You know what? I thought it was intriguing in an unexpected way when I saw it on the seasonal menu during my first visit, and while I would have ordered it (YOLO), my dining companion nixed it. Afterwards, I saw someone on yelp recommend it, so I had to try it last night.
Honestly, though? It’s pretty hard to fuck up avocado.
Do you think the ginger overpowered the dish? Might be nice to find some good pork hock close to home (Century City location)…
I thought the ginger was really nice with the Pork Hock and didn’t really overpower it. This was an enjoyable dish for sure. 
It was strong, but I don’t think it overpowered anything. I guess I’d describe the dish as “zesty” by way of ginger? It was the favorite dish of the table.
Oh, and as an update, I found out that despite being somewhat reserved, though positive, about the Brussels sprouts during dinner, my father has been raving about them to everyone to whom he’s spoken since. Coming from a man who generally “hates” Brussels sprouts. 
So interesting b/c I would not have considered avocado or brussel sprouts to be particularly “Chinese.” But I love Avocado and roasted brussel sprouts (so wok fired can’t be too far behind, right?), so I may give the westside location a whirl (+ the pork). That’s prob all that would fit into my budget from the place, too. 
I can only speak of the Arcadia location, but I’d hope the seasonal menu is similar at Century City. Those two dishes are a really nice fusion that totally works.
Update:
Catching up on some earlier dinners from a while back. We had a friend in town who wanted to try Meizhou Dongpo (probably reading about the nice setting with solid dishes).
Peking Duck:
Meizhou’s Peking Duck is carved tableside. As before, it still feels like a missed opportunity the way they carve their Peking Duck (in slivers, instead of having longer strips of the crispy Duck skin (like how Duck House and other places prepare it).
Still, this tasted fresh, the skin was crisped (slightly) and the condiments (some Hoisin Sauce, Green Onions, Cucumber slivers and the wrapper) were all fine.
Sole Fillet with Scallions (Sole Fillet Boiled in Sichuan Peppercorns Spiced Broth and Topped with Scallions):
As before, this is like a clear, translucent version of the more common Water Boiled Fish. We like the numbing spice from the Szechuan Peppercorns.
Dongpo Pork Hock (Pork Hock Braised in a Savory Ginger Sauce, with Choice of Mild or Spicy Flavoring):
One of the best dishes to order at Meizhou Dongpo would be their Pork Hock. Essentially their take on the popular “Pork Pump” dish that the veterans on our old board used to recommend, this version is spicy, but still quite tender and luscious. 
Live Spot Prawns - Steamed:
I know we were asking for trouble ordering Live Spot Prawns, Steamed (in a Hong Kong / Cantonese Seafood style) from a place like Meizhou, but our friend really was in the mood for Shrimp of some sort, so we took a chance.
The Live Spot Prawns arrived plump and full of Roe! 
They were a touch overcooked (only a bit), but still tender and juicy and meaty. Also their “Magic HK Crack Sauce” isn’t anywhere near as good as Sea Harbour’s addictive version.
However, it was still quite tasty, and adding a bit of their Seasoned Soy Sauce with the Live Spot Prawn with Spot Prawn Roe and some Steamed Rice = 
SO GOOD!
Ultimately, Meizhou Dongpo still has great ambiance and is one of the better decorated Chinese restaurants in L.A., with some solid menu items that taste pretty authentic, while other dishes fall a bit short (compared to the best of the SGV).
Meizhou Dongpo (Arcadia)
(Inside the Westfield Santa Anita Mall)
400 S. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
Tel: (626) 538-4580
Also at:
Meizhou Dongpo (Century City)
(Inside the Westfield Century City Mall)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd. #200a
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Tel: (310) 788-0120
Any input on how the Century City location compares to the Arcadia one? I’ve only been to Arcadia, but a friend of mine lives on the Westside. We’ve discussed going before, but after my experience at the Dongpo Kitchen at Universal, I’m a bit apprehensive to commit to spending the money in Century City without assurances that the taste is more or less the same…
Dongpo Kitchen is for tourists, so you should discount that. Century City is very good and at nighttime the crowd is heavily Chinese so that speaks to something. I think the major difference is the menu, with Century City having safer items included in the menu that you won’t find in Arcadia (and obviously the reverse being true). So Century City is not the same as Arcadia in that regard but it’s still quite good.
Nice reort.
We love it when we are not up for an SGV run.
We are heading over later today to the Century City location. What does this mean, and which duck do I order? Do we have to specify what we want, or do they bring everything?
I’ve only had the water-boiled fish, which I really liked, and the maps tofu, which I didn’t. Tonight is duck night.
They bring the whole cooked duck tableside and break it down there. They should offer all 4 ways of enjoying the duck.
Just do NOT order their cold noodles. That was gross.
Off-topic, but… What the hell is a “Confucian”-style duck? One that has passed its civil service exams? Or is fluent in ancient rhetoric/poetry? Or practices filial piety?
A quick google brings me to LAT article which implies that it’s a duck that has not been processed
And that’s when I noticed the label: “Confucius Style Young Goose” it said in big print and then, in very small lettering, “Non-Eviscerated Poultry.”
This brings up a memory of watching Parts Unknown in Beijing(?), where Bourdain makes note that all the ducks are whole in order to steam the duck from the inside. I’ll have to try to find the video clip later.
The mini-me version of Peking Duck.
Like going to Chipotle for Mexican food.
A duck that sticks pins in itself to stay awake while studying for said exams? My dad said scholars studying at the time of Confucius used to stick pins in their legs to stay awake. Or at least I think he said that. Oh, well…
How do you do Sichuan food given your aversion to garlic?
I’m judicious about what I order and I ask for no garlic. I forgot yesterday and one bite of the spicy cucumber yesterday made my mouth taste awful for over an hour, even after mints.
Here is fish with sauerkraut soup we ordered yesterday. it had a nice mala and wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy. The garlic pieces were large dice, thus easy to avoid. I wish the broth had been more sour.
I’m not sure about this place. The food is fine, but not that great. The service is awful. Also the space itself is getting very run down, one of the chairs had long tears on the seat and all the wood is chipped. Nice water glasses, though.
A couple Chinese guys were definitely enjoying their pork hock soup. They were tearing into like crazy., so maybe that’s the dish to get.
It’s also how they eat McDonald’s.
(Arcadia)
Warrior: This restaurant was boring but good. I was impressed by the tenderness of the pea shoots and the ingredient quality more generally. All the dishes were prepared skillfully. This would be a great choice for a group dinner. I have no desire to return, however, because the food lacked character. p.s.: the light show at the arboretum sucked and was vastly inferior to the pre-Covid Chinese lantern festival.
Peony: I feel the food was good quality. The ingredients were fresh, and the dishes were cooked nicely. The restaurant is named after a famous poet born in Sichuan, so I expected authentic, heavy, powerful Sichuan food. However, the Sichuan elements in the food were toned down. The inclusion of roasted duck and other dishes such as squirrel fish made the whole food style more like generic Chinese food. Plus, none of the dishes were heavy on spiciness or numbingness. Having said that, we had a good meal and enjoyed it; it’s just not Sichuan enough for me. p.s.: since we don’t eat meat, we didn’t try the wonton soup. But our three year old guest really loved it and almost finished a bowl all by herself, while she disliked the wonton soup at other restaurants.
