Rice & Noodles Simply Vietnamese

There is something sacred about good food. A good meal can make the whole world feel content for just a moment, and make the belief world peace with in a hands grasp.  There are lots of place in Lancaster county that promise contentment by their very name (Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Paradise just to name a few), but I am pretty sure that I found a piece of inner balance and harmony when I partook of a meal at Rice & Noodles.  If there were angels singing and bells ringing, I wouldn't have even noticed, for the amount of bliss I was encompassed in from this meal.

Rice & Noodles is a really tiny eatery, that you could drive past in a blink of an eye. If you didn't know what you were looking for your would miss it. The eatery would be crammed with more than a dozen and half people where there at one time. Thankfully they do take out, or else there could be some major competition for seating.  The first thing that I noticed when entering Rice & Noodles is that the decor reminded me of home kitchen decor. Pictures of vegetables and spices canvased the walls. From my seat in the middle of the room I was able to see part of the kitchen and their beautiful display of french macaroons.  In a way it made me feel like I was visiting my mother after a long absence and being grilled, "Have you et yet? Sit down, I am going to fix you something, you look like you are starving."

The menu was extremely tempting. Having never been to Rice &Noodles before, I took a veteran with me, to at least get her recommend to get started.  Right away we agreed on macaroons, but I can't eat desert first. We both ordered the Jasmine Tea with Lime (Tra Da Chanh).  The first sip is reminiscent of a punch to the face. On a dreary Thursday afternoon I was not expecting the intense lime flavoring to slap me in the face and have me begging for more. After the shock of lime, the flavoring mellowed out a little bit to remind me of a margarita, but without the harsh bite of alcohol.  Or maybe a little bit of the cachaca, if you have ever had it muddled with limes.  If the Jasmine Tea with Lime was any indication, everything was going to be a symphony of taste.

I know that a lot of people don't put a lot of stock in appetizers, because they are already getting a meal and most of the time appetizers don't do their job. The job of an appetizer is to stimulate the desire to eat at the beginning of a meal with small portion of food. I like appetizers, they give me a good idea on the quality of the food I am going to get without having to order more food then I can can eat.  Sausage spring rolls (Goi Cuon Nem Nuong) was the random choice that was made for our appetizers by me, because it sounded good, but everything sounded good. What came out was not good. What came out, good does not even begin to describe.  This seemingly simple looking appetizer rocked my world off kilter for a moment. It was as if I had found a golden ticket in my candy bar. I don't think I could replicate the beauty that happened with the melody of flavors that danced upon my tongue. The peanut sauce that was served with it, was completely and utterly without flaw.   This appetizer knew its job, because by the end of this delicious morsel I was utterly ready for any sort of main course that was set before me, because I had just been granted a moment of food clarity.  This was going to be awesome. 

I can tell you what I ordered but don't even think of asking me to pronounce it. It will only sound like Klingon coming out of my mouth.  Do Xao Ap Chao or for those that slaughter languages even their native it is DX3 Crispy with Chicken.  It has been a while since I have seen a meal so visually pleasing as the Do Xao Ap Chao  is to behold.  The beauty of seasoned vegetables, pineapples and tomatoes stir fried in a spicy garlic sauce topped with cilantro, served with crispy pan fried rice noodles and chicken warms a hungry spot in my heart.  My lunch companion to Rice & Noodles had highly recommended this dish, because it was one of her favorites. I can understand why. It was utterly lovely to eat and I am not sure what I am in love with more, the spicy garlic sauce or the pan fried rice noodles.
 The sauce covered everything and had such a delicate rich flavor that it never once became oppressive. The pan fried rice noodles have never crossed my realm of experience before, so the soft yet crunchy vehicle for the sauce was certainly a novelty. Would I order this dish again? Yes. A thousand times yes. It is hard to recall such a meal in recent history that after I have finished every last possible morsel, that I feel rejuvenated and want to take on the world all at once.

Just when I am ready to take on the world, there are french macaroons that taunt me.  There have a beautiful assortment of french macaroons.  There are a wider variety of flavors and fillings and despite splitting a box of six of their chocolate ganache (Peanut butter, Strawberry and Coconut Almond with the rich ganache filling) with my companion, I ended up buying several boxes of macaroons to take home and share with my husband. The delicate meringue like cookie with a captivating heart of gold was a beautiful finish to a perfect meal.

I would highly recommend Rice & Noodles. If you are looking for something that doesn't hop on the Amish band wagon that most of the Lancaster County promotes (it isn't like it is a bad thing), but would like a satisfying dining experience for not that much money, then Rice & Noodles is the answer to your unasked question.  Rice & Noodles is so good, that I am looking to plan a day around things I can do in Lancaster if it means I can stop here for lunch and experience a little bit more of world peace and harmony  for my taste buds if even just for a moment.