Mei Dim Review

I’ve been frequenting Mei Dim for over a year now and can honestly say it serves some of the best Chinese food that I have ever tasted in Manchester and I have tried a lot of Chinese food. Situated in a basement on Faulkner Street in the heart of Chinatown, these  premises have been home to a variety of restaurants over the past ten years, its most recent occupiers being Pan Asia restaurant/buffet. None have ever been as good as Mei Dim though.

The food at Mei Dim always tastes freshly prepared and quite often the same dish can taste different on any given day. For example, the hot and sour soup never tastes the same twice; I am pretty certain that the ingredients depend entirely upon what the chef can get his hands on at the time of preparation; one thing is consistent though, it is always amazingly good. I have had some hot and sour soups that taste just like vinegar, the most recent being at Topps Buffet on Portland Street, that was disgusting and after two spoonfuls I left it for the waiter to remove. Also, in many restaurants you will finds that the hot and sour soup is full of cheap vegetables, like peas, carrots or water chestnuts, not so with Mei Dim, there is always plenty of meat and seafood, exactly what types of meat, again I believe, depends on what the chef has at hand.

Hot and Sour Soup

Other delightful dishes on the menu include the traditional Chinese roast meats of duck, char siu, crispy belly pork and soy chicken, all expertly roasted. The salt and pepper squid (my personal favourite) is out of this world; coated in batter, it is crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The sliced beef in ok sauce is outstanding, I don’t know what the chef does with the beef at Mei Dim but I have never had beef like it, it literally melts in the mouth. Duck chow mein with crispy noodles is probably my second favourite dish at Mei Dim, the duck is just so tender and juicy, enjoyed with chilli oil, this dish takes some beating.

Mei Dim also offer a huge selection of Dim Sum, from popular items for the western palate such as spring rolls, har kau and siu mai to more obscure offerings like chickens feet, tripe and Vietnamese dishes. There is something for every taste on the menu.

If I had any complaints at all about Mei Dim, it would be that the portion sizes are not always consistent, for example, sometimes your dish will be stuffed full of meat and at other times the dish can look quite empty. The premises are a little tired and often times there is a funny smell, it can also be very noisy, perhaps the downside of being below ground level? Not a great deal to complain about really and none of these things would prevent me from eating here.

Mei Dim has seen a change in management in the last six months, the previous manager Lewis was a very friendly chap, often coming over to chat with us and other customers, this personal touch has continued with new manager, Tony, he and his staff really make you feel welcome on every single visit. The food quality has always been consistent so I think the chefs and kitchen staff have remained the same.

I usually visit this place on a Sunday with a  friend; as you may know, most Chinese restaurants in Chinatown are usually packed on a Sunday and Mei Dim is no exception; it is certainly one of the more popular restaurants with Chinese diners, what more proof do you need that the food at Mei Dim is of extremely high quality.

An outstanding restaurant and tough to beat.