Chef's Wok in Alameda

Mixed Mushrooms in BBQ Sauce at Chef's Wok in Alameda.

Robin used to live close to Alameda in Downtown Oakland and has been telling me about this place for years, but somehow we hadn't made it before. Judging from the menu, it seems to be a bit on the Cantonese side, but cross-regional, and a relaxed down home sort of place. The calibre of the cuisine is quite high and the service top notch. Here's the salty peanuts and tea they bring you when you sit down.

Here's a classic Hong Kong dish: Honey Walnut Prawns. Shrimp tossed with mayo, with walnuts, served atop shredded lettuce. One of the best versions of the dish I've had. Spot on.

This appears on the menu as Mixed Mushrooms In BBQ Sauce, but it's more like Beef Fajitas, Chinese Style. Several sorts of delectable grilled mushrooms (abalone, trumpet, white), tender grilled beef, grilled onions, peppers and peas. The sauce was relatively subtle, and tasted like black pepper, garlic and a tiny bit of soy. Fantastic dish, never had anything quite like it, and reason enough to come here.

Salt and pepper fried squid, & a gigantic portion at that. Probably dusted with rice flour prior to frying, and probably frozen squid, but I thought it was pretty good, though not as stellar as the prior two dishes. Plus we were pretty full by the time this came out, and hadn't even finished the earlier dishes. But rather than evoke a wafer-thin mint, we had most of this boxed up, and I had tons of leftovers later.

This was really tempting Mr. Creosote territory, this being a slightly sweet Red Bean & grain pudding that is often served as a complimentary "dessert" in some Chinese restaurants. A few sips was all I could handle, but absolutely sublime, nevertheless. 

Chef's Wok 1821 Webster St, Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 337-9388