CHEAP EATS: Fast-Chinese at McCain Mall a wok on the mild side

By Eric E. Harrison (Contact)

LITTLE ROCK — You can’t always tell a restaurant by its cover.

For example, the fast-Chinese place on the bottom floor of North Little Rock’s McCain Mall is no longer called China Express, no matter what the sign says.

It has actually been a new establishment called First Wok since May 1. The couple that ran it for nearly 10 years has retired and some younger cousins have taken it over. They wear snappy red and black uniforms and, we’re told, new signs are on the way.

The fast-Chinese concept, available in malls around the country, has all of the disadvantages and few of the advantages of Chinese buffets. The food, a dozen or so items ranging from egg rolls to pepper steak, is on display in upfront trays under heat lamps behind the sneeze guards, cafeteria-style.

Like most buffets, most of what’s out there is chicken- broccoli chicken, orange chicken, honey chicken, sesame chicken, teriyaki chicken, spicy chicken, moo goo gai pan.

The list on the sign behind the register should be considered as only a guide and not a catalog - what’s available is what’s on display. And since none of it is identified by signs,the customer is at a bit of a disadvantage - some of it is selfexplanatory (broccoli chicken is the stuff with chicken and broccoli in it) but others are anybody’s guess, and you’ll have to ask the guy behind the counter what’s what. That slows up the order process a little.

Also consider the pretty pictures of various dishes with the same skepticism, because they’ll look nothing like that when you get them. Instead of attractive china plates, you get polystyrene three-compartment boxes, plastic utensils and paper napkins even if you’re dining in. (Seating is at tables for four in a mirrored dining area perked up by bright photographs of Oriental scenes, mostly the usual pagoda-and-bridge shots. The mirrors are useful for watching people get off the nearby escalator.)

You can order by item, $4.49 per, or as part of a combo plate - $5.49 for one item, fried rice and an egg roll or for two items,fried rice and no egg roll; $6.99 for a sampler, three items, fried rice and an egg roll.

Quantity is not an issue; you certainly get a lot of food for your money. Unfortunately, it’s all lowcommon-denominator, not bad but basically stuff you eat because you’re in the mall, you have a hankering for something vaguely Oriental and there isn’t a real Chinese restaurant, or even a buffet place, within hailing distance.

The best thing we had was the orange chicken, deep-fried and suspended in a sweet-andslightly spicy sauce that actually had some orange flavor. Broccoli chicken comes in a thick and surprisingly rich brown sauce, but after a few bites we were basically tired of it. The brown sauce in which the ropy lo mein noodles are tossed (with shreds of cabbage and carrot) isn’t nearly as rich.

The good news about the sweet-and-sour shrimp is that it’s deep-fried to order; the pilein the pan behind the sneeze guard is just there for show. The bad news is that each shrimp is lost in thick, doughy and practically tasteless batter; the end result comes out like a tiny corn dog, but not nearly as tasty. The less said about the sticky, bright vermilion sweet-and-sour sauce, the better.

The fried rice is innocuous. The egg roll has a decent balance between meat and cabbage.

The one on our second visit was a little crispier, indicating it had been sitting out a shorter duration (the food does turn over fairly often, a plus). Our first egg roll was fine except for that surprise chunk of chicken gristle that surfaced about halfway through.

There are no condiments on the table; you’ll have to get your plastic packets of soy and duck sauce (but we didn’t see any mustard for our egg rolls) before you sit down.

First Wok Address: McCain Mall, 3929 Mc-Cain Blvd., North Little Rock Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday Cuisine: Fast Chinese Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D Alcoholic beverages: No Reservations: No Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 753-0888

Weekend, Pages 69 on 06/06/2008