Mei Wei Little Kitchen in Section 17 came highly recommended by our friends, Elisa and Richard – the dishes are said to be home-style cooking with no MSG, which checks all the boxes for us. We were also told it’s very crowded during dinner on weekends, and reservations are a must.
Specials of the day are written on the board
Jien and I dined at Mei Wei Little Kitchen twice with our little ones in tow. And on both occasions, we opted to do lunch so the place wasn’t crowded. The team is small so we still waited for a good 30 minutes for our food. Expect a longer wait during peak hours.
Claypot eggplant with minced pork
Mei Wei Little Kitchen offers a range of dishes for sharing as well as single portion rice or noodles should you choose to dine alone. Claypot eggplant with salted fish and minced pork (RM21.80 – small) is one of our favourite Chinese dishes and I feel Mei Wei Little Kitchen does it best so far.
Marmite pork
The eggplant is tender and there’s a good balance of savoury, sweet and spicy notes in the seasoning. I liked how the marmite pork (RM27 – small) packs umami but it’s not overly salty. The meat is juicy and tender too.
Claypot curry fish
Claypot fish fillet curry (RM38 – small) may look pale, but the gravy is aromatic and spicy. It’s not robustly spicy as the spices are more subtle but this curry packs heat. Fish is fresh and the vegetables are cooked just right so they retained some crunch. Personally, I prefer my curry more robust and rich in body, but this one is tasty in its own right.
Sizzling hot plate squid on banana leaf
I enjoyed the sizzling hot plate squid (RM31.90 – small) at Mei Wei Little Kitchen as it’s lightly spicy yet tangy; like a cross between assam sauce and Indonesian curry. There’s this “lemak” factor involved but this isn’t a creamy dish, if you get what I mean.
On our subsequent visit, we made it a point to arrive even earlier so we’re first in line to get our food. This time, we sussed out the yam basket with sweet and sour pork (RM38 per portion) as I wanted to find their Achilles heel. Many places would get the meat right but tend to falter with the yam basket.
Yam basket with sweet and sour pork
Mei Wei Little Kitchen got this pat down. The sweet and sour pork is crisp and meaty, and the sauce is sweet, savoury and lightly tangy. Yam ring is fried just right so the exterior is (delicately) crispy and the yam is soft and creamy. I’m also happy to report that there’s hardly any “oil” odor which is common with this dish.
Claypot kangkung with pork lard
The claypot kangkung (RM18 – small) comes with a decent amount of pork lard for crunch and flavour. Tastewise, it’s light yet savoury and the kangkung still had a nice crunch. The staff recommended the ginger paste steamed kampung chicken (RM50 – half chicken) and it was quite good.
Ginger paste steamed kampung chicken
I liked how the chicken was adequately tender and nicely seasoned that even the meat is flavourful. The homemade ginger paste has an underlying sweetness which I liked, and it’s also not oily. I don’t fancy oily ginger pastes as they tend to mess with my stomach later. Mei Wei Little Kitchen does it well and the paste complements the kampung chicken.
Overall, it’s hard to fault the food here. I like how dishes are clean yet flavourful and I don’t feel thirsty or bloated after eating here. If you’re planning to dine at Mei Wei Little Kitchen, you’ll need to call ahead to book a table and if patience isn’t your virtue, I suggest you pre-order your dishes to reduce waiting time.
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Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 8/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Good home-style dishes but be prepared to wait since the team is small.
Do you have a food recommendation? Tell us!
Mei Wei Little Kitchen
619, Jalan 17/10,
Seksyen 17,
46400 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 012-383 2521
Business hours: 11am till 2.30pm, 5.30pm till 9.30pm
(closed Monday)