Canton Wok is one of those many restaurants that we’re constantly reminding ourselves to come by every single time we pass Joo Chiat Road. I don’t know if its the enormous poster of Chef Kang plastered in front of the restaurant thats beckoning or the unusual allure of the eatery inside a bungalow but recently we managed to round up everyone for a wonderful dining experience. We decided to compose the dinner into somewhat like a degustation session so that we can sample as many dishes as possible, and boy did we chanced upon some wild gems.

Founded by Chef Ang Song “Kang”, Canton Wok began its humble cze char roots operating from Havelock Road, Serangoon Central and currently finds itself here along Joo Chiat Road. Dishing out classic Cantonese cuisine, Chef Kang is one of the few local members admitted into the respectable French Les Amis D’ Escoffier Society, a prestigious club where old fogies get together in their typical chef’s hat, wearing round the neck their golden medallion ala Flava Flav to celebrate and promote (pimp) the joy of eating. In a nutshell, y’all can assure that the dishes here are more or less given the okay by the fuddy-duddy folks from lux club. While not some celebrity connoisseur prima donna, most of us know good food when we taste it and by golly the dishes sampled here was excellente. We’ll do the usual run through on some of the noteworthy dishes we devoured.

1. Prawns wrapped in Bacon
My mates nearly fell off the chair right after savoring this. I mean, how can you go wrong with fried prawns, bacon and mayonnaise, sprinkled with toasted almond. Simple as it sounds, this is the work of a genius. We couldn’t sleep for days and kept wondering why haven’t this stuff been discovered earlier. We wasted no time and ordered a second serving shortly after annihilating the first. So good its obscene.

2. Black Pepper Deep Fried Lotus Roots
I didn’t gave much thought to this item until i tasted it and got seriously enlightened there on the spot. Until then, I was totally clueless how plain ol’ lotus roots could be so tasty. In retrospect, I believed that the well seasoned batter and pepper sauce could have attributed to the bold flavors. This dish is the perfect compliment to a bottle of ice cold beer. Extremely addictive.

3. Yuan Yang Pork Ribs
Being one of the more unusual dishes in the lineup that evening, the Yuan Yang Pork Ribs was presented in 2 flavors, Mixed Fruit Sauce and Coffee flavored. Although the Mixed Fruit Sauce version somewhat tasted like normal sweet & sour pork, what really caught our attention was the coffee pork ribs. I’m not sure what sort of blend was used but what I sure of, is the fragrance and aroma of freshly grounded coffee powder infused with tender and fragrant pork ribs. It was a enjoyable and exciting dish, a break from the conventional pork ribs variety you’ll find outside.

4. Stir Fried Black Pepper Deer Meat
A cze char staple and a favorite white rice companion, we couldn’t have missed out on this. Done with excellent wok hei, garnished with garlic stems and drizzled with thick pepper sauce, this tender and great tasting dish was hard to top. Initially, we intended to save some morsels to accompany with rice but ended up staring at an empty plate with a guilty look on our faces. Really potent.

5. Steamed Crab with Glutinous Rice
The highlight and centerpiece of attraction was this huge hunk of Sri Lankan crab served on top of seasoned glutinous rice inside a bamboo dim sum basket steamer. The large crab was freshly steamed with its stock dripping and seeping into the glutinous rice sprinkled with garlic and chinese ham. We all know how liquid absorbent glutinous rice can be and this process optimize every drop of essence from the fleshy crustacean, accentuating the taste of the whole dish. Its like the Michael Jordon of crab dishes, done with style and a stroke of ingenuity. I don’t know how the recipe was conceived but can imagine Chef Kang with an intense look on his face (like in the poster) going through countless nights thinking what to put his steamed crabs on. Steamed crabs on mee pok, steamed crabs on garlic bread, steamed crabs on phonebook … and finally the signature steamed crabs on glutinous rice was incorporated into the menu. Make no mistake, if you have only one dish to order, this stellar platter is the choice. Make the wrong decision and you’ll risk being lynched by an angry and hungry mob.

Housed in a pre-war Peranakan bungalow, the interior retrofitting of Canton Wok resembles a 70s Cantonese family restaurant that most Singaporeans from the older generation would be well acquainted with. With beams and panels painted bright red, lined with steel chairs with synthetic leather paddings and big round tables for the usual chinese styled communal sharing of dishes, this place is literally trapped in the sands of time. A chinese version of Shaslik would be the best way to describe the ambience. The place was relatively packed when we arrived that evening with only our reserved table empty. In fact, those poor souls who arrived later had to dine beside the carpark facing the giant poster of Chef Kang (with a spatula), which should serve as a stoic reminder for you to make prior reservation especially for those of you coming in big groups.

On the whole, I find the cuisine from Canton Wok innovative and agreeable. Alot of traditional dishes are presented with a tinge of creativity, in style and in taste. Chef Kang’s cooking strays on the verge of the contemporary, yet it is not exactly fusion. From the way I see it, he basically has a fresh perspective and approach on even the most familiar food. I urge those of you who are always on the look out for rich and unique tasting fare to try out this lot. Remember to put on your seat belt when you taste the Prawn wrapped in Bacon, you wont want to embarrass yourself with some intensive knee-jerk reaction.
-Darth Sidtoh