Ken Hom, the celebrity BBC TV chef has opened his latest restaurant at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The luxury pan-Asian restaurant is a first for the city. Named MEE, the phonetic spelling of a female name meaning ‘beauty’ in Korean, the 92-seat restaurant is located by the iconic hotel’s swimming pool and joins Copacabana Palace’s two other acclaimed dining options, Hotel Cipriani Restaurant which serves Italian cuisine and international eatery Pérgula.
Following a six-month remodel, the space features contemporary Asian-inspired décor with Chinese teahouse-style booths and eastern portraits by Bangkok-based artist Christian Develter. Walls are painted in Chinese sang-de-boeuf porcelain red and wooden dividers in the style of Asian screens create an intimate feel.
The oriental ambience is complemented by Shanghai lounge music selected by Ken Hom and a signature room aroma with hints of lily and ginger.
