Weekly Obsessions

I think it's fun to blog about things that are not always wedding related. Sometimes, when planning a wedding, it's so easy to be overwhelmed with all the planning, linens, themes, colors, guests lists, and drama. So, I'd like to introduce a new column called Weekly Obsessions. It may be local, it may be not... but it's Fun!

First up, food of course!

My husband is an attorney that gets to work with some great chefs and restaurateurs in Philadelphia. One of the perks of being married to Christopher is getting to know these talented people and sample their food!

KONG officially opened last night in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, in the former Sovalo space (which was another restaurant we loved). We were invited to attend their friends and family private opening the night prior. I had been looking forward to this all week! I can eat Asian food for every meal every day. Kong specializes in "street food" prevalent in Hong Kong, where the executive chef's, Mike O'Halloran, wife is from. He took the food and played around with it, to make it his own.

Here is their menu: http://media.philly.com/documents/Kong+Menu.pdf

We ate a lot that night. We tried the hot and sour soup, 3 way pork dumplings, peking duck buns, and the braised short ribs rice bowl. OH MY GOODNESS. It was so good. The service was fast, and the food really did come out in lightning speed as it would on the streets. The decor was great (hanging birdcages, buddha statues, and a cool mural), and everyone was very knowledgable in the food and drinks.

My favorite was the peking duck buns. Chef O'Halloran said making the buns is a very long and meticulous process, but the end product was perfect. I told them that they should market the buns as wedding hors d'oeuvres, similar to those mini cheeseburgers.

The food is great on it's own. But the kitchen is open until 1am! So it's a great place to go after a night out in city and after a couple of drinks. It's the type of food that tastes better with a few beers, and Kong has a very interesting selection of Asian brews. For those who live in the Nor Libs area, they will also offer delivery in the near future. For the first time in a while, we were sad to have moved away from the neighborhood.

Chef O'Halloran is also the owner of Bistro 7, a fabulous BYOB in Old City.

After a good meal, what's better than a pampering session?

I am a self-claimed spa-aholic. Sometimes, I think I have a problem.

Recently, I discovered a spa in Chestnut Hill that I completely fell in love with: Diamond Spa. Last week, my little sister was in town from Dallas, so I thought I'd treat her to a pedicure. We first walked into a different spa, only to be turned away because they no longer to nails. So we walked across the street and meandered about, and came across the little storefront of Diamond Spa. We were seated in our massage chairs with our feet in a hot tub of soapy water almost right away. It was heaven. Not only did we get the typical scrub, clean, and color, there was long leg and foot massage and a hot stone therapy massage!

I decided to go back over the weekend to sample another treatment, the deep tissue massage. Since I've been sick the past month, I've been feeling a bit achy, and felt in the need of some pampering. The masseuse, Roy, was very nice and calming, and worked on specific areas that I requested. I think I actually fell asleep. The hour long massage felt more like 2 hours, which is a good thing! My favorite part was the head rest, where it was infused with aroma therapy, which relaxed me right away, plus it was comfortable (I hate sticking my face in the stiff ones).

The pricing is great - given the quality of service, location, and compared to other spas. It may not have the full spa experience, where you can walk around in your robe, or hit the sauna, or lounge around by the pool, but it's perfect for the quick and fuss-less experience.

Lastly, for a good laugh:

I love NPH!