The Floridian city isn’t often a destination of choice for Singaporean holidaymakers. But give it a chance the next time you’re travelling to the US, and you just might find yourself spellbound like TAN MIN YAN.
The Floridian city isn’t often a destination of choice for Singaporean holidaymakers. But give it a chance the next time you’re travelling to the US, and you just might find yourself spellbound like TAN MIN YAN.
Food in Miami: Multi-ethnic and multisensory
To describe Miami’s culinary scene as dynamic would be an understatement. Venture down the touristy, neon-dotted Ocean Drive and you’ll find yourself sidestepping sunburnt tourists spilling out of dozens of restaurants, drowning themselves in oversized margaritas and munching on piping-hot empanadas. On the other side of town, locals and tourists alike tuck into potent cafe Cubanos (Cuban coffee) and sticky-sweet pastelitos de guayaba (guava pastries) from an unassuming Cuban bakery. As night beckons, the young and the beautiful take to the town’s never-ending supply of hip fusion restaurants in South Beach.
Here’s the thing about food in Miami: You never quite know where to look first. The city has one of America’s most exciting gastronomic scenes – it may not have the worldly sophistication of New York City’s fine-dining options, or uber-trendy Los Angeles’ ability to stay ahead of the culinary curve, but it makes up for it with sheer diversity. It’s this mind-boggling variety, coupled with an influx of bigname chefs (like Joel Robuchon, who reportedly has plans to open three restaurants in Miami this year) that makes it so intensely exciting for foodies from all over the world.
Must-do: Go on a culinary tour
With the city’s population being 70 per cent Latin American, there’s little chance of you not getting a taste of this culture’s cuisine – whether it’s in the form of a Peruvian ceviche, an Argentinian skirt steak, or a mishmash of various influences. The best way to sample at least some of it is by going on a culinary tour. A few options are available, but Miami Culinary Tours (www.miamiculinarytours.com) is popular for its engaging itinerary and tour guides. Our 2½-hour South Beach Food Tour took us through the historic Art Deco district and five pit stops, at which tasting portions of each restaurant’s signature Latin American dish were served.
We started off with crunchy churros overflowing with dulce de leche, a creamy caramel sauce made from sweetened milk, at Argentinian restaurant Manolo. Then we had tangy chunks of ceviche as well as slow-roasted beef served on chewy slices of fried plantain, at Colombian- Peruvian-Venezuelan fusion restaurant Bolivar. At the splashy Larios on the Beach (owned by Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan), the tostones rellenos de ropa vieja (plantain cups stuff ed with stewed beef) was nothing short of excellent despite its deceptively plain appearance.
By the time we made our way to Mexican restaurant Naked Taco Miami, we had barely any stomach room left for its empanada filled with BBQ pulled chicken – but the flaky crust and steaming, fragrant filling made it well worth our while to find extra space for it. Last stop Milani Gelateria provided sweet reprieve with its luscious scoops of homemade gelato – it’s the only non-Latin American option on the tour, but it does drive home the “melting pot” modus operandi of food culture here.
“Ask any Latin American living in Miami which country has the best food, and they’ll tell you right here,” quipped our tour guide. There you have it – the experts have spoken.
Must-do: Eat at the cool kids on the block
Walk down any popular dining stretch in Miami, especially in the South Beach area (Espanola Way, Lincoln Road Mall and Ocean Drive), and it becomes obvious that dining out here isn’t just about the food–it’s a multisensory experience, subtlety optional.
At the immensely popular STK Miami (www.stkhouse.com), for example, we could barely hear ourselves over the thumping club soundtrack, or see one another in the dark, cavernous space. But there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air, among the beautifully dressed crowd (think men in suits and women in glittery body-con dresses) – they were here to see and be seen, after all.
The menu of steakhouse essentials, while good (a wagyu burger, in particular, was excellent), was not nearly as memorable as having a personal bathroom attendant, and seeing the snaking queues outside being ushered in by bouncers on a Tuesday night. “Miamians sure don’t do things by halves,” I muttered to myself, feeling underdressed in my (non-glittery) maxi dress.
Over at Lincoln Road Mall and its strip of semi-alfresco restaurants like Sushisamba (www.sushisamba.com/location/miami/dromo), things weren’t quite so OTT. There was the mandatory playlist of loud music, of course, but the food took centre stage. Predominantly Japanese with significant Brazilian and Peruvian influences, the cuisine is apparently a homage to the Japanese immigrants in Lima and Sao Paulo. It was odd to have sashimi with flatbread, but the flavours were robust, and the ingredients, cleverly paired. The trick is to let go of all your preconceived notions and let the flavours do the talking – it’s what makes a dining experience here so much fun.
More than art galleries and museums
Besides being home to an evergrowing number of galleries, art museums and cultural groups, Miami has also played host to the prestigious Art Basel fair since 2001, thanks to its vantage point as a gateway into the North and South American markets. It’s one of the biggest attractions for international art lovers, and takes place every December during Miami Art Week – which itself is a glamorous event that lures crowds of curators, art dealers, collectors and even celebrities (Leonardo DiCaprio and Elijah Wood were just two of the stars present at last year’s edition).
Of course, the vibrancy of the art scene extends far past the art week: it’s in the awe-inspiring street art; in the gritty warehouses transformed into pop-up galleries; and in the hotels that have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness on art through curated collections. That’s where the real magic of Miami’s art scene lies – there’s art just about everywhere, and there’s something for everyone.
Must-visit: Wynwood Arts District (www.wynwoodmiami.com)
Walking past the giant murals – with all their incredible detail and dazzling colour – painted onto the walls of Wynwood, it’s hard to believe that less than a decade ago, this was a warehouse zone with little but abandoned buildings. Today, the Wynwood district of graffi ti-ed walls and galleries is an incubator for the arts – it’s vibrant, if a little gritty, and so full of artistic energy that you can’t tear your eyes away from it. All this was made possible thanks to real estate and arts visionary Tony Goldman, who wanted to use the derelict warehouses as “giant canvases to bring to [people] the greatest street art ever seen in one place”. The best way to experience Wynwood is to let your tour guide (www.wynwoodmuraltours. com) recount the fascinating stories behind the works, and allow yourself a new perspective on graffiti, something that’s deemed taboo back home.
Must-visit: Perez Art Museum Miami (www.pamm.org)
Contemporary art museums are probably not everyone’s favourite place to spend an afternoon, but visiting Perez Art Museum Miami (below, centre), which focuses on 20th-and 21st-century art that reflects the cosmopolitan makeup of Miami, is a must. Its rotating selection, most of which is directed at the Western world, is deliberately selected to create dialogue. In other words, expect works that address social issues and explore traditions from the US and Latin America. Absolutely engaging.
Must-visit: Miami Design District
If your inclinations lean more towards fashion, Miami has you covered. At Miami Design District, high fashion, art and design all come together in a sprawling 18-squareblock neighbourhood – a standalone Bulgari store sits next to a replica of the Fly’s Eye Dome, a prototype shelter conceptualised by architect Buckminster Fuller; while a web of 24 hanging seats designed by celebrated German designer Konstantin Grcic on the second-floor terrace is made for visitors to rest their feet. By the end of the year, up to 120 fashion brands will have their shopfronts up and running alongside art galleries, design showrooms and F&B establishments.
