May May in Tras Street, Singapore

"Hun, someday I want to be one of those ladies who lunch." 

This was one of the things that I randomly told Paul one evening as we were getting ready for bed. Of course, I wasn't ready for this response: "Why wait when you can be one starting tomorrow? You can also that lady who eats breakfast, lunch, dinner and merienda pa!"

Haynako.... *sigh*

Anyway, he's partially true. Why wait till the future when I can indulge and go have occasional lunch dates with my girl friends right? That's exactly what I did a week before flying back for the Christmas break when I met up with my long time friend A whom I haven't seen for more than a decade. This meet-up was intended to happen almost a year ago and I'm glad that it finally pushed through. We agreed to have lunch at May May which right in between our offices.

I've been reading about May May and have heard a lot of raves about their famous Liu Sha (Salted Egg) Custard Donuts. It was only recently when I finally got to try a small bite of this famed donut in the office that I was all the more excited to give May May a try. I'm glad that A was game to try a new restaurant as well.


I love how they make use of natural lighting which made shooting my food so much easier. I wonder though how the restaurant looks like at night as I feel it would have a more upscale feel. During the day, it feels like a chic coffee shop with long tables which is perfect for communal-style dining. A and I were able to secure a nice cozy table for two near the kitchen.

May May has two types of menus -- one for lunch and another one for dinner. The dishes are totally different which gives diners the chance to sample a wider array should they end up frequenting the restaurant. For lunch though, the price range are much more affordable with nothing more than S$25 even when you get it as a set.

I tried the Butter Poached Cod set (S$18 + S$3) which came with a small bowl of green salad, my main rice bowl and my choice of drink. I love cod and so much more when this was cooked with butter. Imagine how this would instantly melt in every bite? I just found the grilled mushroom to have a weird funky smell and even the lotus roots were not something I'm fond of. How I wish they added in more of the fish as there were just about 1/4 cup (or even less) of it. The rice was fragrant and sticky with a good consistency. This dish was definitely Japanese-inspired and it would have been perfect had they made the miso sauce more prominent and again, no funky smelling mushrooms please.

A had the Beef Rendang set (S$18 + S$3) which she found to be too spicy for her liking. If you ask me though, I like the flavor of her Beef Rendang as I love the strong coconut flavor with an unmistakable spicy kick. I'll most probably go with this next time.

I have to say that the lunch set can be quite filling that both A and I decided not to have dessert anymore. However, I promised the girls back in the office that I'll bring some of those to-die-for Liu Sha Custard Donuts (S$7 / 3 pieces) so I kept my promise and got a box for all of us to share. These are humongous-sized donuts and not the typical munchkins that you'd easily pop into your mouth. After a round of photo op, we sliced the donuts into quarters and sadly, the custard failed to ooze out. I think the best way is to really have it in the restaurant while it's served warm. Nonetheless, it was still so good! I love the perfect contrast of the salty egg custard and the sugary fried donut. I would gladly go back to May May for more of these.

Ladies who lunch

There's so much more to try at May May and I can't wait to have lunch with A again. Time to train for my "ladies who lunch" life goal soon!

May May is located at 65 Tras Street, Singapore 079004. Call them at +65-6221 4698.