budget bon vivant: August 2009 Archives
There's a certain satisfied contentment you feel after a great meal, and that's how I felt after eating at a new place called Kong the other day. It's located in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia and the chef is named Michael O'Halloran, but the food is based on the dai pai dong, Hong Kong's traditional open-air food stalls where simple, satisfying, home-style food is served to you by the same people who made it. Halloran says they're an Asian counterpart to the small, family-run bistros and osterias in Europe.
Halloran became familiar with these eateries on visits to Hong Kong to visit his wife's relatives, and decided that other Philadelphians would enjoy the food as much as he did. It's pretty easy to see why: This is affordable comfort food with an Asian flair, oddly familiar yet different enough to be interesting, and deeply satisfying above all.
This came home to me with the first dish: stir-fried eggs, as familiar as Sunday morning brunch in some ways, but laced with sweet lumps of crab meat and garnished with chopped scallions and a spicy sauce. Another comfort-food staple, braised brisket with noodles, was similarly familiar and satisfying, with just enough bok choy to remind us that we weren't in Kansas any more. Then came a bun filled with duck meat—simple, straightforward, and it could have been a vol-au-vent from a French restaurant that emphasized quality ingredients impeccably prepared.
Of course we had lots of traditional Chinese foods: barbequed pork spare ribs, pork dumplings, a sea bass rice bowl, and such. But they were all rich and hearty, and for dessert we had a rice pudding that put the cap on a meal that left us glowing with contentment. We were even happier after a drop of ginger liqueur.
I've never been to Hong Kong and no one has offered to send me any time soon, which is sad. It's even sadder that evidently the dai pai dong stands are becoming rarer there. But it's a great consolation to know that the same food is available 30 miles from my doorstep, whenever I want an Asian meal that will leave me happy and contented. I'd love to go to Hong Kong and visit those stands—but Kong without the Hong is more than half a loaf and much, much better than none.
Halloran became familiar with these eateries on visits to Hong Kong to visit his wife's relatives, and decided that other Philadelphians would enjoy the food as much as he did. It's pretty easy to see why: This is affordable comfort food with an Asian flair, oddly familiar yet different enough to be interesting, and deeply satisfying above all.
This came home to me with the first dish: stir-fried eggs, as familiar as Sunday morning brunch in some ways, but laced with sweet lumps of crab meat and garnished with chopped scallions and a spicy sauce. Another comfort-food staple, braised brisket with noodles, was similarly familiar and satisfying, with just enough bok choy to remind us that we weren't in Kansas any more. Then came a bun filled with duck meat—simple, straightforward, and it could have been a vol-au-vent from a French restaurant that emphasized quality ingredients impeccably prepared.
Of course we had lots of traditional Chinese foods: barbequed pork spare ribs, pork dumplings, a sea bass rice bowl, and such. But they were all rich and hearty, and for dessert we had a rice pudding that put the cap on a meal that left us glowing with contentment. We were even happier after a drop of ginger liqueur.
I've never been to Hong Kong and no one has offered to send me any time soon, which is sad. It's even sadder that evidently the dai pai dong stands are becoming rarer there. But it's a great consolation to know that the same food is available 30 miles from my doorstep, whenever I want an Asian meal that will leave me happy and contented. I'd love to go to Hong Kong and visit those stands—but Kong without the Hong is more than half a loaf and much, much better than none.
