MAMASAN

Looking for a restaurant where you can lounge in style, eat comfortably and is near Hong Kong's best party hubs? Mamasan is the best place to be. Check out its Indonesian food, worthy of its cost and the Balinese decor that perfectly caters to intimate time with your friends or partners.

A couple of months ago, a friend came over for a special event at work and for their last day, they were given free time to explore Hong Kong. We, Hongkies had squeezed time to be able to have a catch up with her. We knew we would have a lot to talk about since we I wasn't able to attend her go away party because I was pregnant by then and it was a fast forward from there. We have that much to share, we needed a serene place that has an ambiance with the perfect lighting and just the right mellow music to set that relaxing mood after they had roamed around the city. Chesney, my visiting friend, had colleagues with her. One of them is visiting Hong Kong for the first time so we needed a place in the city so that they can just jump into having a taste of its nightlife right after. As I mentioned, they came from exploring the ladies' market, the peak and all that so they wanted to have a couple of happy hour drinks for experience right before going for dinner. Since we are in Asia, we all agreed that we should be able to taste Asian cuisine at its finest. Mamasan was incredible that it catered to all of these considerations we have in mind and the good news there was that it even exceeded our expectations.

Mama San's location:1/F, 46 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

I was coming from work when they informed me of the plans. I thought I was going to have a hard time finding Mamasan but it was just sitting almost beside Solas. It is located in 1/F, 46 Wyndham Street. I'd share the route from taking the MTR since that's what I took. So you take Exit E of the Central Station then you work your way up to Lan Kwai Fong. Take the stairs to Lan Kwai Fong Hotel (facing Hard Rock Cafe, it's on the right side) all the way up then you'll end up exiting to Wyndham Street. Face your 10 o' clock from that stairway and there it is.

I went up and I didn't expect such serene interior. And then as I remember what the word "Mamasan" meant in Japan or East Asia, she is the one responsible for taking care of geishas in a house or a bar and is the one in authority as to how they would be entertaining guests and masters. She trains them to look their best and to be at their best in all occasions. They said the mamasan is the most experienced amongst all women in a geisha house and is usually the responsible one for all credited acts of the women and for their mistakes as well. The young women serve as her reflection.

So, the brainchild behind Bali's success story, Sarong Restaurant, has this in mind while coming up with an idea for Mamasan. Will Meyrick wanted to infuse that Mamasan care in the ambiance, the food and the service that the people would be experiencing hence, the birth of this gem in Hong Kong.

They said Mamasan is a West meets East kind of a diner. They said it's very Western on the outside and Eastern in the inside. Since the West favours taking their time in eating and adores anything authentic and antique, they kept the place minimal and all Balinese in terms of the hues and kept the food interesting, enough to tickle a critique's senses and flavour preferences. I craved for something refreshing and light that evening so I opted for Crispy Salmon with Green Mango and Sweet Fish Sauce. It was beyond the usual green mango salad. It was superbly delicious and the sweet fish sauce had a little kick off with tiny explosive spicy treats. I don't hail spicy food but the chilli in this one was just truly tolerable. I paired it with the house's glass of "Over the Shoulder" White Cahardonnay and all in all, the serving was truly just. Some of us ordered their curry meal and found it good as well and I got to taste the Pad thai looking meal with sautéed beef but I forgot what it's called. But everything was very good. Thank God for Carlie who had thought of this worthy place.

OK, so, as I researched further, here are some of the additional information any of you who plans to visit need to know.

Meal prices start off from HK$100 up, with a decent glass of wine, hk$150 up. They are open daily from 12-3pm, then 6-11pm. It's advisable to place a reservation, since they only can accommodate 90 people at a time, by calling 2881-8901 since it's making a name already both amongst tourists and locals alike. You can also book online by visiting their website, mamasanhongkong.com .  No corkage fee if you want to bring your own wine, they do cake-cutting upon request, and 10% service charge is billed every visit. This is according to openrice.com. In terms of payment method, no EPS is honoured, just cash or using your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AE, Union Pay).

I would rate this restau with 4 stars over 5. The prices are sensible considering a great amount of serving. Though we were very curious as a HK1 dollar donation was specifically included in the bill. One of us asked the waitress what's it for but they can't specify as to where it will go. It was unclear to us also that if it's supposed to be a donation, then, it should be voluntary but it's there imposed right there on the receipt, just above the 10% service charge. We wouldn't mind it actually but that was just unclear to us.

The taste of the food will make me go back definitely and this is a good pick if you are with friends who have varied preferences. There's a vegetarian menu and everything is categorised according to which kind of meat there is in each viand. For more details, check out the suggested websites featured in this post. Enjoy the fabulous Mamasan Restaurant!

Related posts:
1. ALCHEMY - a posh cocktail house that you should definitely put in your list for a quick happy hour before hitting the streets of Lan Kwai Fong.

2. RUBY TUESDAY - looking for an authentic American restaurant? This is it! Click for its location!

3. AFFORDABLE FOOD IN HONG KONG THAT WILL SURELY MAKE YOU COME BACK FOR MORE - traveling to Hong Kong in a budget? Here's a list of cheap but good picks.