(bright cheerful music) - [Kae Lani] Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano.

Each week three different guests recommend their favorite restaurants, then try each other's picks and come together to tell us what they think right here on "Check, Please!"

Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano and welcome to "Check, Please," the show where regular people from all over the Philadelphia area recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So here's how it all works.

Every week we have three guests.

Each guest recommends their favorite restaurant, and then the other two go check them out to see what they think.

This week librarian Bart Everts wants you to check out the vegan comfort food at his pick.

But mechanical engineer Matthew Erickson says for a quick and spicy taste of Sichuan, there is nowhere better than their pick.

Up first, though, registered nurse and content creator Georgie Sipala is obsessed with the exceptional Cambodian food at her BYOB spot.

For a cozy vibe over a warm bowl of noodles, she heads to Mawn.

- [Phila] I'm Phila Lorn.

I am the chef-owner of Mawn.

We started, quite honestly, as a makeshift restaurant.

We wanted to find a way to own our own time.

I grew up in a house where my mom cooked every single day, every single meal, and I wanted to help her out, take some load off of her.

So I started to cook at an early age.

After high school, I tried to stay out of trouble.

I got a food runner job and I was pretty good at it.

I used to mise out the soup station.

You had to perfectly dice tofu, scallion, and make sure there's seaweed.

And one day the manager came in, and she said, "Did a chef cut those scallions?"

And I was like, "Nah, but I guess I'll be a chef."

And what makes us special is that there's no genre, there's no borders.

It's an eclectic restaurant.

From a menu standpoint, I make food that I grew up with and also what we want to eat.

There's aspects and inspiration from Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, a lot from Laos, Vietnam, Burma.

So I really hope people leave this restaurant with a sense that we really care about what we do.

So Mawn is actually Jawn with an M. No, it is not.

So mawn means chicken in Cambodian.

My mom once told me a story how, running through the jungles during the war, they would have to eat crazy things.

A lot of it was just salt and rice.

But if you saw someone eating chicken, it means the gunfire stopped.

So mawn represents peace time and it represents peace time in our careers too.

- Georgie, Mawn is the no rules noodle house.

Why did you pick it?

- It is one of the best new restaurants in Philadelphia.

It's an absolute flavor bomb.

I'm obsessed with it.

Just from the moment you walk in, it's super cozy.

The food is incredible.

It's perfect for sharing and ordering lots of things, and that's the best way to do it.

- There are so many signature dishes on the menu, and I'm so glad that you started off with a low key one.

It's the head on soft shell shrimp.

- Yes, that is one of their fan favorites I found out, and it is one of my personal favorites.

It is succulent and sweet.

And I wasn't sure, head on, I've never done that before.

And so it was the first time I tried it like that and it was absolutely incredible.

So much flavor.

- And Bart, our correspondent, our vegan correspondent here, you had the Burmese melon salad.

- Yes, and I would use a word I wouldn't necessarily use for a salad, I thought it was phenomenal.

Ginger, but the ginger wasn't overwhelming, balanced out by the melon, a little bit of sweetness, had that umami you just get from the flavors of Cambodian food.

One of the best salads I've ever had.

- Did you get a chance to try the papaya salad too?

- So my dining partner had the papaya salad.

She really enjoyed it.

I didn't actually sample it.

I was so into the salad that I had.

- [Georgie] You made the good choice though, with the melon salad.

- [Bart] It was great.

- [Georgie] I've tried both and I was thinking, oh, 'cause I love a papaya salad, but that melon salad, there's something so special about it.

It was just mind blowing.

- It really is.

I'm someone who doesn't necessarily even order a salad sometimes when I'm getting something, and it was just incredible.

I still talk about it.

- We started with the saht koh.

It was a beef tenderloin skewer.

When that came out, even just the first bite of pickles, we knew this was a special treat.

We were in for something really great.

- You also got a, was it a grilled scallop or what kind of scallop was it?

- The mahope samut.

That was a grilled scallop, and it came with a seafood sauce, which was just an umami bomb.

It was the perfect sauce.

I mean, if that scallop came with nothing but the fish itself, it would've been phenomenal.

- [Kae Lani] Did that dish come with some herbs on the side too?

- [Matthew] It did, and they were really, really floral.

It was incredible.

- Your favorite dish ended up at your table by accident.

- It did.

(laughs) - What happened there?

- So I had ordered a noodle dish and I was served a noodle dish.

(laughs) I was just so excited by that point after the appetizers and I just dug right in.

So it was the cold, spicy peanut noodles.

And normally I don't think I would order something like that before, a cold noodle.

