Dim Sum House By Jane G's - Rittenhouse — Restaurant in Philadelphia

On Friday 2/21/2020, I had dinner at Dim Sum House, and of course had dim sum. Dim sum is offered the entire day and not just between the hours of 11:00am – 3:00pm. The interior of the restaurant was really beautiful. As my friend and I are looking for an alternative to Joy Tsin Lau which is now permanently closed, we were truly excited to see if we like this restaurant enough to become regulars as we were to Joy Tsin Lau which we frequented from the late 80s until it closed in 2019. I arrived around 5:00pm as was quickly seated and given the menu to order my selections, which now appears to be done on a paper where you check off what you want to eat. I selected shrimp and chive dumplings, shrimp dumplings, sticky rice steamed in a banana leaf and a half of peking duck. (My friend and I shared the sticky rice and peking duck. I must tell you, the food was absolutely delectable, and tasted exactly like the dim sum at Joy Tsin Lau, I actually wondered if the cook at Dim Sum House was the cook at Joy Tsin Lau. The shrimp dumplings were to die for, steamed to perfection with juicy shrimp inside and a tender flavorful wrapper that was not thick and completely steamed for consumption. The chive and shrimp dumplings which are fried, was fried perfectly on both sides with large tasty shrimp inside. The sticky rice was superb as the banana leaf lends a delicious flavor to- the rice, as other dim sum restaurants steam the sticky rice in a lotus leaf. The meat inside the sticky rice was nice and fresh and again there were whole nice size shrimp in the center. Lastly, the peking duck was just so delicious, it was tender and juicy and the skin was so crispy but the best part was that it was not greasy. Also, accompanying the duck was delicious plum sauce for dipping the duck which was reminiscent of Trudy Ball’s Empress Lounge for me which was another restaurant I loved from many years ago which is no longer in business. Plum sauce and peking duck is a pairing that just tastes so good together. The serving staff although very friendly, left something to be desired. We both ordered identical items but only one of each item was brought to us. Why give two people forms to order but only bring one, only because the identical items were requested? But that was ok because my order was quickly brought to me after I advised that I didn’t receive my orders. But most, disappointing, had quite a large quantity of food and were constantly eating, but we kept being asked repeatedly if we wanted take out boxes. That was the rudest thing I have ever experienced and have been to other dim sum restaurants and have never been treated in this way. We were asked if we wanted take out boxes so many times, it actually became annoying. We even looked around to see if any other people were being asked this and it appeared we were the only people being treated as such. We frequented Joy Tsin Lau since 1989 and have never been rushed out of the establishment. We have never been rushed out of Nom Wah. This was a deal breaker for me to become a regular dine in customer at Dim Sum House. My friend had even called in advance and obtained a reservation for us. It was so disconcerting that finally I just wanted to leave because of the constant checking to see if we were ready to leave, and I requested my check and asked that the duck I was eating be put in a takeout container. I was brought the check and to add insult to injury, it wasn’t until I was a block away from the restaurant that I realized I wasn’t given the take out container with my duck, which was the entire leg and lots of carved pieces. So my review of Dim Sum House is a mixed review. I may just order take out if that is available. Again, the food is phenomenal and there are many dishes on hand in addition to the dim sum menu. If you are a person who can tolerate being asked every fifteen minutes if you would like take out containers, then this is the place for you. Phenomenal cuisine, service less than desired.Tea $5 a pot for jasmine tea with teabags instead...

So we decided to try a new soup dumpling place in Philadelphia. this was a great alternative to the one we go to on Race Street. We tried some of the same items, and here are my thoughts.

Scallion pancakes were very tasty and right out of the kitchen as they came out within minutes of our order. We followed that with the vinegar and honey ribs. which were just ok, not the best but flavorful wish they were a little sweeter. There was no vinegar taste at all, which I was concerned at first, but I was relieved to have had these pull off the bone ribs. Then came the assortment of dumplings. Spicy pork soup dumplings, and a tin of crab and pork soup dumplings. Very tasty and full of meat. the challenge you have with these is if you make the dumplings to thin on the dough, the soup leaks out. These were a little thicker, so they stayed together. The final order of shrimp dumplings was perfect. lots of shrimp with very light doughy outside. Our server was great. kept our drinks full, and she checked on us several times. Place had a bar on the inside, with lobster tanks and a wall of wine. nice inside space, plus outside area and seating available. Noisy when they were half full, with an eclectic ambiance and interesting walls. Wish I could eat more as all was so delicious. I would come back when I am closer to this place next time in town. Update One year later... July 2024 We are back in Philly and wanted to give this place a second chance as last time there was a gee things that they needed better. Inside has a full bar and fish tanks for the freah seafood. Maleah, our server, was very helpful in choosing the best dishes. We started with the spicy pork.soup dumplings, this dumpling was made perfectly with a thicker dough to be easier to lift up without breaking. Followed by a chili oil wontons and then the scallion pankakes and shrimp dumplings then came the Sichuan string beans, and finally, the Singapore mi fun with chicken and shrimp. ( made with curry) All were suggestions from Maleah, which were perfect choices for us. She was terrific and knew the menu well. Each item had its own special flavor and texture. and each dumpling was so unique. I am so glad I came back to give this place a second chance. The crazy thing was how fast the old is served. Suggestions. order one item at a time to have a nice long meal. Otherwise, it comes...

Jane G's is a nice Chinese restaurant sitting on a corner until you walk in and meet Kevin and taste the food. Then you know you have walked into a gem restaurant. While we were sitting there my husband read some of the reviews and they weren't good. I didnt see the place as dirty but I was like what did we get ourselves into. Thankfully we dont always go by reviews because we found a treasure that we will patronize each & every time we come back and we are making it our business to come back just because of Kevin and the delicious food. The first night we usually go with what you know just to see how it compares so hubby went with Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken and I went with House Special Lomein. The Pineapple Fried Rice was so tasty and had a nice kick to it. Nothing overwhelming but it let's you enjoy the spice without heartburn. The House Special Lomein was tastier than I've ever tasted, shrimp, beef and chicken were good and they were all evenly distributed, I had just as much shrimp as I did everything else and that's not usually how you get it. The gingerale was excellent as well. Sometimes you get gingerale and it's sweet, not enough seltzer or even a funny taste to it; this was a strong clean tasting gingerale. It's the little things that mean a lot. Kevin talked with us and told us about things we might want to order according to what we were talking about. We left & came back tonight where I ordered the chicken/mushroom dumplings (soo tasty) then hubby ordered hot boiled sauce with fish/white rice and I ordered the garlic sauce with fish; both dishes were really Delicious. We had the red bean & coconut ice cream that were both amazing. We wish we were staying longer to get in another visit because Jane G's is such a beautiful cozy restaurant made with great dark wood and dragons and a nice staff and Kevin. If you are in the area stop in and you may feel that you found a gem like we did. Ask for Kevin and just let him know the couple from NY gave him and his restaurant a...