I'm always on the hunt for the latest and greatest foodie finds in our area, and recently I had the chance to check out some of what The Southern Wok has to offer at a pop up they were having at Gypsy Road Brewing Company. Since I spent my formative years living in China, I was intrigued by their concept of melding traditional Chinese cuisine with southern comfort food staples.
I enjoyed sampling their unique bacon cheeseburger bao, along with the strawberry rhubarb dessert bao, both of which were delicious. You might be wondering, "what is bao?" Bao is a steamed, fluffy bun that can be filled with a variety of savory ingredients, but most often I had ones with meat and vegetables. I love that they have added a creative twist to their bao and I'm fascinated by their fusion menu - things like Shrimp Shumai (Neese's sausage and shrimp in a cup-shaped wrapper. Served with honey walnut aioli. Try them fried or steamed), Pimento Crab Rangoons (Crab and pimento cheese deep fried to perfection in a crispy wonton blossom) and Country Fried Rice (Fried rice with lima beans, onion, corn, and red bell pepper).
We visited during a lunch time pop up, so they didn't have dumplings that day as those take a while to make from scratch and are generally served for their dinner time events. I can't wait to try all of their dumplings, but especially their pulled pork option - flavorful smoked pork butt in a red dry rub infused wrapper. Served with Cheerwine BBQ sauce or Chinese Mustard Sauce! They also have a variety of sauces including one that brings back the most childhood memories - black vinegar. If you've never tried it, you're missing out. Also note that they do offer gluten free and vegan options to accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs.
The Southern Wok is currently having pop ups around the Triad at local breweries until their truck is ready. They have run into some mechanical issues with the truck but hope to be operational very soon. You can help support them and help with the costs of fixing their truck by coming to their events and by purchasing their special edition line of shirts here. Be sure to follow their Instagram or Facebook page for updates on where they'll be serving food! SWOK is run by Josh Lemon and his wife, Megan who also designed the beautiful logo for their truck.
A little about their story and the inspiration for this truck is below, courtesy of their website:
Dim Sum means to touch the heart
The Southern Wok is the result of “Chef” Lemon’s love for Chinese food, specifically the food of Hong Kong, his Grandmother Irene’s place of birth. Our goal is to share classic Dim Sum staples and other Chinese dishes with the community and broaden the scope of Chinese food in the south. We deliver classic Chinese taste in familiar southern dishes and vice versa.
The Triad is a diverse area with people of all backgrounds. We aim to serve delicious food and give great service to the whole community. We’ll make ourselves accessible to all through fair pricing, free community meals, home cooking tutorials, “stuff the truck” food drives, food desert pilgrimages, and other events serving the community.
“Chef” Lemon and Megan met while Josh was attending Elon University School of Law in Greensboro and Megan was acquiring her degree from Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Josh wooed her with dumplings at every opportunity and the two fell in love. We’re excited to share the love this food cultivated with the communities that nurtured us. We hope to see you soon.
Comments / 0