As many of our devoted GT blog readers know, I am a complete foodie. Whenever I get the chance to try a new restaurant, I jump on it. Coming from the Midwest and spending a decent amount of time in Chicago, I really didn’t think any city could provide better cuisine. The minute I moved to Philadelphia, I knew I was in for a surprise. I blogged about a macaron cooking classes at COOK in Philadelphia and eating at various restaurants around the city like Zahav (which I highly recommend, if you haven’t been yet). I recently visited a restaurant I have been curious about for a year.

This week, I went with my good friend Ali (who is also a foodie — check out her blog at http://yummybites.tumblr.com) to a restaurant located on 13th Street between Walnut Street and Sansom Street called Sampan. I walked past the restaurant multiple times (on my way to another great restaurant, El Vez) and have never gone in. They have a signature graffiti bar that looks like a blast and usually catches my attention.

Ali and I started our meal with a delicious glass of pinot grigio, followed by shishito peppers, which were grilled and tossed with kosher salt. From there, we tried General Tso soup dumplings and edamame dumplings; both were absolutely delicious. Ali and I split the most flavorful pad thai I had in a long time and then finished our meal with miniature ice cream cones. See below for pictures of our meal. The only thing missing is the pad thai — we were so excited, we forgot to take a picture!

— Lindsay Gruen, digital account executive