I wasn't quite sure if I would enjoy it.

I'm so glad that it got there, and it ended up being so refreshing.

I think the cold really helped bring out the veggies and the freshness of the herbs.

It wasn't super saucy.

It was more crispy with the veggies.

Everything had a good defined texture.

I really liked it.

- There is another cold noodle dish on the menu, the night market noodles.

- Yes, so that's what we ordered.

And similar, it was not overly saucy.

Again, had that really umami flavor, a little bit of salt.

I thought the peanut noodles were a little more flavorful in the moment, but I took half of the night market noodles home because we had ordered so much food, and so they sat in the refrigerator overnight to get acquainted with all the flavors.

- [Kae Lani] Marinated, yeah.

- [Bart] It was even better.

I thought that the second night, this was one of the best leftover foods.

Cold noodles I highly recommend as a... Take some home and let them sit too.

- I agree.

Me and my partner ordered a lot of food, and it kept all very well.

It was a good late night snack.

- Yeah, they really improved.

- Oh, that is a good "Check, Please" test is the leftover situation, if it can last the test of time.

- I would even suggest it got even better.

- You had the all star rice, was it?

- Yes, it was the all star seafood rice.

So it had scallops, shrimp, uni, there was some roe on it, and it was a fried rice.

I mean, the amount of seafood... - [Kae Lani] That is indulgent.

- [Georgie] It was so indulgent.

It's worth the price tag because there's so much seafood and it's rich and flavorful.

We loved it.

- Matt, you tried the all star rice as well, didn't you?

- I did.

I was intrigued by crab fat butter.

I didn't realize crabs had fat.

- Exactly.

- [Matthew] They do.

- What is that ingredient?

- I don't know, but I believe they cooked the scallops in there.

They were different than the scallops I had previously gotten and they were still just as good.

They had a nice crispy bottom.

The texture was perfect.

The all star rice was good.

- Good sear with the nice tender inside.

Yeah, it was really good.

- And you also got the whole branzino.

- [Georgie] Yes, so I feel like the whole fish is what you have to order when you go there.

So this whole fish that I had this time was actually a special as well, and it was Sicilian style they said.

So it was branzino I believe, and the way they fileted it made it Sicilian style, and then it was simply done with herbs and a yuzu butter I believe.

It was just so incredible.

Again, so flavorful, falling off the bone.

Just great.

- They do have some tea on the menu.

You tried a couple of teas.

- I did.

And I'm not one for Thai tea, but I think I just am getting it the wrong places because this was phenomenal.

(chuckles) It was super good.

My partner actually got it, and I kind of was stealing sips.

It was really creamy, it was really light and refreshing.

It kind of complimented the meal perfectly with the rich seafood.

It was a good break in flavor.

- What was the other tea that you got?

- [Matthew] The sugar pea flower tea.

That was more subdued, and it was really pleasant, really sweet.

- Was it pretty?

I feel like that would be pretty.

- It was pretty, it was nice.

They had a dried flower on it.

- I love a pretty drink.

(laughs) - Bart, you deduced the meaning of mawn pretty quickly.

- Yes.

As soon as you walk in, you're surrounded by chicken art of all forms from little street art to paintings.

So not knowing any Cambodian, I was able to do a quick translation and think that must mean chicken.

- What did you think of the neighborhood?

- I love the Italian market.

It's such a vibrant area of the city.

There's so much great food, great restaurants, markets obviously.

It's a wonderful part of the city.

- [Matthew] There's a lot of good restaurants that I like to go to down there, and I've been seeing this place, walking past it, and I'm so glad I got a chance to try it.

- [Kae Lani] And the servers, they're really excited about working there.

You could tell that they're really excited about the menu.

Matt, when it came to picking things to eat, were the servers helpful?

- Oh, super helpful.

It was (chuckles) a lot of information at once, but I'm so glad that they helped me through it because everything I got was spectacular.

- Georgie, congratulations on picking the hardest reservation to get of "Check, Please" history.

- Right, I know.

Months in advance, right?

- It tends to get really busy, but the staff just does not miss a beat.

- [Georgie] No, I mean they're amazing.

They're so attentive.

Even the night that I went, full tables, but so attentive.

Very helpful with navigating the menu.

I remember the first time I was there, helping you make the right selections, and yeah, they're super passionate and knowledgeable.

- Well Georgie, Mawn is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- Cambodian noodle house with no rules that is an absolute flavor bomb.

It's essential to the neighborhood.

It's wonderful.

- Bart, sum up your thoughts.

- It's an incredibly popular spot that really lived up to that hype.

