925 Race Street - Pearl Restaurant - Szechuan Noodles

UPDATE: CLOSED

As mentioned in this review, there's lots of turnover in this location, and sadly, Pearl didn't last long either... it's been replaced by a budget buffet... Oh well.. 

I could almost devote a blog to the comings and goings in this one storefront: it's been the home of a large number of exciting places. Sadly, none of them has stuck around for long.  I first was intrigued by it being the home of a dumpling place, one of those spots where you could get a plate-full for a buck, along with a stuffed scallion pancake, and other cheap and quick snacks.  That didn't last long...

Following that was one I was really pulling for: Zhi Wei Guan, who also called themselves the Magical Kingdom of Dough.   They served the food of Hangzhou, focusing at least initially on dumplings and other noodle dishes. They had some very tasty soup dumplings, and indeed some of the wontons and noodles were quite good, but I found their other dishes to be even better.  But... they didn't last too long either.  I miss them.

There probably was something in there in the interim, but it seems like only a few weeks ago, we were excited to try Tang's Kitchen, which seemed to feature a variety of traditions, but we especially liked their homey Taiwanese and Shanghainese dishes, like Three Cup Chicken and Lions Head meatballs. They made a passable version of soup dumplings as well, and even better: the fried juicy buns that looked like potstickers, but contained soupy, juicy interiors along with the pork filling (pictured at left.)  But... Tang's didn't last long... I swear it was only a few weeks,

We were saddened to see their awning go down, but when the new one went up, we had reason for at least cautious optimism: It said Pearl Restaurant - Szechuan Noodles.  No, it's not a new location for that fusion-y Vasian place on Chestnut st near Rittenhouse square that closed a while back, this is a whole different vibe, not a slickly designed scene with a club upstairs. 


But you don't need a doorman or a velvet rope to get my attention, the phrase Szechaun Noodles will do it!

It's not a big menu, and despite the subtitle of Szechuan Noodles, it's not exactly noodle-centric. The first part of the menu is indeed devoted to soups and other noodle dishes, but there are only 5 or 6 of them. The rest of the menu is made up of fairly sparse descriptions of ingredients, so it's never entirely clear what's going to arrive. There are hoagies, congees, and rice platters, a few vegetables, and a list of meats that just read, Quarter Chicken, or Pork Tongue, or Corned Beef.  Yep. Corned beef. 

More about that in a minute, but first, let's start with noodles! The first item on the menu is the Hot and Sour Crystal Noodle Soup, to which you can add pork, chicken or beef.  The noodles are clear, slippery, and fettuccini-sized, swimming in a slightly spicy broth, studded with ground pork and peanuts. A few slices of tender pork lay on top, marinade and grill-char cutting through the flavorful soup. This was quite good, and made us eager to try the rest) or just come back for this one again and again!)  

We ordered the Pig Tongue, but were told that they had run out. We might be too suspicious for our own good, but we wondered whether the chef just vetoed our order... I hope not, the pig tongue was a favorite dish at these tables back when it was Zhi Wei Guan, so I'd like to see what this version is like.  The waitress suggested the Quarter Chicken as a replacement.  We were surprised to discover that it was served cold, but not disappointed. It was delicately steamed, beautifully tender, and marinated in a light wine-based sauce.

A variety of cold vegetables were lightly pickled, a bright, refreshing accompaniment to the heavier foods. 

The most surprising item on the menu was Corned Beef.  It was indeed brined, and even had the salty, cured flavor of the item you might eat on St Patrick's day. In this case, it was simply sliced  and served warm, over some pickled radish and carrot. 

The flavor was mild, not especially exciting, but the combination of the lightly salty beef and the sour vegetables was pleasant enough.

We're eager to try more of the noodles, but also the sandwiches and rice platters.  Prices are more than reasonable, actually downright cheap - soups are $5-6, the meats at $6.95 are the most expensive items. There's lots for under $5.

It's an odd niche that this place has staked-out, but here's hoping that they can make a go of it in this location, where others have failed.  Philly can use as many Szechuan Noodles as it can get! 

Pearl Restaurant

925 Race St

Philadelphia, PA 

215-922-1018

Red Kings - Diverse regional Chinese

OK, I'll admit it, it was the soup dumplings that drew us in.

Although we still have Dim Sum Garden and Sakura Mandarin providing Xiao Long Bao here in Philly, there can never be too many sources for these delicate dumplings filled with broth.

