veggie dim sum

[drbouba]

Do any of the vegetarian dim sum joints in philly come around with carts?
Of the 4 or so, which do chowhounds out there think is the best?

For omnivorous dim sum, are ocean harbor and joy tsin lau the only options? Is one better than the other?

thanks for advice!!

[cwdonald]

See this recent thread on dim sum in Philadelphia. My recommendation is to go to Queens.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/839712

[mookleknuck]

Brooklyn's pretty good, too.

[drbouba]

Ok, I get the point -- better dim sum in NYC than philadelphia!
For argument's sake, let's say we are committed to a local meal and not driving 100 meals.
What would say is the best restaurant in chinatown (not necessarily dim sum or vegetarian)?

[cwdonald]

Are you looking for purely vegetarian chinese food? Or do you need a diverse menu?

Han Dynasty in my opinion produces some of the best chinese food in Philadelphia. Locations in Old City, Manayunk and a new outpost (with liquor license) in University City. If your family likes authentic sichuan style food.

Sang Kee Penking Duck House is good if you like duck. Another place to consider is Rangoon which is Burmese (think combination of indian and chinese or thai). It is unique and you will be hard pressed to find many Burmese restaurants in the US (some in DC.. another good one in London in the UK.)

[drbouba]

I'm dying to try Han dynasty but I'm the only one in my family who likes spicy ...
Rangoon may be a good option. I've been meaning to try it for a while.
I have had Sang Kee and thought it was good although not great pekin duck.
I've been to harmony several times and always love it at first but then feel like the dim sum disappoints overall. I had Joy Tsin Lau two years ago and my wife really didn't like it and now won't try dim sum again in philly anymore!
What would be just the best all around restaurant in chinatown?
I was curious how the other veg places in chinatown compare. I don't eat pork or shellfish so it is fun being able to order everything on the menu.
I had

[Buckethead]

There are a few great dishes at Han Dynasty that aren't spicy at all:

Cold Sesame Noodles (I love these)
Pea Leaves w/garlic
Fried Taiwanese Sausage (obviously not vegetarian)

There are quite a few other dishes on the menu with no spice to speak of that I've never had but I'd recommend any of the above. One non-spicy dish I've had and wouldn't recommend is the Lion's Head meatballs.

Rangoon is pretty great too though.

[cwdonald]

Kingdom of Vegetarian on Race street is another one to try. My problem with all of the vegetarian restaurants is they use too much fake meat. I would prefer they just use vegetables, tofu and seitan and not try to pretend it is meat. Kingdom has a decent selection of dumplings and a few buns, but personally I do not consider it a full "dim sum". Take a look at the menu here. Its been years since I have been to Harmony so I really cannot compare. Perhaps some other folks will have an opinion.

http://www.beyondmenu.com/21891/Philadelphia/Kingdom-of-Vegetarians-Restaurant-Philadelphia-19107.aspx?r=21891
.http://philadelphia.menupages.com/res...

Ken's Seafood Restaurant is good if you want seafood as is Tai Lake.