Diamond Bar has always been know for having some of the best Taiwanese food in the entirety of the Greater LA Area. And of these restaurants, I've always noticed the presence of Mimi 5 Bobee as one of the best ones around. From recommendations from friends to the amount of reviews on Yelp, their food always caught my eye. With that, I took a quick glance at their menu online and decided on a Fried Pork Chop Lunch Special Box which was 16 dollars before tax and came with a choice of Jasmine Green Tea or Wintermelon Tea. Picking up at the food at the Diamond Bar location on a Tuesday was pretty simple and I was in and out in a matter of minutes.
Looking at the box for the first time, I have to say that the quantity was pretty large! With six thick pieces of pork, a spring roll, some rice noodles with veggies, what seemed like pickled ginger, an eggplant and onion medley, and a small helping of minced pork over rice, the box easily lasted for two meals. And though there was a diverse spread of food, they were each given in pretty good ratio too which is always a plus. Adding on the drink that is included with this 16 dollar lunch special, I would say the price to portion ratio for the Diamond Bar area is pretty good. Many other places could easily charge upwards of 17 to 18 dollars with the recent inflation, which made this deal stand out.
The food was definitely authentic in all the right ways. But I felt the flavors of most food items were more muted than the typical places I frequent. Starting with the minced pork, I enjoyed the balance of fatty and lean pieces. However, the meat could have used just a tad more time absorbing the soy sauce. The spring roll was only 40% filled and was somewhat soggy by the time I got to it which was unfortunate. But flavorwise, the shell was perfectly savory and the vegetables inside were perfectly light. The noodle and vegetable medley accompanying the spring roll were also fresh and complemented the pork chop well. The addition of sliced shiitake mushrooms gave the vegetables an added depth and gave profile to the rest of the items in the box. On the other end of the box, I noticed that there were a few pieces of chicken underneath the medley of eggplant and onions. All of these items leaned more savory than sweet. And with the taste of chicken stock, this section of the box blended with the rice very well (especially the sauce). I would have wished for more chicken and less of the onions though. For last, the pork chop was good at best. The food initially looked like it would be crunchy and full of flavor. But after taking a bite, both the coating and the meat were both the same: somewhat soggy and pretty neutral in taste. I did appreciate the amount of pork with each piece. But because the outside tasted somewhat mushy and didn't have much flavor to it, it left me wanting more from my food.
After my experience trying Mimi 5 Bobee, I'd argue that their Pork Chop Lunch Special Box deserves a high 3 out of 5. The portion was definitely the highlight of the meal, followed by the vegetable side dishes. But because the pork chop was soggy after only being in the container for about 5-10 minutes and did not pack much flavor, I'll more than likely try something else the next time I come back. In all, definitely give this place a try if looking for large quantities at a Taiwanese restaurant! read more