So I was impressed.

- And Matt, what's the final takeaway?

- This is a noodle house that elevates everything to a 10.

It's so flavorful and absolutely worth it.

- Try out Mawn, located at 764 South 9th Street in Philadelphia.

Reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $40.

Bart Everts loves rich and flavorful comfort food at his pick.

And wait, did we mention that it's totally vegan?

For a killer cheese steak, sans the cheese, he heads to the Cheezy Vegan by Chef Reeky in Woodlyn.

(funky upbeat music) - How you doing, my name is Tarik Ryant.

I'm the executive chef and owner of Cheezy Vegan.

We really try to capture the essence of what comfort food really is, so hence the lab coat.

I'm always trying to find new and inventive ways to recreate traditional food.

But just because it's plant-based don't mean it's not fun, don't mean it's not tasty.

People hear the vegan thing, and they're like, "I don't eat vegan food, man.

Give me a T-bone steak.

Give me some red meat, give me some chicken."

But for me, this is why I chose vegan.

This is all about the challenge.

So I was locked up for eight years of my life, and cooking was my saving grace to ease the anxiety and get me distracted from thinking about my family and my friends and all of that stuff.

So once they gave me the green light that I could enter the culinary program in the penitentiary, it just spiraled from there.

99.9% of the customers that encounter us, "I'm definitely coming back.

I can't wait to try this, I can't wait to try that.

I was a little skeptical at first because what is a seitan wing?

How do you make french toast vegan?

How do you make your chicken sandwich vegan?"

So I think outside of the ambiance and the fast casual kind of feel, I think people are really intrigued.

- Bart, clearly Chef Reeky is having a blast making vegan food.

- [Bart] Absolutely.

- Tell us why you picked it.

- So I started going there during the pandemic when places were doing the takeout.

And during a pandemic, you're really looking for just simple comfort foods, and being vegan, I'm looking for simple vegan comfort foods, and few places do it as great as he does.

So I decided that that would be my pick because I just wanted to showcase that.

It's a little bit out of the city, but I thought it was a great place to, to invite people to join.

- And your go-to are the Blackbird seitan wings.

- The Blackbird seitan wings, I'm assuming date back from Blackbird Restaurant, which was one of my introductions to vegan food many, many years ago.

And so he's taken that recipe and does a really great job with it.

I think there's a real mix of vegan wings.

They can be chewy and not very good.

He really matched that texture and flavor that people want out of the wings, kind of a quick bite, and he offers five different varieties of them.

We at this point picked the barbecue, and they also offer buffalo and other flavors too.

- Do you have a favorite?

- So I'm a traditionalist with wings.

I was before I was vegan and I am as a vegan, so I tend to like just a simple buffalo wing.

- Matt, you got the wings as well.

- I did.

It was kind of a last minute edition, and I'm so glad I did it 'cause that was the standout dish, right?

And I did buffalo as well, with blue cheese dressing.

And I ordered it and I kinda realized, oh wait, what's vegan blue cheese going to be like?

But it was so good.

Actually my partner doesn't like blue cheese, and I was like, "Oh, you should try it."

They hated it, so it's great.

(laughs) - [Kae Lani] So then it's tried and true to blue cheese.

- Oh, I thought the blue cheese was phenomenal.

- The menu has a lot of really fun names.

There's the Sweet Cheezus, the Cheeze Louise.

And Georgie, you got the Cheeze Louise, which you said gave you KFC vibes.

- Oh my gosh, I don't get mind blown all the time, but was literally like poof when I tasted this.

It's fried chicken and waffles, and the chicken was actually a fried oyster mushroom.

And however they did it, it was so crispy, so savory and delicious that you would think that you were eating chicken.

And I went with my vegan sister-in-Law, and she was the same.

She was like, "Are you sure that this is a mushroom?"

It was that...

I mean, it was phenomenal.

My favorite dish.

- And Matt, speaking of chicken, you tried the, what was it, the Nashville Hot chicken?

- I did and I think I should have gotten the oyster mushroom because I was a little disappointed with the texture in it.

I thought it was a bit samey, kind of homogenous.

It was a bit over sauced so it was kind of gooey.

It didn't have the same crunch that I was craving with a Nashville Hot chicken sandwich.

- [Kae Lani] In terms of the heat and the spice for Nashville Hot, how did you feel the flavor was?

- [Matthew] Pretty low.

I'm a spice lover, and this was accessible, right?

(chuckles) - [Kae Lani] So for other people, maybe it would be a little bit hot, but- - True.

(laughs) - Bart, how about that sauerkraut?

