One of the perks of living in a city is having access to great ethnic food. Steamed buns, though a staple of Asian cuisine, have yet to really catch on here the states. Basically they are large dumplings filled with broth and filling (usually pork + veggie). They are served in the same plate they are steamed and with traditional dumpling sauce. They are very cheap and instantly habit-forming, two things for which I am a real sucker.
They are a little tricky to eat which I think makes them even better somehow, kinda like a food challenge. The dumplings are far too large to just stuff in your mouth and you can't just bite into them as they are filled with boiling hot broth. You have to bite a bit and slurp-up the juice... slowly nibbling and slurping your way through the bun. It can be messy and will test your chopstick handling skills, but it's so much fun to watch your friends struggle through them! Once you've had a few, you start to develop your own style of consumption and you are on your way to carefree bun bliss.
Dim Sum Garden, located in an unlikely neon-lit storefront near the Convention Center, has some of the best steamed buns in Philly. It is often sited as a culinary hidden gem and is frequented by some of the best chefs in the city. It's proximity to the Chinatown bus, which offers cheap fares to nearby metropolises like New York and DC, make it a great place to catch a quick bite before heading out of the city.
TIP: No matter what you get, order the scallion pancake... it's the best I've ever had.
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