Address: Shop C & D, Ground floor, Entertainment Building, 30 Queen’s Road, Central
Website: www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-me
An extension of the Mercedes Benz brand into the lifestyle and dining experience brings us Mercedes Me, a Japanese-Western fusion concept. Part of the Maximal concepts group that already has successful restaurants such as Limewood, Blue Butchers and Mott32 under its umbrella, this restaurant is the first of its kind. Combining a luxury car showroom with a restaurant and bar, located just steps away from the offices, it’s the prefect place to meet clients or for after work drinks.
Here are some of their delicious cocktails;
Bourbon, Kentucky $120: Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Orange Liquer, Orange, Egg, Cinnamon Crown
- A brilliant marriage of sweet and smokey notes.
- Cinnamon and egg foam adda whimsical element, as well as sweetness to offset the bitterness from the bourbon.
- Smooth and complex, as well as smokey. A manly, sophisticated cocktail.
Sake, Kinkaku-ji $120: Born Tsuya Junmar Daijinjo Sake, Ketel One Vodka, Kiwi, Lime & Double Texture of Wasabi
- Refreshing, light cocktail with sweet and slight spicy notes.
- Reminds you of a Mojito, but much lighter and more fruity. Also slightly spicy (from wasabi) with a strong kiwi taste. Perfect for a hot summer day.
Tapas Menu
Featuring Japanese-Western fusion Tapas, including both cold and warm plates. Inspired by Spanish and Peruvian roots with a Japanese twist, the dishes seem a bit of a mishmash.
Portions were rather small for its $100-300 price tag.
Sea Urchin $210 – Fig, Nori Cracker, Oyster Leaf, Ponzu
- Presentation was delicate and modern, though that was the best part of the dish.
- Salty nori crackers overpowered everything and masked the taste of the Fig, ponzu and oyster leaf. At the same time enhancing the saltiness of the Sea Urchin.
- The Sea Urchin, as a main ingredient, was a generous size and very fresh, but its accompaniments got lost in the dish.
- The foam was a bit of a gimmick and more of a presentation element.
Verdict:
Mercedes Me is a good concept, mixing car showroom with dining experience. It cocktails were very innovative and tasty, and showed care into developing the flavours. The tapas, however, was a different story. First glance, the menu looked very interesting albeit the hefty price tag. Portions were extremely small and were more for presentation than taste. The ideas were there but execution needed work. The taste of the ingredients simply were not balanced.
Service and ambience was great, despite the food. Will definitely be back to sample more cocktails!
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