Date of Visit: April 28, 2009

Some restaurants are hidden in plain sight, as evidenced by Yi Mei Chinese Pastries. I’ve eaten next door to Yi Mei twice, most recently at Silver and Gold Amazing. Strangely, Yi Mei didn’t register. It took Genevieve Ko’s recent Gourmet article to learn about the bargain Taiwanese deli that’s been a San Gabriel Valley favorite for 30 years.

Twin cases were jammed, the counters were packed and almost everything looked incredible. It was tricky to narrow down which flaky wonders to select. With a selection this healthy, Yi Mei’s owners should expect several return visits. They have a printed English menu, but it’s more fun to just point and pay.

Yi Mei’s plastic wrapped stewed pork buns weren’t quite on Momufuku’s level, but they were fluffy and had intensely flavored marinated pork with tangy pickle strands. They also cost a fraction of David Chang’s pastries, less than $3 apiece.

Scallion pie was a flaky gem, with micro-thin onion-studded layers.

Beef and pickle bread was Yi Mei’s best offering (so far), with flaky sesame-studded bread with braised beef and more of those crunchy pickles. In the background, you’ll find a curry-soaked ground beef dumpling.

We finished with Yi Mei’s sweet sesame bun, an ultra flaky marvel that was similar to Armenian tahini bread, with the added bonus of sweet sesame paste.

Yi Mei features dozens of options at outrageously cheap prices, especially given the high quality ingredients. It’s almost like the owners haven’t grasped the concept of inflation. I won’t tell them if you won’t.

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3. Mission Chinese Food: Building on Ancient Traditions in San Francisco
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5. Shufeng Garden [CLOSED]

This entry is filed under California, Chinese, San Gabriel Valley, Southern California.