Rocking Wok Taiwanese Cuisine
| Address: | 4301 Interlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103, USA |
| Phone: | +1 206-545-4878 |
| Site: | facebook.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM Closed 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
JO
Jon Conley
Not As Good As It Used To Be This place has become extremely expensive and mediocre (which is a shame -- Taiwanese food is a treasure). It kind of breaks my heart a bit to say that; this used to be one of my go-to restaurants. The Xiaolongbao were extremely thick and barely had any aspic "soup" in them. The dipping sauce came pre-mixed and was mostly just vinegar with a few shreds of ginger. The Hand-Shaved Noodles with Pork was so disappointing. The noodles themselves were more like the Southern version of "dumplings"; just huge, chewy, globs of dough. And Im not against big chunks of dough -- it just didnt work in this (particularly underseasoned) dish. As for the meat -- weirdly chopped, difficult to eat, and poorly seasoned. The Braised Pork Belly was upsetting; a few pieces of thinly sliced belly atop of a mountain of cooked-to-mush brown vegetable scraps (which, when a little bit gets mixed with your rice, is pleasant); which made up more than 70% of the dish. It used to be balanced a bit better than this. Their Taiwanese Milk Tea (sometimes also called "HK-style Milk Tea") was extremely delicious, packed full of strong black tea flavor and just the right amount of milky sweetness. The Thai Tea was a sad powder with either water or skim milk. None of our dishes were finished and we left hungry; which is extremely rare for Chinese or Taiwanese food -- probably my favorite cuisine in the entire world. The bill was around $40 (which was about $8-10 too high, given the portions and the quality) for two dishes, an appetizer, and two teas. Rice isnt included, so -- factor "Rice Tax" into your $10-12 dish. Given the high prices and the dip in quality, theres really no reason not to just eat at a better restaurant in Chinatown. If youre looking for better Taiwanese food, I would seriously make the trip to Gourmet Noodle Bowl, instead. If youre trapped up North, make the trip to HK Dim Sum (which is cheaper, cleaner, and has much better dumplings). Perhaps there are other items still worth getting; Im just not excited to go back to test that theory any time soon.
JE
Jess C
An out-of-the-way little spot cooking up yummy authentic Taiwanese cuisine! The service was blazingly fast - our dishes were brought out in such quick succession, I barely had time to take photos and sample each dish before the next arrived. Great place for lunch and can easily accommodate groups! We ordered, in order of deliciousness: Home-made Hand Shaved Noodles with Chicken. These noodles were so hearty and chewy! I loved chomping down on them. The chicken was tender, and the cabbage sweet. A well rounded dish that could happily be a quick cheap lunch in itself. Highly recommended! Sauteed Chinese Spinach. I almost want to list this first, but that may be due to extreme personal bias towards Chinese spinach. Its got such an amazingly satisfying texture! If you havent had them, the stalks are hollow on the inside, crisp and almost crunchy. The leaves are tender and great at absorbing the garlicy sauce. Such a simple yet delicious dish - its all in the timing. Cook it for too long and it gets mushy and loses its wonderful signature texture, cook it not long enough and it doesnt pick up the flavor from the sauce. Basil chicken. Deeply flavorful dish, best accompanied by rice. I loved the fried basil leaves! The Oyster Omelette and the Thousand Layered Pancakes were both solidly tasty, but Im afraid not as outstanding as I had hoped. These are two of the most classic and beloved Taiwanese dishes and I was really looking forward to them. Maybe its my fault for having too high expectations, but they fell a little flat. The oyster omelette had the right texture, but lacked in flavor. The thousand layered pancakes were not flaky enough. My least favorite was the Xiao Long Bao, aka juicy/soup pork buns. The skin was too thick and the filling was not juicy enough. Still a really good meal and I would be happy to go back for a taste of some of their other menu items!
A
A Private User
Youve heard enough about the atmosphere / cleanliness through the reviews here, so Ill skip that part. So, down to the food - after three visits, I have to say most of the menu items and preparation methods are pretty authentic. However, I found the seasoning and flavor to be a bit milder/subdued than those I remember when I lived in Taipei. This could be due in part to trying to meet the western palate, which is a shame. If they dont like it, they can go to Panda Express. I felt the "stinky tofu," which is not exactly my favorite item, had not been fermented long enough - another week in the vat would have produced a much better rotten (an oxymoron) tofu. Their Congee and Noodle Soup were good. I think this is one of the better Taiwanese restaurant in the Puget Sound, as well as the Salish Sea regions. For those of you new to the Pacific NW, Salish Sea is up north .. Vancouver, Canada. That said though, after each successive visit Ive made, their quality has slipped slightly. I dont know if this has more to do with inconsistancy or a trend.
EM
Emily Law
Really great option for Taiwainese food in Seattle proper. Ive since learned to go Eastside or north for the best Chinese food, but this is a good next bet! FOOD: If youre REALLY looking for authentic, they have stinky tofu and pig intestine. I myself was thrilled to find that my standby gan bian si ji dou (green beans) was delicious! Highly recommend the S&P calamari. The menu overall reflects the type of food Id order in another city also, opposed to restaurants in the ID. LOCATION: In a residential neighborhood, tucked away but identifiable by a sidewalk sign. AMBIANCE: The TVs always turned to kind of loud Taiwanese TV. Not much ambiance here, but good for the eating! PRICE: Really affordable! $6 - 10, do get plenty to share!
IV
Ivan Hu
I spent $31 for takeout for one, and left feeling very short-changed. The food was okay; some dishes were tasty (hand-shaved noodles with beef - daoxiaomien), some mediocre (three cup chicken - sanbeiji), some not good at all (hot red oil wonton - hongyou chaoshou). What made me grumble however wasnt the food but the service. They didnt give me any chopsticks or napkins or anything - which I didnt realize until too late. How cheap can you get?? They also left out the white rice I had ordered - the lady didnt believe me when I brought it up, until when she double-checked my order receipt. I probably wont be returning. I dont like feeling short-changed.
A
A Private User
My Taiwanese international student friend had his birthday dinner here. Our entire group took up the secluded section to the left of the restaurant, where there were three booths. We ordered family-style. I remember at our table, all of us were Chinese/Taiwanese/from Hong Kong except two: one Caucasian guy and one Mexican guy. Neither of them wanted to go near the stinky tofu, but one of them tried it and hated it. I wouldnt go near it either, even though stinky tofu originated from China. I liked the red bean dessert, though!
GL
Gloria Kung
The place kind of looked old and dated in terms of the decoration. However, the food is pretty authentic if you like Taiwanese food. We ordered vermicelli with chitterlings, braised pork rice and chili wontons. The vermicelli is so far the best I had in Seattle area (still not quite the same as the ones in Taiwan). The chili wontons, on the other hand, was pretty disappointing. The skin is way too thick and the sauce is mediocre. Overall, I would go back for the vermicelli if I am around the area.
