Vietnamese food contains a startling amount of vegetables. At least to one who never willingly finished her vegetables and grew up on the All-American diet of pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks. As a member of Worcester Foodies, I have the opportunity to try a wide variety of cuisine at excellent local restaurants, and I am grabbing this opportunity with both hands! At Pho Dakao, the dish to order is obviously the Pho. Of course I must go against the grain, so I ordered something I had never seen before. The dish is called Bun with beef tenderloin. I was presented with a large bowl full of ingredients separated from each other that I could mix together to create a perfect balance according to my taste. The ingredients included vermicelli, bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, mint leaves, and basil. Sitting atop this were delicious pieces of beef tenderloin sprinkled with roasted peanuts. The beef was tender and delicious, and it was tough to not eat it all first! There was a side of their house sauce, which I highly recommend! It was pink, and I am unsure what is in it, but it went great with the spring rolls (they are phenomenal and not too big) so I poured it all over. Being able to mix the ingredients for each bite kept each element fresh and the flavors strong-the vegetables did not get soggy and I could choose the amount of herbs I wanted with each bite. Being able to mix and match with the ingredients was great for me as I had some control and was not overwhelmed by the sweet flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. My first time with Pho Dakao was positive-fresh ingredients, well-cooked, great presentation, and good sized portions. Although Pho is their signature dish, it’s good to know that if you are not in the mood for soup, the other dishes are excellent as well!
Tag: beef
Sizzling Mongolian Beef
Pho Dakao is one of my favorite places to eat in Worcester, not only because of the food but because the overall experience is outstanding. Service is always good, food is fresh and tasty, atmosphere is casual and inviting and you can enjoy a variety of well prepared meals at a very reasonable price.
For this Foodies adventure, our end of the table started with a few appetizers including the beef teriyaki and a bowl of seafood and pork soup, both of which were a great way to start our meal. As Pho Dakao is one of my “go to” places for food, I am familiar with the menu but usually find myself ordering a rice dish, noodle dish or Pho soup. Tonight I was in the mood for beef, so for my main dish I ordered the Sizzling Mongolian Beef. When it arrived at the table, it sizzled and snapped, just as it should and the flavors filled the air to the point my dining companions couldn’t wait to get their chop sticks into it! The sliced sirloin was perfectly cooked charbroiled outside and tender inside, and flavored with a mix of teriyaki, onions, scallions and ginger. I asked for mine to be cooked spicy and the heat that was added made it even more enjoyable. The dish was served with a bowl of white rice, which by itself may not be the most exciting addition, but eaten with the main dish added a simple flavor and texture that seemed to bring the whole dish together. As usual, my experience at Pho Dakao was outstanding and I was happy to enjoy another wonderful meal with my WorcesterFoodie friends!