Mei Lai Wah | New York, NY

62 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013 (moving soon to 41 Mott Street)

Mei Lai Wah is a small Chinese restaurant and bakery in Chinatown known for their pork buns. We ordered the Baked Roast Pork Bun, two of the Pineapple Buns with Roast Pork, two of the Famous Buns (Plain), and the Steamed Roast Pork Bun.

The Baked Roast Pork Bun was very good, but sweeter than I was expecting. Both the filling and the bread have a noticeable sweetness, so it’s something to keep in mind if you're not expecting a sugary flavor. The bread itself is soft and spongy, and the pork filling is perfectly cut for a manageable bite.

I was excited to try the Pineapple Bun with Roast Pork, as the combination of pineapple and pork tends to work well together. However, the sweetness of the bread and filling, combined with the pineapple craquelin topping, made it feel more like a dessert than the sweet and savory snack I was looking for. I imagine the Custard Pineapple Bun would be delicious, but unfortunately they were sold out when we went.

The Famous Bun had the same sweetness as the other buns but formed into a twist rather than a ball. The bread was soft and fluffy, making it a great choice dinner roll. The crust was a little dry, likely due to the minimal egg wash, and the twist in the bread kept it from being as fluffy. I think this bun would pair perfectly with a soup, maybe even dipped in the congee they serve or to bring home and pair with your own dish.

The Steamed Roast Pork Bun was, without a doubt, the standout of the bunch. It had a good ratio of filling to dough and while still sweet, it was the most savory of the three pork buns.

Overall, all of the buns were delicious, it's just a matter of taste and preference. Are you looking for sweet or savory?

A few things to note: There are two lines at the restaurant: one for cash and one for credit. If you're paying with a credit card, you order and pay at a kiosk. I didn't know this and when we arrived, there was a long line and a crowd of people in front so it was hard to see their indicator signs. We just hopped on line and realized when we got closer it was the credit line. It seemed most everyone else in line wasn't aware of this either. At that point we had already been waiting for about 15 minutes, so there wasn't much of a point to switching. However, there is a surcharge for credit payments, which most restaurants do have, but normally it's disclosed upfront. If there was a sign, then we missed it. All in all we paid $20.57 for everything to include a 15% tip. According to their website, all of the items were $2.50 each with the exception of the Pineapple Bun that is $3.00. For credit payments, it seems like $0.10 is added to each item.

We'll definitely be returning to try more of their menu. Stay tuned for part two!