Wok and Roll on Lasalle Boulevard in New Sudbury has been a labour of love for Sudbury couple Isaac Yang and Jing Zhang.
The duo have collaborated on the bright orange interior design, the logo, the name and the extensive menu.
Yang and Zhang, both schoolmates in Tianjin, near Beijing, arrived in Sudbury in 2010 to study business at Laurentian University and have been here ever since.
Their restaurant opened earlier this month in the old location of Ricky Lee’s Da Bomb Diner, 1308 Lasalle Blvd.
“We’ve been here for 14 years and always felt that when we order authentic Chinese food, it is a lot of food and not an individualized experience,” Yang said.
The Wok and Roll concept allows you to pick a bento-style meal in either a bowl, box or plate.
From there, you choose your favourite items like sweet and sour chicken, broccoli beef, grilled chicken teriyaki, chop suey, stir fry mixed vegetables and more.
From there you choose your side, which can be chow mein, fried rice or steamed white rice.
Every option was carefully selected based on their preferences or those of their friends when ordering Chinese food together over the years.
“We wanted an individualized Chinese experience as many places offering authentic Chinese food offered meals that were too big for one person to consume and enjoy,” Yang said.
For those used to a large family-style meal, Wok and Roll also offers family specials, especially with the recent loss of Sunwah after 49 years.
Yang said a friend of his was a longtime cook at Sunwah and will be joining his staff at Wok and Roll.
The restaurant also offers a full menu of Japanese crepes. Yang was introduced to street crepes on a trip to Japan. Coupled with Nutella, there are a variety of crepes on offer, including creme brulee, custard and ice cream, as well as fruity varieties with blueberries, strawberries or, Yang’s favourite, banana.
Yang wasn’t always interested in the food industry. When he arrived at Laurentian University, he started working in the school cafeteria part time to help his parents pay the bills. He learned to appreciate food and really saw a need for good, authentic Chinese food in the community.
“Chinese food really requires lots of steps and a lot of preparation,” he said. “I think the older generation really took pride in this, however a lot of that art is lost and I want to bring it back again.”
With his wife currently visiting family in China, Yang’s parents are here for the opening month. Now retired, they enjoy visiting Sudbury a few times a year, Yang said. Given a lot of Yang’s recipes come from his mother and his uncle, it was important for him to have family around for the grand opening.
The orange-themed interior of Wok and Roll was his wife’s choice given it is bright and cheery. It’s also her favourite colour.
The logo features a chef holding both a wok and a crepe. The cheeky name Wok and Roll was also Yang’s wife’s original concept.
Wok and Roll is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and available on Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats and on DoorDash.
It’s located at 1308 Lasalle Boulevard, near the New Sudbury Shopping Centre. You can check them out on Facebook.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
