Monday, September 8, 2014

Meiwah Restaurant Food Review

General Tso’s Chicken

Larry La's second Meiwah Restaurant (on Willard Avenue, near the Friendship Heights Metro station) may not have the same star-studded customer base as its more famous, older sibling; but it has the same food, tucked inside a more casual, intimate atmosphere. Service was first-rate (Qi was an angel) and I'm still fawning over the best cup of Hot & Sour Soup in town (for just $2.95 with fried wontons.) Nearby P.F. Chang's may have the fancier marquee; but I'd much rather pay less money for better food at Meiwah.

The original Meiwah at the corner of M Street and New Hampshire Avenue, NW remains a must-visit; but it's a heck of a lot easier to find a table at Friendship Heights. To be fair, Meiwah II looks relatively bland in comparison, dressed mostly in white with a splash of earth tones. Then again, who cares, with food this good and affordable. The aforementioned Qi offered us a warm welcome (and two glasses of water) and took an order for Spring Rolls ($3.95) and a cup of Hot & Sour Soup for yours truly. Within a couple of minutes, our apps arrived piping hot (and delicious.) Good luck finding faster, more efficient service around this area.

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls were stuffed with filling, expertly wrapped inside a lightly-battered & flaky exterior. A vegetarian option is also available. As for the soup, I doubt you'll find any better in all of DC. I'd literally come back for the soup alone: Did I mention it comes with a generous supply of perfectly fried wontons? For $2.95? Game, set, match = Hot & Sour Soup.

Hot & Sour Soup

Entrees are HUGE, and can easily feed two. We continued along a "fried path," and ordered General Tso's Chicken (me) and Sweet & Sour Chicken (each only $9.95 with rice.) Both dishes were scrumptious; but I have to single out the General's Chicken, which was incredibly light yet rich in flavor. Perhaps even more impressive? It was miles away from "salty." The Sweet & Sour Chicken was a bit more predictable (heavier batter, thicker sauce) yet almost as tasty. Bonus points for perfectly cooked rice. As for Meiwah's generous portion sizes? All I can say is, "Xie xie."


Service was consistently awesome: Qi even noticed a spill (not me) and offered/delivered club soda to help get it out. Water refills were frequent and immediate; and everyone on staff was incredibly professional. Considering how relatively inexpensive it is; I can see myself coming back multiple times.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Speaking of... Meiwah sports seven soup options, including a Velvet Crabmeat Asparagus Soup for just $4.95; in addition to a slew of choices for hot apps (BBQ Spare Ribs, $6.95) cold (Eggplant with Crushed Garlic, $4.95) and enough entrees to keep me busy for at least a couple of weeks! Discovering new restaurants is fun. Finding new restaurants as good as Meiwah? That's downright wonderful.