Restaurants rarely call them soup dumplings, more often they're listed on menus as steamed juicy buns or just Xiao Long Bao. Here, they're called Steamed Shanghai Juicy Dumplings. And they're good - our batch was delicate, tasty, and none stuck to the steamer or fell apart as we tried to eat them. I don't know for sure that these are made in-house, but, no matter, they're prepared carefully, and served with the requisite ginger-soy sauce.

There are a few other Shanghainese specialties on the menu, but the most interesting thing about Red Kings is that there are offerings from many regions and traditions of Chinese cooking: Shanghai, Sichuan, Fuzhou  -  there are even Thai items.  This normally worries me - a kitchen that tries to do too many things usually fails at all of them.  But from an initial sampling (admittedly, we didn't try the Thai) this place seems to be able to produce credible versions of several styles.  

That's not so unique in Philly's Chinatown: both Four Rivers and Sakura Mandarin feature  Shanghainese and Sichuan dishes and more, and do them pretty well, and now Red Kings joins that club.

If I'm seriously craving full-on Sichuan, I'll still head to Han Dynasty, but if I'm in the mood to try a variety of styles at one meal, this place will be a strong contender. 

We're always in the mood for some spicy dishes from Sichuan, so we tried their Wontons with Chili Soy. These were fairly small, and didn't include much filling, but the noodles were nicely tender, and the sauce had a subtle, but very pleasing, chili kick. They were good, I'd get them again, but if one is specifically craving this dish, the other Sichuan places in town all have solid versions.  Han Dynasty is my favorite (yes I know I need to try Yu Kee...) , but they're actually very  enjoyable at Four Rivers and Szechuan tasty House too. 

Staying in that Sichuan zone, we sampled the Lamb with Cumin. This is not as hot, or as fully-encrusted with spices as most versions I've had,  but that subtlety allowed the lamb flavor to shine through in a more pronounced way. The meat was very tender and juicy, all in all a more subtle and elegant version than we're used to, but a nice variation.

 

Heading back to the Shanghai influence, we also ordered the Rice Cakes with Pork and Pickled. We're not sure whether that last word was supposed to be pickles, or if they left-off the word  vegetables from the name, but in fact it was a stir-fry of the chewy, noodle-like rice cakes, with plenty of shredded pork and a bit of sour vegetable.  I could have gone for a little more of the sour, crunchy note, but I often think that with rice cake dishes. 

 

While surveying Shanghai eating, one really ought to try the Dong Po Rou. It's been a challenge to get this dish in Philly restaurants: it involves a complicated and time-consuming preparation, and often requires ordering ahead, if a place even makes it at all. But Red Kings has it on their regular menu, and they seem to have an ample supply of the rich pork belly, slowly braised in a sweet sauce. It's served with steamed buns, allowing one to make pork belly sandwiches that have origins that stretch much further back than the current craze.  For some reason they only brought us two buns, but I suspect we could have asked for more. It's a delicious dish, but a fatty one, so you might want to split this between a few people (although we witnessed a middle aged Chinese gentleman come in and order one for himself... )

 

 

Despite that pile of food, we had a craving for ribs, so we asked our waiter which ones were the best (there are about 4 different preparations on their menu.)  He recommended the Wu Xi ribs, which were in fact very delicious, but a little too similar to the Dong Po Rou. In the future I'd get one or the other at any one dinner, but they're both quite good.

We barely scratched the surface of their very large menu, so we're looking forward to heading back and trying more.  Stay tuned for updates!  And yes, we'll even try the Thai food, even though I remain very skeptical about that...

They keep fairly late hours: they open at 11am  every day, and don't close until 11pm weeknights;  midnight on Friday and Saturday, 10pm on Sunday.

Service was very friendly and helpful, and the place itself, although small, is attractive and well-maintained.


Red Kings
933 Race Street
215-351-5388

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Han Dynasty Center City - Authentic Sichuan on Chestnut St.

Over the last few years, residents of Philly's western suburbs have had the pleasure of experiencing delicious authentic Chinese food at two Han Dynasty restaurants, in Exton and Royersford. But these spots are difficult to reach for Center City Philadelphia residents, making it impractical for people without cars to enjoy these places. It just got easier for city dwellers: the third Han Dynasty opened in late December at 108 Chestnut Street, in Old City. Like the others, this latest branch concentrates on authentic Chinese dishes, especially those from Sichuan province.

