Wah Mei Chop Suey

Wah mei lost sone serious points tonight due to awful customer service. We live blocks away and we order take out from here quite often. One might think that they would treat us like regulars and take care of us- but my experience here was the absolute opposite. They gave me the impression that they do not care about our ( regular) business at all and I am going to think twice next Sunday evening when we decide where to pick up dinner from.
My husband picked up dinner for our family, and I noticed they had given me the wrong entree. I called and explained this to them, however since we were trying to feed 3 very hungry toddlers and I had literally just gotten off a plane an hour prior, we couldn't go back to pick it up. Fine, they would give me a credit but only good for 2 weeks!! What!!! I protested saying it should be good indefinitely and was told through the end of the month and that was it. So I asked for a refund. Nope, just a credit for 3 more weeks. Excuse me, but who screwed up the order?? Unacceptable.

The fresh ingredients won me over.
Give the stir-fried rice noodles a try; quite good considering this is North Shore takeout. The manager told me that it is her favorite dish as well.

Wah Mei is a charming little hole-in-the-wall Chinese takeout right off the Linden Purple Line CTA stop.

I wanted some Chinese food to eat during a long night at the office, so I decided to hit up Wah Mei since it's been getting generally solid reviews. I came in with some high expectations (since I hail from the Chinatown that is Los Angeles), and they met them adequately.

The ambiance:
It's spartan and homey. You're welcomed in the door with a dining area that fits maybe 6 people and a lady standing next to the cashier. You will likely be the only patron there, but no matter--this makes for all the more intimate your experience with the lady. You're then made to feel at home by getting offered a (free) cup of water while ordering your take-out choice. There you've done it. You've made your choice. Now all there is to do is wait.

...and 5 minutes later your food's ready.

The food:
I ordered Mapo Tofu with white rice. I'm a big meat eater, so why would I order Mapo Tofu? Because it's crazy delicious--that's why. It's also easy to mess up, and a lot of Los Angeles Chinese cafes are guilty of serving poor excuses. The Mapo Tofu here wasn't the best I've had ever, but it's the best I've had in Chicagoland, which is a big deal since I've been to a few decent restaurants in Chinatown and on Argyle. The portion is quite large (check out the photo I uploaded) and was enough to fill my big appetite for 2 meals. The tofu wasn't overcooked (it stilled retained its integrity when you picked it up with chopsticks) and the spice level of the sauce was perfect. The white rice was cooked perfectly, but that's to be expected. At $9, this was a STEAL.

The service:
It was takeout! But I still had an exceptionally good experience given the circumstances. The lady made me want to turn into a regular.

TL;DR. Tiny place. Mapo Tofu very good. VERY big portion -- well-worth your money. Come back soon.