Wok 'N Roll

Wontons you want

by Steve Almond

on the cheap

Andale Mexican Grill, May 25 Yely's Coffee Shop, May 18 Taquería La Mexicana, May 11 New York Soup Exchange, May 4

Many's the night I've pulled on jeans over my pajama bottoms and headed out for a dose of Wok 'N Roll's wonton soup. A special trip for wonton soup? Sound a little extreme? Not if you've tasted this one. The broth, redolent of chicken stock and ginger, is accented with crisp bits of carrots, snow peas, and fresh sliced mushrooms. A bowl ($2.25) comes with two -- if you're lucky, three -- dumplings, sumptuous little pillows stuffed with a tasty blend of chicken, egg, and scallion.

The dinner combo ($8.50 to $8.95) features soup, rice (brown, white, or fried), and an appetizer, along with an alluring range of entrées. Check out the garlic pork: tender slices of meat swimming in a sweet garlicky sauce with peppers and onions. The irresistible Mongolian beef comes slathered in a musky brown sauce shot through with scallions. And, for those of you who can't resist the deep-fried experience (read: me), the sesame chicken arrives cloaked in thick batter, brushed with a delectable, if disquietingly orange, sweet-and-sour sauce. The lunch special -- appetizer, rice, and entrée -- is criminally underpriced at $5.50 and served until 3 p.m. Don't let the cheesy name or the low-rent décor scare you off. As Chinese dives go, Wok 'N Roll is the real deal.

Wok 'N Roll, located at 1908 Mass Ave (Porter Square), in Cambridge, is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Call (617) 497-8638.

---

The On the Cheap archive

---