Karen Saint is just days away from opening her first restaurant with husband JP – the Asian-style Hou Hou Mei in Inverness town centre.
After months of preparation, there are still wrinkles to iron out.
Her to-do list is typical of any new business opening in the current climate – a few deliveries running late; some last-minute fixes to the plumbing.
But despite all this, Karen is sure the restaurant will be ready for opening day on Friday.
“We’re going to have to be,” she says with a laugh. “We’re fully booked!”
An Inverness success
The local response to the upcoming launch of Hou Hou Mei, on the site of the former Inverness pizza restaurant Pepperoni Speciale, has been phenomenal.
Karen and JP sold out all of the covers for the first three days. The only reason there are empty seats after that is because the couple have yet to open bookings past Sunday.
“We think we’re going to be crazy every day,” Karen says.
The restaurant is the culmination of Karen and JP’s years of service in hospitality. JP worked in some of the top kitchens in the UK before deciding to set up his own venture.
As the moment they have worked hard towards looms, palms inevitably get sweaty.
“It’s finally real,” Karen says. “We are finally opening.”
Karen and JP spoke to The Press and Journal last month, outlining the ethos behind Hou Hou Mei. Karen is steeped in the culinary traditions of Cantonese cooking through her mum’s Hong Kong heritage, while JP brings his skill as a French-trained fine-dining chef.
The restaurant, therefore, will offer diners quality food at an affordable price, while moving Asian-style sharing platters to the forefront.
It is a recipe that has already chimed with Inverness, and one Karen believes fills a gap.
“Everybody’s used to the normal Chinese takeaway stuff, so we’re going for more of a traditional way, but with a modern twist,” she says. “We wanted to take Cantonese food and elevate it a little bit.”
Hou Hou Mei drinks
Cocktails also play a big role in Karen and JP’s ambitions, and the plan is to put Hou Hou Mei on the mixology map with some unique Inverness drinks.
Dessert is a similar focus – JP prides himself on his pastry chef background and has developed a delicious-sounding cheesecake filled with yuzu, the Japanese citrus fruit.
As for recommendations, Karen urges first time visitors to try the char siew pork belly, which is slow cooked for up to 10 hours.
She also speaks highly of her miso-flavoured salted caramel brownie – a treat that no one in Inverness will have seen the likes of before.
But despite the extensive preparations, Karen admits the butterflies remain.
“I’m very excited,” she says. “But also very nervous. It’s like a mixture between both.”
Hou Hou Mei officially opens on Friday July 1 at 18 Tomnahurich St, Inverness. Click here for reservations.
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