DaLat - Vietnamese Comfort Food

It's been a while since I've been back to DaLat!! Time to go see what my friend Khanh has come up with now!

DaLat
2537 N Fitzhugh Ave.
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 827-3200
http://dalatdallas.com/
Price: $-$$

We started with some appetizers. They are all new to me! I love trying new foods.

Spam Musubi (Fried Spam with sticky rice in rice paper) $5~

This was my favorite appetizer out of the bunch. I'm not a fan of regular Spam musubi when I was in Hawaii. I thought the texture and flavor were all meh. I loved this rendition of the musubi with the sticky rice! The sticky rice added a different texture to the spam and the rice paper around it all made it easier to pick up and eat. I would totally get this again next time.

Du Du Bo Kho (green papaya salad and spicy beef jerky) $5.50~

This was pretty light in flavor but was also refreshing. I liked the spicy beef jerky on top to add complexity in texture. I wish it was a bit spicier though.

Dorito-Viche (Vietnamese cabbage salad over Doritos) $5~

This was an interesting creation. I think I like the different elements on its own, but together, I felt the flavor of the Doritos overpowered the cabbage salad. Wasn't my favorite... Some of my friends really liked it though. hehe.

Chicken Soup for the Soul (pork meatballs and chicken over rice) $8~

This was awesome for late night/after drinking. It is so warm and comforting and I always love the pork meatballs. That night they also made a batch with beef and pork meatballs (which is what I got).

Sooooo much food, but really good. Go get you some on a cold day or long night of partying! haha.

Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup) $8~ As always, I like their broth.

Been a Rough Day Shots (Jameson, Grand Marnier, Baileys; taken in succession) $14~

One of DaLat's crazy creations. You take these one after another... I didn't dare to try it! My bf did though... He actually only heard Baileys so was pretty shocked when Khanh brought out 3 shots! HA! But he said it was actually much better than he thought it would be. I think ending with the Baileys really helped round out the experience. haha.

Cheesecake $5~ Not made in house, pretty standard.

DaLat is always a nice change to the standard IHOP or Buzzbrews or something. Plus I get to visit my friend, Khanh. I like how he keeps creating things so I can always try something new.

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An Update on DaLat - Soft Opening

Over the weekend, I went with a large group of friends to go check out DaLat, since they started their soft opening on April 18th. Initially they were only open from 10PM - 2AM, but due to the positive responses, they have recently increased their hours. You can find their weekly hours on their facebook page.

Dalat Restaurant and Bar
2537 N. Fitzhugh Ave.
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 827-3200
www.DALATdallas.com
Price: $

The restaurant is all finished and clean and I loved the massive Asian style dragon painted on the wall. Luckily it wasn't too busy then since we had a group of 14-15 people. Khanh, the owner, came by to greet us and chat with us throughout the meal. I'm so glad to hear that business is already doing well!

Since it's a soft opening, the food choices were somewhat limited and the final menus haven't been printed yet.

I got to take pictures of pretty much everything since we had such a big group. YAY! :)

To start... my friend ordered Tang $2~

Yes, Tang. The orange juice drink. If you know what I'm talking about, then I'm sure you're pretty excited. My friend said it brought back memories. haha. (And just a side note, I think they now serve something called a TangMosa.... Intrigued?? Go try it out for yourself!)

DaLat Rolls (egg roll inside a spring roll, served with house-made peanut sauce) $4~

 Interesting concept. I haven't seen it done like this before, but it didn't work for me. The eggroll kind of got soggy inside the spring roll wrapper. But don't worry, I gave some suggestions. Hopefully they are making some tweaks and changes to make it better! The eggroll flavor was good though. And the star was the peanut sauce. Homemade peanut sauce... soooo good! Khanh makes it himself!

They have a condiments/garnish bar, where you can get your own bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, onions, etc. Everyone does their pho differently. I personally love TONS of bean sprouts and basil. This way you can have it exactly how you want!

Chicken Pho $8~

I didn't try this but my friend (who was Vietnamese) said the broth was really good. There were also large pieces of chicken breast in there. You also see some pork meatballs...it's optional.

Pork Meatballs Pho $8~

They were actually running behind and was still cooking the beef pho, so the rest of the group got the meatball pho. Homemade pork meatballs. YUM! I don't think I've ever had it in other Vietnamese restaurants before. It was so tender and full of flavor. It's their newest addition... and it's a good one.

They also have KhanhWICHES (Vietnamese Banh Mi, but different...and better) $5.50~ each.

Italian (Genoa salami and peppered turkey).

