The Wok Box is not new to the Halifax Regional Municipality but it is new to Clayton Park. After going out to see Alice in Wonderland (which I personally adored) we went out to dinner with our friends Mike and Jen to the newly-opened Wok Box close to Bayers Lake. I would give you the address but it is not yet up on their site, it is that new! What I can tell you is that it is in the same mall as the Applebee’s and it is right near M&M Meat Shop.
As soon as we walked in, I liked the feel of the place. You can tell that this restaurant chain began in western Canada with its dark wood, stone walls and lots of natural light. You get the Pan Asian restaurant touches “with a Canadian twist” feeling. It was very comforting for us, made us feel right at home. There is a lot of banquette seating along tall windowed walls bringing in a ton of natural light. You can tell a large portion of their clientele are people ordering takeout for the weekend, the foot traffic going in and out of this establishment was non-stop.
The restaurant has that super-clean, super-new feeling to it. The woman at the cash register where you order your meal assured me that as long as we stayed away from the soups, there would be no MSG in the food. A foodie miracle for us! My husband could safely order his black bean and chicken with rice dinner without fear. I had a difficult time figuring out what I wanted to order. Did I risk ordering the Mongolian stir fry? I had no idea what that would taste like. Or would I dare order their version of Pad Thai and risk yet another expensive disappointment? I decided to go safe for my first visit to the Wok Box and if they did it right, I would come back and be more adventurous.
Sadly, this is not what I ordered. I ordered the beef black bean dinner on udon noodles but they brought me chicken. It was not after I took the photograph that I realized they had made me the wrong meal. They also made my husband the wrong dish. He was supposed to have the chicken and I was supposed to get the beef. I brought it back with the receipt and they apologized and made me the dinner I had ordered. My husband just ate the one he got, quite happily. I know mistakes happen, especially in a new establishment with newbie staff. They replaced my meal as quickly as they could and apologized so no worries. These things happen.
There was enough sauce for the dish, I am happy to report. My only complaint is it was a more subtle black bean sauce than I would have like (and my husband agreed) but that might be too strong for the general public. The veggies were fresh and crisp, the meal was piping hot when it came to the table and the udon noodles were perfect. It was a little pricey for what some would consider a take-out style of restaurant. Our two black bean dishes with one shared drink was $27 but considering when we go for dinner at Subway we normally pay $18, for less than an extra $10 we get a complete meal in an establishment that feels more like home. I think it is worth it.
Yes, I will go back to the Wok Box and next time I will be more adventurous. I will order their Pad Thai!
MMM looks good. What a treat, you deserve to go out and have someone else do the cooking for a change. Yes, I think you should be daring and give their pad thai a go next time, it just may be the one you were looking for.
Hey! That’s right next to me. Actually there are two malls close together on Dunbrack, one with Applebees and one with M&M. I think it must be M&M’s mall. Rockingham Ridge. Will definitely have to try it out! Thanks. I would never have known it was there!
I think the food at Wok Box is pretty decent but every time I go, there’s always some mix-up or screw-up in my order too. The problem must be chain-wide! I’ve experienced it both in Manitoba and Alberta. So I laughed when I read your post! My personal theory is that Wok Box always hires young teens for the staff and they must all come to work stoned all the time. It’s the only plausible explanation I can think of!