Bhan Thai (Thai Fusion Cuisine)

Ken surprised Jay by taking her out to dinner after work on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Bhan Thai in Mt. Laurel is one of our favorites, and we hadn't been there in a while, so it was a pleasant surprise.

No reservations, but it was a bit early so we chose to sit at a table in the front of the restaurant by the window.

Appetizers:

Jay wanted to try the French Onion Soup (who knew?) from their Chef's Specials menu, just to see their interpretation of it. She was not disappointed! The onions were perfect, and the bread was just the right thickness. Lots of cheese!

Ken enjoyed the Martini Shrimp (what else is new?) and enjoyed every bit of it.

Entrees:

Jay ordered the Crab Meat Pad Thai special (lump crab meat, rice noodles, egg, scallions, bean curds, bean sprouts, and ground peanuts). Spiciness: 4 out of 5 chilis, which was perfect. Just the right amount of heat. Delicious! There was enough left for Friday's lunch.

Ken ordered the Pla Rad Prik (Crispy Red Snapper), which came with bok choy. He devoured it. The crispy skin on the fish was wonderful and the Thai chili sauce was very flavorful.

Wine enjoyed:

Dolsot House (Korean)

For our monthly lunch, Karin and George met Jay and Ken at Dolsot House, 404 Marlton Pike East (Route 70), Sawmill Village, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034. Awesome lunch on a beautifully warm day with wonderful friends.

We shared the following appetizers:

Korean Fried Chicken Wings - crunchy deliciousness!

Honey Sauce

Spicy Sauce

Pork and Chive Dumplings, light and flavorful!

Tasty small plates...

Salad, potatoes, kimchee, sprouts, squash, broccoli rabe, eggplant...


We then shared the Spicy Pork Dolsot - extremely well seasoned. Jay couldn't stop eating...

Finally, we had the LA Kolbi, beef short ribs, which we decided on after seeing another table get theirs.

Wines enjoyed:

Refreshing end to the meal. Mango?

We will return. Lots more to try. It's always a good sign when others from the same ethnic community eat at a restaurant.

We enjoyed the wings so much that each couple took an order home for later!

Asian Restaurant "Crawl" - Philadelphia

Jay and Ken went to the University City area to visit friends, Karin and George, for a "crawl" of Asian Restaurants on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

We visited 3:

Chili Szechuan, 4626 Baltimore Avenue, 19143

Pork fried rice - no need for additional soy sauce

Wonton with chili oil - spicy deliciousness

Pork belly with garlic sauce, with cucumber

Wine enjoyed:

Vientiane Cafe, 4728 Baltimore Avenue, 19143 (Laotian-Thai)
View their menu for more information...

Duck spring rolls

Vegetarian Naam Salad, marinated rice with coconut flakes then tossed with mints, scallions, lime juice, lime leaves, crushed peanuts, served with lettuce to wrap - you won't miss the meat! Jay's favorite!

Homemade Beef Jerky, marinated pieces of beef with steamed vegetables (broccoli and carrots) served with chili paste - indescribably delicious! Ken's favorite!

Wines enjoyed:

Vietnam Cafe, 816 South 47th Street, 19143 (since they are not a BYOB, we did take-out)

Grilled pork rolls - we ordered 2 orders; should have ordered more, because they were awesome!

Crispy spring rolls - couldn't get any crispier and so tasty!

Grilled shrimp vermicelli - grilled to perfection

Wine enjoyed:

Beautiful decor at Vietnam Cafe...

We ended our meal with fruit tarts from Vientiane Cafe

We had such fun, we are going to try an Italian restaurant crawl in the summer!

Ken and Karin enjoyed a bit of Macallan as well...

Allora

Finally caught up with friends Vip and Angie for dinner on Friday, March 27, 2015, at Allora by da Soli in Marlton, NJ. We had a wonderful time. Chef Mark Berenato continues to impress.

Appetizers enjoyed:

Once Jay found out that fried smelts were one of the specials, she couldn't listen to anything else! The smelts were lightly breaded to perfection, accompanied by a lovely sauce of tomatoes and olives goodness. Yum!

Angie and Vip shared the fried calamari, which was lightly breaded and accompanied by a wonderful marinara sauce.

Vip enjoyed the Caesar salad, tossed with house made Caesar dressing, pecorino romano cheese, with crisp garlic croutons.

Ken asked for the chicken sausage and fig appetizer that he had on a previous visit. It was awesome and flavorful!

Entrees:

Jay ordered the Veal Piccata, with lemon, butter, and novella wine sauce with capers. Very lemony and delicious.

Ken ordered the Flounder Francese, egg battered, pan seared, lemon butter white wine sauce, with jumbo lump crabmeat. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

Angie enjoyed the Veal San Marco, sauteed with porcini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, jumbo lump crabmeat, Sicilian Marsala wine, with a splash of cream.

Vip (and us all) enjoyed the Chicken Italiano, cutlets topped with char grilled red peppers, Italian long hots, garlic and EVOO. There was enough to take home.

We were treated to Kiwi"cello" - similar process to limoncello but made with kiwi. If you like kiwis, you'll love this!

We were also treated to the biscotti, which was a lovely end to the evening.

Wines enjoyed:

Our server, Mark, remembered Ken and Jay from our previous visit. We'll definitely be back and request him again!

It was nice seeing Lauren from da Soli as well. Very pleasant overall!