From the talents of chef-restaurateur Will Meyrick, the Mama San restaurants have already wowed diners in Bali and Hong Kong and will surely do the same in Malaysia, with the all-new Mama San Kuala Lumpur launching soon.
The highly original Mama San restaurants appear to be starting a takeover of Southeast Asia: quite the mouth-watering prospect on the regional culinary scene, if the original Mama San Bali – one of my favourite restaurants on the island – is anything to go by.
Mama San is the organic creation of Will Meyrick: author, restaurateur, TV chef and celebrity (amongst others, a judge on Top Chef Indonesia) and without doubt, one of the most respected maestros on the Southeast Asian scene – in short, a unique culinary talent. From his native UK, to successful chef stints in Asia and in two of Sydney’s premier restaurants, it is, however, Meyrick’s passion for Asia’s cuisine, culture and heritage, plus a long-running fascination with the region’s vibrant street food culture and exotic spices, flavours and aromas, that has been this intrepid chef’s culinary inspiration. And it is Meyrick’s “street food chef” moniker that perhaps really defines him, setting him apart as a chef and restaurateur.
A self-confessed street food addict, Meyrick has repeatedly undertaken in-depth research of traditional recipes and culinary heritage during countless travels across Asia, garnering local cooking techniques and authentic recipes handed down the generations. Cooking persuasions absorbed and admired by Meyrick include Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Malay, Singaporean, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese. He then melds them in a style that is now synonymous with his international reputation as the street food chef and his expanding restaurant empire.
Experimenting and developing Asian street-food-style recipes fuelled the inspiration behind Meyrick’s fine-dining flagship restaurant Sarong, launched in 2008 and still one of the island’s most acclaimed restaurants (recently awarded an S. Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Indonesia Award and ranked in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2014). With Sarong’s refined Euro-Asian elegance, Meyrick and team masterfully balance modern Asian signature dishes inspired by traditional, home-style recipes: an innovative concept of sublime Asian street food – without the street. Following on from the successes of Sarong, the Mama San concept evolved.
“The dream has always been to open a place that is more than just a restaurant,” explains Meyrick. “An environment where people can feel comfortable to eat, try their hand at cooking, or just lounge in the bar, only leaving for home when they feel like it. Mama San is for anyone who appreciates lounging in style and eating quality food, without it being too expensive.”
Meyrick emphasized, however, that he and his team wanted to create a unique space to complement Sarong, rather than compete with it. He then explained the choice of the name.
“Mama San illustrates the story of a madam of authority in an Asian gentlemen’s club, who takes care of her girls with affection. That’s pretty much how I see myself in keeping the authenticity of the cuisine culture in the restaurants I manage, by learning from all the sage old ladies and matriarchs across the region, who are willing to pass on their knowledge! The Mama San name is also apt because of the old and new world in?uences carried in the interiors and the Asian cuisine.“
Mama San hits Bali
Supported by long-term “chef in crime”, Thai Palm Amatawet, Mama San Bali opened its doors in October 2011, in the trendy Seminyak-Kerobokan area.
A different, “”Asian culinary odyssey gone posh” hybrid to Sarong, Mama San instantly became the island’s new hotspot for dining. Equally glam, but with more attitude, the three-in-one kitchen-bar-lounge concept comes housed within a converted, double-storey warehouse and offers diners a rarity in Bali – full air-conditioned bliss.
Diners have been continually captivated by the retro-vintage ambience evoking 1920s Shanghai and colonial decadence, blending with modern urban chic – vintage mah-jong tables, oversized leather chester?elds, but most striking of all, a vast, retro-inspired mural wallpaper of Mama San herself, created by textile designer Justine Missen, which totally dominates the back wall.
Up a couple of wrought-iron staircases and paying homage to the Mama San name, the classy lounge and bar – a destination in its own right – resembles a refined gentleman’s club, complete with chandeliers and leather club chairs. A fine spot to enjoy the evening grazing menu of dim sum dumplings and near-legendary classic cocktails with a twist (such as Coconut Mojitos), created by a Singaporean mixologist and served in whacky vessels that include terracotta pots and copper buckets.
“The interiors are a feast for the eyes, while the food is a feast for the soul,” states Meyrick. Thus, Mama San is popular to almost cult proportions for authentic street-inspired Asian dishes, with an all-day menu and special lunch menu, showcasing sublime Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Malay, Singaporean, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese offerings. Dishes come imaginatively served, reflecting local culinary styles, anything from banana leaves to layered tiffins and thali trays.
