Wonder Wok

I swear my parents should start a food blog, with all the places they try.  They always manage to source out some pretty decent food and some obscure food court like the one in the Richmond Public Market.  The last time I was there, I thought I'd seen it all, but last weekend, they introduced me to yet another place they frequent.

Like some of the places in the Yaohan food court, this place has the two or three items on rice combo.  And if you have to have Chinese food at a food court, try the ones at Yaohan, Aberdeen and RPG.  I've had Chinese food at Richmond Centre, and even Granville Island, and there's something just not right.  Not to mention completely overpriced.  Despite the tacky name, Wonder Wok actually puts out some tasty cheap food.

Crab is a pain in the @$$ to eat, but for some reason, I was craving crab that day and this one was just beggine me to buy it.  Obviously, it wasn't cooked that moment, but the shop had the decency to reheat it for me and even offered to add some spice when they threw it back on the wok.

Deep fried pork chop with jiao yian....how do you say jiao yian in English?  I guess you could call it seasoning salt?  Anyway, this happens to be one of my mom's favourite here because it's a bit spicy and has a bit of kick.  For me, the pork was fried just right (must have just come out of the deep frier) and wasn't too tough.  Usually if it sits on the heater too long, it will overcook in time.  Since the pork was tender, it's a good indication that the turnover for food at this place was pretty good....and the fact that there were quite a few people there to get food.

My mom's got a sweet-tooth so this is another one of her favourites - honey garlic pork spare ribs.  They were actually quite good too.  The meat had a slightly crispy coating under the honey sauce, and the pork underneath was tender and still moist. 

The deep fried squit happens to be one of my favourites.  It's a nice dish with a meal, and even better with a bottle of sake, haha!

Another good drinking snack - deep fried smelt.  This dish is cooked well, but lacks in seasoning.  I would prefer it to have some seasoning salt on it and if I ever have leftovers, it's easy to just sprinkle some seasoning salt on it and throw it in the toaster oven to reheat. 

Deep fried prawns.  These did have some seasoning on it, and these fat prawns were pretty damn good. 

As far as portions are concerned, they pile on the food so high that you would never be able to close the lid the food comes in.  Ordered some green stuff just to make myself feel better about all that deep fried stuff.

The crab was okay, the meat in the legs were pretty dry, but at the joints where the legs would be attached to the body had loads of edible meat that was still quite tender (the leg meat was a dry and stringy).  But what really made the crab meal was the stuff under the shell.  I don't know how to describe it in English, but in Japanese, they call it Kani Miso.  My dad calls it cheese, and I've also heard it refered to as crab brains.  Whatever it is, add some seasoning salt and a deep frier and you have a helluva combination.  It made the meal, and I would order it again just to eat the stuff under the shell.

Wonder Wok is within walking distance to my workplace, and for times when I forget a lunch, it's a nice alternative to Tokyo Joe's or Taco Luis (Lansdowne).