Restaurant review: Mercedes me, Central – multinational cuisine with high-end branding

Mercedes me looks like a place that appeals to, well, not exactly the 1 per cent, but at least the 1 per cent wannabes. There’s a bright, shiny Mercedes-Benz at the entrance, and the bar area is filled with men and women dressed to impress, downing cocktails and talking loudly after a hard day’s work. Fortunately, the food delivers.

We booked late so had to sit at the bar in front of the open kitchen. The menu is divided into sections that included small plates of raw, cold and hot dishes, while the main courses are in the grill section. Our meal was served at a good, unrushed pace.

First up was sea bass with sweet potato, cancha corn, lime and yellow chilli (HK$180). The flavours should have been vivid; instead, they tasted tired. The best part about the dish was the crisp chips served alongside, and the crunchy cancha corn.

The other small dishes were a vast improvement. Sea urchin with fig, nori cracker, oyster leaf and ponzu (HK$210) was an excellent combination of textures and seafood flavours.

Fresh burrata with tomato, cherry, black sesame and lavender (HK$190) was another winner. The wonderfully soft cheese was laid out on a plate, and served with a cup of bright, refreshing, deeply flavoured gazpacho.

Duck egg yolk with sobrassada, potato and croutons (HK$100 for two; our waitress added a third [and charged us accordingly] so everyone our group could have one) was another excellent dish: warm and rich, with the tiny pieces of sobrassada and crunchy croutons giving texture to the creaminess of the other ingredients.