Most Singaporeans live or once lived in a HDB block, and on the ground level there’s this small provision shop that we refer to as Mama Diam. Tonight we go to experience another type of Mama Diam.

Mamadiam 妈妈店 is a speakeasy bar that infuses elements of our local traditional Mama Diam, which is like a provision store but much smaller. Have heard so much about this place and finally I got a chance to be here with the family.

I couldn’t help but notice the entrance at Mama Diam. As soon as I walked in, my eyes were irresistibly drawn to a charming mama storefront right in the centre. It was filled with all the nostalgic childhood snacks that instantly brought back memories. The wall was adorned with a vibrant mural, skilfully created by visual artist Jaxton Su. The mural depicted a reminiscent scene from the good ol’ days, capturing the essence of a typical mama store.

The secret lair of the speakeasy is cleverly disguised as a humble magazine shelf on the left. But beware, dear friends, for this unassuming bookcase holds more than just periodicals. Oh no, it conceals a hidden passage to an alternate universe of cocktails and clandestine affairs!

We tried a lot of the cocktails and mocktails on the menu, many were wicked twists of classics like this negroni which had pandan incorporated. The espresso martini was made from canned Jiajia herbal tea. Very experimental and very weird.

The Food

Mama Diam offers familiar flavours inspired by local dishes, with a contemporary twist. 

Soft Shell Crab Bao

Soft shell crab, sandwich bun, chilli crab sauce

The soft shell crab bao is chilli crab meets kongbak pau. The white, fluffy bun called hupchui pau 合嘴包 is the type that you get at funerals. Instead of a thick slab of braised pork belly, you get half a deep fried soft shell crab dappled in chilli crab sauce. Strangely this Chinese claim to a slider actually worked. In fact, chic places like Momofuku also sell them as Chinese hamburgers.

Korean Fried Cauliflower

Tempura cauliflower, soy-garlic sauce, fried garlic

Not your typical KFC, the Korean Fried Cauliflower was really interesting eat and accompanied the cold beers well. I prefer the version by Fat Prince better, which was spiced with Arabic spices.

Stuffed Seafood Lychee

Finely chopped prawns, lychee, charcoal batter, citrus mayo, tobiko

Take canned lychee, filled it with seafood paste, and then coat with charcoal bread crumbs and deep fried. Sweet and savoury at the same time. Not crazy about this.

Sour Plum Curly Fries

Sour plum powder, curly fries

I thought it was calamari until I had one. The surplus powder threw me off guard.

Oyster Casino

Japanese Murotsu oysters, mee siam emulsion, chilli paste, fried shallots

This mix of mee siam rempeh as a condiment for raw Japanese Murotsu oyster worked for me. The Murotsu oysters are succulent and creamy with a strong sweet and fruity taste thanks to mineral-rich nutrients from the mountain and high brine content in the sea.

Iberico pork & Prawn Ngoh Hiang

Minced iberico pork, minced prawns, five spice powder, sambal aioli

This was the only dish that closely resembled the original inspiration, except for the dipping sauce.

Mala Fries

Szechuan peppercorns, chilli powder, umami spices, straight cut fries

Quite nice, with the Sichuan peppercorns.

Chicken Curry KPT with Coconut Foam

Chicken curry, coconut foam, seaweed powder

Another dish that totally threw me off, maybe because I don’t like coconut cream in the first place. And curry chicken in kueh pie tee? No, it didn’t work at all.

Mama Diam Sotong Head

Battered squid head, sambal aioli

Nice, finally something more normal.

Sweet and Sour Glazed Salmon

Wok fried rice pin noodle, shimeji mushrooms, cured egg yolk

Assam fish meets stir-fried KL-style low-she fun 老鼠粉.

Laksa Chee Cheong Fun

Handmade rice rolls, prawn beancurd skin roll, iberico pork ngo hiang, quail egg, sambal chilli

KL-style chee cheong fun with curry chicken gravy.

Emperor Herbal Chicken Poached Rice

Pan seared chicken thigh, seasoned rice, herbal chicken broth, puffed wild rice, fried egg floss

Herbal chicken soup meets fried rice.

Cold Truffle Mien

Pan seared scallops, ikura, caviar, black truffle paste, shio kombu, angel hair pasta

This one worked, very delicious.

Chestnut Pork Loin

Mash potato, broccolini, lemon honey foam

Another normal dish, quite ok.

Stuffed Iberico Pork Tau Pok

Minced iberico pork, tofu puff, satay sauce, crushed peanut, cucumber swirls, apple slices

Rojak taupok with funny ingredients that didn’t work.

Teochew Orh Nee

Yam mousse, feuilletine, crunchy coconut crumble

Being Teochew, I had to try this dessert, which is inspired by my childhood favourite, the sweet taro paste. A sweet yam mousse was placed on a feuilletine and topped with half a yam-flavoured macaron shell. Not much yam taste, and definitely not orh-nee like.

Tak Kiu

Cheese cream, milo, condensed milk, chocolate wafer

We have a term of endearment for our beloved chocolate malt drink from Nestles. Milo is referred to as “Tak Kiu” 踢球 or “kicking the ball ⚽️” in Hokkien because of the footballer that was often featured on the tin can. This dessert is like a reversed cheesecake with the chocolate wafer on top and the cream cheese below. Local ingredients like condensed milk round up the familiar taste, together with the liberal sprinkling of Milo powder.

Pandan Ondeh Ondeh

Pandan mousse, mango mousse, desiccated coconut

A play on the traditional Malay/Indonesian snack ondeh-ondeh, which is a palm sugar filled pandan-flavoured glutinous ball, this dessert used a pandan-flavoured mousse filled with a sweet-sour mango mousse and sprinkled with dried coconut flakes.

There you have it, we tried almost 80% of the menu items. Interesting eats, but we are not returning anytime soon. And the main reason why not? The vibe of the place was not for family gathering, and the food was pub grub at best. And if you are coming for the drinks, it’s too avant-garde for our tastes.

Mama Diam
38 Prinsep Street Singapore 188665
Tel : +65 8533 0792

Visited Jul 2023

@mamadiam.prinsep #mamadiamsg