Archive for the ‘in Philadelphia’ Category
Chifa and Sampan: Battle Pork Banh Mi
t says: On Saturday, g and I had a hankering for Sampan’s Pork Banh Mi. By the way, it has come to our attention that although Sampan spells it “Bahn”, it might actually be “Banh” – so we apologize for mis-spelling it and will slowly go back through our old posts to fix it. Regardless of how it’s spelled, we wanted it again, as we’ve had it twice so far <#1, #2>, and were happy both times (although we liked it better the first time). Then I remembered that Chifa also has this sandwich on their menu; we’ve never had it, but it’s Jose Garces – could his be as equally as awesome? We felt the storm clouds gathering, casting thick shadows on the grassy field upon which an epic battle was to take place … could Iron Chef Garces beat out Challenger Michael Schulson in Battle Pork Banh Mi? Furthermore, because Chifa’s more known for its Bao buns (steamed buns with pork belly), should that dish also be taken into consideration – perhaps as an exhibition match? Thus, we devised a pig-centric three-way battle. Here we go …
Chifa: 4/2010, Saturday 6pm, Party of 2. We decided to go to Chifa first. We did this for a couple of reasons. The first is that clearly Chifa was going to be the challenger with regard to the sandwich, as we knew that we liked Sampan’s already; Chifa deserved the advantage of being eaten while we were the most hungry. Furthermore, we wanted to end up at Sampan because it was closer to home (thus a shorter distance to walk afterward on a full stomach) and because if we were still hungry, we knew there were plenty of other delightful items on Sampan’s menu (overall, we and our wallets liked dinners at Sampan more than those we had at Chifa).
We were seated promptly (without a reservation) and we apologized in advance to our waitress that we wouldn’t be ordering a lot as we were doing a pork banh mi face-off. She seemed amused by and was happy to entertain our ridiculosity. We ended up ordering a spicy margarita, the pork belly bao buns (Chifa’s signature dish), and the pork banh mi (which apparently was added to the menu around January).
The first dish that was brought out was complimentary “bread”. When it first hit the table, I was highly suspicious. I didn’t recall them having a bread basket the last times we went. In the back of my mind, I reasoned that it was obviously the chef’s attempt to fill us up so that by the time we got to Sampan, we’d be too full to eat. Obviously, I was too smart for him/her. Well, whatever the reason/delusion, that was some fine bread. These were the size/shape of the steamed buns, except that they had more of the baked-brown look with the smell of cheese. They were served with a spreadable brown spicy sauce. When I bit into it, the first thing I noticed wasn’t a taste, rather, a texture; it reminded me of slightly undercooked Pillsbury dough. Sounds gross? Nope. It brought back childhood memories of home baking experiments – awesome! The bread was savory and soft and warm and gooey, and when coupled with the spicy sauce, it was a flavorful way to start our meal. I eventually reasoned that this obviously must not be the chef’s intention to sabotage our perception of Sampan’s food, as to do that, he would have had to given us more than four of these … because if there were more, we would have definitely eaten them all throughout the course of the meal (our other dishes had some sauce “smears” on the plates that we would have also sopped up with the bread).
