Fu Wah Market: You, Me and Bánh mì

Fu Wah Market is a lesson in the good business practice of listening to your customers. The ostensible convenience store shares a block with a traditional convenience store chock full of chips and soda, which suggests that the former offers something different—and, indeed, it does. Pints of Ben and Jerry’s sit side-by-side with Soy Delicious, a vegan alternative, instant quasi-Asian flavored noodles share a shelf with Goya brand canned black beans, and the mini produce aisle includes bean sprouts and bags of fresh herbs. In fact, of my now many trips to Fu Wah, it’s been a rare occasion when this market didn’t have whatever ingredient I needed at the last minute. No, they’re not psychic, they just listen to their customers—and I’m apparently a rather predictable West Philly resident, culinarily speaking.

Foremost, in addition to the usual suspects on the hoagie menu, Fu Wah sells the so-called “Tofu Hoagie” ($3.75). Known elsewhere as Bánh mì, Vietnamese hoagies are typically filled with roast pork or chicken and dressed with a mayonnaise-like spread. Knowing well their clientele, Fu Wah offers this West Philly version that, being meat, egg and dairy-free, is not only vegetarian but vegan and deserves the accolade it invariably gets from neighborhood devotees. Haven’t heard of the Tofu Hoagie? You know we elected our first African-American presidents last fall, right? Just checking... It’s hard not to have heard about this sandwich of local fame but just in case, I thought I’d give it a proper review.

Fu Wah starts with an always-fresh long roll, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, and fills it with warm, marinated tofu. The tofu is topped with pickled, finely julienned carrot and daikon radish, the crunch of which pairs nicely with the soft texture of the tofu. The sandwich is finished with a few sprigs of cilantro, paper-thin slices of fresh jalapeño pepper and the hot sauce of hipster fame, Sriacha, often referred to as “Cock Sauce” in reference to its logo—not as a suggestion to alternate usage, unless you’re into that I suppose. The slightly sweet marinade for the tofu pairs well with the acidity of the pickling vinegar and the heat of the peppers and sauce.

My friend Hot Sauce Lady once told me, “You had me at cilantro.” When it comes to Fu Wah’s Tofu Hoagie, those were my sentiments exactly.

Fu Wah Market
810 S 47th Street
7 days a week, 10am-9pm

Vientiane Café: Can't Not Love It

There are a few dishes that I can’t not order when they appear on a menu and green papaya salad is one of them. The salad is made with unripe, green papaya, which has a very mild flavor and, not unlike tofu, readily takes on the flavors of its seasoning. The green papaya is shredded and has a nice crunch to it, with a texture akin to that of fresh carrots. Tossed in a simple dressing of lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar, it’s a culinary lesson in less-is-more. And I can’t get enough of it.

Last week my friend Leg of Lamb Boy and I hit up our neighborhood Laotian restaurant, Vientiane Café, for an upscale but still frugal dinner. We kicked off the meal, of course, with their Green Papaya Salad ($7). Instead of cherry tomatoes, Vientiane combined the shredded papaya with chopped plum tomatoes; these have a more concentrated flavor and therefore weren’t overwhelmed by the dressing, which struck a pleasant balance of spicy and sweet and had a nice acidity to it. Without a doubt, it’s the best green papaya salad I’ve located on either side of the Schuylkill.

We also ordered the Coconut Soup ($5), which tempers the flavors of galanga root, kafir lime leaves and lemon grass—the same trio used to flavor the Tom Yum soup—with coconut milk. The soup tasted watered down to me but Leg of Lamb Boy said he preferred it that way. I guess there’s no accounting for taste…

In contrast, I am happy to report that the Homemade Sausages ($11) nearly trumped the green papaya salad victory. My former roommate, Picklin’ n’ Bakin’ Lady, used to rave about them so when I started eating meat again this fall—after no less than a fourteen-year sabbatical—I put these sausages near the top of my To Eat list. And what homage to lemongrass they were! Seasoned also with fresh cilantro, the sausages were pan fried until crispy on the outside while the pork filling remained incredibly moist and sweet. Truth is, I think Thai sausages have joined the short list of dishes I can’t not order when they appear on a menu.

