MURRAY HILL — A TV-famous Japanese chef is opening a new ramen joint in Murray Hill this week, bringing a sea of noodles and a sprawling sake menu to Lexington Avenue.
Masaharu Morimoto, known for his appearances on the Japanese and American versions of the show “Iron Chef,” is opening Momosan at 342 Lexington Ave. between East 39th and East 40th streets on Friday.
The menu is anchored by Morimoto’s ramen dishes, which include a spicy coconut curry with pork along with the more traditional chicken and pork options. Appetizers include a marinated yellowfin-tuna sushi, pork and chive gyoza — dumplings — served with a scallion ginger sauce, and braised pork bao.
The drink menu includes 13 by-the-glass sakes, which were chosen to compliment specific dishes, along with a handful of sake and wine-based cocktails.
Momosan, which gets its name from Morimoto’s nickname, is not the chef’s first foray in New York. After receiving traditional sushi chef training in Japan, he worked as executive chef at the Sony Club and Nobu New York.
Morimoto, who already operates a restaurant named after himself in Chelsea, has appeared numerous times on Japanese and American versions of the show Iron Chef, going up against chefs like Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck.
Momosan will be open this weekend for dinner only, from 5 to 11 p.m. Regular hours, which start on Monday, will be Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch and reopening for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. The restaurant will open for dinner on Sundays from 4-10:30 p.m.
