Vietnamese eggrolls deliver desired crunch from Pho Le in Red Bank. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
In a rare moment of culinary indecision, a recent PieHole conversation ran to a “What are you in the mood for?” theme.
The overwhelming desire for something different led us to the Vietnamese restaurant Pho Le on Broad Street in Red Bank.
We couldn’t resist ordering the summer rolls, since after all, the season had just begun. But I wanted the crunch of the eggrolls, too. At $6 per order of six rolls each, the plates were affordable, shareable and constituted a light lunch for two. They come with romaine lettuce and a vinegar-based red chile sauce for dipping – the traditional way to eat the eggroll is to wrap it in a romaine leaf, dip and bite.
The summer rolls are rice-paper wrapped, chewy on the outside and filled with shrimp, pork, and noodles, and served with a tasty, creamy peanut sauce. A variety of condiments topped the table, including a sweet plum sauce and a hot chile sauce, which we appreciated, as we like it a little on the spicy side.
Pho Le is an inspired choice when you have a yen for something light, tasty and not the same old sandwich.
