Wok's Taste Chinese Restaurant

Wok's Taste carries two menus, and most of Guelph only ever orders off the first. That first menu is the Canadian-Chinese order the city already knows by heart: General Tao Chicken, egg rolls, a plate of Cantonese Chow Mein, a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup to start. The second is the Chinese Style menu, where Cumin Beef, fish fillet in hot sauce, cumin pork hock, and sizzling hot plates push well past the familiar. The first does the advertising; the second runs longer and stranger, built for diners who already know the basics. Regulars work the front list for years without flipping to the back. The kitchen keeps both going anyway.

The familiar half is built for an easy first order. General Tao Chicken comes spicy-sweet, the egg rolls arrive with a crisp vegetable filling, and Cantonese Chow Mein anchors the noodle section before slotting straight into the family-dinner bundles. Around them sit Honey Coconut Chicken, Fried Pork Chop with Chili, Yang Chow Fried Rice, Vegetable Lo Mein, and Chinese Broccoli with Garlic — the plates a first-time table reaches for without much debate. Special Garlic Shrimp and Deep Fried Squid carry the seafood end, while Beef Short Ribs with Black Pepper Sauce and Home Style Eggplant give the order somewhere heavier to land. Dim Sum, Egg Foo Young, and Chop Suey sections sit further down for anyone after the full diner-era catalogue. A bowl of Special Wonton Soup, thick with dumplings and BBQ pork, opens the meal slow; Hot and Sour Soup does the same with a sharper edge.