Michael Wan’s Wok Inn
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Michael Wan’s Wok Inn could be the epitome of Blackpool. It’s bright, flashy and everything runs as smoothly as a 2p machine hoovering up your copper-plated coins. It’s also rammed to the rafters on a Saturday evening and full of aromas so good you’ll float in like a Bisto kid.
But who’s Mr Wan? Michael Wan sadly passed away in 2020 after being a major presence on the Blackpool food landscape for decades. It began in 1961, when he took over Mandarin on Clifton Street, stuck his name on it and turned it into the city’s number-one Chinese restaurant. Then, in 2018, he did it all over again, opening this technicolour dining destination, Blackpool’s first noodle bar, on the Promenade.
Not only is it hugely popular with the locals, it even caught the eye of our rarely-spotted London-dwelling food critics, resulting in a nicely positive review by Jay Rayner in the Guardian a few years ago. Back then, our all-singing, all-dancing, piano-tinkling gourmand raved about the ribs, and happily, they’re still on the menu, complete with Jay-approved thumbs up.
The recipe for the ribs goes back decades, first appearing on the Mandarin’s menu many, many years ago. The sauce is sticky and sweet, the meat is thick and soft, and the whole thing is a piping-hot plate of nostalgic joy. The best ribs in the North? Not quite, that accolade belongs to Salford’s now-gone Mr Cook, but they’re certainly up there.
The Wok Inn might have all the classics but it offers more than the typical crowd-pleasing fare. Bang Bang kwek kwek from the snacks menu are terrific little morsels with an equally terrific name – go on, say it out loud, live a little.
It’s actually a Filipino street food dish, and the balls are quail eggs, deep-fried, then stir-fried in a hot, sticky, chilli-heavy sauce. Deep-fried quail’s eggs by the seaside? I know we’d all like to see that line added to the old music hall song.
But today, here in Blackpool, I found my limits: Thai boneless chicken feet. Make no mistake, the sauce is great – a harmonious blend of honey and garlic, with hints of chilli and lemongrass – but cold, gelatinous bird feet ain’t for me. Don’t be put off, though, my dining partner wolfed the lot, declaring them to be “the perfect delivery system for the sauce.” (As the actress said to the bishop.)
Back to the good stuff, the homemade kimchi is a tangy mouth-tingling delight, and the donburi is a top-tier example of the Japanese rice bowl dish. It’s stuffed with fresh ingredients and cooked millisecond-perfect – gaze in wonder as the egg opens up, drizzling the hot, amber yolk through the lot.
Michael Wan’s Wok Inn is Blackpool at its best. The colour scheme is neon, the staff are both fun and impressively efficient, but more than anything, it’s about the food. These dishes cover everything from boundary-pushing to failsafe, but they all create gastronomical memories that’ll stick in the mind for years.
