Man Fook Lo Dim Sum

[RWH]

Just got back from a Dim Sum outing with my family from Hong Kong Palace in Rowland Heights. It was written up in the LA Times a while back. It was average at best.

But the reason I'm posting is because No Dim Sum regardless of where we go with my In-Laws can live up to the reputation of MAN FOOK LO. (sp?) I guess it was a take out place on San Pedro Street in Downtown LA. It's been closed for a long time. It wasn't until a co-worker of mine mentioned this place with the same reverance that my in-laws did that I became I curious.

Does anyone who grew up in LA remember this place? They always talk about the Cha Shu Bao, but I guess Man Fook Lo's didn't have the traditional red pork filling but something like Shu Mai filling in a Cha Shu Bao. If you know where I can find this dish please let me know as I would love to score some points with my wife's family : )

[Dave Feldman]

As a child, I ate at MFL more than any other downtown Chinese, and I don't remember dim sum there. They offered very well-prepared Cantonese.

[Sam D.]

I remember MFL offering dim sum at lunchtime. The list was short and you ordered it from the menu. It wasn't served from rolling carts.

[brwencino]

Man Fook Low was not take out. It was an eat in restaurant with old fashioned booths, similiar to the Chop Suey place on First St. that was in many movies. It was Cantonese, before we knew about any other kind of Chinese food. I still remember their great Lobster Cantonese and pork fried rice--never been able to get as good. And of course, you asked for and got your favorite waiter---ours was Paul.

[Hughlipton]

Paul was great but Mr. Yee was the show.

[broncosaurus]

Hmmm, Yee you say? I wonder if this Mr. Yee went on to open his own place on Slauson, which exists today as Yee's Chinese. Still old school stuff. Some years ago they moved from the north side of Slauson near Overhill to a lot across the street, and their version of pressed duck didn't survive the move much to my chagrin...they were delicious, those small rectangles of squashed duck with a strong sweet and sour flavor.

[kure]

Thanks Hughlipton, I'll be sure to tell my Dad you remember him.

[tonygallego]

I'm 84 years old and I still remember eating at Man Fook Low's since I was a young kid. As a married adult, my wife and I always went there when we wanted the best Chinese food ever. Yee was always our waiter, the one thing I will always remember of Yee is that he always spred a table cloth on our table. When ordering I would leave it to him to order for us and we were never sorry. We have been living in Albuquerque NM for over 40 years. Many years ago, we drove a rental car from LAX hoping to have a great Chinese dinner, but to our surprise, MFL was gone. Just the produce markets on San Pedro were there. If any one knows where we can still get food like the old days please let us know.

[hej]

it was also take out, i took out many times, and they had big pink boxes with white string tied around it. when you entered the room with that box, everyone knew it was man fook low, dim sum...it was the best in l.a. i had some great ones in canada ... but i miss man fook low

[Debbie]

There was a sub-thread with some Man Fook Low content within the larger thread "Eateries of Old LA" from December 18th or so. Sorry but I haven't figured out how to link threads yet, maybe soon. But you don't have to scroll down very far.

Last night I finally got around to asking my dad if he remembered Yee from Man Fook Low, in response to a query (from Les, I think) in that thread. He didn't, but he instantly recalled that the waiter we always had was Albert.

[Zoe]

When we had an office downtown more than twenty years ago we used to drift between Man Fook Low and the restaurant on 9th near Alameda which had the most divine chicken salad and Princess shrimp (I'll remember the name of restaurant soon). I have had dreams over the years of this purposefully blended salad with just the right amount of white (not too much) and dark chicken meat with a dressing you could spoon and fresh won ton crisps. The Princess shrimp were HUGE served in a delicate sweetish sauce (sorry this was a long time ago but I know it was just delicious). Restaurant now pulled down and last year we found it now at 9th and Olympic - chick salad pretty good but son of old owner said no more Princess shrimp because 'the chef who made it, died' - I said didn't he leave the receipe? Son: No he died standing up making a last order (I think he was pulling my leg he saw how desperate I was).

