Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Chinese New Year is continuing to be celebrated with a ‘12 Noodle Fest’ at one of the leading Asian restaurants on the island.
The delightful dozen conjured up by the team of Wok Station chefs in Galleria Mall signifies the 12-cycle of animals, which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to their yearly calendar.
Each is paired with fresh vegetables, seafood or meat and comes with an exotic mixture of spices and flavours to suit all tastes. And, the best part is that each noodle dish is priced separately and starts from only BD2.900.
The Wok Station has been the talk of the town since opening a couple of years ago, a delicious Fusion Asian addition to the culinary scene, which constantly delivers a stunning array of street favourites in its comfortable Zinj surroundings.
The team of chefs, which includes my good friends Sous Chef Barun and Chef Dorje Tamang, are now working alongside a Hong Kong-based executive chef who is consulting on the fare and adding some new flavoursome touches to the menu.
Whether thick or thin, made with wheat, rice or mung bean flour, noodles are a staple in Chinese cooking. From quick and easy starters to hearty mains, a dish with egg noodles with added delights, rarely fails to satisfy.
But they can vary widely according to the region each dish is inspired from, be it ingredients, shape or width, or even manner of preparation.
Chinese-style noodles have entered the cuisines of neighbouring East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia.
The Noodle Fest Menu takes all this into account and comes with helpful, clear information such as whether a dish is vegetarian, contains nuts, and how spicy it is to savour. The latter is aided by a number of chilies, (a bit like our FilmWeekly column which uses popcorn as a rating system – one stay at home, five start queuing) and if you like things hot, like I do, than go for the ‘three chilli’ hand-pulled soft noodle, soy-marinated beef tossed in homemade kimchi sauce. It was absolutely sensational and shortly after placing a forkful on my tongue, steam started pillowing from my noddle.
For those who prefer something a little less sweaty, the Golden-fried chicken wontons with Sriacha mayo proved to be perfectly calm.
The healthy option of Hand-pulled soft noodle with smoked salmon and Chinese chive was a particular masterpiece and my dish of the day, with Stir-fry Udon noodle with duck tossed in sweet-chilli sauce, Crispy chicken with hofan noodle and the Fried-noodle with three style mushrooms served with chef’s special sauce, all close contenders for the title.
I cannot conclude this review without praising the impressive and informative service offered by restaurant general manager Rushpak Digambar and his team. Service with a smile but also some helpful tips and descriptions about the cuisine on offer.
This restaurant is also famed for its array of dim sums, a style of Chinese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions with an array of ingredients placed in home-made dumpling wrappers made of flour, milk and water.
To celebrate the cuisine another festival is being planned in the near future after some of the chefs return from a special training session in Hong Kong.
Should be fun … but don’t miss out on the special Wok Station Noodle Festival which continues until March 5. Restaurant timings are noon-11pm. For reservations, call 77570570.
