Sunny Asian Restaurant, Utica, NY

It was time to return to Utica to pick up our glasses.  That meant a lunch out!  We decided to try Sunny Asian Restaurant, 520 Albany Street, Utica, NY.

When we checked out the menu I saw that they had "Bubble Tea".  Now, I'd read about that and it sounded interesting  -  a new experience at least.  I ordered the Honeydew Bubble Tea.

It was delicious and fun and would be fantastic in the summer.

It's a honeydew flavored slurpy with "bubbles".  When I check wikipedia, it says the bubbles are tapioca.  These seemed to be completely flavorless navy blue balls of gummy bear.  It was fun!

The server brought fresh, crispy noodles and a sweet and spicy sauce.

D ordered shrimp with garlic sauce.  These were a handful of shrimp in an excellent sauce with vegetables.  The vegetables, cooked in the sauce, were al-dente, not crunchy, and had been in the sauce long enough to absorb the flavor.  D described the broccoli as the best he had ever eaten!

 

I chose the tofu with lemon grass.  There was quite a bit of ginger in it.  It was excellent.

The onions, peppers, and carrots were also well done - not raw.

(The shrimp on top was from D's plate.) 

I really enjoyed the bubble tea!

We will go back to Sunny Asian Restaurant the next time we go to Utica.

Pho Mekong House of Noodles, Utica, NY

A trip to Utica was in order.  Lunch is always fun on a trip, and a search of trip advisor and yelp led us to Pho Mekong, 601 John Street, Utica, NY.

• 
  

   This Vietnamese restaurant is a hole in the wall in an unexpected location.  We were greeted immediately by a hostess/waitress.  She promptly brought tea and water.  The tea was hot and floral and delicious.

A request for something with shrimp led to the suggestion of Pho Xao, (S47),

which is shrimp and vegetables (bok choi, peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms) over steamed rice noodles in a delicious brown sauce.  It was surprisingly easy to eat most of it, bringing only a bit home.

A Vietnamese chicken curry soup (V41) with vermicelli included chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, with mung beansprouts and basil on the side.  The chicken parts included skin, so it was not a favorite.  The soup flavor was excellent - a mild, slightly sweet curry.

We will be going back to Utica in a week or two and may try something else here or may try another restaurant.  Check back. . .