Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Far beyond Chinese fare – Wei Wei

11am-10pm Monday, closed/Tuesday
11am-10pm Wednesday & Thursday
11am-10:30pm Friday & Saturday, noon-10pm Sunday
Wei Wei, 1202 N. Reynolds Rd.
419-531-1117 | weiweinoodle.com

Walking into Wei Wei’s small dining room, the soft music, clean, simple decor, and soft lighting, belies the mastery of Asian cooking that is delivered from the kitchen.  The simplicity of the dining room aesthetic allows owner and chef, Mike Zheng, to focus solely on the massive menu of Chinese, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine that entices his guests with exciting flavors.

Hong Kong foodie    

Growing up in Hong Kong, Mike worked as a cook in a bustling seafood restaurant. Throughout his career, he has partnered with chefs, learning proper cooking techniques for cuisine from several Asian countries.

The Zheng family opened Wei Wei in 2005 as a family business. They now enjoy  a decade of serving authentic dishes in the Toledo area.

Wei Wei offers a traditional menu of Chinese-American classics, like General Tso’s chicken, moo shu pork, beef with broccoli, and egg fu young— but the kitchen really dazzles when asked to prepare house specialties. A variety of tried and true staples are accompanied by dishes like cold jellyfish salad, whole flounder with ginger scallion sauce, dungeness crab and roast duck. The menu stretches far beyond Chinese fare, dabbling in Thai-style curries and noodle dishes, Southeast Asian hot pots, and the prizewinner: steaming hot and fragrant bowls of pho.

A one-Wei street: pho sho

In a nutshell, Pho (pronounced Fa) is a Vietnamese soup with a rich broth, rice noodles, and an array of sliced meats, meatballs and other bits. Pho, predominantly a street food in Vietnam, serves as a breakfast, lunch, dinner or late-night meal. “It warms the heart,” says Mike, “and is perfect for the cold weather.”

The magic in pho lies in the broth. Mike explains that the broth at Wei Wei takes around nine hours to make is made from a mixture of simmered beef, pork and chicken bones. The broth is then poured over a playful tangle of rice noodles, taking on many variations, depending on which proteins are added.

I sampled the house special pho, the Xe Lua, which had slices of tender brisket, beef meatballs, a beef tripe called omosa and thin strips of braised round steak. Throughout the soup there were thin slices of fennel, giving the broth a faint anise aroma, and cilantro that gave the bowl a pleasing herbal flavor.

Pho comes with several accompaniments which gives you the option to flavor it as you wish. Crunchy bean sprouts, licorice scented Thai basil, fresh spicy jalapeños, cilantro— hot sauce like Sriracha or sambal are the norm.

Whether you’re in the mood for pad thai, peking duck, or piping hot pho, Mike Zheng and his family are ready to serve you from their ambitious and adventurous menu.

11am-10pm Monday, closed/Tuesday
11am-10pm Wednesday & Thursday
11am-10:30pm Friday & Saturday, noon-10pm Sunday
Wei Wei, 1202 N. Reynolds Rd.
419-531-1117 | weiweinoodle.com

Walking into Wei Wei’s small dining room, the soft music, clean, simple decor, and soft lighting, belies the mastery of Asian cooking that is delivered from the kitchen.  The simplicity of the dining room aesthetic allows owner and chef, Mike Zheng, to focus solely on the massive menu of Chinese, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine that entices his guests with exciting flavors.

Hong Kong foodie    

Growing up in Hong Kong, Mike worked as a cook in a bustling seafood restaurant. Throughout his career, he has partnered with chefs, learning proper cooking techniques for cuisine from several Asian countries.

The Zheng family opened Wei Wei in 2005 as a family business. They now enjoy  a decade of serving authentic dishes in the Toledo area.

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Wei Wei offers a traditional menu of Chinese-American classics, like General Tso’s chicken, moo shu pork, beef with broccoli, and egg fu young— but the kitchen really dazzles when asked to prepare house specialties. A variety of tried and true staples are accompanied by dishes like cold jellyfish salad, whole flounder with ginger scallion sauce, dungeness crab and roast duck. The menu stretches far beyond Chinese fare, dabbling in Thai-style curries and noodle dishes, Southeast Asian hot pots, and the prizewinner: steaming hot and fragrant bowls of pho.

A one-Wei street: pho sho

In a nutshell, Pho (pronounced Fa) is a Vietnamese soup with a rich broth, rice noodles, and an array of sliced meats, meatballs and other bits. Pho, predominantly a street food in Vietnam, serves as a breakfast, lunch, dinner or late-night meal. “It warms the heart,” says Mike, “and is perfect for the cold weather.”

The magic in pho lies in the broth. Mike explains that the broth at Wei Wei takes around nine hours to make is made from a mixture of simmered beef, pork and chicken bones. The broth is then poured over a playful tangle of rice noodles, taking on many variations, depending on which proteins are added.

I sampled the house special pho, the Xe Lua, which had slices of tender brisket, beef meatballs, a beef tripe called omosa and thin strips of braised round steak. Throughout the soup there were thin slices of fennel, giving the broth a faint anise aroma, and cilantro that gave the bowl a pleasing herbal flavor.

Pho comes with several accompaniments which gives you the option to flavor it as you wish. Crunchy bean sprouts, licorice scented Thai basil, fresh spicy jalapeños, cilantro— hot sauce like Sriracha or sambal are the norm.

Whether you’re in the mood for pad thai, peking duck, or piping hot pho, Mike Zheng and his family are ready to serve you from their ambitious and adventurous menu.

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