Corey "The Penguinator" I.'s Profile

This is my go-to spot for fresh curry leaves & other Indian cuisine related products. Curry leaves are hard to come by, and this place always seems to have them in stock.

Even though the grocery store is rather tiny, it usually stocks most of the specialty items I'm looking for when I'm in a pinch. [I typically go to Grand Mart for the majority of my international food needs, but they don't carry curry leaves, nor do they have a very large selection of Indian specialty items. I have yet to check out India Bazaar (for comparison), which is in the same plaza as Grand Mart.]

I agree with the previous reviewer: It's a decent place to go for authentic Indian ingredients. The prices are very reasonable, and are typically a much better deal than some of the other local area Indian markets. It's a great place to stock up on spices, particularly if you go through spices as quickly as I do, and so, prefer to buy in bulk. :)  I prefer their large, sealed bags of spices to those tiny glass &/or plastic shakers found in generic grocery stores. Of course, buying spices in bulk at an Indian Market typically gets you a better deal, but the ingredients are also typically better and often more authentically prepared as well. (For example, generic grocery stores will bleach the green out of green cardamom pods, instead of leaving them in their natural form. Bleaching removes much of their natural aroma and flavor, not to mention many of their health benefits as well. In contrast, Indian markets will sell the pods in their natural, i.e., untreated, form.) Once you start buying spices at an Indian market, you'll never ever want to buy them from a generic grocery store again, because those tiny spice bottles at generic supermarkets will now seem like a gigantic rip-off. :)

For a small store, they still somehow manage to stock a surprisingly wide array of dry goods. When I've bought produce there, even though the selection is very limited, it's typically been very fresh.

In short, I'd recommend this store primarily for its dry goods and curry leaves.

We had Nando's two more times since my last review. They're still making consistently good food, so my rating's still the same. One of these times we ate in the restaurant and the time after that, we had take-out. Both meals were excellent. When we got take-out, they were out of peri-peri salt at the time, but that's not surprising considering their continual influx of customers. :)

So far, I've tried their medium, hot, and extra hot preparations. I like them all. The extra hot isn't really even that spicy, or maybe I'm just saying that because my tastebuds have gotten used to being on fire. ;)

I can't seem to get enough of this place!

Simply superb.

Everyone I've taken here loves this place! Anything you order, you basically can't go wrong. Wonderful, clean flavors done with a light and balanced touch. Their dishes have just the right amount of sauce, not to mention they are executed in a very skillful and visually pleasing fashion.

The restaurant has a very modern feel to it, just like the cuisine. It's basically nouvelle Chinese cuisine prepared in a contemporary manner, but without any of the stuffiness, formality, or skimpy portions typically associated with the "nouvelle cuisine" label. :) And believe me, the portions are plentiful but without being heavy. In fact, this is what I love so much about the food at this restaurant; it's healthy and extremely light, and yet, even if you split two mains and a vegetable side between two people, you won't leave the restaurant feeling like a pig stuffed with an apple in its mouth. ;)

The food is very reasonably priced as well. Most of the restaurants in Chinatown can't hold a candle to this place; for the same amount of money, Mustard Greens will serve you far superior food.

The staff are welcoming, helpful, and accommodating.

I took a friend of mine here a few months ago. Not long after the first visit, she insisted on going back a second night, (which was fine by me!); so we ended up eating there twice in one week. She told me that she would've gone back there yet again (!) had I not suggested that we try someplace new to change things up a bit. After all, it was her first time in Philly, and I thought she might like to taste a wider selection of the fine cuisine that Philly has to offer. :) Of course, had we had a few more days to spend in Philly, I would've happily have gone back for a third time. :-D

There's a reason I come to this restaurant almost every time I visit Philly. :)

