This post is written on an invited food tasting, but it in no way was given preferential treatment.
All views expressed in this post are objective and original.
Mandy and I have a great penchant for good food, just as much as all of you, and naturally we were very excited when we were invited to try out Miam Miam's food at their launch.
Initially when I first heard the name, I somehow had the impression that it would be Japanese. You know, sort of like a Japanese going 'Miam, Miam' or something. (Queen Meow,I blame this on you)
Mandy corrected me though: Miam Miam is a Japanese-French fusion food cafe that serves up only the best from both worlds minus a young Miley Cyrus. Think European full-packed flavour with a wholesome Asian twist. It definitely made us a lot hungrier especially when we were missing the wonderful food in Tokyo so bad.
What I think many of us can appreciate is also the afforability of the whole menu. I mean you would think that marrying two of the most exquisite cuisines would burn your packet, but to our surprise everything was capped at $18.80.
Another thing that got us excited was that Miam Miam prides itself in using only top quality ingredients, and in serving, what they describe as the perfectly engineered meal.
True enough, when Mandy and I we were given a tour of the kitchen, we saw how each dish was prepared only with high-tech kitchen equipment, with ingredients measured precisely and cooked to precise timing.
First Impressions
Upon stepping into Miam Miam, we found that the whole place had a warm feel to it with the wooden furniture, exposed light bulbs and a pleasant pastel colour scheme to add to the whole atmosphere.
We definitely appreciated the slightly rustic feel to the place because there's just something about these type of places that make you feel more at home, no?
We also found ourselves poring over the menu, which has incredibly appetising photos by the way. The photography was mind-blowing and certainly didn't help our decision making since everything looked so good.
What We Drank
Finally, Mandy settled for a Peanut Butter and Banana Shake and I went for a Matcha Hot Chocolate.
Matcha Hot Chocolate
$7.80
This was divine. It's fairly milky, but the matcha taste was as solid as it was when we had it back in Japan. This isn't your average disappointingly thin formula, as Miam Miam uses Grade 1 matcha powder for this, which will explain the smoothness and flavour.
I must say however, the price is steep for the serving size. Then again, I suppose good things will always cost you. It got even better when the sweet chocolate aftertaste kicked in moments later.
I must say however, the price is steep for the serving size. Then again, I suppose good things will always cost you. It got even better when the sweet chocolate aftertaste kicked in moments later.
Peanut Butter and Banana Shake
$8.20
Mandy loved her shake too, especially when it wasn't too sweet.
She normally avoids milky and creamy things because it just isn't her thing, but she loved this concoction because the creamy texture of the drink (as far as she could tell) came mostly from the bananas in the blend and not an overload of milk or ice cream.
The blend of peanut butter and banana was clever indeed-one a sweet element and the other, a savory, making you want to go for sip after sip.
At least, Mandy did. She polished the cup clean.
What We Ate
Main Courses
Miam Miam Spaghetti
$15.80
Our first dish consisted of pasta sautéed together with bacon, baby spinach, aubergine, frankfurters and a soft boiled egg to top it off. On a random note, our table was particularly afraid to break the egg yolk for some reason. It always a grand affair for us to break the runny things in the dishes, but we were pretty glad we did it eventually for this dish. The yolk yielded the flavours together better. This would probably better for those who prefer lighter fare for it wasn't soaked in cheese or oil, which may be more typical for certain Western fare.
This was Mandy's favorite dish off the menu. It hit all the right notes for her because the various elements had their distinct flavors nailed down right yet came together nicely, creating a paletable dish on the whole. She especially loved how they got right the texture of the spaghetti, al dante, the delicate runny egg yolk, and the texture of the sauteed vegetables.
There were many ways this dish could have gone wrong. The fact that it didn't is commendable.
Riz Au Curry
$15.50
Japanese curry with yet another runny egg, crunchy broccoli and sausages thrown into the mix? Yup sign me up. You can expect for the curry, as with most Japanese variations, to be a lot sweeter than their Indian counterparts. It was still good nonetheless; enough to satisfy any Japanese curry lover. The chewiness melted cheese atop the creamy curry really sealed the deal for me.
