Meo, Vancouver Chinatown’s destination for provocative food and drinks, has unveiled a seductive new seasonal menu, featuring dishes to swoon over, alongside new signature cocktails. While reservations are available, guests are invited to drop in spontaneously at the Chinatown hotspot to taste some of chef de cuisine Macià Bagur’s new creations whenever the time suits – planned, on a whim, or simply just because.
“The menu at Meo continues to evolve and there are no limits to the creativity both chefs Macià and Joël have in the kitchen,” explains Ling, who also operates award-winning sister restaurants Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto together with chefs Joël Watanabe and Alain Chow. “We’re steering the direction of the food towards a more nostalgic route to match the room – infusing classic French cooking with Spanish and Korean touches – a nod to the Korean heritage of Macià’s wife. The new dishes will feel comfortably familiar yet will taste very complex and nuanced. We want to give guests at Meo a unique experience where they can dine on fine plates of food while sipping on cocktails in a dark sultry room.”
Items, such as the Milk Bun (curried potato filling, whipped fruit butter), Croqueta (Caesar salad” roast chicken béchamel, gem lettuce), Fideuá (Valencian noodles, lobster broth, shrimp, squid, aioli), and Sweet Green Curry (seasonal fruit, sunflower praline, pandan lime sorbet), have become classic Meo mainstays.
New options on the menu include: A savoury French Toast, featuring torched fois gras micuit, black current jam, and fresh chives; Lamb Yakuniku with unagi glaze, miso babaganoush, and puffed buckwheat; Moules, featuring shelled mussels, royale sauce, apples, hash browns, and almond dongchimi sauce; and Yukhoe Tartare with nashi pear, cornichons, nori, capers, Hachi mustard, egg yolk, and semolina crackers.
Previously a feature, by popular demand, the Beef Bourguignon Burger (two double smash patties, Meo secret sauce, mushrooms, caramelized onions, gruyère, pickles) is now a permanent fixture on the menu (with limited daily quantities). Other new larger plates include a vegetarian-friendly, Korean-inspired “Cassoulet” and Duck with kimchi potato pavé and fermented strawberry gochujang port jus.
“We designed our menu so people can order as many items as they want for a full meal, or just a few dishes for a pre or post dinner snack, especially during our Cinq à Sept hour and a half,” adds Ling. “The Moules, with the apples and royale sauce, is a game changer.”
In addition to new menu items, bar manager Denis Bykov is currently working on a new cocktail list, soon to be announced.
Meo is open from 5:30 p.m. until 12 a.m., Wednesday and Thursday; from 5:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., Friday and Saturday; and 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sunday.
