Tag: green peppers

Posted on by

Bo Xao Bap Non

Bo Xao Bap Non from Dalat on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Dalat has been serving up Vietnamese food for a long time in this quiet store front location on Park Ave in Worcester. The restaurant is quiet plain on the inside offering about dozen tables for dining. Dalat offers about 100 different dinner options from very safe to very unusual. After perusing the menu I opted for a rather conservative choice of Bo Xao Bap Non or Beef with sautéed baby corn, onion, red and green peppers.

My meal was a well prepared dish of sliced beef and mixed vegetables in a simple and fresh tasting brown sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly and the vegetables still had a crisp fresh taste to them. The meal was served with white rice and was a moderate size portion. While I have no objections to my meal, its quality or value I found it rather forgettable. The meal seemed to need a little spice, seasoning, or sizzle.

Dalat was a good value, offered clean fresh tasting food, and an extensive menu full of choices, yet I left felling that it was missing something. In my opinion it seemed to lack some personality or sizzle for both the food and the venue. Overall, Dalat is a restaurant that I would have no problem going back to but it would not pop into my mind as a place that is a “must go back to.”

Posted on by

Spicy Beef Wok

Spicy Beef Wok from Chuan Shabu on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Spicy Beef Wok from Chuan Shabu on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Chuan Shabu is one of the newest restaurants to emerge in the Worcester in winter 2014. The restaurant has a nice modern design with a large bar area and cooking tables throughout. On a previous visit I tried the hot pot experience that Chuan Shabu has brought to Worcester and I found the wait staff were very friendly and helpful in explaining the hot pot options. While Chuan Shabu‘s main theme is the hot pot experience they also feature a large menu of other foods, which I opted for during this visit.

After a review of the menu I opted to start with a small bowl of wanton soup and a spicy beef wok that was served over its own cooking wok. The wanton soup was a very simple broth and wantons. While it lived up its name, I had higher expectations for a restaurant known for soup. Fortunately, the spicy beef wok more than made up for the soup. I asked for it to be prepared with a moderate to medium heat and it was just the perfect spice. The beef was thinly sliced and tender. Accompanying the beef were onions, cauliflower, green peppers, and red peppers and a brown sauce that were a perfect pairing to the dish. Surprisingly, the cauliflower was the key ingredient that gave it just the right texture and variation from the more common broccoli that usually accompanies similar dishes.

Overall, my main course was a strong contender and great alternative to the hot pot. The hot pot experience is definitely worth a try as a social form of eating that allows you to try different combinations and is a interesting experience to share with friends. Yet, I was pleasantly suppressed by the other side of the menu. My suggestion is don’t forget “the other side” of the menu when you visit Chuan Shabu.