The bao buns were next. You know – that Jose Garces is always so slick with presentation. I just don’t know how you can make pale-looking buns and brown-colored meat look that appetizing on a plate, but he [or whoever is actually in the kitchen constructing it] does it superbly – it looks like it’s ready for a photo shoot. Of course, I had to re-structure the components so that it could be handled and eaten more easily (a pretty stack isn’t always the easiest-to-eat), but I appreciated the effort to appeal to my eyes. Like my eyes, my mouth also appreciated the buns immensely. The very tender pork belly screamed sweet and savory. The daikon and carrot added some salty sour. Mix all of those with the texture of the light, fluffy, pillow-y bun and it was even better than the first times we went! I did notice, however, that the pieces of meat I had weren’t as fatty as pork belly can be – which is good or bad depending on your stance (I kinda like the fat). In any case, these really make me want to taste Momofuku’s …
The pork banh mi came out last. Although of a similar size, Garces’s sandwich isn’t wrapped in craft paper like Sampan, rather, is presented naked, cut in half, and accompanied by yet another sauce smear. The first thing I noticed was that the bread looked particularly delicious – it appeared golden brown, crusty, and not the least bit squished from cutting. And you know what – that was some good bread, with an awesome outside crust that resembling a Tony Luke’s cheese steak. As soon as my teeth broke past the bread, I inhaled a breath of vegetable/herb freshness – there was cucumber and carrot with some mint and cilantro. As my teeth chewed on the pork pieces (the waitress said it was pork shoulder), it released sweet, but was quickly followed by another salty, savory, mushy-textured experience: the pate! Apparently Jose likes to add pate to the sandwich, which was only so-so in terms of taste (the flavor of the pate is kind of muted versus the rest of the ingredients in the sandwich, so I didn’t want it to dominate). Furthermore, with later bites, I found that it’d aid the pork in sliding out the back of the sandwich as I chomped on the bread by acting as a lubricant – that was annoying. Finally, upon swallowing, I noticed a bit of heat. At first, I thought it was the spicy margarita, but it was not; sliced jalapenos were hidden among the greens. The heat was nice just so long as you didn’t happen to get an overwhelming piece of chile. Overall, the sandwich was good – the vegetables were very bold and up front, the bread and sauce were excellent, and the meat was tender. I deduct points for the pate (just leave it out!) and too little sauce (put it on my sandwich, not a smear on my plate). Not bad a bad showing …
After concluding these tastings, we paid our bill and walked over to Sampan. I was no longer “hungry” but “I could eat” …
Sampan: 4/2010, Saturday 7pm, Party of 2. We were seated promptly at the “bar” the faces the open kitchen. This time we were further from the salamanders, and closer to the appetizer prep stations. As we sat, we watched a pork banh mi being made – it looked simple enough – take some bread, slice it, add some sauce, add the meat, add the veggies, add the herbs, sprinkle some ?nuts? on top, wrap it up, and send it out. As we watched this one being made, we placed our order, and lo and behold, the one we had just watched was delivered to our table! It was like they were expecting us! I guess the reality is that they probably always have one ready to go because they have to make it so often …
First things first – how’d it look? Well, it was wrapped in paper emblazoned with “Sampan” … I kind of like the old school craft paper they had used the very first time we went. Furthermore, gone was the blue painter’s tape – they were now using masking tape. Once again – give me the blue painter’s tape! I don’t like change, damnit!
I opened up the paper and saw our victim. While it looked similar to Chifa’s, the bread definitely appeared softer – likely because there was some squishing in the wrapping process and the warmth from the meat was softening the bread. To be honest – I liked the bread at Chifa better because I like a nice hard outer crust – but if you want soft, then Sampan is the way to go. But when it comes to flavor, there’s a slightly different story … Sampan’s veggies and herbs and meat didn’t give me clear distinct notes, rather, a single harmonious flavor, including sour and sweet from the pickled vegetables, light heat from the sauce, a zing from the cilantro, and savory from the pork. Yes, all the flavor components were the same as in Chifa, but they all worked together at once – there weren’t phases of evolving flavors, rather, one big flavor up front that eventually gave way to the individual components later on, after you swallowed. It was so good.
After some thought, g and I felt that it was definitely better this time than at our last Sampan visit (and almost as good as our first). Why? Well, as we watched from our seat, we realized that the woman making the sandwich with “Fernandez” embroidered on her coat did an excellent job ensuring the right veggie:herb:meat:sauce ratio; this time was near perfect (maybe a little less sauce as our sandwich was a little drippy towards the end), but last time there just wasn’t enough meat. Thank you Chef Fernandez! You the woman!
We concluded our meal at Sampan with dessert – the chocolate banana “tart” in which a chocolate crust filled with bananas that were bruleed. It was an excellent idea, but there were some flaws in execution. The torch definitely burnt some of the exposed crust, so after the first accidental taste of burnt-bitterness (it’s hard to see the burnt parts as the chocolate crust was a dark brown), we had to seek out and remove the burnt areas. Also, there could have been some other sauce or ganache or something to bring together the mushy bananas (they were mushy in a good way!) and the firm, somewhat dry, crust. The waitress did recommend the ice cream to go with this dessert when we ordered, but we ignored her, and now we wished we hadn’t. Like each time we’ve been to Sampan, the desserts are theoretically great, but taste only “good” – int his case, it wasn’t quite good enough to order again (but they keep rotating the dessert menu, so I’m sure I’ll find something new to order next time).
