If you crave excellent Mexican, Italian, Contemporary American, or even old-fashioned ice cream, Old Town Scottsdale has always been the place to go.  With P.F. Chang’s dominating the Chinese food scene a few blocks down at Scottsdale Fashion Square, there has never been a reason to venture into Old Town for Chinese cuisine … until now.

Jimmy Woo’s Chinese Food will be the new staple of Old Town. With great food and a great atmosphere that runs from lunch until midnight, Jimmy Woo’s is ideal for the curious tourist and late night clubber. With a color scheme of red and black, the restaurant has an indoor and outdoor bar, perfect for casual hors d’oeuvres and drinks.  The low lighting inside provides a great ambience and a social atmosphere. After taking a look around inside, our party was seated outside. I was a little weary at first, thinking it would be loud, with the patio near the street. It was surprisingly quiet.

When first seated, my dining companions were served green tea. Not expecting this, I thought it was very charming. The tea was very good; not big fans of green tea, my dining companions and I were very surprised.

We started off with appetizers, the Pork Dumplings and Wonton Soup. The Wonton Soup was delicious, the chicken broth providing lots of flavor. The texture was also fantastic with a stark contrast between the hot broth and the slippery, smooth wonton, filled with minced pork. Next up, were the Pork Dumplings. Very similar to pot stickers, these dumplings can be served steamed or pan fried. We had them steamed.  They were good – until I tried them in the sauce that came with them. Made of soy and scallions, it made these dumplings absolutely mouthwatering.

For the entrée we were served the Kung Poa Shrimp, General Woo’s Chicken, and Woo’s Noodles. When picking our favorite entree, my dining partners and I differed.  Two of us were thrilled with the shrimp, while the other hogged the chicken the entire night.

I loved the shrimp and thought it had fantastic flavor. It had a very subtle smoked flavor, mixed in with the peanuts, dried chili peppers, and onions. It was seafood without that real fishy flavor. Perfect for my taste buds.

One of my dining companions loved the chicken because it was sweet and spicy. The scallions added an extra kick with the sweet and spicy sauce.

The noodle dish came in third because it just wasn’t spicy enough for our taste buds.  We all thought the egg noodles in a chili bean sauce needed an extra kick. For those of you who aren’t a huge fan of spicy food, Woo’s Noodles would be perfect.

For dessert, we tried Jimmy’s Sweet Puffs. Fried wontons filled with raspberry or chocolate custard, they were very light and flavorful, complimenting our meal.

By the end of the night, I was completely satisfied with my flavorful meal. I recommend Jimmy Woo’s Chinese Food to anyone with an inclination for Chinese food in the Old Town Scottsdale area.