Buddakan

Olde City, Philadelphia --We went here for Restaurant Week ($35/person for a 3 course meal) but were only able to get a reservation for 9:15PM, even though we called two weeks in advance. Right when we walked in, the ambiance was very chic and the women who frequented this establishment were HOT. Also, the jauns who work there were HOT too. You could tell that the normal dinner crowd was the "posh, young, whippicle, after-work crowd." Here is a breakdown of our dining selections:

For the appetizer, we got the grilled octopus and the tea-soaked spare ribs. The grilled octopus had that really nice grilled smell and taste to it but was way too salty. Although, it helped that the two sauces it came with somewhat balanced out the flavors. It was also a very small serving (4 little kernels of octopus for $16?! Ridiculous!). On the other hand, the spare ribs were very tender and were full of flavor. For an appetizer, you get a lot of food because it comes with cole slaw and chips as well.

Next, for the entree, we ordered the hot and sour scallops and the grilled lamb chops. The scallops were cooked to a perfection and the sawce ( sweet corn, tofu, black mushrooms) that came with it was very delicious and unique. Obviously, I (Louie) was not tryna with the four scallops that were prepared because I'm all about quantity. I'm a grown ass man and I need a lot of food. Actual retail price? $27 for 4 measly scallops...Furthermore, Steph got the lamb chops, which came with Chinese eggplant, garlic sauce, and Thai basil pesto. The lamb chops were good, but the eggplant side dish was actually more enjoyable. As far as quantity goes, the plate was gigantic and the quantity of food was more than the scallop dish.

Finally, dessert! We got the dimsum donuts and the crying chocolate cake. You get six donuts covered in cinnamon sugar with three types of dipping sawces (chocolate, gingered cream cheese, and African American-berry jam). Pretty average if you ask me. The crying chocolate cake, on the other hand, came with a side of Vietnamese coffee ice cream and was topped with powdered sugar. Once you dipped your spoon into the cake, the center melted all over the plate with ooey gooey goodness. The outside was a rich chocolate cake and the inside was a huge pocket of hot fudge with crunchy chocolate bits. Delicious!

Overall grade:

B (Louie) - The food was very well prepared but I thought the dishes were a little bit too salty for my liking. This is a good place to take a girl on a date because she'll love the atmosphere and you can impress her with the big CA$HMONEY you will be shelling out to pay for the meal.

A- (Steph) - :) I like dessert. Definitely go for restaurant week. We only paid $70 for what would've been a $120 meal (not including drinks)