Some dishes we've eaten there that I'd specifically recommend:
--Mustard Green Style General Tso Chicken: This dish has a wonderful texture and an incredibly flavorful sauce. It's not fried like traditional General Tso's Chicken, but rather has a delicate and crispy breading that's so light it's almost undetectable. This is my mate's favorite dish, and he's ordered it almost every time we've been there. :)
--Sesame Shrimp with Lemon Sauce: Lightly battered shrimp in a lemon sauce with a side of asparagus. My friend ordered this twice, on each of nights we visited the restaurant. :) I rarely, if ever, eat fried food, but I'll break my rule on a rare occasion for this dish. :-D
--Stir Fried Chicken with Fresh Nectarines: A surprisingly tasty dish. I originally hedged on getting it, as I wasn't sure how it'd taste and I'm typically partial to some of my usual favorites on their menu. However, I was glad I took a chance on this dish. You wouldn't think that these flavors would necessarily work well together, but if any place can manage to successfully pair these two flavors together, it's this place. They know how to bring opposing flavors into perfect harmony with one another, achieving a culinary state of ying and yang. :)
--Sautéed Shrimp with Shitake or Oyster Mushrooms with Chinese Spices: I opted for the oyster mushrooms. This dish was prepared in a light and fragrant soy-based sauce, which is absolutely, mind-blowingly amazing. They could put almost anything in this sauce and make it taste good. ;)  I've had this dish on more than one occasion, and there's a good reason for that. :-D (They also offer a version of this dish with chicken that's excellent as well.)
--Stir Fried (or Sautéed) Mustard Greens: Yes, the restaurant's namesake dish really does hold up to its name. :) Also, the other stir-fried vegetable dishes are good as well (i.e., Stir Fried String Beans, Stir Fried Mixed Greens).
--Steamed Brown Rice (side dish): Let me state for the record that I'm not typically a fan of brown rice nor the way most restaurants prepare it, and yet, they've still managed to make even me a fan. To my mind, the mere fact that they can do a great job with something as simple as steamed brown rice is a sign of a truly great restaurant.

They also have interesting and adventurous specials. Regrettably, they were out of the sting ray special the second night my friend and I visited -- we were both looking forward to trying it -- but I'd love to try it if ever it should make another appearance on their menu and I just happen to make an appearance there as well. :) I'm sure it wouldn't take much to convince my friend to return to Philly with me, if only to go back to this restaurant. LOL.

I could go on and continue to wax poetic about this restaurant's many virtues, but it's better if you just go there yourself and find out for yourself why this restaurant truly rocks. :)

Excellent place for fine Italian cuisine. Great atmosphere: cozy, warm, and inviting.

Have been going here for years with family. A family favorite. So many fond memories of eating here in years past.

More recently, I introduced a good friend of mine to this place and she absolutely LOVED it! :) That evening, she had the veal and I had the branzino; both were superb! The salads we had were fabulous as well. I've honestly NEVER had a bad meal here in all the times I've eaten at this place.

I can't recommend this place highly enough. Would give it six stars if I could. :) If you want a fun and sophisticated night out, this is the place to go.

Before you go, I'd recommend stopping by an ATM, since they only accept cash. They are also BYOB. Those are the only two things I'd wish they'd change.

Very knowledgeable and pleasant staff. In fact, the patrons are just as nice as the staff. One time, my dad forgot to bring cash (as most places these days will accept credit cards!) and the people at the next table overheard and kindly offered to loan him the money to cover the meal, so he wouldn't have to go out and search the streets for a nearby ATM; they didn't even know us!  My dad wrote them a check and thanked them profusely. The last time I was there, the couple next to us struck up a friendly conversation with us, and we traded tips about other good local establishments to visit. Both the place and the people have a great vibe. :-D

Great pizza! It's as good as I remember it from our last visit to this restaurant, back when the place was called "Paul's Pizza." The new restaurant name is apropos; their pizza really did hit "the spot." :)

We got a large pizza with eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes, and ricotta cheese. The crust had just the right amount of crunch, and the cheese was warm and oozed as we bit into it, just like a fresh, well-made pizza should. :) The ricotta was rich and delectable, and was a great match to the other toppings on the pizza.

It was so delicious! I've had pizza elsewhere in Philly, and I have to say, this is one of the better places to go for a slice in the Rittenhouse Square area.

We ate our pizza in the restaurant. There were a lot of take-out and delivery orders that night as we sat waiting for our pizza. The pizza took over 30 minutes to arrive, but it was worth the wait. The manager apologized about three times for the delay. This may've been atypical; since this is the first time I've been there since the change in management, I have no way of knowing. There's a good chance we'll be back to this restaurant the next time we visit Philly, so I'll be looking forward to doing more "research." :)

I am still recovering from indigestion as I write this. ;)

I really wanted to like this place, I did. And especially after reading all of the glowing reviews, I was expecting it to be a lot better than it actually was. Tremendously disappointing, to say the least. If you're got the audacity to call yourself "YumBurger," then you better have yummy burgers. ;) Hate to say it, but they were anything but. It was more like "YuckBurger." ;) OK, the flavor of the burger itself wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that great either. I'd asked for medium rare; my burger was cooked medium. Medium rare should be more than just a little pink on the inside. :)

Contrast this burger to those from Copper Canyon Grill, Cheeburger Cheeburger, or even Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse: They all give you thick, juicy burgers, whereas the burger I ate here was flimsy & "wafer-thin." (OK, it wasn't literally "wafer-thin," but you get the point. ;) ) Even the condiments couldn't disguise that.

