new harmony

new harmony
135 north 9th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 4520

type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 10
*recommended*

ah, finally dined at philly's best known and most often recommended vegan restaurant. harmony, or "new harmony" as it is now called (ownership changed recently), did not disappoint. my party of 4 began with wanton soup, scallion pancakes and stuffed taro. the soup was alright - nice broth and fresh greens, but the wantons lacked umph. the scallion pancakes were delicious, with a wonderful balance of crispy and soft. not too greasy either. the taro was pretty tasty, though i'm really not clear on what it was stuffed with - maybe a pea or two? mostly it was just deep fried taro. for the entrees, we split chicken with baby ginger, sesame chicken, orange beef and steak cube-hunan style. the first chicken dish was full of cauliflower, zucchini, pineapple and what i believe were small chunks of diced chicken-style soy protein in a thin, sweet and sour sauce. this was not as good as the sesame chicken, made from heavily battered and fried wheat gluten and served with broccoli. although a bit oily, the overall flavor was great. both "beef" dishes were delicious and varied. the orange beef was kind of crispy, with a tangy sweet flavor. the hunan steak was comprised of firm wheat gluten medallions in a medley of veggies. fortune cookies and fried bananas were complementary after the meal, but there was little room left after digging into three appetizers and four family sized entrees. sharing is recommended, unless you are looking for a week's worth of leftovers. also, harmony is apparently a good place for blind dates, as evidenced from the two cute boys getting to know each other at the table to our left.

another dinner at harmony yielded the following conclusions: hot & sour soup is thick and grody whether its vegan or not. spring rolls are lovely. walnut imitation jumbo shrimp is something i hope to never experience again - think chewy fake seafood slathered in a thick white sauce, oh the humanity. chicken with broccoli is very plain and chicken-like. harmony is rather hit or miss.