So, it's the first review in the brand new year. Happy New Year! Here's to a year of trolling hangouts and saying just about anything that comes to mind. Yippee!!!!!!.
Woks & Koi has a restaurant in Silverbird and a little place in Wuse 2. I'd been to the former about a year ago and well, it's a nice enough place. This review however, is about my recent trip to the Wuse 2 place.
Woks & Koi Chinese Cuisine is, as the name says, a Chinese restaurant. So you have the various noodles and veggie sauces, the egg/shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour sauce.....you get the idea I'm sure.
One of the cooler points about this pace for me is its size. It's small enough that a party of 15 could easily camp out. It's cozy and the colors...primarily dark hues of brown and red give the place a nicely oriental atmosphere. The lighting and seating in the Silverbird place is a lot more oriental and muted but that's a proper restaurant and this is more like a cozy Chinese hangout.
It's great for informal meetings...I had a meeting with the ever delightful and proper Kolo Kenneth Kadiri (@kolokennethk) of the popular social media brand; AdoptATweep.
I loved it as soon as I peeked in. The size and layout with the large balcony windows were an instant welcome.
Well, enough about the this and that of the why and what. Let's hear it for the food and all that jazz.
I had a few minutes before Kolo turned up so I made a beeline for a table by the windows, ordered a frosty Coke and a starter of a portion of chicken wings and Prawns in Chili Sauce with a side of egg fried rice to go. He ordered the Chicken in oyster sauce when he arrived with a side of rice and we dove in with relish.
Erm......did I mention we had to change seats. The awesome tables by the window wobbled a little so we moved to one by the wall. Not a bad location especially since it was neither a romantic date nor a 'bff-and-me' chatterfest.
So, a couple of hours and one of the most illuminating first meetings ever....what, if anything would I revisit Woks & Koi for????
Location: 6/10: I usually shy away from meetings in Wuse 2 on account of the horrid traffic congestion. Deciding where to go typically means you're mentally weighing traffic congestion details to decide which is likely to be the least scary before you bravely drive out of your home of office if its a midday meal. Having said that, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent isn't as bad as it was before the parking meters were introduced. If you can't find parking space right in front of your destination, chances are you will be able to park a couple meters away and do a dignified walk to your destination. So be careful what you wear. There are always some snazzy looking people around Wuse 2. Don't go looking like you were forgotten in the rain overnight.
Ambience/Scenery: 6/10: I liked the interior. Nothing fancy really. Neat, cozy and inviting. I'm a sucker for earth tones and the colors were immediately inviting and calming. The wobbly window table was a disappointment though but we told the management about it and hope they work on that.
Service: 5/10: I'd have loved to give a higher score but the coldest bottle of coke they had was near tepid. Only slightly cool. Come on! A crazily chilled coke makes up for any number of diet days. There has to be a law against serving drinks whose temperature doesn't make your eyes roll back in dreamy satisfaction. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I was given one of those really soft small plastic disposable cups. I mean, who does that?!!! On the flip side, our waiter was pleasant without being obsequious. You know those waiters that practically grovel in anticipation of a generous tip? Well, he wasn't that.
Cost: 7/10: I still believe that below N3,000 for a plate of food in Abuja (not buka, not hawkers) isn't a bad deal. And when that applies to prawns and the like, it just puts you in a pleasant place. However, I'm not as eager to forgive when it comes to Chicken Wings. A portion of Woks & Koi chicken wings is priced N800. That's not a bad deal I hear someone say. But not when the wings come out all rubbery and dry like they were deep fried for a day. Funny thing, beneath the rubber it tasted good. So imagine what it would have tasted like if it had been a lil more tender.
Taste: 7/10: Kolo liked his meal. You know how you can always tell when a man likes his food. They're content. Conversation flows and all is well with the world, albeit temporarily. And that has to be best ad for any restaurant 'a man came here, he ate, he left with a smile'. My chicken wings......'nuff said. The prawns I took home and hubby's 'attention to the task at hand' was as much a compliment to the chef as Kolo's had been.
So!!!! Having said all that, would I revisit or recommend Woks & Koi to another? Yeah! With other meals tasting quite good, I'd like to revisit the wings and try other dishes too, hopefully with a really cold coke and a straw or at least a nicer cup. And if you do try them out, please drop a line here and let's compare notes. They also deliver so give them a call if you don't want to drive out and let's know how your experience was.
xoxo
Restaurant deets
Woks & Koi has a restaurant in Silverbird and a little place in Wuse 2. I'd been to the former about a year ago and well, it's a nice enough place. This review however, is about my recent trip to the Wuse 2 place.