Also, it appears that the chefs were asleep in the kitchen tonight. I lathered onto my burger what I THOUGHT was horseradish sauce, but instead turned out to be VANILLA YOGHURT! WTH?! You'd have thought that a chef would know which was which when adding that stuff to the plastic condiment container. Apparently not. ;)

Of course, the waitress was profusely apologetic about it. She was a good waitress & it certainly wasn't HER fault. She even brought me napkins to wipe off the yoghurt. However, even a thorough amount of wiping -- it was all over the lettuce, avocados, tomatoes, everything! -- & a heavy dose of horseradish sauce couldn't mask the taste of the yoghurt. Vanilla yoghurt on a burger?! Blech. Now I've tasted some pretty strange food combinations before, but that was usually on purpose. ;)

Of course, the reason I didn't taste the sauce beforehand was because I TRUSTED the kitchen to know the difference between horseradish sauce & yoghurt. ;) Also, not many people I know feel the need to taste ketchup, mustard, or mayo before putting it on their burger. ;) The nature of one's burger condiments usually isn't called into question. They are most often what they're supposed to be. :)

AND, on top of that, the avocado slices on my burger weren't even ripe! It was like biting into plywood. ;) I guess it wasn't bad enough that the fries tasted more like hash browns & the burgers themselves were thin & uninspired. ;)

The best part of the burger was the grilled mushrooms & onions; they were actually very tasty. Also, the tomato and lettuce were very fresh. I'll give them that.

The vanilla milkshakes we had weren't very good either. We both agreed that they were too sweet & artificial tasting. A vanilla milkshake made with real ice cream shouldn't need to have additional sweeteners added to it. It shouldn't smack you over the head with its sweetness; that shouldn't be the first thing you taste. It should be creamy with undertones of vanilla & a hint of sweetness. And, to add insult to injury, they put whipped cream on top. I'm sorry, but I'm a purist when it comes to milkshakes, & that's just wrong. Also, I could tell they used imitation vanilla, a cheap substitute for the real thing. If you want a delicious milkshake, I'd recommend going to Cheeburger Cheeburger instead. Now THAT's a real milkshake! They know how to do it right. They use REAL vanilla ice cream, not cheap fake stuff that's trying to pass for real ice cream.

OK, now onto my mate's meal. Yeah, this part of the review doesn't get much better. ;) His chili wasn't very good at all. It was sweet & odd-tasting. (It's OK to add cinnamon & cloves to chili, but tons of sugar?! I think not.) Hard Times Cafe is SO much better! Before he dug into his chili, he asked me if I wanted to try the chili; I took one look at it & said, "No thanks." ;) LOL. (However, I did take a small bite after he persisted & asked me a second time. Hence, the above assessment.) Since it'd been listed as an appetizer, he'd also ordered the grilled cheese as well. When the chili arrived from the kitchen, it was HUGE. He couldn't finish his meal as a result. Talk about false advertising. An appetizer is supposed to be a prelude to a meal, not a meal unto itself. ;)

His grilled cheese sandwich wasn't much better. (I didn't want a bite of that either. ;) ) It looked like someone had ground their elbow into it & then ironed it. Hahaha. Flimsy, small, & according to my mate, "Meh." ;) He left over half his meal.

I should've trusted my gut instinct & remembered that when a restaurant offers coupons, that's often a really bad sign. Usually, the restaurant is hurting for business, & that's usually because the food's so bad that it's scared away most of their customers. ;) A good restaurant doesn't NEED to offer coupons -- It's the quality of their food that keeps their customers coming back for more. Specials are one thing, coupons are an entirely different beast.

We walked out of the restaurant, vowing never to return.

We recently went back to this restaurant -- once for Valentine's Day & also just this past weekend with my parents.  We tried the specials on both occasions, & had a much better experience than when I wrote the previous review.  

For Valentine's Day, we had the surf & turf; our portions were perfectly sized & came with fresh vegetables. Normally, I don't order steak at a seafood restaurant, so I was even more pleasantly surprised with the steak, because it was really flavorful, tender, & juicy. Both the lobster & steak were excellent & melted in our mouths.

The only detractor was that the veggies were doused in a bit too much butter for my liking; there's just no need to add that much butter -- it's overkill & is also very unhealthy! Butter is meant to be an accent to enhance the flavor of vegetables, not to smother their flavor with the force of a sledgehammer.   I want to actually taste my vegetables, thank you very much! :-D  They might as well have said, "Would you like some vegetables with your butter?" ;)

The next time, the majority of our dinner party ordered the haddock special, which was prepared in a lemon-butter sauce with artichokes & feta. The fish itself was excellent -- well-seasoned, flaky, light, & moist. Thankfully, they were much more light-handed with the lemon-butter sauce this time!  

