G-3, Jalan Puteri 4/6,
Bandar Puteri Puchong,
Puchong.
Tel: 012-391 6183
Business hours: 11.00am to 3.00pm,
6pm to 10pm (Tuesday to Sunday).
Closed on Mondays
Non-halal.
A YEAR after moving to its current premises, The Wok Restaurant continues to beckon diners with its mouthwatering Nyonya fare.
The eatery, formerly known as The Wok Cafe, relocated from Kota Damansara to Bandar Puteri Puchong in May last year to offer more convenient access to customers.
Thanks to the owners? efforts in furnishing the outlet, one gets the impression of stepping into a Peranakan mansion when he enters the restaurant.
The detailed decor has certainly heightened the dining experience.
Mervyn Yeoh and his wife, Adelyn Chuah, shed some light on the restaurant’s background – Yeoh’s father Robert ran the Hot Wok Restaurant in Penang before they expanded the business to the Klang Valley.
The Yeoh family takes great pride in their Nyonya delights.
The authentic flavour is their secret to attracting customers who crave for Peranakan culinary treats.
Chilled delights: The Penang Ice Kacang (front) and Sago Durian are simply irresistible.
During our recent dinner at The Wok, Yeoh recommended a few popular dishes, including Gulai Tumis Snapper, Asam Big Prawns, Tau U Bak and Inche Kabin.
Gulai Tumis Snapper features a snapper (or pomfret) drenched in an appetising paste made from chilli, onion, tamarind and bunga kantan.
“Instead of ready-made paste, we prepare it from scratch,” Yeoh said.
The Asam Big Prawns has a sweet and sour flavour that is sure to please seafood lovers.
Tau U Bak, on the other hand, literally means soy sauce pork.
The ingredients – pork slices, tofu and hard-boiled eggs – are stewed for two to three hours in a mixture of black soy sauce, cinnamon, five spice powder, clove and cumin.
What sets the Nyonya-styled fried chicken – Inche Kabin – apart from the ordinary fried chicken is the spices used.
“We marinate the chicken for half a day with assorted spices, including anise, cumin and yellow turmeric,” Yeoh shared.
Other recommendations were Jiu Hoo Char (stir-fried shredded turnip, carrot, shitake mushroom and cuttlefish served with Chinese lettuce and sambal) and Curry Kapitan (curry chicken with sour and spicy flavours).
Delicious: The ingredients used toprepare Tau U Bak are stewed for twoto three hours.
While desserts are usually served at the end of the meal, Yeoh said some customers preferred to enjoy The Wok’s Sago Durian and Penang Ice Kacang as soon as they take their seats.
Both of the chilled delights have proven to be irresistible, especially the Penang Ice Kacang that is topped with a variety of condiments, such as atapchi, nutmeg slices, red bean, cendol, peanuts, grass jelly and a dollop of vanilla or sweet corn ice cream.
Yeoh said most of the ingredients used in the kitchen were sourced locally, except for the nutmeg juice, which is needed for the nutmeg drink.
“We have to purchase the concentrated juice from Penang,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chuah added that The Wok did not have any other branches.
“This is the one and only outlet we have,” she said.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro