I was recently invited to Kelley and Ping.

Situated in a cobbled street in Soho, the fairly huge restaurant that served Pan Asian cuisine in the early 90’s is still serving up the spirit of Asia to the streets of lower Manhattan for over 20 years.

I just loved their interiors and decor. Part restaurant, part grocery and part tea shop, the place by daytime is a bustling self service canteen. For dinner the lights are dimmed and the restaurant becomes full service. The open kitchen adds to the drama as the classics of South East Asia are prepared for the guests.

They have the grocery on display that adds to their decor. Mini statues, little paper / plastic fans, colorful little images of people and what not.

Kelley and Ping’s menu is inspired by the market stalls of Asia. On speaking with the owner, I learnt that their menu continuously evolves to show case the latest trends in street food, but still retain the classics. It is a family friendly restaurant and kids eat free everyday between 5:30-7 PM. Here is the vegetarian food I tried. Yasai Bento – fried dumpling, crispy tofu, edamame and sticky Rice. The dumplings’ filling was great.

Japanese Curry – with potatoes and snap peas over rice. For me, this was the most flavourful of all that I ate.

Scallion Pancake – Chinese fried bread with scallions and sesame seeds. It lacked both, enough scallions and plenty sesame, but was crispy and not drenched in oil. I’d skip it, though.

Macro Bento – with brown rice, seasonal vegetables, seaweed and adzuki beans. The dressing that came with it – carrots and onions was great. So good that I asked the owner, and he happily shared the recipe 🙂

I also tried their lychee tea which was really good. Smooth, subtle and that hint of the flavour.