Woks & Koi Chinese Cuisine is, as the name says, a Chinese restaurant. So you have the various noodles and veggie sauces, the egg/shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour sauce.....you get the idea I'm sure.
One of the cooler points about this pace for me is its size. It's small enough that a party of 15 could easily camp out. It's cozy and the colors...primarily dark hues of brown and red give the place a nicely oriental atmosphere. The lighting and seating in the Silverbird place is a lot more oriental and muted but that's a proper restaurant and this is more like a cozy Chinese hangout.
It's great for informal meetings...I had a meeting with the ever delightful and proper Kolo Kenneth Kadiri (@kolokennethk) of the popular social media brand; AdoptATweep.
I loved it as soon as I peeked in. The size and layout with the large balcony windows were an instant welcome.
Well, enough about the this and that of the why and what. Let's hear it for the food and all that jazz.
I had a few minutes before Kolo turned up so I made a beeline for a table by the windows, ordered a frosty Coke and a starter of a portion of chicken wings and Prawns in Chili Sauce with a side of egg fried rice to go. He ordered the Chicken in oyster sauce when he arrived with a side of rice and we dove in with relish.
Erm......did I mention we had to change seats. The awesome tables by the window wobbled a little so we moved to one by the wall. Not a bad location especially since it was neither a romantic date nor a 'bff-and-me' chatterfest.
So, a couple of hours and one of the most illuminating first meetings ever....what, if anything would I revisit Woks & Koi for????
Location: 6/10: I usually shy away from meetings in Wuse 2 on account of the horrid traffic congestion. Deciding where to go typically means you're mentally weighing traffic congestion details to decide which is likely to be the least scary before you bravely drive out of your home of office if its a midday meal. Having said that, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent isn't as bad as it was before the parking meters were introduced. If you can't find parking space right in front of your destination, chances are you will be able to park a couple meters away and do a dignified walk to your destination. So be careful what you wear. There are always some snazzy looking people around Wuse 2. Don't go looking like you were forgotten in the rain overnight.
Ambience/Scenery: 6/10: I liked the interior. Nothing fancy really. Neat, cozy and inviting. I'm a sucker for earth tones and the colors were immediately inviting and calming. The wobbly window table was a disappointment though but we told the management about it and hope they work on that.
Service: 5/10: I'd have loved to give a higher score but the coldest bottle of coke they had was near tepid. Only slightly cool. Come on! A crazily chilled coke makes up for any number of diet days. There has to be a law against serving drinks whose temperature doesn't make your eyes roll back in dreamy satisfaction. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I was given one of those really soft small plastic disposable cups. I mean, who does that?!!! On the flip side, our waiter was pleasant without being obsequious. You know those waiters that practically grovel in anticipation of a generous tip? Well, he wasn't that.
Cost: 7/10: I still believe that below N3,000 for a plate of food in Abuja (not buka, not hawkers) isn't a bad deal. And when that applies to prawns and the like, it just puts you in a pleasant place. However, I'm not as eager to forgive when it comes to Chicken Wings. A portion of Woks & Koi chicken wings is priced N800. That's not a bad deal I hear someone say. But not when the wings come out all rubbery and dry like they were deep fried for a day. Funny thing, beneath the rubber it tasted good. So imagine what it would have tasted like if it had been a lil more tender.
Taste: 7/10: Kolo liked his meal. You know how you can always tell when a man likes his food. They're content. Conversation flows and all is well with the world, albeit temporarily. And that has to be best ad for any restaurant 'a man came here, he ate, he left with a smile'. My chicken wings......'nuff said. The prawns I took home and hubby's 'attention to the task at hand' was as much a compliment to the chef as Kolo's had been.
So!!!! Having said all that, would I revisit or recommend Woks & Koi to another? Yeah! With other meals tasting quite good, I'd like to revisit the wings and try other dishes too, hopefully with a really cold coke and a straw or at least a nicer cup. And if you do try them out, please drop a line here and let's compare notes. They also deliver so give them a call if you don't want to drive out and let's know how your experience was.
xoxo
Nkechi
Restaurant deets
I did have a great time though! Thanks @KayLeggz.
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