A New Southeast Asian Restaurant in Palms Boasts Rare Peranakan Cuisine

A new Southeast Asian restaurant named Mee & Greet will open by February 2018 in Palms, on the corner of Palms and Overland Avenues. Founded by Eric Ong and chef Minh Phan (not the Minh Phan of Porridge & Puffs), the restaurant brings the unique Peranakan cuisine to Palms, plus some traditional Vietnamese dishes. Ong, who also operates Humble Potato in Culver City and Westchester, hails from Jakarta but considers himself a Peranakan-Chinese.

What exactly is Peranakan cuisine? Descendants of Chinese migrants who eventually settled in places like Penang, Indonesia, and Singapore incorporate spices and broths into soulful noodles, soups, and salads that Indonesian or Singaporean food fans would recognize.

Minh Phan, the chef at Humble Potato, adds Vietnamese dishes into the mix while Ong will take some cues from his mother’s Taiwanese side. According to Ong, the goal is build a community spot for Westsiders who won’t have to make the trek to the 626 for quality Asian food.

Altogether, the fare will be an affordably-priced homage to nostalgic flavors and dishes, featuring everything from Hainan chicken and rice and hokkian mee to bo luc lac, a stir-fried filet mignon dish with onions, tomatoes, and lime juice. They’ll also play around with more familiar plates like pho, turmeric fried chicken sandwiches, and a burger, in case folks aren’t ready to dive into Indonesian and Peranakan flavors.

The location in Palms makes a ton of sense, with the longstanding Simpang Asia and the new-school Mr. Sate rounding out the Southeast Asian offerings in the area. Throw in Phorage and Kogi Taqueria, and Palms is quickly becoming a hotbed of affordable Asian fare as a counterpoint to the heavily-trafficked Sawtelle Japantown just a few miles away in West LA.

However, unlike those other affordable Asian restaurants in Palms, Mee & Greet promises a full service experience with beer and wine to boot.

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