This was like a regular Banh Mi with the traditional toppings but with a little Italian flair. Packed with meat and lots of flavor, I'd say this was my favorite sandwich of the night. The bread was great. It was crusty and buttery but not overly hard like some baguettes can get. They also hollow out the middle a bit to make room for more stuff and so it's not too thick to bite into. And yes, that is Doritos on the side. Not sure if that's a permanent thing or not. haha.

Albacore Tuna.

This is kinda like tuna salad with Banh Mi toppings. I liked the flavor and texture of the tuna but there wasn't enough. I made sure to let them know that as well so they can work on the portioning of the dishes. I dipped it in sriracha...double delish!

SPAM. Yes, SPAM. Out of the can.

They slice it and put it in a sandwich for ya. My friends actually asked them to grill it so it's just not straight out of the can. Look for more potential revisions to this dish in the future.

Beef Pho $8~

Khanh came over after the meal and told me that the beef pho is ready and if I wanted to try some. "It's good today," he said. I was super full but I had half a bowl. The broth is really flavorful and noodles cooked perfectly. But man, I was stuffed!!

Keep in mind it's still their soft opening so they will be working out some kinks here and there. And they definitely appreciate constructive criticism and feedback. It's definitely a cool hang out spot and I'll be going back soon to see what changes they have made and any new additions to the menu. In the mean time, they are still BYOB until they get their liquor license. :)

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OAHU - PART 1 - North Shore

I recently had the chance to visit the island of Oahu in Hawaii. First time there and it was pretty epic!! I can't wait to go back! :)

But unlike most other trips I take, the food was not the star... I ate some good meals, but overall, the food wasn't spectacular. Although I have to thank all my friends that gave me recommendations of places to eat and visit. :) They definitely made the trip planning much easier!

I'll be doing this in 3 parts since there are A TON of pictures. Part 1 is up in the North Shore area of Oahu, and Parts 2 & 3 are in the south by the Honolulu/Waikiki area. We actually stayed 2 nights in Waikiki, then drove up to North Shore for 4 nights, and then back down to Waikiki for 5 nights. So the food will not be in order...

North Shore was probably my least favorite part of the trip. There wasn't much to do and the weather was windy, cold and overcast the entire time we were there. 4 nights there was overkill. I think 2 would've been plenty.

Anyways, on to the food. We tried to hit up the more local, hole in the wall type places on the trip. We didn't want anything we can find back in Dallas.

On the drive up to North Shore, we stopped by the Dole Plantation. Definitely a good place to go if you've never been. Really fresh pineapples!
Dole Plantation
64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy.
Wahiawa, HI 96786
http://www.dole-plantation.com/
(808) 621-8408
- Dole Whip (cup with topping) $4.95~

The soft serve is sooo good! It was creamy, fresh, and great with the fresh pineapple chunks. I'm mildly allergic to pineapple so I had to really restrain myself from eating too much!

First night in North Shore. Unfortunately it was Thanksgiving night and most places were closed. We found a 7-Eleven and a grocery store that also sold food and got some dinner there.
7-Eleven
- Deluxe Spam Musubi (spam & egg) $1.69~

I've heard of how good the 7-Eleven spam musubis are... and I wasn't impressed...But then again, it tasted like all the other musubis I tried during the trip. haha. So I guess for the price, go to 7-Eleven to get your musubi.

Kahuku Superette
56-505 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kahuku, HI 96731
(808) 293-9878
- Seaweed Salad $3.69~
- Shoyu Poke $9.99/lb~

Online reviews said they had really good poke. Poke is basically a raw fish salad usually served over rice. This was my first time having it. I didn't care for it even though I love sashimi. Something about it didn't sit well with me. I think the fish wasn't really that fresh.

Day 2 in North Shore was better... when the sun is out and you can actually see everything! haha. We hit up a highly recommended shrimp truck.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
56-505 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kahuku, HI 96731
(808) 293-1839
- Shrimp Scampi (a dozen shrimp - marinated in olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, lemon/butter and sauteed in a pan; served with 2 scoops of rice) $13~

This is definitely the best one to order. The shrimp was cooked well and I liked the garlic bits on the rice a lot.
- Hot & Spicy (a dozen shrimp - cooked and covered in own special blend of hot sauce; served with 2 scoops of rice) $13~

This was eh. It was definitely spicy but was also quite sour. I didn't like the sourness.

BBQ Corn Stand
56-505 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kahuku, HI 96731
- Island Style (butter, sea salt, garlic salt, black ground pepper) $3~
- Baja Style (butter, mayo, lemon/lime juice, Baja seasoning, Parmesan cheese) $3~

This was just behind Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. I think this outshined the shrimp truck. The corn was amazing! I liked the Island Style better because it didn't overwhelm the flavor of the corn. But both were fantastic. I think I'll try to recreate it myself one day! hehe.

