All past visits to Mezze have been planned around my habitual cravings for the Mezze Burger – a monster-sized beef patty topped with pulled pork, slathered with smoky home-made whisky barbecue sauce and served with a side of properly fat chips. On a sleepy Saturday afternoon, there’s nothing quite like it. But I couldn’t possibly rate a whole restaurant based on my impression of a single burger – I had to see what else they could do. So a quick reservation and a more elegant sit-down dinner later, I was bowled over by the most memorable meal I’d had in months.
First of all, describing Mezze as ‘Mediterranean’ is like describing a Chinese restaurant as simply ‘Asian’ – lazy. The restaurant’s concise menu reveals elements of Italian, Spanish, French, Moroccan and Greek cuisine; it’s rounded out by a wildcard Vietnamese entry (a rather decent beef pho) and a comforting English pudding (sticky toffee) as a testament to Chef Yves Pierre Renou’s travels. Despite a mishmash of cuisines rolled into a tight menu, Mezze is never in that cursed cluster of restaurants that try too hard to adopt an entire continent’s smorgasbord of signature dishes.
I began with the tapas-sized platter of sausages in three variations: spicy chorizo, pork (made in-house) and chicken with mushroom and cheese. All three were excellent when dipped in sweet German mustard and paired with the crunch of the accompanying rocket leaves. Much to my dismay, the table next to us ordered the last of the slow-roasted pork belly with crackling. Thankfully the waitress was there to help assemble a charcuterie platter of Jamón Ibérico, cured hams and gherkins. Her service was a cool blend of informal and informed, and when the meats arrived we urgently guzzled them down between gulps of red wine.
I was feeling adventurous and wanted to avoid pasta, but the parpadelle of oxtail was difficult to resist with its promise of sticky, slow-braised goodness. I’ve often dreamed about the classic Italian dish (with rabbit) but have been snapped out of my reveries at fancy Italian houses serving parpadelle ragù in tiny, precise portions – a shame for a stew that boils for hours. Having said that, Mezze’s version was outstanding – a supersized plate of thick pasta ribbons cloaked in a salty, herby, deeply flavourful sauce that’s best eaten by a fire.
The lamb cutlets arrived in a portion fit for a budding bodybuilder, chargrilled and rested with good timing. The smoky, mint-brushed exterior paired ideally with a warm, pinkish middle, and together with a forkful of nutty couscous, the dish was a gushing tribute to robust North African flavours. Desserts were of the garden variety (pavlova, panna cotta, chocolate fondant, tiramisu, etc) but this was more than made up for by the heartwarmingly gratifying dinner, not to mention the promise of more pulled pork burgers in the future.
Awards
Mezze was shortlisted Best Western in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2013. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL. This way, we guarantee that popularity and consistent performance are rewarded.
Food 40 is our monthly, definitive guide for where to eat in the Klang Valley. No entry into the Food 40 has provided any Time Out team member with a free meal or other incentive. If you have eaten somewhere that you think should rank amongst KL's top 40, email us and we'll check it out: editor@timeoutkl.com.