Archie Alpenia was the personal chef for film director John Huston. In 1986, he opened Archie’s Wok, and today the restaurant is run by his wife Cindy and their daughter Kyoki. Archie’s Wok is located in the Romantic Zone, on a side street three blocks south of Daiquiri Dick’s. While it’s been around for as long as Marlene and I have been vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, we had never dined there – until this year.
Archie’s Wok is regularly voted the best Asian restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, combining Thai, Filipino and Pacific Rim cuisines. It was crowded when we arrived, and they take no reservations, but we were seated immediately; we were led through the bustling front room to a table in a quiet enclosed courtyard.
After ordering a bottle of white wine, we were overwhelmed by the food menu; everything looked good! But our waiter saved us, allowing us to order half-portions and sample more dishes. We started with the lumpia, or Filipino egg rolls. They were stuffed with lots of pork and vegetables, and served with hot mustard and a sweet & sour sauce. They were crispy and delicious.
We then tried the Vietnamese style sizzling fish in banana leaves. A filet of mahi-mahi had been bathed in lemon grass, cilantro, shallots, garlic and chili, then wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. It was our least favorite dish; it was good, but nothing special. The mahi-mahi was lost in the banana leaf; perhaps the dish was a half-portion casualty.
Next we had the spicy fried noodles, Thai style – Archie's original version of Pad Thai. The soba noodles were stirred with chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, peanuts, and a spicy red curry paste. There was lots of chicken and shrimp, and it was all addictively tasty.
Our final two dishes were the curried chicken and the barbecued pork riblets. The homemade curry was simmered in coconut milk, and could be ordered red or green. Our waiter recommended the green, which he said was spicier. The dish was better than expected; the chicken was tender and the sauce was appropriately spiced and very good.
The barbecued pork riblets were glazed with Archie's hoisin sauce. They're a house specialty and they were fantastic. They were the meatiest and tastiest ribs we had ever had; the half-order was more than enough.
We're not sure why it took us so long to find Archie's Wok, but now it's permanently on our list. We had a great meal and we highly recommend it. Copyright © 2013 TwoForTheTable.com |
