Vegan Hampton Roads

When I seek out greasy, bloat-inducing Chinese food I usually dial up Kin’s Wok on 21st Street in Ghent for some General Tso’s Tofu. But every once in a while I crave Dragon City and their faux meat dishes. Kin’s Wok doesn’t serve any faux meat or seitan - only tofu - but Dragon City offers on its menu “veg beef, veg chicken, and veg shrimp.” There is a separate menu called “Health Food” with all of the faux meat dishes, however I’ve found that you can often just request anything on the menu but ask for it with one of the vegetarian meat substitutes. Oh, and I wouldn’t call any of this health food.

On a recent weekend night, a friend of mine and I decided to get some Dragon City, stuff our faces and watch episodes of Dexter at her place. I went to the restaurant, which looks like your typical take-out Chinese place with friendly staff. I ordered faux shrimp lo mein for her and faux general tso’s chicken for me and two spring rolls.

The faux shrimp lo mein is eerily like real shrimp. The shrimps themselves had little flavor, but the lo mein was delicious. My dish was tasty, but a little disappointing. The General Tso’s sauce was very thick, like someone had added a little too much corn starch. The faux chicken pieces are deep-fried. I enjoyed the dish overall, which was served with perfectly cooked broccoli and white rice, but could have used more sauce and a less viscous version.

Not all of the faux meats are deep-fried like the General Tso’s Chicken. I’ve had other dishes where the faux meat has been steamed or sauteed. I’ve yet to try the faux beef. And I would skip the spring rolls next time. The only filling was cabbage and not worth it to me.

Like faux meat, Dragon City is a novelty in Norfolk. It’s not somewhere I order all the time, but I’m really happy to have it around when I want to indulge. And there are plenty of people out there that would call Dragon City their favorite over Kin’s Wok.

Dragon City
2301 D Colley Ave.
Norfolk, VA 23517
(757) 664-7900
Open 7 days a week: Mon-Thurs 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m., Sun. 12:00 noon - 10:00 p.m.
Delivery, take-out and dine-in (there’s a table and some chairs at which I’m assuming you can eat your meal)

Ah, Chinese takeout. It’s greasy, salty and there’s enough for dinner and lunch the next day.

Kin’s Wok on West 21st Street in Norfolk is my favorite pick for a quick and filling dinner. Kin’s Wok isn’t a vegetarian restaurant by any means, but they serve some great tofu. My favorite is the orange flavored tofu ($8.25). The dish comes with white rice and a plastic container full to the brim with fried tofu glazed in a sauce of red chile and orange - there are even chunks of orange peel in the dish. And to make it slightly healthier, the orange tofu is served alongside some steamed broccoli. The sauce is very sweet with a hint of heat, but you can request it spicier, which I prefer.

If you visit Kin’s Wok, make sure you bring cash! You can dine in, takeout or have food delivered, but it’s all cash only.

There is a “vegetarian” section of the menu, but the name isn’t accurate. For example, one of the dishes is Tofu with Loster Sauce….not vegetarian. But there are other options in the vegetarian, health food, tofu and vegetable sections of the menu. It’s a huge menu, so look around.

Watch out for dishes containing egg - you may want to double check before ordering. The vegetarian combo dinners come with fried rice and an egg roll, neither of which are vegan.

You can add steamed or crispy tofu for an extra $1.00 to any of the vegetable dishes (avoid the String Bean w. Garlic Sauce - it contains minced pork).

If you’re around for lunch, check out the lunch specials. There are a few mixed vegetable dishes - all for less than $5.00. The lunch combos come with rice, but make sure you specify white rice.

As with any restaurant that serves meat, eggs and other non-vegan things, double check if you’re unsure of the ingredients. Just because something appears on the tofu menu, doesn’t mean it’s vegetarian or vegan.

Here’s a shot of a recent takeout order of orange flavored tofu:

The details:

Kin’s Wok
21st Street Pavilion Shopping Center
222 West 21st Street
Norfolk
Phone: (757) 623-2933 / 623-8025

Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11 am - 11 pm ;
Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11:30 pm

Dine in, take out or delivery (minimum $10)
Remember, cash only!