1 Base Style + 1 Protein + 3 Sides + 1 Garnish + 1 Sauce The basement of Marina One has recently seen quite a number of new F&B tenants move into its compounds ā the opening of Shenton Way MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line and the underpass that directly links up the building with the train station had probably brought an increase in the uptake of the vacant shop units of the building in the past year or so. One of the newly-opened F&B tenants is Maiz ā a seemingly new brand in the local F&B scene, though are brought by the same people behind the Local Coffee People chain which also runs other brand names with a presence in the Central Business District such as STEAM čø. In fact, Maiz shares a space at Marina One with an outlet of STEAM čø and takes up a fairly large-sized shop unit located in Basement 2 in between the walkway leading up to Shenton Way MRT Station and Marina One East Tower. Shop units of such size in the basement of Marina One are usually operated by dining establishments with a dine-in area; that being said, Maiz and the outlet of STEAM there have made their operations entirely on a takeaway-only basis ā diners whom wish to have their food on the spot can still make use of the various communal dining spaces around Marina One however. Focusing on Maizās operations alone, Maiz does seem to be an establishment that is focused in serving up Mexican fare ā their menu circling around āBuild-Your-Ownā offerings that rice patrons plenty of options for their base types; this includes items like the Mexican Rice Bowl, Salad, Mixed Greens, Camote (i.e. Sweet Potato), Pasta, Nacho, Soft Tacos, and Barley Rice. While drinks such as Nanyang-style Kopi and Tea and many others are available at STEAM, Maiz does offer a small selection of beverage options that include the likes of various flavours of Jaritos, Coconut Water and Mineral Water as well.
Maiz does offer its patrons quite a wide variety of options to choose from ā with their concept being a āBuild-Your-Own-Bowlā sort of establishment, the basic offering at Maiz would be their bowls that are priced at $12.90. Patrons get to pick their choose of Base Style as mentioned above, while it also includes 1 Protein, 3 Sides, 1 Garnish and 1 Sauce; there are some items in each category that is charged with a top-up, while patrons are also free to go for additional servings of any item in the above-mentioned categories at an extra cost. For our order, our Base Style was the Pasta, whilst we went for the Grilled Anchoite Chicken for our choice of protein. The three (3) sides that we had selected were the Chile Cucumbers, Charred Pineapple, and Sous Vide Egg, and we opted for the Pico De Gallo for our choice of garnish. Sauces are all served on the side, with our choice being the Cilantro Lime Crema. For an establishment of its type, the Pasta was done with quite well ā Maiz had went the way of serving their pasta in the form of the Penne that is typical to that of most places serving up salad bowls ā apart from its al-dente texture that provides a bit of a bite, we liked how the water is adequately drained here for a better texture overall. For those whom are not in the know of what the Grilled Anchoite Chicken is, some sources describes Anchoite (or rather, Achoite) to be Annato which is a paste / powdered seasoning used for the seasoning of meats. This provides the Grilled Anchoite Chicken with a beautiful, slightly reddish colour ā the grilled chicken being immensely tender and juicy whilst carrying a mild hint of earthy notes that matched well against the slightly charred skin that came with it; the chicken being sufficiently flavourful whilst still feeling relatively āhealthyā and ācleanā.
Our choices of sides were a relatively safe bet ā the Chile Cucumbers and Charred Pineapple providing an element of crunch; the latter carrying a zing that cuts through all the meat and carbs, while the sous-vide egg came with a runny egg white and a creamy molten egg yolk. The only qualm with the charred pineapple was on how we wished that there was a smokier note for more impact on the flavours ā this is admittedly difficult to achieve however. The Pico De Gallo is essentially a salsa-esque element featuring diced tomatoes, onions and cilantro; fairly refreshing and provided a bit of a tang and a zippy note, while our choice of the Cilantro Lime Crema as the sauce further adds up but with a creamier flavour profile. Marina One does have a few choices when it comes to salad bowls ā the building sees tenants like Nani Bowl and the popular Supergreen that had started to expand its operations to several locations around the island in recent times (there is an upcoming one at The Star Vista that also will see the addition of Build Your Own Sandwiches). That being said, Maiz is one establishment that seems to have raised the stakes a little higher for such establishments that had opened in the same building; the fact that they do carry quite an extensive selection of Base Style allows them to satisfy oneās cravings for salad, rice bowls, tacos, pasta etc. all from a single store. Its variety of eight (8) protein options can also be described as fairly extensive; encouraging patrons to go for different combination for each visit. Considering the variety of options available, the price point for its standard bowl and the quality of its offerings, Maiz is definitely a location that we will return to for a quick, clean yet tasty meal whenever we return to the office!