A martial arts theme at Far East Descendant restaurant in Philadelphia, from menu to decor

At Far East Descendant in Philadelphia, chef-owner Kevin Wong grew up watching martial arts films and competed in MMA and kickboxing bouts

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Kevin Wong (above) is a fan of martial arts, which has inspired his restaurant, Far East Descendant. It is decorated in the style of the Donnie Yen film New Dragon Gate Inn, and has dishes with names including Five Deadly Venoms. Photo: Far East Descendant

Published: 7:15am, 20 Jul 2024Updated: 8:50am, 20 Jul 2024

The dishes on the menu at Far East Descendant in Philadelphia, in the US state of Pennsylvania, have intriguing names. There’s five venom fries – taro fries seasoned with five spice and served with house-made tomato sauce and mayonnaise. There is also 18 Taming Dragon Steak Rice Bowl, in which flank steak is dressed with a sauce made with 18 secret ingredients, accompanied with Chinese vegetables.

For chef and owner Kevin Wong, the names of the dishes were inspired by martial arts, including films such as Five Deadly Venoms produced by Runme Shaw of Shaw Brothers Studio, and the hand-to-hand move called “18 dragon subduing palms” from the novels of the late wuxia novelist Jin Yong.

The 44-year-old Chinese-American has been captivated by martial arts since he was a child, thanks to Bruce Lee’s films, and has been practising them since he was 19. He also has nostalgic memories of Hong Kong and the city’s culture from the 1980s and 90s.

Wong and his older brother grew up binge-watching videotapes of TVB shows and Hong Kong movies starring Lee, as well as the slapstick comedies of Stephen Chow Sing-chi, which inspired Wong to take up martial arts as a teenager. Later, he also learned and competed in MMA and kickboxing.

Five venom fries are made from taro and served with house-made ketchup and mayonnaise. Photo: Far East Descendant

When his family came into possession of an empty two-storey commercial space near Philadelphia’s Chinatown that was previously a garage and storage space for a construction company, Wong, who used to work in construction and building design, jumped at the chance to open a restaurant.