Beam puts the carnival back into breakfast. My companion ordered the "coconut french toast forever" and what arrived can only be described as a festival on a plate: a swirl of berries, an upside-down icecream cone and, of course — no carnival is not complete without it — candy floss. It's called "Persian candy floss" on the menu, which makes it sounds ever so sophisticated as a breakfast ingredient. And given that it followed a decadent ice frappe piled high with cream and chocolate ($7), a post-prandial shop-wandering expedition was a must. Beam has given eggs benedict an Asian makeover, and shows what fusion looks like when it's done right. The breakfast staple came with Chinese crispy chicken and sriracha hollandaise on a spring onion pancake, combining spicy with rich creaminess to a deeply satisfying degree. I fear I may have tasted a hint of tarragon in the final, hollandaise sauce-soaked mouthful, and a flavour I associated more with bearnaise than hollandaise — and one that makes my taste buds cringe. But I may have been wrong.
SERVICE AND OTHER STUFF
Beam is one of the newest additions to Milford's busy town centre but I don't think novelty is all that accounts for its obvious popularity. It's fresh, it's flavours are interesting and service is fast and efficient enough that we could overlook the occasional stressy moment among the busy staff.
