From Empty Cupboards to Thai Treasures - Our Feast at Mimi Kitchen, Eastwood
It’s no secret that I’m a bit lacking in the kitchen, and I’ve never tried to pretend otherwise. However, you would think that I’d at least be able to ensure that there’s food in the fridge and pantry, wouldn’t you? Before you all come at me, I’m also going to add ‘crap wife’ to my list of non-talents! The poor Man Bird; he slogs away at his day job, and then come dinner time, there was nothing prepped for him to conjure a meal up with: oops. The one good thing (for me) is that he has endless patience and merely sighed at my ineptitude before he rang round to reserve a table somewhere for us. As luck would have it, he chose somewhere we’ve wanted to go for ages – Mimi Kitchen in Eastwood.
Mimi had literally just come back off her holidays and was ridin’ solo in the kitchen, but that hadn’t stopped the reservations flowing in thick-n-fast; she was going to be a busy, busy lady, that’s for sure! If you haven’t visited Mimi Kitchen before, the best way to describe it is ‘quirky’, and I mean that in a nice way. One side of the venue (which could be a regular, lived-in house) has the kitchen and ‘reception’ in, the other, the seated restaurant. The restaurant is on a split level, with the [foliage-draped] bar at the back, and is bijoux by any standard; there’s seating for maybe 20 people.
Faux foliage scattered around adds a cosy touch, with trendy shades of grey providing the colour palate for the majority of the décor; there is a smattering of olive green on one wall. I have to say, Mimi Kitchen has a real ‘home’ vibe to it, which adds all the more credence to the authentic Thai ‘street’ experience that Mimi wants to bring to her diners. Each table had bowls of faux mosses and succulents in and a flickering tealight in a glass holder
There is a small, but adequate selection of drinks to choose from: I opted for a Blood Orange Cider (£4.10), His Nibs had a Singha lager (£4.95). The menu offers a good choice on the main pages, with plenty to select from on the Street Food and Chef’s Specials too. To kick off, we ordered a pair of starters, with the intention of sharing: Tender Beef strips marinated in light Soy Sauce and Honey, served with a Sweet Chilli dip and Side Salad, and Chicken Breast pieces in satay Powder, served with Satay Peanut Sauce and Side Salad, both £9.75.
Both meats were gorgeously tender and juicy, served on wooden skewers – and there was plenty to go at. The side salads were crunchy and colourful, comprised of lettuce, sliced Peppers, grated Carrot and chopped Red Onion. A garnish of fresh Coriander added more flavour to this crisp accompaniment. The honey dipping sauce was heavenly, but it had to bow to the superiority of its Satay cousin; this spicy, peanutty offering was smooth in texture, and as suave as Richard Gere in ‘An Officer and A Gentleman’ on the palate! Complex, rich and playful, this sauce had it all – we’ve had plenty of incarnations of Satay over the years and this one outshines them all. Mimi, you need to bottle this and sell it on the side.
Ever the gracious hostess and Chef, Mimi came round to check that everyone was happy with their food and apologised for the wait – there wasn’t particularly a noticeable wait, but I guess that this lady has her standards, and that’s that! Her daughter was the server for the evening and she was doing a brilliant job of ensuring everyone had adequate drinks and that very comfort was attended to.
For mains, The Man and I both chose from the Street Food section of the meu, though I had Mixed Seafood in my dish and I’d gone for a hotter, spicier dish. His Nibs stayed with the Beef theme, opting for pieces that had been cooked with Dark Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Garlic, Chilli, and Basil Leaves and served with Jasmine Rice and a runny-yolked Fried Egg (£21.75). My Seafood was cooked in Red Curry Paste with Palm Sugar, Chilli, Green Beans and Kaffir Lime Leaves; again, served with Jasmine Rice (£23.75).
His Nibs’ Beef was divine; the fabulously earthy sauce was punctuated with spices, and the deep flavour of the Beef proved to be the ideal partner for it. Crunchy vegetables added texture and colour, as well as flavour, to the dish, and the perfect dome of fragrant Jasmine Rice was crowned with a rich-yolked Fried Egg. The Man couldn’t praise his choice enough!
I have to say that my dish was hardly shabby, and nobody could accuse Mimi of skimping on the Seafood. A trio of half-shell Mussels were accompanied by a plethora of Squid ‘rolls’ and Butterflied King Prawns, and the variety of sweet, perfumed Seafood all combined seamlessly with the punchy sauce. Squeaky, chopped Green Beans and crunchy Baby Sweetcorn added colour and even more flavour to this marvellous dish. The sauce itself certainly had a kick to it, though a stealthy one! I began the dish quite cocky, and ended up with a distinct tingle on my lips and tongue; Mimi’s spices were definitely flexing! As with His Nibs’ dish, my semi-sticky Jasmine Rice was presented in a precise dome; sweet and fragrant, this treat was garnished with fresh Coriander and a slice of Pepper.
Again, Mimi was eager to ensure that diners were enjoying their food and reassuring those that were waiting that their food was imminent. Honestly, I don’t know how this wonderful lady was doing it all by herself! Props to you, Mimi.
Due to the limited tables, I would advise booking ahead if you want to guarantee a table. I would even go so far as to say that if you are a party of four or more, you need to be planning at least a fortnight ahead or risk being disappointed. I love to see a local venue being supported anyhow, but goodness knows it’s even more vital in these economically challenging times! Use it or lose it, folks!
Hot Wings very happily given to this superb Eastwood restaurant – we can’t wait to show it off to our friends! To book, call 07951 446618. You can head over to Facebook: ‘Mimi Kitchen’ to see the latest low-down. Mimi Kitchen is closed Sun-Tues, open Weds 6pm-9.30pm, Thurs 6pm-9pm, and Fri-Sat 5.30pm-10.30pm.
All Prices Correct At The Time Of Publishing
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