Golden Wok Has Been Feeding Boise for Decades

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I don’t know exactly how long the Golden Wok Restaurant on Chinden Boulevard has been in business, but it was a known mainstay when we moved to Boise over twenty-seven years ago. I remember seeing cars driving around with the plastic signs sitting on the car’s roof as deliveries were being made. It’s not the best known, or maybe not even the highest-rated Chinese food restaurant in the area, but we like the food, the service, the portions, and the value.

One of the things that Golden Wok does very well is food delivery. In fact, it is hard to find any of their advertissments that does not have a bold WE DELIVER notice attached to it. They ask for a $20 minimum order for lunch or dinner; you can alsso go through Grub Hub to order a meal for delivery.

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Today, May 3rd, was my wife’s birthday, and rather than cooking a meal, as I do every other night, I ordered from Golden Wok. With tax, the total meal was $46.96, but wait until you know what all we got for that.

goldenwok.com

For our grown daughter I ordered one order of three Egg Rolls for $7.55 and an order of Vegetable Fried Rice for $9.25. The portion was quite standard for the Egg Rolls; you can make them only a certain size. But the rice -- wow! As my daughter was scooping some from the quart container, she exclaimed, “There are more vegetables in here than rice.” She wasn’t complaining that she didn’t get much rice; she was commenting on the very generous portion of the vegetables rather than just mostly rice and a sparsity of vegetables.

Drew Taylor/unsplash.com

Normally, we’ll order just a couple entrees for myself and my wife (just one each). And even that is more than one meal for us. I decided to try one of their dinner combinations. The have four different Combination Plates (A through D) at $11.95 each for four items. I chose one of the four Family Gourmet Dinners that are priced per person for a minimum of two persons.

Gourmet Dinner #3 (at $13.75 per person) has five items as the starting menu for two people. One more item is added for each additional person on the order.

Sara/Dinner at the Zoo

The first item was Crab Rangoon, a delightful appetizer of crab meat that has been mixed with cream cheese and seasonings, folded into wontons and fried to golden brown perfection. The dipping sauce, although not actually identified, tasted like a nice sweet and sour sauce. The serving of three each was more than enough for an “appetizer”; we each had only one. The other two each will make a nice addition to a couple eggs for breakfast, or a great starter for lunch.

Joanna Cismaru/Jo Cooks

The photos above show the process that Joanna from Jo Cooks uses to make her Moo Shu Pork. In the five steps, she goes from sautéing the marinated pork in a Wok or large skillet into the completed dish. If you don’t want pork, you can easily substitute chicken or other meat. To me, what makes Moo Shu Pork (or chicken) absolutely delicious is the Hoisin Sauce that you spoon into the soft “pancake” (more like a crepe). My wife had one of these, while I had two. There is only one pancake left, but I’ll gladly eat the leftovers in a bowl with the Hoisin Sauce on it. You can either make your own Hoisin Sauce, or buy a bottle at any of the Asian markets in Boise.

Next was the Golden Wok Fried Rice, which, similar to our daughter’s rice, was mostly vegetables plus beef. There is a lot of that left over.

Chef Katie Chin

The fourth item was the Snow Peas and Shrimp. This dish includes sliced celery and some bean sprouts, but the Snow Peas are the highlight -- along with the generous portion of shrimp. Knowing the price of seafood, I was very surprised at the amount of shrimp in this meal. As a former manager of a seafood store, I really hate it when shrimp are overcooked, as they typically are. These were doing beautifully with a nice flavor and tenderness.

The final item in the Gourmet Dinner is Mandarin Chicken. I’d love to tell you how scrumptious and tasty it was, but I can’t.

You see, we had already eaten so much, we never got to this item. Needless to say, the portions are huge, and we will be continuing to eat these great dishes for several more meals. So while the price of over $50 (after tip) might seem a bit high for Chinese takeout, once you spread the cost over at least four meals for three people, you’re down to $4 a meal per person.

That’s quite the bargain for such tasty food.

And they’re speedy. The order was ready within twenty minutes of my calling it in.

I know there are numerous Chinese restaurants in Boise; I suggest you give Golden Wok at 3948 Chinden Boulevard in Boise a try. Call them at 208-336-3399 to place your to go order. Or just stop by and dine in.

But be warned -- go hungry because the portions are huge!

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