Midtown Lunch

It is a fairly often occurrence that I realize I need a fast and moderately healthy lunch. Vietnamese food can usually get that job done.  On 11th St, Vietnam Palace and Vietnam Restaurant across from each other, leaving you with a serious decision (snd I would love to know which you prefer). However, this lunch time decision was made up for me, only Vietnam Palace was open.  The menu is pretty affordable and the small lunch menu is a list of things from the regular menu, only cheaper. I was going to go with the grilled pork over vermicelli for $6 but was told that taking it to go during lunch resulted in  a surcharge. When I asked how much that surcharge would be I was told it might be about a dollar. That seemed annoyingly random and I thought “screw that.” Instead, for $9, I got the fully loaded bún. I think my math makes sense.

Read more »

Recently Zinc advertised their 2 course duck preparation for 2 and it sounds insane; seared duck breast carved table side followed by grilled legs and wings. This will set you back $85. Not exactly Midtown Lunch friendly. So I wanted to find an affordable version. At Sang Kee in Chinatown, 1/2 a duck, also served 2 ways (take that Zinc) is a mere $20. Leave it to  Sang Kee, to allow us to feel a little fancy and filled with duck for $10 a person.

Read more »

I am always, always searching for great jajangmyeon, the Korean dish of fermented bean paste, zucchini, onions (and often pork), over fat noodles. There is something about it that makes me go through great lengths to get some. (Coincidentally, Meal Ticket just posted a recipe for the Chinese version, but I’d rather leave it to the pros) Previously, I could begrudgingly get my fix at Pastoral, weird service and all, but they’ve closed. So now I have to travel a little farther from home to seek it out. I found some at Nagwon Garden in West Philly.

But first, their banchan. I enjoyed the kimchee and potatoes, but I would advise to steer clear of the mushy looking cucumbers, they taste like a fish died in them.

Read more »

Freshii opened this month, with the official grand opening last week. I took advantage of the grand opening specials and tried a fresh healthy salad and two of their rice bowls.

At Freshii, you can chose from premade Chef’s selections, which makes it super easy, or you can create your own. If you are a food ordering O.C.D. perfectionist like me (This is a serious condition. I constantly have anxiety about ordering the best things on the menu wherever I go. Luckily, it usually ends up working out for me and the people eating with me) you might end up spending way more time than you planned picking the perfect combination.

Read more »

Today, Nick from My Inner Fatty is seeking pho in University City.

Now that we’re deeply entrenched in the Fall season, the weather’s getting less pleasant, and the temperatures are dipping. With the depressing nature of the upcoming months, sometimes it can feel like a chore to even bother trekking out to make that daily trip for lunch… unless waiting for you at the other end of that trip was something so deliciously heartwarming and uplifting. Pho does that. When it’s absolutely frigid outside, a hot bowl of sweet beef broth can solve even your greatest of problems. Now all I had to do was find it in University City…

I had heard about Pho Cafe Saigon when I asked a few friends about Vietnamese noodles a few weeks ago. Located on 43rd and Spruce, it’s a bit out of the way, requiring a dedicated trip, but having no other immediate options, I still wanted to try it out personally. The store itself is small and nondescript, with only a simple red awning reading ‘Vietnamese Restaurant,’ hinting at its potential for greatness. Their menu is long and diverse, but let’s be honest… you’d only go here for the main attraction. They list various types of Pho (differing in the cuts of meat used) all ranging in price from $7.25-8, from the relatively innocuous plain beef, to a tripe infested ‘deluxe’ incarnation for the more adventurous eaters in many of you. With virtually no wait time to speak of and excellent prices, this could truly be considered a hidden gem of noodling excellence.

Read more »

Today, Nick from My Inner Fatty is getting his hands on more Japanese food with the Bento Box Truck.

As good as the Chinese food trucks in University City are… the wait times are sometimes just plain absurd. When I saw a crowd of roughly 30 people waiting next to Kim’s Oriental, I weighed my options. I could stand outside, cold and hungry, or I could try give one of the lesser known options a try. Maybe, just maybe I’d come across a food truck jewel in an otherwise homogeneous sea of grandfather chicken and lo mein.

Finding good Japanese food is a tall task. There’s so much that can go wrong in Japanese cuisine that a thick coating of oil just can’t make up for. Thoughts of soggy katsu crust, teriyaki overpowered by soy sauce, and gummy feeling tempura are all things that plague my culinary nightmares. Sushi? Don’t even get me started on how bad sushi can be, if not done properly. Now, think about getting Japanese food from the back of a food truck. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen right? Wrong. Continuing on my tour de force of food trucks in University City, I present to you the Bento Box Japanese Food truck (located between 37th and 38th on Walnut), which is actually a pretty decent option if you do have a craving for cuisine from the land of the rising sun.

Read more »