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Meisei, pronounced Me-Say, is a Japanese word which, according to the chef, means elegance, honour and integrity, and that is exactly how he likes to create his dishes served at the restaurant of the same name, writes Mai Al Khatib.
Situated in the heart of Adliya it serves scrumptious modern Asian-fused fare in a friendly, inviting environment. Its celebrated dim sum platters, for example, are packed with heart-warming flavours, steamed and pan-seared to perfection.
Meisei comes under the umbrella of Remza Investment Company, a multi-trading business group recognised for its work in the hospitality, fashion, property and pharmaceutical sectors as well as in food and beverage. This concept is quite different to the group’s other restaurants, Café Spasso and Sushi 101, which are franchised throughout the Middle East.
The interior of the two-storey building may deliberately deliver a varied ambiance but there is still a consistent flow of colours and stylish design.
The ground floor, which seats 80 guests, is spacious and airy with black, red, yellow and orange colours symbolising a sunrise. Green bamboo plants add touches of nature along with the cherry blossom prints and large glass panels with geometric designs represent fishing nets being thrown into the sea.
The second floor, which also seats 80, boasts a small kitchen with a clay oven known for creating a perfect pizza. It is more lounge-like with Dj Kiwi spinning the decks as guests unwind on comfortable sofas. It also includes tables and chairs for those who prefer a more formal dining experience.
The fun will continue upstairs when Meisei’s new addition, a roof-top dining area to seat 60 guests opens shortly.
After a tour of the venue I settled on the ground floor, ready to be entertained by the sushi bar where fresh wasabi is made in-house and the glass-walled kitchen gives guests a peek into the making of their dishes at the hands of Michael Sang-Kyu Lee, the celebrated director of food and beverage division, and his team of chefs.
Chef Sang-Kyu Lee’s experience is as diverse as his family background with links to Seoul in Korea, Osaka in Japan and Toronto in Canada. He has 25 years experience and combines modern Japanese cuisine with influences from the southern region of Asia and a love for Italian food.
He said: “My food is all about regional cuisine mixed with modern Japan. I may be considered ‘old school’ for the traditional aspect but I like to branch out and create my own style.
“My aim is for guests to enjoy every moment at Meisei, from its menu to its transparent, theatrical kitchen.”
The GulfWeekly team was treated to nine different seasoned and prepared dim sums, a style of Cantonese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. The chef explained: “Our dim sum is not your traditional kind but instead my modern take of it. Everything is made in-house, including the wrapper.
“The Peking duck foie gras dim sum is quite popular here, and the crispy salmon, which is a Norwegian salmon that comes with a creamy Yuzu sauce – a Japanese lemon sauce, is also in demand. There are also crispy Kobe mushroom dim sum, Meisei steamed dim sum and another called Crispy Emperor Iro Iro which I design like a money bag.”
GulfWeekly advertising executive Camille Jones and I, who used to chow down on appetising dim sums in Canada, were anxious to sample the fare.
While photographer Ryan snapped away at the beautiful creations we could not resist the aromas wafting from the steam boxes filled with pink, yellow and green dim sums.
After one glance at the pink tiger prawn shumai and scallop shumai and I was ready to pile up my plate. I was amazed at the juiciness of the shumai and how I didn’t even need to use the sauces that came with it.
The emperor iro iro was another treat, tempting us to use our hands to break apart the crispy exterior and dip it in its plum sauce. I love when food is balanced in textures and although mothers always warn their children to not play with their food, I believe in this case it just tastes better.
After licking our plates clean and sipping an accompanying citrus ginger tea, I tipped my imaginary hat off to the chef.
The dishes, which were priced between BD4 to BD7, are available on the daytime and evening menus in The Beginning page. This really is the beginning for Meisei which has a bright future ahead of it. In fact, its next target is to branch out in London.
For updates join the team on Twitter @meiseibahrain or the Facebook page.