[Jellisto]

Funny you should mention it...

I used to go to MFL when I was in grad school a millenium or so ago. It was actually an old cello teacher who told me to go, and insisted that I ask for Yee.

The fact that I recall its excellence must be called in question,clouded as my memories are by the mists of time [someone stop him before we choke on purple prose!!!]--and also, consider how much great Chinese food we've all had since the time I hung out there (mid '70s)...

[LesThePress]

Here is a link to the thread on old eateries in L.A.

By the way, Paul was always our waiter with Yee poping by often to visit!

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[Hughlipton]

Albert had a very pretty daughter and when I asked the owner Frank about asking her out I was told a day or too later that it would not be acceptable. Oh well, fond memories. I got engaged there. Frank had the Hong Kong Noodle Co. around the corner from the restaurant bake the ring into a fortune cookie. My girlfriend could not figure out why everybody from the restaurant was standing around our booth when she was served her fortune cookie.

[Hugh Lipton]

The owner of Man Fook Low passed away several years ago, but one of his son's as recently as 5 years ago was still operating the Wok Inn in the mall in Santa Monica.
The Cha shew Bao that I believe you are thinking about was not Cha shew (pork) but was gai bow, a chicken filling. You should give the Empress Pavillion in China Town a shot. Great dim sum for center of the city.
I do miss the old place on 9th and San Pedro. I remember all of the waiters (and attitudes) Mr. Yee being famous for his. Other than dim sum if you are looking for a really solid restaurant in China Town with a bent towards seafood, try Hop Li.

[Sandra W.]

Aw.... what great memories... made many a pilgrimage to MFL... we always ordered the BBQ even though it wasn't on the menu.

[Chandavkl]

Man Fook Low's dim sum was the plain, old style stuff that we had to contend with prior to the introduction of Hong Kong style food to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Man Fook Low made a large, steamed BBQ pork bao which featured a nearly tasteless dough with a decently flavored cha siu filling. As far as I'm concerned, it was good riddance to that style of dim sum as the Hong Kong style is much tastier and has much more variety. The only place that still might serve a similar kind of dim sum is the Hong Kong Low take out, in the alley behind the now closed Hong Kong Low restaurant in Chinatown.

[robert d]

The distance of years, the passage of time, the "things just aren't like they used to be" mind-set sweetens the memory of this so-so restaurant.
We have more and "more better" choices today.
Don't be Dim! Get out there and find Sum!

[Nick Maiorino]

I’m sorry for joining this thread rather late, but I just have to ask whether anybody remembers the “Mandarin Steak” entree at “Man Fook Low” in downtown L.A.? This had to be one of the most spectacular tasting beef dishes that I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been trying to find the recipe for this dish ever since, but have been unlucky so far. It consisted of specially marinated medallions of beef served over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. Perhaps it’s not quite so unique, but I haven’t tasted anything quite like it since. I really do miss this “Old L.A.” eatery, as they really had dishes that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

[Lau]

My grandfather was a waiter / cook at man fook lo...if you're willing to make the drive, the steak dish (i believe it says house special steak) you are looking for is served at Fu Wing Low in Fountain Valley...the owner's name is Kenny and he was a waiter / cook at Man Fook Lo (grandfather trained him) as well and then opened his own place

It serves semi americanized chinese food, but they can make authentic if u want

[jamesroache]

MFL, here's a bit of history. My Dad worked at the Los Angeles Drug Company at 7th and San Julian, around the corner from MFL, in 1935. I believe he was going there then. I recall many, many Sunday mornings going to ManFooKLo for the "A"s (shumai or 'volcanos' as my brother and called them, "B"'s (Shrimp hargow, or "bags" as we called with bamboo shoots, black mushroom and waterchestnuts) no one makes them like that anymore, and "C"'s. the BBQ Pork Bun.For dessert "E"'s the sweet rice cakes. As I attended USC in the 60's I introduced many a professor and frate brother to MFL.. Never will I forget Man Fook Lo. Glad to know it is carried on in Fountain Valley.

