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Michael O'Halloran to bring Hong Kong street food to NoLibs
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Michael O'Halloran to bring Hong Kong street food to NoLibs
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| Neon eats: Hong Kong or NoLibs? |
Bistro 7 chef/owner Michael O'Halloran will take over the former Sovalo space at Second and Fairmount with Kong, an ode to the legendary street food of Hong Kong.
Kong will feature housemade noodles in four or five dishes, braised duck, lamb, pork belly and short ribs in steamed buns, as well as lots of starters and vegetarian choices in small and shareable plates.� A draft and bottled beer list of Asian brews and local craft beer will accompany a small, focused wine list and full bar. Expect sidewalk seating and the full-length front windows to be opened to create an indoor-outdoor effect. Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch will all be served, as well as a late-night menu until 1 a.m.
NoLibs is rife with gastropubs serving a younger, casual clientele who can't get enough of craft beer and inexpensive, well-prepared pub food � a fact not lost on O'Halloran. "This food is so good with beer," he says. "There's nothing dainty about it. The spicy food is very spicy, the braised meats are succulent, falling off the bone."
So why Hong Kong street food? O'Halloran filled us in on his motives:
My wife's mother is from Hong Kong, so we go visit her family there frequently. There are huge outdoor markets called dai pai dong, which have tons of stalls of really eclectic cuisine. After World War II, many war widows needed a way to earn a living, so the government issued food-selling tickets. Dai pai dong literally means "big ticket market." So this was the first time domestic home cooking was available in a commercial setting � they are often called the poor man's nightclub. Philadelphia has dim sum, noodle shops, Joe's Peking Duck ... restaurants that are as good or better than the restaurants in Hong Kong, but there's no representation of street food. We've been playing with this concept for awhile, but at Bistro 7 there's no liquor license. I'm super excited to get into this project. It's just FUN food, and a very casual atmosphere � it's such a great, vibrant neighborhood.
Kong will open in early July at 702 N. Second Street.
[...] RELATED: Michael O’Halloran to bring Hong Kong street food to NoLibs [13May09] [...]
[...] restaurant (702 N. Second St.), will open to the public the first week of August. As in — soon! Felicia D got the details from O’Halloran back in May. More on Meal Ticket before you know [...]
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