Siu Wok

Great cities are about eating out at great restaurants, right? Yes, but celebrants of urban living also point to a variety of food delivery options as a valuable city amenity. We're not talking just about ubiquitous pizza delivery, but also about delivery of various "ethnic" foods, most notably Chinese. Seinfeld, the ultimate comedy about city life, devoted no fewer than four episodes -- "The Pothole," "The Virgin," "The Race," and "The Tape" -- to the complexities of Chinese food delivery. Elaine struggled with being blacklisted by one restaurant and finding herself outside another's rigidly enforced delivery zone. Phoenix has never had a big delivery food culture, maybe because the city's broad streets and relatively smooth traffic make it fairly easy for residents to travel a few miles for takeout pickup. Still, as Phoenix rediscovers its urban core, it makes sense for at least one good Chinese delivery place to be part of the mix.

Siu Wok is just that: reliable, tasty American-Chinese food that is consumed mostly by delivery and takeout customers. Sure, it's possible to eat on site in Siu Wok's small dining room, but most customers would probably prefer not to if given the choice. The restaurant is conveniently located along Central Avenue in Midtown, about halfway between the Indian School / Central and Osborn / Central light rail stations. The restaurant is bare bones, especially in comparison to its stylish neighbor Fez, and any food ordered "for here" is generally served in the same disposable containers used for takeout. Clearly, eating on the premises is an afterthought here, and most customers pick up food on the way home or have it delivered for a small fee. The delivery zone is generous, stretching from Northern to Buckeye and from 43rd Avenue to 40th Street. The staff look up addresses when an order is placed, though, so don't try any Elaine-style ordering from outside Siu Wok's turf.

Understand delivery and takeout as Siu Wok's niche, and it's a lot easier to appreciate the restaurant in comparison to nearby competitors like China Chili, which serves more distinctive food but without the delivery option. In a way, delivery from Siu Wok is the ultimate comfort food experience. After all, it's about familiar American-Chinese standards (beef with broccoli, egg foo yung, mu shu whatever, etc.) prepared for eating in what should be the ultimate comfort zone: home. If a busy schedule or personal circumstances make it hard to get out of the house, a delivery from Siu Wok is probably going to be flavorful enough to prevent food boredom, but not so adventurous as to shatter the familiarity that is part of cocooning in one's own dwelling. The food is delivered in the typical Chinese delivery containers; transfer it to your own dinnerware if a more elegant presentation is desired.

The starters are mostly fried and include standby like egg rolls, pot stickers, and crab puffs. These are unspectacular, mainly because items like these are best fresh out of the fryer and lose a little something in transit. The soups actually travel better and leave more room for the main dishes to come. Noodle soup, full of al dente veggies and available with added chicken, beef, or pork, is just right for two or three people to share as a warm-up to the meal. The entrees selections are pretty typical with their reliance of familiar meats and vegetables. Siu Wok's menu is not the place to look for ong choy, snow pea leaves, or even gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Nevertheless, the familiar ingredients are prepared capably. Phoenix and Dragon mixes tender white meat chicken, plump shrimp, crisp snow pea leaves, and just-right broccoli florets in a mild sauce of garlic and ginger. Family style tofu combines the same vegetables with carrots and bean curd and features a richer brown sauce. Mu shu assembled at home never looks quite as nice as the tight rolls created by skilled restaurant staff, but the taste and texture of the filling is just fine.

Orders always include generous portions of white rice -- usually way more than is needed to accompany the food. Save half of it for later and combine it with frozen vegetables, some meat if desired, and an egg or two for some homemade fried rice a day or two later. Of course, the inevitable packets of soy sauce, spicy mustard, and fortune cookies accompany every order. Most customers will use a few and allow the others to gently age in a forgotten corner of a kitchen drawer or cupboard. For lunch, Siu Wok features over two dozen specials for $6 or $7. These are presented a little differently than the rest of the menu -- typically in foam containers segregating entrees from the included crab puff, egg roll, and fried rice. These are even more Americanized than the standard menu, but they're still well prepared and filling. The main thing Siu Wok could do better is to add Sunday hours, the one day when those in search of Chinese food may actually have to travel to get it.

3815 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85012 | Map
(602) 230-2960
http://www.siuwok.com