A Closer Look At MiMi Mei Fair, Restaurateur Samyukta Nair’s Most Beguiling Venture Yet Housed within a modest townhouse on Mayfair’s Curzon Street, MiMi Mei Fair transports guests to Old World China. The restaurant, with its whimsical interiors and contemporary Chinese cuisine, sits alongside restauranteur Samyukta Nair’s stellar roster of renowned London-based institutions like Jamavar and Bombay Bustle. The Parlour The Peacock Room Set across three floors, the restaurant has been imagined as the London residence of Empress MiMi. Step through the front doors and you’ll enter a discrete wood-panelled hall that oozes a luxurious, intimate feel. Snug dining booths are separated with mirrored panels, whilst underfoot, a marble, fish-scale mosaic floor leads patrons into the exuberant, sunshine-yellow drawing room, accented with teal leather, jacquard upholstered booth seating and Art Deco-inspired glass wall lights. Set across three floors, the restaurant has been imagined as the London residence of Empress MiMi. Step through the front doors and you’ll enter a discrete wood-panelled hall that oozes a luxurious, intimate feel. Snug dining booths are separated with mirrored panels, whilst underfoot, a marble, fish-scale mosaic floor leads patrons into the exuberant, sunshine-yellow drawing room, accented with teal leather, jacquard upholstered booth seating and Art Deco-inspired glass wall lights. For those in want of a private dining experience, the restaurant’s Peacock Room lies just beyond folding timber screens on the ground floor. Painstakingly hand-painted with serene motifs of birds and flowers in a Chinoiserie fashion, the room seats a table of eight and features a grand, original Georgian fireplace. Upstairs, meanwhile, is The Parlour – a playfully feminine Wedgewood-blue and coral-accented room with high ceilings. Next door, The Library is a space you won’t forget, with a magnificent, green, Verde St Denis marble fireplace that’s complemented by Chinese ceramic vases, dark wood tables, brass antique wall lights and bespoke chocolate herringbone flooring. Moon Bar As the night progresses, descend to the magical, atmospheric, mirror-panelled Moon Bar, inspired by the tale of the Jade Rabbit of the moon, who mixes the Elixir of Life with his pestle and mortar. Overhead, an iridescent ceiling resembles a full moon – an installation you won’t forget. Sip on cocktails including a Chestnut Sour with Chrysanthemum Flower, Mastiha and Chestnut Liqueur, or a Green Park, a gin-based cocktail crafted with a homemade Pandan Leaf and Osmanthus Flower extract. As the night progresses, descend to the magical, atmospheric, mirror-panelled Moon Bar, inspired by the tale of the Jade Rabbit of the moon, who mixes the Elixir of Life with his pestle and mortar. Overhead, an iridescent ceiling resembles a full moon – an installation you won’t forget. Sip on cocktails including a Chestnut Sour with Chrysanthemum Flower, Mastiha and Chestnut Liqueur, or a Green Park, a gin-based cocktail crafted with a homemade Pandan Leaf and Osmanthus Flower extract. Moon Bar We caught up with Samyukta Nair to elaborate more on the magic of MiMi Mei Fair, the charm of its locale, and which signature dishes are an absolute must-have. How would you describe MiMi Mei Fair? MiMi Mei Fair is a celebration of Chinese culinary arts. It’s a transportive dining experience within a setting that’s imagined as the private residence of Empress MiMi – keeper of the most revered Chinese culinary secrets. You’ve created such successful and varied restaurants prior to MiMi Mei Fair, what did you do differently with this venture? MiMi Mei Fair was envisioned to be a sensory experience – the space was looked at through a lens of maximalism, whilst the entire dining experience was focused on being inviting and intimate. The dynamic nature of the site lent itself to the concept beautifully, further allowing for us to juxtapose old-fashioned oriental glamour with modern-day eclecticism.x How was it collaborating with Peter Ho on the menu? Collaborating with Peter has been really eye-opening. While sharing and feasting is at the heart of our menu, we had a lot of fun creating unique and contemporary Chinese small plates. Our unique perspective on handcrafted dim sums can be seen with our rendition of Xiao Long Baos. Additionally, a sizeable vegetarian offering was important to us and hence we’ve got the likes of the Peking crispy beancurd on