November 2, 2010

Meeting up with the Oons in London: The Magic Wok

Our coach to Plymouth was 11:00 p.m. And you might not understand the scenario -60+ ladies from Sibu -  lugging luggage from North London to Central London. But that was what we did!

After struggling with some heavy luggage(bound for Plymouth actually) and changing tube lines in London we finally arrived at Queensway - luggage and all. This is similar to carrying 20 kg of boxes each and having to change from aeroplane to bus and finally to the Kapit express in heavy rain. Luckily we had Kevin to help us. Blessings all around indeed. And thus we arrived at a very auspicious address of Magic Wok
100 Queensway
London W2 3RR
(020 7221 9953)
First some compliments : Compliments to the friendly girl who served us. She was very polite and diligent and was able to serve two tables at the same time. I am proud to say that she could serve different cultural groups of people with good grace and a charming smile. May her future be good...and may all her Fortune Cookies read good omens. And of course when we exited Michael and the rest of us were warmly sent off by the owner at the door.





And now the family tale:



It is food which binds family together. We Chinese and in particular the Foochows bring people together at a table overflowing with food. And it was a case of Chiak beh liau...or siak meh doh. (Cannot eat finish)

And that was how my long lost cousin Michael (we have not seen each other since 1958 in Sibu)and his wife Helen prepared a table for Kevin and Margaret and Judy and I. In a way another thread binds all of us together. We have all drank water from the Rajang River. Helen grew up in Mukah! Michael visited Sibu in 1958 when he was just a young lad. Kevin (although Ang Moh) loves Sibu . Margaret is born and bred in Sibu. Judy and I of course you know.

And by some six degrees of relations and connections....(Hokkiens will call that potato vines and roots) we met over a very great London Chinese meal at Magic Wok in Queensway.

Top marks for the steamed chicken.

This is different from our Foochow steamed minced pork. The minced pork is nice and is oven baked. The top is crispy and fragrant. Garnished with chopped spring onions the dish looks simple but the taste and evolutionary look give the special oomph to this evergreen plain and traditional steamed dish.


Quick stir fried greens in a quick and very hot wok!! The cook must have a magic hand besides a magic work. Well done and truly crispy.


This is the top dish of the evening - the Magic Wok Duck (Cantonese Style) - and was really melt in the mouth as advertised. I personally think that the crispy duck skin can only be obtained in temperate climes. In the hot tropics where humidity is 100% duck skin may not come out well in the area of crispiness. If dried in the air the skin may just catch some of the pollutants if not sand kicked up by vehicles as many of us have bitten into sandy bits when eating ducks at roadside hawker stalls....


The wet towel says clean and fresh....very good before and after meals actually - many Chinese restaurants  provide a hot towel (to wipe sweat off the face and hands before eating) and a cold wet towel after the meal. This kind of hospitality is actually from Roman times. Roman baths started off hot and then as the bathers left the pools the get a swish of cool and then cold air/fumes....BTW You might still enjoy this kind of baths in Istanbul....



I love Chinese red lanterns. And now this is a collection in my photo gallery of lanterns.



The Soup is rather interesting. Pumpkin and a Chinese gourd with pork bones.  There is a sweetness in this soup and so it really "opens" up the stomach for a good meal.



A western version of mapo toufoo. I do like the greens in it. However some traditional Chinese might like a more nyonya (spicy combination )taste or a Szechuan chili sauce.



Michael is a medical doctor as well as a renown feng shui consultant. I thought it very sporting of him to open up his fortune cookie and reading it aloud. Good omens for him.


Two cousins : my father and his mother were siblings. Actually Michael has more of my father's good looks because Dad and his mum were extremely good looking and they were quite identical. (Another post on this Tiong Good Looks)


Michael's wife Helen has written 7 books on various topics.from Sarawak . She is a fascinating conversationalist with a fantastic and powerful memory.


A cosy group of us in the upstairs room after doing justice to the food. We got the men to stand for this photo.

I cannot remember what all the fortune cookies said...the lights were dim and my photos of the closed ups of the foretune cookies were not good. So I got this from the google search for you.....


I would like to get this one too....and perhaps this one : You will write fortune cookie fortune and make a fortune.....LOL...But these would be ideal too..You will come back for more fortune cookies in Magic Wok or You will come back to England again and again. Repeat once more again. #

Thank you Michael and Helen for the honourable reception! And thanks to  Kevin and Margaret for helping us bring all that Sarawak /Borneo-stuff filled luggage through London!!


(# this is a common English mistake in Malaysia...but it really means what it means...again and again....love it actually.)


8 comments:

Kai Grey said...

I AM HAVING STEAMED CHICKEN TONIGHT!

Ensurai said...

Hi John Borneo

You cooking it yourself? How 's your steamer like? And your marinade?

Cheers.

Ah Ngao said...

wow...drool lah.eventhough i just had my dinner just now,looking at all the pictures - yummy2

Ensurai said...

Hi Ah Ngao....thanks for dropping by....why you not in DUN...lots of photographers and newspaper people are there...Kuching people so lucky to have the DUN building etc...nice for photography.

Anonymous said...

I love the soup.Feels like to cook for dinner tonite...yummy!!

Ensurai said...

Hi Lena....sure it is a lovely soup made up of all the sweet and fresh pumpkin and gourd family members. We Sarawakians should eat more of this soup.

Ah Ngao said...

yep, the DUN is very photogenic.you been there recently? some people says Kuantan is also like Kuching(i never been to Kuantan).when i pencen,i like to settle in laidback towns and watch the world goes by,but my "towkeyneo" dislike( apa boleh buat...)

Ensurai said...

Hi Ah Ngao...Kuching is good enough. just move a little further out where the food is cheaper and the people humbler....and of course more laid back....I like your ideas.

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