Maggie Joan’s refined menu 2017
Has it been two years since Maggie Joan's opened?! Since that very first bite at this super cool contemporary Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on Amoy Street, i've been impressed with them over and over again (read my first review of Maggie Joan's here). To celebrate their second year of opening, they have given a thorough shake to their menu and we had many interesting plates that I would come back for.
Teaser, this is one of my favorite dishes. Read about it below!
Do the twist and nibble (not dunk) with the Taramasalata, Squid Ink & Nori ($3/pc). It's small but the flavors are punchy (like me haha). The crunch comes from the homemade squid ink tortilla and the Taramasalata cream is a citrusy mentaiko aioli sprinkled with some nori-wakame-cayenne pepper seasoning. I just wanna keep popping these babies.
If you prefer something a little more substantial for a starting bite, try the Crab Sandwich and Green Harissa ($7). An airy cookie choux (the crust is sweet) holds a juicy and tart crab filling with refreshing chives and shallots. I liked the light touch of heat from the spicy harissa olive oil mayonnaise. Interesting balance of flavors i must say.
Now the Green zebra tomatoes, black olive and sea lettuce ($20) is just the right amount of green for me (you can’t have too much greens anw). I love the subtle flavors of the sea and the garden. To break it down for you, there's a slighty tart torched green zebra tomatoes, earthy tapenade, creamy homemade ricotta, salty pops of the sea grapes, and a crispy sourdough crouton cracker base. Savor each bite slowly for maximum pleasure.
I can never resist ordering a burrata dish and i wasn't disappointed with the Burrata, roasted plums, shio konbu & basil ($23). The surprising element is the umami deep fried shio konbu strips which tasted like Mamee fried noodles (Singaporean childhood snack).
Then we had a taste of Chef Oliver's childhood- Chicken liver, rhubarb, cocoa & peanut ($17). As a kid, he would look forward to the rhubarb harvest in his garden and his family would have it with chicken liver pate. Well i have to agree with this combination as I couldn't stop slathering my sourdough with this creamy mixture. The flavored chicken liver pate and juicy rhubarb jam are blanketed with a savoury-sweet ‘soil’ made with peanuts, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, malt powder and dehydrated mushrooms. I love how the grainy cocoa soil light bitterness provided depth to the dish. The House baked sourdough with smoked beef fat butter ($6) is great on its own, but it's even better with the chicken liver parfait!
If there’s something I have to pick on, it’s the Beef tartare, kimchi & smoked beef fat ($19). Somehow the mix of seasoning gave the Australian beef a ketchup flavor (which is not my favorite sauce) with a light bitter ending note from the kimchi. The charcoal mayo also does nothing for the dish.
On to mains, the Smoked potato and egg yolk raviolo, pickled girroles mushrooms & hazelnuts ($28) was an unexpected delight. The thin chewy handmade pasta encases a lemon curd-like filling of ricotta, smoked mashed potato and egg yolk. It even tastes a little like lemon curd. The dumpling is complemented by baby spinach, pickled girrole mushrooms and roasted hazelnuts in a brown butter sauce infused with sage, and finished with Parmesan. Overall, it’s a great choice for a carb.
The Roasted barramundi, artichokes, seaweed and charred red pepper sauce and charred red pepper sauce ($34) is a simple comforting dish to have on a cold day or after a really shitty one at work. It's nothing wow though.
We also tried the Coconut sorbet with rock melon granita which is only available on the tasting menu. That coconut is so rich and creamy without being oily at all and it contrasts with the refreshing rock melon ice made from fresh rock melon juice. Fav!
End the meal on the right note with a sweet treat like the Paris-Brest ($16) with chocolate, praline, pear and thyme. It’s more hazelnut than chocolate in this one, which satisfies the sweet tooth without going overboard. The thyme also gives the dish a refreshing twist.
Goats’ cheese parfait, honeycomb, raspberry & sorrel sauce ($12) may sound like a funky dessert but it's really a light ice cream made with goat cheese, sabayon and whipped cream (can’t taste the “goaty” flavor in this). The homemade honeycomb and granola provided the crunch to the dish, with a grassy sorrel syrup for contrast. Funky it was but it was more from the sorrel i think.
Always a pleasure to be back at Maggie Joan's. Be sure to check out their new menu!
Always a pleasure to be back at Maggie Joan's. Be sure to check out their new menu!
110 Amoy Street #01-01 Singapore 068579
(Entrance from Gemmill Lane)
Tel: +65 6221 5564
Weekdays: 12 - 2.30pm, 6 - 11pm
Sat: 6 - 11pm
Sat: 6 - 11pm
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