Dining at lovely Mei Restaurant
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The lovely interior of Mei Chinese restaurant at Jakarta's Nikko Hotel could make guests forget for a moment that they are in a restaurant.
The modern and exquisite interior design, with its combination of glass walls and wood-panel floors, might make visitors think instead that they are dining at a fine arts gallery.
Mei is a restaurant that does not only serve high Chinese cuisine, but also offers contemporary ambience.
To attain the pleasure offered at Mei, guests enter the restaurant through a narrow corridor that separates its smoking area on the left from the main room on the right.
Glass walls with vertical lines enable people in the corridor to look into the smoking room, and vice-versa. In addition, guests sitting in the smoking area have a view of Jl. M.H. Thamrin and the high-end Plasa Indonesia shopping center across the street.
Aside from the smoking and main rooms, Mei also has private rooms, a function room and a lounge. The function room overlooks the hotel's swimming pool, and the Mei lounge hosts a live band regularly.
Even though Mei is basically a Chinese restaurant, it also serves Japanese cuisine, and a special tatami room is also available.
After getting seated comfortably at the smoking room, I ordered a glass of iced lemon tea and a set menu.
Before dinner, a condiment was served to warm the palate -- fried peanuts and anchovies with chilis and chopped onion.
Dinner opened with an appetizing Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Dried Scallop, served in a small bowl.
Following the soup was the second dish, Roasted Crispy Pigeon, a very tasty fowl dish served with seasoned salt.
The following dishes were Poached Prawns, featuring sweet and spicy fried prawns, and Braised Seasonal Garden Vegetables with Sea Cucumber and Fish Maw. Meanwhile, the main dish was Braised Ifu Noodles with Crab Meat.
Finishing with a bowl of Mango Pudding, the set menu costs Rp 378,000 per person.
Sugeng Purnomo, who is the new public relations manager at the Nikko, recommended guests to make a reservation.
"Making reservation is highly recommended. Otherwise, customers will not get seat here. People often celebrate weddings or birthdays here," Sugeng said.
Mei also serves an All You Can Eat Lunch from Monday through Friday at Rp 98,000 per person. On Saturdays and Sundays, the restaurant offers an All You Can Eat Dim Sum at the same price.
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. while dinner runs from 6 p.m. through 10:30 p.m.
While savoring the food, guests may also enjoy drinking one of four teas offered at Mei -- green, jasmine, chrysanthemum or oolong -- each of which has a particular curative effect.
Oolong tea increases energy, boosts the metabolism, controls obesity and helps regulate ageing, while chrysanthemum tea has a cooling property and is recommended for those with a fever, a sore throat and other heat-related illnesses.
Meanwhile, Chinese green tea helps prevent cancer, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, prevents cavities, reduces stress and regulates ageing.
Guests are in for more than savoring Chinese food or drinking healthy teas at Mei -- they can also expect good fortune to come their way, as mei means luck in the Chinese language.
Mei Restaurant, Nikko Hotel, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.59, Jakarta. Tel: (021) 2301122