Mei Ume

New age modern Asian fine dining

Fatty tuna and sea urchin

Located inside the Four Seasons Hotel at Tower Hill, Mei Ume is a fine dining Asian restaurant, combine the best of Chinese and Japnese cuisines. It is an interesting concept as the City area really lack a top quality Chinese restaurant so there is definitely a gap in that market. The kitchen is headed up by chef Tong Truong, who was the head chef at Royal China. The menu is in a classic Chinese format, with a selection of small eats and mains. On top of that, it has a page of sushi and sashimi, prepared by sushi chefs at its open sushi counter in the dining room. 

Seafood wontons

Peking duck rolls

Sautéed Scallops and Squid in a Glass Noodle Nest in XO Sauce

The sea urchin nigiri was stunning, absolutely stunning. Imported from the US, loaded with so much umami flavour with a tiny hint of earthiness. The sautéed scallops and squid was a classic Chinese dish, clean looking but lacked a touch seasoning for me. However, the XO sauce that came with it was blended masterfully, rich in taste and elegant in the aroma. I was a massive fan of the Korean rice pot, served tableside with bags of seafood aroma from the sea urchin and scallop. The smoky element from the stone pot made this a really comforting winter dish. The sweet and sour Iberico pork had a creative touch of cherry, which added an extra touch of a fruity taste to the dish. The crispy batter was done perfectly and the balance of the sweet and sour taste was just right.

Sea Urchin and Scallop Fried Rice

Sweet and Sour Iberico Pork

Wok-fried seabass with roasted garlic and mushrooms

All in all, it was a very enjoyable dinner, the cooking was classic Chinese dishes but done in a more refine and cleaner manner. Fantastic presentation and no trace of grease whatsoever. I was worried that a restaurant contains both Chinese and Japanese element could mean not enough attention to detail in both ends, but the sushi was well executed, as was the hot Chinese dishes. The service was 5 stars hotel level with good knowledge of the food offering, couldn't fault it. Mei Ume is a great high-end Asian restaurant and I would love to return in the near future. 


Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£250 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£50

10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ

https://meiume.com/