Conclusions: Ok – super long post – let’s summarize …
1) I prefer Sampan’s pork banh mi to Chifa’s primarily because of the bold, harmonious flavor that hit you from the very beginning. While Chifa did have superior bread and more of a “freshness”, the pate subtracted from the dish, and perhaps adding more sauce and allowing the ingredients a chance to meld together (perhaps wrapped in some kraft paper with blue painters’ tape?) would help it?
2) Chifa’s pork buns, however, are superior to Chifa’s banh mi – the way the flavors are integrated makes this dish hit you with flavor the same way Sampan’s bhan mi hits you – you get a nice strong, combined flavor up front that eventually gives way to subtler flavors later.
3) Sampan’s banh mi vs. Chifa’s buns … gee … that’s really close … I think it’d have to come down to what kind of mood you’re in … do you want bread or buns? Ceviche (Chifa) or Brussels sprouts (Sampan)? Personally, I think that Sampan might have the edge because the rest of the menu (or at least, the things we like to eat) are priced more aggressively. We only wish they could execute the desserts a little better – there’s untapped potential there …
Epilogue: As we got up to leave Sampan, g tried to direct my attention to the kitchen. Eventually, she succeeded in doing so (I’m not too good with picking up on her non-verbal signals, and she didn’t want to say aloud, “Hey – look at the guy with the fish.”) I looked over just in time to see Chef Forneas (the real person in charge at Sampan) pull out this huge fillet of fish (looked like yellowtail) and do some trimming. He was showing another one of the kitchen staff how to cut the fish [I think]. Then, he attempted to slice off a piece, but was disappointed and left, hurriedly, to the back of the kitchen. I was psyched because I thought he was going to get a sharp, Japanese knife (one of those single-beveled ones known as a yanagi) and show this fish a thing or two. This was going to be so cool to see him do some sashimi slicing right in front of us (I’m a little obsessed with kitchen knives)! After a few seconds, he then came back into sight … with one hand holding the same knife he was holding before … and the other holding a honing rod … He then proceeded to hone his knife, Gordon Ramsey style, as he walked towards us (and the fish). I counted the offenses … He was going to slice this beautiful fillet not with a yanagi. He was going to use a knife that he was clearly abusing with a honing rod (any knife that you should be using to cut sashimi should not be honed as such). He appeared satisfied with this solution, as he walked with an air of pride in his honing technique. With those three strikes, I had no choice but to leave in utter disgust. Condoning such practices is abominable. I fought back the urge to reach across the bar, snatch the fillet, and run out the door in an attempt to rescue the meat. I vow to you here that I will order sashimi from Sampan nevermore …
Koo Zee Doo: Wonderful Anti-Tapas
t says: Koo Zee Doo is a Portuguese BYOB in Northern Liberties. LaBan gave them three bells. It received four James Beard nominations (and was a semifinalist for “best new restaurant” – although I guess was eliminated as now Bibou is the only remaining Philadelphia restaurant in the category). When I read it was family style – a concept that I had not heard in Philadelphia outside of Chinatown and Italian restuarants – we had to go. Because maybe our own families would not appreciate Portuguese food (but they’d probably like family style), we decided to invite the third member of our own “Finer Things Club”: kp. Having just returned from his world travels, kp was totally down for this March FTC meeting.
3/2010, Friday 8:45pm, Party of 3. Our cab pulled up right on time. While there was a little crowd of people waiting to be seated, we walked right in and were seated very-nearly-immediately (they just had to put settings down on our table). Our server was very enthusiastic and explained that everything was served family style and that their entrees were the equivalent of 1.5 “normal” entrees. He then recommended getting three appetizers and 2 entrees for the three of us; my math is a little fuzzy, but that sounded like a lot of food. He also recommended the piri piri shrimp, but, after kp exclaimed how excited he was to see piri piri on the menu (kp makes a mean piri piri), the waiter said “well, this is our version.” As a result, we ignored all of his recommendations and ordered the following: Goat’s Cheese, Salt Cod and Chickpea Salad, Baked Duck Rice, and Pork & Clams. We were going to order more if necessary – I forget what the backups were, but they definitely weren’t necessary …
Before we start, I do want to say that we haven’t included kp’s thoughts on the food, yet – but if he wants, we’ll be happy to added this review at any time.