Vientiane Café
4728 Baltimore Avenue
Dinner and Lunch, closed between 3pm-5pm and Sundays
BYOB

Vic Sushi Bar: Cheap Sushi That Doesn't Bite

This isn’t so much a review as a shout out. Seriously, I haven’t been this excited since I discovered the $4 Royal Burger at The Khyber last month. Above all, living on a shoestring budget has left me craving sushi and at long last I have found a place to satisfy my craving. Yeehaw!

My friend Shabbat Dinner Man recommended that I check out Vic Sushi Bar in Rittenhouse Square, claiming that the 3 Roll Special at Vic would cost me a mere $10.95. No shit? I replied. I was there before the tide turned.

I don’t mess around with sushi. Crappy, pre-made grocery store sushi just leaves me craving the real thing all the more, and what’s the point of that? Let me explain, I was raised in Portland, OR, which boasts an incredible number of southeast Asian restaurants, and I grew up eating a lot of Japanese food in particular. I was not unaware of the curiosity of my fellow third graders when I pulled out inari and futomaki from my lunchbox; in fact, I got a real kick out of it.

All of the fish at Vic’s was incredibly fresh, buttery and sweet. The rolls in the 3 Roll Special aren’t huge, of course, but with each roll comprising eight pieces each, I left quite full. Better still, Vic’s didn’t do what most “good deal” sushi bars with do: they didn’t make the rolls heavy on rice. Omega 3 Mama, who’s a bit of a carbohydrate-a-phobe, would have approved. Best of all, the fish really was some of the best quality sushi grade fish I’ve tasted in Philly. We ordered the Alaska Roll, the Philadelphia Roll and the Spicy Tuna Roll. Yes, awesomely enough, you get to create your own 3 Roll Special from a sizable list:

Futomaki (crab stick, egg, avocado, cucumber, masago)
Boston Roll (shrimp, cucumber, mayo)
Philadelphia Roll (salmon, cucumber, cream cheese)
Alaska Roll (salmon, avocado)
California Roll (crab stick, avocado, cucumber)
Spicy Salmon Roll (Salmon and, uh, spicy, of course)
Spicy Tuna Roll
Shrimp Tempura Roll (also known as Wuss Roll)
Eel Roll (also known as delicious)
Yellowtail-Scallion Roll
Salmon Roll
Tuna Roll
Inari Roll
Seaweed Salad Roll
Asparagus Roll
Avocado Roll
Cucumber Roll

In addition to the special, Hot Tamale Man ordered the Birthday Roll since it was, you guessed it, his birthday. The Birthday Roll ($12.95) came wrapped in pink-colored “soy paper.” To be sure, the pink color of the soy paper was a novelty, but I would have preferred the salty, earthy taste of seaweed against the flavor of the buttery salmon coupled with both white and yellowfin tunas, avocado, cucumber, oshinko and masago. Vic’s features a number of rolls with untraditional wrappers, including the Tiger Roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado and masago) that our neighbors at the sushi bar ordered, which is wrapped in white seaweed.

Vic’s might be a big bargain but it is one tiny place. There aren’t any tables and are only seven seats at the sushi bar. Between the limited seating and the free delivery (for orders of $10 or more, which means that the special is included!), it’s no wonder that we saw them prepare three times more orders for delivery than for in-house customers. The atmosphere is bright but not institutional and the service is friendly and—dare I say it?—genuine. Honestly, I was tempted not to write about this place, lest it becomes even harder to get a seat, but nobody reads this blog anyways, right?

Vic Sushi Bar
2035 Sansom Street
Lunch & Dinner Monday-Friday
Dinner Only Saturday
Closed Sunday

Falafel and Hummus and Salads, Oh My!

I dream of tahini. I dream of other foods too, to be fair, but by far my favorite meal on the cheap is falafel. Served in a pita or on a platter, it doesn’t matter.

