MAMA San Hong Kong From Passion To Action

From passion to action, MAMA San had made its fame since the successful opening in Bali follow by Hong Kong and now in Kuala Lumpur to offer a place that is more than just a restaurant and is for anyone who appreciates to lounge in style and eat quality food without it being too expensive.  MAMA San in Hong Kong tempted mylifestylenews to find out what’s in the bottle beside Genie after being wowed by the first and warehouse converted retro-vintage establishment in Bali.

MAMA San in Hong Kong is one of the Many restaurants operated by Dining Concepts with the brainchild behind this stylish restaurant is the award winning Scottish heritage Chef, Will Meyrick’s passion for the cuisine culture and culinary heritage of this fascinatingly diverse part of the world, is what really defines him and sets him apart as a chef and restaurateur.

Such an easy and fun name to remember, MAMA San illustrates a story of a madam of authority in an Asian gentlemen’s club, basically a night club with call girls in those years and the Mama San who takes care of her girls with affection. With that in mind, it is pretty much how Meyrick see himself keeping the authenticity of the cuisines culture in the restaurants he manages by learning from women all over the region. Hence, the name was selected for the old and new world influence the interior and Asian cuisine would be. The team wanted to create a unique space to complement the sister restaurant Sarong (another successful establishment by Will Meyrick in Bali) rather than be in competition with it.

The restaurant admires and adapts to Hong Kong, its elder sister’s ambience of edgy colonial times in Shanghai during the 1920s with marble tables and oversized tan leather chesterfields and intentionally with the industrial ceiling designed warehouse motif and ponder over travelogue of old style photographs.

It is no doubt that the interior is the feast for the eyes with the iconic giant Chinese Girl’s wall portrait in every MAMA San’s restaurant. While the food is the feast for the soul, according to Meyrick, the menu is a lavishing collection of Asian flavours from South East Asia Region that includes Chinese, Indonesia, Indian, Malay, Singaporean, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese. Being a street food enthusiast, Chef Meyrick manifests his in-depth research of traditional recipes and culinary heritage during his countless travels throughout Asia accompanying by his long term Thai partner in crime; Palm Amatawet who is also a renown chef. From collecting spices, experiences flavours and textures of Asian food, the two chefs explore villages and street food stalls from around the globe to find authentic recipes and the story within a dish.

Dining in MAMA San is about exploring the food, we started off with the <Seafood Platter> that comes with pacific oyster, poached prawn, tuna sashimi and shiso leaf accompanied with ponzu chili dressing, sambal matah vinegrette and yuzu mayonnaise. Seafood platter may sounds like there are a lot to eat but in MAMA San it is just a perfect teaser by sharing the platter on each seafood picked and served is a perfect start before venturing into something richer and bigger serve.

Next, we switched to Thai and the <Grilled Beef Salad> with cherry tomatoes, mint, Thai basil, cucumber, peanuts and hot ‘n’ sour came with two chili highlighted on the menu. It is still a quite mild version of heat. The beef was grilled to its tenderness and you will love the refreshing of mint and the distinctive flavor of the Thai basil which create a complex yet pleasurable flavor.

One of the highlights from our order was this <Crispy Whole Snapper with Three-Flavor Sauce>, cooked with wild ginger, turmeric, pineapple, chili and tamarind and is simply divine. It may look spicy but is not at all, the fish was deep-fried before the tangy sour sauce was poured onto the entire fish and yet the crispiness still remained when served. Do not hesitate to order some steamed rice to savour the best of the sauce for not leaving any drip behind. Highly-recommended dish to order.

<Slow Braised Short Rib Beef with Indonesian Rendang Spice> was next…YUM! YUM! YUM! And where is my next bowl of steam rice? You may wonder. The tenderness of the short rib of beef is easily taken off by a gentle slice of your fork and spoon and the meat won’t stick in between your teeth for its soft texture. The aromatic spices fragrant coconut juice was the perfect match to bring this palatable dish to ultimate enjoyment. Heaven falls.

We ordered a <Thai Som Tum> as palate cleanser in between meats dishes. Unfortunately, this is the slight down fall for the evening as the papaya salad was rather watery and lacking in the full sour and salty taste in it. Perhaps a spoon full more of fish sauce and a little extra chili may bring this dish back to life.

<Thai Style Wood Roasted Chicken> marinated in garlic, coriander root and black pepper is another dish that you won’t want to miss. The chicken was well marinated and roasted just right to retain the juiciness of the chicken and not being too dry. The hint of black pepper gives the right kick as well as the smoky wood taste while you take on a bigger bite on the chicken.

Dessert was recommended by the friendly and knowledgeable wait staff.  The <Lemongrass Panacotta> with Cucumber Lime Jelly> served with citrus lemon basil sorbet was something light yet not one of those full on dessert that could add on a few pounds after eating it. A pleasant round up for the entire meal no doubt. MAMA San chefs have developed an array of Asian eat treats from its very big menu that designed by Will Meyrick that incorporates an atmosphere of exotic décor. You got to come back to try many other gastronomy invention by Chef Meyrick and his team. Basically, when you step into MAMA San, you need not leave the space until home time, whatever that time is……and the passion is unending.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 4/5

Design & Decor: 4.5/5

Food & Beverage: 4.5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Value For Money: 4/5

Experience: 4.5/5

Highlights:

Crispy Whole Snapper with Three-Flavor Sauce

Slow Braised Short Rib Beef with Indonesian Rendang Spice

MAMA San Hong Kong

46, Wyndham Street

Central, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2881 8901

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.