Return to Philadelphia
- Katherine Chen
- Nov 8, 2017
- 3 min read
Philadelphia, PA
I’m always happy when I get to come back to Philly and especially happy when I’m able to go on food adventures. The last few days I spent revisiting old haunts but also exploring some new digs. The highlights are as follows:
Philly Style Bagels
I’ve admittedly become a bagel snob since moving to New York. I expect them to be incredibly doughey yet crunchy on the outside and squeezing out cream cheese from all angles. Therefore, I was a bit skeptical about this bagel shop in Fishtown but to my pleasant surprise, Philly Style Bagels are not only delicious but very unique and markedly different from the classic New York ones. On a Sunday morning, there was a line out the door of Fishtown hipsters all patiently waiting. Although on the small side, the everything bagel is everything (no pun intended) it was hyped up to be. Completely covered in seasoning (not just a few sad kernels which always makes me frown) and dangerously crispy, it complemented the whitefish salad I got on it well. My only regret is not ordering two.
La Colombe
The Fishtown location of this cult coffee chain is enormous (like 5 times the size of my New York apartment) and also serves a robust breakfast/brunch menu to go along with the delicious pastry/bread selection it already has. I ordered the ham and leek biscuits and gravy in a skillet with two baked eggs and bacon (seriously what could make this meal more perfect) and it was everything I expected and luckily not too gut-bustingly large.
Rangoon
I was surprised to find that this unassuming restaurant in Chinatown that I always passed by actually specializes in Burmese food so I had to try it. I ordered the tea leaf salad which I’ve been craving since trying it in SF and also the thousand layer bread which everyone raved about on Yelp. Both are very good although not necessarily mind blowing and the thousand layer bread turned out to be pretty similar to a roti but a tad more oily and sweet. I’ll have to go back for a full-blown noodle or curry dish next time.
Double Knot
Multiple people have raved to me about Double Knot happy hour and it did not disappoint. The experience reminded me of every reason why I miss Philly (and made me seriously question my existence in NYC). Drinks were $4 and almost all the menu items were $4 or below. I tried the short rib and swordfish meatball skewers, the edamame dumplings, kung pao chicken wings, spicy tuna roll and pork buns split with a friend with wine and sake for about $20 a person. I was only slightly underwhelmed by the edamame dumplings (there really is no replacement for the Buddakan ones) but everything else was on par and delicious. In particular the short rib robatayaki…literally amazing and melted in my mouth. I could have eaten four of those.
Murph’s Bar
When I read about an Irish bar that serves stellar Italian food in Fishtown, I knew I had to try it. The atmosphere looks exactly like any other Irish bar you have ever been to: dark wood interior, long wooden bar, and a packers game on with people drinking $2.50 PBR. The food menu is a completely different story though. I ordered the fried burrata ($7) and lobster ravioli ($15) and was served Italian bread with olive oil and vinegar to start. The burrata was breaded (and literally the size of my fist) and smothered in a tangy tomato sauce so that it was crunchy yet deliciously melty on the inside. The lobster ravioli was served in a pink sauce with tender shrimp on top of almost every large ravioli which each also had large chunks of lobster in them. Honestly, such a great meal both in quality and quantity for the price tag and will certainly be returning here again for more handmade pasta.
Little Baby's Ice Cream
I've eaten Little Baby's before but never fresh from the actual store. Known for it's unique flavors (earl grey sriracha, smoked cinnamon, etc.) I opted for the ranch and sweet potato burnt marshmallow flavors. The ice cream itself has a rather sticky consistency but isn't overly hard and is very creamy. The ranch was actually my favorite over the sweet potato (maybe it allowed me to finally fulfill my fantasies of eating ranch straight) and both were surprisingly sweet. I'll definitely be coming back to try more flavors and their sorbet.
