Ming’s

With its mix of classic Chinese dishes and new interpretations by way of Korea, this Langhorne, Pa., spot leaves diners with many reasons to return.

By: Amy Brummer

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   My biggest problem with Chinese food is that I want to eat everything, especially new things, but I also want to compare standards and favorites, such as sesame noodles and dumplings, each time I try a new restaurant. So when a Chinese restaurant goes beyond the typical menu, yet also offers house made noodles and dumplings, it can make for some tough choices. But we liked our meal at Ming’s so much, we returned a second time to try a couple of the dishes that had piqued our interest.
   This is the second location for owner Ming Wang, who has run a restaurant of the same name in Hatboro, Pa., for the past seven years. The Langhorne, Pa., location has been open for nearly a year, and despite its location on a busy stretch of Lincoln Highway, the interior is spare and serene with jade green walls, accented by the chocolate brown of the chairs and gold tones of the artwork. Two long dining alcoves flank the main room, which is lined with roomy, high-back booths; this is where we settled in for both of our meals.
   While the restaurant offers wine and beer (a full bar will be available by the end of May), we chose to drink tea with our dinner and enjoyed the strong, smoky brew served. To begin, we ordered the combination dumplings ($8.95) and an egg roll ($1.25) from a list that includes shrimp toast ($5.95), beef or chicken-on-a-stick ($5.95), a Chinese pizza ($2.95) and soups ranging from egg drop ($1.50) to shark fin ($13.95 for two).
   The steamed dumplings came with two of each kind — vegetable, chicken, pork, shrimp and fish. While each had a unique flavor and texture, they were wrapped in a whisper-light skin that imparted a similarly delicate, sophisticated quality. The egg roll reflected this as well, with a crisp, light exterior and a fresh, aromatic filling.
   For our main course, a bowl of Peking noodles ($7.95), prepared with an earthy, black bean sauce rich with garlic, onions, squash and shrimp, arrived with a pair of scissors, as the house made noodles are spectacularly long and can be unwieldy. Other homemade noodle dishes include sesame noodles ($7.95) and three soups with variations of seafood, meat, vegetables and egg ($7.95). The noodles are splendid — on our second visit, we tried the sesame noodles — and in both cases found them to be a pleasure with their toothsome elasticity and mildly nutty flavor.
   We also tried the dry roast chicken ($10.95), which can also be prepared with squid, scallop or shrimp ($10.95-$12.95), and its arrival provoked a neighboring diner to ask what it was so he could order it. Fragrant with pan-blackened spices and chilies, it was juicy and spicy, hot and sweet, and made us swoon from its intensity.
   At this point, Ming’s had us hooked. We returned for another visit when I had a yen for sesame noodles, and tried other dishes that had piqued our interest. An appetizer special, the bobo roll ($8.95), paid homage to the Korean influence in Ming’s dishes, which stems from his Parents’ migration from mainland China to Korea.
   "Like with pizza," Mr. Wang says, "it is different in America than in Italy. My parents learned to make Chinese food a little differently for Korean tastes, and that is why our food is different, not like anywhere else." The bobo roll employs a lettuce leaf wrapper, a popular preparation in Korean dining, and is served with a filling of ground pork, garlic, onions, ginger and water chestnuts that has meaty texture and depth.
   For entrees, we tried the striped duck meat stir-fried ($12.95), a "moo shu" version of duck, served with four pancakes, julienned vegetables and hoisin sauce. Hot braised beef, a tender sautée of thinly shaved meat and chilis in a deep brown sauce, was served over a bed of shredded lettuce, which served to cool its heat and add an extra dimension of texture.
   Throughout the meal, our waiter, with his quiet, pleasant demeanor, stopped by often to check our water glasses and see if we needed anything. For the most part we were content, only asking for chopsticks and another pot of tea.
   The one low point was the dessert. There are few choices, but we did try a scoop of green tea ice cream ($4), which appeared to have been thawed and refrozen at some point and had a sticky, gelatinous quality. It actually made us laugh out loud because the scoop kept rolling in the dish making it impossible to dip into until we held it down with one spoon and wrestled it with the other.
   That aside, we enthusiastically enjoyed our meals at Ming’s and the restaurant left us with many reasons to return. In addition to the standard Chinese menu items that will please those looking for familiar favorites, the specialty house dishes will intrigue diners looking for something new, so no one will have a problem finding something they like. And, to cover a few more bases, the restaurant will add a sushi bar in May.