Philly's Chinatown has two restaurants that feature dishes from that region: Szechuan Tasty House and Four Rivers but after eating Han Dynasty food, even the hottest flavors that Chinatown has to offer have been leaving me cold. If you like that unique combination of chili heat and sichuan peppercorn tingle, Han Dynasty can bring it, in a package that's complex and satisfying, not bluntly spicy.

Over the course of many dinners in the various locations, we've become friendly with Han Chiang, the man behind these restaurants, and he's recommended many great dishes we would have never thought to order.Luckily, it doesn't require a long history to get that kind of treatment, that's the way Han prefers to work: even on your first visit he'll ask about what you like and don't like, and steer you toward something that you'll enjoy. In his other restaurants, Han developed a reputation for showing disdain for the Americanized dishes on the menu, trying to convince people to try something more traditional Chinese. It's a good point - there's no shortage of places where you can get beef and broccoli or General Tso's Chicken, if you're in a restaurant that can make you something more interesting, seize the opportunity! At this latest restaurant, there aren't any of those cliché not-really-Chinese dishes on the menu. Instead there are categories of traditional styles of preparation, with options for specific ingredients. Many of these dishes are quite spicy, but not all of them are, there are still interesting options for those who don't care for serious heat. The different styles are marked on the menu according to relative heat level, but also, ask your server (who is very likely to be Han himself) if you want to keep the spice under control.

Rather than trying to work our way through the menu over the course of many visits, some friends and I decided to jump-start the process by getting a dozen of us together and asking Han to feed us whatever he wanted to. We gave him a few days' notice, so he was able to come up with a few special dishes, but we were equally happy with the selections from the regular menu. All of it was quite tasty and very different from what you'll get at most Chinese restaurants in Philly.

He started us with an array of cold appetizers. This is a particular strong point of this kitchen, so we recommend that everyone try something from that section of the menu. We then had a Sichuan Hot Pot, something the restaurant does not regularly offer (although they may do so in the future.) A vast array of main dishes followed, and even a dessert soup. There were varying opinions around the table about favorites, but there wasn't a bad dish all night!

	Pickled Carrots (served cold) We've decided that all meals should start with pickled something...
	Pork Belly in Chili Oil (served cold) Rich, fatty, a little sweet, a little hot: that's a good combination!
	Fu Qi Fei Pian (Sliced Tripe, Tongue and Beef in hot sauce) (served cold) Even if you don't think you like organ meats, you might just enjoy this classic dish. The textures are varied and interesting, and the flavor is vivid with sichuan peppercorn and hot chili pepper.
	Rabbit with Peanuts (served cold) This is quite delicious, but beware: there's a significant chili spice to this, and the rabbit has many tiny bones, so eating this requires careful chewing, artful bone avoidance, and an ability to pull little bones out of your mouth with a modicum of tableside decorum...
	Wontons in Chili Oil (served warm) These are great, even better if you stir them around and let them soak in the spicy oil.
	Dan Dan Noodles (served warm) This also needs to be stirred-up before eating it, but with a little tossing, the hot spices, sesame paste and ground pork cling to the noodles beautifully.

Sichuan Hot Pot

Our group was too big to just put the burner in the middle of the table and have us cook things ourselves, so Han was kind enough to do it for us. There are two types of broth in the pot, one spice the other mild. Then various thinly-sliced ingredients are put in the broth to cook. At the end, noodles are added, and one has soup.


The ingredients cooked in the spicy side of the pot picked up some intense flavors from that broth. The milder side predictably yielded a mellower result. And in the end, it's boiled food, which can only be so exciting. Regardless of the technique, a few of these items came out tasting pretty great, especially the spicy tripe, fish and mushrooms.










After the hotpot, it was time for the main dishes:

Ma Po Tofu

Dry Fried Green Beans

Frog in Dry Pot

Lamb with Cumin

Beef in Hot Sauce

Whole Fish in Spicy Bean Sauce

Taiwanese Sausage

Most of these can be found on the regular menu, although he does not regularly have Frog in Dry Pot. I've had other meats in the dry pot there though, and they're are among my favorite things there. And if you really want frogs, give Han a few days notice, and he might be able to arrange it.

That whole fish was very delicious too, especially as it soaked up that vibrant sauce. Lamb with Cumin is one of our old favorites, the meat is literally encrusted in ground cumin, and smells as good as it tastes - but you'd better be a fan of that spice! The dry-fried string beans may not look all that special, but there's some magic going on in the kitchen to make the salty preserved vegetables and ground pork adhere to the beans, which themselves are just the right balance of crisp and wilted.

