Dumplings are made right in front of you at Ding Feng Tang, Chinatown’s newest restaurant
Ding Feng Tang, boasting a glassed-in dumpling kitchen, has a casual air and drinks, which could mean a fun night out for groups of friends.
Karaoke used to be a thing in Chinatown, but now? It’s the same old song. It’s everywhere, restaurateur Jack Chen was saying the other day.
The owners of Tango, a multilevel club on Arch Street in the heart of Chinatown, decided to close its first-floor karaoke bar. That’s when Chen and fellow restaurateurs Kenny Poon and David Taing stepped in. Among the three of them, they own a dozen restaurants in town — Chen has Bai Wei and the A La Mousse dessert shops, and Poon and Taing have interests together in Chinatown Square, Miss Saigon, and the Ebisu store next door, while Poon founded the Tea Do bubble-tea shops and is the local franchisee of Bonchon chicken.
Together with Annie Chi, they’ve opened Ding Feng Tang on Tango’s first floor. The sign went up and the Instagram page went live on Dec. 13..
Grand opening is Dec. 23. The menu — set up in checklist style and being refined as they go — is a mix of Taiwanese food and Shanghai soup dumplings, with Beijing-style skewers, all reflecting the partners’ travels.
Walk inside, and hang a sharp right. They’ve kept the shimmering-red bar and its four side-by-side TVs tuned to sports. Through a small dining room is a glassed-in room, where two workers make dumplings all day, much like Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao is doing in Cherry Hill.
Ding Feng Tang’s main room, with its large tables and projected screens of Chinese scenery, is in the rear. The casual digs and drinks translate to a fun night out for groups of friends.
You can get your bao on — steamed chicken, pork, and crabmeat and pork soup dumplings, panfried pork soup buns, Taiwanese-style shumai, and chicken wonton in chili oil. Most dishes are made as quickly as the workers can pinch and roll them.
Poon is particularly keen on the West Lake beef soup, a light egg drop soup with ground beef that he said he had trouble finding in Philadelphia.
Entrees include stir-fried Chinese broccoli, fried rice, and fried noodle dishes, “Grandma rolls” (a DIY wrap situation with pork belly, dry bean curd, ginger, bean sprouts, mushroom, chive, and carrots), shredded beef with chile pepper, and tropical chicken inside a half of a pineapple for $15.95. Top ticket item overall is Peking duck ($29.95 half, $58.95 whole).
There’s a full bar list, including fruity cocktails such as a mule, lychee spritz, and a sweet-and-spicy chile “mangorita.”
Ding Feng Tang, inside Tango at 1021 Arch St. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesday. ADA accessible.