MiMi – Thai inspired by modern Bangkok

A recently opened eatery in the city’s south has an approach to Thai cooking that might not please the purists, writes Simon Wilkinson.

Tangy, spicy chicken bites at MiMi. Photo: Dean Martin

Salmon with kimchi tomyum broth. It’s a dish sure to expose the fault lines of food politics.

In one camp, conservatives who believe cooking should respect and preserve what has come before, will decry a culinary Frankenstein. On the other, the young and free spirited, who grow up in big cities giddy with the swirl of cultural influences and possibilities, will say bring it on.

It’s to the second group that MiMi, a loosely Thai eatery recently opened in the city’s south, will most definitely appeal.

Steven Lee and chef Naphachama Hongsakaola at their Thai diner MiMi on Sturt St in the city. Picture: Dean Martin

That salmon, a crisp-skinned fillet draped into a bowl of beautifully soured broth, is MiMi’s signature and tells the story of both the restaurant and its owners.

One of these is Steven Lee, a young entrepreneur with an eye for new opportunities, a strong network of contacts and a charismatic presence that value-adds whenever he is on the floor. This, his fourth dining venture in the CBD, is the first to move beyond the Korean influence that began with the original Plus 82 Pocha.

The reason for that is chef and co-owner Naphachama Hongsakaola, or Nokie to her friends. Her resume includes Le Cordon Bleu training, hotel kitchens and running a cafe in Bangkok. And it is her Thai background, seen through the prism of the big city, that sets her direction now.

The pair have taken over a space on the street level of an apartment block in Sturt St that provides a regular flow of clientele. A ready-made fit-out, courtesy of previous tenant East of Norman cafe, also made the decision easier.

Salmon with Kimchi Tomyum Broth at MiMi. Photo: Dean Martin

The design by Claire Kneebone (Press, 2KW, Udaberri) has needed little modification, with its all-purpose combination of black-sprayed ceiling and utilities, bare boards underfoot and expanses of glass in tall bi-fold doors that open to the footpath.

The tiled bar and kitchen servery line up together at the front, each with a row of stools. The main dining room is off to one side, with a mix of black bentwood chairs and banquettes.

The only limitation of taking over the existing build is in the kitchen, which doesn’t have the gear you might expect for an Asian eatery, particularly a wok burner.

So the “MiMi Meal” menu doesn’t feature any of the usual stir-fries, though there is a pad thai. Instead, under headings such as Bangkok Junctions and Yum Yum, are riffs on some of the snacks, curries and salads that you might expect, as well as a few left-field suggestions. The most explosive flavour fireworks are kept in the box, particularly the chilli, but there is a lightness and freshness to the cooking that is appealing, in a Vietnamese-y sort of way.

White scallop meat of middling quality needs longer in the pan to firm up but is given a boost by a sweet and salty nam jim dressing, crisp shallots and a betel leaf wrapper in a version of miang.

Crying Tiger at MiMi. Photo: Dean Martin

No quibbles about the grilled prawns, a trio of hefty specimens, head and tail attached, plump bellies exposed, coated in a slick of lip-sticking tamarind caramel and finished with coconut and shredded spring onion.

Nokie should put a copyright on her spicy fried chicken now. Big chunks of thigh meat are sprayed in malt vinegar, she says, before coating in a mix of roasted rice powder, herbs and spices. Crisp, zingy and 100 per cent addictive, NFC gives any of the gazillion other fried chooks in town a run for their money, particularly with a squirt of lime. The limp shredded lettuce on the side does it no favours.

MiMi’s take on crying tiger, a dish named for the ferocity of its sauce, is unlikely to raise a tear. However, the thick slices of extra-rare sirloin coated in a ground rice and dried chilli sprinkle are good eating with a salad of shaved fennel and cucumber that has an extra kick of spice.

Propped up in a big bowl of red curry, a confit duck leg is a battle to strip, with the constant threat of splatter. Underneath is a ring of grilled pineapple as well as pieces of eggplant and cherry tomatoes in a sauce that is reduced too far and heavy going.

That salmon is the standout, the richness of all that omega 3 finding a perfect foil in a broth with more zip than a Levi’s factory. I’m not sure the kimchi contributes a lot – lime juice is the dominant flavour – but the strips of cabbage in its depths don’t hurt.

This style of cooking won’t excite everyone but, even on a Monday night, MiMi is doing a good trade. The naysayers can do as they please but this is one Frankenstein that I’d happily take home.

MiMi

50 Sturt St, city, 8211 6159

OWNERS Steven Lee, Naphachama Hongsakaola, Hyunwoo Kang

CHEF Naphachama Hongsakaola

FOOD Modern Thai

ENTREE $4.50-$23 MAINS $20-$29

DRINKS Small wine list of local labels at reasonable prices. The Paracombe Reuben works well with the gentle spiciness of the food.

OPEN BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER Wed-Mon

SCORE 13/20