The classic dish Ma Po Tofu was made with an unusually light, soft tofu. There was some debate about whether a firmer tofu matches better with the ground pork and bold flavors, but this certainly had an elegant texture. Beef in Hot Sauce featured (mostly) meltingly tender slices of beef, coated in an uncharacteristically thick, delicious sauce. Most versions I've had of this have been much hotter, and in a thinner, oilier sauce, but I enjoyed this variation.

The Taiwanese sausage was a special request, it's just a favorite of our crew, usually as an appetizer at the beginning of the meal, but it works pretty well as dessert too. Once they get a liquor license, I shudder to think how much time I could spend at the bar, drinking beer and snacking on sausage...

I liked every dish that we got, but I was especially taken with the Fu Qi Fei Pian, the Wontons in Chili Oil (once they bathed in the liquid a bit) the Dan Dan Noodles, the Frog in Dry Pot, the green beans, and the fish, even the simple carrots at the beginning. But I look forward to revisiting all of what we had, I'd happily order any of it again.

To finish the dinner, there was a sweet soup. Because we had a large group, Han decided we needed to play a game: one bowl had a red tapioca pearl in it, and that person was the "winner."

Of course, along with being the "winner" came a compulsion to do something difficult, or humiliating, or painful. Someone in our group suggested doing a shot of chili oil. So be very afraid if Han suggests playing a game... Although, it got us thinking about special cocktails for when he gets a liquor license. Maybe a Chili Oil Bomb?

The aftermath...

Somehow we manged to eat just about everything, there were very few leftovers at the end. We accompanied this with, as you can see, more than a little beer and wine. Lighter, crisp white wines, not too dry, seem to work very well with this style of food. as do beers. Interestingly, sweet, dry, hoppy, malty brews all worked in different ways. I liked beers that were all over the map: sweet Lindemann's Peche Lambic, a fruity Kasteel Rouge, a dry Ephemere Apple Ale from Unibroue, and a Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA. We also sampled one of Dogfish Head's historical reconstructions, Jiahu, based on an archeological find in China. Not our favorite beer of the night, but interesting,and certainly drinkable, and its slight sweetness went pretty well with the food. So... beer...beer is good. Or heck, some elegant off-dry Champagne isn't bad either!

All in all, a very enjoyable evening, with delicious food and good companionship. Thanks to all my dining friends, old and new, who made it possible, big thanks to Han for getting it all together, and rushing around to accommodate us, while tending a few other tables at the same time. And major props to the chefs, who put out some amazing food.

Don't wait to assemble a dozen of your closest friends - the restaurant is just as enjoyable in smaller groups - you'll just have to make a few more visits to survey the menu. That's not such a bad fate...


Han Dynasty

108 Chestnut St

215-922-1888

www.handynasty.net

Han Dynasty in Royersford - The Dynasty expands.

I've long been a fan of the restaurant Han Dynasty in Exton, the quality of their traditional Sichuan and Taiwanese foods is unmatched in the Philadelphia area. Or, at least it was... A few months ago, they opened a second restaurant in Royersford, and I'm more than a little surprised to report that it's even better that the original. The menu is largely the same, except that sadly, Taiwanese dishes are not available in Royersford. The management seems very particular about employing only chefs trained in China, and having them concentrate on the cuisines in which they are most expert. That attention to authenticity is of more interest to native Chinese diners, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to detect the difference if a chef from Chengdu were to make my Lions Head Meatballs, but I suppose someone from Taiwan might...

I'm less concerned with authenticity than I am with how the food tastes, and I'm happy to say that it's delicious. The menu does still include some familiar Americanized-Chinese standards, but it would be missing the point to order those. A nice thing about the Han Dynasty menu is that the traditional dishes are not hidden-away in a secret document somewhere, they're right on the main pages, and the staff is happy to give them to you. They might even try to steer you to the traditional dishes, they have a firm belief that even inexperienced American diners will prefer them. According to the manager, they usually do!

I've been a frequent customer at the Exton restaurant, and some of the staff knows that I carry a camera, so depending on who's working, I'm sometimes recognized. This was true at this first visit to Royersford, so I can't claim to have had a typical anonymous dinner. But I'm confident that the kitchen is putting out food of a similar quality for everyone, I noticed a few other tables of diners clearly enjoying their meals, and I can see that the plates going by all look pretty similar. I've never been able to understand how a chef can suddenly become talented if a waiter tells him that a guy has a camera: maybe he'll plate things a little more carefully... That said - they were kind enough to send out a few small samples of some extra dishes, so the portion sizes depicted in these photos is often smaller than you would get if you ordered them.

