Wajoe - 20th and Chestnut St (Closed)

Center City has never been the place to go for good Korean food. If you want to experience Korean cuisine you have to head up north and plant yourself in Cheltenham, which is the closest thing to a Koreatown in the area.
Now opens Wajoe, in the ashes of the former Korean place whose name escapes me.  Forgive me if I was a little apprehensive when this new place opened its doors for the first time.  A new awning and some paint was not going to fix what was here before.  

The tables are fitted with new BBQ pits and ventilation systems.  Some money was definitely spent here. I ask the server if this was under new ownership to which he said it was.  Hope rises.

First out, of course, is the 반찬(banchan) or the side dishes.  For lunch, I think this amount works fine.  Included are bean sprouts, potato strips in a light mayo sauce, fish cake and the omnipresent kimchi.  A Korean restaurant is only as good as its kimchi and pleasantly this kimchi is good. 

1) Kalbi Box - $12.99

The kalbi, although pre prepared, tasted exactly as it should despite not sizzling hot off the grill. Was not disappointing.  The dumping was another highlight. Next time the dumpling appetizer will definitely be ordered.  Lots of food, all good, thumbs up.  

2) Soft Tofu Chigae(순두부 찌개) - $8.99

This is the real stuff, not watered down to make it any less spicy or modified to tone down the flavors.  Piled high with tofu this pot of authentic Korean fare gave me renewed hope for the state of Korean food in the area.


Overall LTE score [8/10] I cannot put into words how nice it is to have a Korean place that's a 5 minute walk away from the office that serves Korean food that I actually want to eat.  Maybe all this is a little premature considering they opened their doors just yesterday and I've only eaten here once but what I had today made me want to go back. Thumbs up.


Wajoe Korean Restaurant
2034 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 496-9021

Little Thai Market - Reading Terminal Market

Reading Terminal Market is a little far from home base on 20th and Market so it's a spot I rarely get out to for lunch...but owing a friend, who works on 8th and Market, a lunch I decided it would be a good opportunity to try Little Thai Market, a very highly recommended spot.

As appetizing as everything on this menu sounds the Salmon Curry was the one dish I was told I had to get.   I obliged and so did my friend.  

1) Salmon Curry - $6.50
When we opened up our containers we both marveled at how much salmon they managed to jam in there. If I were to go to the store and pick up a salmon filet it would probably be close to the cost of this entire dish so I don't know how they're making money off of this.  Now, this would all be for naught, if it were a lifeless, dried out piece of fish but the salmon was moist and flaky and the Thai red curry sauce was delicious. This meal is one of the best lunches you can get in the city for the price.

Overall LTE score[8.5/10]  Reading Terminal Market during lunch time is like the liquor store right before a major hurricane. Shared painfully with what appears like every other person in the city.  But having said this, I think if there was one thing I would be willing to endure the crowds and also the long trip over for it would be this meal.  It's cheap and its delicious.

Tyson Bees, Magic Carpet - University City

A double dose of food truck/cart reviews today as I hopped onto the 36 trolley towards University City and UPenn campus to see what the kids are eating these days.  My first stop is at Tyson Bees on 33rd and Spruce St.  A Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican fusion food truck. There has been some recent concern over the food quality since a split between chef Tyson Wong and his partner.  Wong moved on and the partner now runs the truck.  Did losing the man behind the food change things for the worse?

1) Korean Short Rib Taco, Pork Bun, Thai Tea - $8

Concerns over the quality taking a nose dive are overblown.  I found these to be the pretty much the same as what I remember when Tyson was still involved.  The pork wasn't as fall apart tender as I recall but I would still face 5 of these no problem.  The taco was excellent and really the only reason I didn't get another serving was to save room for my second cart meal.  

First time trying the Thai tea... despite the vibrant coloring the taste was weak.  They put too much ice in and what little tea was included was watered down.

Magic Carpet is a well reviewed, Vegetarian, Middle Eastern, cuisine cart located in the food truck block of 36th and Spruce St.  If you're walking towards the direction from 36th to 37th street this would be the first cart in the long line of food carts here.

Two windows help keep the line moving which is nice because the lines here queue up quick.  The menu is pretty impressive so it took me a minute to get my bearings on what I wanted. They have platters and sandwiches that include a diverse array of vegetarian foods such as tofu, veggie chilli, eggplant.

1) Fallafel Sandwich - $5
I thought I would go basic and try their regular fallafel sandwich.  Unfortunately, it just was not very good.  The pita was weak, falaffel balls were bland and the whole of this sandwich was disappointing.  I had no desire to finish it so half of it went into the trash. After hearing the high praise bestowed upon Magic Carpet it was disappointing.  I would try this cart again but not the falaffel sandwich.

Overall LTE scores [7/10] Tyson Bees, [4/10] Magic Carpet 

A mixed lunch today, first course was good but second course failed to deliver.