[Citation]

jamesroache:

Where in Fountain Valley? Same cooks? You know what I mean.
I miss that good 'ol style of cantonese food.
I remember as a kid picking up bags of shumai,chashu bows,and the shrimp hargow from the little window in that narrow hallway, at least that's what I remember.

[jamesroache]

I saw it on a link to CHOW this morning but I can't find it again now. I believe it was either the MFL chef's son or an owner's son, all I remember is that it is located on Brookhurst. I'll continue to search......

[Wonginator]

No current dim sum places I know of in Fountain Valley.

There is Furiwa on Brookhurst in Garden Grove near the 22 fwy, but that is among the worst dim sum places in OC.

Seafood World is also on Brookhurst, in Westminster. Kinda decent dim sum, but nowhere near the best.

Please do let us know what you find. Consistently great dim sum is hard to get in OC.

[Chandavkl]

Haven't been there personally, but supposedly it's Fu Wing Low, 16545 Brookhurst. Don't know if they have dim sum--maybe just Paul's Kitchen type of food.

[Lau]

they don't have dim sum

[jamesroache]

Not only do I remember the little window, we used to park in back and walk through the kitchen. I got in trouble when I was about 6 or 7 because I just stood there in the kitchen watching a little old lady hefting a big cleaver chopping pork on a huge, round chopping block. I believe that it was Albert who roughly escorted into the dining room by the arm, back to my parents. I learned later that only that particular lady made one of the dim sum items. When she died, they quit making it. I wish I could remember what is was.

[Citation]

Thanks jamesroache,
I'm telling my better half that my memory is as good as ever (The little window ...).
Memory lane ain't a bad place to visit.
My folks too parked in the back but I was 6,7, or 8 and that is all I can remember.
About Fountain Valley, good luck.

[Clinton]

Gone are the old time Cantonese-type dim sum take outs like MFL, Hong Kong Low, Grandview, etc. located in LA Chinatown. That typical style of dim sum has been replaced by the current style brought in by recent immigrants from Hong Kong and mainland China. Many of us old timers sadly miss those big huge char siu baos and simple "changao" as we used to call it.
I've noticed that Far East Chop Suey on 1st and San Pedro has now reopened for business after several years of shutdown. That's where they shot numerous Hollywood movies (Bruce Lee Story) and is now considered a state of California landmark. I was told that the old time Japanese families remember going to that special place for "chinameshi" on weekends.

[slacker]

Regarding the bao with the siu mai-like filling: You can get that kind of bao at many dimsum places, the filling is chicken. I don't think that type of bao w/ that type of filling comes in pork, or if it does I just never notice since i only get the chicken one. Sorry, can't remember the Chinese name of that type of bao. Most cart-style dim sum places will have it.

[Hughlipton]

gai bao

[Clinton]

I think the gai bao had a gingery taste to it. Not the same as the char siu ones which had roast pork in it.

[Hughlipton]

Absolutely agree. Char sui bao = BBQ pork bun and gai bao = chicken bun

[slacker]

Yeah, I'm not sure it's just gai bao. But that could be it, plain and simple, as I couldn't think of other bao's that are chicken.
Also, usually if not always, they are the pan fried type of bao, not steamed.

[slacker]

Right, the OP was asking about the bao's where the inside looks like siu mai filling. char siu bao's don't look anything like that.

[davez]

i have been to fu wing low. this restaurant is run by Kenny who was a waiter and a brother in law. the food is different. but he remembers a lot of people. he has a lot of old customers from the old place. I also went to man fok low on my wedding day. i was married at the court house a long timne ago.

[Wonginator]

Davez, do you remember anything about the food at Fu Wing Low? When you say it was different, do you recall if it was a different type of Chinese cuisine that was not Cantonese? Is there any dim sum on the menu?

