Wong's King

Wong's King Seafood Restaurant (or simply Wong's King) was a chain of Chinese/Cantonese and seafood restaurants in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon, United States.[1][2] In addition to the original restaurant in Southeast Portland, the business operated in Beaverton, Estacada, and Sandy, and specialized in dim sum.

Wong's King Seafood Restaurant
Wong's King was housed in King Plaza, pictured in November 2020 after the restaurant closed
Restaurant information
Established2004 (2004)
ClosedMay 2020 (2020-05)
Food type
Street address8733 Southeast Division
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97266
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.50504°N 122.57301°W / 45.50504; -122.57301
Other locations

Wong's King was established in 2004 and garnered a positive reception. In 2009, Martin Yan named the restaurant as one of ten "great places to welcome prosperity", and it was included in CNN's 2017 list of the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the U.S. In 2018, the Beaverton restaurant was rebranded as Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House. Wong's King closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Description

Wong's King was a chain of Chinese/Cantonese and seafood restaurants. The original restaurant was located in the strip mall King Plaza on Division Street in the southeast Portland section of the Montavilla neighborhood,[3] and had a large dining room.[4] The chain's other restaurants were in Beaverton, Estacada, and Sandy.[5] The menu featured dim sum and included chicken feet, congee, crab,[6] dumplings, har gow, noodles, Peking duck, pork barbecued ribs, pork buns, pot stickers, rice cakes, beef rice-noodle rolls[7] and spring rolls,[8] tofu,[9] turnip cakes,[10][11] and wontons.[12][13][14][15]

According to Robin Goldstein, "the family name that's transliterated as 'Wong' is pronounced the same way as the Cantonese word for 'king,' so the restaurant's name is actually a kind of arrogant pun. You might translate it as 'King's King.' Add to this the fact that it's in 'King Plaza,' and you're approaching real delusions of grandeur—the sorts of delusions that sometimes lead restaurants to raise prices and let service slip."[16]

History

Wong's King was established in 2004. According to Michael Russell of The Oregonian, "The restaurant was born out of a small chain of American-style Chinese restaurants with locations in Sandy, Gresham and Southeast Portland, and was 'bankrolled by untold thousands of orders of kung pao chicken,' according to a 2005 review from The Oregonian, which called Wong's King Seafood a 'new benchmark for the city'."[17] The Estacada restaurant opened in 1998.[18]

Russell wrote, "The restaurant got an early boost before it opened, when Andy and Fulai Wong won gold medals at the Fifth China International Cooking Contest in China, a competition featuring chefs from 18 different countries."[17] Wong's King has been described as a rival to the defunct Ocean City Seafood Restaurant.[19] Employees of Wong's King marched in the first Avenue of Roses parade in 2007.[20][21]

Entrance to Excellent Cuisine inside King Plaza, which previously housed Wong's King, 2020

In September 2011, the Beaverton restaurant was rebranded as Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House. Ownership did not change but the restaurant's new menu focused on noodle and rice dishes instead of dim sum.[5][22] Lychee Asian Bistro was replaced by the restaurant Spicy World.[23] In 2018, Wong's King hosted The Asian Reporter Foundation's 20th annual scholarship and awards banquet.[24]

Wong's King closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][25][26] The business had received a $10,000 city-sponsored relief grant[27] but filed for bankruptcy.[28] Jamie Goldberg of The Oregonian noted some of the restaurant's employees "struggled to overcome language barriers when navigating Oregon's dysfunctional unemployment benefits system".[29] Excellent Cuisine replaced the Portland restaurant.[19][30][31]

Reception

In 2005, Grant Butler of The Oregonian wrote:

At last, Portland gets a temple to Cantonese cuisine with the arrival of this large Chinese restaurant. From beginning to end, a meal here can be a voyage of discovery. Focus on the menu's page of chef's recommendations, and you see the kitchen's range. Also check out the daily dim sum, with bargain-priced delicacies – and huge crowds on weekends.[32]

Butler said in 2007:

A bit farther from the city's core, there's terrific dim sum as well as an array of Cantonese delicacies from chef Fu Lai Wong at Wong's King Seafood Restaurant. This is the sort of mammoth restaurant you find in Vancouver, B.C., or Hong Kong. You understand why the dining room is full when the first dishes arrive: Portland has never had cooking quite like this."[33]

