We love ourselves some Asian dumplings and tonight Kong is offering 10 varieties for 50 cents a piece.

Check out all the varieties after the jump.

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Craig LaBan reviews the transformed Meritage and finds that the Asian influenced cuisine of Anne Coll has made the neighborhood restaurant a destination.

[W]hat separates Coll from so many other fusion pretenders is the command of Asian ingredients that allows her to draw an uncommon depth and elegance of flavors. I’ve had Thai curried mussels a hundred times, but rarely have the Kaffir lime, basil, and lemongrass popped through the richness of coconut broth like hers.

A confident use of Three Crabs fish sauce is one secret that lends these dishes a snappy backbone, whether it’s the pristine dice of tuna tartare, shined with sesame and chile oil next to a tingly froth of wasabi-soy foam, or the cilantro-ginger marinade that gives the hanger steak a subtle tang.

Three Bells – Excellent

Meritage [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Meritage [Official Site]

Marty Grims (Du Jour, Moshulu, White Dog) has re-conceptualized his DuJour Gourmet at Broad and Pine into Chew Man Chu, a dumpling, noodle and wok restaurant. It opens today.

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Adam Erace visits the new Meritage and says the Asian inspired menu and booze-friendly bites are ready to step out of Pub & Kitchen’s shadow.

Meritage’s wine program has become more approachable and affordable, with 14 by the glass (all $8), fun flights and 50 bottles under $50.

So bring on the alcohol sponges, fair bartender! Fat, tempura-fried jalapenos, like addictive poppers filled with hoisin-kissed house-ground pork and cellophane noodles in a ginger-soy glaze. Tight, pan-fried Hudson Valley foie gras dumplings tossed in butter browned with Burgundy truffles, cilantro and scallion. Silky Lancaster chicken liver pâté crowned with black plums macerated in brandy and five spice. All $6 or less, all tasty.

Meritage [Philadelphia Weekly]
Meritage [Official Site]

After just four days of renovations Ly Michael’s is being reborn Tazia today.

It will be a  “dim sum meets tapas” kind of a menu with small Asian dishes like duck dumplings, pork potstickers and some bigger bites.

Won’t Tazia, Bro [Thrillist]
Menu for Tazia, opening Thursday [Meal Ticket]

David Snyder visits Center City’s Korean barbecue, Miga and finds that authentic and accessible are not mutually exclusive.

[T]he tofu kimchi pork bokum was my favorite dish. Acidic kimchi served as the perfect foil for savory steamed pork belly, and since each element is prepped separately before being stir-fried together, both retain their identities. The huge wedges of soft tofu capping the mound, though, played just as important a role, softening the intense flavors and providing a wonderful textural contrast.

You and Miga [City Paper]
Miga [Official Site]

Michael Schulson’s Sampan is aiming for a November opening. Michael Klein has a couple renderings and a surprise. Since he spoiled Top Chef for DVR-ers earlier, we’ll spill his Sampan secret. There’s an outdoor area that will be developed as outdoor dining.

First peek at Michael Schulson’s Sampan [The Insider]

Craig LaBan checks out Sakura Mandarin in Chinatown and finds a place that excels in scallion pancakes, soup dumplings, Szechuan food and surprisingly, even sushi.

And pretty much everything Sakura Mandarin cooked with pork was outstanding, from the shredded lean pork with the lightly smoky garlic sauce to the double-cooked pork belly, whose fat-ribboned meat was tossed with dried bean curd, fermented beans, and a vivid flicker of chile heat. Even the heat-blistered Szechuan green beans got a little porcine boost from crumbled spicy meat.

Two Bells – Very Good

Sakura Mandarin [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Yesterday we linked Michael Schulson’s name to a Midtown Village liquor license figuring details would quickly emerge. And sure details have materialized. The Asian small-plates restaurant will be called Sampan and will be influenced from the chef’s travels in Japan, China and elsewhere in Asia. Meal Ticket was able to score an interview with the hunky Izakaya chef.

After experiencing success with Izakaya in the Borgata, Schulson had plans to do a 200-seat modern Asian restaurant in Philly about a year and a half back. The faltering economy, however, gave him pause. “I [didn't] want to do a huge restaurant that [was] going to cost $4, $5 or $6 million,” says Schulson. “I wanted to come back to Philly to do food in a cool, intimate setting, with something affordable for everybody. That’s what’s important in this economy.”

Michael Schulson breaks silence on new restaurant, television deal [Meal Ticket]
Michael Schulson [Official Site]

Look past the velvet rope and bouncers and you might notice that Akoya is trying to making a name for itself in the shadow of it’s nightclub sibling Peal upstairs. David Snyder has the results thus far.

[T]here’s plenty to like about this retooled spot in terms of food. I loved the fact that the menu assembled by chef Greg Garbacz ([orignal chef, Ari] Weiswasser’s former sous chef) is loose and flexible, one of the more intuitive and navigable small-plates menus around. Geeks could call it open-source dining — the noodle and hot dish sections provide guests with the comfort of the conventional three-course route, yet the snacks, small plates and yakitori categories provide a wide berth to play and share. This is all at reasonable prices.

Pearl Vision [City Paper]
Akoya [Official Site]