Got to learn about the existence of House of Mi 米之家 whilst passing by Bras Basah Complex the other day; House of Mi can be found within the Shifu 食福 Food Court located at Blk 231 Bain Street within Bras Basah Complex along the same stretch of stalls as HARU-HARU はるはる which is best known for serving up Japanese rice dishes with Mentaiko. As it seems, this isn’t House of Mi’s only location around the island; the brand has also mentioned of another outlet that is situated within the SG Hawker food court at Changi Airport Terminal 1 that they also operate from as well. The stall facade of House of Mi’s outlet at Bras Basah Complex is fairly attention-grabbing with its bright yellow lights that form the background to its signboard bearing the namesake of the stall; all that without being illustrations of the dishes that they serve up at the side. Translating its Chinese namesake into English, House of Mi actually means “Rice House”; considering so, it does seem that the items of the menu at House of Mi surrounds around rice items which also includes that of rice noodles as well. The menu at House of Mi is segregated into three broad categories; Rice, Noodles and Stone Grind Rice Rolls with Additional Dishes that one can also add-on being listed as well.

There is quite a variety of items that is being listed in the Stone Grind Rice Rolls menu that House of Mi has to offer; that being said, the Rice Roll Trio is the one to go for if one wishes to give a variety of their Stone Grind Rice Rolls dishes a go if they are looking to try multiple items in one seating. The Rice Roll Trio comprises of Fresh Egg Rice Roll, Pork Mince Rice Roll, and the Shrimp Rice Roll. House of Mi serves up their rice rolls freshly-made upon order; their Stone Grind Rice Rolls being one that is of a Cantonese-style that explains its similarity with the Hong Kong-style rice rolls which one would typically find at dim sum specialty stores. One thing worth noting here is how the rice rolls is doused in sufficient soy sauce. The rice rolls here does come with a wrinkly aesthetic that is typical of rice rolls made with stone-grind rice slurry; other establishments serving up such style of rice rolls would include that of Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls 梁師傅腸粉 at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and the now-defunct Rice & Roll at Blk 107 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4. The rice rolls here does come with a springy and bouncy texture without sticking to the teeth; the rice rolls does come across as a little bit dense and not quite as delicate as the slippery and smooth ones that Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls serve up, but still bears quite a significant difference from the usual rice rolls that one would come across at dim sum specialty stores nonetheless.

The Shrimp variant was the most predictable version of the lot carrying a natural sweetness of crustaceans; provided a good bite whilst being pretty fresh while at it — the Fresh Egg Rice Roll comes with an egg that is done in the same style as one would expect with Roti Prata Egg. This also meant that there is a lot more bite from the egg that the rice rolls are lined around, though this would also take away a bit of that springy texture of the rice rolls would otherwise inherently carry. The Pork Mince rendition would prove to be the most interesting of the lot; one that features tender and juicy chunks of pork that carried a slight tang to take away some of that meatiness of the pork — very similar to the pork fillings that one would find in a Xiao Long Bao that really works well with the soy sauce. We did feel that the accompanying soy sauce was a little heavier in flavours; more savoury and lacks the delicate balance of sweet-saltishness that the light soy sauce which typically comes with Hong Kong-style rice vermicelli rolls usually feature. At $7, House of Mi’s Rice Roll Trio can be described as a little pricey even for a rice roll dish — most establishments have their renditions priced a little lower, though their Stone Grind Rice Rolls dishes are priced from $4.00 to $7.30: the lowest-priced being the Fresh Egg Rice Roll and the priciest being the Beef Mince Rice Roll with Egg (though there is also a rendition that is priced at $5.80). Still a pretty decent eat for those looking to have a light meal at Shifu Food Court that works fine for those willing to shell out the money for it.