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Me Wah Restaurant Sandy Bay Review |
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Friday, 21 September 2007 |
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 Last night I had a meal at the new Me Wah Restaurant in Magnet Court Sandy Bay. I have been eating food from the Launceston Me Wah Cafe ever since I was a little kid. I remember going in with my Dad and getting a pineapple hamburger. He still has some receipts from those old days which I will have to scan and post here because they make for very interesting reading (ie the prices have gone up a bit in the past 30 years!). Even back then they knew him well enough to send the food to our home in a taxi. I was a little bit worried prior to going in because the Launceston restaurant is probably one of the best places I have ever been to and it is definitely the best Asian restaurant in the whole entire world (at the least that small portion of it that I know!). I thought that I might be let down. The entrance impressed me for a start and we almost didn't go in thinking we were under dressed and under financed! Once you open the grand glass doors you find a floor to ceiling glass wall with odd shaped wooden boxes behind it all containing what must be some pretty expensive wines. The effect is very impressive. Just around the corner I was very happy to find Vincent from the Launceston restaraunt. This allayed my fears somewhat. The decor is very different to Launceston which still looks pretty much as it did 20 odd years ago. The Hobart restaurant is far more opulent with amazing etched glass walls and funky big Asian urns and stuff everywhere. It almost borders on pretenscious. The tables are huge round numbers and this is where they really stuffed up. There were only two of us at our massive round table so I had to move my chair a bit closer just so that we could speak to each other. This meant that there was this huge expanse of heavy starched white table cloth in front of us. Most other tables had large groups so we almost felt lonely and as if we didn't have any friends! They need a few smaller tables to create a more intimate atmosphere. Where they didn't go wrong was the service, the wine list and the FOOD! This is all straight out of the Launnie restaurant. It is bloody fantastic. Our waiter was almost a bit painful in the way that he so carefully (and slowly) poured our wine, folded our napkins, removed our plates etc. We had steamed dim sims for entree. These are always a favorite of mine when they are made properly (I make the best ones) and the Me Wah don't disappoint. You can taste all of the fresh ingredients separately which is always a good thing. We then ordered king prawns with Szechuan chilli sauce and the steamed Atlantic salmon with diced black bean mandarin, garlic, chili and baby bok choy. The prawns were great, but the salmon was to die for. That was my favorite dish of the year so far and every tiny morsel that I shared had to be pried from my grasp! We decided to give desert a miss and cross the road to The Metz. The guy behind the bar told us that they get heaps of people doing the same thing so I guess they are pretty happy with their new neighbours. If you have stumbled upon this story because you are thinking of going to the Me Wah either in Sandy Bay or Launceston then get off you bum and get on the phone and make the booking now! P.S. The photo here is from their web site and is of the Launceston restaurant, the Sandy Bay one looks nothing like that!
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