Han Dynasty

[wkl]

did you guys really finish all that ?!? i am truly in awe.

i swear there are old laws on the books of some states that would make eating that much food illegal. probably states that run/control their own liqour sales. ooops, i said that out loud........

[percyn]

did you guys really finish all that ?!? i am truly in awe.

Not only did we finish what is pictured, keep in mind that we had 3 big bowls of the dumplings in hot oil, 2 plates of lion head meatballs and 2 plates of the sausage. Who's up for going again today ?

To comment on the Imperial soup in one word - delicious. Delicate broth similar to the fish with pickled vegetables, accented with succulent shrimp, squid, snow peas and carrots.

Don't worry about not saving me any chicken, I was there a few days before and made this with the leftovers...

[MarketStEl]

I just polished off the hot and sour soup (yum!) I took home from last night's meal. Roomie consumed the meatball, broccoli, and three-cup chicken on the spot when I walked in the door around 11 last night.

I should have taken some of the pork stew too. Like Jeff, I don't like pig intestines either -- the smell of chitlins boiling turned me off to them almost completely, and their taste and texture finished the job. Or so I thought until I had this stew. I could down an entire pig intestine prepared this way. (What was it Kent Wang said in his foodblog about traditional Chinese cooking and soul food having much in common?)

Those meatballs almost violated the B. Kliban Rule ("Never eat anything bigger than your head").

One nice aspect of last night's meal was the wide variety of tastes, textures, and levels of heat. However: It also showed us fiery food fiends as wimps inside. All of us who ate the soft-shell crabs loved them, but we were very careful not to eat the chopped hot peppers! I think our tongues were still smarting from our visit to Szechuan Tasty House many months ago. (The long hot peppers with the pork belly were fine.)

All of the hot dishes were hot in the right way: They didn't assault you with heat up front but rather kicked your taste buds in the tail on the way down.

I enjoyed meeting percyn, Diann (mad props for bringing that plum wine, which was a perfect liquid finish to the meal), jaredrakes and his SO for the first time. (That wine smackdown turned out to be half Riesling, half Gewurztraminer, BTW; SaxChik and I got our wires crossed at the Exton State Store on the way there. Aside on the location of the State Store: Just because they call it Main Street doesn't make it Main Street. Aside on the store itself: As big as 1216 Chestnut, but a higher percentage of its shelf space is devoted to wine, and they have a wider selection of fine wines to choose from than the Center City superstore.)

And now that I've eaten here, you can't say I didn't warn you:

Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 92 (no Sunday service) from King of Prussia Transportation Center or Malvern Regional Rail station to Pottstown Pike (Route 100) at the Exton Square Mall entrance; continue north on Pottstown Pike about 1/8 mile to the Fairfield Square Shopping Center on your left just past Swedesford Road. Or Bus Route 204 (seven days a week) from Paoli Regional Rail station to Pottstown Pike and Swedesford Road; the shopping center is at the intersection.

But if you're smart, you'll bring a friend who drives along with you. He or she will thank you for it.

Edited August 22, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[percyn]

Stopped by Han's for dinner today and got

Hong Kong Shrimp - similar to salt and pepper shrimp, topped with crispy noodles with onions.

Ohhh how I have missed head-on shrimp !!!

Spicy "Fatty Beef" - Han said this was a new item they added to the menu, so I had to try it. It didn't even have an English name, so this was his translation of it. The thin beef slices had a little fat on it, but not too much. The nice dose of Sichuan peppers gives this dish a good kick.

Taiwanese Sausage - Compliments of Han !!

As usual, everything was great. Too bad I moved further away from this restaurant.

[philadining]

Late night at work, got some take-out during a break:

Taiwanese Sausage (of course...)

OK, I might have eaten a couple of pieces in the car before snapping the pic. Let's see YOU resist that smell.

I think I was just being paranoid, but I kept getting the feeling that either Percyn or SaxChik were pursuing my car, and were going to carjack me at a stoplight, just to steal my sausage.