hoisin bao, mala spicy tofu, black bean chilli and garlic aubergine, and The Great Wall creeper of French beans and toban chilli. How would you describe MiMi Mei Fair? MiMi Mei Fair is a celebration of Chinese culinary arts. It’s a transportive dining experience within a setting that’s imagined as the private residence of Empress MiMi – keeper of the most revered Chinese culinary secrets. You’ve created such successful and varied restaurants prior to MiMi Mei Fair, what did you do differently with this venture? MiMi Mei Fair was envisioned to be a sensory experience – the space was looked at through a lens of maximalism, whilst the entire dining experience was focused on being inviting and intimate. The dynamic nature of the site lent itself to the concept beautifully, further allowing for us to juxtapose old-fashioned oriental glamour with modern-day eclecticism.x How was it collaborating with Peter Ho on the menu? Collaborating with Peter has been really eye-opening. While sharing and feasting is at the heart of our menu, we had a lot of fun creating unique and contemporary Chinese small plates. Our unique perspective on handcrafted dim sums can be seen with our rendition of Xiao Long Baos. Additionally, a sizeable vegetarian offering was important to us and hence we’ve got the likes of the Peking crispy beancurd on hoisin bao, mala spicy tofu, black bean chilli and garlic aubergine, and The Great Wall creeper of French beans and toban chilli. Flourless Chocolate B Chestnut Sour Xiao Long Jewels Moon Bar Can you talk a bit about the restaurant’s design? MiMi Mei Fair is imagined as Empress MiMi’s home away from home as she made her way across mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, to London. Spanning over three floors and six rooms, I collaborated with Tom Strother at Fabled Studio to bring this vision to life. The site itself draws inspiration from the Forbidden Palace of Beijing, ancient folklore tales and the whimsical era of 1920’s Shanghai. Going one step further, the site is dotted with art and trinkets from my own personal collection and travels around the world as well as beautiful flowers to make it a residential and inviting space. What do you love about the restaurant’s neighbourhood? I love how unassuming Curzon Street is. Shepherd’s Market is a stone’s throw away and is really charming. I particularly love the piazza, which is dotted with cute stores and vibrant bars. It still has a village-like atmosphere for being in the heart of Mayfair and easily connects to everywhere. Finally, what’s your must-have recommendation from the menu? Our Apple Wood-Fired Roasted Peking Duck with homemade pancakes and unique selection of condiments is the star of the show, but a very close second for me is our Hunan Crispy Atlantic Seabass with red chilli, coriander and lotus root. Can you talk a bit about the restaurant’s design? MiMi Mei Fair is imagined as Empress MiMi’s home away from home as she made her way across mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, to London. Spanning over three floors and six rooms, I collaborated with Tom Strother at Fabled Studio to bring this vision to life. The site itself draws inspiration from the Forbidden Palace of Beijing, ancient folklore tales and the whimsical era of 1920’s Shanghai. Going one step further, the site is dotted with art and trinkets from my own personal collection and travels around the world as well as beautiful flowers to make it a residential and inviting space. What do you love about the restaurant’s neighbourhood? I love how unassuming Curzon Street is. Shepherd’s Market is a stone’s throw away and is really charming. I particularly love the piazza, which is dotted with cute stores and vibrant bars. It still has a village-like atmosphere for being in the heart of Mayfair and easily connects to everywhere. Finally, what’s your must-have recommendation from the menu? Our Apple Wood-Fired Roasted Peking Duck with homemade pancakes and unique selection of condiments is the star of the show, but a very close second for me is our Hunan Crispy Atlantic Seabass with red chilli, coriander and lotus root. Moon Bar Find out more about MiMi Mei Fair, and book your table today by clicking here. Located nearby, our South Molton Street store is home to our latest styles in a calm, modern boutique environment. So why not stop off for some shopping whilst in the area? 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