Dinner at Mr Chow, Beverly Hills, LA

Had to have dinner at the famous Mr Chow in Beverly Hills, it's an institution. 

The first Mr Chow was opened by Michael Chow  in London in 1968 serving authentic Beijing cuisine.  Mr Chow opened at the Beverly Hills location in 1974, followed by two in New York, one in Miami and one in Las Vegas.  Michael collaborates with his wife and partner Eva.   Award winning Executive Chef Eddie Wong has been overseeing the restaurants for over 30 years.

The last time we were here was just after it opened - a bloody long time ago!

We were lucky enough to be served by a wonderful character who had been at the restaurant since it opened 38 years ago.

Love the lights under the tables which showcase the glass vase of orchids.

We began with Salt and Pepper Prawns.  They were, annoyingly, unpeeled and the shell was just not crisp enough to eat.  I also expected the dumplings to come out first.

We then had the famous Mr. Chow Noodles, the classic handmade Beijing noodles Mr Chow introduced to the west in 1968.    The mince was delicious, and the noodles lovely, but I did think the Spring Onions should have been a tad smaller in length.

During the dinner the room stopped for the Noodle Making Performance.  Very impressive.

Then followed the Potstickers, described as a classic from Beijing, which looked amazing.  Crack through the crust and there were the individual dumplings.  Tasty, but not as good as the 'soup dumplings'.

Shanghai Little Dragon Classic Steamed Soup Dumplings were the standout for me.  The dumplings were full of scalding hot soup and the vinegar dressing was really complimentary.

We then had the Crispy Beef .  Ordinary really.

Followed by the String Beans with XO Sauce.  Not bad, but I prefer the ones we get at home with Minced Pork.

 Naturally the Fried Rice.  Not great, but we are spoiled in Australia being so close to Asia.

Then Spicy Pork With Chili.  Very tasty, and quite hot.

And finally the Gamblers Duck, Contrast of tender and crispy served with Pancakes and Plum Sauce.  Strange that they didn't take the duck off the bone for us. 

The very friendly waitstaff insisted we have a dessert, so we obviously just had to comply.    Mixed Berry Tart with Ice Cream.  I didn't really like it.

We ran into an old friend there, who insisted on buying us a nightcap.  Expresso Martini's appeared like magic.

A great experience, very friendly staff and extremely efficient service.  No celebrities tonight.  I remember 30 odd years ago we sat beside Tony Curtis!  Just wish the food was better.

8/10