East Asian cuisine is becoming a roaring success in Bristol and seems to be the next big thing after the “Man Food” (URGH)/Pulled pork/BBQ saturation we have experienced in the last few years. Bristol has had its core Asian restaurants with Nomu on Whiteladies Road serving Sushi and cocktails, Cosmo doing the high end buffet thing and Wongs doing opulent Chinese restaurant dining these are but a few of our long standing favorites.
The new kids on the block including Bao Wow and Chilli Daddy are offering a bit more of a “food to go” vibe that is popular with the Lunchtime deal hunters and office workers looking for something a bit different to a sandwich or a burger.
Unsurprisingly then the franchised and Internationally known noodle bar Wok to Walk has landed in Park Street Bristol and after a bit of a shaky start with opening times is offering freshly cooked, customisable noodle and rice dishes cooked pretty much in front of you.
The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy looking (though the tiling on the walls didnt seem to be quite finished!) and the staff were friendly and explained the menu well. The whole thing works a lot like Subway, choose your base which is a range of noodles, rice and a pure veggie option with a base price then choose your fillings which include two different types of mushroom, tofu, duck and pak choi. The fillings are charged separately so you can control what you want to spend easily. You then choose your sauce and can add a “topping” if you are so inclined. The base noodles come with veg and an egg so you can, as i did, limit yourself to just two toppings and still get a decent portion.
Please excuse the lens flare, it was bloody warm today!
I chose the Udon noodles (the big thick ones) and added chicken and pak choi and went with the peanut sauce (my obsession with all things peanut is becoming a serious problem). My friend has been eating Vegan for the past month was able to order his noodles without egg and was impressed with how easy it was to choose a meal that catered for his needs. He picked four options which included tofu and mushrooms and opted for the hot sauce. Drinks were £1 and we both chose a can of pop, my meal was around the £7 mark with a drink and his £8.50 with a drink.
Toppings range from 75p for beansprouts to £1.95 for the duck breast
The portion was very generous, the chicken was lovely and soft and the pak choi had been chopped into thick chunks. The noodles were lovely and soft and the peanut sauce had a little heat in it which i really liked. My friend also enjoyed his and mentioned the hot sauce “really crept on him!”. A few of the tables had chilli sauce and soy on them and they also offered the same in sachets for those literally taking their Wok to Walk. The table chilli sauce had lots of seeds, it was too busy to ask if it was homemade but it did look it.
Another nice touch is the nutritional calculator on the website for those on calorie controlled or similar diets, allowing you to make informed choices about your meal. Also, as mentioned before, the company seem very invested in making sure that you are able to be catered for if you do follow a vegan or vegetarian diet.
All in all i would say for a regular treat the cost is a bit out of my price range but say once a week or so i would be happy to spend about the same on a decent, hot lunch that can be eaten in or taken away and far better for your than a sandwich and a bag of crisps.
Bedsit Bonne Vivante 