Bar-Ly and Bonchon (Chinatown Philadelphia, PA) 2015-04-10

Bar-Ly and Bonchon (Chinatown Philadelphia, PA) 2015-04-10

Bar-Ly
101 North 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 922-2699
Email:info@bar-ly.com

Web: http://www.bar-ly.com/

Bonchon

1020 Cherry Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Phone: (267) 639-6686

Web: http://chinatownphiladelphiapa.bonchon.com/

Bar-Ly offers a nice selection of beers and drinks in Chinatown.  Happy Hour offers and even better price point for snacks, food, and drinks.

Bonchon opened in Philadelphia's Chinatown recently and we were obliged to check it out.  I've eaten at a Bonchon in New York and this is along the same lines.  The spicy chicken is very tasty, if you're into spicy foods.  It might be a bit much for those who don't enjoy such heat.  The soy flavored chicken is also good but compared to the spicy option, it doesn't have quite as much flavor.  Bonchon also offers a great seaweed salad and salmon avacado ball.  We'll have to come back to try other items on the menu.  The drinks in the photos are of a yogurt soju which was my first time trying it.  Not bad if you're into soju or yogurt flavored asian drinks.

The Fat Ham (University City Philadelphia, PA) 2014-04-04

The Fat Ham (University City Philadelphia, PA) 2014-04-04
3131 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: 215.735.1914 
Email: info@fat-ham.com
Web: http://www.sbragadining.com/fatham/

With a few friends in town, it was a good opportunity to check out Kevin Sbraga's (of Top Chef fame) second Philadelphia location: The Fat Ham.

The venue has a more casual vibe and feel than his flagship name sake restaurant.  The menu is very pork focused and takes significant inspiration from southern cooking and cuisine.

Signage at The Fat Ham

Whiskey Selection

Smaller more casual space than Sbraga

What should we get?

Beer

Cocktails

Butternut Squash Soup

Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Fried Oyster Slider

Roasted Root Vegetables with Bacon

Brook Trout with Brussels Sprouts

Shrimp and Grits

Charred Cabbage with Pork Rinds

Pork Belly with Beans and Fennel Salad

Mac and Cheese with BBQ Chip Crust

Carolina Gold Rice with Ox Tail

Hot Chicken with Ranch and Dill Pickle

Pecan Pie with Ice Cream

Banana Pudding

Clutch (Hoxton London, UK) 2014-03-11

Clutch (Hoxton London, UK) 2014-03-11
4 Ravenscroft Street
London E2 7QG
Phone: 020 7729 4402

020 7729 4402

Web: http://www.clutchchicken.com/

My lovely and gracious host in London was in the mood for fried chicken after work and suggested checking out Clutch for a late dinner.  Clutch is a relatively new comer to the Hoxton London area focusing on free range chicken fried in groundnut oil.

We settled on the spicy wings, soy glazed chicken bucket (~ 3 pieces of fried chicken: wing, thigh, breast), a basil cocktail each, a beet and mozzarella appetizer, side of french fries, and a red bell pepper dipping sauce.

The spicy chicken wings were hands down my favorite item.  They were delicious, crispy, and on the spicier side, just the way I like my wings.  The soy glazed chicken was also very crispy due to the groundnut oil and was more than adequately sauced in salty sweet soy glaze.

If I lived in London near Clutch, I would be there anytime I had a chicken craving.  They offer various other versions of the chicken that we sampled and I would be very curious to try the other variations. The cocktail was definitely a nice compliment to the flavorful fried chicken.

Lastly, the bill came in a wooden egg and was a humorous play on the the chicken and the egg.  I approve.