Wok Mastery

By Jun Wang

Location: 1420 Cypress Creek Rd. Cedar Park, TX 78613
Phone: 512-331-1100
Offers: Take-out, delivery
Cuisine: Americanized Chinese cuisine
Signature Dishes: Rice Vermicelli Singapore Style, Sesame Tofu, Thai Fried Rice, Teriyaki Chicken, Coconut Chicken
Year of establishment: 2005 (under current management since 2009)

Fusion cuisine is a creative integration of the cuisines of different countries. One benefit of globalization has been increased culinary exchange and a more vibrant global restaurant scene. Chefs everywhere around the world are trying to blend cuisines together giving rise to the term “fusion cuisine”. Obviously, people welcome this trendy hybrid—radically new and shockingly mixed cuisine that combines the essence of different cuisines with a local touch. Not only have upscale restaurants follow suit, humble take-out eateries have jumped on this trend as well. Jimmy Chouy, owner of Hot Wok is one of the innovative restaurateurs working to deliver the concept of “Asian fusion” to his little establishment.

Before moving to America, Mr. Chouy worked as a chef at a renowned restaurant in Taiwan. That experience provided inspiration for his further development. Jimmy didn’t know it at the time but his experience working as a chef at that renowned restaurant was the first step in a long journey that would take him from Taiwan to Texas. Before moving across the Pacific, he honed his skills in Taiwan, gaining experience cooking Taiwanese and other ethnic cuisine, such as Malaysian and Thai. He further improved on his skill set in America and now has a decade of experience cooking and operating restaurants.

Capturing the essence of Chinese, Thai and Malaysian cuisine is a daunting task. It takes a lot of knowledge, patience, and the ability to master such a variety of flavors. Although being a veteran chef, Mr. Chouy threw himself into various kitchens and culinary disciplines, learning the ropes for various ethnic cuisines. This paved the way for his later development, and provided him with the foundation needed in order to create superb brand-new dishes.

The menu at Hot Wok is as extensive as that of other take out eateries, but with an extra ethnic twist to its Americanized Chinese fare. Aside from the traditional offerings, you may find a few modern adaptations of classic Chinese dishes. Start with Sesame Tofu, which is a fried version of tofu studded with sesame seeds. The later accompaniment of sesame sauce completes this dish, which is glazed with golden textured crispy tofu skin.

Rice Vermicelli Singapore Style draws its culinary influence from Southeast Asian style cooking. The intoxicating aroma of curry wafts around your nose when you enjoy Rice Vermicelli Singapore Style. The secret to the enduring recipe is knowing how to keep the noodles from getting too soft or glutinous. That takes a lot of know-how and expertise. The chef drenches the rice vermicelli in the chicken broth before stir-frying, elevating the dish to new heights. It is then embellished with carrots, snow peas, and green peppers resulting in a flavor-forward blend of rice vermicelli, shrimp, and whisked egg on an attractive bed of greens.

If Rice Vermicelli Singapore Style is for the customers who hanker for Singapore flavor, then Thai Style Fried Rice adds a bit of Thai touch to the menu. The ingenious owner approaches this popular dish with a fruity twist by adding delicious raisins, pineapple, and cashew nuts. It may seem a bit odd to add raisins to a dish but this creative addition is actually drawn from Chouy’s days in Taiwan cooking Fried Rice with Pineapple. A hint of sweetness is added to the spicy taste to help balance this sweet dish.

Mr. Chouy never stops coming up with new ways to amaze the customers. The Tomato Chicken is a summer treat for customers who need a respite from the suffocating summer heat.

Jimmy Chouy is an experienced cook, and also a good manager skilled at overlooking the whole restaurant. Food quality is the main concern for customers, and is a challenge for every restaurant owner. Mr. Chouy makes sure his offerings exceed expectations by purchasing fresh ingredients on a daily basis.

“Even a veteran chef couldn’t make a delicious dish without fresh ingredients,”admits Mr. Chouy, “we insist on using the freshest produce available.”

This is definitely not just talk. Chouy’s philosophy is embodied everywhere, with each dish being a harmonious presentation of vivid colors and vibrant textures. The online reviews are a testament to how the restaurant is well received.

“When I’m not feeling well, their hot & sour soup really hits the spot. The staff is friendly, and when you walk in, you feel like you've walked into a nice little mom & pop type place,” a happy customer commented. 

Business wasn’t so good when Mr. Chouy took over the restaurant in 2009 because of inefficient management. The business has turned around after locals began to pick up on the improvements being made due to Mr. Chouy’s management approach. His keen insight enabled him to quickly identify the root causes of the problem which were poor service and inferior quality. Therefore, to address these issues, he ordered only the freshest and most quality produce, trained the staff, and kept a consistent flavor in the restaurants dishes to change customers’ perceptions of the restaurant. Changing management styles can take a long time to yield results. He kept the old staff around, but trained them to be more professional. Leading by example, Mr. Chouy, greets the customers and takes their orders. His detail oriented style also translates over to keeping an eye on tiny details including order packing.

The revamped menu and newly trained staff team have gradually won the confidence of customers, who are turning out in ever growing numbers. Despite of the gloomy economy and fierce competition, Hot Wok has excelled becoming one of the brightest stars in Cedar Park’s restaurant scene.

Message from the owner:

Longtime customers love our Hot & Sour Soup, Egg Drop Soup and Wanton Soup, so make sure to try them out next time you stop by.