Not since Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis introduced Angelenos to the lamb neck shawarma at Bavel, have I heard this much of a buzz around a single lamb dish. My Chinese grandma is curious. My Orange County friends want to know. Have you had the lamb at M Joy? Is it the lamb equivalent of Hainanese chicken rice?
There is a single protein on the menu at the new M Joy restaurant in San Gabriel. Unlike many of the restaurants operating under the umbrella of Chinese cuisine in the San Gabriel Valley, there are no variations on American suburban dishes. The opposite concept of say the Cheesecake Factory, where there is, in theory, something for everyone. At M Joy, there is lamb, more lamb, and only lamb.
It’s the second U.S. location of a chain from Hangzhou, China. Like the first in Anaheim, M Joy in San Gabriel is a petite operation with a handful of tables. There will likely be a small crowd hovering near the entrance, waiting for a table. Inside, the dining room may have the lowest decibel reading in the city. The quiet has nothing to do with its size and everything to do with the focus of its patrons. You’re there to eat lamb, and it’s an endeavor worthy of your full attention.
The restaurant specialty is Xinjiang-style lamb rice, a dish hailing from the northwestern Chinese province. The gargantuan area borders Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and was a main thoroughfare along the Silk Road, connecting the Middle East and China.
The lamb is served as a single lamb rib ($15.99), double lamb rib ($20.99), lamb shank ($20.99) or rib and shank ($24.99) over rice studded with bits of carrot. If you choose the shank, prepare for a hulking mass of gray meat that glistens in the harsh light of the dining room. It’s chopstick-tender and falls from the bone at the slightest provocation.
The rib is a flaccid, boneless slab in the same shade of gray, draped over the mound of rice. With both the shank and the rib, there are no prized caramelized edges or crispy bits. Instead, the meat is cooked until it almost melts, each morsel a rush of beef, fat and juice.
The slow braising and stewing of the lamb curbs any harsh gaminess or funk, leaving you with the milder tempered cousin of the churlish mutton you know but may not love.
The rice underneath is seductively simple, each grain slippery with lamb fat and crowded with sweet, buttery carrots. The overwhelming flavor is that of the lamb, mild but unctuous and unmistakable.
It’s a dish that might feel overwhelmingly heavy if it weren’t for the triptych of condiments. A ruddy chile oil offers a wallop of heat and toasted chile flavor. Raw carrot salad is cool and crunchy. Pickled red onions are sharp with vinegar. Then there’s the accompanying bowl of warm lamb broth, as clear and comforting as mom’s chicken soup.
M Joy is more of a one-protein, than a one-dish restaurant, with two other preparations of lamb. The grilled ribs ($12.99) are fatty, Flintstones-looking things with the prized crispy edges you might miss with the lamb rice. The spice blend rubbed across the surface is smoky, hot and sweet, with dried chiles, sesame and cumin seeds.
The lamb skewers ($12.99) feature the same spice blend but moistened into a gritty paste that gets painted over every inch of the meat. Both plates of skewers and ribs include small piles of the ground spices you can sprinkle over the top, dip or simply admire.
During a recent 38-minute lunch, the door swung open every few minutes with food delivery drivers collecting armfuls of orders. The thought of eating my lamb rice at home, free from the prying eyes of the people waiting for my table, was tempting. But if you brave the crowd and the harsh lighting, you’re rewarded with unlimited refills of chile sauce, carrot salad and pickled onions.
If we’re being technical, there are two things on the menu that aren’t lamb, if you count the bowl of coleslaw ($4.99) and homemade yogurt ($5.99). The latter is cool, tangy and, as the restaurant advertises, good for digestion. But make no mistake, M Joy is a place of joy for lamb lovers.
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