I'm thinking of driving by this weekend to take a look, as my parents are coming to visit for Chinese New Year in a few weeks. I'm always on the lookout for good Chinese restaurants nearby.

[Chandavkl]

Prior thread on Man Fook Low describes food as being Americanized.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/434731

[Wonginator]

Thanks for linking that. I didn't see that thread from before.

Checked it out on various restaurant sites, and there seem to be many more positive reviews than negative ones.

I definitely plan to check it out now when the parents visit.

[Wonginator]

My brother and I checked out Fu Wing Low for lunch yesterday. Definitely no dim sum carts. I think they had siu mai as an appetizer, but that's about it.

Ordered our standard of chicken chow mein Hong Kong style, beef chow fun, and won ton soup.

The won ton was a bit lacking, being very small and only served 5 pieces, in comparison to our favorites at Sam Woo or SW Seafood, where we get huge shrimp-stuffed won ton, 6 to 8 of them usually.

The chicken chow mein, Hong Kong style meaning crispy noodles, was pretty good, but it was a bit different being served with the thicker bigger noddles instead of the thinner vermicelli-sized noddles, which is usually the norm. Tasted pretty good, large amounts of chicken & veggies.

The beef chow fun was also good, but it seem to lack a bit of soy sauce or something, as it was a bit drier and less oily than what we usually get. Good but not great.

Overall, I'm not sure if we'll go back for lunch, as Sam Woo and SW Seafood are better overall in food quality. We may go back to try it for dinner.

[vegasmike]

I can remember sometimes we got to MFL before lunch time, and the entire crew was eating and no one got in until they finished. I always wanted to eat what they were eating. My favorite was Wor Won Ton soup with Shu Mei in it. The Best!! No place like that today.

[deadre]

What a great thread. I grew up in West L.A and we would go to Man Fook Low for most family birthdays. We loved this restaurant and I think of the Wor Wonton Soup and though I don't remember the name of our waiter, he was quite a character. He seemed slightly distracted as he remembered single thing we ordered. It brings back my childhood and that was well over 40 years ago.

[poggibonzzi]

The Cha shu bao you were looking for, with shu mai like filling, I've seen it at the take out dim sum place across Dragon Inn (?) in Chinatown. Filipino-Chinese restaurants (ex. Little Ongpin on Sunset near Normandie) also tend to have that kind filling in their siopao. I can't vouch for their tastiness though as I haven't tried them.

[Midlife]

Wow! Talk about resurrecting an old topic. I used to work in the downtown area in the late 60's and 70's and we frequented New Moon, Man Fook Lo and Paul's Kitchen. That was years before I began travelling to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand on business, so my tastes regarding Chinese cuisine were different then....... but I would never pass up a chance to enjoy the same things I had way back then. I suppose that was "Americanized Chinese" as they describe it on these boards. I grew up in New York and, to some degree, a lot of the dishes were like what I remembered as a little kid, being taken to Chinatown in lower Manhattan or Ruby Foo's in midtown, or the local places near where we lived in Queens. What a rush of food flashbacks!!!!

[alanjc]

man fook lo WAS VERY GOOD...THE DIM SUM WAS CALLLED "A's" & "B's"...long gone...only cantonese place left is Paul's Kitchen. Canton Kitchen in Mar Vista is history and so is Gung Hay in Gardena....no real true cantonese anymore,

[Das Ubergeek]

What do you mean by "real true Cantonese"? Do you mean that awful glop from the 60's and 70's that was called "Cantonese" food because it was cooked by people originally from Guangdong province before they had the ingredient supply lines set up from China and the right vegetables growing here in California?

Because I have to tell you, there are more real Cantonese places -- as in places that serve food you would find in Guangdong province and Hong Kong -- than I can begin to count. You just have to go to the SGV to get it.

If you mean the 60's-style Chinese food, no, there are precious few places left, like Mao's Kitchen or Yang Chow (downtown or in Woodland Hills).

