During the recent Philly Food Blogger’s Meetup, we had the opportunity to catch up with a bunch of our friends to learn more about the places they’ve recently found and enjoyed. In our first installment, we learned about Zahav and Modo Mio; during this episode, we’ll hear about more recent favorites like Graduate Hospital’s Divan Kitchen, Chinatowns’ QT Vietnamese Sandwich Shop and Mt. Airy’s Tiffin.
Mark Schoneveld found a recent favorite in Divan Turkish Kitchen, located at 22nd and Carpenter Streets. This spot offers an exotic and delicious Mediterranean meal without going beyond what many less adventurous diners would consider. In fact, check out Mark and Audrey’s visit to Divan Turkish Kitchen on Illadates. Divan Turkish Kitchen is located at 922 S. 22nd St. Philadelphia. (215) 545-5790
Teagan clued us into QT Vietnamese Sandwich Shop. Granted, it has recently received a substantial amount of press, but I think that every shop serving Banh Mi can use as much ammunition as possible to combat the dreaded “Philly Cheesesteak scourge.” Hey, I’m just kidding, but I do think that we have too many tasty food offerings to be eclipsed by the overlord of Philly sandwiches. QT Vietnamese Sandwich is located at 48 N. 10th St. Philadelphia. By the way, Teagan isn’t the only person that likes QT Vietnamese Sandwich: David Snyder’s City Paper Review; Taylor from Mac & Cheese and Fries with That Shake like this place too. Oh yeah, that guy from the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks this place is pretty special too: Rick Nichols.
Finally, Philly restaurant fan and food blog groupie Wendy offers some insight into Tiffin’s newest location. An Indian food afficionado from way back, Wendy compares the Mt. Airy location to that of the original in Northern Liberties, shares her favorite menu items and offers a little advice for those packing in beverages to the BYOB. Tiffin, Mt. Airy is located at 7105 Emlen St. Philadelphia. (215) 242-3656
Dim Sum has always seems to be a crowd favorite, so we were stoked to get the opportunity to visit Chinatown’s Ocean Harbor restaurant on a recent Saturday afternoon. Escorted by my sister Christina and her mom Joanne, we were treated to an insider’s tour of what is a traditional weekend treat for many Philadelphia-area families, Asian or otherwise. And we are all for tradition.
If you’ve ever been told “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the Lakeside Chinese Deli may be why. This inconspicuous storefront restaurant located in Philly’s Chinatown seems to fade into the neighborhood commotion, but we found the food, service and “atmosphere” to be excellent.
Continuing our adventure in Chinatown after our initial visit to Lee How Fook, we invaded the Lakeside Chinese Deli with a 
group of hungry explorers. Recommended by FoodGuy Tushar, Lakeside specializes in Dim Sum, however it is served a la carte versus from the traditional tableside cart. Our first impression wasn’t overwhelmingly positive; the exterior of the restaurant features a large picture window with the shades drawn and there’s also a big hole in the sign.
Continue reading about Hidden Treasure: Lakeside Chinese Deli
