Lucky Wok

Lucky Wok
2609 Broad Street
Lake Charles, LA
337-491-8828
Monday - Sunday 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM $1-8
I have waited quite awhile for this venue to open. Seems like they worked on it for a year or more. Now it is here and serving reasonably tasty food at quite a reasonable price. The exterior remains about the same as when it was the Kettle except for an addition of a drive-thru. Except for the ceiling the interior seems brand new.
This establishment offers a three-prong attack. You can go with the buffet, order off a short but nice menu or us the drive-thru with the same menu. I really don't do buffets these days. However I scanned it and watched it when I did go in. It seemed decent and they use 2-inch pans so it does not take long for it to disappear. From the counter they monitor it and then make frequent runs to replenish.
First time in I opted for Hot and Sour soup and Garlic Shrimp. The soup seemed a different class than others in town. It was dark with a gelatinous mouth feel. It tasted of vinegar and dark soy with bamboo shoots and egg flags. I liked the change of pace. The shrimp consisted of a stir-fry of bok choy, carrot, broccoli, water chestnuts, cabbage and green bell pepper. They finish it off with a spicy sauce with a ton of garlic. Whatever fried rice is handy finds it way onto the plate. This time it was plain fried rice. I enjoyed the dish very much as I love garlic.
Second foray saw Egg Drop Soup, Egg Roll, Shrimp and Cheese Fried Wonton, and General's Chicken. The soup with a nice chicken broth and plenty of egg pretty much reflected the standard, as did the pork and vegetable egg roll. The wontons looked nice and home made but the use of a thickener dough (egg roll wrap maybe) made it inedible. The boneless dark meat chicken pieces were lightly battered and deep fat fried. Then tossed with a dark sweet and spicy sauce. This combo always goes over great with me and this one was no exception. This time I received house (mixed protein) fried rice even though I asked for plain steamed rice. Not fatal but I do prefer steamed rice with my meal unless I am doing just fried rice.
The last time was a test of the drive-thru. I went at the height of the lunch hour. I received timely service. It was not 5 minutes from the time I ordered until they delivered the meal at the window. I went with Shrimp Toast and House Lo Mein. The toast appeared a bit different. Shrimp paste is spread on bread and then wrapped in on itself. It looked like a cigar. The shrimp paste was hot but not greasy. The lo mein contained tender and juicy shrimp, beef, pork and chicken. The medium brown sauce was tasty and just spicy enough. However they used fettuccine noodles whereas I prefer spaghetti or thinner. Taste wise it was fine but texture wise it would have been better with thinner noodles.
In any case nothing is terrible wrong here. The service is friendly, food tasty, and prices reasonable. Since it is on my way home and has a drive-thru I suspect I will be pulling thru on a regular basis.

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