Wok Box

This is my third time here in the span of several years. I figured I’d give it one more go. Unfortunately, I experienced the same disappointment this time around. I find the flavours to be rather bland for my taste. I had the Kung Pao this time and while the noodles were good, the sauce falls flat. I think this will be the last time I go here. I’d rather spend a little more and eat at Noodle Box.

Don’t go here… The owner at this location is so damn cheap. I went to the Quarry Park location and they gave me a wonderful ice coffee. I even asked for less ice (so I’m not done in like 3 sips) and they gave me a full cup. The cheap bastards here at 130^th however, filled the whole cup with ice to the top and there was barely any coffee in there at all.
I thought I would try them again and ask for less ice this time and the guy argued with me and said they can’t do it. I mentioned that the other wok box gave me one without any trouble and he said it’s different here.
Any ways I get the cup and it’s ¾ full… Cheap asses… What’s a few ounces of coffee gonna put you out of business? Give me a break.

As a medically diagnosed celiac, finding good gluten-​free restaurants is necessary. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Sure, they are tasty, I’m willing to spend the extra $ for health (ier) fast-​food, they have a nicely marked menu as items that do not contain wheat, and separate pans/​tongs for special dietary requirements.
So what’s the problem? Cross-​contamination. It’s very clear the staff has not been properly educated on food allergies, which is very disappointing because Wok Box is so close to being there! Here’s where they disappoint: (1) the separate «GF» wok & tongs are crudely scrubbed inbetween uses with the bamboo brush they use to clean all the other, gluten-​laden pans, before it’s hung back up on the wall (not cleaned properly) and (2) they parboil their veggies to speed up the cooking process in a big pot of water in the centre of the stove, but if you watch closely, they throw in all of their wheat-​based noodles into the same water to cook them and there is no separation.
Sadly, I have noticed this at a few Wok Boxes…

Good food and fairly quick service given everything is made from scratch … Lunch specials are a great value.

Since moving to the SE, I’ve visited Wok Bok on 130^th Ave SE and in Quarry Park. They have a wide range of Asian foods, and you can get food to go or stay. Everything from pad thai to phở noodle soup to butter chicken and more. I tend to go for the noodle dishes, and I’ve found them to be hit or miss. For some reason, the flavours just taste off to me. Kind of bland with no kick. I do really like their potstickers with ponzu sauce though!

I have to say I’m pretty impressed. My first visit to a Wok Box was a couple years ago in Toronto and I was very disappointed. This store has changed my opinion.
I ordered the cashew chicken to go. The employee taking my order was very knowledgeable and answered my questions with ease. The food was really good for a fast food venue. My only complaint was how long it took to make everything, though I appreciate that everything is made fresh to order.

Not all Wok Box’s created equal. This one well run. Good food, one of the better QSR’s.

I really like the food here, I had the beef with cashews and it was delicious… they offer a nice variety of Asian food, that I would like to go back there soon to try them.
Even when they are a franchise, I must say they are very good…

I ordered the singapore cashew with beef the first time and they messed up and put chicken, whatever, it was ok. Not awesome, but not unedible. The second time I ordered butter chicken, I found it to be a little dry, but my friend had ordered the same thing and hers wasnt as bad… It was yet again ok, but not great… Then I ordered the kung pao chicken… It tasted EXACTLY the same as the singapore cashew… If they are only using one type of sauce they should call them all by the same name!

Now, I do not want to get overly critical about a fast food stir fry place. Obviously I have learned to lower my standards a notch or two when it comes to such options, and I know that I can’t expect an Open Sesame, or Café Koi stir fry experience.
However, this place just kind of creeps me out. Nestled in the bleak, soulless power center area of 130^th Avenue, Wok Box is one of the only places with vegan options close to my work (which is uncharacteristically nestled in an equally bleak and soulless industrial area between McKenzie and Douglasdale). Having never tried Wok Box but hearing good things about it from my roommate (who actually, is not very picky. I should have known better), I decided to give it a go.
Stepping inside, I felt like I had just walked into a casino in the day time or something. Not because people were throwing handfuls of quarters into slot machines or smoking inside, but because I couldn’t tell what time of day it was as soon as I stepped inside and it made me uncomfortable. It was all loungey and tacky inside. I was initially going to stay in and read my book, but was just way creeped out by the empty, dimly lit establishment. I did not like it. It confused me. Either, you try and be classy and serve quality food to match, or you live with the fact that you are a fast food establishment and get over yourselves, please.
My regular mongolian tofu stir fry (which was plenty for me, but I could imagine others still being hungry) came to a whopping $ 11 with no drink or side items added. Considering I can make my own stirfry at Open Sesame for the same amount, I was a little unimpressed, especially with the quality of not-​properly-​cooked udon noodles (the kind you can buy at T&T market for like $ 0.68) and obviously canned baby corns which tasted like they hadn’t been rinsed. What exactly am I paying $ 11 for? The aforementioned tacky loungey atmosphere? Or to cover the wages of the staff, who were actually text messaging in front of me instead of tending to my stirfry (you can see everything cooking). When I received it in its box, it was a hot mess with all of the crappy vegetables on the bottom and the noodles nestled on top.
I just left way too long of a review about a chain establishment, but I am overall not impressed, and next time will make my stirfry at home like always.

I had the BLACK BEAN:(Stirfry)
It’s served with a sweet chinese sauce and vegetables. You can also order it with rice or noodles. I ordered it with rice.
Yes the food is hot and fresh, but the rice was a little mushy meaning they put too much water in the mixture. Also the beef and veggies were on the SALTY side.
At first when I initially tried Wok Box I thought the concept was neat. Fast food chinese prepared hot and eat-​in or take-​away. I gave this establishment two kicks at the can to get it right. I guess it just doesn’t have the flavors I’m looking for. I think for the money foodcourt chinese may be the better choice here.