Joe's Shanghai

9 Pell Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 233-8888
Website

I recently had some house guests down from NYC and I took them out to one of my favorite spots, Dim Sum Garden, for soup dumplings. He told me that Joe's Shaghai was his favorite, and raved about the thinness of the dumpling skin. I had to give it a try.

Like every good spot in Chinatown, Joe's was nothing fancy inside.

I couldn't decide what to get, so I went with pickled cabbage, cold sesame noodles, pork soup buns, and crab soup buns.

The sesame noodles were exactly as you would expect. Nutty, slightly spicy, and had a great chew to them.

The pickled cabbage was perfect for the warm weather. Cool, tart, and crunchy, it was a surprising underdog.

The pork juicy buns were bursting with meat, salty broth, and the skins were as thin as I had been told. They survived a bike trip over the Brooklyn bridge intact, and I was indulging in far more than a fair share of dumplings.

The meatballs were incredibly tender, and the juice just right. However, I would have to say while the edge in wrapper goes to Joe's, the winner on flavor is my hometown Dim Sum Garden. I may be wrong this time, but it's never happened yet.

Tasty Place

Asia Supermarket
143 North 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 592-8990

If you have never been inside of an Asian Supermarket, it is definitely an experience. This particular underground market is not to be trifled with during the summer, due to the insane smells that can emanate, but you are doing yourself a terrible disservice if you enjoy Chinatown eating, and you have never been to Tasty Place.

To be sure, you are not going here for atmosphere.

You will, however, be going here for Beef Ho Fun Sate, which comes out with tender, delicious pieces of beef, long, tender broad noodles, and an addictive sauce. Add some hot chili oil and a splash of vinegar for the ultimate in comfort noodles. Not to mention at about $6, you could split this dish and likely be quite satiated. Obviously, that did not apply in my case.

In addition to the Ho Fun, I got an order of the recommended ginger scallion noodles. These were just okay. They weren't bad, but they couldn't stand up to my go-to ginger scallion noodles. I would definitely skip these in the future.

There were ginger matchsticks, but they just lacked the pop I was looking for.

Perhaps my favorite part of the meal was the salt baked chicken wings.

These beauties are marinated in ginger, salt baked(?) then presumably coated in cornstarch and flash fried. The result is tender, savory meat, with a shatteringly crisp crust. Delicious.

They are also served with scallions and sliced long hot peppers. The care taken with the preparation in the food here is apparent.

I would have to say this is already one of my favorite places in Chinatown – it is surely the best Chinese food I have had in the area. Give it a try. It cost $18.50 for everything you see here, and it was definitely well worth it.

Vietnam Cafe

814 South 47th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19143-3613
(215) 729-0260
Website


I have had Vietnam on my list for a long, long time. Unfortunately I am rarely in University City, and so I had not yet ventured to this restaurant. I recently found myself in the area, however, and I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to give it a try. The interior is well decorated, sleek and interesting. As I was in a particularly good mood, I decided to splurge on the $14 "flaming volcano" cocktail. It is well worth the money, as it arrives on fire, and is loaded with liquor. A good start to any weekend dinner.


For an appetizer, felt I had to try the "char grilled pork rolls." I love rice paper, and when it is rolled around char-grilled pork, lettuce, bean sprouts and fresh basil, there is no question it would be good. Well, there was a question, I suppose - I have eaten at some pretty shady Vietnamese restaurants - but this promised to be top notch.


The dipping sauce was made up of some shredded carrots, chili sauce, and ground peanuts in a hoisin-type sauce. The pork was crispy, with char-grilled ends, and when paired with the rich nutty dipping sauce, it was incredible. I think I could have eaten ten of these and gone home happy. But alas, I needed to try some entrees, and so I asked the server what he recommended. He recommended his favorite, the "Saigon noodle." It came out quickly, and was a savory blend of pan-fried soft flat noodles, shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, tender greens, cucumber and crushed peanuts. I was blown away by the taste profile that came from this dish. It was served with a ramekin that had a rice wine vinegar sauce that I drizzled over the plate. I absolutely loved this dish. If there was a take-out place near my house that served this, I would order this on a regular basis. I was surprised with the subtlety that came through the combination of the sauce and the cooking liquid. It was amazing.




My dining partner chose the "shrimp curry." As most curries, it was served with sauteed shrimp with bell pepper, onion, lemon grass and light yellow coconut curry. It was not a spicy curry, but it was rich. I liked the curry, but I was sold on the Saigon noodle.


It had everything I was looking for in a comforting noodle dish. I will be back to Vietnam Cafe, and I can't wait. As an aside, they had the coolest hand dryer in the bathroom I have ever seen. It is made by Dyson, and is like a car-wash air-dryer for your hands. So cool. The air comes out in 400mph sheets. If that isn't reason enough to try this place, I don't know what would be.

Ginger Scallion Sauce

I have been hearing the buzz about the Momofuku cookbook coming out, and even though I have never eaten at any of these amazing (I am sure) establishments, I had to buy the book. When I was pre-ordering it from the Amazon page, the recipe for this sauce was on there. I made it that night, and could not wait to get my book after tasting this. I can't explain how good it is. It's simplicity is key, and it reminds me of Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle House here in Philly. MAKE THIS SAUCE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It is bursting with fresh flavors, and will take about 30 minutes to make a meal out of. You will be sooo happy you did.


Ingredients (from the book):

• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
• 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
• 3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

(Makes about three cups)

Directions (from book)

Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Use as directed, or apply as needed.

Here is the liquid part before adding the chopped Scallions and Ginger.


Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it’s best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it’s stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. I added some ground beef and noodles, and mixed it all together. It's SUCH a quick and easy meal, and you and whoever you eat it with won't believe the flavor that comes from such simple ingredients. BUY THIS BOOK!