MEE at Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro has become one of the first restaurants in South America to be awarded a prestigious Michelin star.

The 92-seat pan-Asian restaurant is listed in the first edition of the Michelin Guide Rio de Janeiro & São Paolo – the first edition of the Michelin Guide to cover South America. MEE is one of only six venues in Rio de Janeiro to be awarded a star and Michelin recommends the restaurant’s spicy Thai salad with tangerine, quail’s egg sushi with truffle, and Kobe beef tataki with ponzu sauce.

Led by celebrated BBC TV chef Ken Hom, MEE opened in February 2014 at the iconic Belmond Copacabana Palace, a glorious local landmark located on Rio’s world-famous Copacabana Beach. The city’s first luxury pan-Asian restaurant, MEE sits adjacent to the hotel’s fabulous swimming pool and takes guests on an exotic gastronomic journey through Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, China and Japan.

Under the watchful eye of Ken Hom, MEE’s expert chefs perfected their Asian culinary techniques in Bangkok prior to the opening. The restaurant’s innovative pan-Asian menu is complemented by a dedicated sushi bar, while Rio’s only sake stewardess is on hand to pair each dish with over 25 varieties specially imported from Japan. An extensive drinks menu includes 18 cocktail creations and guests are also invited to select their favourite flavour of tea, which is then prepared to their personal taste and served at the end of the meal.

Belmond Copacabana Palace’s General Director, Andrea Natal, says of the accolade: “We are delighted to be awarded a Michelin star just over a year after MEE’s opening. This esteemed accolate strengthens MEE’s position not only as the first luxury pan-Asian restaurant in Rio, but also as one of the city’s best restaurants overall”. Ken Hom comments: “I am extremely proud that MEE has received this coveted recognition. The team and I are passionate about bringing luxury pan-Asian cuisine to Rio de Janeiro and will continue to develop the restaurant’s innovative menu”.