Wild Wok Noodle Bar is a petite cozy eatery dishing our super-licious food well above expectations – an undiscovered jewel in the Al Ain restaurant landscape.
There is an indoors, and an outdoors giving onto the large downtown pedestrian area of Town Square.
And the dishes on offer are spectacular in their flavors!
First off, although Wild Wok specializes in hearty Vietnamese-style noodle soups – the Pho – what impressed is the very clever juxtaposition of also Japanese, Korean and Thai favorites.
In fact, the Korean chicken starter was a hit!
Accompanied by an order of Gyoza, the very flavorsome Korean chicken was tasty and a big win – I’d guess made from thighs, the juicer chicken meat, the thick coating was sticky and crunchy, playing with both sweet and spicy!
Gone are the days of “dynamite” appetizers, with the sloppy mayo-based pink sauces – nowadays “fireworks” Korean-style chicken has taken over!
And contrasted by the calm and satisfying yumminess of the gyoza dumplings with salty soya sauce, Wild Wok presented a splendid pair of starters.
For mains you are at a crossroads – go for the several options of noodle soup, or go for the rice section?
At this point, having enjoyed the starters, you know you can’t go wrong!
Of course the answer is obvious – if you can, go both ways, and share!!!
The Pho came in a generous portion, in all its glory – deeply-flavored chicken stock, and massive chunks of chicken meat, too!
A nice side of sauces and fresh garnishes completed the dish – and this could be a meal in itself.
On the rice side, a very orange Penang curry prepared on a Thai red curry base with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, and chili – but I felt the coconut had been sweetened too much for my personal preference – however, on the plus side, the chicken had been marinated and grilled separately to add that extra kick of flavor!
We cheated – and actually went also in a third direction at the crossroad!
And so happy that we did, because a unique sesame-based soup kissed our tastebuds with a terric umami flavor: one of the most delicious noodle soup stocks I’ve tried – ever!
In the Wild Wok Noodle Bar menu it is the Tantanmen, described as minced chicken in nutty sesame broth with shoyu egg (soy sauce marinated egg) – but the “nutty sesame broth” decription, with probably both ground peanuts and sesame paste, and chili oil, does not do justice to the amazing depth of flavors!
And there was also a Spicy Miso Ramen that we almost selected!
Next time…
Because this visit, we were fully enthralled by the “nutty sesame” and couldn’t have wished for anything more – what a delightful noodle soup!
Note also it was served with the traditonal wooden spoon – a nice touch of respect for the heritage.
And for dessert: sticky rice and mango!
Overall, for a culinary trip to the lands of Asian noodles: Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and Korea, with an eclectic menu selection covering popular specialities but also surprising with variety, in Al Ain city there is no better authentic noodle house than the Wild Wok Noodle Bar in Town Square downtown.