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Sydney Kinsey
Restaurant Assignment – Milk Bar
Due: 4/15
Momofuku Milk Bar makes itself known among the New York dessert scene through its unique approach to life’s sweetest moments. Unapologetic in its attempt to recapture childhood, the chain’s subtle genius is most evident in its signature Cereal Milk Ice Cream, according to both returning and first-time customers.
“I remember reading about Cereal Milk in New York Magazine in 2009 and I didn’t even have to taste it to know what it was,” said Nathan Zamecnik, one of the many New Yorkers who indulged in the ice cream as relief from Saturday’s warm weather. “The second you have that bite it brings you back to eight years old.”
The nostalgia factor of Cereal Milk Ice Cream comes from the accuracy of the flavor, driven by the shared experience of tipping the bowl back to drink in those last few sips of milk left after finishing off your morning cereal. The phrase “It really does taste like cereal milk!” can be heard consistently within the sprinkle covered walls of their West Village location.
Photo 1 The signature Cereal Milk Ice Cream with Crunch
“The first bite was crazy and kind of confusing because of how much it tastes like it,” said NYU freshman Rachel Baek.
However, some customers lose interest after that first bite.
“After my second bite the novelty was already wearing off and I sort of regretted my $5 spent,” said Andrew S. in a two-star Yelp left earlier this week. “By my third bite I was looking at my cup, filled to the brim with cereal milk, with dread.”
And being right around the corner from Big Gay Ice Cream, another New York City ice cream hot-spot, every mouthful counts.
“Honestly, we were going to go to Big Gay but the line was too long,” said NYU freshman Maggie Zeng, referring to the now-typical line which stretches out the doors and down the block about 100 feet. Milk Bar had no line at 9:30 on Friday night, despite it being their busiest time, according to Google analytics. On Saturday afternoon, when the shop is at its second busiest, the longest the line got was 10 people, though it remained contained within the store.
Photo 2 The neon sign casting a pink glow around Milk Bar's exterior.
The staple soft serve ice cream is swirled into a white cup branded with Milk’s pink logo and sells for $5.50. For an extra $1.25, it can be topped with “crunch”, otherwise known as Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. For some, this steep price is written off as a side effect of the location.
“It’s probably overpriced but so is everything else in this city,” Ryan D. said. “At least this is different and unique.” On the same pink bench outside the shop the following day, Holly Zamecnik agreed: “They charge a price they can.”
But what makes Cereal Milk Ice Cream worth the money is its authenticity.
“Most people are pandering to the masses, just doing the same generic soft serve and ice cream as everyone else,” said Phillip F., a resident of Austin, Texas who makes sure to stop by Milk every time he travels to the city for work. “[Milk Bar] is comfortable not appealing to everyone. But the people they do appeal to are obsessed with it.”
Part of this lies in how unpretentious the effort is, an accurate reflection of founder Christina Tosi.
“Something happened where I had pushed and pushed and pushed and the only other step I could take was to become the pastry chef, and I wasn’t interested in it,” Tosi said in the premiere episode of the new, sweets-centered season of Netflix’s documentary series Chef’s Table which focused on Tosi and her Milk Bar. “And I think, when I slowed down, I realized that being the pastry chef of an incredibly cutting-edge restaurant was just not who I was.”
And customers have taken notice.
“It doesn’t try to be sensible or light or elegant,” Nathan Zamecnik said. “It comes from home, like the shit your grandma made. We’re all familiar with it but this is the best face of it.
Tosi’s story has accumulated almost as many fans as the desserts she produces.
“The message she had really stuck with me,” said Holly Zamecnik, who was inspired to visit the store after having spent the previous night watching the special. “That life can suck but you can take one moment a day to feel like a child again and to feel happy.”
Milk Bar exists as a part of the Momofuku chain headed by David Chang. The restaurant group also includes a noodle bar, ssäm bar, and a French-Vietnamese fusion restaurant, among others. Milk Bar currently operates in 13 locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn as well as in Toronto, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas.