fried egg on top to release its runny yolk into the noodles. A bed of wheat noodles hold a topping of ground pork with Szechuan peppercorns, spicy bean paste and chili oil in dan dan noodles ($12). The pork was sweet, dry and may require some salt. Similarly, the curry fried rice ($12) seemingly lacked any salt at all (and might need a boost to the curry spices as well).
However, it was also a rice dish that stole the show: salt and pepper shrimp ($16). The aroma of garlic that hits you as soon as it reaches your table means your companions may insist on sharing. The sizable portion of large shrimp are plump with a pleasing crunch and coated in a light batter speckled with black pepper and Szechuan peppercorns. Simple sides of seasoned, steamed bok choy with bits of red pepper and white rice make perfect companions to the flavor-filled shrimp. This dish will bring you back again and again.
As for beverages, about a dozen sakes are offered, and the drink menu includes short, helpful descriptions of each one, but if you’d like a personal recommendation on drinks or food, chances are you can ask chef Ho himself as he makes the rounds through Momo Mee. It’s clear that, as he takes the time to chat with those at every table, he’s deeply proud of his new restaurant.
