Wok on Inn - Balmain

Long before the other players jumped on board, the gang at Wok on Inn were providing Yankophiles with the much loved white cardboard noodle box, the great symbol of American plenty featured in all our most beloved sitcoms. It is a delightful state of affairs that Sydneysiders are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining options. You can traverse the globe without leaving your suburb and cater to any inclination of your wayward stomach.

However, as is so often the case, the sheer amount of choice can sometimes have the opposite effect, paralysing the hungry punter with indecision and dividing groups of friends over the choice between Italian or Mexican, Polish or Lebanese. Even once you have narrowed it down to a region, say Asia, the choices are still tenfold.

Rather than split the group and have each individual dine alone in order to satisfy their craving, the answer is to be found with the helpful chaps at Wok on Inn and their three-step ordering system. It may sound like an over-simplified approach but there is no denying that it's effective. You pick a style, you choose a noodle type, you choose your protein and hey presto! Dinner is served.

Whether you want Chinese-style egg noodles with beef, or Malaysian hokkien prawns, Wok on Inn traipses all over East and North Asia, taking the most popular flavour combinations from eight cuisines and distilling them down into a single representative style for each. For Indonesian it is satay and egg, Mongolian is sweet soy, and so on. Whichever you choose the end result is piping-hot noodles delivered quickly and without fuss to the famished hordes of this fair city, and with mains for $14 or less, dinner here won't even begin to strain the bank.

The chefs seem more at home with the South East Asian styles so the Thai and Malaysian options are winners for us. The heat levels tend to err on the side of caution so if you like a kick to your stir-fry then request some extra chilli. There is even a super-size option where for $5 extra you get a drink and a side. The vegetable gyoza are crisp and delicious and the spicy chicken dumplings come bathed in a delicious soy-based sauce and were worth adding to the order.

If you suffer from some bizarre dislike of noodles then there are also rice dishes and a specials menu of signature street food options to choose from. However, we recommend that you choose the classics when ordering and you shouldn't go wrong. As the summer gears up may we suggest you get your meal to go and dine al fresco? Time Out promotion