88 Club

Mei Lin’s Beverly Hills Chinese Restaurant 88 Club Is the Definition of Quiet Luxury | Eater LA

"Understated takes on regional Chinese dishes anchor Mei Lin’s return to fine dining, executed with a no-thrills approach that delivers deeply layered flavors and brilliant results. Start with cold mung bean noodles tossed in aged black vinegar and a chrysanthemum salad, then move to hiramasa crudo in a pool of XO sauce. Sesame prawn toast, finished with dollops of sweet-and-sour sauce and hot mustard aioli, and Manila clams in lemongrass black bean sauce make umami-packed middle courses, while XO fried cakes blow away the version at Din Tai Fung. Nam yu chicken, sweet & sour fish, and cha siu Iberico pork channel Chinese banquet classics, and dessert lands with coconut sago pomelo topped with Dippin’ Dots-style mango ice cream. High, cathedral-like ceilings disguise a relatively small room shielded from daylight by thick curtains; a side bar plays like a secret alcove of a swanky hotel cocktail hideaway, while the serene green main room—checkered floors, rounded leather club chairs, gold-rimmed plateware, and quarter-sized marble lazy susans—rides a steady simmer thanks to R&B bangers. Fashionistas in dark, flowy tones mix with corporate types, and the Art Deco-like interior in sumptuous greens contrasts with a bar the color of capicola; the menu also threads influences from Dearborn, Hong Kong, and Vancouver through dishes like Singaporean chow mein and kung pao scallops." - Matthew Kang