Magic woks are a popular tool in many Asian cuisines. These woks are traditionally made from materials such as carbon steel, cast iron, or stainless steel, which allow for even heat distribution and retention. The unique design of the wok incorporates a curved shape with high sides, allowing for easier tossing and stir-frying of ingredients. One of the magical aspects of these woks is their ability to heat up quickly and maintain high temperatures. This is achieved by having a small base compared to the wide top, which concentrates the heat. The high sides also prevent food from spilling out while being stirred, making it easier to cook multiple ingredients at once.

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Magic Wok is the place to go to fulfill your Chinese food craving. We serve everything from Hot & Sour Soup to Egg Foo Young. Try one of our Chef's Specials such as the Lemon Chicken, Crispy Beef, or the Yu Lin Duck. We're located south of I-495 on Franconia Road. We're less than a mile from Regal Cinemas Kingstowne and Franconia Park. Order online for carryout or delivery!

Love the fact that they offer a larger variety of vegetarian options than other Asian places(which definitely offer more vegetarian choices than other cuisines). Their ma po tofu, and vegan beef and broccoli are routinely ordered at our house.

Many thumbs up. Great food wonderful service, Hot and Sour soup was spiced just right, Triple Delight was exactly that a real delight. The sweet and sour chicken was so light and tasty. Prices make it affordable to go out often.

Outstanding food at phenomenal prices! Lunch specials were even available on Saturday! Service was excellent and the food was piping hot. Parking was a breeze and the restaurant (including restroom) was clean. Can't wait to go back!

Wonder woks

Magic Wok was founded in Toledo in 1983. I’m embarrassed to admit I never realized it had T-town roots. I wrongly assumed several locations meant ‘big chain started elsewhere.' I will now be thinking beyond nuggets and burgers when grabbing a meal on the go for the family. Keeping an ever-watchful eye on ingredients due to my youngest son’s allergies, I can get stuck in a rut. We recently stopped in at a local Magic Wok and we’re glad we did.

Family run for almost 30 years

Sutas Pipatjarasgit came from Thailand in 1968 in search of the American dream and met his wife on the plane ride over. It’s the sort of thing that becomes fodder for Hollywood movies. They eventually moved their family from New York to Monroe, Michigan. After various restaurant ventures, he founded Magic Wok in 1983, with the first location inside Franklin Park Mall.

Though Sutas officially retired in 2000 and the business is now run by his son and daughter-in-law, he continues to stop in the restaurants and have a hand in the business. His son Tommy runs the restaurants and his wife, Annie, handles product development and marketing. “I’ve been working in the business since I was a little kid," Tommy says. Tommy’s sister, Tanya, an area realtor, helps manage the properties.

Fresh, fast, hot and healthy

Though we had never stopped in a Magic Wok until recently, my children can’t resist the urge to sing their jingle — "Fresh, fast, hot and healthy! Your
Magic Wok!” — EVERY time we passed the restaurant. Their tag line is “new generation Asian cuisine.” You can find Chinese, Japanese, and Thai entrees on the menu. "We make everything to order," Tommy says. “I think that makes it more kid friendly." I didn’t realize to what extent you can tweak your order until speaking with the Pipatjarasgit family. Aside from the sauces made daily, your meal is prepared at the time you order. Maybe you’d like something made with less oil, light on the onions, a touch less spicy, or heavy on the veggies — go ahead and make your request – your order will be made to your specification right in front of you in the open kitchen. In response to customer demand, they have also recently added the option of a serving of brown rice in place of traditional white rice.

The Pipatjarasgit family opened Tropical Grill and Juices in Westfield Franklin Park Mall about 15 years ago. The healthy menu and real fruit smoothies have maintained a loyal following. The family co-branded the smoothie concept at most Magic Woks, so customers can opt for an even healthier kick to their meal. Like their entrees, the smoothies are made fresh to order as well.