King Plaza in November 2020

In 2013, The Oregonian's Michael Russell wrote, "The best [steamed BBQ pork buns] I've had in the Portland area ... are the ones at Southeast Portland's Wong's King Seafood, with tender barbecued pork in a sweet soy and oyster sauce".[34] The same newspaper's Mike Rogoway said Wong's King was among "Portland's best-known and most-loved restaurants" in 2012.[35] In 2022, Zane Sparling said the restaurant "rewrote the map for Chinese food in Portland".[36] Kathy Baruffi included Wong's King in USA Today's 2009 list of 10 "great places to welcome prosperity", as recommended by Martin Yan.[37]

Chinese Restaurant News named Wong's King the third-best Chinese restaurant in the U.S. in 2010. The business was one of ten recipients of the Overall Excellence Award at the magazine's sixth annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA Awards, which were presented at The Venetian Las Vegas.[38][39] Clarissa Wei ranked Wong's King number 37 in CNN's 2017 list of the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the U.S. and said:

Wong's is an authentic dim sum joint in an Asian strip mall where you can get the whole carts-piled-with-steamed-buns-and-dumplings experience ... Despite the long lines, servers are friendly, the food emotes pure Hong Kong goodness and there's no rushing you out the door, an unfortunate practice in too many popular dim sum places. The pork shu mai and steamed buns are customer favorites."[40]

Wong's King was named runner-up in the Best Chinese Restaurant category in Willamette Week's annual readers poll in 2007.[41] The newspaper included Wong's King in a 2014 list of "our 100 favorite restaurants in Portland".[42] Drew Tyson included Wong's King in Thrillist's 2014 "guide to Portland's 6 best dim sum spots" and said the business was "probably Portland's most popular Chinese restaurant".[43] The website's Kashann Kilson recommended Wong's King for a "truly authentic dim-sum experience" in 2018.[44] Eater Portland included Wong King's spicy crab in a 2013 list of "the nine must-try Asian dishes on SE 82nd Avenue".[45] In 2022, the same website's Seiji Nanbu and Brooke Jackson-Glidden called Wong's King a "Portland dim sum legend".[46]

