I enjoyed dining solo tonight at Sweet Rice (167 Teaticket Hwy East, Falmouth). I went there to try a specific dish which I knew my wife would probably not wish to share with me--the beef stew with carrots, beef brisket, beef tripe (yes, tripe, it's a favorite of mine) and thin rice noodles. My wife is not a fan of tripe . . . her loss. We've dined at Sweet Rice and done take out from them many times over the last few years and everything has always been delicious. It is what I would call a Pan-Asian restaurant, with a strong emphasis of Southeast Asian cuisines, easily the best one of these on the Upper Cape and probably the best on the entirely of the Cape. I sat at the bar, ordered a cocktail and the three dishes I wanted to enjoy. My meal started with an order of yellowtail sashimi was was fresh and tasty; this was followed by an order of Lot Rolls (a mixture of pork and taro in deep fried rolls with a mild chili dipping sauce) which I shared with the couple sitting next to me so they could sample something different (they liked it enough to order it as part of their take-out order). Then the beef stew arrived. The reason I was there. I expected it to have the same flavor profile as Vietnamese Pho (and I've had many a bowl of Pho with brisket and trip at Pho Houses living for a long time in Southern California). It was not Pho, it was different. The soup was rich and flavorful, but it also had a sweetness which was probably attributable to all of the carrots in the dish. The brisket and the tripe were soft and had well absorbed the flavor of the broth (though I wish it had contained even more morsels of tripe). When I asked about the origins of the dish I was told it was Cambodian. Delicious. My wife and I, along with other guests, have sampled many things from their menu--all three duck dishes (our favorite is the roast duck with the home-made hoisin sauce which is just exquisite), braised eggplant, stir-fried bok choy, various items off of their sushi menu (though it is interesting that they do not have saba on the sushi menu), and almost all of the appetizers (while there are some standards on the menu here (e.g., pork rism chicken wins and the like), there are also some really unique offerings, such as the Lot Rolls). Everything at Sweet Rice has been wonderful. This is a family business, virtually everyone working there is a member of the extended family, including the wait persons who are attentive, helpful and expeditious in the presentation of your order. I highly recommend Sweet Rice, especially for those who have tired of the standard New England Chinese food available as so many well known places across the Cape. Sweet Rice is different and delicious. read more