Franco (Miam Miam) @ 1 Utama PJ

Appearing to be an avid foodie - or so I perceived myself to be, my friends are constantly throwing me a mammoth of food ideas - to attempt new eateries or simply telling me of this gem-of-a-restaurant they stumbled upon. 

While chatting with a friend the other day, she mentioned a brand new cafe that opened in 1 Utama a few months back, which has since taken over Petite Millie's old shop lot. It's called Miam Miam - tongue twister that reminds me of cats, an extremely peculiar name for a restaurant. I decided to check it out recently. 

Miam Miam

Miam Miam is a French-Japanese cafe and a fairly recent addition to 1U's host of eateries. 

Many Malaysians would probably associate French food with fine-dining, foie gras and wine. Miam Miam is a laidback metaphor of that. Combining bold flavors of French cuisine with a twist of Japanese, while still emphasizing on fresh ingredients in all of their dishes. 

Sorry. Couldn't help it. I was seated at a leather cushion sofa seat tucked at one corner of the restaurant.

At a glance, menu offerings appeared quite limited. What I really liked about it though - the clever highlights of their signature dishes. Unlike many restaurant which merely inserts a chefs hat next to the dish, Miam Miam have enlarged fonts with mouthwatering photographs of their recommended dishes, meant to catch the eye while flipping through, especially for first timers. 

Minestrone Soup. Rm11.

The minestrone soup was the first to arrive and it was heartwarmingly delicious. Though I thought the bowl was a little small, the fluffy buttered toast at the side managed to fill me up all in all.

Riz Au Curry. Rm26.80.

There was something about this dish that made it remarkably fragrant - it smells like chicken salt. It was loaded with a hefty bundle of baked rice, chicken frankfurters, broccoli, cheese, an egg, stirred with homemade Japanese curry. The dish was leaning towards the savory side, but if eaten pipping hot, I could have easily famished this all on my own.

Mac And Cheese. Rm23.80.

I wasn't too keen on the mac and cheese but the dish was done pleasantly well. Chewy macaroni with four gooey types of melted cheese beneath, topped with a crisp layer Japanese breadcrumbs.

Squid Ink Pasta. Rm26.80.

Top pick! The squid ink spaghetti was bursting with flavors. It was aromatic from the use of garlic oil and what I thought was bits of salted fish inside - secret ingredient perhaps. The spaghetti was done al dante with textures that was so close to perfection.

Nevertheless, I knew I looked horrible while I was devouring this - ghastly looking black teeth and lips! But that didn't stop me from wiping the plate clean. Definitely not a date dish. Please keep a tissue in hand!

Matcha Souffle. Rm16.80.

I couldn't resist ordering the souffle. The lightly baked, sugar crusted, green tea cake was irresistibly crisp outside with oozing luscious green tea curd inside. It was sweet but outstanding. On that light, there are not many restaurants that serves souffle, and this is one that I would definitely recommend. Eat it before it sinks!

Caramelised Banana with Vanilla Softee. Rm13.80.

Updated: 15 June 2014

The thick layer of pancake is definitely tummy-filling. It resembles that of a sponge cake but perhaps a bit more eggy. The vanilla softee felt lighter than the classic vanilla ice cream and the caramelised banana and berries complimented the sweetness delightfully too.

Cookies and Cream Parfait. Rm11.80.

Updated: 15 June 2014

For me, this dessert was merely there. The cookies crumb didn't blend well at all with the vanilla softee. And again, a vanilla softee is a more watery version of a vanilla ice cream. I felt like I had a whole load of crumbs in my mouth and had to vainly check my teeth all the time. Definitely not my favorite dessert here.

French Toast. Rm16.80.

I still can't figure out why this dish would take an hour to be served. Thick squarish cubes of French toast piled high with a scoop of cream on top. The French toasts were served warm, fluffy and nicely egged. This dish was deceptively substantial. We were so stuffed towards the end. A tweak - no cream, ice cream please.

Overall Rating: 8/10. Our meal was surprisingly delicious. There's just something about this unconventional cafe that was extremely inviting to me - the French secret maybe. I would definitely return for more baked eggs and squid ink spaghetti, and would probably give the much talked about souffle de nuage a go in my next visit too.

Address: 146, Ground Floor, 1 Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.
Phone: 03-7731-8923
Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm Daily