The Hungry Nomad - Food, Travel, Lifestyle

Dim Sum Garden- Chinatown (Philadelphia, USA)

September 4, 2012 2 Comments

Several weeks ago the Count and I along with a few friends went on the Free Tours by Foot Chinatown Food Tour. We walked through Philadelphia’s small yet historic Chinatown stopping by at the best spots for quick eats. The tour ended with a sit down lunch at Dim Sum Garden.

I have walked by this spot without bothering to look twice only because it is under the convention center overpass and I wrongfully must have assumed that it could not be good given it’s dark location. Wrong!

Best handmade dumplings I have had…and I am from Vancouver which is known for its mainland Chinese and Hong Kong delicacies. In fact, given that my best friend is Chinese doing Sunday ‘Dim Sum’ brunch was kind of our thing. This spot is not your typical sit down full service dim sum restaurant where they come around with their carts and you can pick and choose what you’d like to eat next. Here you order your dim sum at the counter and pay at the counter.

Now onto the actual dumplings: our tour guide knew a thing or two about dumplings and ordered a few rounds for the table. I have never had a soup dumpling (xiao long bao) and found it to be such a treat. There is an entire process to having a soup dumpling. You must gently place one in your spoon. Place a hole at the top to allow the hot steam to cool off and place the whole thing in your mouth without spilling the contents on the inside. Essentially it’s soup wrapped up in dough served with their own special dumpling sauce. Okay. That was great. Whats next?

Next was the Shanghai siu mai- sticky rice and minced pork dumplings. These were also a first for me and were a real treat. Sticky rice with small bits of pork all mixed with a delicious sauce and beautifully bundled up into a dumpling.

We also had the prawn dumplings, pork and chive dumplings and many other varieties of dumplings. One was better than the next. Best part is you know its fresh and handmade as you can see through the back counter where all the action is happening. It’s cheap dumpling at its best. Don’t be put off by the neon lights and interior facade. This is a place where you can satisfy your dumpling cravings not to go people watching (unless you enjoy watching suffering panhandlers and other characters on 11th street).

Coffee Shop, Philadelphia, Sandwich Shop

Rybread Cafe- Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

August 29, 2012 2 Comments

It all started with two laid off architects. The year: 2009. Ryan (the ‘R’ in RyBread) and his girlfriend found themselves unemployed and headed on a road trip of a lifetime. Over the course of the road trip a business idea would develop. Why not open a gourmet sandwich shop in a really neat space? This is exactly what they did when they returned. Rybread Cafe is in our neighborhood and our favorite gourmet sandwich shop. The choices are endless and all equally delicious.

I’m sure both were great architects but we are selfishly happy that they decided to open a sandwich shop instead. Nothing beats the joy of eating, not even architecture.

The hair salon turned cafe is small and intimate with only a few indoor seats and several on the outside. The wall is covered by a chalkboard listing their sandwiches in detail. I’ve only had occasion to try four on the list but have never been dissapointed.

There is also a variety of bagels, muffins, scones, salads, soups and paninis. Best part: it’s all made to order and exteremely fresh. (See Menu).

On my last trip, I had the Hollywood while the Count ordered the Philadelphia.

My Hollywood sandwich consisted of multi grain toast slabbed with a thick layer of hummus, cucumbers, red onion, shaved carrot, tomatoes and cheese. A great option for vegetarians.

The Philadelphia was packed with genoa salami, hot cappi, prosciutto, provolone, greens, tomatoes, onions and vinaigrette served on ciabatta bread. The Count seemed to enjoy it but we agreed that our favorites are the San Fran and the Napa.

If you enjoy gourmet sandwiches as much as we do you should definitely check out Rybread if you haven’t already done so.

Philadelphia, Vegan, Vegetarian

Hip City Veg-Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia, USA)

August 28, 2012 1 Comment

You all know by now that I’m far from a vegetarian. But that is not to say that I don’t enjoy a healthy veggie meal here and there. So on one particular day last week while feeling like a vegetable-friendly meal, a friend and I made our way over to HipCityVeg.

It is located a short distance from Rittenhouse Square on 18th Street. The place was small and packed. We managed to make it during their lunch rush so had to wait in line to order. As we were waiting two elderly ladies leaving recommended the Curry Tofu Wrap. Everything looked equally delicious but after the recommendation I had to go with the wrap. My friend ordered the Bistro Bella.

