Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine (Philly Special)

During our August visit, we learned that Corey used to work at another restaurant in Jersey. Since that restaurant closed, we were happy to learn that some of the dishes we enjoyed were cooked by Corey! George coordinated with Corey for a wonderful multi-course lunch of small plates that were delicious! Since this was "off-menu," it is suggested that you contact Corey 5 days in advance, including price.

Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine, 1314 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267-703-2299), on Friday, October 24, 2025. What a wonderful feast! We took our time and enjoyed a 5-hour meal! This review can't do it justice! Wow!

Paired with our Sparkling Wine

Amuse Bouche

Smoked salmon with creme fraiche and Vietnamese pate

Seeded brown rice cracker with Prosciutto, Creme fraiche and capers

Let the small plates begin!

Clams with Ginger scallion sauce and seaweed

Paired with our Chablis

Vietnamese shumai with French baguette with pate

Paired with our Ancient Vines Cline Zinfandel

New Zealand rack of lamb with rosemary and thyme, dijon mustard sauce and rosemary / Baby Potatoes

More with the Chablis

Vietnamese escargot, lemongrass, sticky rice with Goc and a sauce of ginger, fish sauce, and peppercorns. Even Ken enjoyed one!

Calamari with aioli sweet bell pepper sauce and arugula salad

Oyster shooter (for Jay and George)

Beefsteak tomatoes with mozzarella with white winter truffle oil and Balsamic / Egg white Korean flan

Paired with this wine

Ceviche of shrimp, scallops, and salmon

Black tiger shrimp and scallops

Paired with our Brunello

Wild Boar with scalloped potatoes and sweet potatoes, with baby asparagus and shiitake mushrooms

At this point, Jay had her wines lined up like a flight...

Dessert

Tapioca banana with choc chip chunks, cassava, caramel, and crushed nuts

This was truly special! Highly recommended for a special occasion!

Ginger Asian Cuisine (Still a Favorite!)

Realizing we hadn't been in a while, Jay and Ken enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Ginger Asian Cuisine, 7 Wilkins Station Road, Medford, NJ, 08055 (609-953-7888), on Thursday, September 25, 2025. It was so nice to see everyone and enjoy some old favorites (plus a new one!). Delicious!

Fried noodles with spicy mustard is a favorite!

We shared the Ginger Ribs (as always!)

Jay enjoyed the Ocean Treasure, which she had before, and it was just as good! Shrimp, scallops, clams, white fish, and lobster tail. Served with Thai basil white wine sauce. She always puts the rice in the broth at the end. So good!

She selected the hot & sour soup to go with her meal. It's so flavorful.

Ken enjoyed the Beef with Scallops. Sliced flank steak and scallops sautéed with mushrooms, sweet pepper and onions. Cooked with homemade black peppercorn sauce and served on a hot sizzling plate. He devoured it.

He selected the veggie spring roll to go with his meal.

Wine enjoyed:

We need to revisit soon as they added some new items to the menu.

Indeblue Modern Indian

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George brought Jay and Ken back to Indeblue Modern Indian, 65 Barclay Farms Shopping Center, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-230-4633), on Friday, September 19, 2025. Apparently we haven't been here in over a year! How did that happen? 

Everything was fantastic! Laurie is the best server!

We shared the following:

Crispy Spinach Chaat

Garlic Naan

Jersey Corn Tikkiya (Special)

Everything Naan

Drums of Heaven

Spiced Shrimp and Scallops with Cheesy Grits (Special)

Shrimp Koliwada - Ken didn't want the tacos, just the shrimp

Raspberry Sorbet - very refreshing!

Banana Nirvana - Fried Banana Balls with Salted Caramel Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream - Wow!

Wines enjoyed:

Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine (Philly)

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George brought Jay and Ken back to Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine, 1314 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267-703-2299), which is becoming a favorite. Friday, August 15, 2025, we celebrated the anniversary of Karin and George, which we didn't get to do last month. We had a delicious lunch!

We arrived a bit early for our reservation but were seated in a timely manner.

We shared the following:

Golden Bags - stuffed with shrimp and colossal crab, with a sweet chili sauce

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings - pan fried, with ginger-scallion sauce

Summer roll with pork and shrimp, with Hoisin infused peanut sauce

Crispy Curry Chicken Dumplings, with garlic-soy glaze

Vietnamese Style Fried Rice with Seafood - shrimp, calamari, and mussels

It was so good, we then tried the Vietnamese Style Fried Rice with BBQ Pork - WOW!

We ended our meal with BBQ Pork Bahn Mi

Excellent! Everything was fresh and full of flavor!

It was nice speaking with Corey and meeting his wife. Rob was pleasant as well.

Wines enjoyed:

You can't go wrong with anything here. We plan to return in October for some special dishes. We also want to try the Vietnamese style fried rice with grilled BBQ chicken. Looking forward to our next visit!

Please support these wonderful people!

Allora (Italian) - New Location

One of our favorites, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Allora, 42 East Main Street, Marlton, NJ 08053-1228 (856-596-6882), for lunch on Friday, June 20, 2025. We had a wonderful time! Laura was the best even though she had to cover an event as well as the regular dining area. Wow!

Bread was so good, we asked for more!

Appetizers shared:

Sicilian Arancini - crispy rice balls with meat, cheese, peas, and tomato sauce

Fried Calamari served with a side of marinara sauce

Crispy Artichokes with lemon, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Not as crispy as we thought they would be.

Short Rib Fries with melted cheddar, braising jus. Outstanding. More like a meal than an app. Be ready to share.

Pizza

"Our" Margherita brick oven pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and house made basil pesto. Yum.

Dessert

Jay was too full for dessert, but the others shared a lemon cake, which they loved.

Wines enjoyed:

Looking forward to trying more dishes! It was nice speaking with Mark. We wish him the best!

Bhan Thai (A favorite!)

We hadn't been in a while, so Jay and Ken enjoyed an early dinner at Bhan Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Cambridge Crossing Plaza, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-234-4202) on Monday, June 2, 2025. Everything was delicious!

Appetizers:

Ken loves the Martini Shrimp!

Jay enjoyed the Chicken Curry Puffs - 4 to an order. So good!

Since Jay's appetizer was filling, she went with the Steamed Mussels appetizer as her entree (3 spicy chilis heat) - with Thai herbs, garlic, fresh chili and lime sauce. She used the sticky rice from Ken's entree and was quite satisfied.

Ken thoroughly enjoyed the Crying Tiger Chef's Special - grilled marinated skirt steak and veggies served with sticky rice and spicy dipping sauces.

Wine enjoyed: