Momo Soko

Oooh, I’m a sucker for all food Asian, I think if I could eat Udon noodles and Gyozas all day long I’d be the happiest person on this planet. I’ve always thought to myself that I would love to learn how to make more Asian inspired food, so if anyone knows of a place that gives lessons, please let me know so I can make my udon wishes come true.

But for now, I’m happy to say that literally just down the road from me there is a brand spanking new restaurant called Momo Soko in Illovo which serves amazing, slightly modernized Asian street food which looks, smells and tastes like what food dreams are made of!

Momo Soko comes from the same talented team who brought Joburg Momo Bauhaus in Greenside so you know you’re in good hands. The menu is full of tasty tapas inspired dishes, Baos and Sokos (skewers) so if you’re into sharing or just ordering and tasting a lot of different things they’ve got you covered. They also have an awesome selection of Poke Bowls and Momo Bowls – In my opinion, Poke Bowls should be served in every restaurant always. The end.

The space itself is small and cozy made up wood and accents of black and yellow and when you walk in you’re hit with these amazing smells that have your taste buds whipping around muttering ‘Where the blazers are we and please don’t ever leave!’

I’m not going to lie I went to town on the menu just because everything sounded so good and there were too many things I wanted to try, so prepare yourself for an onslaught of photos, hope you’re not too hungry whilst reading this hehe.

To start we had Beef and Pickled Shitake Gyoza Pot Stickers (R62), they were crispy and really tasty, they actually reminded me of the ones we had in Japan, the first time that’s ever happened here. We also had Aoraki (R42) which are grilled Sirloin Beef Skewers rolled in Miso Butter, Fried Garlic, Lemon, Crushed Peanuts, Toasted Sesame Seeds and Spring Onion. They come with a wedge of lemon on the side, make sure you squeeze that on, that took them from a 10 to an 11 in like 2 seconds!

We also ordered the Matterhorn (R42) which are Grilled Lamb Skewers rolled in Green Basil, Mint Drizzle, Toasted Sesame Seeds and Spring Onion, also so good, but the beef ones took it home for me.

Ok so like I said a lot of food was ordered so for thirds, we had a Steam Kung Pow Bao (R68). Imagine if you will Crispy Fried Chicken, Hoisin, Pickled Ginger, Qp Mayo, Siracha, Spring Onion, Coriander and Toasted Sesame Seeds all lovingly nestled in a soft steamed bun. I had you at Crispy Chicken, didn’t I? These were insane!

The menu will constantly change, things will be added and tried out, but you will always find traditional dishes and dishes that’ll get a bit of a modern twist like their Firecracker Chicken which comes deep fried and spicy- spicy, it was good but I didn’t have too much of it because I’m a bit of chili whiss unfortunately!

Ps: If you order a side of rice it can easily become a main meal.

My favourite thing of the day had to be the Kauai Poke Bowl (R89), I know without a doubt that this will be one of those dishes that I will have to force myself not to order every time I go just so that I can give everything else on the menu a chance. It was jammed packed full of fresh vibrant ingredients like Norwegian Salmon, Edamame, Pickled Ginger and Shitake, Avocado, Ramen Egg, Yello Daikon, Kale, Sping Onion, Asian Slaw, Fried Garlic, Red Onion, Wakame Seaweed, Toasted Sesame and Ginger Scallion Drizzle. It was the perfect mix of flavours, I seriously wouldn’t have changed a thing.

So if you’re into good Asian food that has been made with consideration, love and a bit of experimentation try out Momo Soko. Bookings are essential, especially at night!

Number: (011) 268 6182

Address: Illovo Muse Centre, 198 Oxford Road, Illovo, Johannesburg