Let's get to the chase...where do I purchase Hong Kong style Chinese roast duck, char siu, char siu ribs, roast pork, and shoyu chicken? Mei Mei Chinese Bbq, of course!
The Chinese translation for "mei mei" is little sister. But in this case, Mei Mei is the name of the wife of the husband-and-wife team that owns this nondescript small vendor space in the Maunakea Marketplace Food Court in the heart of Chinatown. Owner Guan Qiang Ruan and his wife Mei Mei emigrated to HI from China in 1993 with his brother, Ju Wei Ruan. They worked as chefs at Panda Cuisine on Keeaumoku Street for more than two decades before taking over Hung Won Chinese Restaurant in Kaimuki. Ju Wei Ruan is presently a chef at Asian Mix, while Guan Qiang Ruan and his wife, Mei Mei, elected to open Mei Mei Chinee Bbq around 2020.
Mei Mei Chinese Bbq specializes in offering ready-to-eat roasted meats - roast duck, char siu, ribs, roast pork, and shoyu chicken. In addition to these roasted meats, they also prepare cold ginger chicken, honeycomb tripe, braised beef shanks, and duck noodle soup.
Mei Mei was my go-to if I had a craving for roast duck, char siu, ribs, roast pork, or shoyu chicken. They also have cold ginger chicken, tripe, pig stomach/ear/tongue, and chicken feet. Then, whenever we went to Maui to babysit our granddaughter, my daughter would always request one of the roasted bbq meats to be brought up to Maui because they lack good Chinese restaurants in Maui. Yes, Mei Mei to the rescue for my Maui daughter!
In recent years, Mei Mei BBQ saw the popularity of offering plate lunches with a mix-and-match of their various meats and adding a starch of rice or egg noodles and parboiled choy sum. Plus, plate lunches were discounted with lower cuts or end cuts of roasted meats. Roasted meats and veggies over the starch were nicely lined up on the plate, making its savory presentation so mouth-watering to customers. You could order mini plates, or regular plates of 1, 2 or 3 choices with so many different combos.
Mei Mei and her husband speak and understand some English and are the nicest people to deal with. Both are very friendly, with Mei Mei taking your orders and payment, as well as arranging the meats in the containers, while her husband does the chopping of the meats. Mei Mei will try to accommodate your requests, as she will ask if you want a little fat in your meats or lean meat. I tend to request a little fat so that the meat is tender and juicy. If the roast pork slab they have in front is not what you want, Mei Mei will go in the back to get another slab. Then she'll ask if you want sauce for the char siu. When I noted that the meats would be going to Maui, she reinforced the takeout boxes by lining them with foil.
When Nam Fong, a major roast meat vendor fronting Maunakea St closed a few years ago, I asked Mei Mei if they wanted to move to that high traffic spot with lots of visible frontage to the public. Nope, they were satisfied where they were, knowing that they would not be able to handle the additional workload. They know what their limitations are.
Hours of operation are daily 7:30a to 3:30p. Early bird gets the worm here if you want a big duck/chicken or choice cut of meat. Once the better cuts are sold, you're left with what's left.
Located on the Diamondhead side of the food court across from Papa's Café take-out booth, Mei Mei is the corner stall. One cannot see the food court from the street. Municipal parking lots nearby or metered street parking is available. Or, if the driver can drop you off and wait on the side, which is even better.
The vendor space is very small, as most of the space is used to display hanging roasted meats or shoyu chicken lined up or char siu piled high on front shelf space. Paper products take up a lot of the space, as well as an oven housed in the back to roast their meats. They have adequate signage and price list of their food offerings.
Yes, Mei Mei Chinese Bbq for my craving of roasted meats or when wanting to gift someone with delicious savory meats! Wishing Mei Mei and her husband many more years with their successful Chinese bbq meat business! read more