IWOK, Dubai Marina

Thanks to Hollywood movies, I’ve always been very fascinated by the Chinese takeaway food boxes/containers originally known as oyster pails. But somehow I never got to try one myself until I started noticing my Instagram feed was filled with mouthwatering images of I Wok from fellow food bloggers & friends every other day.

My reluctance to try this ‘one dish meal’ was because Asian food for me is all about 3 to 4 course meal. I need to have my soup, dumplings, salad and a variety of main course along with the gravy.

 

 

 

I received an invite for tasting and decided to try out Iwok. It is located in Marina, facing the Marina Lake where the private yachts are docked hence the view from this cozy little restaurant is incredibly picturesque. Luckily the weather was amazing on the day we went. They even had indoor sitting arrangement with high counter style long table and high chairs. But we decided to sit outside.

 

They had a glass wall separating the restaurant from the kitchen so you could witness your wok being prepared right in front of you. The most exciting part was when they were stir frying and the wok was literally on fire like some fire breathing dragon.

 

I was expecting them to have only ‘build your own wok’ dishes but was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of salads on the menu along with Edamame. We ordered Thai Salad, Asian Quinoa Salad and Edamame as starters.

 

 

The Asian Quinoa Salad was very refreshing. It was served with iwok in-house dressing in a separate mini container which enhanced the flavor of the salad. Everything was served in plastic takeaway containers. The salad had mixed capsicums, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, red onion, spring onion, edamame, tomato, coriander and mint. This salad is best for those who want to have a healthy meal which is filling yet low in calories.

 

The other salad which was Thai salad was equally delicious. It had chicken strips kept in a separate section in the container along with the dressing that we could mix and drizzle over the fresh veggies and relish upon.

 

 

Step 1: I chose Egg Noodles as the base which came with spring onion, cabbage and carrot.

Step 2: My preference was shrimps, calamari, shiitake mushrooms and a mix of fresh vegetables. For toppings I chose peanuts.

Step 3: Korean Chilli sauce simply because I love spicy and sour sauces.

 

 

The Korean chilli sauce was just perfect. It was not as painfully hot as Tabasco nor too bland. It made the noodles so flavorful. The serving was just right for 1 person. In fact I took my leftover noodles in the same takeaway box in which it was served.

 

For Mr. A’s dish he chose:

Step 1: Udon Noodles 1 with spring onion, cabbage and carrot.

Step 2: Chicken, Capsicum mix, mushroom and fried onion as topping

Step 3: Saigon- Garlic and Black pepper

The Udon noodles were thicker than expected. The Garlic and Black pepper sauce was strong and flavorful. The whole mix came together perfectly fine.

 

 

They even give complimentary fortune cookies with each meal which surprisingly tasted better than the ones served at other Asian restaurants.

 

On the whole, I loved the whole freshly prepared wok concept. The taste of everything was also good and the ingredients used were of top quality. The staff is efficient and attentive. According to me, the pricing was fair. They have recently introduced a variety of soups to their menu which is a good thing but when I visited,  it wasn’t on the menu. A very good takeaway place which is partially healthy too. I wish they include some oriental desserts to the menu as well.