MIA, Bangkok – Good times ahead.

What is it ? – A Modern European Restaurant situated in the heart of Bangkok city.

What`s Cooking ? – Quirky, fun , fresh and quite complex dishes with an Asian influence.

Who`s Cooking ? Chef “Top” Russell (Bangkok young Chef of the year / Topchef Thailand season 2)and his partner in Crime Michelle Goh. Both have a wonderful background having worked in such superb places as Sketch London (Pierre Gagnaire) , Jun Tanaka , Gauthier Soho , Jason Atherton (Pollen) , Shangri La Sydney , Rockpool , Suhring

What should I expect ? Go with the flow and let them take you on Chefs journey. The food says everything about their rise through the kitchens of the World.

Must Order dish – If I went back to MIA for a second visit then my “must order” dish would definitely be the Cereal Bowl (providing that Alba Truffle was in season)

What will it cost me ? There are 2 Choices available 2,850++ Baht / $86 for 5 courses or 3,550++ Baht / $107 for 7 courses. and it was nice to see the 2 different menu prices for those that want to experience a meal at MIA. A wine pairing was available at 990 baht / $30 for 3 glasses or 1,890 Baht / $57 for 5. The restaurant pricing was reflective of having the `Michelin tag` and generally average of a restaurant of such quality in the city. Supplements were additional to the set meal prices and ranged from 690++ baht / $30 for Caviar to 980++ Baht / $30 for Wagyu with 490++ baht / $15 for Perigord Truffle.

My thoughts – If they Just keep on doing what they`re doing then the rewards will follow , I’m sure of that. The restaurant is already on Michelins radar so let`s keep our fingers crossed.

What`s the Atmosphere like ? – The Restaurant was beautiful , interesting and really well laid out .There`s a stunning looking flower room which im sure will be lovely during daylight hours (it was dark during our visit). The toilet entrance was fantastic and quite magical. I won`t spoil the surprise. I`m sure it`s a work in progress and will improve even more with time. Hopefully we`ll get a more relaxed look around next visit and then we can take it all in. No doubt there`s many ideas on developing the business even further and i`m sure that will all take shape as the Restaurant progresses on its journey. The Music is very much on the ball and we loved the playlists that offered a little bit of everything.

What`s good ? – The service was non intrusive and extremely attentive when we needed something. Polite, well presented and friendly staff were able to speak to the customers in a nice relaxed way without being too over friendly. I can`t think of any way that the service can be improved upon at this time. I even tried to catch them out with the ingredients but they knew the sourcing precisely. The Cocktails were fantastic , inventive and we were spoiled for choice. Pricing was good and it was really hard to choose as they all sounded so tempting. Wine was reasonably priced and was nice to see a few decent choices available by the glass.

Any Negatives ? Would I return ? – Absolutely Yes – Everything was thoroughly enjoyable and there really wasn`t any negatives as such. The Restaurant is only in its early days and so everyone is on a new learning curve. As the awards begin to come in then I can see the business adjusting accordingly but all in all it`s refreshing and quite exciting at this current stage of its journey.

Restaurant Address – MIA , 30 Attha Kawi 1 alley , Khlong Tan , Khlong Toei, Bangkok , Thailand. Phone – +66 98 862 9659

Website – www.miarestaurantbkk.com

Menu

And so the pre dinner treats arrived….WOW.

Duxelle – Superb combination and the hollandaise with the fresh perigord shavings was sublime….perfect in every way.

Chickpea – A little work of art , a perfect crisp pillow of a snack.

Foie gras – Always my favourite ingredient on the planet. A perfect match with the mulled wine jelly which complemented it well without overpowering the foie gras . Looked stunning.

Beef tartare – Awesome little bite. I`m not sure that the Wagyu added anything and that a decent beef in general would offer the same texture and equally as good flavour. I get the fact that Wagyu sounds good on the menu though. The Rice base reminds me of my favourite street food “Toasted and BBQ sticky rice”….Loved it

Oyster – I`m not a fan of Oysters but I keep on trying every them every time. The concept was great as was the presentation. I enjoyed the red cabbage without the flavour dominating the Oyster. Nice to have the iced granita and overall it was really refreshing.

Bread – Really good bread , smelled heavenly when I opened it. The Butter was really good and the Onion Ash finished it off . Burnt Ash with the flavour of the onion without any bitterness. I would like to see a well made classic Sourdough as an alternative option and that`s only because I prefer a well baked crispy crust on my bread ( my own preference )

Scallop – Very fresh , very refreshing , well balanced dish. The Shiso flowers added a really nice unusual background flavour. To be totally honest I don`t think that the caviar added anything to the dish and I tried the dish with and without the caviar and it was just as good without. However the perfect little round of caviar (690++ Baht/ $21 supplement) did add that extra visual touch of luxury to the dish. All in all this was a strong course , light , fresh , unusual and really enjoyable.

Hamachi – Very modern Asian couple of courses with the scallop , Hamachi and chawanmushi. I`m not the biggest lover of raw fish but the combination and textures of the ingredients eaten together were very enjoyable. I loved the background flavour of smoke so much and this totally made the dish for me as smoke is my favourite flavour.

Crab – I enjoyed this dish , the flavour of the shellfish oil dominated the dish (which I liked) . The presentation of this dish was beautiful…..Do I eat it or hang it on the wall ?

Cod – Cooked to perfection and a fantastic match to the sweetness of the raisins and the slight acidity of the grapes. Roasted cauliflower was tasty and the raw cauli added another texture dimension…..A really enjoyable dish. Cod and cauliflower will always work well together.

Pork – My highlight from the savoury courses. If I was to be served this in a 3 star restaurant then I would be content. Highly technical in its construction , tastes were balanced perfectly and all in all I don’t think this could be improved upon. This was a perfect example of fine dining plating.

An extra treat not on the Menu – Pork Consome with Umeboshi. An absolute Umami Bomb of pure natural flavour. 5 hours cooking and a full week to filter produces this stunning Umami bomb.

And so we move to the sweet treats

Pear – A refreshing crossover from savoury to sweet and was nice to have the unusual twist of the fragrant olive oil to add a little “something different” to the course.

Cereal bowl – WOW WOW WOW…..How good was this dish ? Another course that I’d be happy to eat in a 3 star restaurant. I know that the Alba truffle is super expensive and a lot of diners don’t want to be paying the supplement , especially as it is going on to a sweet dessert . I personally wouldn`t pay 990++ Baht / $30 for an additional extra of truffle on a pudding BUT it really does need to be on there. Those diners that don`t have this addition are missing the magic that the truffle adds to the dish…..it`s the crowning glory to an amazing course. The Sauternes topped the dish off as a match made in heaven. 10/10