Cafe Miam review

I went to the launch of Cafe Miam (ex Miam Miam) the other day. The name change is indicative of the change in direction for the venue. Although it was originally supposed to be a lounge/restaurant it ended up becoming more of a night club as many of you will know. With recent changes in managment the place was closed for a little refurb and reopened as a restaurant/lounge. The decor is very much the same and those of you who have been will know it’s a very nice venue. It is a little out of the way, but I have to say it’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Long Street now and then. The open air courtyard makes for lovely al fresco dining.

The chef is ex Mount Nelson, so as one would expect, the food is excellent. The menu offers a selection of ‘small big plates’, which is an interpretation of the tapas theme. Smaller portions on normal size plates for sharing and tasting. We ordered 4 dishes for the 2 of us and 2 desserts as well. The duck spring rolls were superb (menu description: Slow roasted duck and date spring rolls with preserved lemon salsa). The seared tuna was good, the lamb cutlets were not bad either and the last dish was an interpretation of a caprese salad. The dessert was definitely a feature. I had the ice cream which was fine but my partner had the grilled strawberries with Red Bull sorbet. Lovely dessert and the Red Bull sorbet (in a shot of Vodka) was so good we ordered another each!

The wine list had not been finalised when I was there so I can’t comment on that, but I had a quick look at it when I was there a few days later and it’s not expensive, with enough of a selection to keep most happy.

It’s going to take them a while to shake off their ‘club’ image, but I think as the word spreads, this will become a popular venue. Even is people don’t go there for the food, it’s a lovely venue for drinks either in the lounge or outside in the courtyard. They are only open for functions on Saturday evenings, so keep it in mind if you are looking for a function venue.