Tiny Chef Melanie Hye Jin Meyer shares her favorite St. Louis restaurants

Her tastes are influenced by her Korean heritage and friends in the restaurant industry

It’s a rollicking ride through Melanie Hye Jin Meyer’s list of favorite restaurants. Like the flavors at her micro-eatery Tiny Chef (located inside The Silver Ballroom in Bevo Mill), Meyer’s dining tastes are also varied – beautifully influenced both by her Korean heritage and her many friends in the local restaurant industry.

Meyer grew up in Missouri, the adopted child of white parents, and found her Korean birth family much later on. “For a long time, I didn’t cook Korean food because I didn’t feel Korean enough,” she said. “I felt like a fraud.”

Thankfully, times have changed. In the five short years since Tiny Chef opened, Meyer has made a name for herself in this discerning epicurean city. And in doing so, she’s defeated imposter syndrome comprehensively. While talking about her favorite St. Louis restaurants, Meyer couldn’t help but mention Tiny Chef. “Am I allowed to say myself?” she said. “It’s just that I’m proud of what I do, and I want to share.” Aside from her own place, then, here are some of the St. Louis restaurants that inspire Meyer most.

 

 

Akar
“Chef Bernie Lee is so talented. He’s always creating new items, adding different things to the menu. And everything is so beautiful.”
7641 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.553.9914, akarstl.com

Eat DuckBill
“I like this place because they run their shop like I do – inside a bar [at Platypus]. Great fried chicken and fried tofu nuggets. My favorite thing to do on Mondays when we close early is take some of my food there for the crew and then do a bit of karaoke.”
4501 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.799.0662, Instagram: @eatduckbill

La Patisserie Chouquette
“You can taste the passion in absolutely everything [chef-owner] Simone Faure makes. Her croissants, her macarons. ... Plus, this is a woman who works her ass off.”
1626 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7935, simonefaure.com

Taberu
“This is not a restaurant, but a sushi business run by Heidi Skye Hamamura. Not only is her sushi completely gorgeous, but it takes so much time to make. She’s booked out months in advance. Be sure to message her!”
taberustl.com

Brasserie by Niche
“Oh, God. A St. Louis classic.”
4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600, brasseriebyniche.com

Indo
“Love it. Love it. You need to charge what you are worth, and everything is worth it for this talent. I say get everything!”
1641D Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.899.9333, indo-stl.com

Wudon Korean BBQ Restaurant
“Wudon has a small menu, but it hits every time. It really smacks.”
1261 Castillons Arcade Plaza, Creve Coeur, 314.628.1010, wudonkorean-bbq.weeblyte.com

 

 

Blissfully Popped Popcorn
“I love popcorn so much that I’ve been known to buy it at the movie theater and take it straight home without even seeing the movie. The butter! The salt! Blissfully Popped is a small, woman-owned business, and I love how [Janee Cawthon] does it.”
7318 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.495.5782, blissfullypopped.com

Soup Dumplings STL
“This is a small menu, but don’t be fooled by small menus. Everything is homemade, everything is delicious and everything requires hours and hours of prep.”
8110 Olive Blvd., University City, 314.445.4605, Facebook: Soup Dumplings STL

Mai Lee
“Qui Tran is kind of like the Asian community’s undisclosed big brother, always there to help out. He’s amazing. My favorite is his Vietnamese pancake (banh xeo), which you wrap in lettuce. I love anything wrapped in lettuce. Give me anything in lettuce.”
8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com

La Catrina
“This family-run business has one of my favorites: Catrina’s Alambre is your choice of meat with peppers and onions and queso. Tortillas on the side.”
5220 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.3357, lacatrinastl.com

Sushi Hana
“This is sushi run by a Korean family. It’s a No. 1 spot, and has a Korean menu as well.”
8809 Gravois Road, Affton, 314.257.9079, sushihanamo.com

China Bistro
“Pan-Asia [Supermarket] has everything – bubble tea, Chinese tea, Korean skincare, and also this: China Bistro. Go there to shop, splurge on skin products and then have some mapo tofu with fish and chile sauce. But don’t forget the skin products; Korean skincare goes hard!”
Inside Pan-Asia Supermarket, 14246 Manchester Road, Manchester, 636.220.3144

Joo Joo Restaurant & Karaoke
“Joo Joo also hits. Its menu is more extensive and it has a private karaoke room. Eat dinner, sing with a friend.”
12937 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur, 314.469.1999, joojoo.us