1983 W Henderson Rd.
Upper Arlington, OH 43220
614.451.1688
website
Upper Arlington and the neighborhoods around it have seen a benefit of a relatively large Chinese population finding its way to Central Ohio. So many of the Chinese restaurants in the area cater not only to locals but to the newly-arrived Americans. So Amazing Wok, which sits along the busy Henderson Road corridor, benefits from this with an Authentic Chinese cuisine menu that includes many great Sichuan dishes. These are just too much to ignore, so I suggest you forget the typical menu and try something a bit more exciting.
The “Authentic Chinese” menu is available upon request. These dishes are much more focused on specialties from the Sichuan area. Some of the things to try:
- Mala Chicken: This dish is a special Sichuan chicken favorite, based heavily on the wonderful Sichuan peppercorn, which numbs the mouth at a bite. The peanuts and chicken and bone-in meat allow for a memorable crunch with a special kind of spice.
- Sichuan cabbage stir-fry: This specific stir-fry features plenty of cabbage, wood ear and other veggies for a lighter and crisp veggie salad.
- Mapo Tofu: A stew featuring ample amounts of thick and stiff tofu, this dish has a bit of the same spices and while oily also has a similar pleasant spice. Too good to pass up.
- Hotpot Fish: This recipe uses ample white fish dunked into a hotpot broth that is heavy on the ginger. Ginger, in fact, which overtakes a lot of the other flavors on the palette. Otherwise it’s not bad, though.
- Jellyfish salad: This salad comes like a cole slaw of sliced cabbage and some other vegetables, but with the extra interest of cuts of jellyfish. Well, they are a little crunchy and the texture is something like soft calamari, but the sauce moderates just perfectly.
- Yakitori: These grilled chicken on skewers are simple perhaps, but they’re also just splendid.
The restaurant itself is a relatively simple experience, and while it does at times seem like it might be able to use a facelift, the food itself turns out just great, and considering the business thrives largely on takeout, you should consider it a business whose talents lie far beneath the surface.
Many restaurants have chefs with skills far beyond the parameters of the menu, and this is certainly one of them. Food here is best with the most authentic experience and I would think it’s a good example of where it’s best to look under the surface.
Recommendations
- This is by and large a takeout business, and so the restaurant thrives in online orders.
- The Sichuan cuisine is on a menu available by request but to be sure it’s the best food.
- Food comes quickly and online ordering is recommended for fastest preparation.
Another Food Critic 