The bread came out with a dish of interesting yellow things. That’s right – “yellow things”. I have no idea what they were because I zoned out when the waiter was talking (a bean of some sort?), but you eat them in a manner similar to edamame (eat the insides, discard the skin). As other reviewers have said, the bread was quite tasty and worked well with the bean-like-things – but the bread didn’t really show off its true colors until the goat cheese and salad appetizers came to the table.
First, let me say that the apps were quite large! I don’t know how we’d fit a third app on the table had we wanted! The cheese was crumbly and light, kind of like ricotta in both texture and taste. Well, it didn’t taste like ricotta, as it was a richer cheese, but it definitely was not as nearly as goat-y as we expected. It was accompanied by some oil (with salt) that was very nice with the cheese (kp actually said out loud, “this cheese could use some salt” right before he stumbled upon the salted olive oil) as well as some honey and what looked like cubes of ?honeyed pears?. At first, the cheese was “ok” – but between the bread and the cheese, there was still something missing … but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Well, whatever the missing element was, it was hiding in our chickpea and cod salad. That salad was phenomenal. It was both simple and complicated. The chickpeas were accompanied by olives, pieces of tender cod, hardboiled egg, and what I think was broccoli rabe. It had the salt and sour that worked well the egg and chickpeas as well as the goat cheese from the other app. Put this together with the bread and to be honest, Actually, I was afraid that I’d be full after eating just that! And there were three of us!
Then came the entrees. As soon as they hit the table, my nose smelled delicious delicious pork – it was like the scent of good bacon – and bam! I was hungry again … The duck rice was closest to me, so I dove in. Holycrapitwasgood. The duck was so tenderly cooked (and we ordered it medium instead of medium rare!). It had a beautiful crust on the skin. In your mouth, you get the salt and fat followed by duck and the mild taste of the rice. I’ve never had a duck so good – although perhaps that’s not saying a lot because I haven’t sampled a ton of duck in my time. Perhaps it’s more impressive if I say that I’ve never had a bird so good [at a restaurant – it’s hard to compete with a brilliantly cooked Thanksgiving turkey] . This dish made me vow to order more duck. It was so good that the next morning, I got up and wished I had some more of that duck rice.
The Pork & Clams were served in an upside down roof tile and were mixed with what looked like “country potatoes” you’d get as a breakfast side. This dish was also excellent. A few of the first clams I had were a little over-cooked – but the rest were spot-on (I think the first few I had were tiny, so maybe that’s why they were a little over). Then the pieces of pork … the lovely pork. Each piece had a good crust on the outside but fell apart in your mouth to reveal tender meat on the inside. I will admit that the potatoes seemed a little out of place … until I looked at the shallow puddle of juices in the bottom of the tile. The potatoes were miniature sponges for the juices – duh! In any case, the main flavor of this dish was “pork”. Yes, the clams were good, but pork was the clear star.
We were kind of full (g had started sneezing), but we just had to try dessert, too. One item intrigued me especially: chocolate salami. A complete dish of chocolate – how could I go wrong? Well, when it hit the table and it looked very … brown. There were some slices of chocolate salami (slices of chocolate ganache with crushed cookies) set in a rich chocolate ?mousse?, a chocolate-dipped chestnut-filled fig, and a cinnamon creme with a chocolate cracker with almonds. I was totally digging the quantity of chocolate … but you know what … it was disappointing! The salami was crumbly (I wish it were softer, like actual salami) and the cookie bits didn’t really have much taste that my unrefined palate could discern (and didn’t really add much texture, either). The rich chocolate sauce was good, but it really didn’t have anything to shine against b/c the whole dish was chocolate! I desperately wanted some salt or some citrus or some nuts – give me a kumquat like at Zahav! The cinnamon creme was only “good”. The almond-chocolate crisp and the fig were the best items in the dish, but only because they were able to bring in some flavors that could stand up to the chocolate monotony.
