EAT MY WORDS: A slap-up meal at Hou Hou Mei in Inverness
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When Hou Hou Mei first opened, it had bookings up to six weeks in advance. I’ve tried it once, and wasn’t disappointed, so when my friends Bev and Sara came to stay, I thought I would let them try it, as they are both foodies like myself.
Booking and arrival...
I booked us in on their website ahead of time – be warned, you’ll have to provide card details in case of a no-show charge at £10 per person, which is a little irritating, but I understand the reasoning behind it. There were plenty of people sitting in the waiting area when we arrived so I was glad we had booked ahead of time (the fact that I had been organised enough to do so, came as a surprise as I normally live life by the seat of my pants).
Based in an unsuspecting building - that models a warehouse from the outside - located in Tomnahurich Street, Hou Hou Mei (which means very very yummy in Cantonese), is quite the classy and chic establishment when you get inside. It aims to deliver a modern take on traditional Asian cuisine with influences from Japanese, Korean, Thai and Cantonese techniques.
We were taken to the table by an enthusiastic waiter who took us through how the menu worked. We were also offered a complimentary traditional tea, which took the edge off our hunger to stop us ordering absolutely E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
The menu itself is extremely expansive, and although it isn’t the cheapest restaurant in Inverness, I do feel that it is reasonably priced for the quality and size of portions that are served.
After browsing the menu, we decided that we would share a couple of starters from the ‘small plates’, each have a main and then we would see how we felt about pudding (but I knew in my inners that I would go for this no matter how full I was as I am gluttonous and have a sweet tooth through and through).
The starters...
We shared some crispy wantons (£6) and char siu pork belly bao buns (£7.80), which were both healthy portions and enough to satisfy three people.
The wantons are fried pastry parcels with pork and prawn and were utterly delicious. They were extremely hot on the inside (in terms of heat) and that would have been my only criticism of them. Apart from that they were the perfect wee starter.
The bao buns are almost a meal on their own, and come in a portion of two, so splitting them was the way to go. I don’t think I could have a whole portion to myself and then have a larger meal after (but you never know.) The juicy pork with a crunchy rind on the side was perfectly accompanied with pickled slaw, coriander, fresh chilli, spring onion and sriracha mayo, making it both moreish and fresh.
The mains...
We had a brief pause to let the starters go down, before our mains were brought out. I decided to go for a BBQ pulled beef ramen (£16), as the last time I had it, it was the most tender beef I had ever had. I was not disappointed. I have to say I’m not a big fan of eggs though, so I skipped the tea-stained boiled egg that comes with it. The enormous bowl was succulent, and cooked to perfection with sweetness throughout. Wanting to save room for dessert, I decided just eat half and asked for the other half in a doggy-bag, which they happily obliged to.
Beverley went for the kindo (£16.50): a lightly battered meat of your choice or cauliflower, in a spicy sweet garlic sauce with onions, peppers, dried chillies and cashew nuts. She decided to opt for the chicken, which was spicy but not overly so, and the heat was cut by the jasmine rice it was served with.
Sara had the salt and chilli tempura king prawns (£20), which were very flavoursome! Tossed in sea salt, aromatic spices, fresh dried chillies and spring onions, you definitely didn’t want to be kissing anyone after this meal!
The desserts...
We were all satisfied after our meals, but like I said I have a sweet tooth, and a woman on a mission so I ploughed on with dessert. Bev decided to forgo it, as she was well and truly stuffed, but Sara joined me in a sweet treat.
She went for the pandan pavlova (£7), that was made up of a raspberry meringue, pandan cream, passion fruit and fresh raspberries. We Googled what Pandan was, and it turns out it tastes like a grassy vanilla with a hint of coconut. It was lovely and the sweetness was paired with the tart raspberries.
I went for the yuzu meringue tart (£7), which in my opinion looked better than it tasted. It was impressive, but it was decorated with what I can only describe as those candy cane cigarettes you would eat as a child. It was nice, but it was slightly disappointing. There was a bit too much meringue, and little yuzu to balance it all out.
The final verdict...
All-in-all it was a slap up meal, and the service was top notch! The food came out quickly and it was reasonably priced for everything we got! Both my pals were impressed by it, and they said they would be back again to try it!
I’ll definitely be returning!
