Champagne Brunch @ Melt Cafe, Mandarin Oriental Singapore

~Invited Session~ DSC_4338










Melt Cafe at the Mandarin Oriental boasts one of the best buffet lines in Singapore. I've been there several times already for both lunch and dinner, but somehow I never got the chance to try out their champagne brunch.
 
As the name itself suggests, the Melt Cafe offers a tremendous range of international cuisine here; local delights, Cantonese roasts, Indian curries, fresh seafood, Italian starters, I could go on and on.
 
What is new, however, is the expanded range of seafood they have started bringing in.
 

DSC_4340 Checkout the Taylor Pacific oysters! You can hardly find them in Singapore
 
First up, oysters. A perennial favorite (and mine!), I was pleasantly surprised that they brought in Canadian (though it wasn't specified exactly what) and Taylor Pacifc (one of my favorites!). I like my oysters just with a dash of lemon juice and nothing else; the Taylor Pacifc were plump and juicy with briny sweetness and was just a treat! 
 
They have also expanded extensively on their Japanese range, and the selection there is certainly generous!
 
DSC_4354 Checkout the amazing assortment of sushi! This monster of a sashimi platter certainly whets my appetite!
 
I had my fill of swordfish sashimi. These were replenished very quickly even though it was certainly a crowd favorite. I stood there for around 5 mins and full platter of sashimi was actually replaced once. Gone in just 5 mins! I was amazed.
 
Time to fill up on other food! Melt Cafe is known for its range of food and today's selection does not disappoint either.


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Local Chinese favorites
 
The great thing about Singaporean hotel buffets is that there is always some pretty good Indian food there. You can always be assured that the Indian food will be of a pretty good standard and Melt Cafe is no exception too.

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Remember to try their curries and naan! The garlic naan is awesome!
 
But, but, then I saw this:
 
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A whole Tandoori lamb!
 
Wow, I have never see anything like this ever in Singapore. One full-sized lamb, roasted to perfection. The lamb was certainly very flavorful; the meat was a little chewy but it was delicious nonetheless! The melt cafe was certainly pulling out all the stops to impress everyone here.


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If Indian tandoori roasts aren't your thing, you could go for the Western style roasts. They are located outside the restaurant, be sure to check them out!
 
I tried the roasted suckling pig that was carved from the outdoor spit and boy it was great. Melt Cafe sure does its roasts well.
 
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Don't forget the roasted leg of ham as well!
 
A trip to Melt Cafe can never be complete without its desserts. They are always changing the display and it is always nice to see them with new dessert sculptures.
 
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An edible sculpture! What a statement centrepiece.
 
The array of desserts is as usual stunning; I never knew when to start and started pacing along the dessert buffet line.

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Oh dear, how to choose?
 
And then my eyes fell on this:
 
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A croquembouche tower! 
 
I think this is possibly the first time I have ever seen it in a dessert buffet line in Singapore. Melt Cafe is really pulling all the stops here! I just couldn't resist trying it!

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And definitely a new addition here
 
While the ingredients does not seem special, Melt Cafe has added a first in Singapore frozen sabayon live station.
 
What's a 'sabayon'? Sabayon is the French version of zabaglione, a frothy, Marsala-based Italian dessert sauce that’s sometimes served on its own, usually served over juicy fresh berries and other fresh fruits. The contrast between the tangy fruits and the silky sabayon makes it a delicious combination. I highly recommend eating them with the strawberries and cherries, with Chantilly cream poured onto them.


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Dry ice is used to chill the cream very quickly into creamy flakes. Seeing the chef at work is a spectacle
 
Of course, which champagne brunch is complete without free flow of champagne?


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My favorite champagne house!
 
Runiart is the oldest established champagne house in history; in days of old they were pretty rare but these days I seem to see it everywhere now. We had the NV Ruinart Champagne "R" de Ruinart Brut and this one had lovely bread and green apple flavors with a slightly biting effervescence that went perfectly with the strong tasting foods we had today. I could not resist knocking back a few glasses of this, and it was free flow, and at S$178++ per adult, it was certainly well worth the money!
 
You could also opt for the S$218++ option to have the free flow Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne; that, is even better but if you are not too picky about your wines, the cheaper option will suffice.
 
I walked out (almost rolled out) so stuffed with food, but can't wait to go back there again!


Melt Café
Mandarin Oriental

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