Chef Ken Wan grew up behind the counter of a Chinese restaurant in a Boston suburb. He watched his parents serve General Tso’s chicken and beef and broccoli to the masses who came through the doors of New China Garden in West Roxbury, Mass. Wan understands the appeal of those dishes to American eaters.
But it is not the food he ate at home when his mom, who is from Hong Kong, cooked for their family of six. “When they’re cooking for us at home they’re not cooking that stuff,” Wan said. “They’re not cooking for the American pallet.
” So when hungry diners walk through the doors of Wan’s MAKfam restaurant, 39 W. First Ave in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, they shouldn’t expect to order a big plate of General Tso’s chicken or Kung Pao beef. Instead, the menu offers dishes that might seem familiar but which actually blend a taste of the real Hong Kong with American influences and the personality that Wan and Doris Yuen, his wife and MAKfam co-owner, bring to the table.
“One of the things we tell guests is we use tradition-inspired food,” Wan said. “I try to take something familiar and try to elevate it or showcase it in a way that they’re familiar with but they taste something different,” Wan said. Take Wan’s wonton soup.
He traded old-school chicken broth with a couple of frozen dumplings floating in it for a creamy broth with scallions and ginger. His house-made wontons have chicken and shrimp inside. “Wonton soup is ubiquitous to anyone who�.