Discover the taste of China at Meishi, The Park Mumbai

Pratishtha Rana

The taste of China truly comes alive at Meishi, the newest addition to Mumbai’s troupe of fine-dine Asian restaurants. A part of the The Park Mumbai, which opened last year in the seaside suburb of Juhu, Meishi is currently cooking up a grand Chinese feast, clubbed with the famous lion dance for the Chinese New Year. A culinary festival ongoing till February 9, every dish on the menu is selected by Chef Altamsh Patel.

Gourmet food, ahoy!

I visited the first day of Chinese New Year celebrations at Meishi, and the food spread underlined with the significance of good fortune and luck definitely did not disappoint. To begin with, the menu listed out Meishi’s white manchow soup, a welcoming twist to the Indianised version of spicy manchow. Then, came in Kung pao potatoes, some turnip cake with golden garlic and chicken in black pepper, out of which I preferred the turnip preparation more for its crisp, defined flavours.

An Asian treat is incomplete without dimsums, and so, the chef-special table was next greeted with two baskets of varieties, featuring pok choy wrapped dimsums served with black bean sauce and Chinese Peking dumpling in ginger soy. The succulent pok choy wraps won me over in an instant, and as told by chef Patel, “This unique outer layer of dimsum as compared to regular maida coating ensures an authentic edge to the dish.”

Triggered by an appetite for more, next in the queue for diners was a healthy platter of wok-tossed Asian vegetables in black bean sauce; salted and peppered just right. Leading to the mains, I paired burnt garlic rice with sautéed green chilly chicken served in a hot stone bowl. There was also an option of the basic Hakka noodles.

Surprisingly, I still had room for more, so, I squeezed in some stir-fried prawns in hot garlic sauce, but missed the excitement of new flavours in it; one would happen to find this prawn preparation almost at every fine dine.

The sweet finish to the evening was Lychee with ice cream and Mango Sago pudding. As a mango loyalist, I preferred the yellow dessert.

Interiors at Meishi

We were hosted in the private dining area, where the interiors displayed a clean muted-black marble flooring, a plush dining table for eight in the centre, with a well-lit ceiling lamp overlooking every décor detail.

The gold sequined curtains bordered the space, and glamorously so elevated the dining experience. Rest assured to be in the good company of some traditional Chinese soundtracks, teamed with a diverse collection of wines, whiskies, vodkas, cocktails and more. And, this is a promising roundup of serving luxury to every sense, of touch, sight, sound and taste.

Meishi is strategically located in the fancy lobby of The Park Mumbai, and captures a warm yet lavish side of the maximum city. The integration of China and its culinary finesse with an artsy, modern design technique marks this boutique hotel on the lists of foodies who believe that the ambience and service of a restaurant are as important as the food and its ingredients.

Address: The Park Hotels, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400049