Generous portions, reasonably priced

The combination plates are the most expensive entrée on the menu at $5.69, and most other entrees start as low as $3.99. However, they are so generous I had to take leftovers home. The best deal is the kids’ menu for only $2.99, and that includes the drink. The four choices of almond chicken, sweet and sour chicken, rice and roll, or oven-roasted chicken rice bowl will make most any kid happy. All are served with rice, and some are served with their soy-based gravy if preferred. Have a picky eater? Go ahead and skip the sauces and just have the chicken and rice. Remember, you can order it how you want it.

Our table was filled with refreshing fruit smoothies, shrimp fried rice, chicken fried rice, egg rolls, won ton soup, crab rangoon, sesame chicken and Szechuan beef. My leftovers were all that remained. Though my husband enjoyed the Szechuan beef, he wished it had a bit more spice. Now that he knows he can request it with more kick, I’m sure he’ll be back for more. We’re looking forward to testing our skills with chop sticks next time!

Bottom Line: There’s a reason the Magic Wok’s slogan is ‘fresh, fast, hot and healthy.' Switch it up from the usual burgers and try something different for about the same price. Make your meals healthier by requesting more veggies, brown rice or light on the sauces. Even your picky eaters can customize their meals just how they want them. Stop in and dine or use their convenient drive through for those busy days when you’re on the run.

Multiple locations in Toledo and Michigan
www.magicwok.com
Mon-Sat: 11am-10pm
Sun: 12pm-9pm

Karen Zickes is a mom of three active children and freelance writer who resides in Holland, OH. She can be reached in c/o [email protected].

Monster Munching

A blog about dining, cooking, and eating in and around Orange County, California.

The high sides also prevent food from spilling out while being stirred, making it easier to cook multiple ingredients at once. Another magical quality of these woks is their versatility. They can be used for a wide range of cooking techniques, including stir-frying, deep-frying, steaming, boiling, and even smoking.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Magic Wok's Halo Halo - Artesia

Name me a culture, and I'll show you a shaved ice dessert from it. Mexicans have raspado. Hawaiians have shave ice. Koreans have patbingsu. Indonesians have es cendol (and others).

All will function as coolant for your overheating head, but I would argue that the Filipino version, called halo halo *, has more going on than most. If a snow cone is the basic factory model, Magic Wok's special halo halo ($3.99) is a feature-ladened, pimped-out ride, complete with free-rotating hub caps and ghetto blasters.

I'll begin with what you see first: the ube ice cream. Ube is an obscenely purple yam. And I mean it when I say it is purple. The color exists at a wavelength that should not exist in nature. Think of the Joker's suit and then turn up the crazy. That's how purple ube is.

Below it: ice. Not shaved, but sort of crushed to the halfway point between snow and hail. The crystals are crunchy but not solid, whose main function is to slowly melt and cool down every inch of your sundae glass and your mouth.

You begin by nibbling on the ice cream, but you don't have to be coy. You can choose to attack it and submerge the scoop until it gets worked into the slurry. The ice cream run-off just makes the dessert what it is: a refreshing, milky potpourri of chill.

On the bottom, there's a Technicolor mish mash of ingredients just waiting to be unearthed. Bits of jackfruit, Jell-O-like cubes of agar agar, sugary red beans, custardy flan and more. Tying it all together: drizzles upon drizzles of sweetened condensed milk and syrup. All yearn to get down and funky with each other. So stir it up! Get the party started!

Near the end, your glass will not look anything like what you started with. Like the aftermath of a rave, the neatly divided strata gets tossed up and swirled up in its icy mosh pit. But your headache won't be from a nightclub hangover; it will be from brain freeze.

The Magic Wok
(562) 865-7340
11869 Artesia Blvd
Artesia, CA 90701

*Tip for non-Tagalog speakers: When ordering, keep in mind that "halo halo" rhymes with "shallow". Pronounce it like the Xbox video game and risk embarrassment!