We were amazed when the bill arrived. Each person paid less than restaurant week prices ($35), and that’s with tax and tip!! Couple this with it being BYO and you have a great combination of ample, delicious food for a reasonable price! We’ll definitely go back – there are so many things on the menu! And because the portions are so big, it’s going to take some time to get through them. But you should consider avoiding the chocolate salami … unless you actually want to reach a point in your life when you say: “You know … that’s just too much chocolate …”.
Yogorino: Not Yo’ Mamma’s Fro’ Yo’
t says: When I used to think of frozen yogurt, I thought of TCBY. Essentially, I thought of custard (or “soft serve” as most people call it) that never tasted quite as good as ice cream (also, the texture was less “creamy” and more “frozen”). Well, Yogorino apparently recognized the taste disparity, gave ice cream the middle finger, and shouted defiantly, “we don’t want to taste like ice cream”. The end result was a super-creamy soft serve creation that tasted liked … yogurt! It’s actually quite stunning how much like yogurt it tastes – especially upon your first bite when your mouth and brain expects “oh, vanilla soft serve” but bam! it gets that yogurt twang instead (yea, there’s creamy vanilla and sugar, too, but the yogurt flavor is what makes the biggest first impression).
Yogorino has this one shtick: yogurt. They only have one flavor of yogurt: “vanilla” (or more accurately “vanilla yogurt”). The Yogorino experience is with the variety of interesting toppings – they have dry (including chocolate shavings, nuts, other candies), fresh fruit (changes frequently), fake fruit (fruit sauces), and wet (other sauces, like chocolate and caramel). I’d be willing to bet that fresh strawberries and either chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce is the most common combination – makes sense to me – they taste good together!
Now, g and I have been there a few times, but I never felt particularly “moved” by it. Personally, I like the taste of yogurt, but mostly with my Indian food or for my breakfast. For dessert, I’d rather go to the nearby Capo Giro, where if I order something vanilla … it tastes like vanilla! But tonight … Yogorino changed it all for me … and for the better! Maybe it was the company? Maybe it was the beautiful weather? Maybe it was the peace of Rittenhouse Square at night? These were great … but I’m pretty sure it was the yogurt. Or should I say, the toppings? I ordered a small with chocolate sauce and pistachio sauce (not the nuts … a green sauce). The end result was an interesting brown-green puddle atop a mound of white. It looked atrocious, but it was SO tasty. The pistachio flavor was light, the chocolate was inviting, and the yogurt twang actually tasted like the sour you would get from fresh fruit, not from yogurt. According to my brain, I had a chocolate-pistachio-fruit soft serve … it was awesome! Plus, with the “probiotics”, it’s good for me … right?
g got caramel sauce on top of hers, and she said it was the best topping she’s ever had on top of Yogorino. I disagree … mine was. But hers was a close second …
In the end, I’m glad I’ve come around to liking Yogorino. I’ve heard so many people talk about how it’s the greatest thing ever, and now I feel like I can at least join the conversation with the aspects that I like about it. But … will I ever choose it over Capo Giro? Maybe … it depends how close I am to Capo Giro …
Garces Trading Company: Our Wallets Are Scared …
t says: A few weekends ago on a Saturday, g, her mom, and I were in the mood for an early lunch. There were many available opportunities (no one has wait times at 11am), but we knew that g’s mom is a Garcesophile, so we had to try out his latest venture: Garces Trading Company (GTC for short … cuz I’m lazy). GTC is a combination market, restaurant, and what I’d like to call a “bistro”. Wait – a restaurant and a bistro? That’s weird. I’ll explain [eventually] …
When you first walk in to GTC, the space appears quite open, with the market, prepared foods, and to-be-prepared foods along the left and rear walls and a refrigerated cellar-esque wine room along the right wall. In the center of this massive space are some normal-height tables (like the ones you’d find at a restaurant). This center area was set apart physically from the circumference of the room as well as from other tables that were much taller with stools. What gives with the different tables? Is Garces segregating tall-ies from the shorties? Well, if you opt to go for the short tables, they are fully serviced with wait staff who will take your order and bring out your food [and obligate you to leave a tip] … like a restaurant! Alternatively, you can walk around the circumference of GTC and pick out and order whatever you want and take a seat at one of the taller bistro tables on your own (i.e. without service). But if you go for this option, you have no control over what seats are available or who you may be sitting next to. Regardless of where you want to sit (or whether or not you want to be waited on), the available food options are the same! I like that! You could zip in and get your food and run without feeling like you were missing something, or you could stay and linger (perhaps with a bottle of wine you just bought?). It’s quite an interesting setup.
