The Summer Brings Changes Galore to David Chang’s Most Peculiar Restaurant, Nishi

Unlike many of its Momofuku siblings, Nishi didn’t dazzle the critics. David Chang is well aware of this fact, and the chef and his crew have been making tweaks to the menu since all the professional eaters filed on this Korean/Italian-inspired restaurant over the spring. Last month, Nishi dropped the service-included system, and added a brunch menu that features a Dagwood sandwich and rice bowls. And starting tomorrow, Nishi is going to start offering a weekday lunch menu with some new items like a very-on-trend-for-2016 tuna poke bun, plus crab noodles and chilled soba with uni. The brisket ramen, chicken ramen, and Shanghai noodles from brunch are also landing on the lunch menu.

But that’s not the only Nishi newness for summer 2016. The restaurant is now offering large format feasts during dinner. One of them is a version of the bo ssäm popularized at Ssäm Bar, except at Nishi, the meat is *smoked* instead of roasted. It’s $250, just like in the East Village. The large format section of the menu also has a lobster chow mein meal with two crustaceans, fried baby shrimp, and 16 littleneck clams served over toasted noodles and cabbage for $175. It sounds a bit like the clams Grand Lisboa from the dinner menu, which a lot of the critics liked. The other large format feast is a fried chicken dinner for $150. It’s similar to the one at Noodle Bar, except this meal includes slightly more American-influenced sides and garnishes, including biscuits, coleslaw, romaine lettuce, hot sauce, honey mustard, and red-eye mayo. Reservations are available for the big meals on the Momo reservation page.

Along with this slew of changes, Nishi is also offering a three-course $70 prix fixe for parties of six or more. If you happen to stop by to check out the new stuff, let us know what you think.