Han Dynasty Review [2]

One of the first posts for this blog was for Han Dynasty. So when I heard Han was moving his oft-acclaimed restaurant across the street, I felt something along the lines of nostalgia. Before he moved, I had to try the original location once more. Or perhaps I was just in the mood for damn good Szechuan cuisine.

Han's doing well for himself, having recently opened up his first outpost in NYC. He remains a character, which is clearly evident with his recent drama with the PPA. No doubt, he subsequently gained legions of additional fans, I'm sure. 

Here's a shot of the new location, almost directly across the street from the old space. 

But let's move on to the food!

Dan Dan Noodles ($7.95)
 

Meals must start with the dan dan noodles. These are perfectly al dente noodles, which hold on for dear life to the delicious chili sauce and crispy bits of pork. The GF begged me to drop it to a 4 (on the Han heat scale) this time around, and it turned out to be perfect for her, offering just a slight tingle to the tongue and whetting the appetite for more spice. 

Spicy Crispy Cucumber ($6.95)
 

A ubiquitous dish in Asian cuisine, these cucumbers were perfectly crisp, with the sweet, sour, and salty sauce making this dish a must-order as well. The spice hits the back of your throat, while the sesame acts as the countervailing element to tame your taste buds and imparting some savoriness to each bite. 

 Pork Belly in Garlic Sauce ($9.95)
 

This time around, I decided to try the 'other' pork belly dish at Han Dynasty. This dish is served cold, with the umami of the thin-sliced pork belly and the garlic offering an innate savoriness to the dish. The spicy sauce tantalizes your tongue with its heat.

Garlic Sauce Style Chicken ($11.95)
Stir fried with ginger, garlic, bamboo, wood ear mushrooms, bell peppers
 

The thin sliced chicken was juicy and moist. It's completely covered in a relatively thick garlic sauce. Fresh ginger slices offered a bright element to the dish, with the mushrooms offering a nice earthiness. 

Three Cup Chicken ($14.95)
 

Another must-order is the three cup chicken. Juicy chunks of chicken are stir fried with whole roasted garlic cloves, offering savory and salty flavors. This is meant to be eaten with the spicy, crispy cucumber and rice. The ginger on the finish makes each bite.

As always, Han Dynasty hits the mark for the belly of this pig. If they delivered, it would be on the docket at least once a week. But for now, Han's empire is clearly expanding. So who knows, maybe an outpost will pop up in the Fairmount area as well.

http://www.handynasty.net/

Smile Cafe Review

On a recent weekend, the GF and I were craving some Thai. After scouring Yelp, we decided to get takeout from Smile Cafe via Grubhub.

Steamed Dumplings ($4.95)

We started off with some steamed pork dumplings, which were not exactly Dim Sum Cafe, but were fresh and subtly sweet. The scallions and crumbled peanuts were a nice textural element to these dumplings.

Pad Thai ($11.95)

Of course, we had to get some Pad Thai. The noodles were pliant and almost creamy. They came with a mix of juicy chicken and plump shrimp. The bean sprouts, carrots, peanuts, and scallions added some nice textural contrast and freshness to the dish. The dish was somewhat sweet and had a subtle heat to it that was understated. Nice, though not the best iteration I've tried.

Pineapple Fried Rice ($11.95)

The GF really felt like some fried rice so opted for this bad boy. The rice was nicely fragrant with undertones of the sweet pineapple. The chicken was juicy and moist and the veggies were fresh.

Chicken Curry ($10.95)
Peanut sauce, jasmine rice 
 

We had to try some curry. Smile Cafe allows you to create your own curry so we decided to get a chicken curry with peanut sauce and jasmine rice. The subtly sweet, creamy peanut curry was filled with fresh green beans, onions, broccoli, squash and had a slight heat to it. It came accompanied with fragrant jasmine rice.

Smile Cafe offers on-point Thai food with fresh ingredients. Furthermore, the portions are pretty decent and are priced well. Be sure to check them out! 

http://www.thai-smilecafe.com/

Byblos Restaurant & Hookah Bar Review

On a recent weekday night, the GF and I checked out a new food delivery service, BringMeThat. It adds to the mix by broadening the scope and variety of delivery options that are currently available in Philly. Certainly GrubHub, Seamless, and DiningIn seem to be the major players in Philly. However, there are quite a few restaurants that are offered by BringMeThat that may warrant an order or two from this new service! Heck, the first order comes with a $5 discount!

In any case, the GF and I had a hankering for some Mediterranean cuisine, so back to Byblos!

