Han Dynasty

Craig LaBan heads out Rt-422 for some real Szechuan food at Han Dynasty in Royersford.

There was a platter of the most intensely smoky tea-smoked duck I’ve ever eaten. The elaborately prepared meat (marinated, dried, smoked, braised, and then flash-fried to order) exuded a spice box of star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fennel wrapped inside smoky wisps of jasmine tea and cedar. The “dry pot” of delicate flounder fillets, meanwhile, served in a mini-wok over a blue flame, blazed across my palate in an ethereal whoosh of peppercorns, chiles, and hot bean paste that obviously turned me into a beet-colored, smoke-blowing cartoon.

Also of note to suburb fearing urbanites, owner Han Chiang is talking of a branch in West Philadelphia. 

Two Bells – Very Good

Han Dynasty [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Han Dynasty [Official Site]