Mei Le Restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall in Coquitlam near the corner of Lougheed Highway and Schoolhouse.
Mei Le does not look fancy when you walk into the restaurant. It can even feel crowded or cramped as there are so many tables with people crowded around them enjoying their meals. This is especially true if you go to Mei Le in the morning.
Stepping into Mei Le is like entering a realm where time-honored traditions meet contemporary presentation. The ambiance resonates with the clinks of teacups and the many conversations that create an atmosphere that enhances the dining experience.
While every dish I have sampled at Mei Le tells a story, it’s their dim sum that steals the limelight and captures my heart, and the hearts of many other diners.
Dim sum, the star of Mei Le’s menu, unveils a symphony of flavors and textures meticulously crafted into bite-sized portions. Each delicate parcel tells a tale of expertise, from the skillfully pleated dumplings to the steaming baskets brimming with surprises.
Seeing as one of my kid’s is still really into shrimp, a highlights for us when we visit Mei Le Restaurant are the classic shrimp dumplings. We love the translucent, perfectly folded wrappers that embrace the succulent shrimp. These are exquisite little flavour explosions.
My other go-to menu item is the deep fried garlic and shrimp spring rolls. I can’t resist spring rolls and when the server mentioned the deep fried garlic shrimp spring rolls, I was sold. Again, like the shrimp filled dumplings, the deep fried spring rolls at Mei Le were packed with garlicky shrimp. I loved them.
We also tried their Shanghai-style juicy pork dumplings. They were good but I do have to admit, we do prefer the XLB we have at Peaceful Restaurant. They seem to have more soup inside them and a more silky texture to the dumpling wrapper.
The steamed BBQ pork buns were another big hit for us. These can be a risk because you do not know what is inside when you buy them. At discount places you can get a pork bun only to find that the pork filling is almost an afterthought. At Mei Le the BBQ pork buns are loaded with flavourful BBQ pork.
The beauty of Mei Le’s dim sum extends beyond the flavors; it fosters a sense of togetherness which is visible when you look around the room and see tables crowded with families, grandparents to very young children and babies, all sharing in conversations and connecting over their shared meal experience.
Mei Le Restaurant isn’t just a dining establishment; it’s a cultural experience. Their dedication to preserving tradition while embracing innovation is reflected in every bite of their exquisite dim sum offerings, making it a must-visit destination for food enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
AS I said, Mei Le is in a strip mall packed with restaurants including C-Market, Ricky’s All Day Grill, IAm Pho Noodle House, Wendy’s and others, just off the corner of Schoolhouse and Lougheed.
The address for Mei Le is #112-100 Schoolhouse Street in Coquitlam.