Tried something new on Han's recommendation: Lamb in Dry Pot

Tender slices of lamb, onion, mushroom, LOTS of chile. Seriously spicy, but delicious.

I'd definitely get this again.

Edited October 16, 2007 by philadining (log)

[Rich Pawlak]

I am heading there tomorrow night for the first time, with a Taiwanese friend, the twins, the Queen, and meeting up wit Mr & Mrs SaxChik. Hoping to steer through the truly Taiwanese dishes, and to learn the nuances of Taiwanese cuisne. Thanks for the previous posts and pics, because they comprise a great roadmap for us tomorrow night.

[philadining]

The most important tip I can give you is to just ask for Han, tell him you're interested in traditional dishes, or specifically Taiwanese, or whatever, and he'll steer you well. Of course if you've got Mr and Mrs SaxChik with you, you've already got good guides.

The second most important tip I can give you is to bring beer! You MUST have the Taiwanese sausage, and apparently it's a typical snack with beer, and the combo really does create a nice synergy.

Enjoy, and please let us know what you had!

[philadining]

Oh, almost forgot: Han said they're adding Hot Pots to the menu soon...

[Rich Pawlak]

Holy Shamoley, what an awesome meal/food orgy/Chinese banquet!!!

Lauren and MAtt DID steer us well, as did Han, with the assistance of our Taiwanese friend, Judy (she and Han grew up just blocks from each other in Taipei! It truly is a small world after all...), who ordered some of her favoriite dishes in Chinese, so we kinda didnt really know what was coming. Fried dumplings were handmade, doghier than most standard dumplings, but nonetheless tasty. The sausage, slice of garlic and swig of beer was an amaazing synergy, definitely one of the best beer snack combos I've had (we were drinking Flying Fish Extra Pale, Yards Saison and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at the table).

We had the noodles with meat sauce to start after the sausage nibbles, and our friend Judy ordered it two ways: Taiwanese style (milder sauce) and Sechuan style (MUCH hotter sauce), and both were great. Egg drop soup, white rice and chicken lo mein for the kiddies, and we were off to the races, all while the kids fussed and slowly melted down (note to self: Sophie was quite quiet while nibbling that tasty sausage...). In quick order came out pork chop and rice, dry but crispy and tasty; 3 Cup Chicken, truly Taiwanese and pretty addictive to me; then came an incredible pork shoulder, tender and sweet and faintly five-spiced; kidneys served cold in a zippy sweet sauce, followed by the same kidneys is a fiery broth; lamb with cumin, every bit as painful and irresistable as Lauren told us it would be; pork spare ribs in garlic flavor, studded with crispy garlic sprinkles; dry green beans with garlic, bright green and snappy; eggplant, faintly smoky and tender. I may have forgotten something but it was a blur of dishes, each one great in their own way. Plenty of leftovers to divide up and take home, and additional gratis quarts (!) of hot and sour and egg drop soups to take home, as Han said "for your lunch tomorrow".

Great host that Han, but we really had terrific guides with Judy, Lauren and Matt. I really cant wait to revisit this awesome restaurant.

Edited October 18, 2007 by Rich Pawlak (log)

[KatieLoeb]

What? No pics of the twins munching on Taiwanese fare? I was awaiting those as much as hearing about what you ate!

[mod*betty]

Thanks to all of you who posted about this place and also included photos! We've been here twice in the past few weeks and I think I am addicted to the noodles with spicy beef- something I would not usually have ordered had it not been for the raves here. Will be exploring more of the recommendations here as the weeks progress.

We've been there at off times during the weekend and have been practically the only diners- hope that isn't indicative of the popularity of the place, we love it!

[philadining]

Han warned us about this, but we found out for ourselves that the restaurant gets really busy on saturday nights! We managed to snag a table quickly (stealing if from under the nose of the Jaredrakes party!) but the food came out pretty slowly, which was no surprise, all tables were full and they were doing a brisk take-out business as well.