[Morris Malken]

Gung Hay is long gone, but Canton Kitchen is still in business. I passed by there last night and people were standing at the counter waiting for their take-out.

[tonygallego]

I sure wish I could help. I grew up in LA and was a great fan of MFL for years, i'm 85 and still remember going to MFL with my parents thats how far I go. My wife kids and I often went there for great food and Yee always served us. I tried to plan my days around going to MFL for lunch to have a bowl of their wor wan tan, the best, and of course dim sum by the numbers. I'm fortunate to be living in a place where we have a very good dim sum resterant, Albuquerque, NM. "Amerasia" has as good dim sum as I have ever had. I hope you can have your inlaws here some day to experiance dim sum in the high desert country. Tony G.

[SeaCook]

Man Fook Lo is where my family would go (from the SFV mind you!) for Chinese food. I learned to use chopsticks at my father’s insistence when I was seven there. I remember the waiters gathering and watching my struggles. I remember Mr. Yee. Paul rings a bell to. They did have excellent Chinese chicken salad and wor won ton soup. All this talk of MFL is making me crave cashew chicken! Geez where to get some?

[marloart]

My friends and I used to go to Man Fook Low for late night food when we were in college in the early 50's. It was cheap, felt dangerous being in the east of downtown area across from the old wholesale fruit and vegetable market, and looked like a dive. It did serve the old Americanized food and what's wrong with that? It was delicious and filling. My favorite was the authentic shrimp with lobster sauce made with the real Cantonese style lobster sauce with sausage and egg whites and was a dark color as opposed to the stuff now served with the white sauce, peas, and no sausage. I agree that there was a takeout window along the corridor that ran from the very small parking lot behind the restaurant. When we would go to a football game at the Coliseum we would drop by and pick up boxes of dim sum in pink bakery cartons, all for a song. The booths were thin dark wood and there was linoleum on the floor. The place closed, I think, when the new wholesale market opened and most of the business left. The closest restaurants were the New Moon (which had air conditioning!) and Paul's Kitchen which is still there. Paul's has a branch in Monterey Park on Atlantic and it serves the same food with a (very) little more atmosphere. Paul's also had a branch on Jefferson near Crenshaw which closed a long time ago.

Question: Does anyone know where you can still get that old style Cantonese shrimp with Lobster Sauce besides Paul's Kitchen?

[Hughlipton]

I frequent a little whole in the wall in a strip mall in North Hollywood called BBQ Unlimited. They have shrimp in lobster sauce on their menu but i avoidsed ordering it until the other day. My partner, an associate and i ordered it and we were amazed how good it was. I have been back for it twice more. Their noodle dishes are very good also.

[Fru]

I love all these memories of "Man Fooey" as we used to refer to it. I don't know when my dad first started eating there but he had a factory in LA in the late 60's. When I was old enough to drive (late 70's) I was the one who trekked in from the Valley on weekends to do the dim sum pick up. I remember the little pad to check off what kind and how many and brought them home in those pink boxes. I remember having dinner there. One of my parents' favorite dishes was the shrimp with lobster sauce. For us, it was a luxury. When I saw your post Hughlipton, I called my dad and asked if he had ever been to BBQ Unlimited? He has a business not too far from there and he told me he had been in the past but the parking was a hassle. Anyway, I told him to read the thread. I got a call from him today asking me, "Guess where I picked up lunch today?" Thanks to your post, he went back and among other things got the shrimp with lobster sauce. Apparently you are right. He said it was excellent. I'm jealous!

[Hughlipton]

Thank you for the acknowledgement. You need to make arrangements to meet your Dad for lunch. They also have a very limited selection of dim sum but their sui mei are very very good as are thier steamed pork buns and chicken buns. Enjoy!!

