After several failed attempts at opening the restaurant, Golden Wok, formerly China Buffet, is now open at 2804 US-50. While the building itself has changed a bit with the addition of a hibachi grill, the menu has not changed aside from the addition of sushi and some raw foods like pork and eggs.
When I was in high school, I went there often. It was cheap, and I’m glad the prices have not changed because an increase from $8 to $9 a plate could hardly be justified.
While I found the restaurant noticeably cleaner than it had been before, as someone who works in a restaurant, I know that will not last. The staff was cheery. When I went on a Friday evening, it seemed like all of Emporia had decided to come along with me. They did an excellent job with keeping such a wide menu stocked even if half of the meat I tried was either undercooked and pinkish or cold by the time it left the kitchen.
Heat is essential with food safety and taste. To have “cooked” salmon, sweet and sour chicken and their house pork all taste as if they weren’t fully cooked did not bode well. Granted, the potatoes and noodles were by far my favorite.
If you’ve been to China Buffet then everything you loved will still be there, but I could hardly justify eating undercooked or cold food. With so many options in town, you’d better leave this Wok alone.
1/5 Forks