Tag: rice noodles

Posted on by

Pad Thai at Thai Time

Pad Thai at Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Pad Thai at Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

The day before the foodies and I met at Thai Time on Highland Street I made Pad Thai at home out of a boxed kit. Therefore, I considered myself an expert on Pad Thai and selected it with no hesitation. The options for added protein included chicken, shrimp or…both! I went for both, although I’m pretty sure there were only two shrimps, which was disappointing. The Pad Thai was stir-fried with rice noodles, egg, scallions, bean sprouts, and ground peanuts. This plate was piled high and so delicious looking that it’s photograph wound up as a featured image in the article highlighting the Worcester Foodies on MassLive. After focusing very hard to not drop the plate as it was handed to me across the table, I dove in. I actually completely missed an entire conversation at the table while I reflected on scallions. I love scallions. There were many fresh scallions in my Pad Thai. There was also a good amount of sweet, flavorful sauce covering the thin rice noodles. The dish was not spicy at all, and looking back, I do regret not testing out a few of the six hot sauces that were brought to my companions. I definitely would not have ordered the Fiery Pad Thai, but a tiny saltiness and kick would have made the dish even better. I completely cleaned my plate down to the bean sprouts, and then I even finished off those. I would absolutely return to Thai Time to try more dishes, as my choice was well balanced, well cooked, and full of fresh ingredients.

Posted on by

Vermicelli with Pork from Dalat Restaurant in Worcester

Vermicelli with Pork from Dalat Restaurant on Park Ave in Worcester, MA

Vermicelli with Pork from Dalat Restaurant on Park Ave in Worcester, MA

The Vietnamese community in Worcester has increased significantly in the last 10 years. They are the second largest foreign born population, just shy of Brazilians, averaging around 4,000 residents. With them comes a culture of hard work ethics, academic excellence, and strong support of community, family and of course, great food! This brings us to this month’s Foodies stop, Dalat at 425 Park Ave.

Da-Lat’s owners, husband and wife Kevin and Kim (Kimnu) Nguyen have served up some of the best Vietnamese food to our city’s residents for twenty-two years. The restaurant is directly across the street from the fire station on Park Ave and seats approximately 40 people in an open floor setting that is very basic and clean. We had the opportunity to have Kim as our server. She was extremely friendly, outgoing and knew the menu inside and out, allowing her to make suggestions based on my preferences.

I began with the Spring Rolls. The order arrived with a plate of four oversized handmade rolls packed with rice noodles, shrimp, chicken mint and lettuce. The first word that came to mind was FRESHNESS! Served with a side of homemade peanut sauce, Kim happily told me that their peanut sauce was very popular with their patrons. One bite and I could tell why. The sauce was just right, not too bold and of perfect texture. It complimented the spring rolls nicely without overpowering the mint or fresh shrimp.

For my entrée I chose the Vermicelli (Bun) with pork. Kim mentioned that this was their most popular dish on the menu. Served in a medium sized bowl packed with rice noodles over a bed of lettuce and dressed on top with pieces of pork cooked with lemongrass seasoning, this dish was fantastic.

I was able to speak with Kim for a moment and discovered that her husband Kevin the head chef, works 11-12 hours per day at the restaurant. Knowing the Vietnamese culture embraces a strong work ethic, this came as no surprise to me. And that kind of dedication is exactly why Dalat is a stand out for Vietnamese cuisine in this area.