What about the market? Well, the “market” seemed kind of small for what I was imagining. I guess I was used to something like Talula’s Table that has a lot of random food-centric things that fill up a considerable amount of space. GTC seems like it doesn’t have as much, but in retrospect I think it’s just that the market occupies such a small amount of space versus how much space GTC as a whole takes up. So what do they have? They have a selection of olive oils, which you can [freely] sample right there with the [free] provided bread. These range from “nice olive oils” up to black and white truffle oils … which I tried … which was fantastic, and way too far out of my price range. The black truffle oil tasted just like “truffle”, but the white tasted a little lighter with a bit of spice to it (maybe like black pepper? not sure). It was earthy with a small jab of liveliness. I have no idea what I’d do with it if I had it in the house – maybe just sit there eating it with bread … or maybe d would come over and we could try to make Melograno’s pappardelle tartufate? I later found out that truffle oils are usually synthetic, so I don’t know if GTC’s was the real deal or not, but who cares? It tastes good, right? Before you poo-poo on synthetic truffle oil, I just want to say that if you’re thinking that your favorite truffle dish at XYZ restaurant surely comes from real truffle oil, then I think you should go and ask the chef next time … you might be eating your words …
Back to GTC … they have a selection of meats (including house-cured charcuterie) and cheeses as well, which I know very little about but looked good! And, they have a wine room … I walked into the “cellar”, wanting to flex some CSW muscle (I studied at the Restaurant School) by reading some labels and seeing how much I could recall. Geez – my knowledge of Spain has grown quite rusty, which is a shame because Jose seems to have a few bottles beyond the norm. All-in-all it was nice to browse. The selection wasn’t nearly as extensive as you’d find at a Wine and Spirits Shoppe, rather, it had more medium-to-high priced selections. There were some cheap bottles there in case you just wanted a little pick-me-up in the middle of your weekday to go with your lunch.
So … on to the food:
3/2010, Saturday 11:30am, Party of 3 (Bistro Tables). As we walked around, looking at the foods, I was tempted by the pizzas and the “special” beef burgundy for 2 (made with shortrib). However, I wasn’t in the mood to wait a long time (I was eyeing the Chicago deep dish pizza – which requires waiting 30 mins) or over-eating (I save over-eating for dinnertime). There were lots of things that sounded great – but in the end, I just let g decide for us … We got the lamb sandwich. Lamb sandwich? That’s it? Yep. But it was a damn good lamb sandwich. It featured perfectly cooked lamb loin with eggplant and chickpeas, and a little side of roasted red peppers. The lamb sung, “I am cooked as well as any lamb dish you’ll find in a restaurant”, while the bread chanted, “I’m as good as Tony Luke’s bread, cuz I’m crispy on the outside and soft on the inside”. See? The food was so good, that it started singing to me.
g’s mom went for a salad: Insalata Semplice. She was super-impressed by her meal, between the pomegranate, blood orange, and pistachio. I’m sure if she is so inspired (even though it’s been over two weeks), she’ll leave a comment down below (::hint:hint::nudge:nudge::).
