Mei Kun, the Pan-Asian fine dine restaurant in The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in east Delhi, is a pleasant surprise for those seeking to savour authentic Southeast Asian food in the Capital. Located on the third floor, with a view of the greener part of East Delhi, the fine dine has been done up in earthy Asian style with soft music playing in the background. Every bite of food at the diner is reminiscent of the Oriental flavours and delicately prepared with numerous ingredients sourced from Thailand.
Baskets of prawn and rice crackers are set on the table upon entry and make for a tasty crunch in between courses. I was welcomed with a platter of different salads in myriad colours – som tam (raw papaya salad), yum som o (pomello salad), tofu salad, beans and bamboo shoot salad and lastly, the Mandarinchicken salad.
While all the salads were loaded with flavour, the highlight for me was definitely the som tam and yum som o. The green papaya salad was refreshingly crunchy, and hit the perfect notes of sour, sweet and savoury. The pomello salad which was a mix of grapefruit, cherry tomatoes, bok choy leaves and onion was fresh and had a lively citrus flavour to it and balanced the beans salad tossed in sesame oil. The salads were followed by two very distinct soups that somehow worked well even in the heat of the summer.
The curry laksa with tofu and vegetables had subtle hints of sweet, sour and spicy elements and the coconut broth sweetly cut across the otherwise ‘hot’ soup. The koong tom som was a clear soup with lemon grass, galangal, kafir lime, fresh turmeric, Thai chillies and prawns. The fresh turmeric was a welcome addition, and the ingredients came together beautifully to create a healthy and soothing broth that lights up the taste buds.
Right balance
However, both the soups were on the spicier side and thus, not for those not fond of chilli. For the appetisers, one picked crispy tofu krapow, chicken satay, prawn salt and pepper, and pla lard prick. The crispy tofu remained soft from the inside, and the chicken satay was by far, the least appetising as the marinade failed to impress. The prawn salt and pepper was perfectly cooked and made for the perfect starter. Pla lard prick which was a crispy red snapper with basil and chillies was delicious with the nicely cooked fish providing the right balance of freshness and spices.
For the main course, Chef Veer Pratap Singh prepared a variety of dishes – vegetarian Penang curry, wok tossed beans bamboo shoot and water chestnut, steamed salmon, schezwan chicken, wok tossed lamb with cumin and coriander, mee goreng with vegetables, jasmine steamed rice, and phad Thai noodles with chicken. The vegetarian Penang curry with steamed rice was my favourite with the subtle hint of jasmine in the rice and the aromatic curry with a smooth sweet coconut flavour and hints of lime and spice which warms the heart. Mee goreng was another dish that one enjoyed which was neither too saucy nor too dry and had just the right level of spices. The chicken tossed in the sweet Schezwan and the wok tossed beans and water chestnuts made for flavourful accompaniments. The wok tossed lamb with cumin was perhaps the only main course dish that failed to leave a mark – the lamb was a bit dry and the cumin flavour was hardly noticeable.
Closing the satisfying experience was another masterstroke from the chef – apple fritters with coconut ice cream, mango slices and strawberry caramel sauce for dessert. The freshly prepared coconut ice cream had bits of coconut and was a perfect topping to the sweet apple fritters. The ice cream was the highlight of the dessert with its subtle sweetness and the ability to cut across the sweet apples and cool the mouth. In the end, I was poured a cup of aromatic jasmine tea that was the ideal end note to an authentic South east Asian meal.
Meal for two: ₹2500 plus taxes