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Scallops with Basil from Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Upon entering Thai Time those familiar with the previous restaurants that inhabited this location were greeted with a cleaned up version of its predecessors. The staff was friendly and helpful. After reviewing the menu, I decided to shy away from my usual favorite types of Thai food and opted for the scallops with basil.

Described as a slightly spicy basil dish with green peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms and a spicy basil sauce. The dish was well prepared and included sliced zucchini which was a nice addition. The scallops were small and did not seem to take on flavors of the spicy basil sauce. The vegetables were perfectly sautéed and the flavors were clean and fresh tasting, but seemed to be lacking a little kick or edge to them. Overall, the dish could have benefited from a little more basil and spice.

Overall, my dining experience at Thai Time left me looking for a little more. Neither the location nor my meal left me clamoring for more. The food quality and taste for me was respectable but left me looking for a little more. Thai Time seemed to have a fairly heavy college student following that looked to be enjoying their dining experience. A return trip is in store for me to try a few different things and see how they perform on my second go.

Bo Luc Lat from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

The menu at Dalat can be overwhelming at first. Over 100 items that are quite specific. For example there is beef with onions, but also beefs with broccoli. Then there is beef with onions and snow peas. And the options go on. Luckily for me, there was a little flap with six specials. I selected Bo Luc Lat which has stir fried beef chunks (yes, it said chunks) with onions on top of a fresh salad with a little bowl of rice on the side. The plate had cucumber and tomato slices on each side and some type of vegetable under the beef as the salad. I admit I am no expert on vegetables. Or Asian cuisine of any kind except rice. The beef was cooked in a syrupy brown sauce that was very sweet at first. Then I noticed it had a spicy kick. There was nothing on the menu specifying which dishes were spicy and which would be for me, so I had to drink a lot of water and half of my neighbor’s bottle of red wine. I also had to eat the rice despite trying to not eat carbs for the month of August. Despite requiring these modifications to my dining experience, I really liked the dish! It was spicy but the flavor was rich and delicious. The beef chunks were tender and well covered in the sweet sauce. This unassuming little restaurant had great food and I would return again- though I would ask if my selection was spicy!