May 17, 2010 Off

Beau Monde (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

While researching about South Philly’s Little Italy neighborhood and found that there’s a French street at the Bella Vista where there’re lots of French bistros, one of them is creperie Beau Monde.

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Beautiful interior.

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French Onion Soup. $7.5 It seems to have tomato in it, very yummy. Though it’s a little pricey for the little cup size. Their savory crepes are made with buckwheat flour. You can built your own or select from the house recommendation. I got the  Mushrooms, Swiss Cheese & Roasted Almonds $12.75 very good.

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My friend built a vegetarian one that was also very good. We got the ‘never go wrong’ choice for the sweet one: Banana Nutella. It was heaven~

Everything is well made and very tasty, but I still find it a bit pricey overall. Some of the savory crepes cost $20. Perhaps in my mind I still think crepe as more of a snack type of dishes. I’d love to come back more often (and eat crepe every other night) if its cheaper.

Creperie Beaumonde
624 South Sixth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

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May 14, 2010 2

QT Vietnamese Sandwich (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

More exploration of Chinatown. I found this tiny joint called QT Sandwich that specialized in Vietnamese Banh Mi. It is run by a mother and daughter team.

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I always get the House Special that is the classic deli/cold cut + pate one. The baguette is big (unlike the narrow ones used in the chains over at Los Angeles) so it was very satisfying. The baguette is fresh and all the ingredients are tasty. It’s $4 of heaven!

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When the grandma is in the house, they’ll have the Chicken Pho. I switched it up with the delicious Grill Pork Noodle sometimes, the pork are very flavored and tender .

They only have a few seatings as it’s a to-go type of place. I gave the to-go menu to my work place  so we got delivery from them couple times. There is a Little Saigon in Philly that I hope to check out next time.

QT Vietnamese Sandwich
48 N 10th St. Philadelphia, PA 19107

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May 14, 2010 Off

Greenland Teahouse (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

Another surprising aspect of Philly’s Chinatown was the amount of bakeries there, almost every block would have 3-4. They’re usually the hybrid of a Hong Kong style bakery (with tradition stuff like Pineapple bun, cocktail bun) with Taiwanese tea drinks and taro buns. I sampled a few and found this place to be my favorite: Green Land Teahouse.

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They have two breakfast menus: Hong Kong or Taiwanese. The Zongzi (Bamboo leaf wrapped Glutinous Rice) is offered two style (the green bean stuffed Hong Kong style that you eat with sugar vs the soysauce + mushroom stuffed Taiwanese kind). They also have congee, housemade soymilk, etc.

As for their baked goods, my favorites are:

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Seriously good Pineapple Bun!

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Very good Egg Tart!

I also dig their Sausage Bun. My friend loves their taro bun too. Everything here is good!

Greenland Teahouse
210 N 9th St. Philadelphia, PA 19107

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May 14, 2010 Off

Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

One area I didn’t explored the last time I was in Philly was Chinatown. My friend and I came to this popular little joint that specialized in handdrawn noodles. I don’t know much about the region of Nanzhou (or should be Lanzhou), it is a city at the Northwest part of China. They’re famous for Beef Noodle, and the noodle is made with the hand pull (or hand drawn) technique. .

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This joint offers two types of noodle to choose: the hand drawn or knife shaved kind. Both are freshly made and got great elastic but smooth and light texture. The knife shaved noodles can be very filling. The broth is very flavorful. Though they’re a bit stingy on giving you beef and tendon (very tenderly cook and deeply flavored).

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The place is a great quality cheap eat place if you’re staying in the city. I’m surprised to find something so authentic in Philly. For me, a fresh made bowl of simple, good quality noodle is the ultimate comfort food.

Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle
927 Race St. Philadelphia, PA 19107

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May 13, 2010 Off

Fork Etc. (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia, Favorite Food Entries

I worked at Philadelphia last December here. I went back there awhile ago during its coldest time and packed on loads of pounds. After coming back I had to tone down my eating habit to get back in shape. Now finally I feel comfortable posting those food exploits.

During my stays in Philly, it was constantly hit with the heaviest snowstorm. Mobility can be a problem (it’s hard to walk 10+ blocks in the snow). The overpriced food at the hotel lobby and chichi restaurants in the neighborhood weren’t good option on a daily basis, so I need to find a quick, gourmet and affordable solution. Luckily there’s Fork Etc, the deli/cafe extension of the popular bistro Fork. The bread and baked goods are baked daily and the savory deli items is updated weekly.

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They have classes at night sometimes, with topics on how to cured meat, brew your own beer, etc.

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Chocolate Chip and Cherry Muffin. This is HEAVENLY! The muffin is incredibly light and non oily, and the surface has a wonderful crust. I had the fresh-out-of-the-oven time figure out, so I picked up a hot, fresh one each morning before work.

Fork Etc

Another unforgettable treats: The Key Lime Pie is DIVINE! The acidic + creamy flavor is a perfect blend and the crust is so yummy. It was so good that it made Key Lime Pie one of my top favorite desserts.

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