[rbh]

Saw a "coming soon" sign for over by the TechWorld Bldg, facing 7th Street (btn I and Mass).
Nothing on their web site about it yet. Anybody know anything about this UK chain?

[mxyzptlk]

My wife and I have been to one in London, and it's a pretty nice place. I would think along the lines of Wagamamas, but with dim sum instead of noodles. And without the communal, picnic-bench-type seating. Decent (and freshly made) small food in a modern decor. Definitely a good addition to DC.

[goodeats]

Looked open on a random drive by recently - has anyone been yet?

[DonRocks]

goodeats, on 04 December 2009 - 11:32 PM, said:

Looked open on a random drive by recently - has anyone been yet?

Quote

Ping Pong Dim Sum, Chinatown - NOW OPEN!

[You have to admit that was fast.]

[goodeats]

DonRocks, on 04 December 2009 - 11:34 PM, said:

[You have to admit that was fast.]

Yep. Apparently too fast. Even I jumped the gun...chow talk. I guess it was a soft opening?? Sorry.

[DonRocks]

goodeats, on 04 December 2009 - 11:37 PM, said:

Yep. Apparently too fast. Even I jumped the gun...chow talk. I guess it was a soft opening?? Sorry.

Quote

Ping Pong Dim Sum, Chinatown - Opening Soon

[ ]

[FunnyJohn]

According to a reliable source it will open December 11

[ema]

FunnyJohn, on 05 December 2009 - 01:19 PM, said:

According to a reliable source it will open December 11

Looking at the photos, the characters "dim sum" are upside down. Is that on purpose or just there to match all the other chains sporting hideous signs in Chinese that looked like they were written by 8 year olds.

[FunnyJohn]

ema, on 07 December 2009 - 01:59 PM, said:

Looking at the photos, the characters "dim sum" are upside down. Is that on purpose or just there to match all the other chains sporting hideous signs in Chinese that looked like they were written by 8 year olds.

Or the contractor(s) who hung the characters aren't familiar with Mandarin

[ferment everything]

A friend of mine posted photos on Fb from dinner last night. These are non-restaurant-industry folks so I think it's safe to say that they're open to the general public now.

[wahoooob]

Yes they are open now - went by today for lunch. Prices are mostly $4.50 - $6, a few slightly higher. Items are mostly either traditional dim sum dishes, some with slight variations and then a few more contemporary "asian-flavored" choices.

We ordered a few of the different dumplings, rolls and rice. Overall the flavors were pretty good, sauces were flavorful and decent preparation of the dough.

Really my take on this place is that it is definitely catering towards a "trendy" vibe. While I enjoyed the food, I don't think I would go back mainly due to the price. Essentially everything is double normal prices say at Good Fortune. I would also say the flavors/ingredients are tweaked more to a Western palate.

[NCPinDC]

I went this weekend as well and would describe Ping Pong as a bar that serves dim sum. It seems to be intended as a see and be seen place. Food really seemed less important than drink. The drink menu is equally as long as the food menu.

The food did not meet my expectations, even for a first weekend run. The buns all had wax paper at the bottom that was difficult to remove. The vegetable options were all better than those with meat. In fact the veggie sticky rice was so good we ordered the special rice with meat and shrimp, which was crass.

I'd not go back unless it was for drinks.

[goodeats]

NCPinDC, on 13 December 2009 - 07:18 PM, said:

The buns all had wax paper at the bottom that was difficult to remove.

Just wanted to comment that this occurs at Chinese dim sum places and restaurants as well - so this shouldn't be a deterring factor. I've had my share of spitting out pieces of paper growing up, but something needs to go in-between the buns and steamer so it doesn't stick....

[TheMatt]

goodeats, on 13 December 2009 - 08:20 PM, said:

Just wanted to comment that this occurs at Chinese dim sum places and restaurants as well - so this shouldn't be a deterring factor. I've had my share of spitting out pieces of paper growing up, but something needs to go in-between the buns and steamer so it doesn't stick....

Cabbage leaves? Then again, maybe I say that because I'm the kind of guy that likes to eat the steamed bok choy you see in steamers...

