Ah....zen

There's so many restaurants in Chinatown to pick from. Where do you begin? Zen Mai is way off of the main roads. I've been there three times already and I still can't remember what street it's on. Landmarks usually work best for me. It's across the street from a basketball court where people are always playing, even when it's raining. It's definitely one of those small neighborhood hangouts with specials written all over the walls. I haven't had a bad dish yet. And I usually try different things when I'm there. Typical dishes like broccoli beef, mongolian beef, bok choy w/oyster sauce and others don't usually taste like the typical dishes from any old Chinese restaurant I've been to. All of the flavors pop and the dishes don't taste like each other. Let's face it, many traditional Asian dishes use similar herbs and spices for flavor - ginger, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sweet & sour sauce. After a while, dishes start tasting like each other. It's in a relatively small space so this may not be the best restaurant for parties of 15 or more. Take-out would probably be best if you still really want food for a large party. Words definitely do not do justice for the food here. You'll just have to go exploring LA's Chinatown and see for yourself.