About Us
About our Chinese Restaurant
At China Sky, we offer distinctive cuisine in an informal, friendly setting. Conveniently located in Wellesley, our restaurant enjoys a reputation for impeccable service, elegant Asian-style decor, and exquisite Chinese food. Dining at our restaurant is like visiting China without leaving your hometown - an exciting blend of authentic Chinese food, culture, and atmosphere awaits.
Employment Opportunities
If you are interested in a career with China Sky, please send a simple resume, your experience, and legal status to Jennifer.
Asian Tastes, Fresh and Flavorful
The Boston Globe - Thursday November 11, 2004
Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff
Edition: THIRD
Section: Calendar
Page: 30
Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company
If you've seen one kung pao chicken, you've seen them all, right? Can you actually find something refreshing on a menu that has "hot and sour" on it?
If you happen to be in China Sky, the answers to those questions are no and yes, respectively. Open since June, this 144-seat restaurant in Wellesley has some creative gems for the adventurous and a variety of Asian staples, Chinese and otherwise, for traditionalists. Service is erratic, but the food compensates for it. There's even an American-dream success story behind the place. China Sky is the seventh restaurant opened by Vincent Wu, who grew up in Taiwan watching his mother cook for banquets and family holidays. A mechanical engineer, Wu had trouble finding work when he came to the US in 1982, so he worked at restaurants and formed his own ideas of what the best ones could resemble. "I don't know how to cook," Wu says, "but I know if the chef who cooks the food is good or not."
We arrived on a Friday evening without reservations who, after all, reserves a table at a Chinese restaurant? The place was crowded, though, and we waited about half an hour. Luckily, the bar had a flat-screen television, and we sat on a sofa and leafed through magazines. The buzzing dining room sported gray-blue walls with frosted windows, and the menu noted that the accents of red on the walls symbolize the "hot accents of spice, if desired." Even though some entrees are more than the Cheap Eats limit of $15, the menu includes dozens of dishes priced below that.
The appetizers won us over. Six steamed shao mai dumplings ($6.25), stuffed with pork and shrimp, were wonderfully soft on the outside and meaty and flavorful on the inside. Vegetable dumplings ($6.25) came packed with spinach that was cooked just right. Wu says his specialty is sauce, and a dish called "chicken amazing" ($10.95) included a thick Hunan-Sichuan sauce that was nicely salted and spiced.
The tofu, peppers, and string beans in the "vegetarian paradise" with sesame sauce ($13.95) were perfectly cooked. One companion reported that the maki combination plate of sushi ($15.95) tuna, salmon, and eel ranked among the freshest sushi she has tasted. (Despite its name, China Sky has an extensive Japanese menu, which Wu wanted because of the healthiness and popularity of Japanese food.)
General Tso's chicken ($14.95) was even more amazing than chicken amazing, with crispy fried chunks of chicken slathered with a gooey Hunan sauce. That dish, like other signature entrees, was garnished with a flower-shaped radish dyed blue. But the artistry seemed confined to the house specials; a plate of beef lo mein ($8.95) arrived with far less presentation and tasted bland. The menu did not feature dessert, but when we asked for offerings, our waiter suggested coconut, ginger, or green-tea ice cream ($4.95). We loved the coconut, which had real coconut bits and a sugar cookie on top of the scoop.
Chinese restaurants usually have quick, efficient service, and China Sky did on one visit. On another, our waiter served our appetizers over the span of 20 minutes, flubbed the sushi order, and didn't offer a new plate of crispy sesame shrimp when one companion accidentally spilled ice water into it. (The waiter simply poured the water off.) Tom Li, Wu's nephew, says the appetizers come staggered because the restaurant wants to serve the food as soon as it is done. He says the service woes are temporary because the restaurant is short-staffed. Let's hope they start hiring. China Sky offers mostly robust dishes in an upscale setting, and it's worth a look even if you think you really have seen it all.