- One of my go-tos.

Anytime I'm at a vegan place, if they have a Reuben, I order it.

One of the things that's really important in a Reuben is that the sauerkraut is good, and theirs is genuinely fermented.

It's not refrigerated in a can or something like that.

Really was very standout too.

And it mixed with all the rest of the flavors in there.

- [Kae Lani] What's the meat replacement in there?

- [Bart] So they use seitan, and it's a cured seitan.

It's a vegan Reuben, so it's not exactly like corned beef or something like that, but it has its own thing going for it.

I thought it was really flavorful, had that little bit of smokiness that you get out of the corned beef.

It wasn't overly dry, which can sometimes happen with seitan.

So I thought he did a really, really great job with that.

The rye bread was a little bit buttery, but not greasy, which was great too.

So I thought overall it was a really great sandwich.

- Georgie, what was the Sweet Cheezus?

- So that's their signature dish apparently.

That's what I was told.

It is french toast, and they actually deep fry the french toast, and it's stuffed with a cream cheese, and then there's a berry compote that's drizzling all down it.

It was so decadent.

It's the perfect brunch food.

I am a brunch girl and I usually gravitate towards a sweet, and this was just perfect.

- Speaking of decadence, you got the Oreo cheesecake?

- I did.

It was actually a really nice thing the server did because I think they noticed we weren't enjoying our entree so much.

They brought out this complimentary cheesecake, and it was wonderful.

The texture was great.

It had all the flavor it needed.

It was super creamy and gooey, like a lot of vegan desserts, and it was covered in Oreos and sprinkles.

- [Kae Lani] That's a big plus.

They have milkshakes too.

- I would say unequivocally, it was the best vegan shake I have ever had.

It was really thick.

Some of the risks with vegan shakes sometimes is they still have a little bit of either a soy aftertaste of using soy, or they'll over sugar to get rid of that flavor.

This was just a really thick, flavorful minty shake.

Had the big straw to really, really up there.

It was a full dessert meal in and of itself, and I think anyone vegan or not would really enjoy that.

- Matt, you got a milkshake as well.

The pistachio milkshake.

- I did.

- I know you were surprised by the coconut flavor in there.

- I was.

- But in terms of milkshake consistency, did it achieve its mission?

- Oh, I agree with Bart.

I think vegan or otherwise, it's a good milkshake.

Coconut's not my favorite flavor, so I was a little off put by that.

But even so, the pistachio was great and the whipped cream was great, and yeah, overall the consistency was perfect.

- Georgie, you really enjoyed the graffiti throughout the dining room.

- [Georgie] I did.

It had diner vibes, but with that urban cool, the graffiti art.

It was a nice vibe.

- [Bart] It's in a strip mall in Delco.

It's not in the most trendy place or something like that.

But I feel the graffiti made it feel its own thing.

- It feels very Philly and very current and cool.

- Bart, Cheezy Vegan is your pick.

What are your final thoughts?

- I'd say it's the perfect place for delicious accessible comfort food with a vegan twist.

- Matt, sum it up for us.

- It's comfort classics with a 100% plant-based menu.

- And Georgie, what is the final takeaway?

- I agree with both of them.

It's comfort food, but vegan.

Absolutely mind blown.

(giggles) - Check out Cheezy Vegan by Chef Reeky for yourself.

Located at 604 Fairview Road in Woodlyn.

610-543-2300.

Reservations are not accepted, and the average tab fper person without drinks is $20.

Matthew Erickson is a big fan of the spicy and flavorful dishes at this West Philly hole in the wall.

For Sichuan classics from mild to mouth numbing, they recommend Chengdu Famous Food.

(light breezy music) (speaking in Chinese) - [Lee] I'm Lee, Lee Wang.

I'm the owner of Chengdu Famous Food.

Chendu Famous food was founded back in 2017 by Drexel students.

Since it was founded, it has been a go-to places for lots of international students over here.

(speaking in Chinese) So most of the Sichuan restaurant or other Chinese restaurant, they're only focusing on the very popular items like Kung pao chicken, double cooked pork belly.

Those are kind of like the staple Sichuan dishes.

But what we offer over here is we also offer lots of Sichuan dim sum, Chengdu dim sum.

It's very different from Cantonese dim sum.

And because it's so unique and not many places offer that many of other Sichuan chefs, they come to us just to have those dishes.

- Matthew, Chengdu Famous Food is bringing some heat to University City.

- Definitely.

- [Kae Lani] Why did you pick it?

- Chengdu Famous is always consistent, and I love the fact that they're serving authentic Sichuan cuisine, as well as plussed up American classics.

