Mei Ume is an elegant restaurant in the Four Seasons that serves both Chinese and Japanese cuisine. I’m a self proclaimed sushi addict, but for a mix of reasons I hadn’t eaten sushi in over a month. I needed to fix that ASAP, and then I came across Mei Ume. The concept of Mei Ume is perfect for Shiima and I because Shiima doesn’t like fish; in fact, she only eats chicken, and Chinese cuisine usually has good chicken options. Mei Ume certainly does, so I booked for dinner last Saturday.

As I mentioned earlier, Mei Ume is really elegant. It’s in the Four Seasons in Tower Hill, which in itself is very beautiful, and you walk through the beautiful lobby bar to the restaurant. The restaurant is even more beautiful. An opulent mix of both traditional Chinese and Japanese design with a contemporary finish.

A really exquisite bar as well.

The service was really nice. Professional as you’d expect for an opulent restaurant, but also really warm.

What we ordered

I’d looked at the menu several times for dinner, but Shiima hadn’t. But she very quickly knew what she wanted, plus she had an ingenious idea of ordering a smaller portion of the Szechuan Corn Fed Chicken for a starter. We also ordered Salt and Pepper Squid, Rock Shrimp Tempura, and Shanghai Braised Ribs (for me! 😁). I ordered the Mei Ume Tasting Maki for satiate my sushi addiction 😂. For mains, I ordered Slow Braised Dongpo Pork Belly and Shiima ordered San Pei Chicken with Thai Basil and Chilli with vegetable fried rice.

The Food

Starters

All the starters were really good. The rock shrimp tempura and the braised ribs were the best of the starters. The ribs in particular were incredibly succulent and not overly sweet. The Szechuan Chicken was perfectly spicy for Shiima, which means I would’ve preferred it spicier.

Sushi!

All the Maki rolls were excellent. The best were undoubtedly the wagyu beef and the unagi, but the salmon ran them close. Really fresh fish and good portions.

Mains

My Dongpo Pork Belly was incredibly soft and so well presented, but it seemed to lack much depth of flavour; heat, spice, sweet… anything. It was still pleasant to eat though, but I expected more.

Shiima loved her San Pei Chicken (and I did too 😄). She says it’s one of the best chicken main dishes she’s enjoyed in a while. It was very well spiced, the chicken was soft and succulent, and there was a perfect amount of sauce. The dish also went really well with the vegetable fried rice, which was as good as expected.

Dessert!

Yes. Shiima ordered the chocolate moelleux with vanilla ice cream and I ordered the yuzu crème brûlée with lychee granite.

I didn’t enjoy my yuzu crème brûlée, it wasn’t sweet enough and was a tad too sharp for me. I finished it though lol.

Shiima’s moelleux is essentially a fondant, and right in our wheelhouse because it’s chocolatey and warm. It was very rich and indulgent as well. A top notch dessert.

 

Verdict

We really enjoyed our dinner at Mei Ume. It’s such an elegant restaurant, the food is mostly superb, and the service is fantastic. We recommend primarily for romantic dates and special occasions. They also have a beautiful private room for private events. Mei Ume is really expensive though, so do bear that in mind.

Cuisine: Chinese and Japanese
Dress Code: Smart
Shiima’s Star Dish: San Pei Chicken with Thai Basil and Chilli
Amen’s Star Dish: Mei Ume Tasting Maki
Price: £50+ pp
Rating: 4.8 out 5

Mei Ume
Four Seasons Hotel London
10 Trinity Square
EC3N 4AJ
Reserve a table at OpenTable,
or call 020 3297 3799