Humble Potato is a restaurant with a twist on Japanese American cuisine; it was owner Eric Ong’s first brick and mortar. He followed up with Most Valuable Playa or MVP, with a menu focused on Southeast Asian comfort food. His most recent endeavor is Mee and Greet.
Mee and Greet resides in a Palms strip mall, a former location to shuttered Kogi Taqueria. You can easily miss seeing them because they lack signage facing busy Overland Ave. The only mention of Mee and Greet is a neon sign in the window facing Palms Blvd. Parking in front of the restaurant is limited; fortunately, they have ample spaces behind their establishment.
The vibe is modern and upbeat, with hip hop playing in the background. A colorful LA street art mural beautifully decorates its rear walls. Tables are spaced socially distant, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue with many customers preferring to opt for takeout or delivery.
I’m not an expert on Hainan Chicken, but their version is the best that I have experienced. Their chicken is velvety, tender, and delicate. Condiments include fresh ginger and a ginger-garlic chili sauce. I immensely enjoyed the combination of flavors and poured both on top of the chicken.
Turmeric Chicken Wings pairs exceptionally well with beer. Since fried chicken is best when just prepared, I was happy that I dined there. Due to the health benefits of turmeric, you can easily “justify” eating this dish! While they have several beer taps, they are currently only serving Kirin on draft due to the pandemic.
I prefer dry noodle dishes like Ma Jiang Chicken Noodle, a popular Taiwanese dish on warm days. They add slices of Hainan chicken, slivered cucumbers, and scallions and toss it in a fragrant sesame sauce. The sesame sauce is addictive, and the cucumbers give this additional texture.
Another popular item is Bo Luc Lac Saltado. This dish is Chef Minh Phan’s riff on Peruvian Lomo Saltado. He upgrades this using pan-seared filet mignon and adds french fries, red onion, tomatoes, and serves it in a delicious bo luc lac sauce. A fried egg completes the dish.
Garlic Spinach sounds rather pedestrian, but I like how they lightly stir fry the spinach leaves to retain their color and shape. It is tossed with an abundance of chopped garlic and placed in a semi-sweet soy sauce-based dressing. It makes for a nice side to a protein.
Mee and Greet, 3500 Overland Ave, Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90034; 310.876.0838; meeandgreet.com