To the left there was a green smoothie machine and I was told that I must try it. So it was added on to our order. A few minutes later our food was ready. It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to have a small picnic in the park.

The Smoothie officially named the ‘groothie’ was made with spinach, apples, pineapples and bananas. It was very thick filled with a whole day’s worth of fruits and veggies. Who needs vitamin pills when you can get your hands on this?

The cookies and cupcakes were also tempting but I stopped myself at the groothie. Next time, I’ll make sure to try a cookie.

Owner Nicole Marquis had a vision for fast-food vegan: vegan Burgers, Fries, Salads, Wraps, healthy drinks and snacks. She worked with chef Rich Landau to come up with the innovative menu and the result: Fast-food vegan! From the Chik’n Burger to their buffalo bella- everything on their menu is meat free.

Doesn’t it look pretty?

My friend’s burger looked like a traditional burger just healthier. It was served on a soft whole wheat bun stuffed with herb glazed sliced portobella, dijon, olive tapenade, tomato, artichoke and arugula. Sounds good right? It was! The mixture of flavors was a first for me. Olive tapenade with portobella mushroom? Amazing!

My curry tofu wrap was so good, I’ve been dreaming of it since. It was wet, filled with difference sauces , flavors and soooo juicy.

It seemed the wrap had everything in it: sprouts, spinach, tomato, cilantro-white bean puree and cucumber yogurt dip on the side. I think the photo below shows what a delicious mess it was. Hands oozing with curry juice I had every last bite.

It was so good even the finches (and pigeon) wanted a bite.

Farmer's Market, Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop Farmer’s Market (Fort Lauderdale, USA)

August 25, 2012 1 Comment

It’s Saturday. You are in Fort Lauderale. You are looking for something different to do. You want to stay away from the beach. You should go to the Swap Shop Farmer’s Market on Sunrise Blvd. It’s filled with fresh produce sold by friendly Haitians. If you are not looking for produce, there is also a flower market, cheap clothes, electronics, jewelry, you name it!

The Swap Shop also has a 14-screen drive in theatre and is the largest drive in and daily flea market in the world.

Where:

3291 W Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

(954) 791-7927

http://www.floridaswapshop.com

When: Every day

Chinese Food, Philadelphia, Szechuan

Han Dynasty-Manayunk (Philadelphia, USA)

August 24, 2012 3 Comments

One month in to our move to Philadelphia and we discovered the Manayunk neighborhood. I love Main street with their charming shops and eclectic range of restaurants. On our first visit to the area we planned on having Persian food but were disappointed to find the restaurant closed on a Sunday. So we wandered the street until we reached Han Dynasty. The Count wasn’t in the mood for Chinese food but after seeing all the award and zagat rated stickers on the door we decided to try it anyway. Note: this review is based on two trips made to the same location.

I’ll start with the service which was horrible. It is a very small restaurant with waiters running around from left to right, yet we stood at the front for what seemed like 15 minutes before someone acknowledged us. There were plenty of open tables so we finally asked one of the staff if we could take a seat. Once we were seated we waited another 10-15 minutes before someone came to our table. Once we expressed our concern with the service they seemed to pick up their pace.

Now onto the food. The menu is true Szechuan (pronounced Zesh-won) and has been rated one of the best in the country. After tasting it I am not surprised. What I loved most is that the menu is one page only not like other Chinese restaurants who present books as menus to flip through. There are your appetizers, entrees and side dishes. Szechuan is a style of Chinese cooking which originated from the Sichuan province of Southwestern China. What makes it so popular are the bold flavours, particularly the pungent and spiciness resulting from the use of mounds and mounds of garlic and chili peppers. You can choose your dishes based on the style of sauce you prefer and the meat or vegetables. Then you can choose the spiciness level ranging from 1 being tolerable to 10 being the spiciest. (See Menu)

We started off with an order of wontons in chili oil. Once I took the first bite I was immediately hooked. I love garlic and am known to use a lot of it at home. What made the dish so special was the garlic chili sauce sprinkled with sesame oil.

Next we tried the wontons in chili oil sauce. The flavors were the same although the wantons come in a larger quantity and seem to have more filling. It was also delicious.