To start, I had wontons in chile oil (pictured at top). This is one of my favorite starters, and this version is excellent. It's spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, the dumplings are tender, and filled with juicy pork. The same wontons are also presented in a soothing, mild, but flavorful broth. Both versions are quite enjoyable, I intend to keep having both!



Crispy Sweet Potato Fritters could easily be appetizers or dessert. In fact I experienced them in both positions: I started and ended my meal with one, and they seemed perfectly appropriate both times. The sweet, creamy interiors are encased in a crunchy crust, unencumbered by excess oil.



Bang Bang Chicken is not as explosive as he name would suggest, in fact the sauce is more soothing sesame than incendiary spice, the shreds of cold chicken serving as a perfect vehicle for the creamy coating.



Beef and Tripe with Hot Sauce is a classic from Sichuan, sometimes translated as "Husband and Wife Lung Slice", although there are no slices of lung involved... there is organ meat for sure, but it's more commonly tripe, maybe tongue, heart or kidney. Conceptually, cold slices of offal bathed in chile sauce hold no appeal for me, but in reality, I actually like this dish quite a lot. I've had it at a few restaurants, and this version is the best I've had, the flavors are somehow light and clean, the textures delicate and interesting.



Due to a food allergy, I couldn't sample this dish of braised eggplant stuffed with shrimp paste, but I was tempted: it looked great, smelled really good, I wish I could tell you how it tasted.


Smoked Bacon with Leeks is another classic dish, and one of my favorites, and this rendition stands out. The strips of pork belly are intensely smoky, and the cooking has rendered-off some of the fat, so, despite it fundamentally being a heap of bacon, stir-fried with leeks, it seemed amazingly light. I can't quite fool myself into thinking that it's actually healthy, but compared to some preparations I've had, this seemed positively virtuous. There was no oil pooling on the plate, I couldn't feel my arteries clogging as I ate it, a sensations some versions of this dish evoke. The smokiness and texture of the pork really made this special, once again, the best version of a dish I've grown to love.


Fish Filet in Dry Pot was packing heat, but more importantly, it had the magical "Ma La" balance of chile heat and Sichuan Peppercorn numbing sensation. It didn't blow your head off with brutal spice, but got your entire mouth tingling with that odd, metallic, pore-opening sensation that becomes addictive as you eat more food from this region.


Tea-Smoked Duck had no chile spice, but plenty of flavor from its time over smoldering tea leaves. That treatment, and presumably a quick dip in hot oil, left it tender and juicy beneath its crisp skin, with complex overtones of smoke and spices.


The showstopper of the meal has a name that didn't translate very smoothly, something along the lines of Man in Red Robe Standing in the Snow. The red robes were represented by the abundant dry red chile peppers (no, you don't eat those!! They're there imparting flavor, and making the final dish look good!) The snow came from pure white bean noodles hiding underneath. Slices of beef had picked up a powerful heat from the chiles, and from abundant Sichuan peppercorns, making this the most intense dish of the night, but also the best. The flavor was not merely spicy, it was complex and multilayered, and yes, freaking hot. This was not on the regular menu at the time, I sure hope they add it, it's a great dish.


Every single one of those dishes was delicious, and more elegantly executed than at any restaurant I've been in Philly's Chinatown. I've been to Grand Sichuan International and Wu Liang Ye in Manhattan as well, and I would put this kitchen up against any of those places. So what's it doing in the Philly burbs? There's a sizable population of people who grew up in China working in the high-tech and pharmaceutical companies that are sprinkled through that area, and they crave a taste of home. Especially on weekends, you'll see the dining room filled with Chinese people. But Han Dynasty needs an American clientele as well, and this is a great chance to get a taste of the real thing - Chinese food like Chinese people eat.

Sure, there are a few unfamiliar things on the menu, and the recipes are pretty different from that take-out place in the strip-mall down the street. You're not going to get goopy sauces and a medley of broccoli, bell peppers and snow peas in every dish. But you will get interesting and exciting flavors, and at this place, probably a numbing tingle on your tongue.

The major downside is that it's hard to go back to that stripmall take-out Chinese food...

Han Dynasty (2)
70 Buckwalter RD
Royersford, PA 19468
610-792-9600

and the original:

Han Dynasty
260 N. Pottstown Pike
Exton, PA 19341
610-524-4002

www.handynasty.net