Before dinner we went to get some shave ice. This is HIGHLY recommended by my friends.
Matsumoto's Shave Ice
66-087 Kamehameha Hwy.
Haleiwa, HI 96712
http://www.matsumotoshaveice.com/
(808) 637-4827
- Small Shave Ice (Cherry, Blueberry, Coconut Cream flavors) $2.25~

- Small Shave Ice (White Cake, Strawberry, Banana Cream flavors) $2.25~

I'm not really a fan of shave ice since it's just ice and sugar syrup. But I have to say this is BY FAR the best shave ice on the island (we've tried some others during the trip). The ice is so fine and delicate and the sugar syrup was pretty good. I know some places have weird tasting syrup. The line is super long, but it didn't take too too long to wait. I wouldn't go back all the time, but I'm glad I tried it. Btw...the banana cream is the best! :)

We just went down the street from Matsumoto's to get some dinner.
L&L Drive In
66-197 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712
http://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/
(808) 637-4700
- Seafood Combo (Fried Mahi Mahi, BBQ short ribs, 2 scoops of rice, macaroni salad) $9.25~

- Kalua Pork and Cabbage (served with 2 scoops of rice and macaroni salad) $7.75~

We have a L&L in Plano, so it wasn't a big deal. The food was ok. Nothing special to mention. The cabbage did leave a pool of grey watery mess at the bottom of the container so that was kinda gross.

Day 3... This place wasn't on my list but we just drove by and decided to check it out.
Surfin' Taco
54-296 Kamehameha Hwy
Hauula, HI 96717
http://www.facebook.com/surfintacos
(808) 293-4440
- Two Surfin Tacos (fresh fish, corn tortilla, jack cheese, fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, signature Surf sauce; served with side of rice and beans) $9.95~

- Da Kine Quesadilla (grilled steak, jack and cheddar cheese, signature Surf sauce; topped with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo; served with side of rice and beans) $8.95~

It was pretty good. Good sized portions. I think the quesadilla is a better deal than the tacos.

Day 4. It was a Sunday and not much was going on in North Shore so we drove back down towards Honolulu area.
Food Truck @ Aloha Stadium Flea Market
99-500 Salt Lake Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96818
http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/
(808) 483-2756
- Mini Loco Moco (served with 2 scoops of rice, 1 hamburger patty, 1 egg) $5.50~

So far I'm not too keen on Hawaiian food. Just a lot of meat and rice and not a lot of difference in texture. This was ok. It was an ok snack to tie us over to our next destination.

Zippy's
904 Mokauea Street
Honolulu, HI 96819
http://zippys.com/live/
(808) 832-1755
- Mini Zip Pack (fried chicken and teri beef over rice) $6.10~

- Surf Pack (2 pieces of fried chicken, spam, teri beef over rice) $9.40~

- Mini Korean Fried Chicken (1 scoop of brown rice and salad) $6.25~

This was my order. I really liked it. They were pretty good about getting the flavor profile of Korean fried chicken! And I liked the fact that I could choose brown rice and salad instead of macaroni salad. The mini portion was perfect.
- Vic Pack (chicken katsu, sausage, spam, teri beef over rice) $8.48~

The chicken katsu was good too. The others really liked the teri beef.
I actually really liked this place. I thought it had more variety than other Hawaiian food places. I was a little over the Kalua Pig by then. haha. Plus it was cheaper! Local Hawaiian food was more expensive than I expected!

Our last day in North Shore was the best meal for me in that area.
Kahuku Grill
56-565 Kamehameha Hwy
Kahuku, HI 96731
(808) 852-0040
- Grilled Seafood Combo (Garlic Lovers' Shrimp & Coconut Macadamia Nut Shrimp; served with rice and fresh mixed Pupukea green salad with papaya seed dressing) $13~

- Grilled Seafood Combo (Grilled fish (Basa) & Coconut Macadamia Nut Shrimp; served with rice and fresh mixed Pupukea green salad with papaya seed dressing) $13~

- Side of Fries $3~

This was a great recommendation by a friend of mine. I'm so glad we went. It's a tiny place, slightly hidden, by Quizno's. They are famous for their coconut macadamia nut shrimp and it was awesome. Yes, there was wayy more batter to shrimp ratio but the batter was delicious. Super crispy and sweet from the coconut. The grilled fish was cooked to perfection and amazing. Plus I love the spices they sprinkle over their rice. Definitely makes it more interesting! And the salads are made with locally grown greens and the dressing is homemade as well. Definitely one of the best meals of the whole trip for me!

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