It was totally worth the wait for: Taiwanese Sausage (of course); Dan Dan Noodles, Lamb in Dry Pot; Bacon with hot peppers.

It was all delicious, and not surprisingly, the Lamb in Dry Pot is WAY better eaten there than it is from a take out box (and I liked the take-out version.) It's served in a little mini-wok over a burner, so it sizzles away for a while at the table. It was absolutely loaded with szechuan peppercorns and dry hot peppers, lending that Ma La thing to beautifully tender lamb, accompanied by onions, mushrooms, and a little tuber-ish vegetable that I couldn't identify, but really enjoyed.

The bacon with hot peppers had a great smokiness to it.

The Dan Dan Noodles were pronounced the best he'd ever had, by a visiting friend who practically lived on them from Grand Szechaun International up in NY.

Great meal, worth the wait, but I might stick with weeknights, or off-hours, just so things are a little less frantic!

Edited December 3, 2007 by philadining (log)

[SaxChik]

we just moved to west chester this weekend. i'm gonna miss living within walking distance to han dynasty.

[handmc]

I was in Han Dynasty the other super wet rainy day to pick up a few staples,spicy beef soup, spicy dumpling and dan, dan min when the owner told me that they will be running some special dishes around the Chinese New Year. He said that the Chinese New Year is February 14th.

Just a head's up for all the fans.

I unfortunately will be stuck in Knoxville Tn, no Han Dynasty for me on the 14th.

edited becuase I cannot spell. dyslexics Untie!

Edited January 3, 2008 by handmc (log)

[Rich Pawlak]

Chinese New Year is feb 7, I believe.

[SaxChik]

Chinese New Year is feb 7, I believe.

←

you are correct, sir. it does, however, last about 15 days.

[handmc]

I did not know that. Opps, well then, I supect he will have dishes for the whole run.

Has anyone tried the Hot Pot? I went today with a new convert but they only serve hot pot Monday through Thursday. I can't wait.

I added the chicken with galic sauce which has some seriously hot peppers in it.

I made another convert today.

Man I love this place.

[philadining]

We tried one of the special New-Year's dishes: Sichuan Sausage. The chef makes it in-house, and will only have it for a few more weeks, perhaps until late February

It was quite delicious, and different from most sausages we've had, a little less-sweet than the Taiwanese sausage they serve as an appetizer. Not that we had that too, that would be crazy. Nope, no Taiwanese sausage with garlic for us...

We also had Cold noodles with sesame sauce

We ordered Wontons in Chile Oil but I think we got the non-spicy wontons in broth. Given what was coming, this might have been a better idea anyway...

Lamb in Dry Pot

This is one of my favorite things here, with tender lamb, mushrooms, onions, bamboo shoots, dried peppers and a TON of sichuan peppercorns. There's not really a sauce, but it sizzles pleasingly at the table, over a small burner.

Deep Fried Shredded Beef

The beef had a good chewy texture, and a slight sweetness, underneath a serious pepper burn. Strangely addictive, I kept grabbing another piece of this long after I was full. Han told us that this was good cold, as a snack with beer. I took some home, so I'll let you know...

Whole fish in spicy hot pot

Somehow I managed to get several pieces of fish with very few, or no bones, but everyone else at the table seemed to get pieces that were full of them. Once one picked around the bones, the fish had good flavor, and despite the red color, the sauce was not punishingly hot, it just had a background tingle.

Bok Choy with black mushrooms

Tiny little cabbages in a mild sauce offered a respite from the spice, and a refreshing crunch. The mushrooms were very tasty too.

Great stuff as usual. Especially now around New Year's, be sure to ask for recommendations, there may be some great specials that aren't written-down anywhere! I'm getting back there for some more homemade sausage before it goes away!

Edited January 25, 2008 by philadining (log)

[SaxChik]

i saw han dynasty was #43 on philly mag's top 50 restaurants.

[philadining]

Pork Chop Rice for lunch. Yowza, that made me very happy...