My friend Hot Tamale Man and I headed to South Street last week only to discover that Mama’s Grill, the South Philly outpost of Mama’s Vegetarian in Rittenhouse Square, had been replaced by Chickpeas Falafel & Grill. The “chickpeas falafel” tautology wasn’t inspiring, but the staff spoke in Hebrew and I was jonesing for falafel and the food actually turned out to be quite good.

We ordered the Falafel Platter ($11), which was enough for two, and shelled out a few extra bucks for a side of baba ghanoush. The platter included falafel, fries (or “chips” as Israelis, like Brits, like to call ‘em), a side of hummus and a selection of four salads. The salads were incredibly fresh. We ate our meal mid-afternoon and it’s hard to believe that any of those salads were prepared any earlier than noon that day. The sweetness of the roasted sugar beets was countered by the bite of raw onion. The classic “Israeli salad” of cucumber and tomato was simply dressed in olive oil and lemon juice, as were the salads of lightly blanched carrots and red cabbage with parsley.

The loose-packed falafel balls were fried to perfection and had a nice, nutty flavor. The smooth, Lebanese-style hummus was dressed up right with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of paprika. The baba ghanoush had a pleasantly smoky taste but a just bit too much lemon juice for my palate.

A way serious notification: I am undertaking a comparative review of the better-known and lesser-known joints where folks in Philly can get their falafel on. Stay tuned for reviews of Saad’s, Maoz, Bitar’s, Mama’s Vegetarian and food trucks here, there and anywhere accessible via SEPTA.

Suggestions welcome, as always.

Chickpeas Falafel & Grill
630 South Street
(Closed Saturday for Shabbat)

David's Mai Lai Wah: Doing It Right Late at Night

I love good Chinese food. Most of all, I love good Chinese food at ungodly hours of the night. David’s Mai Lai Wah does late night Chinese food right, serving their full dinner menu until 4am on Friday and Saturday nights—or at normal dinner hours, if you prefer. My friend Lil’ Fishy and I went there last weekend.

We kicked off the meal with the house steamed dumplings ($5). Admittedly, these aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing dumplings in town but damn are they delicious. The pork filling was moist and sweet. On my previous visit I had the vegetarian steamed dumplings, which were also quite good, filled with finely grated carrot, cabbage and mushroom. Both of the steamed dumplings were served with an aromatic sauce of minced ginger and scallion. Forget the bland dumpling sauces of other China Town haunts, this sauce is simple but piquant.

On my previous visit I also tried the hot and sour soup ($5). I have a hard time not ordering hot and sour soup when I go out for Chinese food, despite the fact that I’m disappointed nine times out of ten. I mean, if it’s called hot and sour soup, shouldn’t it be, well, sour? Sweet and sour is always just sweet—and boring to boot—and hot and sour is always just hot, and only then if you’re lucky. David’s version doesn’t quite satisfy my fantasy hot and hour soup, but it’s the closest I’ve found so far ‘round these parts. They take it easy on the agar so it’s not too thick, chock it full of grated bamboo shoots, lily buds and black fungus, along with delicate, lacy bits of egg. It’s spicy and, yes, just a little bit sour.

Lil’ Fishy and I shared the Salt and Pepper Squid ($10) Also known as “salt baked”, salt and pepper seafood dishes do right by the ying and yang of spice. Whenever I visit Omega-3 Mama in Portland, OR we go to our new favorite Chinese restaurant, Jin Wah, for the salt and pepper shrimp. (Omega-3 Mama doesn’t like squid but we all have our flaws, don’t we?) Jin’s salt and pepper dishes are thinly coated in a salt and pepper-laden batter, served with a dry sauce of stir-fried onions, scallions and paper-thin slices jalapeño. It’s come to be my gold standard in the salt n’ pepper market. David’s Salt and Pepper Squid is the best version I’ve been able to locate in Philly. The squid is thinly coated in batter and flash fried, with a good amount of pepper and salt. It’s tasty enough, in fact, that I forgive them for omitting the stir-fried accompaniments and garnishing it with orange slices and maraschino cherry.

My friend and I also shared the Muu Shu Vegetable ($7). I love anything that’s hard to eat and with Muu Shu you often end up with sauce dripping down to your elbows. David’s is a good if predictable version and is an excellent choice for vegetarians since it’s got plenty of stir-fried egg, for protein, mixed in with the shredded vegetables.

