Chinatown

New York’s Midtown Lunch has launched in  Philadelphia. Its mission will be the same as its New York counterpart, find good lunches for under $10 and tell the tales of urban lunching adventures.

First up for Midtown Lunch, lunch specials at Rangoon.

Midtown Lunch – Philadelphia [Official Site via Grub Street]
And So It Begins… Burmese Lunch Specials at Rangoon [Midtown Lunch]

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]

Chinatown has a restaurant week going on now through September 25th. South Jersey’s independent restaurants are hosting their own restaurant week from Sunday, October 18th to Friday October 23rd.

And then there is the Philly Neighborhood Food Week before that from October 11th to 18th.

All this on top of the continuing Center City District’s Restaurant Week.

Restaurant Week Guide [f8b8z]

A favorite of hospitality pros and late-night revelers, the Daily News’ Lari Robling calls David’s Mai Lai Wah the “best restaurant in town open at 2 in the morning.”

David’s is more retro than current. The first time I entered the brightly lit red dining room gleaming with mirrors and chrome, I was back in the ’60s with my parents. They sipped classic cocktails such as the mai tai, Singapore Sling and Zombie while my brother and I sucked down Shirley Temples adorned with paper umbrellas.

2 1/2 Stars

Chinatown mainstay still delivers tasty fare [Philadelphia Daily News]

Meal Ticket reports that Chinatown is aiming for its own Restaurant Week. We know some people are soooooo over restaurant weeks but lets face it, they work. And at $10 for a three-course meal who wouldn’t be into it?

Chinatown is aiming for its own Restaurant Week [Meal Ticket]
Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp [Official Site]

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]

In Craig LaBan’s latest online chat one of his Crumb Tracker Quiz items was “the best scallion pancakes in town.” The answer was Chinatown’s Sakura. LaBan describes the pancakes as:

the ultimate blend of crispy and pliant, their flakiness sitting on the plate like lightly bundled handkerchiefs of silk flecked with scallion. And they are simply amazing.

Philadining, the region’s official arbiter of soup dragon goodness makes a return trip to Sakura to praise the Xia Long Bao.

These seem in perfect balance. The skins are tender, yet strong, holding in just the right amount of broth. That soup inside is less salty than many other versions, but comes into perfect balance with a few drips of the gingery sauce that accompanies. 

Xia Long Bao / XLB / soup dumplings / steamed juicy buns, whatever you call them, be sure to check out Philadining’s tips on how to eat them.

Craig LaBan Restaurant Chat [Philly.com]
Sakura – More Soup Dumplings in Chinatown [The Philadining Blog]

Where does Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto like to take his kitchen staff out for beef-stuffed grape leaves? Well, it’s to the Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown. That of course is the one on the east side of 11th street, not to be confused with Vietnam Palace on the west side.

Secret Restaurants of Celebrity Foodies [Budget Travel via VisitPhilly]

David Snyder says skip the Japanese food at Sakura and focus on the Chinese portion of the menu for some winning fare.

Sakura’s authentic regional Chinese cuisine — spanning Shanghai, Szechuan and Mandarin traditions — is already a winner. The ginger and plum I detected in a secret sauce granted a cold Shanghai marinated duck appetizer a deep, resonant intensity. Elemental sweet and tangy flavors helped rice wine chicken shine. It took only a few seconds for the moist, buttery pork of the “Lion’s Head” meatballs to melt on my tongue. Thick, chewy, pan-fried udon noodles swam in a simple yet comforting brown sauce.

Temple of Bloom [City Paper]

David Snyder discovers a faithful version of the Vietnamese bánh mi at Q. T. Vietnamese Sandwich in Chinatown.

Bánh mi enjoys a mini-cult following based on two factors: bold flavors and ridiculously low prices. Q.T. delivers on both fronts. Each sandwich starts with the same base: A large hoagie roll that’s crispy on the outside, yet light and airy in. On the inside, fresh, crunchy cucumber slices lie alongside sweet and tangy pickled carrots, adding cool balance to the bite of jalapeños. But each sandwich truly owes its distinctive characteristics to a long sprig of fresh cilantro and a rich swath of påté. The primary filler (including a tofu option not listed on the menu) is up to you.

On the Q.T. [City Paper]