la.foodblogging

Dorothy had it right: “There’s no place like home,” especially when home has all the Chinese food that I’ve been totally craving. After an exhausting flight back to LA last night, the only thing I could think of was which restaurant I should go for my first LA meal. The decision was fairly easy, May Mei.

May Mei is a Hong Kong Style restaurant, and the only one I know of in LA that serves the Assorted Meats in Clay Pot. Many Chinese restaurants serve clay pot rice, but what makes this dish so special are the three meats - duck, pork, and Chinese sausage, which is one of my comfort foods. The rice is cooked in the clay pot with the meats, so the rice is filled with the flavors and aroma of the meats. While the texture of the rice comes out normal, the fun part is getting some of the crispy rice stuck to the clay pot. Those clusters of rice are golden brown and enjoyable to snack on. Make sure not to consume the clusters that are charred from sticking to the clay pot for too long. Burnt rice is never good. Chinese broccoli is also placed on top. The server will usually separate the broccoli (so the steam from the bottom of the clay pot won’t overcook the broccoli and turn it yellow) and then mix the rice and meats with some soy-based sauce. I recommend pouring the sauce yourself because when the entire dish of sauce is poured on top of the rice, some people find it too salty. That aside, this is, in my humble opinion, the best item on May Mei’s menu. Word of caution: go hungry. You will find yourself getting a bowl after another after another, even when you’re already full.

Today we also ordered several other dishes: mustard greens in garlic sauce, fish in black bean sauce, and shrimp chow mein. Cantonese style chow mein is something else I’ve missed these last several months. I know for most Californians who frequent Chinese restaurants, you’ve probably figured out the differences between the chow meins. For those who don’t know, here’s the basic break down: Most Chinese restaurants that serve chow mein use regular noodles, and the outcome is soft. Some use Lo Mein, which are also soft, but the noodles are much thicker. Any Chinese restaurant that says they are Cantonese or Hong Style serve chow mein with thin egg noodles, and they are always very crispy. I think this is why I love the Cantonese style chow mein so much. You can get crispy chow mein at other Chinese restaurants, but you have to specifically tell them you want Pan-Fried Noodles, but they won’t use these thin egg noodles though.

May Mei
639 W Duarte Road
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 574-1318

By Pauline (see more of her posts).