Catch Us In The Club (Mei Mei Review)

October 26, 2023

Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

*Pictured above is the Loaded Waffle Fries ($20), Chicken and Waffles ($25), and Summer Griddle Pancakes ($18). Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.*

Summer can be like a club, it goes by in a blur, leaving a desire for more. The only memories that may remain are cheap souvenirs and if you’re lucky, a decent tan. There are very few things that can invoke the essence of summer. Going to the beach, eating ice cream on a warm day, or even eating certain foods can take you back to a brighter, funner, sunnier times. Our experience at Mei Mei was similar to summer, in the sense that it flew by, and left us wanting more. But in what sense? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

Mei Mei first opened its doors in March of 2020, shortly before the beginning of the Covid lockdown. Its owner and head chef, Jay Ho, had decades of experience in the restaurant business prior to opening Mei Mei. Having been born in Taiwan and raised in Houston, Texas, Ho grew up in the kitchen (Eater). It is without saying that during the Covid 19 pandemic Mei Mei suffered, With Ho coming to the restaurant one day to find it mysteriously boarded up and shut down (WooderIce). However, in spite of these low points in its brief history, Mei Mei has persevered. We visited the restaurant at the end of July for Sunday brunch. We made reservations in advance, as it is recommended to do so. On the date of our reservation, we arrived on time, and were seated quickly.

First impression of the restaurant is that it’s gorgeous. There is use of dark woods, leather, dark purples and neon pink throughout the space. Whether it’s through the cherry blossom chandelier, or the leather booth and siding that visible throughout the restaurant. It is apparent that the vibes are meant to feel sexy and sleek like a restaurant, but transformative in the sense that it can morph into a club with just a few sips. We decided to order the Hibiscus Margarita ($16) and Mango Basil Bourbon ($16) for drinks. We then ordered the loaded waffle fries ($20), Chicken and Waffles ($25), and Summer Griddle Pancakes ($18). If you’re looking for a bottomless mimosa option you can purchase it at the rate of $35 per person for one hour or $60 per person for two hours.

Drinks

Hibiscus Margarita and Mango Basil Bourbon

*Pictured above are the Hibiscus Margarita ($16) and Mango Basil Bourbon ($16). Photos Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.*

Starting off with the most important part of brunch. The DRANKS. So I ordered the Hibiscus Margarita and Dynisha ordered the Mango Basil Bourbon. The thing that drew us to order the drinks that we did, was the effort to fuse popular drinks with asian and east asian elements, such as hibiscus and basil. The Hibiscus Margarita contained Altos tequila, triple sec, hibiscus and lime. The presentation was instagram worthy. In terms of the drink it was fruity and boozy but balanced. While not too fruity and overly saccharine but also not too boozy. Although this made for a pleasant drink, it was too light and maybe could have used a tad bit more alcohol for my personal taste. But if you’re someone who enjoys cocktails that have minimal bite, this may be love at first sip.

Moving onto the Mango Basil Bourbon. This drink had a little bit of everything. Bourbon, mango, lemon, orange juice, and basil. The presentation on this drink was also very beautiful. And just off of the description alone, it sounded like it was going to be a citrus packed delight. Dynisha remarked that she could taste everything in it, and that although she couldn’t taste the lemon it was still good. Overall, although these were both appetizing drinks, they fell a bit short. The flavors were pretty simple and they could have been a bit more boozy. Thus why we rated both of the above bevie’s 3.5 stars out of 5.

Entrees

Summer Griddle Pancakes

Moving on to the first of three entrees that we ordered, we’ll start with the Summer Griddle Pancakes. Obviously when we visited Mei Mei these were in season and on the menu, however that may have changed. So take this as a fair warning. The menu described these as being triple stacked pancakes that are maple infused. Our pancakes were topped with a mix of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, which were a nice touch.

In terms of the flavor, the texture of the pancakes were fluffy and dense. Because of the maple infusion they were sweet enough on their own. Even if you decide to add a bit of syrup, it adds a subtle amount of sweetness which doesn't overpower the pancake. The fruit added a nice fresh component to the dish. Outside of that, the pancakes didn’t have a ton of flavor or really anything that made it stand out from other pancakes that we’ve had. Thus why we rated these pancakes 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Chicken and Waffles

The next entree that’s on our list is the chicken and waffles. Now at this point, you may ask yourself “Nina, why are you guys ordering the most basic stuff on the menu?” And to that I say, that was not our intent. Most of the time when we visit restaurants, we visit blindly and set our expectations low. That being said, we still may have a few expectations in terms of what a restaurant may offer on the menu. In the case of Mei Mei, especially because we have had dinner at Mei Mei a few times before, we expected there to be a bit more Asian cuisine as a component of the fusion. Which is the case on the dinner menu, but not so much for brunch. That being said, the chicken and waffles are described as containing a belgium waffle, breaded crispy chicken, spicy honey, maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

Moving onto the most important part. The flavor. The chicken was a bit over cooked and bland. It was a bit tough to chew through and could give your jaw a bit of a work out. Without the “spicy” honey, the chicken had not a single leg to stand on. The syrup was delicious, it was infused with garlic and was probably more savory and umami than spicy. And the waffle was fluffy and light while still having a crisp exterior. Everything came together nicely, but again it fell flat and did not feel like something you couldn’t get somewhere else. For that reason alone, we rated this dish 3 out of 5 stars.

Loaded Waffle Fries

We saved the best for last, and these loaded waffle fries were definitely the best thing that we ordered. They contained waffle fries, a fried egg, mac and cheese, short rib, waffle fries and american cheese. Although that sounds like a dubious mix, it pulled together really well.

It was salty and umami. The braised short rib was extremely tender and had a slight sweetness from the barbecue sauce and from the way the short rib was braised. The fried egg paired perfectly with everything else, and was not too runny or fried too hard. Which is crucial because that can throw off the texture of other ingredients in dishes like this. The waffle fries were crunchy. The mac and cheese was thick, creamy and cheesy. And all together it tasted like a warm delicious hug, but was not greasy or too heavy. Overall, we would definitely order these again and rated these loaded fries a 4.8 out of 5.

In Conclusion..

In closing, our experience at Mei Mei was okay. Like I mentioned previously, we had higher expectations of what the menu was going to offer considering Mei Mei markets itself as being a “progressive” asian restaurant. It definitely felt like they played it safe, which is understandable. However, considering that you can very easily pay roughly 100 plus dollars for brunch per person, not including tip, you would like to think that some of that money is going toward a culinary experience that you won’t forget.

The vibes and atmosphere were present. We felt like we were in a day club that was also a restaurant. There was a DJ, we got our photos taken by a professional photographer, and post brunch you could go to the lounge downstairs,which has more of a club leaning vibe. It was a nice way to have your cake and eat it too, and if you’re not an epicurean and want someplace aesthetically pleasing to go for brunch then this may just be the place for you.

However for us, although our overall rating is a 3.64 out of 5 stars, we most likely wouldn’t return here to a full brunch. Maybe if we just wanted drinks and the loaded waffles fries, sure, but not for brunch.

What do you guys think? Would you eat brunch at Mei Mei? Let us know in the comments below.

Until next time,

XOXO

The Brunch Besties