Mei Lai Wah — Restaurant in New York

Where do I begin with my favorite eatery establishment in Chinatown Manhattan. MLW (Mei Lai Wah) is an exquisite place to consume authentic Chinese prepared foods. Waiting in the long line is a pain, but their rise to stardom on social media is to blame. Not a huge deal, as long as you don't go too late in the day (sometimes they run out of ingredients for popular items).

Anyways let me describe the gift from above. A blessing, a stroke of beauty, the bounty, the glorious food item that caresses and flows in my mouth at every outing...The PPB (Pineapple Pork Bun).

This bun, filled with pork, this gift of deliciousness, this thing... from above wow it is so delicious. Never had anything like it its so hypnotizing and mouthwatering I cannot even put it into words. Every time I see them reposting someone on Insta with a PPB I start drooling and counting down the days I can go back. From the doughy bun to the succulent pork that's slathered in that delectable sauce to the finger lickin' good pineapple layer laid on top it's greatness just never ends. Wow I'm salivating just thinking about it and writing this review.

Every time I get to the front of the line I'm already shaking and jittering at the suspense, the atmosphere teasing me with the scent of the PPB goodness. I stand in front of the cashier and say "10 Pineapple pork buns" and put up my hands with all fingers extended showing the number ten. Then hand her the cash and watch her do her magic as she professionally and swiftly fills my box up with 10 PPBs and ties it up the the string hanging from the ceiling. All the while yelling orders and receiving messages in Mandarin from her co workers. I promptly exclaim "Xiexie Auntie" and skip out the door like a young school child.

Only ever enough buns to last a few days, then I start dreaming about my next visit. The other buns are aight, custard bun is one to mention and the famous bun is there if you get tired of the rich and succulent pork (or can't eat pork). Great place highly recommend totally worth the wait every singe time. Need a PPB...

＊ Roasted Pork Pineapple Bun 菠蘿叉燒包 The cracked golden toppings of the pineapple bun was perfect, nearly the best and the freshest one I have ever had in NYC so far. It was still served warm when I ate it. It looked and tasted exactly like the ones I could buy in Hong Kong.

However, the roasted pork filling was too fat and greasy for my liking. There was too much belly fat...... I had to keep spitting the fat out. I wish they could add replace the fat jelly with more meat. Worth a try for the bun though!

＊ Cocktail Bun (Coconut) 雞尾包 I didn't take any photos of it as it was too disappointing. It looked different from the menu photo, and tasted nothing like the Cantonese / Hong Kong style cocktail bun.

＊ Roasted Pork Pineapple Bun 菠蘿叉燒包 The cracked golden toppings of the pineapple bun was perfect, nearly the best and the freshest one I have ever had in NYC so far. It was still served warm when I ate it. It looked and tasted exactly like the ones I could buy in Hong Kong.

However, the roasted pork filling was too fat and greasy for my liking. There was too much belly fat...... I had to keep spitting the fat out. I wish they could add replace the fat jelly with more meat. Worth a try for the bun though!

＊ Cocktail Bun (Coconut) 雞尾包 I didn't take any photos of it as it was too disappointing. It looked different from the menu photo, and tasted nothing like the Cantonese / Hong Kong style cocktail bun.

Worth Returning ? Maybe no. It's a pity that they don't sell plain pineapple bun, otherwise I will definitely come back for the bun.

• Pay by cash inside the store is cheaper than paying at the...

During my trip to New York, I had a strong desire to try this famous place.

Upon arrival, I noticed a long line stretching from the left side of the store to the order machine. Some customers appeared to be heading inside, leading me to assume that they were paying with cash.

I approached the cashier and inquired if I needed to use a different line for cash payments, and he confirmed that I should stay there. I proceeded to order their famous Pineapple bun with pork and ice Hong Kong milk tea. However, he informed me that they didn't sell “ iced ”, I told him that on your menu have that option. He consulted his coworkers for clarification.

The pineapple bun was quite delicious, and I would recommend trying it.

I really enjoyed their bun when I returned three days later. This time, I was the fourth person in line to pay with cash. When it was finally my turn, the cashier seemed to ignore me and started packing buns. I understood that it was busy, but she suddenly turned to the person on the other side and took their order. She mentioned that the line started on the side, which was confusing because I had been waiting in line. I also wondered about the people who were ahead of me. She didn’t mentioned to them.

Nevertheless, I must mention that the line setup and service left much to be desired. The staff appeared rude, unenthusiastic, and disorganized.

I highly recommended to them that they consider opening a separate window for cash-paying customers and pick up or create clear signage to streamline the process.

Food 5/5 Service...