Flag Day

by Elisa Ludwig

No sooner had the Cambodian restaurant Angkor closed several months back, than a new restaurant, Chef Peter Chen Fusion Food, popped up in its place, with a bright awning and flags announcing the takeover. It posed an intriguing possibility, a different sort of dining option and possibly a challenge to Joseph Poon.

Peter Chen's business card features a drawing of a chef, presumably Chen himself, wielding flags from the U.S., Italy, China, Thailand and Korea. A special section of house specials is where many of these flags and the food they represent are hybridized. But on most of the menu items -- spring rolls, moo-shu chicken, vegetable fried rice -- the fusion is hard to detect. Fans of the departed Angkor may take heart, as Chen offers pho, vermicelli and French-style coffee with condensed milk.

My companion ordered wonton soup as a test (would it have coconut milk? Basil and lemongrass?), and it was pretty much the standard thing. The wonton was extra firm, verging on undercooked, but its broth was deeply flavorful. I was unable to resist the linguistic charm of the yum yum chicken wings, and we both enjoyed them immensely. These were the miniature wings and drumsticks usually Buffalo-ed, but here were deep-fried and given more of a spicy-sweet General Tso treatment.

Where, you might ask, does the Italian come in? Malaysian lo mein with green pepper, water chestnuts and sauteed shrimp had the golden-tinged look of curry, but tasted more like a primavera with the pasta steeped in tomato. You won't find anything like this a block over at Penang.

Part of the fun, we soon realized, of eating at Peter Chen is guessing what's what on your plate. Is that a flourish of Thai cooking, or a bit of Vietnamese technique? I ordered the Korean bulgogi, which, on the menu at least, gave no indication of being anything but the genuine article. But this was another fusion item, more like a beef stir-fry with vegetables than authentic barbecue. Despite having expected something different, I enjoyed it, though the rice beneath was a bit gluey.

We had yet another surprise at the end of our meal (Peter Chen has no dessert); we found that inside our fortune cookies were Snapple-sponsored witticisms. (I can understand facts under your bottle cap, but since when can an iced tea company lay claim to Confucian wisdom?) But my companion's read, "Hesitate and your check will be paid for," and mine read, "General Tso and you. BFF." They couldn't have been more accurate.

Chef Peter Chen Fusion Food

121 N. 11th St., 215-923-2438

Appetizers, $2.50-$4; entrees, $5.25-$14.50

Tue.-Thu., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sun., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations are not necessary. Cash only.

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