See also

References
  1. "Wong's King Seafood Restaurant". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  2. Geery, Brooke (October 14, 2014). "Wong's King Seafood Restaurant: Restaurant Guide 2014". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  3. MILSHTEIN, AMY (January 26, 2015). "Oregon Business – Which Way to Chinatown?". Oregon Business. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  4. Jewell, Judy; McRae, W. C. (June 16, 2020). Moon Oregon. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-873-0. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. Russell, Matthew (September 6, 2011). "Beaverton Wong's King rebrands as Lychee Asian Bistro & Noodle House". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  6. "The Nine Must-Try Asian Dishes on SE 82nd Avenue". Eater Portland. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  7. Beck, Byron (August 3, 2011). "Food Publicist Carrie Welch Digs Dim Sum at Wong's King". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  8. Bakall, Samantha (January 31, 2014). "The Grub Glossary". The Oregonian. Rice cake can be found at restaurants that serve dim sum, such as HK Cafe, Ocean City Seafood Restaurant and Wong's King Seafood Restaurant, as well as at Chinese bakeries or grocery stores ... You can try turnip cake at most restaurants that serve dim sum, including HK Cafe, Ocean City Seafood Restaurant and Wong's King Seafood Restaurant ... Most dim sum restaurants, such as Ocean City Seafood Restaurant, HK Cafe, Wong's King Seafood Restaurant and Jin Wah Restaurant will have spring rolls on their menu... Whole fish can be ordered at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant, Powell's Seafood Restaurant, Pure Spice Restaurant and Wong's King Seafood Restaurant.
  9. "B... Is for Bacon". Portland Monthly. ISSN 1546-2765. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. Bakall, Samantha (January 24, 2014). "Grub Glossary: Chinese New Year foods and traditions: Part 1". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  11. "The Best Dishes to Celebrate Lunar New Year". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  12. Gottberg, John; Lopeman, Elizabeth (June 1, 2010). Best Places: Portland, 8th Edition. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-57061-699-0. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  13. Bakall, Samantha (March 26, 2016). "Portland's best dim sum: Eastside smackdown". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  14. Andrea Damewood. "The Mighty Peking Duck: The Best Holiday Bird". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  15. "Restaurant Guide 2012: Listings A-Z". Willamette Week. October 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. "Powell's Books Blog – Robin Goldstein - Powell's Books". www.powells.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  17. Russell, Michael (May 23, 2020). "Wong's King Seafood has closed for good: End of a dim sum era". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  18. Lindstrand, Emily (February 15, 2018). "2008: 6-year-old writes letter to the editor". Estacada News. Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  19. Russell, Michael (June 14, 2022). "Steak sandwiches, saffron rice and other pieces of restaurants news for June 2022". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  20. VERZEMNIEKS, INARA (May 4, 2007). "Coming up Roses". The Oregonian. Some employees from Wong's King Seafood marched past beneath a massive dragon.
  21. OLSEN, DANA E. (April 29, 2007). "Rose Festival Dragon ignites inaugural event". The Oregonian. Fu Wong carries the head of the dragon as co-workers from Wong's King Seafood Restaurant weave across Southeast 82nd Avenue on Saturday during the season's first parade honoring the centennial of the Portland Rose Festival. Organizers hope the first-ever event, along a street dubbed '82nd Avenue of Roses,' will become an annual affair.
  22. DeJesus, Erin (September 8, 2011). "Sizzle Pie Does MFNW; Wong's Transition; Yama Sushi Open". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  23. Russell, Michael (January 11, 2014). "Spicy World in Beaverton closes". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  24. "20th Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet". The Asian Reporter. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  25. Russell, Michael (May 23, 2020). "Wong's King Seafood closes permanently". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  26. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 27, 2020). "Longstanding Dim Sum Spot Wong's King Appears to Have Closed Permanently". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  27. Bailey Jr, Everton (March 30, 2020). "31 businesses in Portland's Jade District, Old Town Chinatown to receive coronavirus aid grants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  28. Russell, Michael (March 17, 2021). "10 days that defined a year of upheaval for Portland restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  29. Goldberg, Jamie (March 21, 2021). "Pandemic shift change The coronavirus has forced a profound alteration in the way people work". The Oregonian.
  30. "Excellent Cuisine's Dim Sum Is, Well, Excellent". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  31. "Excellent Cuisine Restaurant". Montavilla News. November 28, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  32. Butler, Grant (May 20, 2005). "DINING; RECENTLY RECOMMENDED * WONG'S KING SEAFOOD RESTAURANT". The Oregonian.
  33. Butler, Grant (April 27, 2007). "Portland myth-busting!". The Oregonian.
  34. Russell, Michael (March 31, 2013). "Lobster roe medley is Portland's dish of the year". The Oregonian.
  35. Rogoway, Mike (May 2, 2021). "Oregon Insight: Fresh shutdowns could stifle restaurants' comeback". The Oregonian. The list of pandemic restaurant closures year includes many of Portland's best-known and most-loved restaurants, among them Pok Pok, the Cheese Bar, Bistro Montage, Beast, Tasty n Alder, Toro Bravo, Bluehour and Wong's King.
  36. Sparling, Zane (January 30, 2022). "Charles Hui, newspaper publisher and pillar of Portland's Chinese community, dies at 66". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  37. Baruffi, Kathy (January 23, 2009). "10 great places to welcome prosperity". USA Today. Gannett. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022. Wong's King Seafood Restaurant: Portland, Ore.: 'This restaurant is Portland's hidden treasure,' Yan says. It's not unusual to see weddings and other important occasions being celebrated at this popular restaurant, especially on weekends. 'The time to dine there is before 11:30 a.m. After that you'll expect to wait in line.'
  38. Juliano, Michael C. (January 6, 2010). "Ching's Table named best". Connecticut Post Online. Bo Ling's, a family chain of seven eateries based in Kansas City, Mo., came in second, and Wong's King Seafood Restaurant in Portland, Ore., took third place.
  39. Brooks, Karen (January 20, 2010). "Wong's Kings Seafood Restaurant named the third best Chinese restaurant in America". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  40. Wei, Clarissa (April 20, 2017). "50 best Chinese restaurants in the United States". CNN. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  41. "Readers Poll". Willamette Week. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  42. "Best Restaurants in Portland: Our Annual Top 100 List". Willamette Week. October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  43. "A guide to Portland's 6 best dim sum spots". Thrillist. Vox Media. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  44. "How to Find the Weird Old Portland Behind the New Hipster Portlandia". Thrillist. September 12, 2018. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  45. "The Nine Must-Try Asian Dishes on SE 82nd Avenue". Eater Portland. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  46. Nanbu, Seiji (March 3, 2016). "Where to Find Outstanding Chinese Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
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