Sampan

124 S 13th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Usually Asian fusion means a) deep fried, b) sushi, or c) a chinese restaurant that's trying to branch out by offering thai noodle dishes, pho soup, and a few rolls out of a how to make sushi handbook. Thus, when my friend suggested we try Sampan, I was a little worried that all the good Michael Schulson dishes would be left at his restaurant and we'd be stuck with yet another cheesesteak eggroll, tuna tartare, and duck salad. While there is a tuna tartare (which we didn't try out of want to be different), I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of the menu on the website.

Arriving at the restaurant, there was no wait (several tables were open -- I guess it is a Monday), but I was struck instantly by the sleek, sultry, yet inviting and Asian decor. Think Pegu Club in NY. I think this is the look that Chew Man Chu was going for and missed.

For drinks, they have a small beer and wine by the glass list, as well as a few specialty cocktails. My friend went with some iced tea thing that was a little too girly for me -- I stuck with a decent, albeit light, Chinese beer (Tiger) that I hadn't had before.

As for food: everything is served family style with no rhyme or reason to delivery. Which is fine, because there's no delineation between apps and entrees (ahem, another strike to Chew Man Chu -- read my review ;) ) Cheesesteak Bao get a little away from the cheesesteak eggroll trend, and alas, these are delish, with sriracha replacing ketchup, a sharp provolone adding a salty bite, and the tender, juicy meat just enough for one-to-two bites of goodness. But these are hardly bao. More like a softer bruschetta.

Edamame dumplings are as everybody's stated. Decadent (due to the truffle oil), yet a little heavy. Are they mixed with potato? Even if you puree the crap out of edamame, the edamame flavor isn't so light...

Chicken Buri Bap is a play on Bi Bim Bap -- moist dark meat chicken is piled on already-crisp rice, topped with veggies and a fried egg, and the egg is broken apart by the runner. Frankly, I'd rather this was done in the kitchen -- while I would have missed the "show," our runner really didn't do justice to this dish, so I had to do a little work on it. Furthermore, without the typical hot sauce, it missed a little of bi bim bap's kick. I bet we could have asked for it on the side, but that's almost like asking for salt -- I just wouldn't do it at a well-respected chef's restaurant.

Speaking of salt, the short ribs were beautifully presented over lo mein with a few well chosen veggies, and some sort of honey wasabi sweet crunch that was a welcomed surprise. But the meat was too salty and although tender, was not as moist as I expected.

Continuing our gluttony we also tried the chicken samosa -- although surprisingly spicy (it hit late and hard), the soft flaky pastry helped hold together one of the strongest dishes of the night.

For dessert, we shared the peanut butter cups -- baked chocolate cups filled with peanut butter and mascarpone. Decadent. Simply.

Bill was very reasonable and I left stuffed. Frankly, several more dishes I wanted to try (which rarely happens for me), so I plan to be back. But first, I will have to try Zama...