D'Jakarta Cafe (Indonesian) - Philly

Our monthly lunch took us back to D'Jakarta Cafe, 1540 W. Ritner Street, Philadelphia ,PA 19145 (215-463-8888), on Friday, May 17, 2019. They remembered that we liked to take 3 hour lunches, and were very accommodating.

We shared many plates, and were quite satisfied when we left.


Two orders of Shrimp Rollade

Sweet and sour fried chicken

Braised pork with bok choy

Liver and Gizzard skewers - Jay and George enjoyed them as they were cooked to perfection. Tender and flavorful.

Fried wontons for Karin and Ken. Lightly fried with a Thai Chili sauce.

Chicken satay. Ym!

Fried bananas dessert. Not too sweet. Just right.

These peanuts are fried with garlic! They have a slight crunch to them. So good!

Wines enjoyed:

Kunkel's Seafood & Steakhouse

Kunkel's is always nice for a special occasion, so we had a lovely Mother's Day celebration at Kunkel's Seafood & Steakhouse, 920 Kings Highway, Haddon Heights, NJ 08045 (856-547-1225), on Saturday May 11, 2019. We originally made an appointment for 7 people at 7pm, but pushed it back to 7:30pm with no problem. We were seated at the Captain's Table, a room just for us!

Since we were seated at a round table, Jay didn't get to take pictures of the food, but everyone was quite happy with their meals.

Jay loved the oysters...

The Fiery Thai Calamari was just the right spiciness. There was a lot for an appetizer!

The salads were fresh and the dressings were wonderful.

Crab stuffed red snapper with roasted potatoes. Delicious!

Wines enjoyed:

Eden Korean Restaurant

On the recommendation of Julie and Shelly (thanks!) from our dentist's office, Jay and Ken visited Eden Korean Restaurant, 1428 Marlton Pike East (Route 70), Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-489-5757), on Friday, May 10, 2019. We had a fantastic lunch!

Appetizers shared:

Fried dumplings - crispy on the outside, flavorful on the inside.

Banchan included black beans, bean sprouts, kimchi, garlic stems (Ken enjoyed them so much, they gave us more!), fish cake, and broccoli with siracha sauce.

Chicken Wings  - lightly breaded; crispy, with a slightly sweet soy sauce. Very good.

Entrees:

Jay enjoyed the Sashimi Bibimbap - spring mix, red cabbage, white cabbage, carrot, avocado, crab stick, masago and sashimi on top of sushi rice. Drizzled in sesame oil, with spicy sauce on the side. Delicious!

Ken was quite pleased with the Galbi Dolsot - thinly sliced BBQ short rib.

Wine enjoyed:

We will come back - there are more dishes we want to try, especially the Bulgogi!

Nice decor. 

Bhan Thai

Tired of leftovers, Ken treated Jay to Bhan Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Cambridge Crossing Plaza, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-234-4203) on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Everything was so flavorful and delicious!

Appetizers (both Specials):

Firecracker Shrimp (Kao Griap Tod) - shrimp wrapped in rice paper, topped with spicy mayo sauce. Cooked to perfection!

Spicy Chiangmai Sausage (Sai Tua) - stuffed ground pork, chopped fresh lemongrass, chili paste (3 chilis) - extremely flavorful and spicy. Served with cucumber, tomatoes, and salad greens to calm the palate. Excellent!

Entrees:

Jay devoured the Ocean Pacific (Chef's Special) - sizzling boiled shrimp, squid, scallop and tempura Basa fish sautéed with basil and young peppercorn sauce. Ken didn't think she would finish, but she did because everything was so light and seasoned to perfection. (4 chilis spiciness was PERFECT!)

Ken thoroughly enjoyed the Thai Chicken Lady (2 chilis) special - breaded chicken topped with homemade chili sauce with steamed broccoli.

Both entrees came with Jasmine rice, which we didn't eat so we wouldn't get too full...

Ken enjoyed an order of Martini Shrimp (which is the reason why he wanted to come!) for "dessert."

Wines enjoyed:

Bistro Southeast (Philly)

For our monthly 3-hour lunch, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Bistro Southeast, 1824 South East, Philadelphia, PA 19146 ((267-758-2838) for a 12:30pm reservation. Once again, the food was outstanding! Good friends! Good food! Great time!

We ordered the Seafood Combination #4, with 2 extra lobster tails, in advance.

Before the seafood extravanganza, we enjoyed an order of Thai Sweet Chili Wings, which are crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. The sauce had just the right amount of spiciness.

We devoured the Seafood Combo in a short amount of time. Ken and Karin especially enjoyed the sausage and corn. Everything was very flavorful, with the Casian seasoning.

As always, Ken had to have the Vietnamese BBQ Pork Banh Mi. We got two orders, sliced in half. So tasty.

We enjoyed the NEW lemongrass beef skewers, which came with a nicely dressed slaw.

We love this place, and hope it continues to survive in this competitive dining world.

Wines enjoyed:

Some observations:

Servers weren't very attentive. No introductions, and no checking to see if everything was OK. Jay observed diners having to approach the counter to get utensils, beverages, etc. because the servers were chatting, eating, and on the phone. Pay attention to your diners! 

One server arrived, did not wash her hands, and started handing out dishes, etc. We weren't even sure she was supposed to be there.

Two Fish

Feeling much better after a strange sinus (?) infection, Jay and Ken met Zach and Diane for dinner at Two Fish, 26 S. Haddon Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-428-3474), for 5:45pm reservations. As usual, we enjoyed our meal.

We were warmly greeted, and promptly seated in this 26 seat restaurant (reservations required!).

Jay and Zach shared the mussels appetizer, with coconut, panang curry, lemongrass, and cilantro. Jay enjoyed the remaining broth.

Ken enjoyed the Sicilian Style Calamari, with pastina, tomato, olive, pine nuts, and currant. The calamari was thinly sliced and apparently very good, since Ken did not share!

Diane was quite satisfied with Roasted Beet Salad, with wheat berries, kale, feta, apple, walnut, and dijon vinaigrette.

For our "mid-course," we shared the Salmon Belly Crudo, with cucumber and everything spice. Very refreshing.

Entrees enjoyed:

Jay found the Skate Wing very good, crispy on the outside; nice sized pieces, with truffled spatzle, melted leeks, and parmesan broth which was poured table side.

Ken and Diane enjoyed the Barramundi, with fingerling potatoes, lava beans, corn, and romesco. Crispy skin!

Zach was happy with the Wild Isles Salmon, with jasmine rice, eggplant, black pepper yogurt, pistachio fennel aillade.

Desserts:

The ice cream sampler was happily shared by Jay (peanut butter and jelly; bananas foster (which Ken devoured); and, tamarind and chili). Creamy and delicious. The sugar cookie was a nice touch.

Zach enjoyed the banana cake.

Diane enjoyed the cappuccino panna cotta, which she enjoyed with Zach's caramel sauce with cashews.

If Ken sees lemon tart on the menu, he is having dessert. He enjoyed the tart, but wish the blueberries were on the side. He doesn't like ricotta, so he didn't eat it.

Zach and Jay felt better as the meal progressed; getting out was good for both of us!

Wines enjoyed: