There comes a moment in everybody's life when we feel we gain control, while we actually lose it. When we think we gain power, but we become weaker. When instead of adapting the situation to our life long goals, we adapt the goals to the circumstances. 

 

This period can take days, months or even years until we wake up (and smell the coffee). In most cases, sadly, when looking back, our life changed, but emotionally and spiritually, we are in the same place. We haven't evolved. Seasons changed, days passed, night were spent celebrating various occassions, people came and went. We haven't evolved and the time only marks our appearance, without actually scratching the surface.

 

My passion for food and restaurants never ceased to exist, but unfortunately, I became one of the millions described above. My passion entered a dormant state and got burried under mountains of work and daily worries. With every day, the desire to taste new flavours and feeling the rush and excitement of a new discovery grew stronger but the volume of worries grew exponentially. For a long time, the day-to-day floating won and had control. All until today.

 

After 8 months, I made an accidental discovery that changed all I said before. An accident that put things in perspective again and made me reasses my life choices. An accident that made me smile. I ran into Wokyo.

 

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, while searching for something new to try, something to wake me up, I came across a small, but happy place. Beaming with pink lights and bright atmosphere, sporting a positive, almost hippy vibe, in the heart of JLT, was Wokyo. 

 

Like for most restaurants, the afternoons are slow in terms of service and I was not surprised to see that I am the only diner. Nevertheless, I was welcomed by a cheerful "Hello, welcome to Wokyo!" sang in unison by a crew of smiling waiters and cooks, waving their hands and all excited to get down to business. 

 

If the name didn't give it away yet, Wokyo serves wok dishes, plain and simple, and aims at educating Dubai about the traditions from Far East. It is a down to earth noodle bar, simple in terms of design and menu, with a few quirky elements that give the place its charm.

 

Ordering in Wokyo takes only a few seconds and the method is totally idiot-proof; the menu is one page long and gives the guest totally freedom to mix and match sauces, proteins and noodles or rice as base, with the possibilities of adding extra vegetables or ordering small sides. 8 sauces (out of which 3 suitable for vegans, clearly labeled), 6 options for base (noodles of all kinds and steamed rice), 5 proteins (well actually 4, with the fifth one being just veggies) and an extra option of adding extra vegetables or proteins. A few reasonably priced starters and that's it. That's all it takes for a meal at Wokyo.

 

I ordered at the counter while carefully looking at the veggies and noodles on display. All neatly arranged and labeled, how much easier than that can it get?! My first meal was a bangkok coconut curry, with chicken, on steamed rice. And a Kyoto ponzu shiso sauce, with chicken and rice noodles. Yes, that's right: I had two dished on my first visit. Why? Because I could not make up my mind.

 

The bangkok curry was a winning choice. For those uninitiated in Far East flavours, galangal belongs to the same family as ginger and is similar in shape and colour, although a bit lighter; as for the taste, galangal represents the sum of pepper and ginger. In this curry mix, Wokyo uses nam prik as well. The literal translation of nam prik is "fluid chilli" and is a generic description of any chilli-based hot sauce encountered in Thai recipes. Nam Prik Pao, used by Wokyo, is a spicy and sweet paste, enriched with soya bean oil and shrimp paste. Wokyo does justice to both ingredients and perfectly wraps them in the warmth of the coconut milk. The vegetables in the rice were still a bit crunchy when the dish was served, adding a "bite" to the perfect balance between the soft rice and the runny sauce. The freshness of all ingredients could be felt throughout the dish, until the very last spoon and the ratio of sauce and base hit the spot.

 

The Kyoto ponzu shiso sauce came as a great thrill as I encountered flavours and taste I haven't tried before. Shiso is a Japanese herb, a staple in Asian cooking for years and years, and commonly available in two varieties: green and red. The green shiso, used by Wokyo in their dish, is similar to citrus in flavour, although toned down and with added bitterness from the anise. There is a marriage of flavours in this sauce: saltiness from the soy sauce, acidity from the ponzu and the shiso, as well as bitterness. I loved it because it was different, it was a symphony for all senses! The choice of flat rice noodles was not the best one, as I fould them a tad overcooked and sticking to each other. But the sauce compensated for that and I easily moved on.

 

Wokyo became my go-to place on Thursday afternoon, after work. Armed with my book or laptop, I always sit on the terrace soaking up the sun. During my numerous visits, I tried almost all the combinations on the menu: Singapore (crunchy peanut) sauce with glass noodles, Osaka sauce (a vibrant mix of salty miso and black pepper) with udon noodles and Seoul, a powerful chilli paste-based sauce, a true explosion of spice.

 

My favourite is still Ponzu, but I am positive that everything on the menu will rise to the occassion and no one will have a bad word to say.

 

Wokyo is a great place to simply hang out. There is nothing intimidating there, no negative vibe, no pretentiousness. There's good food at more than reasonable prices (a dish is up to AED 35), friendly faces, comfortable seats, blankets on the terrace if you're cold, a basket to keep your belongings (and the table free) and high-speed WiFi. 

 

Why I am an avid fan of Wokyo? Because of all the above! And because their service is great, they remember your name and your preferences after the first visit!

 

For those of us who live to eat rather than eat to live, any food encounter is an emotional experience that can range from one end of the spectrum to another. Luckily for me, my accidental meeting with Wokyo stirred within me something between happiness and courage. My accidental meeting gave me a new beginning.