Tag: Sriracha

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Traditional Pho – Chicken Noodle Soup Style

traditional pho - chicken noodle soup style from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

traditional pho - chicken noodle soup style from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Over the past few years, Vietnamese has become one of my favorite ethnic foods! I love the complex flavors of each dish, the homemade sauces, and the brightness of the fresh herbs.

I was excited to return to Dalat for August’s Foodies! However, while I enjoy testing my palate, my sense of adventure has been slightly hampered upon finding out that my husband and I are expecting our first child in February. As a result…I played it safe with my order…#24…traditional pho – chicken noodle soup style! Salt, salt, salt, and more salt (oh…and ice cream too) has been an essential part of my pregnancy cravings so pho was the perfect choice to satiate my tummy!

When my soup arrived, it was piping hot with tender pieces of all white meat chicken, a copious amount of noodles and a delightfully salty broth I was in heaven! I added a healthy dose of the chef’s homemade fish sauce and plenty of Sriracha sauce for some heat. Delightful!!! Due to my limitations and pregnancy-induced aversions, I did not add sprouts or basil. My soup was delicious; just what I wanted and more!

Da Lat offers traditional Vietnamese food in a quaint setting at phenomenal prices…oh, and did I mention it’s BYOB…which under normal circumstances puts a gigantic smile on my face?!?!

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Chicken Sautée from Dalat in Worcester

Chicken sautéed from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Chicken sautéed from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Dalat is a small little place right on Park Avenue in the middle of a normal city block, right across the street from the fire station. The service was fantastic, both attentive and very knowledgeable of the menu, offering suggestions and helpful tips on the menu when ordering. Any menu questions were handled easily and with a smile.

As an appetizer, we had the #4 (Chicken and Peanuts with shredded cabbage). This came out as a cold salad of marinated cabbage mixed with crushed peanuts and chicken pieces and with a side of peanut sauce over small rice cakes. The crunch of the rice cakes was an excellent accompaniment to the softer texture of the chicken and cabbage, providing a very nice overall texture and flavor. The cabbage, while marinated, still had a little texture to it and wasn’t mushy and held up to the chicken nicely. Overall an excellent appetizer and perfectly sized for two.

For dinner I had the #60 (Chicken sautéed with mushrooms, red and green peppers and onions). This came out as a fairly large portion, certainly large enough to share for lighter eaters but not too large to finish off for someone with a good appetite. While the overall portion size was on the larger side, I did find it slightly light on the chicken and almost overflowing with the veggies. The preparation was perfect, both the chicken and veggies were cooked just right. The flavor was very nice, but a little on the mild side and I did find myself adding a little Sriracha to zing it up just a little.

Overall, a very nice dish.