2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Tom Mack)
By the time I'd gobbled down as much as I could of my feast from Spicy Wok Express I had a full belly, flaming lips and a satisfied smile on my face. As one of the three Leicester eateries shortlisted for Uber Eats' Restaurant of the Year , I was expecting good things and it delivered. The menu at the restaurant in Charles Street, Leicester city centre , is vast and varied, with the best - and hottest - food from all over China, India and beyond.
There are curry dishes, Korean and Chinese chicken and soups, wraps, pittas, loaded fries, lamb donners, burgers and a wide range of peri-flavoured things. I decided to mostly veer towards the Chinese treats because they sounded so good. I ordered two mains and first up was a big box of chicken lollipops, made with the fat end of some big juicy wings.
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50 dish was a big cylindrical box of succulent meat, little bits of crunchiness and the perfect blend of sweet and sour flavours . Next up was Manchurian spicy chicken, which was meaty chunks of tasty chicken coating in a nicely tangy sauce on top of a load of noodles, which were coated in their own, distinctive sauce. The £9.
50 box was stuffed to the brim and there were quite a few green whole chilis chucked in for good measure. The two dishes weren't actually that different - I should have chosen better. But it was all great food.
There was a whole new dimension of tastiness with my first of two sides - five peri wings, for £6, which had that sharp, fruity and powerful peri hit . Again, there was a lot of sauce - and it got everywhere - and the sauce was thick but also smooth, aromatic and weirdly thirst-quenching. Lastly, I opted for some vegetable samosas.
While samosas are rarely bad, they can vary a lot so they're a pretty good yardstick for judging just how good a restaurant is at cooking things. These were very small - they were only £2.50 for five - but they were perfectly formed.
Moist filling but with perfect pastry that held together well and then crunched beautifully in the mouth. All of that, along with a can of Rubicon mango and all the delivery charges, came to £32.28.
But it was plenty of food for three people and there were a lot of leftovers, so I'm looking forward to breakfast and lunch tomorrow - there's something delightfully decadent about a big mouthful of spicy chicken from the fridge first thing in the morning. Spicy Wok Express, which is up against Chinese Snack Box and Hotville in Leicester, plus Gohan Bento & Sushi in Loughborough in the Uber Eats contest, would be worthy winner . Everything was tasty, it was all interesting food and the servings were good value for money.
5/5.
