Wong Kok Restaurant

I had a hard time when I was picking the categories it belongs to. I picked «Restaurants», then «Chinese» and then I cringed.
Why? Well, let me ask you this: are you looking for reasonably priced, authentic Cantonese fare, like the type you’d find on the streets? Then DON’T GO HERE!
Even before I walked into the restaurant’s doors, several warning signs shot up at me. However, my dad was so sure this place was the next best thing because apparently the way it was advertised on the Chinese newspaper made it sound super authentic, I ignored these signs and decided to trust him — after all, he is the pickiest eater for Chinese fare in my family, and usually his instincts are right… so what could go wrong?
First, the location. Note that it all the way out in the BFE, aka, a stone’s throw away from the airport. None of the delectable Chinese restaurants I know are located this far from Bellaire Blvd., so I was definitely skeptical. When we arrived, it was so ghetto that I was wondering if we were at the right place. I was very tempted to drive down back to Chinatown!
Now, you can usually tell what sort of restaurant it is by the type of free Chinese newspapers they offer at the front. If the newspaper is in simplified font, then this restaurant is straight-​up from the mainland (China). If it’s in traditional font, then it’s probably from Taiwan… but you have to kind of read it to make sure. If it’s in traditional font and the words make no sense by the way it’s written, then the restaurant is a bona fide Cantonese joint. Imagine my shock when the newspapers were in… VIETNAMESE!!!
We sat down, and the menu only confirmed my fears. My mother said, «how come the entire menu is in Vietnamese?» There were Chinese, in small font, on the side, so my parents said, oh well, at least there is some Chinese on it and tried to order. As we were ordering, more Vietnamese people, including some ladies in their traditional dresses, sat down. It was like we were in the twilight zone: a supposedly-​authentic Cantonese restaurant operated by the Vietnamese for the Vietnamese… What?!
Disappointed, we ordered a plate of the roasted duck, salty chicken, and char siu (a combination dish, pretty typical at any Cantonese place), and a seafood claypot. My mother wanted to order some stir-​fried veggies, but there was some miscommunication with the waitress, so we couldn’t order it, since it wasn’t on the menu, but on the wall in Vietnamese. Further miscommunication ensued when our combo dish came out with RICE on the side. We clamored: «We only wanted the meat, not a combo meal!» The waitress said, «Well, this is what you ordered,» and we looked very closely at the menu, indeed, there were 2 columns, one was the meat with rice, and one was meat with noodles… we said, okay, most places let you order just a dish with the meat. Once that misunderstanding was cleared up, they brought out what we wanted. To their credit, the food came out quickly and hot. It wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t the best meat I’ve ever had. We ate quickly, and secretly, in the bottom of our stomachs, we were eaten up by that disappointed feeling and longed for more, for better. At this point we just wanted to pay and go about our merry way. The final shocker was the price of the meal: for 2 dishes, we were charged $ 44! Apparently they charged meat by the half-​pound (unheard of at any other Cantonese restaurant), so that turned out to be $ 15 or so, the claypot is usually expensive at any Chinese place, and they even had the audacity to charge for the separate rice and tea! My mother was outraged and demanded an itemized bill. Turns out that they overcharged us $ 1.50, but otherwise the bill was correct. We left all huffy and puffy. Next time I will not return to pay ridiculous amount of money for false pretenses of a Cantonese restaurant and foot the bill for their false advertising!
The funny thing was, we weren’t the only ones duped. Another Chinese family came with the exact same advertisement printed here (see pictures), and asked for a Chinese-​speaking person to see if they had the dishes listed. One of the chefs came, and a curt (borderline rude) «NO» was what they received. Their disappointment was clearly visible on their faces. Chinese people aren’t dumb; places like these will get ousted out and soon, no one will go there. I’m just doing my end of the public service and letting the Unilocal community know. And hey, if expensive Vietnamese-​Chinese food is what you’re looking for, then this is for you.