Adventurous eaters on the Northwest side of Indianapolis have the opportunity to dip their chopsticks into a unique dining experience: the Hai Sizzling Wok, located at the intersection of Lafayette and Georgetown roads.
The Sizzling Wok serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Vietnamese food is vastly different than Chinese cuisine, said owner/operator Harry Altepeter, and is closer in nature to Thai. Rather than using corn starch, as the Chinese do, Vietnamese chefs utilize a healthier, spicier sauce in their food.
"I try to tell (first-time customers) that it's good and different than Chinese, and when they try it they all like it," Altepeter said. "They say, 'Harry, I don't want to go back to Chinese."
One of the most famous and best-loved Vietnamese dishes is pho, which is a sort of beef noodle soup that includes simmered bones, tendons, meat and a combination of seven different roasted spices.
Vietnam's most well-known culinary item is centered around beef, because Vietnamese people ate little beef until the late 19th century. Cattle were seen as valuable agricultural tools and rarely killed for food. One explanation for the adjustment is that eating habits changed during Vietnam's occupation by the beef-loving French.
Other popular items on the Sizzling Wok's menu include Vietnamese pancakes and chicken lemon rice.
Altepeter said the nationality of his workers helps to keep the restaurant's food and atmosphere authentic.
"The people here, they're all Vietnamese," he said.
Altepeter immigrated to the United States around the age of 14 or 15, part of the thousands of "boat people" who fled South Vietnam after the 1975 collapse of that country's government.
After arriving, Altepeter had to balance schoolwork with his other responsibilities.
"It was very tough to go to school here, and I also worked full-time," he said.
Eventually, he found himself with the opportunity to own his own establishment after the owner of a Chinese restaurant on the current site of the Sizzling Wok decided to sell it and move.
"When she moved, she wanted to sell the business, I took over from her," he said.
The dining room at the Wok is of a simple design - a square shape nearly filled with tables and various plants spread out among them. Customers order food at a counter located near the back of the dining area where framed etchings of Buddhist scenes adorn the walls.
A dinner at the Sizzling Wok typically costs about $7, Altepeter said, though the largest soup on the menu runs more than $10.
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