Bing Bing Dim Sum — Restaurant in Philadelphia

It's not a bad place but the fact of the matter is that you can find a better version of everything I ordered somewhere else. I feel it would be nothing short of asinine if I didn't describe and follow through with what I ordered and what is better. So with that being said let's begin.

The wings: Ironically are inferior to the product of the sister restaurant chu noodles. I don't understand the over "cilantrofication" of things that are supposed to mirror dim sum. If you need a lot of cilantro just cross the street to Los cabalitos because they have plenty. They're not bad but in shadow of chu's noodles and especially pok pok they are forgetable at most.

fried cauliflower: it's missing body. the cauliflower is a light flavor to begin with and it's heavily infused with citrus, without another flavor to balance it out is becomes a lemon suckling contest. Something savory or creamy would have beneficial, even something as little as more salt. Again not bad but is really the sour cousin of the zahav fried cauliflower.

turnip cake: aka "hey look we made this into a pancake, we hope you like continental breakfast" I love turnip cake, and this is anything but. Have you ever reached for a cup of sprite and it turned out it was water or vice versa and you immediate reaction was that you were poisoned because you were mentally primed for the other. well that is the turnip cake here, I was reaching for the turnip cake and got pancake and thought it was poison.

the bao: Honestly, this one is my fault and I can't blame them for this one it says it right in the name pastrami and swiss bao. Pretty much a sign saying "hey this is anything but dim sum or chinese. what are you doing?!" It's a deli sandwich hot pocket and I'm the idiot cause it says as much.

I can't call this dim sum though and that maybe my short coming based on my predisposition because food is about taking chances. I just couldn't go this far down the rabbit hole in order to enjoy the food. Maybe I'm silly and just getting snobby in my old age or maybe an idealist but it wasn't for me. I appreciate the effort and risk taken to try to make something new but sometimes things are really old for anfgenre reason ...

Initially I enjoyed this place for its cheesesteak bao and caterpillar bread but I don't do well with being lied to in my face. On the evening of Friday, March 27, 2022, I tried to get seated for a party of 3. The host stated that the restaurant was busy and wouldn't be able to accommodate us but open to doing takeout - I agreed. The order wasn't started yet when I arrived so I went inside to use the bathroom while my family stood outside. I asked again at the desk upon entering if anything freed up; the host said no. While in the bathroom, the same host seated a White couple outside next to the entrance that came in AFTER us and said out loudly "You came just in time. Someone just canceled." My husband and teenage son both heard it. Typically I try to avoid worrying bad reviews but it was the doubling down on the lie that pushed me to write something. When I questioned why didn't she offer us that table, she lied to my face and said they had a reservation. She even tried to talk over me with this lie as I canceled my takeout order. I have 10+ years in the food industry and I tend to have a lot of grace for people in the service industry because it's not easy dealing with the public - this was disrespectful to me and my family. I will not say it was racially motivated but it did feel that way in hindsight. We had two similar interactions here before that when we asked for indoor dining but I brushed it off. I rated 3 stars because the food is decent and I don't think the back of house staff should be faulted for a terrible experience with a hostess. At the very least, don't double down on the lie. It could've been an oversight. I'm severely disappointed...

A friend of mine from New York was in for a conference, and I decided to take him to Passyunk to check out the scene and have some dinner. We chanced upon Bing Bing and ended up having a great experience and a delicious and flavorful dinner. When we arrived we were told it would be about 45 minutes to be seated, so, I gave my number and we were ready to wait. Just then, Mike came out from the back and said that he could probably seat us in about 15 minutes. That sounded good, so we went outside to wait, and a minute later, Mike said he could seat us at a communal table if we don't mind. We didn't mind and sat right down. After the server took our order, Mike came over and said a table for two opened up. So we went from 45 minutes, to 15 minutes, to right now, to private table. That treatment alone should merit a five-star review. Then the food came. Wow. I had the Everything Bing Bread and spicy Sichuan cucumbers. It was like an explosion of flavors and textures in my mouth. I followed that up with the Mapu Tofu Chow Fun. If it came in a bowl five times the size, I would have munched it down myself and asked for...