An alternative to typical Asian fast food, MGM Asian Diner provides made-to-order, quality plates of unique food in a casual setting that leaves you satisfied.
Operating for the past year and located at 1400 Calloway Drive, MGM can be difficult to spot despite the corner-street location. From the outside, MGM looks as if it would be an upper-class, finer dining Asian restaurant, yet it offers quite the opposite, while not compromising on quality.
Surprisingly, when I entered, it was a very casual environment with purple flooring, yellow walls and a walk-up ordering counter with the menu largely displayed in front of the register. Country music was playing loud enough to hear but not loud enough to drown out the fan and water sounds coming from the kitchen.
A wall with a glass window just big enough for you to see the one chef preparing food divides the kitchen from the dining room. The food is passed through one of three small openings in the glass to the server, who is also the cashier.
Large philodendron plants hang throughout the eatery accompanied with paper lanterns and dragons. Other than a few pictures of Asian food, the walls were barren.
The restaurant was empty of customers other than two men eating plates of food that looked delicious. I was immediately greeted by a woman who asked me if I would be ordering for here or to go. I let her know it would be for dine-in and began to examine my options for lunch.
The menu offers a variety of Asian cuisine including appetizers of edemame, soups, salads, kebabs or combination plates that are served with your choice of steamed rice, fried rice or chow mein.
A fan of Mongolian beef, I decided that sounded satisfying with chow mein and my favorite, which is hot and sour soup with a drink.
Filling my own drink from the self-service drink fountain, I found a seat at one of the many generic brown tables with Asian-style black chairs.
The food came quickly and hot, first with the soup, which I had to ask if she brought the hot and sour because it looked more like egg flower soup. She asssured me that it was correct, and I dug in.
The soup was tasty; however, it was not as spicy as many hot and sour soups traditionally are, which for my taste was slightly disappointing. I added sambal (spicy chili paste) to give it a kick making it more enjoyable.
The chow mein and Mongolian beef plate came shortly after piping hot and generously portioned. The Mongolian beef was mixed with carrot strips, white and green onions. A rose carved from a carrot stick created the garnish, which created an elegant touch.
Waiting for the food to cool slightly and using chopsticks, I took the first bite of beef. A bit tough and not very spicy was my first impression, and the chow mein was a bit greasy, but what chow mein isn’t? So, I let that slide.
Adding sambal again helped the overall taste as, I love my Asian food spicy, and by doing so, the dish was quite tasty and overall satisfying.
MGM is not the typical fast Asian food. There is not a buffet line and the food is prepared to order, which is a nice change to the ordain Panda Express.
MGM pricing ranges from $2.99 appetizers, to my plate, which was $6.95 plus the soup and a drink, for a total of $10.95.
Finishing my meal with the last sip of my Dr. Pepper, I opened my fortune cookie, and to my surprise the cookie was crisp, fresh and sweet. Far from the stale cookies that are rarely finished, I savored every crunch while reading my fortune (made especially for me). It read, “You could prosper in a few years in the field of entertainment,” which when I read the cheesiness of these fortunes, it still somehow always brings a smile to my face.
With friendly service and hot fast food prepared to order (even if it was not as spicy as I like it), I would recommend trying it as an alternative to the dime-a-dozen franchise Asian restaurants.
Hours of operations are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.