Restaurant review: Mei offers ideas that work

White is the colour of choice at Mei.

By OOI MAY SIM

Mei by Fat Spoon just opened in February, but already, it’s got everyone talking. The hype is all about the Japanese-inspired mouthfuls packed with flavour, finesse and imagination. We just had to check it out.

Opened by sisters Michelle and Melissa Pong of local fusion restaurant Fat Spoon, the new eatery in Sri Hartamas sits on the same row as Bricks and Barrels and Buns Burger Bar. Why the name Mei? Melissa, who was at the outlet when we visited, says the word means many things to them. For one, it is part of their Chinese names. The word also denotes “beauty” and “younger sister” in Mandarin, and that is just what Mei is – Fat Spoon’s beautiful little sister.

And just as with siblings, Mei is distinctly different from Fat Spoon, but has similar characteristics. It leans towards Japanese fare, while Fat Spoon focuses on local cuisine, but both showcase menus that are fresh and unique.

Mei offers a choice of sharing plates, pasta, rice bowls, onigiri (rice balls), desserts and drinks. A few Fat Spoon favourites have even sneaked onto the menu here – Kentucky Fried Oysters (RM21), Pumpkin Fritters (RM8), Torched Salmon rice bowl (RM22), and Cempedak Spring Rolls (RM15).

Our lunch kicked off with the oysters, Smoked Duck and Watermelon Salad (RM21), and Hokkaido Scallop and Lychee Tartare (RM29), all sharing plates.

Deep-fried, the succulent oysters were crispy on the outside, and literally burst with briny juices with every bite. This was served with mayonnaise mixed with shreds of kaffir lime and torch ginger flower, which was very fresh-tasting and did well to reduce the oiliness of the oysters and the mayo.

A heaped plate of lettuce, zucchini, watermelon, mint, edamame and smoked duck, topped with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds represented our salad. The duck slices were extremely tender and had a nice layer of fat, which enhanced their flavour and textural appeal. But while the combination of ingredients worked well, the house-made citrus poppy seed dressing was unbalanced and slightly thin.

The super-fresh scallops, served raw, fared better. They were topped with lychee pieces, shredded shiso leaves, cherry tomatoes, in a savoury, sweet and sour sauce that created unusual, well-balanced mouthfuls. This balance seemed to be a recurrent theme throughout our meal.

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The Hokkaido scallops with lychee were an intriguing start to the meal.

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Tasty strips of ox tongue played well with fragrant fried garlic, chopped spring onions and bird’s eye chillies.

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Our four rice bowls – Torched Salmon (RM22), Summer Bara Chirashi Bowl (RM39), Ox Tongue Rice (RM23) and Light Braised Beef Short Ribs and Radish (RM19) – were prepared well. The first had slices of flame-torched salmon that were cooked on the outside and rare inside. It shared a bowl with an onsen egg (an egg poached in the shell, at a low temperature), zucchini, shreds of torch ginger flower, mayonnaise and a lime chilli dressing with a hint of wasabi. When mixed, each ingredient enhanced the other, pilling on layers of flavour and complexity. Yet each spoonful felt light and fresh on the palate. The Summer Bara Chirashi Bowl had many different ingredients – yellowtail, salmon, Hokkaido scallops, salmon roe, zucchini, edamame and pickled radish – which came together well.

Both the ox tongue and short ribs were cooked with mirin, which gave the meats a salty sweet flavour. Texture-wise, the seared slices of tongue were tender with a slight chew, while the meat on the ribs slid right off the bones. “Clean” is one word not often used to describe meat, but it was my exact thought when chomping on these two. You can also order the ox tongue cooked with soy sauce.

The drool-worthy Passion fruit and Kaffir Lime Pavlova.

The restaurant also offers lunch sets, basically a main served with two mini appetisers and a miso radish soup. We ordered the Torched Salmon Onigiri (RM15). Instead of stuffing the rice ball with the filling, fried salmon and seaweed were mixed into the rice, so that each bite had a uniform flavour. Plus, the rice was packed fairly loosely, and was pretty moist.

Light and fragrant, the onigiri was extremely addictive. The accompanying miso soup, however, was disappointingly diluted.

For dessert, we had Passion fruit and Kaffir Lime Pavlova (RM16) and Green Tea Crème Brulee (RM18). The crème brulee had a thin layer of caramel that cracked when touched, to reveal a lusciously thick, creamy custard with a strong green tea flavour. This was served with a rich black sesame ice cream that the sisters get from a supplier.

The pavlova was equally brilliant. Perfectly made, the lightly browned meringue had a crispy skin and a chewy marshmallow-like centre that was soft, light and dense, all at the same time. Topped with cream, passion fruit and shredded kaffir lime leaves, this was heavenly.

From conceptualisation to creation, Mei by Fat Spoon offers novel ideas that are well-executed, producing clean, delicate flavours which are both scrumptious and satisfying.

Mei By Fat Spoon

22G, Jalan 27/70A

Desa Sri Hartamas

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: [phone]

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 11am to 10.15pm. Closed on Mondays

This review first appeared in the June 2015 issue of Flavours magazine