Chomp is always one for culture. And by culture, Chomp means ethnic foods and food related traditions. There is not a food festival in Pittsburgh that Chomp has not graced at least once, nor is there a cultural custom that has gone uncelebrated in Chomp’s household. Or so Chomp thought.

Strangely, up until this year, Chomp had never experienced the cultural phenomenon of eating Chinese food on Christmas and after realizing this, immediately resolved to do so during the Yuletide. Enlisting the assistance of Mother of Chomp (MOC), Chomp set out to find the best Chinese restaurant in town for the coming Christmas adventure.

After extensive online research, however, Chomp grew dismayed. It seemed that a vast number of restaurants were closed Christmas day, and those that were indeed open had not garnered favorable reviews. That is, until Chomp happened upon Wai Wai.

After seeing the restaurant’s name on the internet, Chomp thought it looked familiar. When Chomp asked MOC about the restaurant, she replied that she knew it was located in Bloomfield, though she had never eaten there. Interested enough, Chomp and MOC decided to make Wai Wai their Christmas lunch destination of choice.

When Christmas day rolled around, Chomp and MOC headed to Wai Wai as planned. After arriving and being seated by the friendly waiter, MOC proceeded to peruse the menu while Chomp eagerly listened to the couple at the next table, who appeared to be speaking in French. A few minutes later, two elderly women decked out in full Christmas gear also stopped by Wai Wai to grab some lunch. Apparently Chomp was not the only one with bright ideas…

Growing weary of observing the other patrons, Chomp also turned towards the menu. MOC suggested sharing, and Chomp, always delighted to sample two dishes instead of one, concurred immediately. A cup of hot and sour soup each, tofu with black bean sauce and Singapore mai fun, which consisted of pork, shrimp and chicken stir fried in a spicy curry sauce, were agreed upon.

After a wait of no more than three minutes, the waiter brought out the hot and sour soup, piping hot. At first, MOC thought the waiter had made an error and brought bowls of soup instead of cups. The waiter assured her that he had not made an error and that Wai Wai’s cups were simply unusually large. Chomp, always happy for the extra food, was extremely pleased by this and inhaled the deliciously spicy soup.

As soon as the soup had been drunk and the cups surreptitiously licked clean, the main dishes were served. The tofu with black bean sauce was served with a variety of vegetables including zucchini, peppers and black mushrooms. The sauce was delightful, with each whole black bean providing a particularly potent pop of flavor, and the tofu was fried to perfection. The curry sauce on the Singapore mai fun was not too thick and contained a combination of spices unfamiliar to Chomp but delicious all the same.

As a result of Wai Wai’s high quality offerings, Chomp and MOC have decided to make the restaurant an annual Christmas destination, but it is certain that both will return to sample more of Wai Wai’s creations before the next holiday season. With the eating experience complete, it came as no surprise to Chomp to discover, as the waiter said, that “wai” means clever, but “wai wai” means tasty.