[NCPinDC]

Many of the tables around us commented about the wax paper sticking to dim sum. It was odd because each basket had a circle of wax paper at the base which was in addition to the pieces that were stuck on the dim sum. I may not have eaten as much dim sum as others in my lifetime but I really do not recall the wax paper. To me, and I think the others with whom I was with, it indicated that the pieces had been overly steamed or poorly prepared in some manner so that the paper merged with the dim sum.

However, my main comment is that I think Ping Pong will be a great place to get a drink and have a light snack. The veggie dim sum were all really good, the meats I would not order again.

[ol_ironstomach]

It's fairly normal for the paper to stick to buns, particularly the breadier ones. I don't recall ever getting a barbecued pork steamed bun without it. And removing the paper does tend to tear the bottom of the bun open. Placing an additional layer of paper between each bun's paper base and the steamer is something I've never seen, though.

There are alternatives to the sticking paper. A better restaurant might use perforated parchment these days, which will perfectly release even sticky Cantonese delicacies like the one shown below. Also see my photos of xiaolongbao in the Toronto thread.

[NCPinDC]

ol_ironstomach, on 14 December 2009 - 09:44 AM, said:

It's fairly normal for the paper to stick to buns, particularly the breadier ones. I don't recall ever getting a barbecued pork steamed bun without it. And removing the paper does tend to tear the bottom of the bun open. Placing an additional layer of paper between each bun's paper base and the steamer is something I've never seen, though.

There are alternatives to the sticking paper. A better restaurant might use perforated parchment these days, which will perfectly release even sticky Cantonese delicacies like the one shown below. Also see my photos of xiaolongbao in the Toronto thread.

You know, that is what is interesting... the issue might have been that the wax paper caused the buns to tear open, and the dim sum to break open, when removing the paper. That's why it seemed they weren't prepared appropriately. Also, the paper at the bottom of the steamer may well have been the perforated parchment.

I thought Ping Pong was supposed to be a "better restaurant." The quality of meat in the pork bun and the sticky rice makes me think otherwise. But it sure is a pretty restaurant and the drink menu is nice.

[jburka]

My partner and I gave it a try last night before a movie and were relatively pleased. He, too, thought that the vegetables tended to be better than the meats, while I was only eating vegetarian fare. Props to the waitress who brought chili paste and chili oil to the table and mentioned, unbidden, that the oil had dried shrimp in it and thus wasn't vegetarian.

The vegetable steamed buns I ordered were delicious. The bamboo steamer had been lined with perforated parchment and the bun itself had paper on the bottom which was utterly painless to remove.

Our biggest complaint was probably with the backless seating. While it's fine for a quick bite to eat, it's really not the sort of thing that would make either of us want to linger over drinks -- odd, given how much they're pushing their wine, liquor, and tea menus.

[dcandohio]

jburka, on 18 December 2009 - 10:45 AM, said:

My partner and I gave it a try last night before a movie and were relatively pleased. He, too, thought that the vegetables tended to be better than the meats, while I was only eating vegetarian fare. Props to the waitress who brought chili paste and chili oil to the table and mentioned, unbidden, that the oil had dried shrimp in it and thus wasn't vegetarian.

The vegetable steamed buns I ordered were delicious. The bamboo steamer had been lined with perforated parchment and the bun itself had paper on the bottom which was utterly painless to remove.

Our biggest complaint was probably with the backless seating. While it's fine for a quick bite to eat, it's really not the sort of thing that would make either of us want to linger over drinks -- odd, given how much they're pushing their wine, liquor, and tea menus.

We were there last night too. It's a nice space, but I thought portions were tiny (even by dim sum standards). That speech about shrimp in the chili oil must be standard because we got it at the bar. Good thing, as SO has a seafood allergy. I didn't think anything was "can't wait to return" delicious. It would be fine for a quick snack, but after sharing 5 plates I was still hungry.

[Ericandblueboy]

DC has some pricey dim sum in comparison to NYC and Philly. A small order, such as shu mai, may run you $2.50 in DC whereas the same dish can be had for $1.75 in NYC and Philly. Ping Pong's shu mai costs $5. I haven't been there (nor am I likely to ever visit) but I don't get the sense that they give you twice as much food. My observation is that this isn't much different from PF Chang (i.e., overpriced westernized Chinese food).

