Sampan

The restaurant was nice and pretty. However; the atmosphere was very loud and overstimulating. You can find yourself having a tough time having an intimate experience as the tables didn’t have much personal space from one another. As for the food, it was delicious and my steak was cooked to perfection. I would suggest to sauté the garlic a little bit longer to give it more flavor. The short ribs lo mein had an unexpected sweet taste that was not mentioned on the menu description but it was very good and still enjoyed it! The drinks were amazing, flavorful and will catch you by surprise.

Went to Sampan on a Saturday night with no reservation and was told it’d be a little over a two-hour wait. They texted us after about an hour, and when we came back, we were seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen. At first I was annoyed it wasn’t a regular table, but it ended up being a great spot to eat and watch them prepare the food. I had the edamame dumplings, roasted broccoli, salmon entrée, and Korean beef BBQ — all absolutely delicious. One of the most consistently great spots in Philly.

Our waitress was super nice and the food came out very fast, almost too fast lol. The tasting menu is the best way to get a feel for everything, the wagyu beef and the mushroom shumai are must haves. The restaurant can be on the loud side so it might not be great for a first date, but good for a group of friends or an established couple.

Let me tell y’all something… I came to Sampan tonight as a party of one, and from the moment I said “table for one,” it felt like I had announced I was there to inspect the fire extinguishers. Now, let me be fair. I’m a huge fan of the owner, which is exactly why this review hurts my feelings more than it should. They sat me at the prep station bar, which was fine. I actually enjoy dining alone. What I don’t enjoy is sitting there so long waiting for service that I started learning the employees’ schedules through observation. When service finally arrived, my table wasn’t fully set, I had no napkin, and nobody seemed particularly interested in making sure I was having a good experience. I ordered the chef’s tasting menu thinking I was about to go on a culinary journey. Turns out it was more of a culinary Uber ride. Fast, confusing, and over before I knew what happened. No questions about whether I’d been there before. No recommendations. No explanation. My server was moving so fast I felt like I was trying to catch instructions during a fire drill. The ceviche was okay. The cheesesteak bao had less flavor than a corporate training video. And somehow it was greasy enough to leave my hands looking like I’d just finished helping at Jiffy Lube. The problem? No napkin. I had to ask the host for one. At that point, I started feeling like I was participating in a social experiment. Most of the tasting menu was forgettable. Then came the bronzino. Listen… That bronzino walked out of the kitchen like Martin showing up at the last minute to save the episode. The fish was outstanding. The string beans were excellent. For a brief moment, I thought we were back in business. The pork chop was pretty good too. Then the kimchi fried rice showed up and immediately reminded me why we were in trouble. I’ve had that dish before and loved it. Tonight it tasted like the recipe and the seasoning had gotten into an argument and stopped speaking to each other. I sent it back. By dessert, I was emotionally detached from the relationship. I respectfully declined and asked for the check. Maybe they were having an off night. Maybe they were understaffed. Maybe solo diners aren’t their target audience. I don’t know. What I do know is that bronzino fought for its life tonight. That fish was in there working overtime, covering shifts, training new employees, and trying to save the entire restaurant by itself. Unfortunately, even MVPs can’t win every game. Sadly, this will be my last visit.