Mai Place - Renton, WA

Looking for decent Chinese food in the south side?  Well, there's one place that even I will recommend and that's Mai Place.  No, I'm not inviting you to "my" place, but Mai Place.  The exterior of the restaurant has the liking of a small, dark brown house. It's hidden on the corner of a major intersection next to Rite Aid and some apartments.  There's a small sign hanging above with the letter 'M' that almost looks like the golden arches.  But this is not the Chinese-American fast food-version of McDonald's.  You'll be suprised to find that Mai Place serves some quality Cantonese food that can't be found elsewhere in Washington. 

Since it was my dad's birthday last week we decided to go there for dinner. Our first course was bitter melon soup. It was way too bitter for my liking. I felt like I was drinking Chinese medicine. But I was told this is how bitter melon soup tasted and that it's good for you. Well, if that's the case, I do not like bitter melon soup and won't order it again.

Our next dish was roasted squab, which you have to pre-order so they purchase it fresh.  I have not found any other Chinese restaurant around town that serves  roasted squab except here.  The roasted squab was perfectly done - the meat was tender and full of flavor.  We also pre-ordered the fried chicken. Out of all the Chinese restaurants that I have eaten fried chicken, I think they might be one of the best. The skin is crispy and the meat is juicy with just the right amount of salt. Even the white meat was moist and not dry at all. I'm not a huge fan of the chips that come with fried chicken, but my family likes them and they said that it was pretty good too.

Out last dish was steamed tilapia. It was very fresh since they buy it at the grocery store nearby. The sauce contained Chinese fish soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, and fried oil. I prefer the sauce without the cilantros, but the fish itself was good and I would order it again.

 

So if you're in the area or plan on shopping at Ikea or Fry's, I would recommend trying out Mai Place for dinner.  Just remember to call in advance to pre-order the roasted squab and fried chicken!

Mai Place

3152 NE Sunset Blvd

Renton, WA 

(425) 228-6388‎