Pho & Cafe Ha (Vietnamese)

Ken treated Jay to dinner on Thursday, June 14, at Pho & Cafe Ha in Mount Laurel. We got the usual...
2 orders of Cha Gio (spring rolls) and Bnh Hoi Bo Nuongla (grape leaves).

Ken had the Banh Xeo (crepe) which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Jay had the Pad Thai Chay (tofu), which she couldn't finish and had for lunch the next day. It was spicy and full of flavor!


Love the tea!

Wine enjoyed:
Chaddsford Winery 2011 Spring Wine

943 (Argentine/Italian)

Although not in NJ, Karin and George introduced us to 943, right in the heart of the Italian Market on 9th Street in Philadelphia. Nice, open kitchen.

You MUST go to this restaurant. PLEASE don't let this restaurant fail. Although, it could come over to Jersey, LOL...

Everything was delicious! Ken even tried some things that I didn't think he would (like the flan).
 
Cheese and sausage started us off.

Delicious bread was brought out with a fantastic dip with oil and marinated peppers. Ken enjoyed most of it.

We were treated to a new dish, sausages (hot, mild and blood), which will be debuting next week. Fabulous!

We also enjoyed the Jamon y Queso Empanadas,  the most delicate, flaky,  hand-made pastry filled with ham and cheese.

Entrees:
Jay enjoyed the Merluzza de Francesco, lightly battered hake, with lemon, mushrooms and capers. Fingerling potatoes and haricot verts went perfectly with the meal.

Ken struggled through the steak special, with shrimp and perfectly cooked to medium.

Karin and George shared the pork belly pappardelle, which was also home made, light, and wonderful.

Desserts:
Karin and George share the flan, with a delicious, creamy caramel sauce.

Jay had the cookies, filled with raspberry and covered with coconut. A bit sweet, but addictive!

Wines enjoyed:

Pleasantly full; not overly stuffed.

Excellent, attentive service.

Don't let the location fool you. This is a hidden gem in the heart of the Italian Market.

We were happy to see people arriving as we were leaving. There's hope!

Da Soli (Italian)

We met our friends, Karin and George, for a nice 2-hour lunch at Da Soli, 116 Kings Highway, in Haddonfield. We will return.

If coming on a Saturday or Sunday, park at the PATCO lot and it's a short walk away.

Ken loved the bread and dipping oil:

Appetizers:

Jay & Karin - Suppli
Risotto balls filled with ground beef tenderloin fiore di latte mozzarella cheese.

Ken - Calamari Griglia
Tender grilled imported sepia, san marzano plum tomato, basil, toscanelle olives

George - Carciofi Al Romano
Pan seared long stem roman artichoke, egg battered, garlic, novella wine, crisp san Danielle prosciutto di parma and crostini

Entrees:

Ken & George
Alla Saltimbucca (vitello)
Fresh sage, prosciutto, provolone cheese, garlic demiglace sauteed spinach

Karin - Vongole Alla Guitara
Mediterranean clams, garlic, wine, house made "guitar" string pasta

Jay - Gamberi Griglia
Grilled shrimp, plum tomato, basil, artichocke hearts tossed with imported riso nero (white instead of black - still delicious!)

Our server, Lauren was excellent! Highly recommended!

Wines enjoyed:
2009 Maria Ercolino Saserello

2 wines from Karin & George:

We always have a great time with our friends!

Pho & Cafe Ha (Vietnamese)

Becoming a quick favorite, we dropped into Pho & Cafe Ha, 3111 Route 38, Unit 21-22, Mt. Laurel, NJ, for dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

The menu is so extensive, that it's difficult to decide on what to have. Everything looks and sounds so good!

Appetizers:

We shared Cha Gio (spring rolls) and Thit Nuong Cuon (summer roll with BBQ pork).

Jay enjoyed Dau Hu Nhoi Tom (tofu stuffed with shrimp mixture)

Everything comes out quickly, hot, fresh and delicious!

Entrees:

Ken couldn't finish the Tom Chien Mat Ong (honey shrimp with broccoli), so he ended up taking it home.

Ca Bon Phi Le Chien (crispy fillet flounder with black bean sauce, instead of the sweet & sour sauce as described on the menu). She struggled through, but was able to finish.

Both came with mounds of white rice, we hardly touched. (We took it home to enjoy with the leftover black bean sauce)

We went through 2 pots of Jasmine tea.

Bhan Thai

Took the "kids" to Bhan Thai, Thai Fusion Cuisine on Friday, April 6, 2012. Everyone had a great time. We were able to make a 6:30 PM reservation in less than 30 minutes and arrived to find our table ready.

Appetizers enjoyed:

Summer rolls - Fresh cucumber, lettuce, tofu, and rice angle hair warp with the rice skin .Served with Tamarind homemade sauce (Erin)

Fried Tofu Special - a bit bland, but the sauce was nice and spicy (Jay)

Fried Shrimp (Ken)

Entrees:

Chu Chee Duck Special (Jay)

Chicken Pad Thai - Stir fried thin rice noodles with egg, scallions, bean curds, bean sprouts and ground peanuts (Erin)
Not pictured...

Chicken Penang Curry - Thick curry with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, ground peanut and Thai basil (Kenny)

Steak & Prawns Special (Ken and Reese)

Madison (27 months) and Layli (almost 7 months) were well behaved throughout.


Wines enjoyed:
Emeri Pink Moscato
2011 Alamos Malbec

Monsoon (Indian)

We were hoping for Thai food, but the restaurant wasn't open yet (4:50 PM), so we headed to Monsoon Indian Cuisine in Mount Laurel.

Delicious!

Ken had the Tandoori Wings and Jay enjoyed the Amritsari Fish (Tilapia). We were so hungry, Jay remembered to take a picture of the last piece of fish...

We ordered the bread basket, not realizing how much was included (naan, garlic naan, tandoori roti-whole wheat flat bread, and parantha-whole wheat bread)

Ken enjoyed Jay's favorite as an entree - South Indian Shrimp Curry.

Jay enjoyed one of her favorites - Lamb Vindaloo.

We forgot to bring wine, so Ken had lemonade and Jay had mango lassi.

Pho & Cafe Ha (Vietnamese)

Looks like we've found a new favorite only 5 minutes away! Pho & Cafe Ha is delicious! AND they have dishes that our old favorite doesn't have! The menu is HUGE!

Cha Gio - spring roll - this picture almost didn't make it. We had already eaten one entire roll...

Thi Nuong Cuon - summer roll with BBQ pork - love the peanut sauce!

Banh Hoi Bo Nuong La - ground beef wrapped grape leaves with fine vermicelli

And the rice paper, which we've never been offered before...

Ken had the Banh Xeo - crispy fried crepe with shrimp and pork, which he has been seeking for a while

Jay had the Do Bien Xao - sauteed seafood combination on taro nest

PLUS 2 pots of tea.

We thoroughly enjoyed everything and already have dishes to try picked out for our next visit.