Riz Noir Black Rice
$17.80
Probably my favourite dish out of the lot was, quite simply, an omelette sitting on a bed of seafood squid ink rice. This might sound fairly simple in comparison to the other fancy dishes around, but it took the cake for me because it was incredibly fragrant, and I appreciated the intricacies that added to its flavor. For one, I thought I tasted a hint of cheese in the rice that lent it a nice tanginess. Also, for a seafood lover, the generous servings of squid and prawns, would definitely earn them huge brownie points in your books. The entire dish was oozing with flavour, and we all found that we enjoyed having an alternative from your standard black ink pasta.
Souffle De Nuage
$15.50
This fluffy looking concoction was quite a mystery to us. It basically was a fluffy whipped egg and cheese cloud sitting atop tomato rice. There were quite a lot of interesting textures going on with this one, with the souffle bit melting away just to leave the firm rice grains. Cheese isn't and never will be Mandy's thing but she didn't mind this, which says a lot, though she did concede that as a person that avoids cheese at all costs, she was done after 3 spoonfuls. For the rest of us who don't mind cheese or love it even, I'm sure you'd take more than 3 spoonfuls. This dish came together nicely in my opinion, the cheese not being overbearing in terms of the flavor combination. I would rank it as the runner up dish in this mini food race.
What We Ate
Desserts
Chocolate Molleaux
$9.80
As for dessert, we had this little sinful cake accompanied by some soft serve vanilla ice cream. We were rather disappointed that the chocolate lava didn't exactly flow out as we had expected it to, and it was a little too dry for our liking. Its redeeming point however, would be that the cake was served nice and warm and its was nice and rich, which gave the whole dessert a pleasing dark chocolate finish.
Caramelised Banana Pancake
$12.80
This probably takes the cake for the Prettiest Dessert of the Night.
As you can see the pancake was incredibly thick, and had more of an airy, chiffon cake sort of texture as opposed to the more traditional chewiness you would expect of pancakes. If you're into pancakes, this might be worth a shot when you visit Miam Miam next time.
For Mandy and I, we found this pretty dry and a little less exciting than the delectable main courses.
Valrhona Chocolate Souffle
$13.80
One of our table companions ordered this additional dessert, and it ticked all the boxes of being a decent souffle. Soft, fluffy sponge, although it fell short, just a little, in the melted chocolate department. Perhaps we just have this unhealthy obsession with runny food. If you mention that you melted or have something runny somewhere in the dish, we tend to expect for it to flow all the way out the minute we cut right in.
We all came to the consensus that this dish would be better suited for those who are fond of milk chocolate. Though the usually un-sweet toothy Mandy enjoyed the dessert more than we both expected. Personally it was a tad too sweet for me, the richer dark chocolate flavour of the Chocolate Monlleaux was more of my thing.
In Conclusion
Mandy and I felt that Miam Miam's savoury dishes were definitely their strength, and worth making a trip down for. I mean how hard can it be to pop by since it's right smack in the middle of town, especially if you're lazy to travel to a remote area for good ambience?:)
Miam Miam is also perfect for smart casual, slightly fancier fare for those of us who feel the need to pamper ourselves a little, or for that special date or gathering.
Once again, a big thank you for Miam Miam and Brand Cellar for being such gracious hosts and for extending the invitation to us.
We hope we were able to let you guys have a better idea of what the cafe offers, but of course if you're still curious, do check it out and let us know what you think! (:
Miam Miam
#02-14 Bugis Junction, Singapore 188021
11:30 am to 10:00 pm(Mon-Sunday)
Tel: +65 6837-0301
Tel: +65 6837-0301
Site: http://miam.sg
See you guys real soon, and thank you so much once again for all your comments on the video and on all you've seen so far on the blog!
We really do deeply appreciate every one of you and your feedback (; More stuff is coming your way very very soon!
Love,
Brendy
