Lan May = Overpiced and Undervalued Taiwainese

I write this post in disappointed retrospect as I reminisce about the poor meal I had at Lan May. Taiwanese cuisine comes from a mixture of different cultures, representative of the extreme variances of political rule its people had to endure over the past few decades. Not wanting to bore you with a history lesson, Taiwan and its people have become an amalgamation of Chinese, Dutch, Spanish and Western culture over its many years and this diversity is shown in its varied and experimental style of cuisine. Therefore I was ecstatic upon learning of Lan May, a supposedly traditional Taiwanese restaurant in town, a moniker that unfortunately its owners have failed to live up to.

Located on Portage Avenue, Lan May boasts an excellent location to attract both foot and car traffic. Realizing this, the owners created an attractive and sprawling signage that beckons would be diners forward. Initial impressions of the interior are also positive with a sprawling back dining area and smaller booth style rooms for groups wanting a more private affair. The attentive husband and wife combination greet you warmly as you enter the restaurant.

The menu, in truth, is impressive both in regards to the authenticity as well as the variety of dishes available. The menu is easy to follow with beautiful pictoral depictions of the more popular dishes, an always helpful addition! What the menu lacks though is focus. While I appreciate the sprawling number of dishes available, I found a few of the choices puzzling (i.e. Korean Kimchi) and others lacking proper descriptions of depictions. Nevertheless there is enough here to make anyone happy.

Wanting to order from the "Specialty" section of the menu, I started with a Taiwanese Fried Chicken. Akin to popcorn chicken, these little nuggets of dark meat are lightly dusted and shallow fried to form a nice tender interior while having a crisp exterior. Although nice fried, the dish lacked seasoning and finesse with the only unique flavour coming from crisp fried basil.

Boiled Pork Dumplings are a specialty of all Chinese people and these were rightfully tasty. Large tender dumplings are filled to the brim with a lean pork and cabbage mixture and boiled to perfection. The addition of light soy gives the dish a much needed saltiness that acts to coat the purposefully bland dumpling. Only negative is the overall value with eight of these dumplings going for $8.

My final dish is supposedly the most unique of Taiwanese dishes, Simmered Pig Feet, but was in actuality extremely disappointing. Albeit, the large portion of pigs feet had a nice aromatic presence that sings of anise and soy. However the meat was sinewy and the skin (a delicacy in China) chewy and tough; all coaslescing in a dish that was downright inedible. In fact it was tough to get through a portion of the dish before resorting back to my other orders.

It is difficult for me to recommend Lan May to anyone but those extremely intent on trying Taiwanese cuisine in Winnipeg. Despite the best efforts of the owners, the restaurant is overpriced and undervalued, especially when in comparison to the other Chinese spots in town. While its uniqueness is a definite positive, the quality of food needs to improve before it can become a staple in Winnipeg's Chinese food scene.