There were four of us on our second trip so we decided to order two main entrees and share. First order was the Dry Pot Style served in a mini wok and cooked in a spicy hot sauce with black mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. We ordered the level 7 spice thinking it was a happy medium. It arrived on top of a mini gas stove sizzling hot served with a big bowl of white rice. Again the sauce and the spiciness and the liberal use of garlic made it so good. In fact, the best I’ve ever had.

The cilantro topping added that additional punch of flavor but also worked against the burning spices.

We also ordered a side of bok choy with black mushrooms. It was presented so beautifully like a plate of flowers.

It was the perfect side dish to offset the meat and spice. The bok choy was fresh and crunchy, the mushrooms were so good and the sauce even better.

Our next entree was the prawns in garlic sauce. As if there was not enough garlic in the other dishes this plate was mainly covered in garlic. Did I complain? Of course not, it was truly one of the best sauces I have ever tasted. The prawns were large and generous amounts were presented in the plate. On our first trip we had the garlic sauce with the beef as opposed to the shrimp. I think I preferred the beef to the prawns for this dish. The garlic sauce is my favorite and I know that I’ll be a regular based purely on this sauce. Just thinking of it is making my mouth water.

Was the meal amazing? Yes. Will I be back? Yes. Did the service turn me off? A bit but the food is too good to let the bad service get in the way. Plus there are several different locations and I am determined to try them all.

Fast Food, Korean food, Philadelphia

Koreana-University City (Philadelphia, USA)

August 21, 2012 2 Comments

Always in search of good Korean food, we found Koreana tucked away in a parking lot in University City. In fact you really have to know its there to find it since the door is on the parking lot side and there is no store entrance on the street side. That said thanks to my iPhone we were quick to find our way to the food.

This fast food Korean is a very casual spot where you order your meal at the counter, pay and find a table while you wait with your number. The food comes out pretty fast on a red cafeteria style tray. We ordered the Dol Sot Bibimbap and Soon Doo Boo with beef.

The Soon Doo Boo was a spicy stew with vegetables and beef served with a side of white rice and kimchi. Since it was my first time trying it I was told to drop the rice in the stew and mix the two or to take spoonfuls of each together. I opted for the first choice.

I have to say it was not my favorite not because it lacked in flavor but it just was not what I was in the mood to have. I preferred the Count’s Bibimbap dish which was served in a hot stone bowl with lots of veggies, tofu, beef and eggs to blend in.

Once the ingredients were mixed and cooked further in the hot stone bowl the result was delicious. So much so that the Count has been back 2 times since for his weekly fix of Bibimbap.

After our meals we noticed the table next to us having a colorful dessert treat and of course we then had to try it. It was a Korean version of shaved ice with syrup, canned fruits, bursting bubbles and condensed milk. The bursting bubbles were a first for me and I absolutely loved it. As soon as it made contact with my tongue it popped into a sugary syrup. I loved the texture and flavor.

Best part of our meal: the price. It was comparatively cheaper than other places we’ve been to in town, although this is the ultimate casual dining experience. You go here for the food not its location in the parking lot or scene. If you want good Korean fast food in a cafeteria style environment then you will for sure love this place!

Canada, Gourmand, Night Market, Vancouver

Richmond Summer Night Market (Vancouver, Canada)

August 20, 2012 No Comments

Anyone who has travelled East will appreciate a good summer night’s market. The Richmond Night Market (renamed as Summer Night Market) offers you just that. A large area filled with food stands and other goodies from Asia. It’s a great way to spend the evening feasting on cheap eats while buying ‘Made in China’ goods ranging from sunglasses, massage chairs, lingerie, electronics, stationary, hello kitty, etc. It reminds me of night markets of Bangkok where I also feasted on cheap Thai food and coconut juice and spent a lot of unnecessary money on unnecessary items (which I would do all over again in a heart beat). Unfortunately, as the name makes clear the night market is only on in the summer time so folks get there while you can or you will just have to wait until next year to get your hands on some hot dim-sum.

Richmond Summer Night Market- a summer must-do!

The night market has come a long way. I remember the early years back where it was located in a very small parking lot in downtown Richmond. I still made trips back then when it was little heard of amongst local Vancouverites. Thankfully back then I had a Richmond born and raised friend who knew the ins and outs of Richmond including the summer night market. Back then there were only a few food stands with cheaper prices.

