With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you might want to consider the sharable nature of dim sum for your romantic night out.Philly restaurateur and chef Jane Guo has expanded upon her influence with the recently opened Dim Sum House by Jane G, 3939 Chestnut St. The venue offers a robust menu of dim sum and other familiar and traditional Asian dishes.
The second-floor space overlooking Chestnut Street is spacious and modern while still maintaining a traditional vibe to set the mood. You’re definitely going to want to bring some friends along so you can order a bunch of different dim sum to share.
Dim Sum House’s dumpling game is strong and diverse. The crab and pork soup dumplings ($8) are plump and almost bursting with hot and flavorful broth. The brightly colored spicy shrimp dumplings ($6) are equally robust but inside the heat starts off subtle and then blooms into a substantial kick, which lingers pleasantly on the back of your palate. For something slightly different, check out the curry chicken dumplings ($7), which eschew the more traditional Asian flavors and textures for something that leans Indian.
If dumplings aren’t your thing (weirdo!), there are plenty of other tasty dishes in which you can immerse yourself. The beef-stuffed scallion pancakes ($5.50) were crisp and hearty. There’s also a full menu of noodle dishes to sate your appetite, which range from fried rice ($9.50) to pad Thai ($9.50). We were enticed by the spicy allure of the dan dan noodles ($8) — thick and hearty with peanut and ground pork that Dim Sum House can customize to whatever level of spice you can tolerate. The dish was elegantly simple but packed a richly complex punch.
Guo has hit another home run in Philly with Dim Sum House. Its eye-catching style and mouth-watering menu (literally, in the case of the soup dumplings) should have many people in the city trying to get (dim) sum.