Mei Ume — London, UK
![Mei Ume — London, UK](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/atjcEwGezoXdxepdizQzXa-415-80.jpg)
The 1922 HQ of the Port of London Authority is a lofty Palladian space of impressive double-volumed interiors – perfect, in other words, as the setting of the Four Seasons Hotel’s second London outpost. And in the hands of less experienced designers, it might have been equally easy for its flagship in-house restaurant Mei Ume to have been lost amid those grand proportions.
Happily, Hong Kong-based design studio AB Concept’s Ed Ng and Terence Ngan worked all the tricks in their bag to create an intimately scaled space for their first UK-based project. Working around the original columns, the designers mixed red lacquer frames with bronze and metallic motifs; enamel painted glass and hand-painted panels with silk embroidery and thin-framed borders around banquettes.
All this makes for a head-turning setting for the menu which takes its cues from the restaurant’s name, a Chinese-Japanese hybrid that apparently means ‘plum blossom’. On the table, this translates into a bi-cultural mix of dishes – ideal for indecisive diners who can’t decide between head chef and Royal China alum Tony Truong’s two-course Peking duck, and crispy noodles with stir-fried lobster; ex-Yauatcha Derrick Chen’s truffle and wild mushroom dumplings; or sushi chef and Sake no Hana alum Mun Seok Choi’s soft shell crab uramaki laced with mango and daikon.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Four Seasons Hotel London
Ten Trinity Square
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Cabaret, martinis and Yorkshire puddings: The Cockatoo by Bistrotheque has it all
The Cockatoo, a bar, restaurant and performance space designed by Nice Projects, adds spice and rhythm to storied east London venue Bistrotheque
By Daven Wu Published
-
Recharge at Praktyka, the glamping spot all creatives should know
Architectural cabins and art workshops await at Praktyka, a creative retreat on the wild North Devon coast
By Tom Howells Published
-
Tollington’s is the new Spanish-inspired fish bar making a splash in north London
Tollington’s in Finsbury Park is a new opening from the team behind The Plimpsoll, championing Spanish-style dining and interiors
By Billie Brand Published
-
The Orangery at Kensington Palace offers high tea and verdant vistas in a royal London setting
The Orangery at Kensington Palace Gardens is the perfect green setting for a sunny day treat of afternoon tea and more
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Paradise 2.0: the beloved Soho-based Sri Lankan restaurant, reinvented
Paradise 2.0 embraces tropical brutalism following a renovation by Dan Preston Studio
By Billie Brand Published
-
Step inside the majestic Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
In matching its exclusive and central location, a sleek building by RSHP houses the new ultra-refined Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Soak up London’s sunshine at these stylish rooftop bars
Discover the best London rooftop bars, from the Middle Eastern-themed Yasmin Soho to Spanish tapas haven, Amano Rooftop Bar
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Celebrate summer in Ladbroke Hall’s new garden dining space
The London arts space introduces an al fresco oasis boasting a landscape design by Luciano Giubbilei and a pavilion by Jean Prouvé
By Sofia de la Cruz Published