Mei Mei
After a day spent looking around various art installations in Lambeth, a friend and I decided to head to Borough Market for something to eat. While the queue to Padella was atrocious (albeit expected, it being a Saturday in mid-July), we were able to get two seats at the counter at Mei Mei.
The brainchild of Elizabeth Haigh, who had previously earned a Michelin Star as Head Chef of Pidgin, Mei Mei brings Singaporean cuisine to Borough Market via Kopitiam (a Singaporean coffee shop). Similar in style to the type of open-counter tapas bars you might see in Catalonian markets, Mei Mei is a no-frills affair, where dishes are served up soon after you order them.
I went for the vegetable and tofu curry, which had a coconut base infused with turmeric and other spices, with coconut rice to go with it, while my friend elected for the Hainanese chicken poached in a ginger and garlic sauce, alongside chili sauce and a sticky, sweetened soy sauce.
I found calling it a vegetable and tofu curry was one piece of tofu away from being an outright lie. Among the rather largely cut pieces of vegetables in the curry, was a solitary nugget of tofu. Despite this, the curry had a warm, delicately spiced flavour. It was palatable, but really, I feel like I've had this curry the world over.
Alongside the food, I had a glass of Milo, having never tried it before. Milo is a chocolate malt drink that comes in powder form, and is produced by - who woulda thunk it - Nestlé. Singaporeans have enjoyed Milo since the 1950's, and it's since become a household staple. Singapore's love for Milo gives me shades of how the Japanese enjoy eating KFC at Christmas. Whatever the reason, I also am a huge fan of chocolate milk, so this particular item was always going to be a winner.
Value for money? £25 including service charge for a drink, a main, and a side. It's not bad value for money, and the food I had wasn't bad. Neither, however, was it great, or even particularly good. For that reason, I would say there are better out there. Still, if you haven't tried this cuisine before, it may be worth the visit.
Would I return? No.
