Chinese restaurants in New York have evolved in many directions over the decades, from hole-in-the-wall favourites to sleek, design-forward spaces like Meili, a new Sichuan spot in Williamsburg.
Designers from the hospitality group MoLiving have burnished the space with hand-blown glass sconces, tiered pendants and backlit panels that radiate amber and added deep red and gold accents to set it off.
The Brooklyn restaurant, a satellite of the Midtown success Chili, is headed by chef Peter He, a Chengdu-born master of bold street food and spicy seafood. His dishes, including a vegan slow-cooked mushroom dish with cumin and chilis, are served in a double-height dining room with a coffered ceiling and red mahogany staircases. Alternatively, guests can sit at the stone bar and drink cocktails like Oolongtini with toasted rice and cold brew or Red Dragon with black tea gin, Campari, vermouth and raspberry. A gold-painted private dining room seats 14 guests just beyond.
Founding partner Miki Niu says, ‘Meili is our way of sharing the warmth and depth of Sichuan cooking while embracing the creative spirit that defines Williamsburg.’
Meili is located on the lower level of Coda, a hotel on North 12th Street in Williamsburg.
