This week is rapidly shaping up to be Wallingford week here at Robotic Gourmand. For the second day in a row and the third time in four days I found myself walking 45th Street in search of food. Today I stopped at restaurant whose red painted exterior caught my eye last night on my way back from my warm Mediterranean meal. But the cuisine I was about to partake in originated from the opposite end of the Spice Road, China. The location in question is Seattle and the establishment is named Moon Temple Restaurant.

I’ll say this right off the bat, the place reeked. Somewhere between moth balls, bug spray and furniture polish lived the odor that hung thick in the humid, interior air. There appeared to be only one person servicing the dimly lit dining area when I arrived, nevertheless I was greeted promptly and shown a seat. I tried to ignore the odor by scanning the menu and while my receptors grew, somewhat, accustomed to the smell I found that I never became completely immune. With my water poured and the thought of poor food awaiting me I bit the bullet and placed an order for Spicy Salt & Pepper Prawns ($9.50).

Improbably the dish that arrived at my table was not only beautifully presented but it also gave off the most heavenly aroma. This aroma was one which I was sure to bathe my nose in, with the thought of drowning out the resident, ambient smells. Garlic was the main note I detected and is what give my prawns their powerful kick. Sprinkled atop crisply fried prawns was a spice mixture comprised of red pepper flakes and mostly raw garlic. While initially the spice “crumble” lulls you into complacency with its mildness don’t underestimate its full strength. I chose to order my dinner as three stars (Out of five) and I paid with a sweaty brow, runny nose and burning lips. A little of this spice goes a long way when paired with plump, juicy shrimp that have been fried golden brown in a salty batter. Ringing these golden “sea dragons” were barely cooked florets of broccoli. Still deep green with a little snap, these bits of vegetable corralled the spiciness of the prawns both on the plate and on the palate.

I think I’ve found a good Chinese restaurant that doesn’t require a trip to the International District or a passport. Fresh flavors that are prepared quickly and not overly drowned in hoisin sauce were the key to my enjoyment of the food here. One thing I wasn’t too impressed by was the atmosphere. Also, when looking at my final bill, I noticed I was charged $0.75 for my glass of ice water. So most likely, you won’t find me dining in at Moon Temple Restaurant but you will find me at the door waiting to pick-up my to-go order.

In Fremont, North of the center of the universe, off the main thoroughfares and away from the shops and Thai places sits an unassuming Chinese restaurant. This restaurant goes by the name of Asian Wok & Grill and has very little in the way of signage to announce its presence.

Located above the old Red Apple grocery store, Asian Wok & Grill gets very little in the way of foot traffic. As a matter of fact I have yet to visit them when they’ve had more than three or four tables seated. This is a shame as the food, while not all authentic Chinese dishes, has a good blend of Americanized Far East classics and traditional Southern Chinese cuisine. It was due in part to the #33, Wontons with Hot Chili Oil ($5.95), that I ordered that I came to know this.

My waiter was very interested in how I learned about the dish. “To be honest”, I told him, “I hadn’t heard of it before but it was the hot chili oil that caught my eye.” It is explained to me by my server that this particular dish is a local favorite in Southern China. And I can see why this is. Little meatballs of firm, mild-flavored pork are wrapped in wonton wrappers and steamed. After steaming they are tossed in a delicate broth that has been spiked with prickly hot chili oil. The sauce itself is what makes this dish standout. It’s a savory, somewhat salty broth that lulls you into a false sense that the heat is nothing more than a paper tiger. How wrong it is to believe that. The hot chili oil kicks in a few seconds after it hits your mouth bringing sweat to the brow and a tingle to the lips. While not the spiciest food I’ve ever had, the Wontons with Hot Chili Oil I would only recommend to those people who can handle a fair amount of heat in their food.

On the other end of the spectrum was the #71, Tiger Prawn, Scallop, Cashew Nut and Mixed Vegetable ($10.95). While the wontons had kick, this dish was very mild almost to the point of being bland. The prawns were large, plump and plentiful. Cooked just until their pink started showing they were layered at the top of a large mound of green beans, water chestnuts and scallops. I was a little disappointed in the scallops as the seemed overdone and watery. The vegetables were done well, the green beans standing out most in my mind. The Chinese take on cooking beans, flash sauté in a hot wok to blister the outer skins, is one of my favorites. It was something of a shame that these had to be relegated to the bottom of the pile while too much emphasis, I think, was placed on water chestnuts. All of these ingredients are very mild on their own and were coated in an equally weak oyster sauce. The only real flavor came from the generous sprinkling of cashew nuts across the surface of the dish.

With a menu consisting of over one hundred items Asian Wok & Grill is sure to have something that everyone can enjoy be it spicy or mild, traditional or Americanized. While there may be other Chinese restaurants that have greater range and more authentic dishes, it’s nice to know that there is an Asian outpost, within walking distance for Fremont residents, that isn’t Thai.