An Underwhelming Feast at Woks & Koi
FOLLY: I was quite happy to go to Woks & Koi because I’d been craving savoury food after binging on cake and sweets the previous days. The secondary reason for my excitement was that we’d pushed this review to the back burner for several months now and now it was finally happening.
NOSA: I wasn’t craving anything. I just didn’t want to leave Lekki
FOLLY: I consciously try to give restaurants time to establish themselves before jumping in for a review. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves because it’s a new restaurant opening that we’re so excited about but we do try to be patient and wait.
For example, I’m currently trying my very best to be patient with one of the latest openings in Lagos - Vanilla Moon. Honestly, I expect to cave in the next few weeks.
NOSA: On the other hand, Woks & Koi has been open for quite a bit so I think we held out long enough.
FOLLY: I was very happy that Woks & Koi wasn’t raggedy on the inside. Many Chinese restaurants in Lagos don’t prioritize ambience and just throw some Asian looking elements together, not Woks & Koi. I also appreciated that the menu was streamlined and not overwhelming like your typical Chinese restaurants with over 5 pages of main courses.
Nosa was taking a phone call so I ordered our starters all by myself and I think I did a good job. We had:
Woks & Koi Five Spice Chicken Wings
Chinese Potstickers
Spring Rolls
I think it’s simply out of line to visit a Chinese restaurant in Lagos and not order spring rolls. Do you do that? If the answer is yes, who hurt you?
NOSA: Reader, the spring rolls weren’t worth it.
FOLLY: I wasn’t impressed by the spring rolls because they were too skinny and weren’t as crunchy as my beloved favorites at Oriental Hotel or more recently at Hua Hua Garden.
NOSA: The spring rolls were skinny like flautas
FOLLY: If you haven’t tried the spring rolls at Oriental Garden at the Oriental Hotel, you really must and they are my favourite in Lagos. Once, my mum dragged me to a book launch with her at the Oriental Hotel and they went on for a while without serving food. Your girl slyly excused herself for a bathroom break, went upstairs ordered spring rolls and returned to the event after eating.
FOLLY: The five spice chicken wings were a big let down because there was honestly not one discernible spice in this. They were good naked wings and should not be marketed as anything more than that.
NOSA: The wings were actually my favorite of the starters. Yeah, I agree, you can’t really taste no “five spice” in this. But it wasn’t bad at all.
FOLLY: The potstickers were good, not particularly memorable, but okay.
NOSA: Now, this one, I’ll agree with. The potstickers could have been so much better. Sooooo much better.
FOLLY: I was not impressed with our main dishes at all. I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken, and Nosa made the unfortunate decision for the Spare Ribs. I told this man that we should order prawns.
NOSA: This is probably the single worst decision i’ve made this year so I’ll take the blame for this one. For what it’s worth, you can’t tell the Kung Pao and the ribs apart taste wise. The broths were just so overpowering and salty.
FOLLY: The Kung Pao didn’t taste authentic.
NOSA: At all.
Kewa’s Kitchen has definitely spoilt Kung Pao chicken for me. Everyone else tastes second rate and Woks & Koi was especially so.
FOLLY: In terms of appearance, I’m used to Kung Pao that is redder, stickier, and a whole lot spicier. This was bland, brown, and brothy. I do not recommend at all. I suspect that the Hoisin sauce that gives it the thickness and glossiness that I was expecting was omitted and there was nary a chilli in sight.
FOLLY: They had an exciting sizzling brownie on their dessert menu, however, the mains were too average for me to consider spending any more money. Does that also happen to you? Do you find yourself holding back on spending more money at an establishment after being disappointed with your first or second course?
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: Bleh. I’ll never visit again. Wouldn’t recommend.
FOLLY: I found it pretty average and not as good as my Chinese restaurant OGs in Lagos.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Spring Rolls (2 pcs)- N1200
Chinese Potstickers - N2500
Kung Pao Chicken - N4200
Pork Spare Ribs & Veg - N4000
Woks & Koi Five Spice Wings - N3000
Woks & Koi Special Fried Rice - N1500
PARKING
Standard Lekki mall parking. Space is available for 4.5 cards