Who makes the best fried fish sandwich in Los Angeles?

My grandmother ran a pseudo-daycare center in the McDonald's dining room in the early 1990s. She and her friends drank coffee and nibbled hash browns while chatting in Cantonese. My sister and I ran back and forth between the tables.

When we got hungry, we were only allowed to order the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. My grandmother found it healthier than the beef burgers and less processed than the nuggets. Who cares if it was fried? It was fish. Fish is good for you.

When McDonald's franchisee Lou Groen began testing a breaded fish sandwich at his Cincinnati restaurant in 1962, he hoped to attract the attention of his Catholic diners observing Lent. But he wasn't the only one thinking about a meat-free option to boost sales during Lent. McDonald's founder Ray Kroc created something called the Hula Burger. It was a grilled piece of pineapple with cheese on a bun. The two agreed to sell both sandwiches on a Friday to determine the most popular menu item. The Filet-O-Fish beats the Hula Burger by more than 300 sandwiches. In 1965, McDonald's first added it to the original menu. It costs $0.29. And to think we could have had a pineapple sandwich instead.

The Filet-O-Fish is the fast food sandwich I like best when made by a real chef. The breaded fish fillet, cheese, sauce and bun are full of potential. Los Angeles has no shortage of restaurants offering upscale versions of the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. But at Bopomofo Cafe in San Gabriel, the sandwich may have reached the pinnacle of its existence.

The original steamed bun is replaced with lightly toasted, buttery brioche. For a meatier, more tender bite, the restaurant uses cod fillets instead of Alaskan pollock. It is soaked in a mixture of potato starch and nori and then deep fried. There's a whole slice of cheddar cheese, a creamy, chunky tartar sauce, and slices of raw red onion. The sandwich is almost three times the size of the original.

Even though the bun is toasted, it seems softer, buttery, and far more substantial. There is so much tartar sauce that it drips off the sandwich in large drops and the flavor of the pickles is clearly noticeable in every bite. The coating on the fish is light and almost fluffy, with a crispness that permeates every layer of the sandwich. The cheddar cheese is melted on the bottom bun and has the same waxy, melted texture as American cheese, but with a clear, very unprocessed cheddar flavor. And while it's not traditional, the red onion adds another layer of crunch and brightness to the flawless construction.

It's not altered in such a way that it erases the nostalgia of the original, but rather stays true to the core flavors and textures by merely enhancing them.

“Did you know you can add lettuce and tomatoes to a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich?”

Philip Wang, the cafe's co-owner, has spent years developing his love of the sandwich. His parents took him to McDonald's for a quick meal after school before he practiced the piano. Like my grandmother, his parents believed that fish was the healthier option.

“I think the reason so many Asian immigrant parents took their kids to fast food was one: Yes, it was affordable and fast, but I realized it was also the easiest way to get American food,” says Wang. “Asian kids didn't really grow up with burger or taco night at home; we had to go out for that. At home, our parents cooked Chinese food, and that's really the root of the Bopomofo identity as a whole. Our appreciation for American classics that we had in the school cafeteria and at McDonald's, and our cultural dishes that we ate at home or in Chinese restaurants.”

Wang has built his career on sharing his lived experiences as what he refers to as “ABC,” or “American-born Chinese.” His production company, Wong Fu Productions, produces media that explores and celebrates diverse Asian cultures and identities. A video titled “Actually Asian” advocates for more romantic comedies with an Asian focus. A Netflix talk show called “Spill the Boba Tea” invites guests to Bopomofo Café for an interview and a career-inspired boba drink.

After working at a boba tea shop in college, Wang decided to open his own shop at some point in his life. He and his partner Eric Wang founded Bopomofo Café in San Gabriel in 2019. It is named after Bopomofo, a phonetic system for Mandarin Chinese.

The concept, which includes about two dozen tea drinks and a food menu, has expanded to locations in Artesia, Irvine, San Diego and Hollywood, with more planned soon.

“We wanted to create a café inspired by our dual cultural upbringing as ABCs,” says Philip. “We really value our Asian upbringing, but we also love being American and the idea of ​​merging the two with the menu.”

Over the past five years, the pair have been the driving force behind some of the most sought-after Chinese-American fast food mashups. Their Walnut Shrimp Burger turns honey walnut shrimp into a burger patty with a crumbly, sweet walnut topping. Hainanese chicken is nestled in tortillas to make tacos. Their fried chicken sandwich is a gigantic Taiwanese-style fried chicken thigh on a pineapple bun.

I like the Mapo Tots with a scoop of rich, fiery Mapo tofu on crispy tater tots under a blanket of melted cheese. Chili cheese fries, only much more filling.

“The word 'fusion' has a bad reputation, and for good reason, but all of our items are a mix of Western and Eastern influences,” says Philip. “We felt we could be very specific with the inspirations and ingredients, especially given our Taiwanese and Chinese upbringing.”

The Bopomofo Nori Fish Sandwich, also known as “Bopo Filet-Mo-Fish,” was born out of a desire to recreate a version of Dediao You Pian, the Shanghai seaweed fish fillet, which contains strands of seaweed in a crispy batter.

The taste memory it triggers is powerful and immediate. I'm back at McDonald's as a kid, listening to my grandmother and her friends laugh. Only the sandwich that dirty my hands is much better.

“If you think about it, we started ordering Filet-O-Fish when we outgrew Happy Meals,” Philip says. “And now for us as adults, our version of Bopomofo is just the adult version.”

Although the sandwich was intended as a limited, seasonal product, its popularity has forced Philip and Eric to consider a permanent place on the Bopomofo Café menu. It is currently available at San Gabriel, Artesia and San Diego locations.