Hakkachow

Located at 615 St. George Square Court in Winston-Salem, Hakkachow offers Asian fusion cuisine for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. There is a full bar as well as daily drink specials. Online ordering and online reservations are available.

 

Much like Phoenix Asian Cuisine in Greensboro, Hakkachow calls to mind a non-corporate P.F. Chang’s, only better. The restaurant is modern and spacious with plenty of seating to go around. The menu skews Chinese though there are Korean and Thai offerings as well as a sushi/poke menu as well. While there is something to be said for the comfort of familiarity, that menu, save for a few of the sushi rolls, offers no surprises. Everything you’ll find here, you’ve likely already had elsewhere.

 

My wife and I opted to start with one of the unique rolls (Cajun Revolution: tempura shrimp, cream cheese, and jalapeno inside/Cajun salmon, tuna, yellowtail, crispy shallot, aioli, and eel sauce outside), followed by a veggie fried rice (with homemade chili oil) and Singapore noodles, respectively. Our app came quickly, and we didn’t have long to wait for our entrees either though service slowed considerably as the restaurant got busier. However, our server remained courteous, apologetic, and unflappably professional through it all.

 

The kitchen proved to be on its game as well. On paper, the Cajun Revolution seemed almost too much, but it made for a tasty bite: spicy, crunchy, and flavorful. Singapore noodles are one of my go-to dishes for Chinese and Asian fusion, and Hakkachow’s version didn’t disappoint. While not the best I’ve had, the composition, flavors, and aroma were all there. The fried rice was likewise well-executed, and it contained a variety of veggies, but it wasn’t leaps and bounds ahead of what you can get elsewhere.

 

Hakkachow’s entrees run large, which helps take the sting out of the mid-teens pricing. On the one hand, that is hardly unreasonable for a nice meal out. On the other hand, depending on how you feel about your favorite Chinese takeout joint, the extent to which Hakkachow’s food surpasses it may or may not justify the extent to which Hakkachow’s prices do.

 

All told, Hakkachow promises competently made food in a pleasant environment. It might lack a distinctive “wow” factor, but it doesn’t seem likely to let you down, either. 

Bamboo Grille

 

Located at 112 East Parris Avenue in High Point, Bamboo Grille offers Chinese and Japanese cuisine. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday. Online ordering is available via QMenu.

 

In the works for quite some time, Bamboo Grille’s High Point location recently opened to enthusiastic reviews from the local Facebook contingent. The photos accompanying said reviews were perplexing to say the least as they suggested standard Americanized Chinese takeout fare. Of course, food can often taste much better than it looks. Sadly, however, that was not the case here.

 

Bamboo Grille boasts a large menu featuring most of the classic takeout staples: apps, soups, lo mein, fried rice, and so on (but sadly no cold sesame noodles). The restaurant also offers hibachi/teriyaki dishes and a sushi menu, albeit with no surprises among either the Chinese or Japanese offerings.

 

I stuck to the Chinese side for my first order. Anticipating several meals’ worth of leftovers for the two of us, I went with crab rangoons, wonton soup, mapo tofu with beef lo mein in place of rice, honey chicken, and house special fried rice for takeout. Prices are a bit higher here relative to other takeout places, but you get plenty of food for your money.

 

Pickup went without a hitch – everything was ready to go and still hot when I got there – but the food was largely a disappointment. Much of it was bland, and even the advertised-as-spicy mapo tofu brought little heat. Textures were another issue: the rangoons were thick and doughy and the fried rice was slightly mushy with large chunks of meat. The one standout dish was the least authentic of the lot. Reminiscent of a chicken donut, the honey chicken was addictively good.

 

That dish aside, Bamboo Grille offers nothing that can’t be found better elsewhere. Unless the kitchen steps up its game, this place is a one-and-done for me.

Mandalay Asian Fusion Cuisine

 

Located at 3793 Samet Drive in High Point, Mandalay offers Chinese-influenced Asian fusion cuisine for lunch (every day except Sunday) and dinner (daily). Online ordering and catering are available.

George Takei brought me here…sort of. I was playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and a character voiced by the Star Trek alum described the joys of eating Peking Duck. This inspired a craving for a dish I hadn’t eaten in years, and Mandalay is one of the few area restaurants to offer it.

I had previously tried the restaurant under its former names Tasty 100 and Full Kee, and each time, I had decidedly mixed feelings On the one hand, it’s a well-appointed space and the food is, generally, several cuts above takeout-grade Chinese (credit chef/owner George Yu’s many years of experience). On the other hand, some offerings were (and still are) decidedly overpriced.

Peking Duck is listed as a signature dish and crispy Hunan fish is a specialty as well. We opted to try them both along with crab rangoons and pork buns. This was not a cheap endeavor, but it’s a lot easier to justify north of $20 for duck than it is $12 for basic fried rice or lo mein.

I ordered online for pickup, and everything was ready upon my arrival. The food was hot, plentiful, and mostly satisfying. There was plenty of meat in the Peking Duck, and it was nicely crisped without being dried out. It paired well with the accompanying plum sauce, but the generic tortillas were a bit of a letdown. The fish came with a brown sauce that delivered a welcome bit of spice, and the pork buns (pulled pork + hoisin) were excellent. On the other hand, the crab rangoons were more like overly chewy ravioli.

The rule of thumb for Mandalay, as with its previous incarnations, is to choose your dishes wisely (hint: avoid the dumplings) and be prepared to pay. The things that this place does right make it worthwhile, but it may take some trial-and-error to find what those things are.

 

NOTE: If they decide to do cold sesame noodles and pull them off well, all will be forgiven.

Tasty 100

Located at 3793 Samet Drive in High Point, Tasty 100 offers Chinese cuisine for lunch (Monday through Saturday) and dinner (seven days a week). Online ordering, a wine list, and a Chinese-language menu are available.

I tried Tasty 100 years ago when it was Full Kee (the original owners changed the name when they reacquired the establishment this year) and was none too impressed. However, in need of a Christmas Day Chinese option, I decided to give it another try. Overall, it was a better experience albeit not an entirely satisfying one.

Tasty 100 remains clean, classy, and spacious, and the menu is still deep and varied. Though takeout staples such as egg rolls, fried rice, and lo mein are accounted for, Tasty 100 also offers higher-end delicacies such as Peking duck and steamed sea bass.

The restaurant was nearly empty when my wife and I stopped in for lunch, but owner George Yu said he was expecting a dinner rush. We opted for a steamed dumpling starter, eggplant beef, and Singapore noodles. I had tried two of the three dishes here previously and was curious to see if the execution had improved.

While still uneven, the food was better than I remembered. The dumplings were still thick and doughy and should go on my “avoid” list if I come back here. However, the enticingly fragrant Singapore noodles tasted as good as they looked this time thanks to better seasoning. The eggplant was a bit chewier than it should have been though its accompanying sauce was flavorful, and the meal as a whole showed enough promise to encourage a return.

One factor working against that is the price. Tasty 100 remains a poor value. Though portion sizes are respectable, the $13 and $16 respectively paid for our entrees seemed like a reach.

Sticker shock aside, Tasty 100 is still one of the better Chinese dining options that High Point has to offer, but that says more about High Point than anything else. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for something more than Americanized takeout fare and don't want to drive to Greensboro, it’s worth a visit.