g and I will definitely go back to GTC. It was just too good (and reasonably priced). Between the market and the food, I just don’t understand how anyone who lives or works in the area isn’t completely flat-out broke. Boy am I glad it’s not within walking distance of where we live …
Cafe Spice: It Ain’t No Tiffin/Ekta
t says: A couple of fellow associates at work and I had the opportunity to take a work-related dinner on the boss’s tab. While the nature of the work cannot be discussed here, the nature of the meal can! We originally planned to go to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian “steakhouse” chain famed for unlimited quantities of delicious meat for a flat price. Having never been (despite being urged by my friends), it sounded like a great [free] adventure! Unfortunately, we had some vegetarians with us (what? I hear Fogo has a great salad bar!), so we had to make a last minute change – one person had suggested Cafe Spice. So off we went to 2nd street …
3/2010, Monday 6pm, Party of 5. The place was nice but empty. It wasn’t particularly fancy, but perhaps it was trying too hard to with the colors and boxes and things. The place had a lot of space – this wasn’t your super-tiny Philly BYO (it also had a bar – duh!). I ordered a 10Cane Mojito which was actually quite delicious – it was the highlight of the evening. Unfortunately, the food I had was only “ok” (I sampled the chicken samosa, ragada patties, and chicken korma). I’m going to spare you the individual descriptions because I really can’t think of anything that stuck out as being exceptionally good or bad. In my mind, it was “meh”. The samosa and korma tasted exactly as I expected these dishes to taste if delivered from an average Indian take-out place. The nan was pretty good – nice and thin with just a bit of charred crisp. The ragada patties were more interesting (as I’ve never had them before), combining patties of potato with sweet tamarind and chickpeas, but the end result was still only “meh”. Maybe my tastebuds for Indian food aren’t refined enough? Personally, I think it’s because I’ve become used to Ekta and Tiffin delivery, both of which use such bright and vivid flavors in their cooking.
In the end, I think that there is definitely better Indian to be had out there, although Cafe Spice is particularly close to Old City, so maybe there is some convenience in that. Of course, Ekta and Tiffin both deliver, so who can beat the convenience of sitting in your own home? Sorry Cafe Spice – I’m only going if friends really want to go … or if it’s free …
Cochon: Philly’s Best Pancake?
t says: Ok, those are some big words in the title, but we have reason to believe that Cochon might serve the best brunch in the city. Now, we’ve never been to “fancy” brunch eateries, like LaCroix or Fountain Restaurant, but we have been to some pretty good small[er] places that put some nice twists on brunch, like Sabrina’s, Carman’s, Slate, Tinto, Farmicia, Mixto, and Day by Day. Palumbo’s Grill (may it rest in peace) did an awesome brunch – it was cheap and tasty. Carman’s is similarly priced and delicious, with a little more innovation, but good luck getting a seat (and I sometimes wonder about that kitchen’s cleanliness)! Sabrina’s also does a good job, especially the Art Museum location that is far easier to get into – but I haven’t been blown away every time. As you can see, I’m very picky about what I want in a brunchery. I want reservations, friendly service, delicious food, ample servings, and a reasonable price. It seems that as food quality and quantity goes up, it’s harder to find it cheap (e.g. Tinto) or not packed (e.g. Carman’s, Sabrina’s). And, while I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad brunch in Philly, there just hasn’t been a place that did everything right. Palumbo’s was the closest. Cochon is my new frontrunner.
The first best part about Cochon’s brunch is that it is unknown – or at least, that’s what it seems (they’re well-known for dinner – we still have not had a pork dish to rival that pork shoulder special they had when we went – it was insane). Their brunch starts at 11 (and that’s when our reservation was for). We arrived at 10:50. There was no crowd. There was no line. Only one two-seater table had patrons in it (I guess the hostess didn’t have a problem with letting a couple people in early). This alone was a breath of fresh air. We took a walk around the neighborhood to kill some time – it was a beautiful day! They seated us the moment we walked in, and we ordered some tea. The selection wasn’t huge or exotic – there was no “French Breakfast Tea” like at Parc, but for me, any black tea (which I purposely over-steep) is fine for a nice “rustic” breakfast. Maybe other foodies will want more of a selection. As far as a “crowd” – we never really saw one! Even by the time we left, there were still open tables! How weird!
As the menu stared back at me, I was faced with a major conundrum: there was no way that I could taste everything I wanted at this one meal. The egg dishes all sounded fantastic. They had French toast and pancakes (the age-old battle of the breakfast breads). Then they had pizzas (?is it a French pizza? a traditional pizza? no idea!) including one that had brie cheese, caramelized onion, and pear. Then they had what I could only imagine were sandwiches of smoked meats, including ribs, short ribs, etc. It was not fair.
