Uncle Bing – Chef and Owner of Wok Wok Malaysian Cuisine on 11 Mott Street (basement level), NYC Chinatown

Settling back in NYC, I knew I would really miss my frequent border trips to Malaysia while living in Thailand. Luckily, NYC is the food court of the world. I might be thousands of miles from Malaysia, but a plate of roti canai with curry chicken is still within reach. It won’t replace the mornings spent eating my way through Kuala Lumpur, sweating through my shirt before nine. But finding a familiar dish here makes the distance feel a little smaller—and this city feel a little more like home.

I hopped onto Google Maps. Started searching for some Malaysian restaurants. The first restaurant I went to for Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang didn’t hit the mark.

Thankfully, the food gods heard my complaints and steered me toward Wok Wok Malaysian Cuisine at 11 Mott Street in NYC’s Chinatown.

A Parade of Authentic Good Malaysian Eats

Before I even opened the menu, I got talking with Uncle Bing. It was great to hear a Malaysian accent. He’s 71, an Ipoh native, stocky and solid in stature. He looked like a man who still does the heavy lifting. I confessed my love for Malaysian food and my dream of retiring in Penang—if the gods are kind enough to permit me.

I mentioned my YouTube cooking channel and told him I was filming a video about nasi lemak with fried chicken. Suddenly, Uncle Bing unleashed a barrage of cooking knowledge, like a right hook of cooking techniques and a left hook of secret ingredients.

Luckily, the food started arriving. Eat now, discuss more later.

*** Wok Wok has lunch (11 am – 3 pm) and dinner ( 3 pm onwards) pricing

Roti Canai with Curry Chicken ($5/$6)

100% hand-tossed; I know because I saw them make it with my own eyes (Uncle Bing kindly invited me into his kitchen). Crispy, thin, and delightfully chewy. Wok Wok makes it even better than most nasi kandars make it in Malaysia. Comes with a small bowl of chicken curry for soaking that roti canai.

It’s an appetizer, but you can easily have this as a snack with a drink all day.

1/2 Hainanese Chicken ($20)

Wok Wok uses free-range chicken. This masterfully poached chicken is a real treat with rice. Even the white meat is tender and flavorful. There’s a nice hit of flavors from soy sauce and toasted sesame seed oil. It is served slightly chilled, and don’t be scared; it might look raw to the bone in some sections, but it’s absolutely safe to eat.

On a subsequent visit, my daughter had the Hainanese Chicken Rice Set ($14), and it was just as good.

Curry Laksa Bowl ($18)

If you have the privilege to visit Penang, Malaysia one day, seek Curry Laksa. Until then, come to Wok Wok and try their curry laksa for a glorious preview.

There’s so much going on in this bowl. I could start with coconut curry broth and end it right there. But the large sliced prawns, stuffed chili pepper, and minced prawn wrapped with beancurd would get jealous.

The chili paste on top is fire!

Penang Har Mee Bowl ($18)

One look at this mouth-watering bowl of spicy prawns with noodles, and you can see why Malaysians collectively believe that their island of Penang is the country’s food capital!

Uncle Bing makes the broth from scratch with shrimp heads and shells. The broth, the chewy noodles, bouncy fish balls, slices of pork with traditional Malay leafy greens- this is a powerhouse of flavors in a bowl.

Penang Char Kway Teow ($15/$16)

Shrimp, Chinese sausage, fish cake, and squid wok-fried with hor fun noodles with some bean sprouts and pork cracklings. This popular noodle dish in Malaysia requires a massive amount of heat to acquire a smoky flavour. In Chinese, we call it Wok Hei!

Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken ($15)

Learning how to make Nasi Lemak, Malaysia’s national dish, from Uncle Bing was the intended goal. Instead, I got railroaded with all this great food.

Not that I’m complaining. It’s coconut-infused rice served with fried chicken, though you can order it with chicken or beef rendang and sambal prawns. The spicy sambal is the key to this dish, and they do it just right! Only thing is I’ve never seen it was soft boiled egg.

You know I was feeling bummed out because I can’t visit Malaysia as easily or often as I can now that I’m back in NYC. So it’s good to know that there are great Malaysian restaurants that can teleport me back to Penang and KL in a flash.

If you’re around NYC’s Chinatown on 11 Mott Street, I highly recommend visiting Wok Wok and saying hello to Uncle Bing.