108 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
My cousin emailed me a few weeks ago saying he had made a reservation at Han Dynasty in Olde City for a Saturday night and he invited my girlfriend and I to go with him and his wife. We of course decided to go, (how could I turn down going out to eat?). It was a place that both my cousin and I had been looking to try ever since it was mentioned in Philly magazine’s 50 best places to eat right now issue. I love spicy food, and Han Dynasty is known for authentic Chinese, with a spicier flare than usual.
If you didn’t know the restaurant was where it is, you would probably just walk right past it. It is close to the water down in an area of Olde City that houses many other ethnic restaurants. The restaurant is small and seems a little disorganized, but once you sit down everything becomes worth it. We ordered the dan dan noodles, the signature dish of the restaurant, dumplings in chili oil, hot sauce style beef, and garlic style chicken. Dishes are served family style, so we shared everything between us.
While we waited for our food, they brought us out some tea for the table. They also charged a corking fee for our wine, so heads up if you go there and bring your own. They also charge you per beer to open them. When the dan dan noodles finally came out I was in a state of pure bliss. The dan dan noodles were ridiculously delicious. I wish I could eat them every day for the rest of my life, and I am not kidding. I almost asked for another bowl they were so good. They had a slight peanut sauce taste to them, as well as some spiciness. I seriously cannot say enough how fantastic they were.
The dumplings I thought were pretty good, I just thought they didn’t have enough filling inside of them. The dipping sauce they were served with was delicious though. It was a mixture of sesame and chili oils that added tons of flavor to the dumplings.
I really enjoyed our main courses as well. I particularly enjoyed the hot sauce style beef, because it was “make your nose run and make you sweat hot”. I love spicy anything, so I really enjoyed the beef and mixing it in with the rice we were served. The garlic chicken was really tasty as well. I wasn’t as impressed with it, but it was a very good version of garlic chicken. The one interesting thing about it was the crispy rice it was served with. It was honestly like eating raw ramen noodles with the chicken, but the texture contrast mixed in with the garlic sauce was a really fantastic combination.
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