Tâm Tâm — Restaurant in Miami

Incredible. My expectations were absolutely blown away. I had some apprehension booking this place since I’ve been let down by a handful of post-pandemic, Asian restaurants that look fun but are mostly for show with hip, yet apathetic staff who have little to no business being in the service industry (if y’all have dined in Brooklyn recently you know what I mean), but I gave it a shot as my last meal in town on a Tuesday night. Tam Tam ended up being the culinary highlight of my Miami trip and I thank my lucky stars I gave them a chance (and to me for impulsively extending my trip at the last minute to be able to try them).

Despite the aesthetic being on par with aforementioned mid restaurants, the service was excellent and my waitress was polite and on point. Menu items were described in a succinct yet meaningful fashion, food and drinks came out quickly with excellent pacing.

The best dish of the night was the scallop and pomelo (crudo). The scallop was by all means is perfect; you couldn’t ask for anything more in terms of flavor, texture, or presentation. You have a creamy coconut milk and lime base with nuoc cham that perfectly balanced sweet, salty, and umami not unlike a perfect tom kha soup (but more flavorful and rich). On top of is freshly torn holy basil with a holy basil oil and crispy shallots. The fresh, juicy, slightly bitter pomelo complemented the sweet, tender scallops in the best way possible. The dressing wasn’t too salty or pungent like those on many crudos out there so I ended up using a spoon to drink the rest of the dressing, not sorry.

Next up was the jungle tartare. Yesyesyes to hand-minced tartare. As someone who has consumed my fair share of tartare, I can wax poetic about the supremacy of hand-minced over ground tartare. The texture is just far superior - the cohesion of the little squares of meat clings onto the perfect amount of dressing and lays on your tongue in a way that reminds you of sashimi so you can clearly distinguish the taste the excellent beef itself, but also the unique dressing.

The dressing reminds me of the dressing on Vietnamese carmelized fish - nice and savory, a slight bit of heat without it being “spicy”, fried garlic giving a little texture and savory goodness, and a touch of molasses-y sweetness without being too sweet. The tartare touched many of the same notes the crudo did yet was distinct. Also I didn’t realize this until after I ate it but there are literal fire ants on this dish!!! (If I would have known ie: read the menu more throughly, I would have taken the time to savor the ants individually since Ive never had them before.) I couldn’t think of a better receptacle for the tartare than the sesame tapioca cracker- absolute kudos who thought of that.

Lastly was the bone marrow. It was good but ended up being overshadowed by the prior two, not to mention the sourdough was a tad salty. It had a nice smoky char and the sourdough was nice and tender yet crusty. I enjoyed the fresh herbs and lime that accompanied this dish but I felt like there was something missing here flavor and texture wise.

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time. I also enjoyed the two wines I had, and I’m not much of a wine nerd (gerwurstraminer and cava). My only regret was not having travel buddies to order more items off the menu (wanted the pork belly entree, that dish generally being one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes.)

Long story short, go to tam tam because you will...

Like DJ Khaled’s “and another one” is exactly how this dining experience felt and two incredibly delicious dinners in one week? I’m on a roll, I tell ya. This wasn’t even planned and sometimes the best surprises turn out that way. I don’t feel like writing a super long and elaborate review but this joint does, without a doubt, deserve 5 stars. Warmest welcome by Giselle and seated right away, most personable and delightful service by Will and back to back exquisite dishes from appetizer to dessert. I got to try “Soju” which is a Korean rice wine, much like a Japanese sake and I had to go for a half bottle, so good. Ok let’s talk good…

Will recommended something light since I was determined to try the Clay pot rice so I stated with the most delectable, mouthwatering steak tartare I’ve ever tasted in my life. It was sweet, spicy, savory and the meat was tender, juicy and lean. The dish was even pretty looking, adorned with edible flowers and one crunchy sesame cracker for texture. Just the right amount of heat, I couldn’t get enough of it.

Then came the rice clay pot with pork belly and I added crab meat because a man’s gotta have his protein ya dig? Perfectly cooked fluffy rice, tender pork belly and crab meat, shrimp paste for flavor, lemongrass and a fried egg on top. One of the waiters came and mixed it all for me in a mini presentation and description of the ingredients and that’s always a bonus for me. Another mouthwatering dish and also very filling so it made sense to start with something light for an app just as Will recommended. However he also suggested to try the squid, the ribs and the wings on my next visit.

I had a little room for dessert and I’m glad I did because I ended my meal with a light passion fruit cheesecake sitting on a perfect vegan crust. Ambiance was very casual and the crowd was definitely my type of peeps. Another joint that will become one of my faves...

tl;dr - If you've never had vietnamese food, you'll like it. Otherwise, food was good but mostly nothing special and most definitely not worth the price. service was mid with 18% tip automatically applied regardless of party size. Get the scallops. Go to an authentic vietnamese restaurant.

Went here based on the hype and I eat a lot of vietnamese food, so wanted to compare. Got the wings, scallop, tartare, and lamb entree. The scallops were excellent and the best dish of the night by far, if I came back it would be for this. Tartare was also good and have no complaints besides the small portion. The wings were nothing special in my opinion, but I can see why people like it if they aren't familiar with vietnamese food besides pho. The lamb was alright, idk the flavor combination was weird with the bean curd sauce. This is typically eaten with fish sauce and basil, and I think that would have been much better (the mint was good tho)

In terms of service, I agree with other reviews that the service was weird. It's hard to pinpoint but the vibe is off and they don't seem like they want to do anything. The main waitress was pretty inattentive too, took a while to take our order and follow-up. There was one guy with glasses who was not a waiter but brought out the food, and he was great and very nice. An 18% tip was added automatically for a table of 3, so this is probably why they don't care about service.

Atmosphere was cool and very young (20s-30s). The place is small and tightly packed. Music was pretty loud and at times was overwhelming depending on the song.

Overall, the food is pretty good but not worth the high price and...