Inspired by the casual concept of kissatens (Japanese-style tearoom cum coffeeshops), Miam Miam’s 68-seater outlet at Westgate will make you feel at home immediately. The dining space is comfortably lit and adorned with domestic ornaments, from wooden rolling pins hanging from the ceiling and tin watering cans being displayed on shelves. Tables and chairs here exude a homely feel.

While eateries offering the marriage of French-Japanese cuisines aren’t rare in our sunny island, what makes Miam Miam stand out is its food preparation practices.

Adopting Japanese kitchen ideologies ofkaizen (continuous improvement) and kanban (a scheduling system that ensures consistency), Miam Miam execute these most prominently in 2 ways:

1. Menus here are updated every 6 to 9 months.

2. Chefs are rotated at different stations to ensure that preparations run systematically, and that their respective duties are executed with utmost meticulousness. Situated in an open kitchen, patrons will also be able to enjoy their meal while observing these gastronomic connoisseurs hard at work.

Indeed, the practice of kanbanwas apparent in the Modern Yaki ($14.80). This is the casual eatery’s take on a Modan-Yaki, which is a type of the popular Japanese snack Okonomiyaki, consisting of a savory pancake served with a layer of fried noodles. Among the finely-chopped garlic, cabbage and shimeiji mushrooms, an omelette with Japanese mayonnaise topped the bed of perfectly al dente spaghetti aglio olio. Each bite was a flavorful blend of smooth and firm textures.

The secret behind their pasta’s springy bite: Chefs are required to ensure each portion of raw pasta weighs exactly 110g before boiling it for precisely 7.5 minutes.


Urbanwire also tried the Souffle De Nuage ($15.50), a tomato sautéed rice dish topped with a fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth soufflé mixture of egg whites and cheese, which is the definitely the star component of this French-technique offering. Since it is more often found in desserts, marrying a soufflé into a savoury course also gives you the best of both worlds – a dessert and main in one dish.


Fans of the salty black goo known as squid ink, will also be pleased with The Riz Noir ($16.50). An omu egg (Japanese-style omelet) sat atop a bed of squid ink-marinated rice sautéed with a chock full of fresh prawns and squid, this dish definitely satisfies savory.

If you happen to have a sweet tooth, the diner also offers an array of desserts.

Take the Chocolate Molleaux ($9.80), which absolutely bowled  UrbanWire over. Don’t be fooled by the chocolate cake’s unassuming, ordinary-looking exterior, because 1 dig into this moist dessert will reveal an unapologetic ooze of molten dark chocolate, where every bittersweet bite is guaranteed to tingle your taste buds. Served warm alongside a scoop of soft-serve vanilla gelato, this is decadence that will certainly leave any sweet tooth grinning from ear to ear.

Lest stomach room becomes an issue, you can also try the Caramelized Banana Pancake ($12.80). The warm, airy and sponge-like pancake is essentially a delightful hybrid between regular pancakes and soufflés. It’s also topped with an icy serving of soft-serve vanilla gelato, slices of caramelized bananas and almond slivers as garnish. Being slightly less sweet, this is suitable as a less cloying alternative.

Miam Miam also offers a variety of thirst-quenchers, such as their specialty Hand-Dripped Iced Coffee ($6.20) or Iced Matcha Latte ($6.80) that you can also catch up with friends over. However, these drinks are a tad pricey for the portions you’ll get (akin to a regular sized drink at Starbucks), so do consider sharing.

Casual and cost-friendly (the highest-priced dish on the menu stands at $19.50) without compromising on food quality and consistency, this café restaurant is an ideal dining option for an afternoon or evening of quality downtime with friends and family. Do note that portions tend to be rather filling, so do share with companions if you’re planning to save space for dessert (which is highly recommended).


Price rating: $$$

Rating: ★★★★✩

Address:  #02-14 Bugis Junction, #01-21/22 Westgate

Telephone:
68370301 – Bugis Junction
6369 9008 – Westgate

Opening hours:
11.30am – 10pm daily

Photos courtesy of Jeremy Hong and Miam Miam