Ma Maison

Sunday afternoons are known for being wonderful lazy times where i can just sit back, relax and forget having ever been in the Singapore workforce. So it is with this mindset that i met up 2 of my friends for lunch on this simple Sunday afternoon. After a little persuasion, i was brought to this obscure and small corner in Bugis for our little get together.

Location: 200 Victoria Street Bugis Junction #02-51 Singapore 188021

Contact: 63384819

Website: http://www.ma-maison.co.jp

A Nostalgic and Old Looking Signboard

Walkway

Menu

Namecard

Interior Counter

Getting past the rather obscure and weird location of being in a rather secluded corner of Bugis Junction, the restaurant held a certain laid-back and relaxed charm thats difficult to describe. With the noon sun shining in, the quiet and dimly lit surroundings still had soft lighting on, floral tablecloths adorned the simple wooden tables and antique items peppered the walls. All this creates a relaxed atmosphere which allows patrons like myself to take my own sweet time making orders and idle chit chat with my lunch partners for the day.

Cream Of Mushroom Soup With Salad (Set Lunch $23.50)

A simple rendition of the notorious mushroom soup that almost every restaurant seems to serve. This version had a strong mushroom taste and was lightly salted giving it an even finish when you taste it. My gf seemed to like it quite a bit but there were no mushrooms bits to be found and honestly, after a few more spoonfuls, it resembles campbell's but with more salt.

Hamburger Steak, Egg Wrapped Tomato Rice and Spaghetti Vongole

An inside look

Presentation-wise, this was an easy winner. 200gm beef patty served with sunny side up, Japanese tomato rice wrapped in scrambled eggs and vongole. 3 radically different items from different origins on the same plate, creative! First up, i liked the tomato rice, possibly because i've never outgrown my love for ketchup and because the rice was Japanese rice, meaning it just tastes better. Not too sticky but full in texture and taste. Scrambled eggs with tomato ketchup and rice could have been a meal on its own for me. The hamburger steak was a new item or rather a new name for an old item in this case. It looked small when it came but start eating it and you'll find that it seems to grow with every bite. The beef was well marinated but salty, as was the accompanying sauce, add the 2 together and it becomes too salty for my liking. Could do well without the sauce. The vongole i had last, so its actually cold when i had it. Still, i liked it because its not oily but otherwise, its very normal. To summarize, this dish as a whole was nice but take any individual on its own and you may be disappointed.

Sauces for Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu Set ($19.50)

Miso Soup?? And the Katsu

My gf seems to be attracted to katsu for some reason as this is the second time she's ordered it in a Japanese restaurant. For me though, this is the first time i've ever seen so many ingredients in a miso soup. I was literally shocked when i saw the hidden vegetables in the thick broth. Also the first time i've seen miso with tofu or seaweed for that matter. I had a taste and it was very thick, full bodied and again, salty. Good nonetheless. The katsu was tasty, lightly breaded, has minimal oil residue and firm, juicy meat greets your taste buds. It also helps that the serving was pretty generous. The sauces you see are all for the katsu but i found it better off without the overly salty sauce provided.

Sirloin Steak ($19.50)

My friend ordered this for her lunch and i have to say the serving was small. The steak was served well done and had charred edges which wasn't really my idea of steak. The doneness also means the meat is tough and hard. Surprisingly, it still tastes reasonably decent this way so i'm wondering how it would be like given a medium rare doneness instead of being well done. Still, the portion size is a big no no for big eaters like myself.

Payment Key?

The unique key used during payment which has to be brought to the cashier. Interesting concept. If only we could take the keys as souvenirs. =P

Complimentary Ice Cream

My gf had the black sesame ice cream which had a unique taste to it but not something i'd like to have on my own. And our lunch set came with a vanilla ice cream with smatterings of chocolate fudge which really isn't very special.

Bill

A very filling lunch for 4 people came up to $101.22 .

Score:

Ambiance: 6.5/10

I liked the laid back atmosphere quite a bit, it also helps that the lunch crowd had not arrived before we got there. Somewhere mid lunch however, the place started to get a little rowdy.

Food : 6/10

I liked the portion size and generous beef in my set meal and the katsu but i can't help but notice the excessive use of salt in some of their offerings. Cut down on it though and the score goes up a notch.

Value for Money: 6.5/10
The set lunch is affordable and filling but it still feels like they could have lowered the bill even more for a healthy profit. Waraku had better value for money.

Service : 7.5/10
The serving ladies and gentlemen were quick to attend to our needs and glasses so that we never had to raise our hands much for attention.

Portion Size: 7.5/10
Going by the set meals we had, the portion size was generous apart from the steak.

Overall: 6.8/10

Last Word:
Nice place, decent but salty food and affordable price. I may be back because my sister's friend works there and can get us a decent discount the next time we visit. *winks* But otherwise, i would love to tell them to hold the salt instead of filling their items with it.

Blueberry Cheesecake ($6) and Muddy Mud Pie ($7) From Coffee Club

Stopped by at coffee club for a rest and some dessert before dinner on the same day. The blueberry cheesecake was a little too sour for my liking. My order of muddy mud pie fared better with it thick,warm melting chocolate fudge on an ice cold mudpie. The mocha flavor and chocolate blended well and tasted extremely rich and sweet but doesn't overwhelm. Nicely done.

Score: 6/10 (7/10 for the mud pie.)