A quick review: Mei Long in Sunnyvale

Hello BAFoodies,

Just wanted to post a note with my first impressions of Mei Long, a new Chinese restaurant that just opened recently.  Mei Long is on El Camino Real, in the same building that used to house Sun Sun and Tin Tin.  I think it is technically in Sunnyvale, but it is close to the border of Mountain View.

Dinner seating is available until 9:30 all week.  I don't have the details in front of me so I can't give all of their business hours.  My dining partner and I showed up at 8:45, woefully under-dressed.  They seated us without hesitation, probably due to their newness and lack of other customers.

Mei Long is fairly upscale, as one notices on approaching.  The front is large plate glass windows/doors and gold-toned hardware.  The brightly lit interior is in stark contrast to the previous dark and foreboding layout of Sun Sun.  The overall impression was fancy, and too bright to be romantic.

The current dinner menu is fairly limited, with 2 ³cold dishes² [$4 range], 3 appetizers [$4 range], 2 soups, and about 15 entrees [$11 - $15 range].  There are also 2 special multi-course dinners for two people [$40 and $70].  Food is served Imperial style (one plate per diner, with the main entree, a vegi, and a starch all on one plate), as opposed to family style.  According to our waitress, this is more traditional.

We had the ³To-fu goose w/ tangerine beef and pickled cabbage² and ³Smoked ling cod² as our aps.  Presentation was very nice, with the first ap laid out in the shape of a butterfly - a small, lonely butterfly on a large, white plate.  The to-fu goose seemed like standard tofu skin out of any package from a Chinese market.  The tangerine beef was small pieces, somewhat dry, with a little tang - but very yummy.  The pickled cabbage was std. but good.  The smoked ling cod was excellent, served with some slightly pickled, thickly julienned vegies (carrot, jicama, cuke, etc.)

For an entree, I had the Cinnamon Chicken w/ Lotus Leaf and Sticky Rice. The chicken was good, but a little sweet.  The std. chicken as found in lemon chicken everywhere, but certainly well prepared.  The sticky rice was good, mixed with a few beans and served surrounded by some lotus leaf.

My dinning companion had the Gold Medallions (I believe it was called) which was rib-eye steak in a sweet (raspberry?) sauce, with some steamed buns and something else.  It was pretty good; the small piece I tried seemed fatty, but my companion enjoyed it.

We had a pot of oolong to drink, and the staff was on its toes.  They set the pot down at the end of the table and came by to pour when your teacup became empty.  Actually, it got to be a little much.  With no one else there, the staff had nothing to do but attend to us.  It got to the point where we feared taking a sip of tea, knowing a waitron would be right by to top off the cup when we set it down.

After dinner, we were questioning our waitress and got some info.  It seems that wine will be a major feature, with some big name consultants coming in to advise on wine/food pairings.  It sounds like they will probably put together a multi-course wine and food thing.  I don¹t drink wine and so had little interest, but it seemed sure to excite somebody, and I so I pass the info along.

They are still working out their menu, currently on menu incarnation number 3.  I recommend going now and giving your feedback.  I can¹t imagine a time when they will be more willing to listen.

Our waitress also indicated that, given enough notice, the kitchen could prepare special dishes.

Grand total for two apps, two entrees, and tea came out to $42, w/ tax & tip.

Overall impression:  Nice place, too fancy to eat at often.  Good food, different than the other Chinese restaurants I am familiar with in this area.  Perhaps a little sweet (we both felt our entrees could have been less so).  Excellent service.  Price came out lower than we expected, based on the ambiance, presentation, and service.

Thanks for reading,
-M. Adrian Sonnes

std. disclaimer re: employer/opinions