Fresh orange slices accompany the requisite fortune cookies—and ward off scurvy too.



David’s Mai Lai Wah
1001 Race Street
Monday-Thursday til 2am
Friday-Saturday til 4am
Sunday til 1am

The "Legendary" North Star Bar's Wings: Tasty, if Inconsistent

I’d take self-deprecation over self-congratulation any day of the week, but I have to admit that the self-proclaimed “legendary” North Star Bar does have some kick-ass wings. My fellow foodie Salty Lady and I met up there for happy hour, along with my friend Jameson Whiskey Boy.

Their “famous” buffalo wings are indeed quite good, the sauce having just enough heat to keep things interesting. The real treat, however, is their so-called “Jerk Wings" that have—you’d never guess it—a teriyaki glaze. See, I told you you’d never guess it. Clearly, someone lame came up with the name, but they sure are tasty. The teriyaki glaze is sweet, not spicy, and is made unforgettable by the liberal addition of fragrant, fresh rosemary. The wings are just $0.25 each during happy hour, so feel free to order a ridiculous number of ‘em. I have to admit that the wings were disappointingly small on the day we went this week, being about one-third the size of the wings I got the first time I ordered them. And inconsistency does irk me…

Luckily, all draft beer is half-price during happy hour. The selection includes Allagash White, my favorite domestic Belgian-style wheat beer and Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. Native Oregonian that I am, I can’t help but get nostalgic about a pint of Rogue's ale for just $2.50.

Happy eating and don’t forget to ask for some extra napkins.

North Star Bar
2639 Poplar Street
Happy Hour 5:30-7:30

Philly’s $4.01K Dividend: Happy Hour Menu at The Khyber

Wait, you’re telling me that The Khyber has real food? Yes. Real, good food? Indeed.

My friend Salty Lady and I recently discovered that in addition to the kick-ass happy hour beer specials—$2 pints of Kenzinger, $1 Domestic bottles and $2 off craft beers by the likes of Sly Fox, Lagunitas and Young’s—the food is quite good if a bit greasy.

Let me explain that, ever since renouncing my vegetarianism of fifteen years, I have been on the prowl for a great burger—that is, a great burger that doesn’t cost $9. C’mon, it’s a hamburger! I ordered The Royal Burger ($4) and, let me tell you, it was love at first bite. It’s the same one served over at Royal Tavern, of (partial) same ownership, but costs half as much. You could get the General Burger ($3) topped with the usual suspects (lettuce, tomato and onion), but then you’re just being boring. For a dollar more, the Royal is perfected with thick-cut bacon, a rich, smoky gouda and a roasted, pickled long-hot pepper. The bun was crusty yet soft on the inside, and had a slight sourdough taste to it. The Angus beef patty was juicy, loose-packed and, surprisingly, not too thick. What’s up with the thicker than thou burgers in this town anyway? I don’t know who started this rumor, but all of restaurants in town that offer specialty burgers—from Monks to Good Dog—seem to be under the assumption that Philadelphians, like snakes, can unhinge their jaws. I don’t dig the trend and I’ve got a big mouth.

Salty Lady ordered the Khyber Dog, which is wrapped in bacon and topped with American cheese and something called Khyber Sauce. I thought it sounded pretty gross myself, but my friend claimed it was tasty. And it’s clearly kosher.

The mirror next to the bar serves as a white board for specials. It’s unclear how often these specials change but the offerings are diverse enough to keep even regulars happy. They run the gamut from chicken and sausage jambalaya ($5) to mac n’ cheese with stewed tomatoes ($4). We ordered the Get-Out-of-Towner, which included everything but the kitchen sink. A cheesesteak of sorts, the Towner is decked out with American and cheddar cheeses, bacon, home fries, a fried egg and the seemingly ubiquitous (and delicious!) pickled long-hots. It was too much—and just enough.

Next time I’m going to try to buffalo chicken pierogies ($5) off the regular menu and that mac n’ cheese.

The Khyber
56 S 2nd Street
Happy Hour Menu 4-7pm