FIRST LUXURY CHINESE RESTAURANT CALLED 'MEE' AS IN NOODLES OPENS IN RIO DE JANEIRO AT COPACABANA PALACE! JUST IN TIME FOR WORLD CUP!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
SO MANY OF MY RICH CHINKY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO RIP DE JANEIRO TO WATCH WORLD CUP THAT I MUST TELL THERE IS A NEW, LUXURY, 5-STAR CHINESE RESTAURANT CATERING JUST FOR THEM!

Now you can enjoy the best of Chinese cuisine under the ministrations of top chinese chef Ken Hom! 

COPACABANA PALACE OPENS RIO’S FIRST LUXURY PAN-ASIAN RESTAURANT FRONTED BY CELEBRITY ASIAN CHEF KEN HOM Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil opened the city’s first luxury pan-Asian restaurant this week, fronted by celebrity Asian chef Ken Hom. Named MEE, the phonetic spelling of a female name meaning ‘beauty’ in Korean, the 92-seat restaurant is located beside the iconic hotel’s swimming pool, and joins Copacabana Palace’s two acclaimed dining options, Hotel Cipriani Restaurant, which serves Italian cuisine, and international eatery Pérgula. Following a six-month remodel, the 190m2 space features contemporary Asian-inspired décor, with Chinese teahouse-style booths and eastern portraits by Bangkok-based artist Christian Develter. Walls are painted in Chinese sang-de-boeuf porcelain red, and wooden dividers in the style of Asian screens create an intimate feel. The oriental ambience is complemented by Shanghai lounge music, selected by Ken Hom, and a signature room aroma with hints of lily and ginger. MEE’s exotic menu will take diners on a gastronomic journey through Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, China, and Japan. The restaurant’s chefs learned Asian culinary techniques in Bangkok prior to the opening and will prepare an innovative menu of specialities including ‘spicy Thai salad’ and ‘Vietnamese salt and pepper crab’ in the restaurant’s wok area, separated from the dining room by a glass panel. A dedicated sushi bar will serve a range of sushi and ‘SashiMEE’, including ten of the chef’s special fish dishes, eel, scallops, and Kobe beef served with a special soy sauce. For an interactive dining experience, guests can sit at a long bar and watch as sushi is prepared. To accompany the inventive cuisine, a sake stewardess will be on hand to pair each dish with over 25 varieties imported from Japan. Sake tastings will also be available. An extensive drinks menu includes 18 cocktail creations, three of which are designed to convey the spirit of MEE – mango, vodka and spices; fig with chamomile and gin; and duck-infused Bloody Mary. Guests will also be invited to select their favourite flavour of tea, which is made to their personal taste and served at the end of the meal. Ken Hom comments: “I am delighted to be bringing authentic pan-Asian cuisine to Rio de Janeiro. MEE’s innovative menu will use the freshest, finest ingredients to give guests a true taste of eastern gastronomy”. Based both in France and Thailand, celebrated BBC TV chef Ken has starred in a number of prime-time series and written over 30 cookery books. The restaurant’s Executive Chef, Rafael Hidaka, is of Japanese descent and has previously worked at acclaimed Sao Paolo restaurants Kinoshita and Osaka. The hotel’s General Manager, Andrea Natal, adds: “MEE is the latest in a series of investments that have further strengthened Copacabana Palace’s status as one of South America’s finest hotels. With a creative menu and exclusive service, the restaurant is sure to become a favourite dining spot for both guests and locals.” The opening of Copacabana Palace’s new restaurant follows the completion of a meticulous US$20 million refurbishment at the end of 2012. MEE be will open for lunch from 12:00 – 17:00, Friday to Sunday and dinner from 19:00 – 00:00, Sunday to Thursday and 19:00 – 01:00 on Friday and Saturday. Prices at Copacabana Palace start from £408 (approx. US$680)  per night, including taxes, based on two sharing a Superior City View Room with breakfast. For further information, please visit www.copacabanapalace.com. About Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. is a luxury hotel company and sophisticated adventure travel operator which seeks to deliver memorable experiences that are the ultimate expression of each destination's authentic culture. The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then shortly thereafter recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris and Venice, along with other European cities. Today the Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. brand embraces 44 hotel, cruise and luxury rail businesses in 22 countries, including distinctive properties such as Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg, Hotel Ritz Madrid, Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro and Maroma Resort and Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. The Company also operates six luxury tourist trains, three river cruise operations and one of New York’s most iconic restaurants. www.orient-express.com.