Flock to the Wok

Do it now. Do it often. Do it this weekend. What am I talking about?

Flock to the Wok, the latest “Chinese” eatery from Ele and Sean Tran, the King and Queen of anything Asian in this city. Yes, they’ve opened another restaurant downtown Savannah. It just opened last week.

I am here to tell you it’s flocking fantastic.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the matter, I should explain that I use the word “Chinese” in quotes because after I told Sean that his Mongolian Beef was hands down the best thing I’d ever eaten at ANY of his restaurants, he thanked me and told me he added a few twists from his homeland of Laos to the already wonderful signature Chinese dish.

That’s what you are going to get at Flock to the Wok. Yes, Savannah finally has well-crafted Chinese food. How big of a deal is that? I am writing this not 15 minutes after I got home from my dinner. I never do that. Like, never.

Sure, there are twists here and there. Dumplings, egg rolls and the like. The entrees are varied. A significant set of vegetarian options and then the usual suspects. Cashew Chicken (excellent). Beef with Broccoli, Kung Pao Chicken, and on and on the list goes. You get the picture, this is different than your typical Ele restaurant. How do I know?

The first thing I looked for on the menu was the Tuna Tartare. The same appetizer you can get at most of the other spots. I won’t hide the fact that when I found out Ele’s ‘Coco and Moss’ had the tuna on the menu I commented to my friend “one day we are going to be able to skip from Bay Street to Victory Drive eating Tuna Tartare and never touch the ground.”

I enjoy the dish. I really do, but I’ve been wishing Sean and Ele would take a stab at traditional (American traditional at any rate) Chinese. Those of us that care, know we’ve needed great Chinese for a long time. Yeah, we all have our own favorite neighborhood spots that do little more than scratch the itch, but Savannah has had nothing like this. Not in the nearly 20 years that I’ve been here, anyway.

I’d ask what took them so long, but I don’t care anymore. I’m just glad this is here.

As you might well imagine, the restaurant is decorated beautifully. The main dining room sits inside of a giant ‘bird cage’ that takes up more than half of the restaurant.

Behind a lengthy piece of glass, the chefs do their thing. Flames flying high out of their woks. Shrimp and noodles, dumplings and more. In the window along Whitaker Street, a young lady is making dumplings. By hand. Then lining them up so you can eventually Eat them and Like them.

I only tried a couple of dishes (Cashew Chicken was equally outstanding) but I also had a local chef tell me the Genghis Kahn Beef and the Sesame Beef he had over the weekend were also very very good. I’m looking forward to trying them.

For the record, I was also told about a braised pork belly dish stir fried with bok choy. It sounded so good, I was tempted, but I have a rule with Chinese food. I try the staples first. Apples to apples. If we are good from there, then we can start to meander down the menu.

I cannot wait to do so. They tell me there are plans for a take out window in the lane. That is a few months away.

Who would have thought that Savannah would get its best pizza and best Chinese within a week of each other. We’ve only been beating the Chinese food drum for years. I’m still rubbing the Buddha that the steakhouse I’m told that is coming to the new JW Marriott on the Riverfront is everything we want it to be as well.

You are going to enjoy Flock to the Wok. Wo Hop it’s not, but then, what is, right?

Flock to the Wok
37 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401

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