16656 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91436 Encino Village, next to Kinko's and Jerry's Deli
ph. 818/386-0561, 386-0534
The healthiest and best prepared Chinese we've tasted in town.
We went to check out California Wok on a tip and ended up going 3 times in one week. The phone was always ringing and there was always a stream of people coming to pick up stuff (and the number of animal-print fake-fur vests was amusing -- it IS Encino). It's actually very nice eating in -- with one exception. Make sure you wear clothes you can wash or air out, because we have come home reeking of the place. On the bright side, there's ample parking, wonderful, (plentiful, and economical) food, and an automatic savings of 15% because there's no waiter. Which is fine. You walk up to the front and order the food, and they have yummy hot tea as a self serve, as well as other drinks, and all the sauces. So there's no waiting for service and no paying for it either.
The food was just terrific. Very healthful and clean tasting (no oil dripping from the noodles, etc) without tasting low fat. We tried the Bean Curd (Tofu) with Spinach, (no price listed on the takeout menu -- about $6.50) which came in a sweet brown sauce and was delicious. I preferred the Bean Curd with Mushrooms as it came in the same sauce and also had pea pods that were wonderful. The tofu is not overly cooked, the veggies tossed in for just a moment, and the serving, as with all their items -- ENORMOUS.
Dieters: note how many servings each dish is meant for -- sometimes it's 2 and sometimes 3 (which means if 2 of you are eating it, it has more calories than you might have thought!). You might think I'm being patronizing here, but it happens all the time. My grandmother once showed me this little Cadbury bar she was letting my grandfather eat, and was touting how surprisingly low it was in calories. I explained that was because it was 2 servings, something my grandfather had probably already figured out judging by the look on his face ("You're Grounded!") when he caught me explaining it to her....ALSO, the calories and saturated fat are listed for all the healthful items (and there are a lot of them, but be aware -- they list the SATURATED FAT and not the TOTAL fat. So it's low fat, put no weight on us, but don't be fooled into thinking you're eating nearly nothing, it's just more healthy). One more thing: If you are completely neurotic or unsure of the sauces, feel free to ask them to make them on the side -- they are very accommodating.
The Vegetable Chow Mein ($4.95 - 250 Cal, .5 g Sat. Fat/2 servings) was wonderful; the noodles were just slightly al dente and the veggies again, fresh and tasty. We also tried the Moo Shu, but I had it made veggie (feel free to do this with any dish). It's $7.50, 200 cal. /serving, 1.5 Sat. Fat, and it's exactly as good as anywhere that serves it normally, with all the oil. If you don't know what Moo Shu is, you should -- it's a Chinese burrito, essentially, filled with a mixture of veggies and noodly stuff. I believe the "tortilla" in this case is made of rice flour that are lighter than Mexican fare. They're best when you apply the thick dark, sweet sauce that in this case is self serve, to the pancake, as they're called, before you add the ingredients. They also make these with chicken,beef and shrimp as well.
California Wok serves up quite a nice steamed menu, and we brought along the in-laws to test it out. They ordered the Steamed Chicken With Mixed Veggies ($7.50 - 295 Cal, 3 grams Sat. Fat). This is a better way to eat meat, and lower in calories but if you get it made incorrectly, it's as good as a rubber ball. This was excellent by all accounts. They also tried the Won Ton Soup ($4.50, 140 cal/1 g Sat Fat per serving -- 2 servings as with all dishes), and loved it. Other dishes to try: Steamed Shrimp and Asparagus ($9.50/165 cal/1gr Sat. Fat per serving), or Steamed Mixed Vegetable ($5.75/100 cal/0 Sat. Fat).
Just about everything here comes with rice and a fortune cookie and is brought to your table. A very comfortable place to eat, nice staff, quick service and the rest you do yourself, and economically too.
If you are watching your weight this is THE place to get Chinese. You can indulge your taste buds and diet here, but still bring your tall, skinny, annoying cousin who eats nothing but Cheetos, Hershey Bars and Oily Chinese food (Egg Rolls, $3.95, Sweet and Sour Chicken, $7.50), as they will gladly load the food up with oil for them while you munch without a trace of guilt. I love that. I'm the shorter cousin who never got away with anything, not even talking in class, so don't feel alone in the world.