The Place I like underground restaurants. The mere fun of finding the restaurant is enough to keep me excited even before the meal. Located along the same lane as Gemmills (read our full review of Gemmills here) and Burger Joint (read our full review of Burger Joint here), the one year old Maggie Joan’s is one of the rare underground restaurant which specialises in Mediterranean cuisine. You can’t access the restaurant from 110 Amoy Street even though that is the official address. The only way is to access via the back alley from Gemmill Lane.

It is a completely different world from the nondescript back alley impression the moment you stepped into the restaurant. Run by a father and son team who also owns Moosehead and Gemmills, it was a cosy and eclectic vibe when I entered Maggie Joan’s. The space is not the most spacious as dining tables are close together. At the end of the restaurant is the open kitchen where you can catch a glimpse of the chefs at work, and also a private parlour dining room which can accommodate up to eight diners.

The Food The lunch menu has seen some new introductions recently, which we have tried some of the main highlights on our latest visit.

We started with the Gypsy style baked egg with chickpea and chorizo (S$16), a Spanish-inspired spiced chickpea stew with tomatoes, chillis, peppers, onions, garlic and spices with Iberico chorizo. Served with white bread.

The other refreshing bite I love is the Cured salmon tartare, dill, pickled cucumber and yogurt (S$17), house-cured with salt, sugar, lime, coriander seeds with house-pickled cucumber. This Norwegian salmon dish is extremely light on the palate, and I especially love the crispy bits of house-made sourdough croutons within.

The Cheese arancini and tomato chutney (S$9) is quite an interesting starter. This is Arancini risotto stuffed with various cheeses (gorgonzola, epoisse, langres, ricotta) with a touch of truffle oil, which has that perfect crisp batter and a wild mix of flavours as we took the first bite.

For mains, the Fried chicken sandwich, green harissa coleslaw & Pecorino (S$18) is definitely one of the crowd’s favourite. This was really more like a burger than a sandwich to me, where the chicken was coated with with Japanese panko and then deep-fried, with green harissa coleslaw and pecornio cheese within the sandwich. To complete this chicken sandwich, we recommend ordering the Hand cut chips, rosemary salt & ricotta (S$9) to go along.

Another outstanding main we tried was the Homemade pappardelle, lamb ragu & Parmigiano Reggiano (S$26). I was surprised I like this dish given that I don’t usually take lamb but this pasta was not gamy at all. The New Zealand lamb shoulder was roasted for twelve hours, then stuffed into the parpadelle with slight hints of chili paste for the extra flavour.

For desserts, it will rotate every week. Fortunately for us, we had the ultra-rich Dark chocolate tart (S$10), made up of 65% dark chocolate ganache, with the tart lined with salted peanut paste. This is also served with a side of crème fraiche.

The lunch menu is available 12pm to 2.30pm from Monday to Friday at Maggie Joan’s.

Rants The seating capacity and space here at Maggie Joan’s is not huge, therefore it is less ideal for very big groups. Call ahead for reservation for sure.

Will I Return Again? Other than Moosehead in the vicinity (read about our latest dining experience at Moosehead), it is not hard for us to fall in love with Maggie Joan’s as well. The underground ambience, good food and reasonable prices call for a return visit anytime.

Make your reservation instantly at Maggie Joan’s here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Maggie Joan’s
110 Amoy Street
Singapore 069930
Tel: +65 6221 5564

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 12pm to 3pm
Monday to Saturday: 6pm till late

Ranted by The Ranter