18 Comments:

hello there! what a nice presentation of the halo-halo! and i love love love UBE - anthing that is as violacious and violently and vividly violet as that MUST be eaten.

i was in the bay area recently and Patio Filipino (in San Bruno) has a different take on halo-halo as well. it is served in a buko (young coconut) with jellied buko pieces inside, macapuno, and a few other ingredients. it is of course, topped off with ube ice cream (most likely magnolia brand).

I like the simpler Mexican kind. I've got to try the others.

Nice presentation. great stuff when the weather's so hot like it hasb een recently.

What an interesting desert. I gotta try. Love the purple color.

You and I don't always agree on food (like I don't understand how you consider Shabu Shabu cuisine or how its the most over rated dining experience next to those Tepan Yaki places where all my caucasian friends like to go), but more often than not we DO agree and you have some great finds.

I went to The Chippy last week and it was awesome. They know what they are doing. Only complaint are the hours its open and sitting in that food court that fills up with smoke!

At 8:43 PM, lonegungirl said.

Is Halo Halo supposed to have stringy bits in it? I tried one for the first time over at that Red Ribbon Bakery on South St., and it was fine, except for these weird, stringy filament bits that gave almost the same sensation of eating hair (it wasn't, I checked.) I thought maybe it was coconut, but it was just translucent stringy bits that were frankly, unappealing. I wasn't sure whether they were de rigor, or if I just had a bad halo.

Talk about a nice presentation! In a coconut shell: that would be a perfect way to have halo halo. The only way it could get better is if you had it while on the beach at Palawan (never been there, but I've seen pictures).

I need to try a raspado. Now's the time!

Nothing refreshes me more. Hmm. except es teller. I gotta give a shout out to the Indonesian version of halo halo. And it has avocados!

Ain't Chippy's great? Only wish that they made their own chips. But I'll take what I can get. Only time I've seen a chip shop do their own fries was in New Zealand. That's the holy grail. If you or anyone's seen this, give me a holla!

Hmm. Never had Red Ribbons' but I know they do have halo halo. I don't recall anything like you described in Magic Wok's halo halo. Could it have been shredded coconut?

At 10:54 PM, Anonymous said.

I think what lonegungirl is describing is overripe jackfruit (probably from a bottled version drowned in syrup). I've had the halo-halo at red ribbon and it was just too artificially sweet.

For that area, I prefer the halo-halo at Luisa & Sons Bakery (It's a filipino bakery like Valerio's). Elmo, if you ever feel adventurous, I heard that place recently started offering sisig pizza. Someday I'll work up the courage to try that abomination of a dish.

haha thanks for the tip. i always thought it was pronounced the other way. i'll have to try this sometime. the ube looks particularly interesting!

Fun presentation! I like the large glass. That ube ice cream looks so purple! Rarely does it look that purple to me :).

I LOVE desserts like this! Icy bits, chewy, gelatinous bits, and fruit bits - yum!
I recently watched an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network that was highlighting obsessions. The FN chefs' ranged from Kumamoto oysters to triple coconut pie.
For a while, mine has been che bau mau!
Gotta make my way to Magic Wok - thanks, as always, for your posts!

im not sure who u are, i found your blog through gracebot's wordpress, but your descriptions are hilarious and on point.

the part about the ube color not existing in nature cracked me up. that and the rave analogy. fantastic writing.

Did. You. Just. Say. SISIG PIZZA. I'm sorry. I think my brain just overloaded!

Along with that purple ice cream, you'll find textures and tastes one wouldn't expect to get in a dessert. No rainbow sprinkles here!

The flavor of ube is really similar to taro ice cream or taro milk tea, and I know you must have had that!

It does have a lot in common to che doesn't it? It's probably close cousins. I wonder: does che ever get served with ice? Wait I think I answered my own question.

Who am I? Just you're garden variety food geek with a cheap digital camera and a desire to vent!

Thanks for dropping by and writing such nice things. Always appreciated!

Hi Elmomonster, I am Stanielsan's wife and he suggested that I comment on this entry.