Hummus [$5.50]

The hummus was on point - creamy, with a lemony essence. It came with a slew of pliable pita, thinner than the typical Greek pita, with a nice chew to it.

Spanakopita / Spanakotiropita [$6.60]
 

I love me some spanakopita, and this spinach pie did not disappoint. It was savory with nice chunks of salty feta and delicious spinach. The lower half of the pie became slightly soggy due to delivery, but the crisp puff pastry on top made up for it somewhat. 

Falafel [$5.50]

Byblos' iteration had some nice spice to it and was crispy on the outside with some chew within. Texturally, it wasn't as creamy or smooth inside as I would like. It was served with requisite tahini, tomatoes, and lettuce. The GF could have done without the lukewarm pickles however. 

Schwarma Sandwich [$6.60]
 

The GF was looking forward to some chicken schwarma. Unfortunately, what she received was something along the lines of beef. So who better to take care of the mess than the belly of this pig? Even more unfortunate though, was the fact that I definitely felt that the schwarma was dry, chewy, and lackluster. The sandwich as a whole could have used more tzatziki or tahini. The tomatoes or red onions could not save this sandwich. Even the addition of sriracha couldn't help this lost soul of a schwarma.

Moussaka [$13.20]

Fortunately for Byblos, the moussaka was its saving grace. The ground meat was nicely spiced with cinnamon and the creamy layer of bechamel, eggplant, and potatoes created a hearty bite. The cooked carrots and celery were a nice side.

As a whole though, Byblos did not impress me. There are better Middle Eastern offerings that deliver in Philly. In fact, Bitar's and Al Zaytouna come to mind. But if you're in the Rittenhouse area and in the mood for hookah, I suppose Byblos may be able to satisfy you on some level.

http://byblosrestaurantandhookabar.com/

Sabrina's Cafe & Spencer's Too Review [2]

Everyone knows that Sabrina's is one of the top spots for brunch in Philly. But did you know that it hits the spot for takeout? They have delicious options for lunch or dinner as well - at affordable rates. So after a run by the Schuylkill, the GF and I stopped by Sabrina's to grab some grub.

Mel's Chicken Cutlet ($9.99)
Cornmeal encrusted chicken, spinach, marinated long hots, melted provolone
 

Marketed as a Philly favorite, it's easy to see why. The bread used is fresh, crusty, and seeded. But the star is clearly that cornmeal encrusted chicken. The cornmeal adds texture that isn't greasy, yet perfectly encapsulates the juicy, moist chicken. The marinated long hots adds a bit of heat that grips your tongue and lips, but is tempered by the funk of the provolone and the well-seasoned spinach. The sandwiches are accompanied by fries (regular, sweet potato, or parmesan) and cole slaw. I opted for the sweet potato fries, topped with some powdered sugar. These aren't crisp but are heavenly nonetheless. A vinegar-based slaw was also provided - fresh cucumbers, cabbage, and carrots are tossed with some pepper and is perfectly suited to cut the heaviness of the sandwich.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich ($9.69)
Marinated portabellas, tomatoes, onions, roasted peppers, spinach, eggplant, mozzarella, basil pesto
 

The GF had the surprisingly filling grilled vegetable sandwich. I consider myself a self-admitted carnivore (that's right - I'm even skipping over the omnivorous classification), but this was pretty great. There was a perfectly medley of mini portabellas, tomatoes, roasted peppers, spinach, meaty eggplant, and onions - all melded with mozzarella and some basil pesto to brighten it up. The tang of balsamic helped to bring the sandwich to a whole other level. The regular fries had a similar texture to that of the sweet potato fries. 

So if this hasn't convinced you to check out Sabrina's for something other than brunch, I don't know what will. If you're close, there's no reason  not to stop by to pick up something good. And even if you're far, DiningIn has got you covered! 

www.sabrinascafe.com

Tony Luke's: Borgata Review

This is for a series of posts for the Borgata Hotel & The Water Club including: Bobby Flay Steak, Wolfgang Puck American Grille, Wolfgang Puck American Grille [2], The Cafeteria, Tony Luke's, N.O.W., N.O.W. [2], Metropolitan, Sun Room, Sun Room [2], Old Homestead Steakhouse, Old Homestead Steakhouse [2], Fat Burger, 28 West, Gelato, the Borgata Buffet, Izakaya, Bread and Butter, and Fornelletto.

