Owner Wendy Au began serving delicious Asian food at her walk-up counter in Freighthouse Square food court more than 20 years ago.  While Pearl Jam was still ruling the charts, she opened Wendy’s II, a sit-down restaurant near the Tacoma Mall. Both locations are popular among those looking for a tasty, fast and affordable bite to eat. Freighthouse does a solid bustling lunch business while the Tacoma Mall location offers a more leisurely dining experience with later hours. The place is casual with no side of pretension. It is what it is. The service is fast, the special board a must-see, and the food always hot and plentiful.

The yellow curried prawn appetizer arrived quickly. Six skewered and grilled mud bugs, as we like to call them, sat atop green leaf lettuce. The prawns had a nice smoky flavor that complemented the curry.

When looking for a lean protein hit give the lemon grass tofu a whirl. The tofu was soft but not mushy; vegetables were al dente and garlic strong but not overwhelming. An order of hum bow was big, pillowy soft and stuffed with spiced ground pork and spicy Chinese sausage. We plopped it right in the oyster-hoisin-soy sauce and let it soak before devouring.

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 2-8 p.m. Sunday

Drinkies: Limited beer and wine, bubble tea, milkshakes, standard nonalcoholic beverages