Mei Wei

I went to try out Mei Wei because I have heard a lot of good things about it.  However, it was not as good as I expected it to be.

The location of the restaurant is where Snow Lion used to be (113 S Grant St. Bloomington, IN 47408).  It took me a while to find parking because I went at 2 p.m. on a Saturday and it was very busy downtown, but there are a lot of parking spaces around the restaurant otherwise.  The restaurant is at a good location and easy to find.

I ordered the beef flank and beef tendon noodle soup and a milk flavored bubble tea.  The noodle soup came in a large bowl and I was definitely full after I ate it all.  The beef was stewed well and had the authentic mix of spices, it was flavorful all throughout the entire pieces of meat, although the tendon could have used a bit more stewing.  The meat was a bit too salty in comparison with the soup, which had a good flavor but was not strong or savory enough.  The noodles were overcooked and the flavor of the soup did not soak in so it tasted like the soup and the noodles were two separate dishes.  The bok choy in the noodle soup was cooked just right and was really fresh.  The bubble tea was decent, I had it made to have half the amount of sugar and no ice.  The milk tea tasted good and authentic; it had a good ratio of dairy and tea.  The tapioca bubbles, on the other hand, were way too soft and lacked the chewy texture they are supposed to have.  

The food, to me, was pricey for the quality of it and in comparison with the other Chinese restaurants in Bloomington.  Because Mei Wei is a new restaurant, they had a temporary menu.  The dishes ranged from about $10-$15.  The beef noodle soup that I got was $10 and the bubble tea was $4.  I went with 4 other people and the check came with fortune cookies and a 15% tip included in the final amount.  

The service was very nice.  The waitress spoke in both Chinese and English and was also attentive to the costumer's needs, such as giving us recommendations of the food.  The food came quickly, although there were not many people there early in the afternoon.  The restaurant itself was very clean and comfortable.  However, it was kind of loud even early afternoon, so I can see how it would probably be very loud during a busy time.  I was surprised, however, that even though the restaurant had just opened for a few weeks, I came out smelling like it.

I had this new entry into the Bloomington Chinese restaurant scene. I had the "Spicy Boiled Fish with Tofu" (), which was very much indicative of Sichuan style cuisine, in that it had significant amounts of Sichuan Pepper corns. (). If you get this dish, and you like spicy, be sure to have them make it "Ma La". Your mouth will thank you.

The interior is still very much like the former restaurant. And I think the staff is still finding it's legs in that it was a bit slower than it should be. But if you're with a group and in no hurry, it's not bad.

Since this is a very new restaurant (only open for a week), I think their menu is not in it's final form. I will definitely be going back! It's a great addition to "Lucky Express" in representing Real Chinese food!