M.Y. china is great for date night, large parties, and is very kid-friendly.
Name: Suki
Occupation: Student/Aspiring Filmmaker
Location: Oakland
Favorite Restaurant: Señor Sisig Food Truck
Reviewed M.Y. China: Monday, November 25, 2013
This place is super cute! The hostess and server were really nice; we got seated right away at the noodle bar. The restaurant was maybe only a third full, so it wasn’t super noisy. Our server asked what kind of water we wanted, which is awesome because I love sparkling water, which is what I got and my friend got regular water; they came out in separate glass bottles.
My friend and I decided to do family style, splitting the Crispy Organic Tofu, Sichuan Green Beans, Vegetarian Longevity Soup and the Sugar Egg Puffs for dessert. The crispy tofu came out in little stacked blocks with some really spicy jalapeño garnish on top and a dipping sauce that tasted like the bottled Thai sweet chili sauce. The dish overall was so spicy it hurt, and my friend and I love spicy. I also like firmer tofu. The green beans were perfectly spicy, cooked just right, and a decent portion. The noodle soup had these Udon-like green colored noodles, super chewy. The broth was amazing, like a really rich vegetable broth. There were a couple slices of shitake, which were great but could have been more of, a couple slices of tofu, could also have had more of, and then these little white mushrooms that by the end were too many and some got left.
But honestly the highlight was the Sugar Egg Puffs. They were like sugar dusted pop-overs that came with this amazing raspberry coulis, vanilla bean whipped cream and a chocolate sauce, the highlight being the first two. Needless to say, 5 were not enough for the two of us. Also, my Mai Tai drink when it came was a little disappointing because of the small size, but it was strong and by the end I felt tipsy. I will definitely be back, most likely for the green beans and those amazing egg puffs.
Name: Douglas
Occupation: Trust Officer
Location: Oakland
Favorite Restaurant: Italian Colors Restaurant
Reviewed M.Y. China: Friday, December 27, 2013
M.Y. China is a large restaurant which is comprised of three physical spaces. A large, interior room is sophisticated and spacious. The bar area is comfortable and affords the diner a chance to see the rather frantic preparation of the dishes (as the chefs repeatedly flip their woks…the food spends almost half of its time in mid-air). The uncomfortable exterior seating "under the dome," literally exposes the poor diner to an endless parade of shoppers and, during holiday events, a deafening light show projected on the dome's interior. It is unfortunate that one would be expected to dine in any high end establishment where the ambient noise level approached that of a garage band rehearsal.
We were promptly seated in the interior dining room. After reviewing the extensive menu, and being somewhat overwhelmed by the range of choices, we asked our waiter if there was a set menu available for dinner. He explained that there had been, but was no more. Left to our own devices, two in our party chose the Curry Live Dungeness Crab special. The remaining three decided to share (family style) Hong Kong Crispy Noodle with Chicken XO, Chairman Mao’s Chicken and Wok Seared Beef Filet. The Chairman Mao's Chicken was very good, with a crisp and spicy coating with bell peppers and onions and two dipping sauces on the side. The Hong Kong style noodles were perfectly fried, without a hint of oil, and wonderfully crunchy under the XO sauce and vegetables. But the stars of the dish, and of the Chairman Mao's Chicken, were the "chicken bites." The white-meat chicken was obviously from a heavenly bird, perfectly cooked, moist and tender. The Wok Seared Beef Filet was also delicious, made from very high quality beef and seared beautifully with a Sichuan Peppercorn glaze served on a bed of baby arugula. My two colleagues were, almost literally, immersed in their Curry Live Dungeness Crab. The huge crab arrived in an oversized bowl with mounds of vegetables in a superb curry sauce. They attacked with gusto, and it was clear after a few minutes that they would need several additional napkins. Worthless, tiny wetnaps had been delivered to the table, but a sympathetic restaurant would anticipate the need for something much more substantial. Good, but not extraordinary Sugar Egg Puffs with sauces were served as dessert.