And I don't think it loses any of the quality factor, be it takeout or dine-in.

- Ooh, and you say that the Dan Dan noodles are your go-to.

- The Dan Dan noodles are perfect.

You can customize the spice level, and I'm a spice lover and I never go full spicy, so be warned.

(chuckles) - [Kae Lani] Really?

Okay, so if you are a spice lover and you don't go full spicy, where's the limit?

- [Matthew] This is kind of my creamy, mild cool down dish.

So I usually go medium.

(chuckles) - Georgie, I know you got the dumplings though.

Was it Chef Z's dumplings?

- Yes, they were tender and super flavorful, filled with pork, and then there was some kind of crunchy garlic chili on top.

Delicious.

So savory, so good.

I ate all of it myself, (chuckles) the whole order.

- [Kae Lani] Matt, do you get the dumplings as well?

- I did, that was my first time getting them too, so I discovered that as well.

The pork was kind of sweet.

- A plus.

- With the spicy chili oil.

It was a real surprise.

Those were very good.

- Yeah, delicious.

- You got a cumin dish that was the star dish of the meal.

- It was incredible.

And I'll speak to Matt's spice level.

We ordered it level one, and it still was, it cleared the sinuses.

- [Kae Lani] Were you sweating?

(laughs) - So yeah, we ordered the cumin tofu, which is not available at every Sichuan place, but a lot of them have that.

The tofu was cooked perfect.

I mean, there's a range of cooking tofu.

It could be just too chewy or too...

It was incredibly crispy on the outside.

It absorbed the flavors on the inside.

The cumin and the pepper balanced out each other.

The tofu was clearly, they did dried or something that made it just incredible.

It was crunchy, it was flavorful.

One of my favorite dishes there, and I'd say one of my favorite dishes I've had at a Chinese restaurant before, a casual takeout place.

- [Kae Lani] Oh, that is a glowing review.

- I thought about it for a week after that.

It was so good, which is a lot to say about a tofu dish.

I had the General Tso's tofu as well, which is...

I describe myself as pretty basic with Chinese food.

I grew up on those, the little yellow sign outside places, and it was great.

I felt General Tso often is too sweet or too, the sauce is almost too chewy.

They didn't do either of those things.

It was just sweet enough.

They didn't completely douse everything in sauce.

There was just a little bit of sauce so the tofu absorbed it.

So I thought they did a really great job.

- Matt, you went with cumin as well, but with goat, right?

- [Matthew] Yes, I did.

And I actually saw tofu on the menu and I was kind of wishing, like I need something to soak up all of that flavor because it's so flavorful, and the goat did not disappoint.

It's perfectly cooked, and yeah, it was just flavor bomb.

- And in terms of dessert, you tried, was it the rice ball?

- I did, yeah.

So I had never tried a dessert there before, even going there so many times.

And it was a really delicate flavor, like a lot of subdued Chinese desserts, and the texture was out of this world.

It was so gooey and sticky, almost like the shell of a mochi ice cream.

And the flavor was great.

- Bart, what were your thoughts on the decor?

- So it was interesting.

There was a lot of just random art with pandas.

Made it comforting.

It was a very small space, so the art kind of made it pop a little bit more.

Kind of reflected that it's on a college campus, I think, too.

- It's definitely for the university kids.

It's right in University City.

It's such a cool neighborhood.

Georgie, do you find yourself in University City often?

- I do, I work in University City actually, at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

But I did not know about this little place, so I'm happy to be put onto it.

And it's a great little corner with a lot of different cultures, different food.

Very nice.

- Matt, Chengdu is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- Chengdu is a wonderful neighborhood spot to get consistent takeout meals or dine-in meals from Sichuan classics and American classics as well.

- Georgie, what's the big takeaway?

- This will be my new favorite spot for dumplings as takeout.

- And Bart, take it away.

- Great casual college neighborhood spot for Sichuan American classics.

- Grab some takeout for yourself at Chendu Famous Food, located at 3635 Lancaster Ave in West Philly.

215-386-1088.

Reservations are not accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $20.

So on this week's show, we featured Mawn in Bella Vista, Cheezy Vegan by Chef Reeky in Woodlyn, and Chengdu Famous Food in West Philly.

Special thanks to my guests Georgie Sipala, Bart Everts and Matthew Erickson.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending their favorite restaurants right here on "Check, Please!"

And don't forget to find us on Instagram and TikTok.

We're @checkpleasephilly.

I'm Kae Lani Palmisano and I'll see you next time.

Cheers.

(glasses clinking) (bright cheerful music)