We again had the choice of two vegetable sides to accompany our entrées, plus the men ordered additional salads -- a Caesar & a Greek Salad, both of which were good. (I personally liked their Caesar salad much better than their Greek salad, because the dressing was light & made from scratch; the Greek dressing was far too sweet for my taste, not to mention that this type of dressing is traditionally supposed to be savory, not sweet!) As for our vegetable sides, this time we asked for them to be steamed & made without butter.  The steamed veggies were decent -- They were lightly steamed & still crunchy, but still could've used just a dash of salt & pepper, &/or a few other spices. When I said "steamed," I wasn't expecting them to be completely devoid of any additional flavoring, so that was a little bit disappointing. Had I not had that initial expectation, I might've been more accepting of their rather plain preparation. There IS a mid-point between veggies drenched in butter & veggies with NOTHING else on them. :) As someone who regularly prepares healthy gourmet dishes, I know it's certainly possible to enhance vegetables with a bit more flavor & still keep the preparation healthy! Maybe the ktichen had no idea how to do that, or, at the time, were lacking the ingredients to do so.  I have no idea.  

Also, the asparagus were rather large; I like them better when they are smaller, & thus, usually more tender.  Some people had green beans, which were just OK; I thought the broccoli was the best-tasting of all the steamed veggies our party had ordered.

However, all in all, all of our meals on the whole were pretty good. The seafood is, of course, the main attraction, although it's nice when every course of the meal can be as good as the next. So pardon me if I obsess about the veggie preparations. Haha. (What can I say; I'm just as discerning when it comes to preparing my own food. :-D Sometimes I'd honestly rather eat at home, because then at least there's a greater possibility that the meal will taste good. :-D  Plus, cooking at home means that it's easier to control the balance of flavors & ingredients, & adjust them to one's personal preferences.)

And now for some commentary about the desserts: On Valentine's Day, I got the keylime pie & my squeeze got the brownie.  We don't normally order dessert, but did that time, because it was a special occasion. :) Both were delicious. Also, during our second visit, we went there to celebrate my squeeze's birthday; so, the restaurant gave him a complementary dessert -- a really tasty brownie, served warm, in a raspberry sauce with macadamia nuts on top & a scoop of vanilla ice cream & some whipped cream on the side.  Of course, at some point, I secretly skulked off & told the wait staff in advance, picking the brownie, since I knew it was his favorite of all the desserts they had to offer. :)

Also, another good sign: The place was hopping both times we went there.  Even in non-peak meal times the place was non-stop busy.

One thing that hasn't changed is that the service is extremely prompt; the servers are attentive, friendly, & helpful.  The manager stopped by our table on both occasions to find out how our meals were, which we also appreciated.

I will revise my earlier assessment & say that the quality of the food has improved a bit since our last visit.  I would recommend that you order the specials, as they are much more exciting than some of the stock-&-trade items on the menu.  I'm still not a huge fan of 3 out of 4 of their standard sauces, but the fish itself is rather tasty & well-prepared.

All & all, this place is decent.

This restaurant is pretty good.  The appetizers are tasty & the seafood dishes are fresh & generally very tasty.  

My favorite dish here is the Mussels with Basil, which tends to be very spicy, so if you try it, you'd best keep a glass of water nearby. :)  My squeeze likes the Chicken in Peanut Sauce & the Drunken Noodles, but of course.  (See the previous review for an explanation. :) )

And if you aren't as adventurous, their Pad Thai, as well as other versions with the word "Pad" in front of it ;), are pretty darned good.

I haven't tried many of their desserts, only the coconut ice cream, which isn't bad, although I've had better elsewhere.

As I've made reference to in an earlier review, their service is monumentally slow. So don't go to this restaurant if you're in a hurry to get anywhere afterwards.  For that reason, it's probably not ideal for a weekday lunch, unless you happen to be there for a lunch meeting with the boss. :-D  If you only have an hour lunch break, which is pretty standard for most workplaces, don't expect to get back to work on time. :)  The same goes for if you are planning to catch a movie beforehand; best to go AFTER the movie. :-D

All in all, this place is decent.  I'd definitely go back there, albeit not when I'm in a rush. :)

This restaurant was just OK.  It did not live up to my expectations.  I'd heard a lot of great things about it from a friend & maybe the restaurant was just having an "off night," but I thought this place was going to be a lot better than it was, especially after all of the build-up.

