Kam Wah

I'll be honest. I have been trying to avoid eating at Kam Wah for some time. I've eaten here a long time ago and it really didn't leave an impression on me. Also, I have a love-hate relationship with these type of restaurants because I know that I'm just asking for disappointment. However, with few options left, I decided to give it another go. Kam Wah is nothing much too look at on the outside and frankly, it's not much to look at on the inside either. But then again, people do not come here for the ambiance, unless you were wanting to be transported back to the 70's.

Alright, here I go into my rant about the whole "Wonton House" designation in a restaurant's name. I feel that if you put "wonton" in the formal restaurant name, it needs to backed up with good wontons. So I decided to order the wonton soup to start. Well, the good news is that it was better than Delta Wonton House. Mind you, that is not saying a lot. At the very least, the wontons were hot and the pork filling was not gritty. The soup itself did not resemble wonton soup whatsoever (it was just salty water to me). The saving grace was Combo #5. Yes, I just love how these type of Chinese restaurants have all these combos. It reminds me of the parody of the same name sung to the tune of Mambo #5. Included in the combo was Sweet & Sour Pork, BBQ Pork Fried Rice and Beef Chop Suey. If you know what Manchu Wok or Panda Express (in the US) are, then you will get a sense of what I was eating. Honestly, it wasn't bad. Portion-wise, there was more than enough food. The fried rice was on the softer side; but otherwise tasted okay, despite the neon-coloured BBQ pork pieces. The texture of the sweet & sour pork was quite tender; but the sauce was quite flavourless despite the radioactive red colour. I really liked the stir fried veggies, they were still crispy and not too salty. The beef was also quite tender (due to baking soda).

The visit to Kam Wah wasn't half as bad as I expected and I went away relatively satisfied. My point is, if you are going to eat at a place such as Manchu Wok, you might as well go to Kam Wah. At the very least, the food is made to order; rather than sitting around for who knows how long. You'd be paying roughly the same price anyways. It may not be completely authentic; but it's more than edible. Even if you have already watched the youtube video, I'd still recommend the Combo #5.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Food comes out fast

The Bad:
- Not all that authentic
- Questionable wontons at a Wonton restaurant