In the mood for Meo

Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood For Love, one of my favourite movies, features a scene of the main actress walking down a corridor lined with luscious red curtains, a colour used again and again throughout the movie. The New Yorker called the movie a “ninety-minute mood piece,” bringing together numerous elements, including “color, light, and form.”

The world created by the director, the framing of each shot, and the intentionality behind each element within the frame, is meticulously designed and controlled, meant to guide you to feel a certain emotion.

One could easily say the same thing about Meo, a new cocktail lounge located at 265 E Pender St. from the same group behind Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto. 

Inspired by Hong Kong nightlife of the 70s and 80s according to owner Tannis Ling — as is the setting of In the Mood for Love — Meo exudes intentionality, the design feels thoroughly thought through again and again, every ornamental cat, juke box and little menu holders meticulously chosen to convey a time and place.

As you walk in, a pink hue imbues the entire lounge, from the floral carpeting, the fan-shaped dusky flamingo-coloured lamps, and the subtle sunset-tinged pink menus. Like a movie, the restaurant's lighting takes centre stage, shadows creeping into the corners, spreading out into the restaurant. 

While In the Mood for Love creates a sense of yearning, framed by lost love and loneliness, Meo evokes something different, a yearning yes, but a yearning to stay as long as possible in the space. It’s hard to feel lonely when it’s so busy, bursting with conversations, laughing couples, and dates on their third or fourth cocktail.

One eccentric choice was to place mirrors on the ceiling above the bar. Like the rest of the design, it feels wholly intentional, to see the bartenders work, see people talk, see people seeing the space. Being seen and seeing, judging by the cocktail attire of the visitors, is more than half the fun. 

Meo offers both food and drink, but this is clearly a place meant for sipping rather than gorging. 

I spent 10 minutes flipping through the cocktail menu. Roses, cut and paste women in sunglasses, artful Chinese writing, all with the colour pink foregrounded, the multi-page cocktail menu reflects Meo’s design. It feels like a scrapbook, a mood piece to recinforce their design.

What stands out is both creativity and tradition. Signature cocktails are lighter, using liquors like gin, pisco, and Campari, with a mix of ingredients like umeboshi, matcha and ginseng. The Chinese influencers are apparent. 

What I loved most was their takes on the classics. A Spicy Margarita ($18) uses tequila, yes, but adds melon milk. The Grasshopper ($16) has that chocolate flavour, but includes Thai basil, and Filipino pandam for mint. The Turkish Sbagliato ($18), with Campari, rosso vermouth, Bella Buddza and rose water was a delight, a playful, fresh drink with a strong taste of Campari. Its colour matched the interior. 

As the bartender explained to me, and is a running theme I’m experiencing with Vancouver’s cocktail scene, the team focused on subtle tweaks to the classic cocktails because people in Vancouver want that. One wonders why people are so willing to transport themselves to the entirely new unfamiliar world of 70s Hong Kong, but less so with drinks. The answer may be as simple as one costs money. 

Meo also has alcohol-free drinks, with four from their traditional cocktail list that swap out the spirits for non-alcoholic versions. The Old Fashioned ($16) had that duck fat-washed flavour that so many places are trying. It’s a trend, but one I support. 

Much thought was put into the drink menu. But I’m not sure the same can be said of the food, or what they call the snack menu. Unlike the cocktail list, practically a novella in thickness, the food menu is a small one-page document, each item stated abruptly, bolded, in one or two words — Tartare, Tostada, White Anchovies. 

It’s an eclectic menu featuring Thai, Spanish and Japanese influences. A Green Papaya Salad, Hummus, Patata Brava, Milk Buns, Basque Cheesecake. In a restaurant meticulously designed to evoke a specific point in time, the menu grabs from different cultures, jolting you slightly out of the era. 

That’s not to say the food isn’t well done. A simple Milk Bun, stuffed with potato curry filling and featuring spreadable, subtly whipped fruit butter showcases why milk buns should be on more menus. The special featuring sweet spot prawns, with prawn bisque and little crackers with whipped velvety, rich prawn butter, highlighted the creativity in the kitchen. But the variety of the menu feels a little chaotic.

At the end of In the Mood For Love, the camera zooms out, showcasing a large panoramic shot, the intimacy and mostly close-up shots, forgotten. Exiting Meo feels much the same, as you leave behind a world so thoroughly imagined and constructed, that the open space outside feels drab by comparison.

Owner Ling told Monte Cristo Magazine that her skills come down to one basic thing: “I can tell a story.” 

That much is clear in Meo. Whether it’s the visionary director Wong Kar Wai with In The Mood for Love or Ling’s meticulously designed Meo, both create a sense of longing, to go back to the carefully crafted world, and experience it for the first time.

Atmosphere: I think the article described it well!

Noise Level: Loud but you can still hear each other talk.

Recommended: Try a traditional creative cocktail and one of their custom-made ones.

What I wish I had ordered: More of the food. Try a mix of both Asian and Spanish options.

Drinks: $16-$20 but this is a high-quality place serving unique flavours.

Price: $$-$$$, smaller plates between $18-$29.

Other details: Vegetarian options for food, about 40+ spots for people, good non-alcoholic menu.

Similar spots:

• Prophecy is a bit more fancy and a bit more expensive, but definitely has a vibe

• The Keefer Bar is just down the street and is a long-time favourite and award-winning spot

• For a little less expensive and fancy, try The Boxcar or 515 Bar