Tommy’s Wok
Mission between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel
624-8518, 624-8598
When we called the manager of this small, nearly hidden, 34-seat Chinese restaurant powerhouse, Katie said that nothing had changed since they won last year’s Best Chinese Restaurant. No need to tamper with a kitchen that churns out freshly made plates of cashew prawns with zucchini, water chestnuts and green onions, or handmade dumplings stuffed with pork and Chinese cabbage, or tea-smoked duck marinated for two days, or delightful dim sum. The fact that they use 100 percent expeller-pressed canola or olive oil and zero MSG or artificial colors is an extremely appetizing practice. And no one’s complaining about the prices—$7.95-$8.95 for a typical lunch; $10.50-$13.50 for dinner. Tommy’s is not broke and doesn’t need fixing.