#BING BING DIM SUM OPEN TABLE FULL#
#BING BING DIM SUM OPEN TABLE TV#

These fresh, frosty ideas help business at a time when every incoming dollar counts. Darragh expects these frozen soup kits will be just as well-received as the dumplings. “It’s kind of like a create-your-own ramen kit, you can add all the toppings and veggies you like,” he says. Cheu specializes in Asian-inspired noodle soups, and soon they’ll be offering their broths (brisket flavored, miso, and coconut) frozen as well, along with the renowned ramen brand Sun Noodles served with them. On the other side of Philadelphia, in Fishtown, one of Darragh and Puchowitz’s other restaurants, Cheu, is also getting into the frozen food game. “We also give instructions for baking them in the oven,” he says. The cheesesteak bao buns will be frozen at that stage (right after steaming) so diners can enjoy them as Darragh does after a couple minutes in the microwave. It’s chewy, cheesy deliciousness,” he says. “But I like them best fresh out of the steamer. In the restaurant, the bun is steamed, chilled, and then deep fried before serving. “Our cheesesteak bao bun is next,” says Darragh. In the coming weeks, Darragh and Puchowitz plan to add other frozen options. In many cases, they are adding on two or more orders of the dumplings.

#BING BING DIM SUM OPEN TABLE FULL#

Plus, the $9 item has boosted check averages, according to Darragh, who estimates around 70 percent of those who order them are tacking the dumplings on to a full dinner order. The frozen soup dumplings made their debut on the menu in early December, and they now sell out every day.įeedback on the new format of the dish has been favorable diners love getting takeout for one night and then having those soup dumplings stashed away in the freezer for a rainy day. Bing Bing updated its systems to set up an online store, which “made it easy,” says Darragh. If you steam them too long, the dumplings pop,” says Darragh, whose kids were happy to help taste test as many as required. If the heat is too high, the dumplings pop. “We spent a lot of time freezing them and then working on foolproof cooking instructions. For Bing Bing Dim Sum in Philadelphia, the deep freeze offered an ideal solution to their soup dumpling problem. New York City food market favorite Balkan Bites now sells its burek frozen, as does Manhattan Italian restaurant I Trulli with pasta kits that come with frozen sauce and pasta. The pandemic has accelerated this trend as restaurants look for new takeout and delivery options for getting their best-loved dishes to diners in a different way.

#BING BING DIM SUM OPEN TABLE TV#

For years now, grocery store freezer sections have offered more appetizing choices than the old-school TV dinner, and restaurants have been making their most freezer-friendly specialities, like French pastries and Neapolitan pizzas, available to those who want to stock up for a while. Despite its stodgy, ’50s-era reputation, frozen food is not what it used to be. The frozen product | Photo: Bing Bing Dim SumĮnter the freezer. So it was important to find a way to make the most beloved dishes, like those dumplings, more available. Independent of frequently changing local regulations, Darragh and Puchowitz never reopened the dining rooms in their three restaurants, sticking to takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining. It’s a problem that the kitchen staff has been trying to solve since May, when the restaurant reopened after the initial COVID shutdown this spring. They just don’t travel well, he says, and even in the middle of a pandemic, no concessions will be made when it comes to quality on his watch. But COVID has meant a major shift to takeout, and chef Ben Puchowitz refuses to offer soup dumplings to-go. The popular Philadelphia Chinese restaurant’s signature menu item-savory ground pork and spices in a concentrated broth barely contained by a delicate, house-made wrapper-is among the most ordered at the five-year-old restaurant.īefore the pandemic, dumpling diehards got these bundles of broth the only place they were served: the Bing Bing dining room. The people wanted soup dumplings, and they wanted them delivered. Until recently, Bing Bing Dim Sum ’s Instagram inbox was full of complaints and demands.

Bing bing dim sum open table