Picky Piggies

Miam Patisserie is a hidden gem that is tucked away within the neighborhood of Pyrmont. This family run cafe showcases savory and sweet items combining cuisines from the East and the West, with a focus on Indonesian flavours. Miam rotates its cakes frequently, only serving fancy cakes on weekends. Make sure you check their Instagram for what's available on the day.

The cabinet is full of cakes that are inspired by Asian flavours 😋

Satay Beef Sandwich $8.5

The corned beef was slowly braised in coconut milk & herbs, and came out tender and moist - with thinly sliced cucumbers and a special house made satay sauce that pulled everything together.

Five Spiced Pork Sandwich $8.5

Pork and five-spice are two ingredients that get paired together quite often in Chinese cooking. To balance the flavours and texture, ribbons of pickled veg were and crunchy pork crackling are thrown in the mix. The only thing that bothered me was the pork being a little dry, which can be easily fixed by dressing it up with some sauce.

Chestnut Swiss Roll $8.5

Here comes something to sweeten the tooth after the sandwiches. This pretty floral Swiss roll definitely caught my eyes. We liked the simplicity of this spongy treat. It's not hard to get it right, as long as you get the flavours right, and Miam is on the right page. The sponge cake was soft and airy, the chestnut cream was smooth and creamy.

Genmaicha Slice $9

Genmaicha - a Japanese tea that is made with roasted brown rice combined with green tea. The cake alternated between layers of genmaicha sponge and cream, and was sealed with a thin layer of white chocolate. A wave of silky matcha cream and a sprinkle of genmaicha completed the cake. The tea flavour was unique and the overall texture was well balanced.

Coffee Brandy & Vanilla Chiffon Cake $6

This chiffon cake didn't disappoint either - the signature pillow-like texture was there and the sponge had a soft coffee aroma.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Impressive cakes (but only available on weekends)

Lowlight:

Pork sandwich can be better

Website: https://www.instagram.com/miam.syd/
Address: 140/313 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Hours: Mon Closed
Tue-Sun 8am-5pm
Phone: (02) 8068 0626

3 comments

To put an end to our food journey in the North Island, I have written a brief summary of 5 food spots in Auckland in this post:

Azabu
Chuffed
Miann Britomart
Miss Higgins
Patisserie Vaniye

Azabu

Azabu - a fusion restaurant that plays with Japanese and Peruvian flavours.

Grilled Octopus NZ$16

The firmness and meatiness of the octopus was well balanced by the slight sourness from the yuzu pepper soy, and the creaminess of the aji amarillo potato mash.

Prawn Dumplings NZ$14

The dumplings were filled with chunks of plump tiger prawns and a refreshing sour soup. They sat on a bed of spicy green sauce and were the the touches of sweet potato chips gave the dumplings additional texture.

Chicken Katsu Bun NZ$9

Deep fried chicken in a soft steamed bun with tonkatsu sauce, karashi mustard and fried onions makes this a good finger snack.

Tempura Custard NZ$12

A good dessert to be shared, custard fried in bite size tempura balls. The ginger jam added a slight zingy flavour, however a more generous dusting of matcha could have better balanced the sweetness of the dish and added complexity.

Food: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7.5/10

Highlight:

Cool atmosphere and concept

Lowlight:

Execution could be better
A bit pricey for Auckland

Website: http://www.azabuponsonby.co.nz/
Address: 26 Ponsonby Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1011, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Tue 5pm-Late
Wed-Sun 12pm-Late
Phone: +64 9-320 5292

Chuffed

Hidden in the heart of Auckland city is Chuffed, a simple and artistic cafe serving beautiful food and great coffee.

Lime, Gin & Juniper Cured Salmon Crumpets NZ$17

Cool slices of cured salmon make a great combination with warm, airy and crispy crumpets. The salmon was cured to the perfect balance between complexity and simplicity. The flavours are complex yet do not overpower the natural taste of the salmon. The beetroot puree is a masterstroke, which completes the dish both aesthetically and flavourwise.

Cosset Chai NZ$4.8

The chai latte had a robust and rustic spiciness to it, but was a bit on the sweet side.

Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Highlight:

Relaxing environment, hard to find in the city centre

Lowlight:

None

Website: http://chuffedcoffee.com/
Address: 43 High St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-4pm
Sat-Sun 9am-4pm
Phone: +64 9-367 6801

Miann Britomart

Miann Britomart is the second shop, only a few minutes walk from the original Miann on Fort Street. To open a second shop, with the exact same offering, in the same area, the team behind Miann must be doing something right, right? We decided to find out.

Walking back and forth in front of this cabinet full of cakes and ice cream, finding it hard to decide on which one to get really makes you feel like a kid in the candy store.

Matcha Green Tea Tart ~NZ$10

Each layer of the cake - the matcha, white chocolate cream, or passionfruit curd - was enjoyable in its own right or when combined. Overall, a light and refreshing cake with a good balance of bitter, sweet and sour flavours.

Manuka Flower Tea NZ$4.3

A soothing tea to wash down the cake, with a floral and natural sour hint. I'd drink this tea at home if I knew where to get it!

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Highlight:

Comfortable and quiet environment, open till late, to enjoy a piece of cake and a cup of tea

Lowlight:

Brings nothing new vs the old Miann

Website: https://www.miann.co.nz/
Address: Ground, Arthur Nathan Building 36 - 38 Galway Street, Britomart, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-10pm
Fri 8am-11pm
Sat 10am-11pm
Sun 10am-10pm
Phone: +64 21 261 8172

Miss Higgins

When walking up to Miss Higgins the smell of sweet freshly baked cookies flies to you through the air.

Peanut butter (Front), Choc Chip (Back) NZ$2.5 Ea

All the cookies are baked fresh at the premises and nothing is more delicious than a warm baked cookie. There is a huge selection of flavours so there should be one that matches any appetite. The peanut butter and milk choc cookie was nutty and chewy, every bite was satisfying. Double choc chip had a rich chocolaty flavour. We loved both flavours.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Atmosphere: 5/10

Highlight:

The cookies were packed with chewy goodness

Lowlight:

Weight watchers beware!

Website: http://www.mrshiggins.com/
Address: 268 Queen St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Sun 8:30am-7:30pm
Phone: +64 9-373 4284

Patisserie Vaniyé

A cute little authentic patisserie serving Aucklanders traditional and creative Parisian cakes and pastry.

Caramelized Onion, Semi Dried Tomatoes, Feta NZ$9.5

A delightful quiche, where the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes is perfectly balanced by the savoury feta, and of course the crumby pastry!

Millefeuille NZ$9

No other word sums up this "thousand leaf" cake better than "delicious". The vanilla cream was buttery but not heavy. Each layer of pastry was so defined and paper-thin, it was buttery and breaks easily on the tongue.The crunchiness of the pastry and the soft cream filling reflected the true art of French pastry.

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Highlight:

Fine French desserts and pastry

Lowlight:

Vaniyé is always closed when we are in Auckland over the holiday season. We wish we could come here more often.

Website: http://www.vaniye.com/
Address: 1/7 Windsor St, Parnell, Auckland 1052, New Zealand
Hours: Tue-Sat 8am-4pm
Phone: +64 9307 0839

No comments

Picky Piggies

Pages

About me

Labels

recent posts

Blog Archive