Years later after returning from living in Europe I returned to the Night Market only to find that its location had been changed and the venue had expanded to cover a huge area with flocks of Vancouverites and tourists visiting each summer. The food stands are fantastic and if not for the products then definitely make a trip for the food. It’s well worth it. Here is a visual list of my favorite food stands.

Japanese Octopus balls

Fish waffles filled with nutella, peanut butter and cream

Heaven on a stick sprinkled with ketchup

Chinese Cotton Candy

Curry Fish Balls

Pork Dumplings

Korean Glass Noodles

Bacon wrapped sausage

This is how it looks as soon as the gates open…we were one of the first ones there.

And this is what it looked an hour later

Dim Sum- Yum!

Delicious waffles with a choice of nutella, peanut butter or red beans.

Corn with different flavors to sprinkle on top.

Richmond’s amazing night market tradition continues with the renamed Summer Night Market, with 300 vendors, tons of food, and thousands of visitors.

Philadelphia, Pho, Vietnamese

Nam Phuong- Italian Market/Bella Vista (Philadelphia, USA)

August 20, 2012 No Comments

I heard that Philadelphia has the best Vietnamese on the East Coast. Where are they all hiding? So far I haven’t seen too many downtown. So I turned to Yelp and based on the many reviewer recommendations decided to try Nam Phuong. The restaurant is located in a strip mall on Washington Avenue, surrounded by other Vietnamese restaurants, shops and food markets.

We went on a weeknight and found the place to be full of mostly Vietnamese patrons but also other foodies like us who have a deep appreciation for Vietnamese food. And so we were seated and quickly made our way through the extensive menu. We ordered the shrimp spring roll, chicken pho, barbecued quail and diced cubed beef.

The shrimp roll was served first. It was good with generous amounts of shrimp in each of the two rolls. A shrimp roll is typically filled with diced shrimp, rice doodles and basil wrapped in rice paper. It is usually served with peanut sauce and tastes fresh and healthy. This was no different but not superior to any other roll I’ve had.

Next was the Pho Ga or Chicken Pho. It was filled with so much noodles that there was no room to mix the ingredients all in. I have definitely had better.

In the end I only ended up having a few spoonfuls and moved on to the next dish.

The barbecued quail was on the drier side and was not as tasty as the ones we were used to having in New Orleans. The meat was chewy and dry. Needless to say the count picked at every little tiny bone on that poor quail’s fragile body.

But the winner of the night was the beef cube dish or more commonly referred to as the Boc Luc Lax. It was served on a plate of watercress with a tangy salt and pepper dip on the side. It was so good that I barely touched the Pho and polished the plate clean.

The best part: the entire meal cost well under $30 dollars. I found it to be en par with other Vietnamese restaurants I have visited. We both enjoyed our meal enough and saw some other delicious treats being served to other tables. So needless to say I’m sure we will be back unless I find a far superior local Vietnamese restaurant in Philadelphia. Any advice on where to have the best Pho?

Philadelphia, USA

Kanella- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

August 19, 2012 2 Comments

It was a Monday afternoon and word got out that Anthony Bourdain was in town. If you follow me on twitter you will know that I am slightly obsessed with Bourdain. Therefore, it was no surprise that I was on a hunt to ‘run’ into him and casually offer my eating and travelling services. It was a guessing game on where he would end up for dinner and out of all the choices we decided to go to Kanella restaurant hoping to find him there. He ended up at Marc Vetri’s Amis. I can’t say I was disappointed with our choice. We discovered a true gem and had one of the best meals in a long time. We may not have met Bourdain but we did meet Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides who after our meal came to our table, asked where we were from and told us about himself and his cuisine. I respect a chef who treats his patrons as guests in his home and that is how Chef Pitsillides was. Friendly, charming and humble.

Chef Pitsillides is a proud Cypriot. Bringing home style Cypriot flavours from the beautiful island of Cyprus to locals in Philadelphia. I’ve never been to Cyprus but was a frequent travel to the Greek Cyclades islands while living in Europe and thus familiar with the regions food. (see menu)

As soon as I walked into the white washed stucco walls of the restaurant I felt like I was once again on the blue roof top islands of the Cyclades. Cyprus has a deep history of battles between the Turkish and the Greeks and is therefore equally influenced by each culture and their foods. Which is great for me because I love both.

