Get Reel | Food review: Mama San by Will Meyrick is a branch of the chef's restaurant in Bali

We would normally be sceptical about trying a Southeast Asian restaurant with a menu created by a Scottish chef. Fortunately, we tasted (and liked) Will Meyrick's food, when he was chef at Lotus on Pottinger Street. Mama San by Will Meyrick in Central is a branch of the chef's restaurant in Bali.

Oyster nahm jihm with coriander and crisp shallots (HK$28 each) contrasted the coolness of the slippery bivalve with a spicy, tangy topping. Beef tartare (HK$158) had the tongue-tingling addition of sambal ulek, mustard seeds and shallots. I don't see the point of the vinegary white anchovies, though.

Raw tuna in betel leaves (HK$22 each) was pungent from the strong, distinct flavour of shrimp paste (in the sambal matah), lightened by the citrus tones of fresh lemon grass and just enough chilli to liven things up. The slow-cooked crisp pork belly and green papaya salad with dried shrimp and apples (HK$138) was let down by the stringy meat, but we loved the vivid flavours of the salad.

The best main was the slow-braised veal cheek with Indonesian rendang spices (HK$238). The rich sauce had permeated the soft meat. The shell-on Goan mud crab (HK$208) had moist meat, but the sauce tasted of raw spices. And what's the point of making crispy duck (HK$178) if you're going to serve it on a wet sauce so the skin gets soggy?