2 a.m. Eats: David's Mai Lai Wah
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
David's Mai Lai Wah | 1001 Race St., 215-627-2610
Venture into Chinatown stalwart David’s Mai Lai Wah before 2 a.m. and the scene is pretty tame. Plates of pan-fried noodles, pots of hot tea and tropical drinks are ferried to peach-cloth-covered tables in the untouched-since-the-early-’80s dining room. Service is efficient, if not overly friendly, and the clientele, polite, if not overly gracious.
But the moment the clock strikes two, David’s is another scene entirely. There’s a bottleneck traffic jam at the entrance and all semblance of decorum dissolves. If you don’t speak up or elbow up, there’s a good chance that the more aggressive two-top behind you will commandeer your table.
Once seated, you’ll be faced with a massive menu that you’re probably in no shape to make your way through. No matter. Salt and pepper wings and fried dumplings are reason enough to fight your way to an after-hours table at David’s. The craggy dumplings are hand-formed in-house, pan-fried and served with a ginger-scallion dipping sauce that should go straight to the Chinese Restaurant Condiment Hall of Fame. Fried to a crisp and seasoned generously with salt, pepper and paper-thin rounds of spicy, raw long hots, the wings are absolutely killer. There’s no telling where the other patrons at David’s are coming from at this time of night so it’s probably better to reserve the majority of eye contact for your table mates and those appetizers.
