615 St. George Square Court, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
336.893.8178 | Hakka-Chow.com
Monday – Tuesday: 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM • Friday: 11:30 AM – 10 PM • Saturday: 12 PM – 10 PM • Sunday: 12 PM – 9 PM
Right before I knew where I was scheduled to go for Rosey’s Review this month, I had made lunch plans with two colleagues to go to Hakkachow. Then, I found out I was reviewing HakkaChow for the August issue. And then, I learned I was reviewing them the same day I had already scheduled to go to lunch there. So, I did what any self-respecting restaurant reviewer would do… I went to HakkaChow twice on the same day. Because, why not?
If you’ve visited the restaurant before, you know why I didn’t rearrange my lunch plans. A great location. A beautiful restaurant. A fabulous menu. Great service. So, there was really little worry on my end about going twice because the menu is so diverse! I had vegetarian sushi for lunch, which was light and refreshing… And HakkaChow co-owner Jonathan Chung chose my dinner. So either way – it was a dining win!
Our photographer, Melinda Lamm, and I were joined by some friends of mine who had eaten at HakkaChow a few times and who were sushi enthusiasts! And it’s always fun to bring guests with us who are excited to be a part of the Rosey’s experience.
Jonathan visited our table to explain what he had planned for us. And we knew right away that we were in for a treat! First up – Beef Dumplings! The beef dumplings have been on the menu for a while, but they recently switched up the recipe a bit. The dumplings are fried, but they aren’t heavy or greasy. They were stuffed full of perfectly cooked beef and served with a soy-ginger sauce, which was amazing. They also offered a second sauce – Korean Hot Sauce. WOWZA! Yes, it’s hot, but full of flavor, too! Just make sure your water glass is full!
Also, off the appetizer menu, we sampled the Thai Basil Beef Wrap. Honestly – this could be an entrée. A plate of beef that has been mixed with carrots, celery, scallions, lemongrass, and cilantro is served over crispy rice noodles and a side of peanut-sesame sauce. A second plate of fresh lettuce allows you to roll your own wraps with as much or as little filling as you want (though why would you want only a little?). There’s a great contrast of the hot filling with the cold lettuce, and every bite is bursting with flavor.
We took a break from the appetizers to sample a variety of the signature mojitos that HakkaChow offers. Those included the Lemongrass Ginger Mint, the Yuzu Tangerine, a Watermelon Cucumber, and Dragonberry Blueberry mojitos. All of them were so flavorful and refreshing! I admit, I bogarted the Lemongrass Ginger Mint Mojito for myself. I loved the incredible flavor combination that would be the perfect remedy for any hot summer day!
The Yuzu Tangerinewas bursting with citrus. I had never heard of yuzu before but learned that it’s a citrus fruit used in Korean and Japanese cuisine. It was fruity and delicious!
The Watermelon Cucumber mojito just tastes like summer. It’s that simple. It’s a perfect cool-down drink after a long, hot day! And the Dragonberry Blueberryhad a yummy, bold flavor. It had a bit of a tanginess to it, but it wasn’t bitter.
All of the mojitos were beautifully presented and appealed not only to the taste buds but to the eyes, too!
We moved on to a Japanese Seaweed Salad that was pleasant, light, and a great summer meal. There’s so much color in this bowl! From the greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and seaweed! Plus, there’s crab salad, spicy tuna, sesame seeds, and scallions. The whole thing is tossed with a wasabi vinaigrette. It’s a symphony of flavor in every bite! There’s a great mix of textures that a seafood lover will definitely enjoy!
We moved on to the sushi round… As mentioned earlier, I had had vegetarian sushi for lunch, so while it wasn’t technically a part of Rosey’s Review – I feel like I should give a shout out to it. I love vegetable sushi, and the Garden Rolls are so clean tasting! I love the combination of the rice with the crunchy vegetables! And Avocado Rolls? Quite possibly the best thing ever.
For our dinner sushi, Jonathan chose Crouching Tiger and Dancing Eel rolls. Don’t you just love sushi names? Whether you like sushi or not, you have to agree that sushi names are so creative and create such a visual picture!
Crouching Tiger is an inside-out sushi roll that is filled with spicy tuna and cucumber. It’s topped with premium tuna, ebi (a specially prepared shrimp), and avocado. The roll is drizzled with spicy mayonnaise, Sriracha, crispy shallots, and masago (crunchy salmon eggs). It’s a brightly colored, flavorful sushi roll that packs a lot of flavor in every bite.
Our second sushi roll was called Dancing Eel. Another flavorful sushi roll, the Dancing Eel is made of tuna, lobster salad, cream cheese, crab sticks, and cucumber, and topped with a piece of baked eel, eel sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds. If you’ve never eaten eel, it’s got a firm, slightly sweet flavor that’s similar to squid. It doesn’t have a fishy aftertaste, which makes it a good option. Again, the sample of Dancing Eel was beautifully and artistically arranged and a delicious selection for the evening!
At the end of our meal, we were offered two desserts to try. And what can you say to that except, “Okay!” with a great deal of enthusiasm! We tried the Fried Banana first. All I can say here is that there’s fruit in it and, in my opinion, that makes it healthy. I doubt anyone in the health industry would agree with me, but a girl can dream, right? It’s a shareable dessert with the fried bananas circling a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the whole thing is drizzled with chocolate sauce. One of our guests was ready to lick the plate, and honestly, no one could blame him.
We also sampled the Crème Brûlée. The Crème Brûlée at HakkaChow is always changing, and the flavor is seasonal. This one was a new one to me – Chocolate Crème Brûlée. They did an excellent job with this, making sure that the chocolate didn’t overwhelm what makes Crème Brûlée so unique. It’s also topped with sweetened diced strawberries. It was the perfect way to end a great meal!
So if you have a chance to visit HakkaChow Asian Eats soon, do! And if you happen to go twice in the same day, they won’t judge you (and neither will I). They will welcome you a second time with their signature hospitality and enthusiasm! Be sure to tell them that Rosey sent ya!