We went to the restaurant with two good friends, including the friend who originally recommended the place. [In fact, I originally hesitated posting this review for fear that he might see it, as he has an account on Yelp, (& so, had kept the review in draft form here for a while); however, since then, he voiced his distaste for one of the restaurants that my squeeze & I like a great deal, & told me so to my face... immediately after we finished eating there together. So somehow I don't feel so badly any more about posting this review.. :-P]

For starters, we had a beef appetizer, which was actually very good.  That was an encouraging sign.  However, what was to follow -- the main dishes -- were produced with varying degrees of success.

Among the main dishes we tried were the Drunken Noodles with Beef (i.e., Drunken Noodles is my squeeze's "litmus test" for Thai restaurants!), Shrimp with Sweet Basil, Thai Red Curry with Chicken, & the Crispy Duck with basil (their house specialty) at the recommendation of our server.

The Thai Red Curry with chicken was overcooked & dry, & swimming in sauce, (which couldn't mask the dryness!), & the Crispy Duck was really greasy.  The Drunken Noodles weren't very good either -- a definite fail according to both my squeeze & myself. The Shrimp with Sweet Basil was certainly one of the better dishes, but having said this, please keep in mind that this statement was made relative to the other three dishes, which were not so tasty. :)

Plus, I thought the restaurant was rather pricey considering the sub-par food preparation.

On a positive note, I will say this: The staff are very friendly & helpful, & the service was prompt.

Judging from the other Yelp reviews I've read, it appears that: (1) the restaurant kitchen produces dishes with inconsistent results; (2) there are differences in opinion or in expectation, or that (3) some people need to visit a few more Thai restaurants to have a better range of experiences for comparison. ;-)

In any case, I don't think I'll be returning to this restaurant any time soon. There are enough decent Thai restaurants in this area that I far prefer over this one to make me go to them instead.

Went here for the first time (about a month or two ago?!) at the recommendation of my squeeze, & have been back multiple times since. Can't seem to get enough of this place lately!

Also, we took my parents here just a few weeks ago & they couldn't stop raving about the place.  And let me tell you, they are VERY selective eaters.  (Needless to say, it's very challenging finding places that they will LIKE, let alone RAVE about!)

Now this place might not look like much from the exterior, but let me tell you, the adage of "don't judge a book by its cover" definitely holds true in this case, because this restaurant is unequivocally one of the best Thai restaurants I've been to in the DC-MD-VA area, & believe me, I've been to my fair share of them. :)

I've NEVER had a bad meal here, & quite frankly, everything I've tried here so far has been excellent.  Service is quick & friendly, with the exception of a single waiter who we thankfully haven't had again since. ;-)

What to order: Let me break it down course-by-course for ya. ;-)

Appetizers: Por Pia Jae & the Potpourri Mussels are decent, but the Yum Ped Yang (honey-roasted duck) is much better, & surprisingly lean. The Chicken Satay is decent as well, but I'm more into exploring dishes that aren't "standard fare" at most Thai restaurants.  In fact, that's what I like about this place: While the less adventurous can get appetizers like "Chicken Satay" & main dishes like "Pad Thai," etc., there are also more interesting dishes for those of us who want to go beyond that sort of "same old thing." :)

Entrees: I highly recommend the Chef's Specials, especially the "Nua Ka Ting." (Warning: For those of you who need to temper the spice, get this dish with 1 star.  I am used to eating hot & spicy foods, & usually get 2 stars, which has more heat than most people can handle.  And 3 stars, while I've yet to try it here, is apparently supposed to be blow-your-head-off hot! ;-) Even the wait staff, who are of Thai descent, will usually caution people against getting 3 stars. ;-) )

The Panang Shrimp & Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodle) are also excellent; you can also get these dishes with other meat/vegetarian selections (chicken, beef, tofu, or mixed vegetables, etc.) as well.

There are several other dishes that I've yet to try that look quite tasty as well.  For example, I've heard that the Steamed Rock Fish is supposed to be very good, so I can't wait to try it!

Desserts: The "Coconut Custard" is a winner for dessert.  It's not what most Westerners expect a traditional custard to be, so don't expect a dollop of something colored artificially yellow to arrive in a bowl. :)  This is Thai custard, a wonderfully creamy delight that will have you coming back for more. :)  This is the only dessert I've tried thus far, as I don't typically order dessert unless it's a special occasion or I've put in a lot of weekly running mileage. ;-) However, I've heard that the Mango and Sticky Rice is also supposed to be excellent.

Also, a general word to the wise: The wait staff really do give excellent (& highly appropriate) recommendations, so if you're looking to try something different, or have a specific requirement (i.e., nothing fried, vegetarian food, etc.), you can be confident that they will steer you in the right direction. The wait staff really do know what's good here, & will give you an honest appraisal.