For those who enjoy dim sum cuisine but don’t always want to traverse the crowds of Chinatown for those flavors, a new spot is open in Rittenhouse Square promising to pleasure your palate. Dim Sum House, the brainchild of mother-son duo Jane Guo and Jackson Fu, celebrated its grand opening on Thursday at 19th and Chestnut streets. A sprawling space, the restaurant features dishes like pork soup dumplings, dan dan noodles, roast pork bao, Peking duck, pork belly and mustard greens, hot and sour soup, and many more.
This is not the first time Dim Sum House opened at this location – their second in the city. Locals around Rittenhouse Square may remember the original restaurant for being the first in the area to offer original Szechuan cuisine. In 2012, Guo and Fu served up spicy, aromatic flavors native to the Sichuan region of China.
In October, Dim Sum House sustained a kitchen fire, rendering it shuttered for four months because of smoke damage to most of the property. It set them back from reopening sooner than they expected. Four months of revamp and rehabilitation and Guo and Fu are now open with the same concept that they have at their University City location.
“We felt that now would be a pretty good time to remold our concept…And redefine [ourselves] every few years and keep up with new trends. We felt that it was a good move to focus on the Dim sum aspect,” Fu told dosage Magazine.
Inside Dim Sum House, guests can expect to find a delicately designed, expansive restaurant and bar with 4,000 square feet of space and seats for 120 inside and 20 outside.
A big boasting point is the 8-lb. Norwegian whole king crab done three ways, which is currently sold for $450 and requires 24-hours advanced ordering.
Guo and Fu also introduced new vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, including honey vinegar spare ribs, vegetable soup dumplings, garlic seaweed salad and stir-fried brussels sprouts.
At the bar, look for a full line of spirits, wine and beer. They also play old-school Kung fu and martial arts movies while you’re drinking.
Asked if they were worried about any competition with so many dim sum offerings in nearby Chinatown, Fu said no way. Fu’s wife and Guo’s daughter-in-law, Sally Song, owns the award-winning Dim Sum Garden at 10th and Race streets.
“We’ve had so many loyal followers and social media messages and Facebook posts about when we would reopen again, and, obviously, we know our proximity to Chinatown,” he said.
“I believe that Philly is a big enough city that it has enough unique neighborhoods that you still have people [who] will come to us whether you’re coming home from work or you’re staying in that [Rittenhouse] neighborhood…And there have been a lot of people who have moved in as well with all the new high rises…”
“We’ve always felt that in the nine years that we’ve been in this location prior that we’ve had a solid following that we wouldn’t have to compete too much with the Chinatown market.”
Check out the full menu of the new Dim Sum House here.
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