Wild Ginger
4.25 Stars
Wild Ginger
175 Maplewood Avenue
Maplewood, NJ
973-378-8822
Wild Ginger Thai is a place that we went to on July 17, 2019 at about five p.m. I had beef lo mein with only carrots, Mama Foodie had lettuce wraps and cucumber salad. It was an early dinner. Without further ado, the review:
Big Baby says:
Atmosphere: 8 Cleanliness: 9 Food: 10 Service: 9
Average Score: 9
The decorations were minimal but tasteful. The room is a bit cramped with too many tables crammed into a small space. However, I did enjoy the wood on the walls. The wood makes for pleasant acoustics.
The bathrooms were absolutely spotless. It’s hard to find a restaurant where the restaurant floor is clean enough for the food to be “eat-off-the-floor good”. This floor comes pretty close.
The food is so good that they should put a sign out front that says, “Beware of food coma”. My beef lo mein was served in a stainless steel bowl that made it look very appetizing. The noodles were seasoned just the right amount. The beef was savory and the carrots were cooked to the perfect amount.
The service was extremely polite, friendly, accurate, and also quick. I liked the way that they were always doing something important for the restaurant. They were always bringing food, cooking it, or watching for customers. There were a lot of servers for that size restaurant.
Overall, Wild Ginger is an amazing restaurant. I suggest going there any time you happen to be in Maplewood.
Mama Foodie says:
Atmosphere: 7 Cleanliness: 8 Food: 9 Service: 8
Average Score: 8
It was a very hot summer afternoon when we went to Wild Ginger. We were greeted with a friendly smile and were seated very promptly. It was so hot that I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I thought I would stick to smaller dishes without too much heat. The cucumber salad sounded really refreshing, and I always enjoy lettuce wraps.
I was not disappointed. The cucumber salad consisted of chunks of cucumbers and tomatoes in a complex sauce that had hints of rice vinegar and just a touch of hot sauce. Fresh cilantro added a nice sweetness to counter the slight spice. This dish is a winner. The lettuce wraps were also very good. The chicken and vegetables were very finely diced and served in a delicate savory sauce. The only suggestion I might have is that green leaf lettuce is difficult to roll. Boston lettuce might work better.
As Big Baby mentioned, the décor is very minimal. The dark wood paneling makes me think that this might have been some sort of English bar at some point. I liked the wood. It does wonders for acoustics, but there was no decoration on the walls at all. It felt a little austere. On the other hand, the lack of decoration puts the focus on the food and the company, which is kind of nice. I couldn’t see behind me, but it sounded like someone at the desk was playing a computer game.
The restaurant did, indeed seem very clean. However, I had no intention of either dropping my food or eating if off of the floor.
The service was very good. Prompt, friendly and accurate. You can’t ask for much more than that. The Wild Ginger website says, “Wild Ginger is committed to maintaining the highest standards of food, service and cleanliness as possible for your best dining experience”. It really shows in the quality of the food.
I decided on the spot that we would be returning to this restaurant. They have many classic Thai and a few Chinese dishes. The prices are very reasonable, and I think the whole family would enjoy it.