After two and a half years of searching and hoping, my hunt for perfect, local Southeast Asian fare is over.  The search, luckily, ended right here in Montclair, at an off-beat restaurant run by a 21-year-old petite dynamo and multi-talented lady named Mei Mei La.

Not only does she manage the restaurant, the attractive Mei, for whom Mei’s Cafe is named, is its head chef and public relations face all rolled into one. It speaks of her immense maturity and confidence that, had she told me she was 46, even though my eyes told me she was 16, I might have thought it (well, at least for two seconds) plausible.

Located on Glenridge Ave, Mei’s Cafe has been up and running since late January, and is a reincarnation of the former Azianne (also owned by Mei), a restaurant with an ‘international fusion’ theme which had been  open since June 2010. The makeover, said Mei, was prompted by the fact that people were intimidated by the fusion idea.

“People tend to think linearly, and the international fusion theme wasn’t quite working in Montclair, although it seems to work very well in New York,” Mei told Baristanet. “People couldn’t even say the name (Azianne),” so it made sense, she said, to give the whole business concept a rethink.

Having been tipped off to its existence, tucked away behind Bloomfield Ave in Montclair, I dined at Mei’s Cafe several times but devoured everything too quickly to photograph evidence of those meals.

But I managed to exercise some self-restraint when I lunched there earlier this week with a friend.

The restaurant occupies a sprawling, airy space (owned by Mei’s family), with large windows and a skylight that bathe it in natural light. Eclectic furnishings, quirky serve-ware and tangerine walls round off a look that’s casual and welcoming. And the free wi-fi doesn’t hurt, either.

Mei is usually the first and last person that patrons see at Mei’s Cafe. She walks around the restaurant briskly, greeting diners, taking orders, refilling tea cups, answering phone calls, taking care of finances, explaining dishes and the extensive bubble tea and juice menu. She dashes back to the kitchen and cooks a large number of meals that come out of it, and more often than not, she’s also the server. A few minutes in her cafe and I knew I was watching a business prodigy in action (and one who could cook, too).

Not surprisingly, the restaurant business is in Mei Mei La’s blood. Her Malaysian-Chinese mom, and Vietnamese-Chinese dad, own Sushi Hana, on North Fullerton Ave.

If Azianne’s theme was intimidating, the extensive menu at Mei’s, too, can be overwhelming. We were impressed at the huge range of items but welcomed Mei’s help to narrow down our choices.

Steamed Beef Dumplings came with a trio of sauces – a sesame-vinaigrette, sweet chilli and jalapeno-soy. The dumpling wraps were thin and delicate, yet fully stuffed with gingered beef, and each sauce was tastier than the last.

Tom Yum Soup with chicken was served in a cast-iron mini wok. It was two-alarm spicy (one-alarm being pleasant, two requiring a drink of water and a pause, and three the fire service), sweet, sour and moreish, with a delicate hint of lemongrass.

Roast Pork Pancake – slivers of home-roasted pork with scallions sandwiched between two layers of sesame-crusted bread – was outstanding. And really, would have sufficed for a normal (non-greedy) person’s lunch.

For old times’ sake (harking back to childhood days in Malaysia), I ordered a Mee Goreng, a fried noodle dish. If it wasn’t exactly like the mee goreng from street markets, that was a good thing. Sans the street stall’s requisite addition of excessive grease, it was fresh, slightly sweet and spicy, moist and studded with vegetables – just like my aunts used to make it.

Several sambal-based dishes have been ordered during previous meals, all of which were top-notch and faithful to Malaysian flavors.

Stuffed to the brim, it would have been remiss to have left without dessert. After all, profits from the day’s special of cinnamon apple wontons were going towards the Red Cross for Japan’s quake relief efforts. The dumplings were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dusting of sugar. Scrummy.

We’ll be going back for sure.

Excerpts from chat with Mei:

How is Mei’s Cafe different from Azianne? And what’s the theme at Mei’s?

The name is more down to earth and we’re offering authentic pan-Asian cuisine, much like the food you get at hawker stalls and coffee shops which is culture-bound – it’s hard to find over here. People have to go to Chinatown or specific locations to hunt for this sort of food. I grew up and love this kind of food and tried to compile it into a menu in a contemporary environment.

We kept some of our specials (from Azianne), like the main courses, dinner and lunch entrees. But the noodle and rice dishes are fairly new, we expanded our dumpling choices and have a huge tea and juice bar.

How and when did you learn to cook?

I grew up around food with my family in the restaurant business. And I know Malaysian cuisine very well having spent a lot of time there.

How many more talented children do your parents have?

I have three younger sisters.

How do you manage such a large and varied menu?

It’s all about prep work and having everything chopped and ready to go. I prepare ahead as much as possible. My mom (co-owner of Sushi Hana with her dad) is more than willing to come around and help in the kitchen. We’re still looking to hire more kitchen help.

Are there any particular dishes you get lots of positive comments on? What would you recommend to anyone who isn’t familiar with Southeast Asian food?

The dumplings get a lot of really good feedback  because they’re homemade. I would recommend a curry as being quintessentially Malaysian – and also any of our sambal dishes. We can either cook meat in the sambal or serve it on the side.

Why are you closed on Tuesdays?

Because most places are closed on Monday. So when everyone is closed, we’re open.

Is there anything special you’d like diners to try?

We offer bubble tea and have a tea and juice bar. Bubble tea has tapioca bubbles in it, and the name came about because of the foam on top.  We also have a full smoothie menu with juice blends, soy milk, coconut milk and lemonade. For those who don’t like tapioca, they can have gourmet teas and plain teas as well as chrysanthemum teas with real blossoms.

(Writer’s note: All my visits to Mei’s Cafe were done incognito, as a member of the general public. Mei only heard the word “Baristanet” after my most recent visit this week, and she was interviewed – by phone – following that visit)

Mei’s Cafe

183 Glenridge Ave

Montclair, NJ 07042

973 744 0068

Open all week 10:30am to 10:00pm; closed Tuesdays.

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