November 22, 2012
Sakura Mandarin, Philadelphia PA
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Spicy Stir-Fry Pot
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A second afternoon of wondering around Chinatown, Dad and I settled on the bright and friendly Sakura Mandarin. It was a cute fusion of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. I love a clean and happy little place.
Their special was the Spicy Stir-Fry Pot. It is essentially a vegetable base with various meat and protein additions, all stir-fried together in the wok in a Sichuan style. So many tables had a huge wooden bowl on the table, shared between everyone. It looked so tempting. For $7, you get the base, and then each additional topping is $5 (minimum four kinds). The base includes long mini mushrooms, green kelp, yuba, bean sprouts, lotus root slices, black wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, and wide clear noodles. In addition, we ordered sliced lamb, squid, fish fillet, and jumbo shrimp. They were quite generous with the meat and they were tender and succulent. The mild spice was plenty flavourful, with quite a kick, though I could have gone for a medium. I loved the variety of vegetables and it was certainly enough for two. Such a kick… so satisfying!