This BYOB uses mostly organic ingredients plus makes everything in-house. I wanted to try as many dishes as possible so I opted out of the entree and instead ordered several appetizers. For our main dishes we ordered the calamari, saganaki and bureki and the lamb kofta entree. The Calamari was served with a side of Armenian tomato dip. It was perfectly cooked and tasted light, crispy and tender.

Next up was the Saganaki- a favorite of mine. The pan fried halloumi cheese was served in ouzo and lemon sauce with a delicious caramelized fig and side salad. This was one of the best I’ve had…including those which were devoured in many restaurants in Athens, Mykonos and Paros.

The Bureki was served next: a fillo pastry parcel stuffed with feta and thyme drizzled with honey served with a side of roasted beets. The presentation was so beautiful with a taste to match. Crispy layers of fillo oozing with feta cheese. The Count found that the honey made it more appropriate for dessert but I loved it, especially the presentation.

The lamb kofta was served next. It was a skewer of ground lamb mixed with apricot and pistachios served with a side of pomegranate salad, lentils and Greek yogurt. The lamb was excellent filled with magic flavors. But what truly made it special were the side dishes. The pomegranate salad was so original. I’ve never had pomegranate served as a salad as in Iran it tends to be eaten as a fruit or juiced. The mixture of pomegranate with onions and spices was excellent. Then there was the lentil salad which was again a first for me. I mixed spoonfuls of the kabob, pomegranate and lentil salad together and found the combination to be intoxicating.

The quality of the ingredients are present in each spoonful. You can tell that the chef really prides himself on his food.

For dessert we ordered the pistachio and olive oil cake and warm chocolate mousse. Both desserts were out of this world. I really loved the pistachio cake it was light yet intense in flavors served with a side of pistachio ice cream and cherries. The Chocolate mousse was baked to perfection oozing with warm gooey chocolate served with a scoop of ice cream.

Wow is all I can say about this restaurant. I loved the food, the presentation and the friendly chef.I was very impressed and can easily say this was one of the best places I’ve yet to dine.

Beer, Belgian, Philadelphia, USA

Belgian Cafe- Fairmout/Art Musuem (Philadelphia, USA)

August 11, 2012 2 Comments

While walking around the Fairmount/Spring Garden area admiring the beautiful homes, and deciding whether we should live in a brownstone with all of it’s inconveniences (i.e.- lack of parking space), we stumbled upon the Belgian Cafe. A cornerbistro/pub in the neighborhood, it would be hard to find if we hadn’t literally walked into it. We decided to stop in for a beer and would later return for a proper meal.

We were both happy to see that our favorite Belgian beer was on the menu. We returned on the 4th of July wanting something other than street food stands at the parade on Benjamin Franklin. The restaurant was busy but we were seated right away. The server was very nice and attentive and immediately took our order. The Count ordered a tomato and chevre cheese flatbread as an appetizer and the portabello mushroom sandwich as his entree. I ordered the mussels and fries. After all, that is what the Belgians are famous for.

The flatbread was quite literally a flat piece of bread sprinkled with cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with caramelized onions and balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t like it, nor did the Count. It was too sweet and the flavors did not blend properly.

My mussels arrived next. A huge portion with a pot covering it to be used for the empty shells. It was served with a side of crispy fries. The broth was what ruined it. It was too salty to the point that I had to drain each shell before taking out the insides. Usually the broth is the best part made to dip your bread into after the mussels are gone. But not this broth. This broth tasted like liquid salt.

The Count craved something on the healthier side. But the sandwich he ordered oozed with oil. The bread was most likely fried in butter. Each bite was oily. After a few bites he gave up. He moved on to the side salad, at least that wasn’t covered in oil.

I expected this place to be a traditional Belgian Cafe serving authentic Belgian food. Besides the mussels and fries most other items on the menu were typical of most continental restaurants (ie. hamburgers, sandwiches and salads). The quality of the food was lower than I expected.

It seems to be a great place for drinks and snacks since they have a large variety of beers and good greasy snacks. But don’t count on having an amazing dining experience. Go here for the beer not the food.

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