In Miami, when you spot a group heading to the toilets together, it’s not an unsafe assumption that they’ll be a whole lot more chatty—and sniffly—upon exiting. So on our recent visit to the new Downtown Vietnamese restaurant Tâm Tâm, we may have had certain thoughts when a table of friends got up to pee at the same time.
Turns out, the bathrooms are party central: Beyond the poster of Jane Fonda, through the retro beaded curtain, inside the actual lavatory, we found a karaoke room. It was at this point we stopped making assumptions. Despite the utter camp of a karaoke lavatory, Tâm Tâm is a serious restaurant, and one of the most exciting things to arrive in Miami recently.
Tâm Tâm began as a pandemic project, then a series of special collab dinners and now, finally, a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Unlike other pop-ups that haven’t managed to figure out much beyond the food, Tâm Tâm nails every aspect: vibe, service and its dishes, which you’ll find yourself craving over and over again.
For the permanent location, owners Tam Pham (Chef) and husband Harrison Ramhofer (General Manager) chose a charming nook with views of the historic County courthouse. Inside, svelte, floral-printed chrome barstools line a Formica bar counter, 1970s wood paneling clads the walls and cushy banquets carry over the same cheery, vinyl-wrapped floral motif.
Pham tapped into his childhood years spent in Saigon’s Chinatown for the menu. For instance, the Cantonese-style fish, a tender, whole grouper head in a delicate sauce of soy, sesame oil and ginger, is a classic his mom would make. The shareable “lamb situation” takes its inspiration from the aroma of meat roasting in betel leaves that would waft from street vendors on his way home from school.
“What I wanted to incorporate into the menu were things I ate growing up and loved,” Pham told us. “I wanted everyone to have the same experience.”
Based on the dishes we had, Pham thought out everything meticulously, like the okra in a bean curd sauce that tempted us to lean over and lick the plate. Other incredible bites: mushrooms with dill and La Vong sauce; crazy-crispy wings in caramel fish sauce; tender ribs in a sweet tamarind glaze; and umami-heavy wagyu tartare dotted with citrusy fire ants that Pham had flown in.
Without a doubt, Tâm Tâm is new and novel for this city. And, regardless of whether we’re making a group visit to the party potty, we’re pretty sure we won’t be able to sleep until we’ve eaten our way through the rest of the menu.
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