Miam Miam, a newish French-Japanese casual cafe kitchen, is a love child spawned by a group of globetrotting friends with a common adoration for food. Upon introduction, I was surprised to find out that the kitchen was run on a tight ship; subscribing to the Japanese ideologies of kaizen and kanban; the latter bringing about strict obedience to scheduling, keeping to a lean and time centered production process. With a 'made-to-order' guarantee put in place, food should take a little longer to reach the table, however, you get the benefit of consistencies across the board. That, my friends, is key to keeping your regulars coming back.
Miam Miam is welcome addition to the never-saturated food hub at bugis junction. Situated neared to the BHG segment of the mall, expect to find burgeoning queues at meal times. The decor is kept simple, adhering to the Japanese cafe theme while certain more creative design aspects lurk around, in the form of the tasteful menu with captivating fonts.
With their pasta cooked to order and in a time precise mode, the signature Miam Miam Spaghetti ($16.80) did not disappoint, the seemingly outlandish portions going down to easily among the four of us. Sauteed with frankfurters, tomatoes, baby spinach and bacon, the pasta had a delicate flavor that sat well on our palates; tossed with french butter, secret broth and shoyu, the fusion aspect was evident.
Not so good were the Riz Noir Squid Ink Rice with assorted seafood ($16.50) and the Souffle de Nuage ($17.80). The blackened baked rice was rich in texture and flavor whilst the assorted seafood that peak out from its inky depths were cooked perfectly, what failed the dish were the ominous scrambled eggs that draped over the top, overcooked, curdled and bland. The pride and joy of the cafe, the extravagant tower of golden crusty fluff , disappoints with its overly heavy, tight bed of tomato sauteed rice at the bottom followed by a suspiciously raw cloud of egg and cheese on the top. One bite reveals several quizzical looks around the table; understandably, cause it's hard to understand what you're eating in this dish.
Desserts in general take a longer time to reach the table. As disclosed by the clean cut timings on the menu. The Famous French Toast ($10.80) crawls to the table after a 15min wait. Was it worth it? Neh...The toast remains light and fluffy-which has mainstream appeal - but will disappoint hardcore french toast fans, lacking the aromatic lashings of cooked custard required for a satisfying dish. A dollop of pre-scooped and chilled, artificial tasting cream (not ice cream) crowns the pile, refusing to budge even after pouring syrup over the top. A more luscious display of piped fresh cream would be a better alternative that would serve to improve the dish by miles.
Not all the desserts fell short of expectations, and our confidence in Miam Miam was bumped up a few notches with the Valrhona Chocolate souffle ($13.80) and the Matcha Red Bean Parfait ($11.80). Among the offerings for tonight, the Chocolate Souffle is enough to warrant a return trip, as is the piquant compilation of all things nice in the parfait glass. Cooked to perfection with fluffy innards and straight edges, the souffle beckons for attention with it's showcasing of the premium chocolate Valrhona, a ostentatious declaration that I felt had been done justice in this challenging dish. The other dessert features a mish-mash of mouthwatering ingredients, red bean, coffee and matcha jelly, rice crispies with a luscious drizzle of brown sugar syrup. Save for the weak flavoured matcha soft serve, I thought that the dish was excellent for sharing.
Also worthwhile is the Matcha souffle ($11.80), especially for those who yearning a lighter dessert with heartwarming capabilities. Last but not least, the Apples and Granola Pancake ($13.80) is tempting to order, but I'd save the money - the pancakes tough and dense almost like a sponge cake is accompanied by a pedestrian stack of apple cubes tossed in cinnamon served with vanilla soft serve. Granola is sparse and does not contribute to textural contrast on the dish.
As much as my experience in Miam Miam consisted of more misses than hits, it's popularity amongst the younger crowd is evident. It's convenient location and fun vibes contributing to the snaking queues at dinnertime. If you should be visiting the joint, do make sure to heed my advise for the certain few stellar dishes.
From the 1 to the 18th December 2014, stand a chance to win tasty treats from Miam Miam and a pair of HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 movie passes with a minimum spending of $80 at Miam Miam. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/miam.sg for more details.
Fundamentally Flawed dined as a guest of Miam Miam, she would like to thank Racheal of Brand Cellar for the lovely media invite.
Miam Miam
@Bugis Junction
#02-14 Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
S(188021)
t: 6837 0301
@Westgate
#01-21/22 Westgate
3 Gateway Drive
S(608352)
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri: 11 30am - 10 pm
Sat - Sun: 11 30am - 10 pm
Bad as expected!!!
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