First look: Philippe

Phillipe's Beijing chicken.

 

By Sara Liss

The goods: South Beach's glossy new hotel Gansevoort South welcomes Philippe, the sibling to the New York restaurant of the same name. Chef Philippe Chow spent 25 years honing traditional Chinese recipes at New York's trend-setting Mr. Chow (no relation). Three years ago the Hong Kong-trained toque struck out on his own with restaurateur Stratis Morfogen to open his namesake restaurant, which quickly became a nightlife staple. Miami now gets a taste of haute Chinese with the opening of this sleek 400-seat shrine to wok-style cooking.

The swanky sinocentric supper club is equal parts glam and gourmand. Shiny red couches, white leather chairs and a lacquered black bar lend an air of Shanghai-chic. Servers outfitted in black Mao jackets and red Converse sneakers proffer steaming lemon-scented hand towels post-meal, while a nightly noodle show amps up the dinner-theater drama. It's all about the scene here, with a loud, clubby vibe that's more suited to chatting up your neighbors than softly conversing with your date. The two-story space features an upstairs lounge with views of the gleaming kitchen below and a private all-black wine cellar room that can accommodate 30 diners.

The grub: Traditional Chinese cuisine tweaked for American palates. Unlike your neighborhood Chinese takeout, all the food is MSG-free and the noodles are made fresh by a resident noodle chef. The menu is also considerably pricier than your local Chinese dive. Cocktails average $20 and starters range from $12-$25. Main dishes are served for two, so portions and prices are doubled ranging from $42 for chicken and broccoli to $85 for Red King crabs in garlic or butter sauce.

Most of the mains focus on wok-based stir-fry dishes such as Kung Pao chicken in a spicy peanut sauce, crispy beef and sweet and sour pork. Make sure to try chef Chow's signature dishes like the chicken satay skewers, dyed orange from carrot juice and smothered in a creamy peanut sauce, and the "green prawns" dyed with fresh spinach. The legendary Peking duck is served tableside with skin crispy enough to please many a duck skin fanatic.

Desserts like ginger "New York" cheesecake, red velvet cake and coconut ice cream are refreshing caps to the Asian feast.

The verdict: With its approachable menu of classic Chinese dishes and nightlife-friendly atmosphere, Philippe is the spot to be seen this summer.

Philippe, 2305 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-674-0250

Speak up!

Average rating based on 5 reviews.

1

What you said

11

tcrown420

1

Posted on Tue, 07.08.2008 @ 16:22

This place was absolutely terrible! I want there with a group of friends on a Friday night. We had been in the hotel earlier that evening at another event and decided to have a few drinks and appetizers. Granted the place was packed, so I can't criticize the service too much. But the food was just OK at best and WAY overpriced!! The drinks were ridiculously expensive and awfull!! I ordered a few vodka tonics, and wondered if any of them actually had vodka. For $25 each I figured they would have at least been decent. Oh and dont forget to validate you parking ticket! Valet is $35 without the restaurant validation. Overall I would have been much happier going to PF Changs, and for what we spent we could have had a 4 course dinner with many drinks, instead of just a few apps.... Read more

11

Coopster67

1

Posted on Tue, 07.08.2008 @ 08:02

We planned a special birthday party for our friend Margherita and made dinner reservations for eight people at 8:15. Upon entry into the restaurant, we had a great reception from the hostess. She was very friendly, enthusiastic and offered us the wine cellar upstairs. When we entered the wine cellar upstairs, we were somewhat surprised to see two televisions playing at either end. I guess when you are offered the wine cellar; you sort of expect a quiet, intimate area that is special and unique. The meal started off very nicely and we ordered a bottle of wine. After sitting for a while, we realized that the music was very loud. We asked the waiter for turn down the stereo that was playing. He agreed, but made no change. We asked a second time and a third time. After the third request we asked if he would talk to the manager. He was very cooperative, but we got the sense that nothing was being done. Now, please keep in mind that the music was fast bumping music that was so loud you couldn’t hear the person next to you. I’m very accustomed to Miami restaurants, but we found ourselves screaming at each other. To continue the insult, nothing was done after speaking to the waiter. One of the guests finally went down to talk to the manager and asked if they could turn down the music. He said, “well, it’s the weekend and we like it loud on the weekends”. The guest responded with “is this a bar or a restaurant?” and then asked the manager to come listen to the music himself. After the manager and the guest went upstairs, the music was finally lowered. We were shortly joined in the wine cell by a huge party of teenagers who were “high fiving” each other and using the music as Karoke. Within five minutes, the music was turned up again. Now to keep it going, we were never offered the option of tap water – we were only provided with very costly bottled water at $12.00 a bottle. I’m sorry but we should have been asked and even if we agreed, that price is ridiculous. During our meal, we constantly had to ask for refills, etc. Our waiter was eventually joined by a very pleasant waitress who was finally able to help and respond to our requests. After the meal, one of the waiters came up behind the table and grabbed a bottle of wine from the shelf. He never said “excuse me” or asked anybody to move. He subsequently pulled multiple bottles out and they rolled onto on of the guests. One of the wine bottles actually hit her foot and hurt her. He giggled after this was done. We all got up to help and by that time we were all very frustrated and upset by the lack of service and the way our requests were ignored – repeatedly. On the way out, I expressed by frustration to the manager who basically just looked at me. It was only the original hostess who apologized. Quite frankly, I was shocked that he did nothing, but essentially gives us attitude. I realize that most of the restaurants on the beach deal with tourists and non-repeat customers. However, as a local to Miami, I go out quite often with my friends and was very surprised and very disappointed by the lack of service we experienced. What made it worst is that we expressed concern and we basically treated like we weren’t hip enough or weren’t important. I’m sure that’s not the expectation of the service levels, but something must be done to train the staff in resolving customer issues. I would highly suggest that you review the tenor of the manager on duty. He was shockingly hostile and non cooperative. ... Read more

15

Food_Dude

1

Posted on Mon, 07.07.2008 @ 17:51

So, this place is really a nightclub where you can order overpriced Chinese food. Perhaps it should go under the "Nightlife" postings. I'm tired of overpriced food in Miami-Dade! I have no problem paying for a good meal at any one of our great restaurants, like Michael's, Macaluso or Michy's, but $42 for chicken and broccoli? Really? ... Read more

11

dadedude

1

Posted on Mon, 07.07.2008 @ 17:12

I have no review to write since I will not even go there! Prices like that are an insult to intelligence.And I can afford it, I just don;t choose to throw away money on $25 drinks. Tropical Chinese, far out on un-trendy Bird Road probably has far better food at a quarter of the price. The days of clip joints are over !... Read more

11

josha

1

Posted on Mon, 07.07.2008 @ 11:16

The most OVERPRICED restaurant I've been to in awhile. This is still just Chinese food, yet Philippe charges almost $50 for Sweet & Sour Chicken!!! Also beware of the $25 drinks at the bar. An utter disappointment, Philippe will certainly fade out very soon. ... Read more

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