Heung Fa Chun Sweet House

112 N 10th St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 238-8968


This is the type of place I love to find: Mom-and-Pop owned, hole-in-the-wall, with some surprisingly good food. I find it hard to believe that I am the only person who is taking pictures in Chinatown sometimes, but people are always surprising me.

This is a small, slightly cramped, totally chaotic little shop. It can be intimidating, so it helps if you know what you want ahead of time. First, you need to pick sweet or savory. I obviously went savory, but don't get caught sleeping on the sweet soft tofu, it is delicious.

First up was a salty tofu. It is carefully arranged and topped with a garlicy sauce, peanuts, and scallions.

The rest ended up being an order of lo mein, and two banana leaf wrapped pork and peanut gelatinous rice dumplings.

The salty tofu is incredible. Pronounced dou hua, its silken texture coupled with the variety of toppings and a squirt of spicy, vinegary hot sauce is a match made in heaven.

The pork cruellers or "zong" were an interesting approach, with a seemingly impenetrable fortress of solidified rice (at least with the supplied plastic silverware) encapsulating the delicate ingredients hidden underneath.

It was a bit like breaking open a pinata, and getting to the good stuff inside. The pork was nicely flavored, slightly salty, and the chewy rice capsule tasted just fine with a squirt of chili sauce. Note, don't shake the chili sauce too hard or it will end up all over your shirt and pants. Or so I have heard.

The lo mein, was just fine. Nothing out of the ordinary, but definitely satisfied. The barely cooked pieces of cabbage added a nice textural crunch that kept it from feeling overly oily.

One weird thing happened, and that is that my dining companion went to wash their hands, and while I was busy reading work emails, her phone disappeared. She came back accusing me of hiding it, then we looked everywhere in the tiny shop, sure it was stolen. After the owner watched us look everywhere, he handed it over and said a customer found it. It was sitting next to me at the counter, so we were both confused. But the phone was returned. I felt like I was being hustled out of something, but all ended up right in the world, and my bank account has not yet been transferred to a Nigerian prince who just needs enough money to pay the tax on his riches.

Jong Ka Jib Soft Tofu Restaurant

6600 N 5th St
Philadelphia, PA 19120
(215) 924-0100

Cool Sunday summer rain storms are one of the things that just scream comfort bowl. Although I am not a warm weather soup person, it's tough to pass up Jong Ka Jib when I am up in the "Koreatown" section of Olney. Sundubu, served scorching hot, is the house specialty on this succinct menu. This is spicy, comforting love in a bowl so hot that it could easily cause third degree burns.

Yes it may take a while to get there, and sure, you COULD get carjacked on the way, but this is some seriously great food.

The banchan is as good as anywhere, and generously portioned. Fermented brown beans and sprouts were among my favorites. The mushroom tofu is served HOT. I mean, see for yourself below.

The mushroom soft tofu was a perfect compliment to the thunderstorms rolling through. I seriously think this is some of the best soup around. It's served alongside a stone bowl that cooks the rice from the bottom, resulting in delicious crunchy rice to scoop up alongside the soup. The flavors are so rich with umami it's mesmerizing. As it breaks apart, the little pieces of perfectly smooth tofu turn it into a stew. I asked for it served extra spicy, but I think that they still held back. I could have used a BIT more heat, but it was so balanced that I hardly realized I was sweating by the end of the meal. An egg is served alongside for you to crack into the boiling hot soup if you so desire. I cracked two.

As I also craving some gochujang, I got bibimbap as well. They actually served the sizzling stone bowl with its own container of gochujang. Right there was a major bonus for me, as I usually end up having to order extra anyway. This way I was free to indulge my desire to over-sauce my crispy bowl. It's a solid rendition of one of the more pedestrian items on the menu of Korean places everywhere, yet one I still love. Crispy rice and red pepper paste get me every time.

You can do worse than spending an afternoon checking out Jong Ka Jib, and getting your soft tofu on. Such as whatever you usually do on Sundays. While you are up there check out Sol Levante Bakery. The sweet cream breads are outstanding. Lastly, the grocery store in the same strip has some of the best pre-made banchan around.