SuMei

What a beautiful place to dine out at. Wonderful and helpful staff. Relax vibe. And just an overall great experience. TASTY FOOD.

Absolutely wonderful gem in Pukekohe. The staff were friendly and accommodating.Food was delicious and came out quickly. It is tapa style: share plates with a lot of flavour. Some of it was very spicy and some tasted like comfort style food.I asked for a high chair when booking online, but they don't have these so they sat us at a table with a bench/booth seat.Will definitely be going again!

To fusion or not to fusion...Today, my My wife and I couldn't decide what to eat, and with the help of Google Maps, we found this relatively new restaurant. It is a fusion Asian restaurant. The first thought that went into my mind was the reason for the fusion. Sometimes, under the name of fusion, creativity becomes the essence of the fusion or the facing the challenge of authenticity. However, whatever reason, it is good enough for my wife and I to venture into it.The first impression was rather amusing as the entrance to the restaurant was very close to the next restaurant, and we nearly entered the wrong one. However, when we entered into Su-mei, (淑美- I took the liberty to add two Chinese characters to the name of the restaurant, pronounced as Su Mei which means virtuous beauty) we were immediately attracted by the ambience and the beautiful decoration. It is very modern, a Western theme, with the touch of Asian colour.We were greeted by one of the most friendly waitresses, Ms. Leah, who did not waste to make us comfortable and welcoming. Professionally, she introduced to the special of the day and suggested a few things from the menu. My wife and I like her countenance, and we order three things. Later, I discovered that she was actually the manager, and we were even more impressed with her service. However, I hope the management or owner would consider providing a better uniform for her...The food came quickly, and we liked the presentation. The first dish was the Crispy Singaporean black pepper crab. As a Singaporean, I wouldn't think twice when ordering this dish. I wondered if the chef improved the taste of one of Singapore's favourite dishes or adulterated it? Hehehe...The chef used soft sell crab instead of the regular mud crab, which is hard to find in NZ. I was doubtful initially, but the first bite, the crunch.and ooze out of the crab was heavenly. Black pepper, intermix with other spices, and garlic produced a strong fragrance to the dish. I like dried and fresh chillies used in this dish. The sauce has become the highlight of the dish, and the crab is just an accompaniment.It is a good fusion, but I would prefer lesser sauce so that the main character, Mr. Crab can stand out. It would be more crispy if the crab swims above the sauce.The pineapple rice is also another dish that we love. After living in Thailand for 19 years, we missed Thai Cuisine very much. We really want to be impressed by it.The rice came in a traditional Chinese steamer, and when the cover was opened, I was delighted. Instead of normal Jasmine Rice, the chef used Japanese Rice, which gives a sticky texture to the rice. Below the rice, the chef places two pieces of Chinese dumplings leaves, and that is ingenious. As the rice is steam in the steamer, the heat rises through the leaves and then trapped inside the steamer, which produces a fragrance that is heavenly. The prawns were fresh and tasty, and the pineapple rice were cooked with lemon grass and pineapple... sticky yet enjoyable. Well done!Finally, the dumplings came. We ordered the Lobster Prawn Dumplings. We were excited to try it as it looks so appetising. I gave one to my wife, and I took one for myself... we were both disappointed. It was really the killer of the afternoon. This meal could have a great experience for both of us but...First, when I bite into the dumplings, the fillings were not tasty. It tasted meaty and salty. The wrap is not wellCook and, therefore, a little hard for dumplings. I told Leah that the wrap had a line that showed that it was not cooked. I was even more astonished to know that there were a few Chinese chefs in the kitchen. I can even hear them speaking from where we sit... Dumplings are a traditional Chinese dish, and we pride ourselves on being the father of dumplings. Even my daughter's dumplings taste better... what an anticlimax for us.We will not totally write this restaurant off as we believe that it has great potential. Hopefully, the next time when we return, we can add more stars to the ratings.

For someone who lives in waiuku, I got really excited when hearing that a new asian fusion restaurant (Su Mei) is coming to Pukekohe. Even getting more excited when I heard that its the same management as Franklin across the street.After a while, we finally been there twice, one trip with kid (non-spicy) and one without (spicy).We tried quite a number of dishes in the menu from both visits. We were impressed by the flavour combination and the food are yum! They also very accomodating, as when we brought our 4 years old they make sure everything is not spicy. Our favourite dishes were korean beef tartare and (papaya?) salad, my wife also loves their green tea icecream. Our only minor thing is that being Indonesian we grew up with Rendang and tried many version, and rendang from Sumei certainly not like how we know our rendang taste like (although their version also quite delicious).Su mei has an extensive range of cocktail and other drinks, we ordered mocktails and prefer the lychee vs pinnaple. Although both still quite yum. A few of our friends also positively comment on their cocktails.We love the atmosphere and service, very efficient, food were served fairly quickly so we didnt to wait for long, table cleaned regularly (hardly dirty plate left behind on the table).Another point most of the food has ‘gluten free’ options including all the dumplings which is amazing

2nd time I've been to this restaurant and quality of food is always great a long with the customer service. Yesterday I went to the bottomless brunch and the staff were excellent, very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious and big portions. Will definitely be coming back!

What a wonderful restaurant. The decor is cool and the food is just amazing, can’t wait to come back. Not sure which dish was my favourite as they were all good but the soft shell crab might have just beat the others!

The food was really delicious, we ordered fish, chicken wings, dumplings and rice. And the dish was also very beautiful. It can be seen that the chef is a lover of life. The only downside is that you may not go to the store often because of the price.

First time trying this restaurant and we were so excited to try the bottomless with whānau and friends. The service, the kai the cleanliness and the price was all worth your buck. The only flaw we had wās with the choice of bottomless drink the bloody mary should be swapped out (it wasnt for our pallet) for a pina colada, or tequila sunrise, other than that it was so good that rebooked for another date.Thank you staff, you were all amazing.