As a girlfriend to someone who has worked for many Win Signature restaurants, walking into the new Sang Kee Noodle Bowl was night and day from the former Parker’s Prime in Newtown Square.
Sang Kee Noodle Bowl is the newest of their winning restaurants throughout the Main Line and is a marriage of two prosperous restaurant empires. It boasts the renown menu from Chinatown’s Sang Kee Peking Duck House by Michael Chow and chic decorating and class that Win and Sudita Somboonsong of Win Signature restaurant have sprinkled throughout the Main Line.
Michael Chow founded Sang Kee Peking Duck House in 1980 and Sang Kee Noodle House is his fifth restaurant. His Hong Kong cuisine was named in the “Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA” in 2006 and has dominated the title of best Chinese in Philadelphia for years from various sources. Michael Chow will serve as menu consultant and training for this new joint venture.
The bountiful Sang Kee menu includes comfort foods like General Tao’s chicken, dumplings, spring rolls, fried rice, pineapple chicken with black bean sauce and favorites from Sang Kee like Hong Kong roasted duck, Lemongrass Beef and Stuffed Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce. The Noodle Bowl offers their handmade noodles comes in many varieties—long egg noodles, thick Udon noodles (in the addicting Shangai Noodles) or rice noodles (in Chow Fun). Their large dishes offer comfort foods without the guilt for a memorable experience.
“When you eat it, you will love it. That’s what happened to us. When we first went as college students over 20 years ago, I just fell in love with their Wonton noodle soup and duck. It’s not overpowering, it’s just right,” said Sudita.
Sutida went on several shopping excursions to the Chinatown areas in Philly and New York to find the elaborate Chinese vases, artwork and scripts that line the earth-tone walls of the dining room. This spacious room is divided into five sections, separated by a wall of birdcages, wine red string curtains, or ringed metal curtains that give diners welcomed intimacy without isolation.
The immaculate bar and lounge area serves the finest international wines (including quite the Chinese collection) and specialty cocktails, surrounded by exquisite red and gold silks and handcrafted paper umbrellas. Just off their main dining area is a swirling showcase of their Chinese wine collection, traditional Chinese ingredients and floating paper lanterns.
Win and Sudita Somboonsong have been feeding the Main Line area award-winning dishes for the past 20 years at their restaurants—Mikado Thai Pepper, Teikoku, Azie, Azie on Main and Mixx.
The restaurant’s origin was inspired by a visit the Wins took to Sang Kee in Chinatown, a few months ago when they ran into their friend of 20 years, Michael Chow.
“We talked about each other’s kids and then our professions and talked about our restaurants,” recalls co-owner Win Somboonsong. “I joked about having a steakhouse and wanting to change the concept and how I thought his food would fit here very well. Surprisingly, he said ‘OK.’ I even joked about using his name and he agreed. So from that discussion, we made it happen.”
They are open for dinner and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. So next time you are craving sensational Chinese dishes without the trip to Chinatown, head over to the newest addition to the Main Line, Sang Kee Noodle Bowl at 4755 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square.
