Midtown Lunch

There have been a lot of new bubble tea places popping up in Chinatown and I am not into it. While I do like tea, and appreciate a good tea shop, I’d rather the spaces be occupied by something else. Mostly, I am just not a bubble tea person. I was when I was a kid, but now I find the chewy tapioca balls in my tea just get in my way. (The one exception is the yogurt popping bobba, but this place says they do not carry it)

So I was walking towards one of the newest shops- Vivi Bubble Tea and didn’t think much of it. But then a hot dog caught my eye. The drink menu behind the counter also had a small section of snacks.

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Earlier this month, T Swirl Crepe, which has several locations in NYC, opened in our Chinatown. The menu consists of sweet and savory crepes, all made to order in a pretty efficient assembly line style open kitchen.

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With all these severe storm warning bummer announcements its not a bad time to indulge in some mid summer hot soup. Rai Rai Ramen serves varieties of ramen and Japanese curry in Chinatown.

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With flavors like “lchee romantic”, “chocolate nut party”, “tuna nocoise”, and “Okinawa hot dog” we should all keep a look out for the opening of T-Swirl Crepe (on 10th Street, just south of Race).  Looks like the reviews from other locations are promising.

Rangoon was the very first place I wrote about when Midtown Lunch Philadelphia started in 2010. I was so excited to find Burmese food in Philly and wanted to try their lunch specials.   What I learned from that first visit and subsequent visits is that the best dishes here are found on the appetizer and salads section. The lunch menu in particular isn’t incredibly exciting- so let’s stick to the stand outs.

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Chinese steam tables can be scary. But here is the thing to remember, if you hate it, you only wasted a few dollars. That and food poisoning is temporary. At Jin Wei aka “4 Choices with a Soup” you get… 4 choices from the steam table and a soup. I navigated the steamy rows of Chinese meats, carbs, and veggies and lived to tell the tale. I didn’t even hate it!

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I remember watching the sign go up for Hippot this fall, not particularly excited for another Shabu Shabu place in Chinatown. But the sub $9 lunch special advertised outside the restaurant was too good to not at least try once.

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