TRIED AND TASTED: Hou Hou Mei's new twist on Asian cuisine is a welcome novelty for palates in Inverness
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IT WAS a very busy weekend in the Highland capital, and one which saw a lot of exciting novel experiences in the city.
Besides welcoming the likes of Duran Duran, Texas and Andrea Boccelli in the space of less than three days, Inverness was included for the first time in the National Whisky Festival tour.
However, an event that got a lot of attention and buzz from locals online and offline was the opening of its newest city centre restaurant, Hou Hou Mei.
An understandable thrill after people waited for several weeks to see with their eyes what the new black and stand-out building would look like and – most importantly – what flavours it will bring to the table.
After being invited to the opening weekend to savour what's on their menu, I think it's fair to say that anticipation was very, very well met.
A cosy yet open, well designed open space
Even if they were fully booked, the interior at Hou Hou Mei already puts you at ease – the decor is elegant and in no way over the top (as it happens too often in some world cuisine restaurants) – but the tasteful design is also welcoming and pleasant.
I loved that you feel as if there is space around you and that tables are far from being too crammed. This also means that noises tend to be dispersed in the environment and one can enjoy a convivial meal without the need to raise the voice too much.
A toast to start with – cocktails and teas
A friendly staff welcomed us and, first things first, we had to choose tea to start with and go along with the meal, as per Chinese tradition.
The jasmine tea is a fresh and light option which nicely cuts through meaty, pork-based dishes – on the other hand the nuttyness of the Oolong really pairs wonderfully with savoury dishes.
A variety of cocktails and mocktails is is also available and I thoroughly recommend the Tokyo Mule, although the sake gets a bit overpowered by the ginger beer, the overall result is a nice and refreshing (and quiet light) drink. Yuzu mojito will give you a lovely sweeter and fresh twist to the staple cocktail.
I liked the beer and cider selection, all great to pair with Asian food, and a good selection of soft drinks.
Filling, tasty starters
What is dubbed as 'small plates' actually comes in good portions and – as the restaurant's ethos promotes – they make great sharers. First thing first: this was the first time I was able to taste bao (steamed, fluffy buns). After seeing them in multiple animated movies, I was looking forward to try this dish. They were very different from what I expected in a way, but I will surely come back for more as the texture of the buns is pretty special and the flavours of the pork belly, siracha mayo, slaw and coriander just worked perfectly in the mix. These are also available with BBQ beef and Crispy Tofu so a variety of options to try is there.
Let's get to the yasai tempura: chunks of courgettes. aubergine and broccoli in a light, crunchy batter which really preserved nicely the flavours of the veg. I only had a slight issue eating one of their broccoli stems which had an ever so slightly dry top and made a couple of broccoli bits crunch and scatter around the table but the rest was really delicious.
Last but not least, let's talk dumplings: their pork wor tip had a nice and tasty filling, the accompanying soy vinegar dip was one of the best ways I have had dumplings and the texture was overall really pleasant. I do like dumplings ever so slightly crispier when they are fried but that is a personal inclination more than anything.
The main's deal – Paw Paw’s curry and Kindo
We were advised that we would have ended up pretty full if we had to order small plates and mains, and full we ended although we did manage to finish everything, which is always a good sign.
The choice had to include a serve of Paw Paw’s curry, which is named after Karen's (the owner) mother (Paw Paw meaning "grandma"), who has been an institution in the Invernessian takeaway scene in the past decades. The curry sauce is her recipe and I have to admit I am very much yet to try a better one. It just feels like the upgrade to your takeaway curry sauce: it still has the wholesome, tasty and homely element to it but the texture is way less greasy and heavy, the flavours more balanced, and the heat – a gentle spiciness which does make things more interesting in the dish. I went for the chicken, which was very well cooked and in a good portion.
Another pleasant surprise was the kindo: the spicy sweet garlic sauce covered the chicken wonderfully and most importantly garlic didn't overpower all the other flavours. Onions, peppers, dried chillies and cashew nuts just gave the dish a lovely blend of textures, with some lovely contrasts and acidity hints.
The main's menu is not huge but each dish feels like something I'd like to try. Another thing that will surely drive people (myself included) back.
Sweet sweet desserts
With a baker and a trained pastry chef at the steering wheel of the restaurant, anticipation on desserts was high. The miso salted caramel brownie is absolutely delicious: quality chocolate and a thick, rich texture that just play too well with the miso caramel sauce. Miso is a quiet yet important element here, you can feel that there is something much different and elegant about the flavours here.
The Asian pear sticky toffee pudding made for a much lighter and fresh dessert, but not with less taste – a lovely combination of consistencies, a little spiciness (in the cinnamon-y way) and delicate notes of jasmine coming through.
Not of merit to the ice cream, which was creamy, milky and with a hint of vanilla, far from the chemical ugliness offered too often in restaurants.
Our thoughts
Speaking to Karen, the owner, the aim of Hou Hou Mei was to bring something new and different to Inverness. I think that in many ways they have hit the right spot with their restaurant, from space to menu. There is definitely an element that calls back to beloved dishes of the wholesome, takeaway nights, but they are all revisited in a key which gives more attention to ingredients and flavour, for an upgraded experience. Other dishes are probably new to the scene and this is very, very welcome. A note of merit, seeing the menu, has to go to the availability of vegetarian options for most dishes.
Overall, having a new reality like Hou Hou Mei is a welcome sign that the Inverness food scene is heading towards new interesting directions. Where will this take us? We are all in for the journey!
