A sign blinked as I neared the end of the rope. Mey Lin Chinese Restaurant (Hand-pulled Noodles) is a newbie in the food street. It was worth a try with about 5 tables occupied at 10:30 pm.

The menu was easy to comprehend because I had to order fast enough to quell my hunger pangs. After having some tea and Steamed Dumplings, which tasted a lot like Gyoza, I noticed the interiors. It may look well-lit from the outside but the inside is comfortable and clean. The booth tables and cushions were also easy. It may not have ritzy interiors like its hotel-based counterparts but the aroma coming from the kitchen smelled 5-star delicious. The special room was also occupied because of a family celebrating the Mooncake Festival. Seeing a majority of Chinese people dining, I was assured that it would be a fulfilling dinner.

The waitress though was more sleepy than awake. She heard Ansio Beef instead of Spiced Squid. Squid to beef?! Oh well! Good that their Ansio Beef at P220 is the house specialty. It was beef that melted in my mouth with yummy gooey sauce! It tasted truly Chinese. Something that my husband will appreciate. I loved how they steamed the beef with the sauce. I might not really like ginger-based or ginger-included recipes but this one I let pass. The beef dish was perfect with the Steamed Mixed Vegetables. For P154, it was well worth it because of the broccoli, cauliflowers, carrots, three kinds of mushroom, cabbage, shrimp.

Since I ordered with an empty stomach, I also had the Sate Beef Kangkong, Yang Chow Fried Rice, and Three Cups Chicken. Hungry!

I absolutely adore the Three Cups Chicken. The herbs they used really blended so well together creating a chicken worth the P198. I was sure of the taste of fresh sweet basil that rubbed off the chicken scent from steamed dishes. The dish is made with one cup each of wines, sesame oil and soy sauce, thus the name. I love, love, love this chicken dish! I finished the whole affair with almost half of the big oval bowl containing my Yang Chow Fried Rice Order (P142).

The Sate Beef Kangkong paled in comparison to the Three Cups Chicken. Maybe it was the difficult to cut and chew kangkong stems! The beef though was soft and tasted a lot like the beef from the Ansio Beef in fairness to the dish. The noodles were authentically hand-pulled although I didn’t see how they actually did it. You will know the difference from the texture and cut. Hand-pulled noodles have a grainy texture with uneven (or maybe not perfectly even) length and width. Also, maybe the great influence of the Ansio Beef to my palate was the culprit or maybe the busy to and fro of the waits at the back of our booth. It was like a mini service area which was enclosed to house the various condiments and utensils.

I really can’t get over the experience of the Three Cups Chicken. It’s a must-order! Maybe they should offer a bigger serving or such. I think that it will go really well with another vegetable dish or a fried fish plate. It left a fine imprint in my palate.

Of course, I won’t let a meal pass without dessert. I had the Almond Lychees cup. It was an ideal period to my dinner. The lychees felt real, not canned, in my mouth. Or, maybe the brand they used was better than the brand I know. I love perfect lychees.

Mey Lin might be a tyro in the arena but its flavor goes far better than the others. Most of the waits were courteous and accommodating. The service was speedy and convenient. May Lin Restaurant is located at Jupiter Place, Jupiter Street, Makati City. Spread the word!