For Halo-halo, try Chow King, Red Ribbon or Goldilocks. You'll be able to get the ube ice cream at any of these locations also.

We took my parents to Magic Wok 2 months ago. Stanielsan wanted to try the food there. He's only ever had the Crispy Pata at potlucks and wanted to try it as fresh as possible. We were seated in the back corner booth when shortly after we ordered, an uninvited 'guest' started to crawl down the back wall and join us in our booth. I had to try and kill it.

The staff did not seemed surprised when we informed them our 'guest' nor were they apologetic.

I don't think we'll ever go there again.

If I haven't eaten at street food vendors in Indonesia where creepy crawlies on the walls, seats and floors weren't an every minute occurrence, I would have the same reaction as you.

But did I ever mention the time when I bit down on something hard in my clam chowder at a popular American soup and salad buffet chain (which shall remain nameless) and took out of my mouth what I hoped was a cricket?

I have to admit the food there was great and I didn't mind the uninvited guest too much. It would have been better if it offered to pay for the tab rather than sneaking off into the booth somewhere. Yeah, I've eaten at some places where I did not want to see the kitchen. I've had my roach experiences at some very clean restaurants. I guess if it is not in my food it don't matter? Well, for my wife's sake I guess I'll be going to Pinoy Pinay instead of Magic Wok.

Ironically, Pinoy Pinay scares me. not because of cleanliness, but because there is a possibility that someone nearby might be breaking into a balut while I'm trying to eat. HAH!

Yeah, I'm chicken of fetal duck!

LOL! Balut a day keeps everything and everyone away! I love to try new and unusual stuff but I draw the line on balut. My in-laws used to love the stuff but no longer eat it due to the high cholesterol.

At 10:36 PM, lonegungirl said.

OK, I tried the halo-halo at Louisa & Son, and it did not, in fact, have the weird, hair-like substance the one at Red Ribbon had. While I still think I prefer the shaved ice at Island Grill, the halo-halo can now be regarded as safe for my consumption. :)

The curved shape of the wok promotes better heat distribution, ensuring that all ingredients are cooked evenly. Furthermore, the wok's design allows for the use of less oil, making it a healthier cooking option. The high sides prevent oil from splattering, and the sloping walls make it easier to toss and coat ingredients without requiring excessive amounts of oil. In addition to their functionality, magic woks also add a touch of tradition and culture to the cooking process. They are often passed down through generations as family heirlooms, carrying with them the stories and memories of generations past. Overall, magic woks are an essential tool in Asian cooking, offering a range of benefits including rapid heating, versatility, and even cooking. They not only make cooking more efficient but also add a traditional and cultural touch to the culinary experience. With their unique design and magical properties, it's no wonder that magic woks are cherished by cooks around the world..

Reviews for "Going Beyond the Wok: How to Make Sushi, Curries, and More with a Magic Wok"

1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with my experience at Magic Woks. The food was mediocre at best, lacking in flavor and presentation. The service was also subpar, with the staff appearing disinterested and unattentive to the needs of the customers. Additionally, the restaurant itself felt dirty and poorly maintained. Overall, I would not recommend Magic Woks for a satisfying dining experience.

2. John - 1 star - Magic Woks was a complete letdown. The food was tasteless and lacked any authenticity. The portions were also quite small, leaving me hungry and unsatisfied. The service was slow and unprofessional, with the staff seeming untrained and clueless. The overall ambiance of the restaurant was lacking, and it felt like a generic, run-of-the-mill Chinese fast-food joint. Save your money and find a better place to enjoy Chinese cuisine.

3. Emma - 2 stars - I had high hopes for Magic Woks, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The food was average, with nothing memorable or outstanding. The menu lacked variety, and the prices seemed high for the quality of the dishes. The service was also lacking, with long wait times and disinterested staff. Overall, Magic Woks failed to impress, and I would not visit again.

From Noodles to Dumplings: Discover the Endless Possibilities of Magic Wok Cooking