Authentic Chinese food is supposed to be hot and delicious, yet simple and inviting. Some fancier cooking will have a longer list of ingredients, especially in the sauces, but the most important aspects of Chinese cuisine lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients, and bringing out these aspects, rather than smothering or overshadowing them.
In this regard, I think Mei Wei Little Kitchen excels. The restaurant cooks up delicious dishes that just hits the spot. The ingredients are fresh and the sauces complement the dishes well. There is a warm, homely feeling about this restaurant’s food, and so it is best enjoyed with your loved ones or best buddies. In fact, I think this place will be an excellent venue for a reunion meal, since it accentuates the ‘feeling’ of togetherness. 🙂
The clams in broth arrived first. It was my favourite dish of the meal. I just could not get enough of it. There is something about seafood soup – it has a rich flavour, and there was no exception for the clam soup. The clams were of a good size, and fresh and succulent, not overcooked and rubbery. The ginger was there, but it did not overpower the soup, nor make it ‘hot and spicy’, as ginger sometimes does. I had a few bowls, and it went very well with rice.
Clams in broth
The second dish I liked most was the deep-fried squid with salted egg. The squid was fresh, and the batter had the right degree of crispiness. It was not hard and it did not feel oily. The salted egg flavour came through, and it was not too salty or overpowering. The curry leaves were a nice addition, and I enjoyed eating them. The crunchy squid pieces are just so addictive!
The seafood curry with vermicelli was also prepared well. It had a lot of prawns, pieces of fish fillet and squid inside, and chunky vegetables. The vegetables, such as ladies’ fingers, tomatoes and brinjals, were just nice – not overcooked, mushy nor falling apart. This was a meal all by itself! The curry was not too spicy, and it had a bit of sourness which stimulated the appetite for more.
The homemade beancurd with assorted vegetables came in a wok. This dish might be called braised beancurd in claypot. The beancurd was nice. It had just the right firmness, not too soft to just fall apart when I tried to scoop it up.
The vegetables were nice too. The baby French beans stir-fried with garlic were nice too. The beans were still crunchy, and the garlic flavour shone through. It was a simple Chinese staple, which many shops do not get right, but Mei Wei Kitchen aced it. The beans were more at a ‘teenager’ stage rather than the ‘baby’ stage though.
For the braised chicken and pumpkin, I absolutely loved the pumpkin, because it was soft and creamy, just the way I like it. The chicken was not everybody’s cup of tea though. Maybe it was the so-called ‘kampung chicken’. Next time, we might request for the dish to be cooked with chicken fillet or cubed chicken breast meat.
If you want to dine at Mei Wei Little Kitchen, you have to call a few days in advance to make reservations, because the restaurant is always full. When I was there, two groups of people almost fought to get our table when we were leaving!
11:30am – 2:30pm,
Hui Min's Kitchen 