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2013-06-27
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Maison Ikkoku is tucked away shophouses near Arab St -you can get lost pretty easily amongst the rows and rows of shophouses so if it your first time there you may want to use a map! The cafe seems to have Japanese influence (hence, its name) but there are not many traces of this in their food served. They specialise in coffee & cakes, but also serve a small range of pastas and salads, as well as a decent sandwich menu.The interior of the cafe is really cosy, but unfortunately the space is terri
The interior of the cafe is really cosy, but unfortunately the space is terribly limited!! They do have alfresco seats but I wouldn't suggest sitting there in the day, it can get really warm Ordering and payment is at the counter, (prices are all nett!!), the food is served to you, and iced water is self service.On the day that we went, the sandwiches were out of stock (the ingredients hadn't been ordered, i think?), so we were left the pasta and salad choices. We ordered a Nicoise Salad ($14) and a Pasta of the Day, which ranges from $14-16, but the Mushroom Pomodoro we ordered was $15. The pasta and salads came with complimentary drink of value $5 or lesser, and any more than that will require a top up. We ordered an Iced Vanilla Latte ($7) and a Cappucino ($5).
The mushroom pomodoro was mediocre -the tomato chunks inside provided a nice texture, unfortunately, the sauce wasn't creamy enough. As a result, it had a tart tomato flavour that was offset by the cheese -but we rather that the sauce was creamy enough to be eaten alone. The mushrooms were sidelined in this dish -I wish it had a bit more focus, after all, it's a MUSHROOM pomodoro. But on the whole, pasta was well cooked and definitely decent!
Surprisingly, the Nicoise salad was the show-stealer (it wins the coffee hands down!!!). Served with a generous dollop of tuna, perfectly cooked eggs, fresh greens and a handful of anchovies -this salad is perfect. The dressing wasn't too sour, yet it was tangy enough to be a refreshing dish good enough to be eaten on its own. The ratio of the ingredients was perfect and I can safely say that the $14 is well worth spent.
The cappuccino was slightly disappointing. The acidity of the coffee did not sit so well with me and on the whole I felt that drinking the coffee just wasn't "smooth" like I'd liked it. I suppose it's the milk and the steaming of it, but I wouldn't say that this was up to my expectations at all.
The vanilla latte was even more disappointing. The milk and the coffee did not go well at all, the coffee tasted sharp and slightly (?)sour in my opinion. The sugar and sugar syrup is self service so you can customise the sweetness of the coffee to your liking. On the whole, the vanilla latte did not have the luscious, smooth taste I was hoping for, and the aroma fell flat.
The cafe has a magazine rack too -a very homey touch.On the whole, I would say go for their salads and maybe their hot coffees. We didn't have a chance to try their sandwiches but we'll definitely be back to give it a try. The cakes are hits and misses, I've been told. I'll be back to try more, though. This cafe may be largely hit and misses, but its definitely home to hidden finds. Prices are also reasonable and they serve breakfast items (which end around 11.30 so you gotta go early!)
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