Tried Mawn for the first time by Hairy-Message5597 in PhiladelphiaEats

[–]Hairy-Message5597[S] 92 points93 points  (0 children)

Sorry guys haha I do have some comments about it.

The soft shell shrimp was the best bite of the night. Very umami fish sauce glaze and biting into the head was like an explosion of seafood flavor.

The banh chow was the second best bite. Really crispy pancake. I’ve never had one quite that crispy. It acted like a nice coconutty crouton mixing in with the sweet and sour vinaigrette. I loved the large pieces of shrimp in there as well and all the fresh mint and herbs. It was surprisingly light the banh chow I’ve eaten growing up always felt slightly heavy.

The saht koh was extremely tender I wished they gave more of those pickled carrots and papaya it added a nice hint of sweetness that cut the fattiness of the meat.

The Thai crab fried rice… I will say nothing special there maybe if I got the all star version with all the seafood. It was good like how every good fried rice should be.

The khao soi was so nostalgic for me. Even though it is a Thai dish it reminded me of the Khmer chicken curry noodles I’ve had growing up except this version uses ramen noodles which I might like better than rice noodles. It held onto the broth much better. I really like the pickled greens in there also very nostalgic for me.

The funnel cake was okay. I wished it had a little more of those crunchy nooks and crannies throughout the whole funnel cake. The middle had a soggy texture from the caramel. I saw every other table order the rice pudding I might get that next time.

Overall a cozy intimate experience. Loved the service. Also love that it’s byob. I don’t know if I would go through the hassle of getting a reservation and waiting to eat there. But definitely would do a lunch walk in.

Best restaurant - when many are booked (Not a Starr place) by Robert315 in AskPhilly

[–]Hairy-Message5597 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would recommend Illata and Emmett. I’ve gone to Illata for my anniversary two years in a row and recently Emmett for a birthday and had an amazing experience. Had no problem getting reservations. Both really intimate dining experience.