Wok “N” Roll Buffet & Grill, 2302 W. Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666 (757.838.6669, Fax 7570.838.6366)

Located in the former Old Country Buffet building, Hampton’s location of the Northern Virginia favorite Wok “N” Roll opened Sunday, July 9.

Sandi and I ventured out for their grand opening, which promised Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian BBQ & American Cuisine. Lunch Buffets are $5.95 and Dinner Buffets (as well as all day Saturday and Sunday) are $8.95.

Ever since the Mongolian BBQ in Riverdale Plaza closed, Sandi and I have been on the hunt for a decent replacement in Hampton. Unfortunately, this wasn’t it.

The word “Bland” is defined as “having little or no distinctive flavor.” It could also be used to describe most of the dishes served at Wok “N” Roll. What they call Mongolian BBQ actually isn’t. Sure, you can chose the meats and veggies you wish to have cooked, but it is done more Teppanyaki style (a la Japanese Steakhouse) instead of being cooked on a Mongolian BBQ grill, and you don’t have the option of various sauces or a good selection of ingredients. Of note, the chicken was cut into bite sized pieces by the chef, while the steak, about 1/4″ thick and 3″ square, was not. Wok “N” Roll does not provide knives, so it made eating the meat awkward at best.

The General Tsao’s chicken (one of the main draws to a Chinese restaurant) tasted like overly fried chicken bits in a barbeque sauce. The Green Beans suffered from the same fate as most of the other food: they had the texture of being blanched (some were over cooked, some were almost raw), but had no discernible flavor brought on by garlic, onions, ginger, soy, or even the beans themselves. My main item that I rate Chinese Buffets on is their Fried Dumplings (also known as Pot Stickers). Here, Wok “N” Roll was hit and miss. The first one I tasted was hot, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The next batch that were brought out were like eating thickened styrofoam. Yes, it had the same look as the one I had eaten not 10 minutes earlier, but it may as well have been a movie prop with the lack of proper taste, mouthfeel and the like.

Also on the buffet was breaded octopus, which is an acquired taste in any restaurant. Unfortunately, here, the octopus was rubbery, chewy, and tasted like dried, tough fish.

Service was spotty, with plates being cleared within a reasonable time, but for drink refills, we had to flag down the server. The place wasn’t busy, so it was a matter of not paying attention to the stations.

Knowing the restaurant has only been open 2 days, I would normally give them leeway. Being that they are an established chain, however, well known in Northern Virginia/Washington DC, I feel they should not be having flavor issues at any time. It almost was as if they rushed to get this restaurant open (the seating [chairs, tables and booths] are the same from Old Country Buffet, while the hot tables have indeed been replaced) before the Wok “N” Roll in Newport News (in the former Ryan’s Steakhouse) had a chance to open.

I’ll give Wok “N” Roll another visit in about six months; perhaps by then they will have settled into a groove.

Food: (1.25)
Service: (1.5)
Price: (2.5)
Overall: (1.75)