I'm always on the hunt for Philly's best cheese steak. For regular readers, you know that my favorite cheese steak is from Philly's Best - ironically based in Chicago. Unfortunately, nothing in Philly has come close. Tony Luke's has been the closest iteration to what I consider a really good cheese steak. And while Tony Luke's at the Borgata is not the original location, they still churn out a great cheese steak. This time around, I had to try the roast pork as well and put it up against Dinic's.

Cheese Steak ($9.75)
Steak, onions, sharp provolone
  

But of course, let's start off with the cheese steak. There certainly seems to be a casino mark-up, but luckily 2-for-1 comps do pay for it. Regardless, the steak is perfecty juicy and there's a great interspersing of the sharp provolone. The buttery bread is perfect to house all the goodness. Pat's, Geno's, and Jim's don't hold a candle to Tony Luke's. I still need to get out to Gooey Louie's and John's Roast Pork to try their versions though.

Roast Pork Italian ($10.50)

Roast pork, sharp provolone, broccoli rabe

Now in terms of roast pork sandwiches, you can't go wrong with a Dinic's Roast Pork with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. Tony Luke's has great crusty bread and the pork is juicy, though not on par with Dinic's nor is it as plentiful. The provolone was perfectly funky though and the rabe was nicely garlicky. Not bad.

Overall, if you're looking for a decent sandwich while at the Borgata, don't hesitate to head down to the Cafeteria and get a cheese steak from Tony Luke's. You won't be sorry!

http://www.theborgata.com/dine/casual-dining/the-cafeteria

Sweet Ending Review

There's a bevy of frozen yogurt shops in Philly, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a glut. Why? Because you can never have enough froyo! Sweet Ending was one of the first purveyors I tried in Philly and there's a reason I keep going back. There are several locations, including those at 13th and 18th streets in Center City.  

Sweet Ending is pretty straightforward - they offer a variety of options for the base yogurt and an assortment of candy and fruit toppings. Nothing fancy - simple and sweet.

On this particular evening however, one of my favorites, coconut, was out of commission. So I skipped the fruit toppings that I usually go for ...

... because I went for the cookies and cream - neat.

Cookies n Cream

Since this was a yogurt base, it was uniquely tart and not as creamy and rich as I normally associate with one of my favorite ice creams. The flavor was clean though and I'm thinking it would actually go well with some fruit - will definitely have to try it again. 

Original
 

The GF went with the original, topped with lots of strawberries, pineapple, and shredded coconut. The yogurt was tangy and tart, with the ripe toppings complementing it perfectly. Oh and I can't forget - the GF sneaked in some added sweetness with some white chocolate. Nice. 

Sweet Ending is certainly a great way to end the day. For the GF and I, a nice walk after dinner is the perfect excuse for froyo. Not that you ever need an excuse. 

www.sweetendingyogurt.com

Wrap Shack Review

In the mood for some standard American fare, the GF and I hopped on Grubhub and settled on the Wrap Shack. In literally less than 20 minutes, our food was delivered - how's that for speedy service?

Appetizer Sampler ($14.95)
Philly cheese steak spring rolls, chicken fingers, chips & hummus, onion rings, buffalo bites & mozzarella sticks

In the mood for some greasy goodness, we started off with the app sampler. There was a nice mix of freshly made tortilla chips - spinach and regular. These were delicious, though a bit greasy. The black bean hummus was smooth and garlicky. The onion rings were nicely battered and crispy. The buffalo chicken bites were meaty, but could be a bit more crispy. 

The chicken fingers hit the spot, with the accompanying sweet honey mustard providing the perfect dip. The cheese sticks weren't especially gooey, but it had plenty of mozz within and was nicely crisp and salty. The Philly cheese steak rolls were crisp, meaty, and cheesy. The accompanying thousand island dressing had a light spiciness to it that. Quite the sampler - regular readers know that the belly of this pig can't resist such an array.

Scott Louis Wrap ($7.95)
Chicken, bacon, cheddar, American, sautéed onions, mushrooms, blend of buffalo and BBQ sauce

I don't know who Scott Louis is, but this blend was interesting. The sweetness of the BBQ was accentuated by the slight heat from the buffalo sauce. The shredded chicken was nicely integrated with the mushrooms and the smoky bacon. Unfortunately, the tortilla wrap itself was limp and a bit wet. The wrap definitely could have benefited from being grilled on a flat top. 

Grilled Veggie Wrap ($7.75)
Broccoli, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, sautéed onions, portobello mushrooms, zucchini & goat cheese

The GF got the veggie wrap, which was also unfortunately way too wet. The veggies were hearty, but completely drenched the wrap. The wrap definitely needed some textural contrast. 

