Mingkee Deli 西關明記腸粉 — Restaurant in Cupertino

This place opened on April 12, 2022.

We saw rice roll and congee and thought, great! Love them since I'm from HK. But after looking closely on the items advertised on the window... oh no, this is a mainland Chinese congee place and I have to admit, I'm biased for HK congee and not crazy about mainland Chinese style.

My wife and my mother in law wanted to try this place. I wasn't even motivated to order and let them order whatever. Once the dishes came, I was pleasantly surprised!

Sampan Porridge - Ok, let's say HK style is just better with more ingredients like mince beef and crispy vermicelli crumbs, squid etc. However, I have to admit, the flavor and the texture was pretty impressive.

Beef Brisket rice roll - I was looking forward to it but it was better than I expected. The beef brisket was so tender and the sauce is so flavorful. I was sold!

Chinese donut rice roll - I say this one is average as donut rice roll, but I have to admit the rice roll was very smooth and the customize soy sauce they made was really tasty.

Assorted Pork porridge - well, they ran out of pork liver which is fine by me, but usually, the flavor of the congee comes from the pork liver and the pork meat ball. WIthout the pork liver, it still taste really good!

Turnip cake with XO sauce - I love the XO sauce. Not the turnip texture but it's very subjective... some people like it firm, some like it soft... the flavor is good and again, I love the XO sauce.

Hot chili sauce - free! And it was one of the best I have had... because it's very flavorful. However, the sauce is not as spicy as most people expect.

All in all, the rice roll and the porridge is very good. I had to admit my biasness failed. This place is pretty good! They don't have a lot of selection but porridge is porridge, the most important thing is porridge base they made was quite flavorful and the rice roll's texture is...

I recently visited this restaurant with my family and had a disappointing experience, particularly regarding child-friendliness, food quality, and overall value.

Child Accommodations: The restaurant provided only one high chair for the entire establishment, which was unavailable when we arrived. We were given a booster seat without any safety straps, making it extremely unsafe and unusable for our toddler, who needed it most. It was clear that this restaurant is not equipped to accommodate families with young children.

Food Quality and Value: The food was of poor quality and overpriced. Portions were small, and the meat was severely overcooked to the point of being tough and nearly inedible. The dishes lacked authenticity, failing to meet the basic standards of the cuisine.

Porridge (Congee): I was especially surprised by the porridge, a staple dish in any Cantonese restaurant. It came as a plain, flavorless base with toppings added separately. There was no aroma, depth, or seasoning in the porridge itself, which is a fundamental aspect of Cantonese cooking.

Overall, I am shocked that this restaurant is still in business. I would not recommend it to families, as they appear to have made a conscious decision not to be family friendly. I will definitely not...

Many people claim to have authentic Chinese food and the best one too, but in reality, many fail to meet the bar or even see where the bar is due to cost and time cutting measures. Well, look no further because this restaurant taste amazing. From their side dishes to their main dishes like porridge, you can taste the love in their cooking with every dish made from scratch and cooked to perfection.

The porridge is slow cooked with the flavor infused with each grain of rice and each bite you take. (Not every dish).

There are still some downsides with some dishes not having that infused flavors, but the meat was very tender.

Last but not least, they are quick and efficient making it a great place for a quick stop for a snack too! Their style is pay now, eat as long as you want and when you’re ready to leave, you can leave. No more having to wait for the waiter to serve and retrieve your receipt.

For price, as many things are on the rise, prices here are pretty average. They’re not WOW! BANG for buck, but they’re not frugal with their portions. The value is fair and is at an acceptable price.

A taste...