It’s another tiresome day filled with laborious, tedious work and you desperately need a break. You have endured the constant rumbling gnawing in your stomach ever since the clock struck a little past 4. The lunch you had in the office was disappointing, to say the least. So, you do the only sensible thing you could think of: driving yourself to the place that you know could lift your smiles and light your eyes — enter Wong’s Kitchen. Spicy, salty, sweet, umami, sour… Wong’s Kitchen is a celebration of flavors, paying the utmost respect to the freshest ingredients she handpicked from the neighborhood market. It evokes warm childhood memories. It conjures up images of comfort. It reminds you of a mother’s consoling hug after a long day of work.
Tucked away in a small street that could at most fit the size of a Proton Saga, Wong’s Kitchen is no ordinary cookhouse. As you step into the eatery, you are immediately welcomed by the sensation of home with an air of blithe surrounding the ambiance. Its spacious dining room is decorated with rattan chairs and a table that emits an inadvertently antiquarian sense of style. The table is graced with a yellow plastic cover adorned with drawings of flowers. When the nightfall arrives in its stately fashion, you are faced with peachy skies, swirling with the shades of pinks and occasionally, purples. The fresh breeze of the evening wind puts you at ease as you enter a restful peace of mind, enjoying the simple pleasures that will soon be served in front of you.
The food at Wong’s is irreproachably Chinese cuisine but with a twist of her own. In fact, you probably wouldn’t be able to find most of these dishes outside because Wong creates and modifies her own recipes! Some unique to their own, others carry a sentimental value as it pays homage to her mother whom she describes as a fabulous cook in her time that bears her zeal for cooking. Expect Wong to churn out four to five courses because no Chinese dinner is quite literally complete without a plethora of diverse, mouthwatering food on the table. From hot, hearty soups to briny oven-roasted pork, there is no one signature dish at Wong’s Kitchen simply because everything that comes out is equally scrumptious.
When you come to Wong’s Kitchen, you mustn’t miss the ‘Crispy Nam Yu Pork’ that has stood the test of time, cementing its place on the menu. Fat, succulent chunks of meat, bursting with the pungency of red fermented beancurd and shallots. Its texture tender and crisp all the while savoring the aromatic, salty juices dripping from your lips. It’s an epitome of a party packed with smacking, exquisite flavors popping in your mouth.
I would be remiss to not spotlight the local favorite ‘Zhao Cai Tang’ — a soup brewed from preserved mustard greens. The tang from the pickled greens, tomatoes, lime, the slight spice from the mighty cili padis as well as the umami from the fish and prawn heads, this yellow-tainted soup may look simple and plain on the eyes but its flavor profile is complex beyond means. It is easy to sit down and gobble the entire pot by yourself.
What is a Chinese fare without a good, old stir-fry veggie? At Wong’s, you get a delectable plate of salted fish brinjals. The brinjals are deep-fried before tossing them into a sizzling hot wok, mixing the salted fish and minced pork to create a symphony of heavenly tastes for your palate. The firm crunch of the brinjal’s exterior offers a contradicting bite to its lush, soft interior. The salted fish adds a piquant mouthful to the dish, elevating it from something elementary to nothing short of superb.
You can spot the regular group of customers that always chatter their worries and day away for an hour before leaving with a beam and a full stomach. Though it’s no fancy, elegant restaurant filled with chandeliers and white tablecloths, Wong’s Kitchen is a place with good, real homemade food, and honest conversations. It’s a dining experience that only restricts to Wong’s loved ones to relish. I have the greatest privilege and honor to taste, in my finest opinion, one of the world’s best foods, only because I’m the daughter of a noble cook-in-the-making. With every chew, crunch, and munch, I can feel my mother’s love burning like the boiling oil in the blazing wok that has stayed with us for decades.
With this, I penned — quite frankly, no one cooks like my mom.
