Last week, light summer eating was cast aside for an evening of indulgence at Mei Ume at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square. This spectacular City hotel opened just last year in the Grade II listed former headquarters of the Port of London Authority and overlooks the Tower of London.
Walking through the elegant marble lobby and the Rotunda bar with its swinging jazz and elaborate cocktails, we reached the hotel’s two restaurants. On one side is the one Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic by French chef Anne-Sophie Pic and on the other is Mei Ume.
This upscale yet relaxed restaurant brings together two Asian cuisines, offering traditional Chinese and Japanese dishes with a modern approach. In fact, the name Mei Ume is a combination of words in both languages meaning Plum Blossom.
Designed by Hong Kong studio AB Concept (their first UK restaurant project), Mei Ume takes inspiration from the building’s heritage as a gateway for merchants from the east and west. It has a modern luxury feel – the building’s original columns are offset by hand-painted Chinese murals, silk embroidered panels, slick lighting and plush red leather seats.
Mei Ume boasts a stellar team in the kitchen, led by Head Chef Tong Truong (previously at Royal China for 17 years), alongside Sushi Chef Mun Seok Choi (Zuma and Sake no Hana) and Dim Sum Chef Derrick Chen (Hakkasan and Yauatcha). With such talent from London’s top Asian restaurants, we had high expectations for our meal and wanted to try dishes from each culture.
On arrival, we were warmly greeted and the staff called me by my name throughout the meal – a touch of that Four Seasons magic! They also explained that the dishes are served family style and arrive at the table as soon as they’re ready, which is worth noting so you can order well.
To being, we hydrated with some heavenly mocktails. Japanese lemonade with yuzu juice and lemongrass syrup was ever so refreshing and zesty while the Cherry blossom fizz reminded me of the sakura season with a fragrant blend of cherry syrup, fresh lychee juice and soda.
Soft shell crab with peppercorn salt was one of the best I’ve ever tasted – the meaty and substantial crab was coated in a well-seasoned, crispy batter and garnished with piquant fresh red chilli.
We also couldn’t resist trying some sushi and were wowed by the exemplary Salmon, avocado and crabmeat Uramaki with butter miso. All of the elements complemented each other very well, however it was the addition of the sticky, sweet blow-torched butter miso with a crumble topping that took it to the next level.
Our first main dish of Slow-braised Dongpo pork belly with Chinese herbs and seasonal vegetable was even more epic than expected. The generously-sized, melt-in-the-mouth pork belly had an aromatic flavour with subtle star anise and it was ceremoniously chopped into manageable slices by our waiter at the table. The soy-braised broccoli was also a perfect accompaniment.
If there’s black cod on the menu, I’m guaranteed to order it, so our second main dish was Roasted black cod marinated in yuzu soy with karashi kimi. While my ordering was predictable, Mei Ume’s version of this Japanese delicacy was a little different to the others. The black cod was tender and succulent with a rich, buttery flavour balanced with citrusy yuzu and finished with a crispy, caramelised skin, plus scorched peppers and asparagus drizzled with punchy karashi kimi (Japanese yellow mustard).
Stir-fried egg noodle with bean sprout and shiitake mushroom was tasty and light yet much larger than I expected – more of a sharing dish than a typical side dish. The thin, springy noodles were served piping hot into our individual bowls at the table. Steamed jasmine rice also went well with the pork belly and black cod.
All of our dishes were pretty indulgent, but if you’re with a group or really want to celebrate, go for one of the Mei Ume signatures such as the Whole Peking duck, Stir-fried native lobster or Kagoshima wagyu beef. We were feeling rather full by this point, but the dessert menu was so tempting that it was hard to choose.
My favourite tea is jasmine pearl, so we just had to try the Jasmine tea crème brûlée with lemon curd and yuzu sorbet. The smooth cream had a very subtle taste of jasmine and a crunchy sugar crust, however the main notes were really brought out by the luscious yuzu sorbet.
Mango, coconut and strawberry pudding was a light and refreshing end to the meal with three layers of cooling jelly and fruit compote. Another highlight of dining at Mei Ume is the range of fine Japanese and Chinese teas, so we went for something new and tried a pot of Sunset oolong from Taitung, Taiwan. It was a subtle and calming tea with warm notes of burnt orange, wood and hazelnut. I also liked that the tea was accompanied by a cute tower of mini coconut macaroons.
Mei Ume is a stylish, welcoming restaurant that gets everything right, from the sumptuous food and experienced service to the stunning design. With large booths and private rooms, it’s ideal for a decadent celebratory group dinner, or simply a memorable date night – I definitely can’t wait to go back.
For more information and booking, visit: www.meiume.com
Chérie City was a guest of Mei Ume
All photos by Chérie City
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