[Fru]

Hi Hughlipton and all, The Grandson and I drove out and picked up my dad and had dinner at BBQ Unlimited tonight! My dad's name is Hugh BTW. Anyway, we had BBQ pork bao, wor wonton soup, shrimp with lobster sauce, BBQ pork fried rice, sauteed spinach and a roasted pork/duck combination platter. Had to have the sweet cream filled bao and the sticky rice cake for dessert too. I brought the left overs home for the husband who exclaimed that it is some of the best damn Chinese food he has ever had. Of all the places I have had dim sum, the fluffy and not saturated texture plus the pork filling made it one of the best I've ever had. The duck was just a little salty for me and not quite crispy enough but the boy was very happy. The wor wonton had a very flavorful broth. I was hoping for more veggies but having scallop, mussel, squid and fish in it more than made up for it. The wontons were very flaverful as well, full of garlic and ginger. I'm too tired to go on but hopefully I have conveyed how enjoyable our meal was. Like you said, it is a hole in the wall. The staff is very helpful and happy as well. I've been shopping at Bangluck Market for years and had always seen this place but never thought to stop in. Thanks for the recommend!

[Hughlipton]

It is always a pleasure to find out that there are those who enjoy the recommendations we posters make. I'm so glad you enjoyed it enough to let me know. Be well and keep posting.

[GBuckne]

Some people want to say that MFL was Americanized, but it depended upon what you ordered, bitter melon is hardly that or bean curd oxtail and as far as dim sum how about the neh mai, "B"'s were shui mai, but they had a "B2" that was made with a tasty skin. I was 3 years old and remember seeing Franks father sitting at the counter, and does anybody remember Yoyo, she was Japanese, or Puon who was a waiter and went on to teach acupunture at USC. Frank showed packages of ingrediants that got from China at $300 a pound. Hardly American.

[oakjoan]

We used to eat there at a couple of times a month for years when I was a kid. My favorite was Beef Steamed Rice, which had a raw egg on top that was mixed into the beef, veg, rice and thus cooked. I think it was probably Americanized - it had all the sweet and sour pork-type dishes, but almost every Chinese restaurant in the 50s and 60s was at least somewhat Americanized.

The last time I was there was in the late eighties. I got take-out to bring to my parents.

[turbo6shooter]

I used to work nearby there and used to get dim sum. Used to get chashu bao's and shumais. Good memories. Go in through the back. You used to get it literally in a hole in the wall. My brother used to take me there and when i got old enough to drive, that was one of the places i used to stop by on the way home. MFL trivia? The shumais were larger towards the end of their existance. Their previous machine broke down and new one cranked out 33% larger...lol When you're a little kid, that stuff sticks in your head for some strange reason. They also used to have a pretty good wonton soup! OLD SCHOOL FOR SURES And dont forget New Moon lol

[JulietheGardener]

Grew up eating at Man Fooks. Albert was our server, and I've yet to have a shu mai which compared to theirs. It's been the quest of my life to find anything equivalent. Super yum!

[Hughlipton]

I grew up there to. They had a great crew (Kenneth, Paul, Albert, Mr. Yee and some woman behind the counter that yelled at everybody. Their dim sum was the firs I ever had and is my benchmark. Proposed to my first wife there. The owner Frank had her engagement ring baked in to a fortune cookie and served to her at the end of dinner. What wonderful days and great food.

[tonygallego]

I am 87 years old and I sure do remember Man Fook Lo. In 1968 I moved to Albuquerque NM with my family but when ever we went back to LA we made it a point to go there for the best Chineise Food in any town. One day after getting off at LAX, renting a car and driving to San Pedro St. and salivating, to my surprise Man Fook Lo was gone. I would give a lot to be able to get food like they had there. Ye was our favorate waiter and all the staff werre the best. I'm an old man now but I still remember going there with my folks in the thirties.

[Lau]

im glad man fook lo made so many people happy, growing up i didnt realize that, it was just the restaurant my grandfather worked at and they'd make us special dishes which i always loved, but i didnt realize that it had such a good reputation

[bighen]

I remember MFL since the late 50's and early 60's. I still remember cutting the strings and opening the red box that had the take-out dim sum my dad would buy.