WOK THE TOK

Melissa Nazareth tries out the latest restaurant in Amwaj, serving Asian flavours at their finest.

Tucked away on the ground floor of Amwaj Cineplex, Wok Tok has been creating waves with food lovers across the island.

I popped by for lunch on a Thursday afternoon, it was a weekday and diners started trickling in shortly afterwards. The restaurant is compact and naturally welllit with its French windows. Offering both chair- and booth-style seating, it was minimally designed with Asian inspired decorative pieces and elements.

As we waited for our appetisers while sipping on our peach ice teas, I knew that we were in the right place.

Our first appetiser was the Steamed Chicken Dumpling served with a soy sesame sauce. The casing of the dumpling was thin, offering a good bite and balance between filling and dough. The chicken filling was juicy and had a bit of an after-kick, which I enjoyed. For our second appetiser, I had to order the Prawn Money Bags. I’ve been wanting to taste them ever since I watched Gordon Ramsay try his hand at making them on one of his food trips to Thailand, only to be told by the head chef that his attempt was average at best. Known in Thai as Thung Thong, they are small, savoury parcels usually eaten during New Year to wish each other wealth. Served with a sweet chilli sauce, Wok Tok’s Prawn Money Bags had a crispy shell and meaty filling. The water chestnuts in the prawn filling added a slight texture and the delicate, authentic Thai spices made it a delightful little bite to share.

Our main courses were a diverse selection of some of the restaurant’s bestselling dishes. The Orange Chicken was cooked perfectly, soft on the inside but crispy on the outside. The sauce had a citrusy flavour with just the right consistency to coat the chicken pieces well. If you enjoy a bit of sweetness, then give this one a try.

We also ordered the Black Pepper Beef with Asparagus. It had a much stronger flavour, as needed to match up to the sturdy protein. The beef, cooked till tender, was accompanied by asparagus, onions and bell peppers, which offered a nice crunch and colour to the dish. It went well with our Quinoa Fried Rice, a favourite with diners here.

Wok Tok also has lighter, healthier options made using fresh vegetables – lay off the carbs, we say!

Our Udon Noodles tossed in Teriyaki sauce with broccoli and beef were thick and chewy, just as udon noodles are meant to be. Teriyaki being a sweetish sauce, this will surely appeal to diners who prefer a touch of sweetness in their food. The beef was crispy and the broccoli offered a hint of crunch, making this dish a balance of flavours and textures. The last of the main courses was the Eggplant Chilli Basil, another bestseller. Eggplants are tricky to cook and, as I’ve personally observed, severely misunderstood. But Wok Tok has taken this humble, bulbous, spongy fruit (yes, it’s a fruit! What?) and given it a star makeover. The eggplant was cut into bite-sized, vertical slices and fried with a crispy coating along with fresh basil and Thai (red) chillis and then tossed in oyster sauce. It beautifully took on the peppery, anise flavours of the fresh basil, the spice of the chilli and the intense soy flavours of the oyster sauce, making this dry dish a strong contender as an appetiser too. Our desserts were the Toffee Banana, which was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as were the Apple Pie Spring Rolls. The Toffee Banana had the right amount of sweetness with a crispy fried exterior and mushy insides. It went perfectly well with the vanilla ice cream. The stuffing of the spring rolls was your regular pie filing – apples cooked down with sugar and cinnamon – making it tad sweeter than I’d have preferred. But eating it with the vanilla ice cream balanced it out.

Wok Tok also has an executive menu with chicken, beef, prawn and vegetable options. They include a starter, rice or noodles and main course gravy, and come in good portion sizes – perfect to grab on the go during the week. ✤

GO: CALL 1600 9202 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A RESERVATION.