Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 7 and China Wok
And the next in our series of James and I visiting every food stall at Norwich market (again) was China Wok. Last time I did this in 2023, this was the period when Nathan and I did them and it was the first one that we went to. That was over two years ago and the prices here have remained moderate, with a price increase of just £1 since then so at least some things haven’t been ravaged by inflation.
The concept is to pay for a base of either rice or noodles and then select a choice of three different toppings. We started off well as we queued at the wrong end, which was some navigational brilliance of ours that felt slightly sub-optimal. I recall this being the only food stall at the market which doesn’t accept cards, but fortunately we had just enough cash on us.
It’s a solid food rating which is reassuring enough.
The food offerings aren’t huge in number, but they had a suitable number of chicken permutations for me. There was a choice of chilli beef, chicken curry, chicken black bean, sesame chicken, sweet & sour chicken, salt & pepper chicken and fried vegetables. There is also the option of adding on chicken balls or spring rolls. The service was polite and efficient with a relatively brief wait in the queue. The nature of the service means that there’s no wait for the food as it’s served up immediately when ordering.
From left to right, this is the chicken black bean, the sesame chicken and the salt & pepper chicken, with the meal costing £7.50 as we went large. On reflection, I would have asked for the chicken black bean sauce to be poured along the top as the rice down one end was quite dry, but the sauce added some depth to the arrangement. The chicken was all tender, a little firm with the sesame chicken, but the tastes and flavours were all there. There’s a handy and civilised area to eat our food at the end of the stall, so we didn’t have to go and face the wild pigeons, seagulls and other aerial rodents of Norwich.
James and his artistic efforts. He had to edit me out and I rejected his later offer to draw me back in, as I would have likely been highly offended and annoyed at the results. I asked him to sum up his thoughts about the food and he replied:
“Ah, the anticipation of discovering the culinary treasures held within the unpretentious confines of a simple metallic vessel is a pleasure in itself. Upon parting the folded edges, one was immediately greeted by a generous and inviting panorama: a substantial foundation of perfectly prepared farinaceous strands, serving as a delightful canvas upon which a triptych of savoury delights was artfully arranged. It was clear from the outset that this was a collation designed for substantial enjoyment, promising a diverse exploration of textures and flavour profiles within its humble, yet effective, packaging.
Exploring the varied landscape of toppings proved to be a most gratifying endeavour. The purported sesame-infused avian constituent offered a delightful chewiness, a robust texture that provided a gratifying counterpoint to the yielding nature of the noodles, while its glaze contributed a pleasant, sweet depth. Beside it lay the bovine offering, exhibiting an exquisite tenderness that truly impressed, each morsel dissolving with minimal persuasion, complemented by a subtle, beguiling warmth that stimulated the palate without overwhelming it. The third element, the alternative gallinaceous preparation, proved equally commendable, presenting succulent pieces of poultry enveloped in a perfectly balanced seasoning of crystalline sodium and pungent piper nigrum, showcasing a simple yet profoundly satisfying flavour harmony.
Collectively, this assemblage within its unassuming conveyance proved to be a truly gratifying collation. The interplay of the silken substratum with the distinct characteristics of the three proteinaceous components – the delightful chewiness of the sesame chicken, the melting tenderness of the chilli beef with its gentle thermal caress, and the succulent, well-seasoned salt & pepper chicken – created a harmonious and deeply satisfying gastronomic experience. It was an exemplary execution of comfort cuisine, demonstrating that even within modest presentation, genuine culinary pleasure can be found in abundance.”
Anyway, enough of James. Overall, I thought that the food was of a decent quality and represented value for money. Not accepting cards is a reason I might not rush back, not out of any annoyance about their decision, just that I don’t tend to carry much cash so it is a slight logistical challenge. However, it was a filling lunch, the service was friendly and we didn’t have long to wait. Given all of that, I’d recommend this stall to others, there appears to be some consistency to the arrangement and I like that reliability in this unpredictable world.
