Chinatown’s Vietnam is branching out with a West Philadelphia location come January 21st. Vietnam Cafe is coming to 47th and Baltimore Ave.

Vietnam going West [Food & Drinq]

Audrey and Mark head down to Washington Avenue in South Philly for a date that includes some Philadelphia stereotypes (soft pretzels and mummers) as well as some Vietnamese food.

Illadates: Washington Avenue [UWISHUNU]

A. D. Amorosi profiles restaurateur Billy Wong and his latest partnership, Ly Michaels in Chinatown.

Hospitality was always his strength, even after Plate in NoLibs closed nine months after its 2005 opening. Though Wong loved that project, he didn’t want to “do anything half-assed. My silent partners wanted to do something else.” Turns out, so did he. Wong had never operated in Chinatown, an area he wants to see expand. “Chinatown never had a lounge or late-night bar to go with food,” he says.

The Wong Way [City Paper]
Ly Michael’s [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri is back doing reviews for Philadelphia Weekly and today she’s giving us the lowdown on Pho Hoa, the first area location of the California based Vietnamese restaurant chain..

Pho Pas [Philadelphia Weekly]
Pho Hoa [Official Site]

Trey Popp tries out the Pho Hua, the month-old fast-food chain that has opened at just south of Washington Avenue on 11th Street.

Pho Hua may be a fast-food chain, but it’s one that plays by its own set of rules. There’s fresh fruit in the smoothies, exotic greens on the garnish plates, and knowledgeable waiters who somehow manage to break speed records without making you feel hurried. I didn’t expect to be won over by Pho Hua, but three visits later, I can actually envision the previously unimaginable possibility of becoming a regular at an eatery offering 60-second service.

Pho King [City Paper]

• Many gripe about Philadelphia’s pizza scene but SliCE sounds promising. [Blogalicious]
• Looking for a favorite hotel bar in Philadelphia, perhaps La Bourse at Sofitel will be that for you too. [Finding Philly]
• No matter where you live, Bridgid’s is worth the trip to Fairmount, after all they have a bacon wrapped pork chop. [Foodaphilia]
• It’s a battle on 11th Street in Chinatown between Vietnam Restaurant and Vietnam Palace. But is there a clear winner? [foodzings]
• The favorite dish of the evening at Tria was the Warm Poached Black Mission Figs with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto di Parma and gas•tron•o•my has the photos to prove it. [gas•tron•o•my]
• You’ll be amazed how many falafel balls they can cram into a pita at The Pita Pocket [Metroblogging Philadelphia]

Adam Erace heads into Chinatown and Pho Cali. He settles into the Vietnamese equivalent of soup and a sandwich, pho and Banh mi.

Pho Cali’s crispy pork hoagie on a griddled roll is easily as good as ones I’ve had at the Vietnamese bakeries downtown.
Deep fonts big enough to baptize a baby are the pho vessels of choice. Shrimp float like buoys in the golden star anise-scented broth of the shrimp pho ($5.50), while tangles of vermicelli and tender beef give the fiery bun bo hue ($5.50) its weight.

Pho Cali offers taste of comforting Vietnamese [Courier-Post]