An array of Asian food treats await, served as a la carte one-offs or in set menus, including an Indian thali and Singaporean chicken, rice and soup set. A selection of salads from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, such as a chicken and pomelo salad with lime leaf, are available for lunch and dinner, with piquant curries, slow-cooked braises and hearty soups good for lunch. Braised and roasted meats, along with local and Pacific-rim seafood, are incorporated into much of the lunch and dinner menus and there’s an equally delicious vegetarian section. Other dishes include favourites like crispy pork hock on the bone with nahm jihm jaew and nam pla prik, street-style noodle soups and wok stir-fries, such as chow ming noodles with duck. The Dim Sum Sunday Lunches are a weekend treat for authentic, fresh dim sum, some with a twist, like the Lamb and Pumpkin Pot Stickers with chilli oil and black vinegar.
Adding to the mix, fresh, crunchy flavours and textures derive from the kitchen’s strong commitment to using local, fresh produce and ingredients sourced from across Indonesia, which seamlessly blend into these Asian recipes.
Spicing things up in Hong Kong
Post-Mama San Bali and Sarong, Meyrick and his Sarong Group started to spread their culinary wings further afield, launching the regional Thai-styled E&O Restaurant in Jakarta.
A few years ago, in an interview, Meyrick was asked, “Is Mama San going to multiply?” To which he ominously replied, “Yes most definitely. It’s a unique concept and has all of the five elements for a successful business.”
Hong Kong’s dynamic culinary scene is world-renowned; it is, however, also viewed by restaurateurs as an ambitious start-up destination. Previously working as a chef in an upscale property here, Meyrick knew Hong Kong well and instinctively felt this was the right launch pad for the second Mama San. With its evident success, Meyrick’s instincts paid off.
Mama San Hong Kong launched May 2014 on Wyndham Street, Central, fittingly located in the heart of Hong Kong’s bustling dining and wining precinct, frequented by both expats and locals.
Revealing a similar style and concept to Mama San Bali, like all Mama Sans, however, Hong Kong’s kitchen and bar comes infused with local characteristics and flavours reflecting the nuances of this “fragrant harbour”.
This Mama San effortlessly adapts its elder sister’s ambiance of edgy colonial times in 1920s Shanghai to Hong Kong, in a purposefully designed industrial-style warehouse setting. Again, there is the trademark “Mama San” wall mural, but this time with her demure downcast glance set on the Hong Kong diners. Like Bali, Mama San has a real buzz to it, especially for dinner, but alternative touches include long wooden bench-style tables encouraging a more communal dining approach.
Celebrating its one-year anniversary this May, Mama San continues to charm Hong Kong’s discerning patrons with an amazing collection of street-food inspired dishes from Southeast Asia, with Malay, Singaporean, Thai, Cambodian, Indonesian and Vietnamese cuisine, as well as Chinese and Indian, and mouth-watering iconic Southeast Asian flavours that include coconut, Thai basil, chillies and kaffir lime. From all-day and lunch menus, here with express-style set lunch selections, favourites include Pad Thai, with generous helpings of big, juicy shrimps and authentic Thai rice noodles, and robust Cambodian duck curry with sweet potatoes. Bali exports not only include the Ubud-style BBQ pork ribs with homemade chilli sauce, but also Chef Budiana, who has headed up the kitchen team and been part of the Sarong Group since the start.
Next stop, Kuala Lumpur
Will Meyrick is now taking his acclaimed Mama San brand to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, completing a hat-trick of Mama Sans in Asia.
With his canny aptitude for “right time, right place”, Kuala Lumpur was perhaps a calculated move for what is increasingly developing into an attractive foodies’ magnet.
“I’ve been eyeing-up Kuala Lumpur for a long time,” confesses Meyrick. “Kuala Lumpur is an emerging market. Its growth is amazingly significant and, compared to Singapore, the capital has a lot more space to nurture a business, while Singapore has become a tad saturated. Additionally, Kuala Lumpur is a melting pot of many cultures and diverse cuisines, which makes it perfect to house another Mama San!”
Scheduled to open in June 2015 in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, once again Mama San Kuala Lumpur will carry the brand blueprint, but deliciously soak up local character. As well as offering some inspiring new dishes on the menu, Mama San Kuala Lumpur will only serve halal food and there will be more of a focus on signature Indian dishes – reflecting the capital’s strong Indian community.
Bali, Hong Kong and, imminently, Kuala Lumpur: where next for this grande dame?
“It’s important for Mama San to be in major cities throughout Asia, introducing street-inspired Asian dishes to a wider audience,” declares Meyrick.
Good news for Mama San fans across Asia. We can’t wait!
