Meizho Dongpo - the East is West

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
#1

Had such a great dinner at Meizho Dongpo last night. It is the best Chinese we have on the Westside by a long shot; yes, it is pricier than SGV, but it is not a full-on shake-down like La Cienega’s Newport Seafood outpost.

The Spicy Stir Fried Pot (cauliflower, whole head-on shrimp, thick glass “noodle,” pork belly and, strangely, Spam - which was substituted for the lotus roots without warning) was so great. It was probably was filled with as much Sichuan Numbing Flower/Peppers and other peppers as my last few visits to SGV combined.

MaPo Tofu and Sichuan “Heartbreakers” were excellent.
Lovely stir-fried pea-tendrils with oil and light garlic.
Only the insipid tomato-oxtail soup missed the mark.

It was pretty crowded for a cold night (at least for this town) with inclement weather, and quite lot of non- (or little-) English speakers.

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#2

Also opening in Baegas soon. It’s purportedly the largest Chinese restaurant in 'Murica.

Here’s a short blurb on the president of MZDP and his thoughts on Chinese food in US.

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#3

hahahaha, inclement weather.

this is the fucking century city joint ???//

#4

Agreed. As I wrote, Meizhou Dongpo is the one bright spot for Chinese dining on the Westside.

http://www.menuism.com/blog/chinese-food-west-la/

#5

Also agree. The pork shank and duck are nicely done.

#6

The one time getting “shanked” is actually a good thing.

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#7

Chandavkl, my 2 cents on Hakkasan’s closure, expensive for run of the mill chinese food. Staff not well trained to handle higher end Chinese clientele. It was more of restaurant trying to cater to a non-Asian clientele into a club scene with better cuisine than the neighborhood PF Chang. I guess not enough of the target clientele signed up for the party… Additionally I believe LA has a more sophisticated base of diners in the west side equivalents of Miami, NYC, London when it comes to Chinese cuisine and expectations of QPR.

#8

Whoa whoa whoa @Sgee . I’m a big fan of Hakkasan. It is legit Chinese food. The prices are high but the dim sum is superb. I am in Miami monthly and always make it my dim sum spot. It’s better than Sea Harbour easily. Plenty of vegetarian options like morel mushroom dumplings or seasonal dim sum like duck with pumpkin and hint of curry. It’s innovative high end dim sum like what you would find in a top place in HK.

I would go as far as saying that the failure of Hakkasan LA was that the westside doesn’t appreciate legit Chinese food preferring to go to places like Mr. Chow.

#9

Wish I could comment with authority but I never made it beyond getting a drink at the BHills Hakkasan. Some friends - my show-ier, not chow-ier friends, mind you - liked it: which was the red flag that kept me trying it.

#10

My dinner experience was certainly less memorable, pretty much a one and done for me. Brought along visitors from Asia with me and they were equally unimpressed. Had high expectation when they first opened…

Good point about Mr. Chow, gave too much credit to west side client base.

#11

I’ve been both to the Hakkasan in Beverly Hills and New York. If you separate the issue of how much they charge you for the food, Hakkasan is excellent. If you factor it in, you’ll probably never go back.

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#12

Porthos & Chandvakl, I won’t dispute the food at Hakkasan was legit however nothing warranting superb or excellent in my book… Dining in HK however, I’ll throw those terms out liberally even when it costs me an arm and a leg. I’d even use those terms for dishes at J.Zhou

#13

I would agree. For that kind of money at dinner go to a place like JZhou or Elite for live seafood.

Dim sum is where Hakkasan shines and the BH branch never had the base to support dim sum. The Miami branch is packed for dim sum which is impressive considering the dining base in Miami.

#14

You have peaked my interest on their dim sum offerings, will definitely try it out next time I’m in those cities. Offered in Vegas too?

#15

Sesame prawn toast with foie gras. Mmmm.

#16

I, too, will come to the defense of Hakkasan’s food.

I think part of the problem here is that the place looks “clubby” (read: bloated London-based investment banker-types often seen frequenting the joint) AND also the fact that it serves legit Chinese food somehow may not “compute” with many food fans, especially here in L.A., where revelatory bites is often accompanied by styrofoam containers and plastic utensils.

Strictly food-wise, I’ve never had a bad meal at Hakkasan. Yes, I will admit that it is astronomically more expensive than its counterparts, but the dim sum, duck, seafood, and other dishes I’ve enjoyed there have all been well-prepared.

I think the upkeep of such a place (high overhead), and its incongruousness with the rest of the current L.A. food landscape and zeitgeist led to its ultimate demise in Beverly Hills. It should be noted that the Las Vegas Hakkasan has great food as well - I’ve gone twice and liked it.

#17

I am fan of Hakkasan. Both times I went, I didn’t pay so…But the food was good. The pipa duck and scallop siu mai were standouts. The skin on the duck could have been crispier but overall it tasted great.

#18

you, by, you, I mean everyone in this thread who paid for food, are the only people on this planet to visit Hakkasan for the “Chinese” food.

Srsly, wtf?

#19

Well I didn’t pay either time. But I would highly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t pay.

#20

You were hating on SN1 before you visited remember?

15-20 years ago some people were afraid to go to hole in the wall places for good food.

Now it seems some people are afraid to go to nice places for good food.

Meizo Dong Po, DTF, Hakkasan, Crystal Jade, etc are all examples of legit food going fancy decor.

Even in Bangkok and Taiwan street food is moving indoors.

I saw the same phenomenon in Russia and South America where some of the top restaurants are serving legit traditional cuisine.