Disclaimer: I'm a xenophobe when it comes to Chinese food. No need to rehash prior arguments.

[jburka]

Ericandblueboy, on 18 December 2009 - 11:40 AM, said:

My observation is that this isn't much different from PF Chang (i.e., overpriced westernized Chinese food).

Funny, my partner made a very similar comment as we were walking from Ping Pong back to the movie theater...he's been jonesing to take a Chinese friend to PF Changs for ages, just to hear him bitch about inauthenticity. He thought Ping Pong would serve a similar purpose.

[DonRocks]

NCPinDC, on 14 December 2009 - 07:53 AM, said:

Many of the tables around us commented about the wax paper sticking to dim sum.

ol_ironstomach, on 14 December 2009 - 09:44 AM, said:

It's fairly normal for the paper to stick to buns, particularly the breadier ones.

I had dessert last night at Ping Pong Dim Sum, and ordered the Valrhona Chocolate Buns ($5), two fluffy, rice-flour buns filled with a molten, dark-chocolate pureé, and served in a bamboo basket on paper. They are exactly as you might imagine, and there was nothing not to like about them.

There really is a high stickage factor between bun and paper, perhaps even more so than usual - I ended up picking up the buns with my chopsticks, and tearing off the paper with my left hand, while being met with a considerable amount of resistance - paper and bun having become one-and-the-same.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[The Hersch]

I think having two unrelated restaurants in Washington called Ping Pong is weird.

[Michael Landrum]

DonRocks, on 29 December 2009 - 02:38 PM, said:

There really is a high stickage factor between bun and paper, perhaps even more so than usual - I ended up picking up the buns with my chopsticks, and tearing off the paper with my left hand, while being met with a considerable amount of resistance - paper and bun having become one-and-the-same.

Please, dear god, for the sake of all that is decent and good and human, please let this be about food somehow...

[deangold]

Michael Landrum, on 29 December 2009 - 06:55 PM, said:

Please, dear god, for the sake of all that is decent and good and human, please let this be about food somehow...

Bun, not buns! Rest easy!

[ema]

I didn't like the atmosphere here. It was too trendy and too sterile. Dim sum is suppose to be casual, family friendly, loud, and cheap. I can do without the loud part, I can let the price slide if the food was phenomenal, but dim sum has to be family friendly and casual. Overall, the taste of the dim sum was better than I expected for a chain. The only major problem was the lack of ultimate flavor enhancer, pork fat in their dumplings. The steamed rice parcels suffered from the same problem with dry tasting rice. Traditionally, the meat in steamed rice parcel is suppose to be a fatty cut like the pork belly, so as the parcel steams, the fat melts and gets absorbed into the rice along with the meat juice, resulting in moist and tender rice. I will stick with the dim sum in the suburbs. Something are always better made the traditional way.

[jiveturk21]

I have no dim sum biases, I have only had it a few times, so I was pretty happy with our experience there last night. The chairs sucked and it was quite loud, but it was a lot of fun if that is what you are looking for, which we were last night. We got there right at 5:00 and I can say that the bar was already pretty crowded, when we left at 7:30, it was packed, there seemed to be a wait for tables as well, so it seems like they are doing pretty good business.

Looking back at the menu online now, I am pretty sure that we ate our way through most of it minus any soups, salads or vegetables, who needs that stuff. I don't remember there being any duds, but I also don't remember any highlights, it was just generally solid across the board. Personally, I didn't care for the desserts, but the others at the table loved them. I also tended to like the dumplings and the rice parcels (not dry last night) the most, and didn't like the fried items as much.

We did have an issue with the paper on the bottom with our very first dish, we tried to rip the dumpling out and it fell apart. I pointed that out to the waiter, he said that he would take care of it and we didn't have that issue the rest of the night. Not sure if they oiled the bottom of the dumplings a bit or if we jut got lucky, but we had no issues with it.

Overall, I think that it is a good place, but in that area filled with great places, it will have to work hard to keep people coming.