Former IAS officer P M Ali Asgar Pasha enjoys a hearty conversation as he fries fresh fish caught on the Chinese net, in coconut oil. The civil service officer, known for planning and executing numerous welfare projects, now focuses entirely on his restaurant, ‘Mee Mee’, which opened at Ponnarimangalam on Container Road, Ernakulam, in January this year.
At Mee Mee (meaning 'fish' in local toddler-speak), a delicious fish thali featuring 14 varieties of fish dishes is served between 12 pm and 4 pm. The restaurant uses live fish freshly caught on Chinese nets and incorporates organic vegetables, Wayanadan turmeric, Thalassery bold peppercorns, and fresh coconut oil extracted from coconuts grown on Pasha's farmland in Alappuzha. Food lovers are queuing up to try the mouthwatering dishes at this organic eatery.
Not only does Asgar Pasha run Mee Mee, but he also does a lot of the cooking, preparing meat and fish curries for his regular customers. The 60-seater restaurant is located in the Vallarpadam area of Kochi.
One of the Google Reviews of the restaurant states, "This place is run by a man with real passion for food. Everything is sourced so carefully. The tastes and flavors are like home cooking."
Asgar Pasha served as the Palakkad district collector and the secretary of the agriculture department. After 34 years of service, he retired in July 2023 as the secretary of the Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Department.