SOUTH BELOIT – Sometimes on the weekend, I end up watching cooking shows and dreaming about sampling unique food. As much as I try, Asian dishes never quite turn out as good when I make them myself at home. You need just the right ingredients like lime leaves, some special chili that I can’t easily find, or they take extra care or a special technique to fill and seal which just makes me impatient. I was delighted to discover I could get authentic Vietnamese food in South Beloit when the cravings hit me.
On a rainy Saturday evening, after an afternoon spent whetting my appetite in front of the tv, we headed down to Pho Thanh Thu on South Park Avenue, formerly home to the Imperial Palace. When you enter, there is a gorgeous Chinese arch and the dining area has an array of wonderful artwork which catches your eye instantly and beautifies the space. Lime green walls and muted green carpeting serves as a nice backdrop to red padded booths and a handful of tables. Directional spotlights on the ceiling and pendant lights above each booth create an ambient, relaxed atmosphere. One thing to note is that the otherwise accessible restaurant has a short flight of stairs leading up to the restrooms.
We were seated in a comfy booth under an enormous piece of art depicting an elaborate harbor scene. It was beautiful. The simple two-sided menu has many of the numbered dishes listed in Vietnamese and English and features familiar dishes as well as dishes that were new to us.
For our appetizer, we couldn’t decide between two of our go-to picks, potstickers (6 for $8) and crab rangoon (6 for $7). We were hungry so we sampled them both. Potstickers are my favorite and I wasn’t disappointed. Larger than usual, they had a nice and crunchy shell with a warm, soft center consisting of pork and assorted veggies. The dipping sauce was phenomenal, mainly prepared with soy sauce, garlic and notes of ginger. The crab rangoon were fried to a golden brown, crispy on the outside with a melty creamy center and with a sweet chili Thai dipping sauce.
According to Wikipedia, Northern Vietnamese cuisine has a strong Chinese influence, and its iconic dish is phở (pronounced “fuh”, I say it wrong every time). There are many versions of this national dish. The menu at Pho Thanh Thu offers eleven variations of pho. Most were beef soup based, which I have enjoyed in the past. But this time, I wanted something lighter, so I ordered Pho Chay ($16.95). This is their vegetarian one. At first, the broth seemed a little bland, but it was steaming hot and after I added the thai basil, chilis, and squeezed in the lime, it took on subtle flavors and was delightful. The rice noodles were mounted in the center and there was tofu, shredded carrots, cabbage, and broccoli. The mung beans I tossed in gave it some crunch. It was warm and very satisfying on a rainy night. The serving was huge and I took at least half home to enjoy the next day.
After a bit of deliberation, Jennifer chose the chicken fried rice ($12.99), mainly because it was a familiar option that she has always enjoyed. She was hesitant to try any of the pho entrees, but after sampling mine, she was super impressed with the taste. Her meal arrived lightning fast and consisted of a mounding plate of white rice and all white-meat chicken. Its moistness was over the top. Cubed carrots, peas, scallions and scrambled eggs finished out her delicious dish.
Nikki opted for the banh mi thit nurong ($13.95). This Vietnamese version of a sub sandwich was stuffed with flavorful charbroiled pork, thinly sliced cucumber, matchstick carrots, jalapeno slices and fresh cilantro. The bread was like a large baguette, with a thin crisp crust but light and airy on the inside. Cut in half, it looked like two full sized sandwiches and took up the entire plate. Like the rest of us, she finished one and took the other half home.
Asian cuisine encompasses a variety of cooking traditions and is primarily known for its use of spices and herbs, creating the most unique flavors. We found this to be more than accurate at Pho Thanh Thu in South Beloit. We were all impressed with our meals. There are many items on the menu I would like to go back and sample.
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