Meizhou Dongpo Review

Meizhou Dongpo recently opened a new location in Irvine, CA. As a duck lover I felt inclined to do a Meizhou Dongpo Review. Recently we were treated to a private room dining experience at Meizhou Dongpo by good friends of ours so I figured I should share the experience. Meizhou Dongpo definitely has a prestigious ambiance, you know the type of place where you are impressed with how clean the restrooms are. However, I am sure you aren’t reading this post for a description of the decor, let’s get to the food already.

Meizhou Dongpo Bang Bang Chicken

Since Meizhou Dongpo focuses on Sichuan (Szechuan) style food, the first dish we tried was their Bang Bang Chicken. Don’t be fooled by how it looks, it is actually not overly spicy at all. It has a nice refreshing taste with a semi spicy kick. Definitely worth ordering if you go to Meizhou Dongpo.

Meizhou Dongpo Cold Noodles

A great complimentary dish to the Bang Bang Chicken is the Meizhou Dongpo Cold Noodle dish. There is sauce under the noodle, so you will want to carefully mix everything together before serving. This dish has a nice light and refreshing taste that balances well with the spicy Bang Bang chicken. It also goes well with some of the fatty dishes like the pork belly and roasted duck.

Meizhou Dongpo Chicken Pudding Soup

This dish is definitely a winner when it comes to originality. Meizhou Dongpo’s Chicken Pudding Soup is famous for being served to President Barack Obama when he visited Meizhou Dongpo in China. They take chicken meat and mince it into a light almost foam like texture and steam it. The soup itself is a clear chicken broth served with the chicken pudding. This dish captures the pure essence and flavor of chicken like no other.

Meizhou Dongpo Serrano Beef

A must try dish is the Serrano Beef (Thinly Sliced Beef, Wok-Fried with Fresh Serrano Peppers, Chili Oil, and Sichuan Peppercorns, and Boiled in a House Special Vegetable Broth). Eat this over rice and you will be in heaven. Just stay away from the tiny red peppers if you can’t take the heat.

Meizhou Dongpo Fried Rock Fish

This next dish is the key takeaway from my Meizhou Dongpo Review. The Meizhou Dongpo Fried Rock Fish is probably the most unique dish that you must try. They basically cut the fish in a way where the meat mimics dreadlocks, then they dip it in tempura batter, fry it and serve it with a delicious sweet & sour sauce. My mind was blown at the presentation and the great taste.

Dongpo Pork Belly

Another great dish was the Dongpo Pork Belly. Now there are other restaurants in the area that make this same dish, equally as good, but this is still a great dish that they pull off well. Since this is one of my favorite dishes I guess I am just a sucker for any restaurant that serves it well.

Meizhou Dongpo Roast Duck

What Meizhou Dongpo is most well known for is their Roast Duck. Normally this is carved and served table side, but since tonight was a busy night we didn’t get the dinner side entertainment. Now the duck execution is outstanding and the overall flavor is great. However, would I pay double the price compared to almost any other Chinese restaurant that serves peking style duck? I can’t really say I would, plus I like peking duck with the white fluffy bun over the tortilla style wrap. Don’t get me wrong, I still love duck and I scarfed this dish down. I just have to be honest because I don’t want to set false expectations on my Meizhou Dongpo Review.

Meizhou Dongpo Sweet Rice Ball Soup

As a dessert we had the Sweet Rice Ball Soup, which tastes exactly how it sounds. The mochi textured rice ball is sweet and the “soup” is a semi sour, almost alcoholic taste which balances well with the sweet rice ball. Just make sure to drink the soup with a bite of the rice ball because the soup on its own doesn’t taste very good. However, it does taste good when you mix the two flavors together.