Unfortunately, the Wrap Shack's main attraction (read: wraps) need some overhaul. While the various ingredients may be interesting, the tortilla wraps need to be grilled in order to maintain some sort of texture. 

http://www.wrapshackpa.com/

Doma Sushi Review

One of the perks of moving to an apartment complex on Callowhill Street is the fact that the GF and I are so close to neighborhood hotspots such as Sabrina's and Doma. And with the GF's newfound love for sushi, the latter seemed perfectly suited for a date night.

Taking a look at the menu, it was clear that owners' Patti and Robert Moon's Korean heritage was evident throughout. Dishes such as yuk hwe (beef tartare) and dolsot bibimbap (hot stone fried crispy rice) popped up amidst the sushi options. And while I typically eschew sushi joints that aren't manned by non-Japanese chefs (foolhardy in some instances, to be sure), as a fellow Korean, I appreciated the unabashed amalgamation of Korean and Japanese cuisines.

The atmosphere at Doma is modern, sleek, yet relaxed. Orbs of lights dangle above your heads, ready to set the scene for the meal that is to come. 

The online menu touts pork belly buns (seemingly ubiquitous ever since Chef David Chang made such stellar versions at Ssam and Ko). Unfortunately, on this visit, it seemed that they were out of pork belly or may have even taken them off the menu. Naturally disappointed, I soldiered on.

Hamachi Crudo ($10)
Yellowtail, jalapeno, cilantro, yuzu 
 

Interested to test the quality of both the sushi and the chef, I ordered the crudo. The hamachi (yellowtail/amberjack) was prototypically meaty and clean. The jalapeño contrasted nicely with the mild flavor of the fish, with the cilantro and yuzu providing brightness to each bite. A nice start to the meal.

Uni Trio ($16)
Seared scallop, yuzu 
Quail egg, dashi broth
Tempura shiso, tempura sauce

Naturally, I had to order the uni, especially when it comes ensconced as a trio of bites. California uni (specific source unknown) was presented in a nice progression. From left to right, the scallop was lightly seared and provided a vessel for a dollop of uni. The yuzu's piquancy provided the acid, contrasting nicely with the butteriness of the sea urchin. The quail egg added heft on top of the umami of the dashi. The scallions added a nice herbaceousness as well. Lastly, the tempura shiso provided a nice textural contrast, with the savoriness of the tempura vessel ands sauce complementing the uni nicely. Hard to go wrong with this dish and uni as a whole.

Rock Shrimp Tempura ($12)

Rock shrimp tempura is always a fan favorite on any menu and Doma's iteration did not disappoint. Sweet, yet spicy - the rock shrimp were perfectly crunchy, meaty, and not overcooked. The unadorned fresh cabbage tempered the rock shrimp flavor bombs nicely. 

Soft Shell Crab Tempura ($8)
 

Being soft shell crab season at the time, the ubiquitous tempura had to be ordered. This was the GF's first time trying the crustacean so I assumed it would be a nice beginner's entry. For those who have never tried this delicious dish, it's meant to be eaten whole - shell and all. The clean crisp tempura prep did not overpower the freshness of the crab, which included roe - nice. The accompanying dressing was superfluous, a spritz of lemon was all that was needed. But for the GF, she was on the fence with the dish - it was more of a texture thing though and really, she was ready to move on to the sushi.

Sweet Potato Tempura Roll ($5)
Cucumber Roll ($3)
Triple Spicy Double Tuna ($13)
Tuna, seared albacore, spicy sauce, siracha, tempura crunch, scallion, sichimi pepper, sweet glaze  

Since this wasn't omakase, we opted to finish our meal with several rolls. The GF was craving a simple california roll, but I think I was still enjoying the soft shell crab in my mind so somehow a cucumber roll was ordered. Oops. Still, it was simple and fresh enough to provide an intermezzo, if you will. The triple spicy double tuna wasn't overly spicy, offering seared tuna on top and fresh within - a nice contrast in preparation. Each bite did lend some slight heat on the finish. And of course, the GF's favorite, sweet potato tempura roll, was prototypically crunchy, sweet, nice.

Apparently if you pay in cash, you get 10% off your check. Always appreciated! Also, I don't believe your previous receipt is necessarily needed.

Overall, Doma hits the neighborhood spot for sushi. Omakase isn't offered, but there are a variety of dishes that can test and pique your palate, and Doma also offers a wide variety of well-crafted rolls. It seems to be a great place to take a date or just relax with your friends. The GF and I will be back often, I'm sure. 

www.domarestaurant.com