Short review: Wonderful place to dine at. You can go in and take to go or eat in. I went with a group that started with five, but ended with twelve. As a result, we kept having food added to our order, but Bubblefish was very accommodating. Their food and drinks are heavenly tasting, especially their tea drinks. It has the taste of real fine fresh tea that no other place in Chinatown has as far as I'm concerned. Pretty nice interior, though it's not a lounge like place like KFT, it's more restaurant like. A bit pricey, especially if you're going with a large group, but the food is worth the price.
Decor:
High ceilings, dim lighting mainly, but there is light from the window during the day. There is a room for rather large parties (or reservations perhaps?) in the back that is lighted up brightly. Although the seating area lighting is dim, it gives off a nice atmosphere. The decorations are unique and nice. The tables aren't too stuffed together or cramped up.
Service:
Wonderful service, especially considering he fact that my group would have people come in either solo or in a small group that ended in twelve people dining. The waitresses didn't have any problems when we continued to add food to our order at random times, and they were very courteous and polite. The owner, Xu, would chat with the customers too. The only minor issue would be that our food and drinks didn't come all at once, but I'd consider that understandable seeing as we ordered over ten drinks alone and god knows how much food. Even so, we got our food in a reasonable amount of time. Props to Bubblefish for that.
Food:
The food oh my god. Tasted wonderful to me. The sushi was reallllly good. Onigiris seemed pretty packed, takoyakis definitely felt bigger than the ones at KFT or TeaDo. The unagi don looked wonderful and tasted wonderful. The drinks are beautiful. If you dine it they serve them in such a fancy way. I recommend the Taiwanese Salt Baked Chicken, very tasty and yummy and their tea drinks.
Drinks:
Their tea drinks are without a doubt 500%. Places like KFT or TeaDo or Mr Wish in Chinatown never have tea tasting like this. The taste of tea can clearly be tasted, no matter what the flavor your drink is; my friend said its the taste of fresh tea. If you're looking for good tea drinks, definitely try Bubblefish's. You won't find any other place in Chinatown that'll serve tea drinks like them. I tried the taro milk tea, and it was wonderful. And they serve all their drinks in such fancy glassware. Water in little mason jars, milkshakes in root beer mugs, and milk tea in those glass milk bottle like glasses. Some of the teas are actually served in clear glass teapots and cups, which I didn't try.
Pricing:
It is pretty pricy, considering the other stores that are in the Chinatown area. But it is pretty reasonable in my opinion. Pricey but worth it is what I'd say. After all, quality is better than quantity no? The drinks my group ordered were all around $5, especially since dine in drinks are all served large size. The onigiri was about $3 if I remember correctly. You can get some of the sushis 2 for $7 or $8, and they have sushi platters for around $13. Dons (rice with eel or pork cutlet or seafood?) are about $12.
Overall, if you're in the Center City Philadephia area, make a stop in Chinatown for Bubblefish. If not for the food then for their drinks. Bubblefish can definitely expect me to frequent their place a bit often, especially for their wonderful teas. read more