At Mei Mei in Old City, progressive Asian cooking in a chic setting
Chef-restaurateur Jay Ho, from the Allentown area, promises style and Asian cooking on Second St.
Chef Jay Ho, who grew up in his father’s longtime restaurant business in the Allentown area, will make his Philadelphia premiere on March 12 in Old City.
He’s setting up Mei Mei, a bar-restaurant, at 33 S. Second St., in the space that was the short-lived Ardiente. Ho, whose family emigrated from Taiwan in 1978, stripped out the extensive, expensive renovations in favor of a chic look including cherry blossoms, velvet wall panels, hues of pink and purple, and a wall of lucky cats.
He’s billing the menu as a progressive interpretation of Asian cooking, including miso Caesar salad, scallion pancakes with sweet soy braised pork belly, Peking duck bao buns, Korean fried chicken wings, Taiwanese-style hunan beef, and miso-crusted sea bass.
Cocktails will incorporate Asian ingredients such as yuzu, wasabi, and sesame. Batched drinks and punches will be available, such as Polynesian-inspired drinks and mai tais.
Hours will be 5 p.m. to midnight for food, till 2 a.m. for the bar.