Dining at lovely Mei Restaurant
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