Kelley and Ping: If At First You Don't Succeed....

Walking thru Soho one day looking at expensive furniture (just looking) I passed by Kelley and Ping Asian Grocery and Noodle Shop and thought how interesting and that I'd have to give it a try at some point. A few days later actually I walked thru the front doors with high expectations. Now to understand me better I always have high expectations or at least I always expect to get fed and like what I eat. Rarely do I totally dislike the food that I am eating and generally find something good to say about it. This is the case with Kelley and Ping. My high expectations were first met with mediocrity on finding that saying Asian Grocery on your front window doesn't mean there is actually an asian grocery inside. Having a couple bottles of soy sauce for sale doesn't qualify. So what, right? Anyway I was still excited to have some food so I made my way to the back of the restaurant where you order and quickly chose the Dim Sum lunch box for $8.50. The menu said it included: steamed dumplings, shumai, spring rolls and sesame noodles. Plenty of food right? I was then directed to sit towards the front of the place to wait and someone would bring my to-go bag shortly. The place smelled really good and I watched the chef mix up some noodles with vegetables in a wok that looked extra tasty. Mmmmm I thought, can't wait to see my Dim Sum sampler or box as they called it. Oh I also ordered a side of Edamame (a necessity) for 4 bucks and a drink that I don't remember consuming. After a bit of a wait (no biggie) my brown paper bag was delivered to me and I dashed off to eat my supposed smorgasbord. If you sense a bit of sarcasm...bingo! All kidding aside I was rather disappointed when I returned to work moments later to see what was actually inside my box. Not that it wasn't presented nicely but I was expecting a bit more. There I go, expectations. Actually it was simply the fact that the food didn't look fresh and seemed like it hadn't been made when I ordered it. It had only taken me 4 or 5 minutes from the restaurant to my office so it couldn't possibly have been from being in the bag too long. Overall the food tasted ok even though there wasn't that much of it. The Sesame Noodles stood out, of course being a dish served cold (not a reference to revenge), it's preparation was fine and full of flavor. Enjoyment however comes from small green soybeans and the Edamame saved me from starving, ok not actually but it saved me from running out to get some pizza. A lot of people may look at this as a negative encounter or a bad review but that couldn't be farther from the truth, I'm not a reviewer. I think it's important to form an opinion over a period of time and not jump to conclusions like a film critic. One dish, one experience does not make a restaurant so I fully intend on giving Kelley and Ping another try. Please check out their website for more information, http://www.kelleyandping.com/, and take a look at what else they serve.