Many moons ago we were looking for a BYOB Chinese restaurant to tuck into before a show at the Troc, and landed in Lee How Fook on 11th St. in Chinatown.Small, but not cramped inside, the dining room was less than half full on a weekend evening. The staff sat at one of the dining tables chatting, looking bored and twirling a bottle opener while not actively working.
Pan seared vegetable dumplings were so tough and chewy, I actually inquired about how they were cooked, thinking they were deep fried for too long and possibly reheated. Nope, just pan seared to within an inch of their lives.
From the vegetable section of the menu, I ordered the sauteed string beans, a dish I often get at Chinese restaurants. But here the crisp green beans were in a cloyingly sweet sauce instead of the usual garlicky bean sauce. Thankfully, I like cloyingly sweet sauces at Chinese restaurants, but the switch-up of sauces surprised me a bit.
Mapo Tofu was a large dish of soft tofu squares and diced peppers in an uninspiring and bland sauce, which is why I usually don't order Mapo Tofu, but this was not my dish.With so many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, not to mention other parts of the city, next time we crave Chinese we'll skip Lee How Fook, as we did not find one thing to love with our admittedly small sampling of the menu. We did love Lee How Fook's BYOB status, though, and sometimes that counts for a lot.
Lee How Fook
219 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-925-7266
Tues-Sun, 11:30am-10pm
Mon, closed
BYOB
8 comments:
Wow, it sounds like Lee How Fook was having an off night. It's by far my favorite Chinese place and I've never had anything but a stellar meal their (although Scott isn't a fan of their egg rolls). If you ever go back, their sauteed Chinese broccoli is transcendently good.
Marisa - It seems like in passing I remember you mentioning that you like Lee How Fook. Other than the dumplings, the dinner wasn't bad, just sauced and seasoned differently and inadequately. A seafood dish that I didn't cover (since it's not vegetarian) was also consumed and did not find favor. Bad night? Differing palates? Who knows.
I highly recommend the Buddha's Delight at Ting Wong the next time you're looking for Chinese eats by the Troc: http://gastronomyblog.com/2007/05/24/ting-wong/
You'll be pleased and ready to rock out!
I haven't been to Lee How Fook in a while, but the last time I was there the snow pea greens were incredibly yummy! They are not particularly known for vegetarian dishes, however.
Really? I love Lee How Fook! If you ever make it back, I recommend trying the sauteed snow pea leaves. Also, their hot pots are amazing, and I always ask them to substitute tofu for any of the meat.
The salt-fried squid here is amazing, and so are the seafood hot pot. I dream of Lee Hou Fook. As Marisa said, perhaps an off night?
Madame Fromage - Funny, one of us ordered the salt-fried squid and didn't care for it. But like I said in the comments, all in all, nothing was horrible, except for the dumplings.
So many Lee How Fook fans! I must confess, I always find it just ok (though I can't beat the location.) Sakura is also BYOB, for the next time you're in chinatown.
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