I ended up going for the pancakes – I needed to test their version of a classic (I’m the bad cop, remember?). They came to the table in this round glazed earthenware dish that fit the pancakes just perfectly and were topped with caramelized bananas and walnuts in some sort of syrup. And there was a healthy dollop of cream. They were large and looked fantastic – but nothing looked obviously different than something you might find elsewhere. Then I ate my first bite. Holy … Crap … !! The banana was soft-but-not-mushy and played beautifully with the walnuts. But the heroes of the dish were the pancakes. They had a deep dark color – it was almost like they looked over-cooked, but trust me, they weren’t. They had a nice “crisp-ness” to the outside, followed by the softest, fluffiest interior I have ever seen. And they were super-thick! It was luscious like cake, but floppy like a pancake. Now, I hate the idea of whipping out cameras at restaurants to take pictures of food for the sake of showing everyone else what it looks like – it just feels tacky. It’s clear that I don’t have a problem photographing my own stuff in my own house. But, to be honest, I’d hate it if someone showed up at my workplace and started photographing what I was doing without my expressed permission (wow – they’d be bored out of their mind if they did). Furthermore, I’d be super-weirded out if someone I invited to my dinner party starting photographing my food without asking. But I guess some might feel entitled to do so because the food becomes theirs, as they are paying for it? I don’t know – right or wrong, it just makes me feel awkward. BUT … this one time … I did the unthinkable and asked g for her iPhone. I had to take a picture of the pancakes because no one would believe just how fluffy they are without evidence …
That fork is a normal size fork!
I realize that these pancakes were technically simple – a lot of places can put together banana, walnut, and pancakes. I’m not even a huge fan of banana-walnut things (e.g. I’ll pick blueberry muffins over banana-walnut every time). But these were the best pancakes I’ve ever had. It definitely had less to do with their choice of ingredients and more to do with cookery. If I knew how to make pancakes like that, I’d never eat out for breakfast again … (I’d also open up a pancake shop).
What’d g order? Here she goes …
g says: Apologies that there are no pretty photos of the Eggs Cochon that I ordered… I dug into my plate so quickly, the dish looked a mess and I was halfway through by the time t decided to shoot our meal. Maybe next time I’ll wait for the photo op, but don’t count on it! My dish was an interesting take on eggs benedict – there were 2 poached eggs over a slice of toasted brioche, chunks of roasted suckling pig, and a drizzling of hollandaise sauce, alongside perfectly-spiced home fries. It was incredible, and if there weren’t so many other tempting items on the menu that I am dying to try, I would absolutely order it on every visit! Thank you, Cochon, for another lovely time — our brunch was the perfect start to a lovely Sunday!
t says: The final best part – the entire breakfast, for two people, was under $31. So, for less than the price of one restaurant week meal, both of us ate until completely stuffed. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t finish my entire plate, as much as I wanted to – and I was still a little uncomfortable trying to walk home. Even g had a little leftover (but not enough to bring home).
Conclusion: The lack of a crowd makes me suspicious – was our meal a fluke? This, combined with how many things we still want to try on their menu means only one thing: we will be going back. Forget just “going back” – g and I started staking out rental properties nearby to see if we could live within walking distance (seriously)! The food was ample, the price was right (maybe $2-3 more expensive than Sabrina’s – but they don’t have the “normal” stuff that Sabrina’s has, like “2 eggs any style” … well, they do, but not without including house-made sausage and bacon), and the seating is not super-cramped; I might even consider bringing my parents there! The way we figure it, we have 9 months or so until Philly magazine tells everyone else how great brunch is here (or maybe they already have and no one read it – but remember – you read it here first), and then it’ll be so booked you can’t get in. Although I warn you – g and I have booked a table for every Sunday possible for a ridiculous amount of time into the future … Let us know if you want in.
LATER …
t says: We went back to Cochon today, and I ordered the pancakes. Yep – absolutely as delicious as I remember – and still super-thick! Actually – it was so much that I couldn’t finish it. So I brought some home … and measured it … right before I ate it.
The ruler and pancake are the same exact distance from the camera lens ...
That’s right – it is a bit over an inch tall! And that’s for ONE pancake! They serve you two!
after dinner sneeze 