[philadining]

I've been grabbing take-out lunches from time to time, but sadly hadn't been here for dinner for a little while. Grabbed a few old favorites: the Chinese Sausage with Garlic, Noodles with Spicy Meat Sauce, Beef with Pickled Peppers, and Pork Stew.

It was all delicious as expected, especially that beef with pickled peppers, which was amazingly tender, behind a pleasingly blazing spice. I'd forgotten how much of the pig ends up in the pork stew! It had great flavor, but the tripe and intestines and pork blood, and various other ingredients might be a bit beyond the comfort zone for some folks. I'm pretty open to unfamiliar ingredients, but I just don't really enjoy the congealed blood thing... Still, I liked the broth, and many of the meats and vegetables, so I'm not recommending against ordering it, just be aware of what you're getting! It's huge, and really spicy, so if you have a group who likes that stuff, go for it!

The most exciting thing came for dessert. No, not the watermelon, which was indeed a welcome ending to a very spicy meal, but the name and address of a new place they've taken over in Royersford!

New Asian Bistro

70 Buckwalter Road

Royersford, PA 19468

(610)792-9600

Apparently our friend Han is up there overseeing things, and and they're very excited about their chef, who is from mainland China. I'm not sure where exactly, but I think I heard them say that he had been a cooking instructor over there...

I think they opened this new place specifically to be closer to Percy's house!

Edited September 22, 2008 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

..I think they opened this new place specifically to be closer to Percy's house!

WoooHooo!! They FINALLY listened to me!! Will go check them out soon (maybe tomorrow).

Edited September 23, 2008 by percyn (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

Now if they'd only open one in Center City. Percy, since you have so much pull in Han's relocation plans, can you drop him a hint or two?

[percyn]

Now if they'd only open one in Center City.  Percy, since you have so much pull in Han's relocation plans, can you drop him a hint or two? 

←

Actually, plans for another Han Dynasty located in Chinatown is in the works

Soon, the New Asian Bistro will be renamed to Han Dynasty as well.

Had a chance to swing by for lunch but since this was an impromptu visit, I had to rely on the blackberry camera.

While the space is a little smaller, the decor is a little more sleek, stylish and the decor (and food) seems to have a bit more finesse than the Exton location.

There are four branches of Sichuan cooking and while the Exton Han Dynasty specializes in Chengdu (spicier), the Royersford one features the slightly less spicy Chongqing(?) style.

I asked Han to get a couple dishes he recommends. A few minutes later he arrived with...

Pickled Cucumbers - Sweet, sour and refreshing

A variation of the Cold Chicken in Spicy Sauce - this dish was bold, but not overly spicy and left just a gently tingle on your tongue that Sichuan cuisine is famous for.

A few minutes later he came out with some Chinese bacon stir fried with leeks and peppers - similar to twice cooked pork, except this is not steamed, so it retails its porky flavor.

I also got some Porkbelly with preserved vegetables to go, which just melts in your pouth and I think the preserved vegetables had better flavor (less bitter) than the version I had from Exton.

A lot of bacon for one day (never thought I would say that). Can't wait to go back and try some other dishes.

Edited September 26, 2008 by percyn (log)

[philadining]

I was doing some errands in Exton a few days ago, and dropped into (the original) Han Dynasty for some take-out. Although we've been buzzing about the new place in Royersford lately, it's important to point out that the Exton branch is still excellent!

Everything was good, but the real highlight of my latest visit was the Deep-Fried Shredded Beef. It's every bit as good as the version we got a part of our extravaganza in Rofo. It's very spicy, but irresistibly addictive: just when I felt like I couldn't take any more spice, I found myself unable to stop eating it... It's perfect for absent-minded nibbling too, the beef is fairly dry, almost like a tender jerky, so it's easy to eat with your fingers, a piece or two at a time.

Just don't rub your eyes!!

This dish and a cold beer makes a perfect snack.

Edited March 6, 2009 by philadining (log)