What are the must tries at Han Dynasty?

[jl0328]

The Dan Dan noodles are already on my list. Although I'm going to have to request a bit less heat as they're listed as an 8 on their site.

What are some other dishes that I must try?

There will be 2 of us dining tonight so suggestions on good sharing dishes would be great!

[Delucacheesemonger]

This post is not regarding the food but the service. Was there last night and ordered two apps while looking at the menu as we were slightly pressured to do so by our waiter immediately upon sitting down. This was at 6:45 and the place was 2/3 empty.
Apps came and were fine but the waiter when they were delivered asked about our main courses. Told him we were not ready and would let him know when we were. In the next 20 minutes he came to the table not less than 6 times to get an order. Finally out of desperation we ordered a main, planning to get a second in a bit. After he came three more times and we said we were not ready, he then left the check. Total time in resto was 48 minutes, and never was the place over 1/2 full.

[barryg]

Which location?

[Delucacheesemonger]

Chestnut St.

[purplesachi]

beef tendon in chili oil is hands down, my favorite thing on the menu. there's something about the texture of the tendon that i love, and i'm wondering if it's an acquired taste/texture thing, as no one else has mentioned it in this thread.

[lawgirl3278]

Does anyone know if they use MSG?

[barryg]

They do.

[Abner Kravitz]

There are just certain words that make me move on to the next item, and it is probably my loss. "Tendon" is one of them

[cwdonald]

I had them as part of one of the banquets at Royersford. They are good.. very spicy. Very authentic... not my first choice. I usually do not get tendon in Pho either.

[punkin712]

Can the Dan Dan noodles be made vegetarian?

[barryg]

Yes, though I haven't tried it that way.

[gardens4me]

Spicy eggplant at the top of my list!

[Chinon00]

And a small complaint about the service. At the West Philly location there was a server who was constantly filling water glasses, removing dishes from the tables, asking us if we needed anything, etc in a hurried manner. I'm not saying he was wrong but I don't need that type of service at Han Dynasty. I was talking more to him than to my family.

[Chinon00]

Tofu with the minced pork dish. And I don't even like tofu.

[cwdonald]

I enjoy the Taiwanese sausage dish as well.

I would suggest the best way to experience Han is at one fo the banquets. I know the seats used to be difficult to get in Old City but they may be easier now. I have been to one in Royersford, and the food was spot on, and you got enjoy a myriad of dishes, ranging from the spine tingling spicy ones to the more subtle dishes.

I also continuously hear about inconsistency at all of the HD locatoins, and I believe Han was even quoted as saying he is aware of it, and is endavoring to fix it, not by bringing over new chefs from Sichuan, but rather by training US based chefs.

http://tinyurl.com/d55ylqa

[jl0328]

We had a great meal last night! I was worried about the heat and sloppy service (reviews on yelp!) but neither turned out to be a problem. We started with the spicy crispy cucumbers with the spice turned down a bit - loved them!! Both my friend and I could not stop eating the Dan Dan Noodles. What is in that dish that makes it so addictive!! The table next to us had ordered the scallion dish (no heat) and it looked appealing so we decided to add the beef dish to our order.
I was happy to see their beer/wine selection has been expanded past what they have listed on their site. I'm not typically a cider drinker but with the heat outside yesterday and the fear of heat in the dishes I opted for one. Worked perfect with our meal. Can't wait to return to try more dishes and turn up the heat!

[Philly Ray]

What heat level did you have for each dish? When I ordered the Dan Dan noodles, the server asked me what heat level and when I asked for the "usual" she paused in a way that made me reconsider. I downgraded to a "5" and found that was enough heat for me.

[jl0328]

We did 3 for the cucumbers and 4 for the noodles. We both agreed that we could have probably bumped up the heat a bit...next time!
The menu online lists the noodles as an 8 but the real menu has them as a 6. So I was confused as to how they're actually measuring the heat.

[mookleknuck]

I don't know what your heat tolerance is, but even their maximum number of chilies is really not that alarming...

[FrancisdeR]

Thanks for the suggestions, and we tried them tonight at the Exton location. Some were not recognized when we called in for takeout, but more to the point: The ones we did get were spoiled by a way, way, way too much salt (or MSG). We all remember the good days of HD, but Exton is still not back.

[obx_nancy]

+1 for three cup chicken(boneless) (one cup sesame oil, one cup rice wine vinegar and one cup soy sauce) and dumplings in Chili Oil
I also like the double fried beef and the chicken with hot peppers. Both are very spicy. The wontons in chicken broth is also great!
Enjoy!

[Hungryin theBurbs]

I agree with all of Buckethead's recs. Just a note, since you say there will be two of you--the portions are quite large. I have gone for lunch with one other person, split the cucumbers and dan dan noodles, and been quite full, and I don't have a small appetite. If you want to sample a lot of different things, be prepared to bring home leftovers.

[InSearchOfTacos]

+1 to buckethead's favorites

- Three Cup Chicken is not spicy at all- i would omit these and go with the pea leaves myself, but others love this dish so i always end up getting it
- dry cooked fish
- Pea Leaves w/ Garlic - also not spicy and good if you want some greens

[Buckethead]

Spicy Crispy Cucumbers
Cold Sesame Noodles
Cumin-style Lamb (though they sometimes overdo it with the cumin)

Some other favorites:

Dry Fry style Pork
Mapo Tofu
Dumplings in Chili Oil

The Dan Dan noodles, and basically everything else on the menu, seem to vary widely in heat level from visit to visit. Sometimes the Dan Dan noodles are the hottest thing on the table, sometimes the weakest.