Café Melba (Mount Sophia)

Cafe Melba has never been quite in my to-try list for quite a while — had always found their menu to be one that served quite conventional cafe fare with a slightly steep price range, and so it was not quite the place that I really intend to make a visit to for quite a while. That being said, their newest outlet at Mount Sophia situated within the grounds of Sophia Hills Condo did really intrigue me — set within a serene setting around private residences and a quiet neighbourhood atop a hill, the cafe (which is open to public) is housed within a building that is formerly the Chapel of the former Trinity Theological College; one of three conserved buildings within the compounds of Sophia Hills Condo. The beautiful building looks like a modern interpretation of a chapel with its sloping roofs and mosaic windows; all that whilst its interior is filled with plush sofas and cushioned seats amidst and auditorium-like setting with wooden fittings and partitions throughout the cafe. Whilst the menu at their Sophia Hills Condo outlet is somewhat reminiscent of their menu at Goodman Arts Centre, there are some outlet-exclusive items such as the Butter Chicken. For those who have yet to visit Cafe Melba, Cafe Melba serves up food items split into the following categories — breakfast, starters, sandwiches & burgers, main course, pasta, pizza, bites on the side, and sweet bites. Cafe Melba also does offer a Kids’ Menu, whilst the beverages menu offers a wide range of non-alcoholic and alcoholic options from superfood smoothies to specialty coffee, and also liquer coffees to cocktails, spirits and wines.

Of all the dishes that we have ordered during the evening, we actually really liked the Seabass the most — the item actually features Pumpkin Purée, Kale, Sauce Vierge, Fish Cracker and Ikura. Here, the fish comes with a slight muddy note since this is the flavour that is pretty much inherent of seabass itself — the fish is otherwise pretty flaky, and does come with a pan-seared skin for a slight textural contrast. What we really loved is the other elements that came with this dish; the pumpkin purée is smooth and provides a hint of sweetness to cut through the flavours of the fish, while the Sauce Vierge was somewhat similar to a salsa that provides a zing akin to squeezing a wedge of lemon over the dish. The inclusion of kale is likely to make the entire dish a little wholesome; the kale seems to have been sautéed with some garlic for a slightly more punchy note, while the Ikura provided that umami note with a popping sensation that keeps it interesting to go on with the dish. As though it isn’t enough, they had also included fish skin crackers here — the same as one would expect to get from a snack bag; the fish skin crackers being still crisp, though we thought that it wasn’t quite necessary and something which we could do without.

Wouldn’t really say that I am a Cafe Melba convert after my visit here, but one thing is for sure here — their Sophia Hills Condo outlet is certainly an attraction of its own, and a location that I would definitely consider for a quiet dinner that is ideal to bring a date to. There really is nothing quite close to this location when it comes to the overall environment of the location — somewhere serene that brings peace to the heart and soul; all that whilst being away from the crowd considering the slight inconvenience of the location in general. The food here at Cafe Melba isn’t mind-blowing, but it does seem to be comfort food done fairly well to a certain extent; albeit with a steep price tag that wouldn’t necessarily appeal to the average cafehopper looking for more a more adventurous take on cafe fare these days. Still, there isn’t a quite a place like this around — definitely somewhere that I would recommend making the trip at least once to check out the space and the vibe it brings; and then decide if the food is something which one will return for.

I had better rosti elsewhere. This stuffed with cheese is quite unique but the overall taste just didn't really work out for me. Its really quite pricey for $22.

Part of weekday set dinner ($36)

Tender medium rare Bavatte steak, served with a flavourful black pepper sauce and crispy thin-cut fries. The fish & chips had crisp and thin batter but could do with more seasoning.

Insta: cafehoppingkids

Tucked away on a hill, Cafe Melba is set in a modern tropical old chapel that is surrounded with greenery. A calm and serene place away from the hectic town. I had the Seabass ($29) with kale, pumpkin puree, ikura, fish cracker and sauce vierge. The combination was a burst of seafood with an added crisp from the fish crackers; and the flavours were nicely balanced by the pumpkin puree and kale. The seabass was moist on the inside and overall, a light and refreshing dish.

If you don’t know where to head to this coming weekend, I’ve got you covered!

Known for its all-day breakfasts, traditional weekend roasts and kid-friendly space, @cafemelbasingapore has opened yet another outlet at Mount Sophia, near Dhoby Ghaut.

Retaining the structure of an old chapel, the ambience at @cafemelbasingapore was super lovely and tranquil - spacious, brightly-lit, posh indoor seatings with tall ceilings. You can also opt for an idyllic alfresco dining.

Here’s what we tried:
🍅𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩
Rich, thick and flavorful tomato soup👍🏻.
🧀𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚
Consisting of strawberry, basil oil, white balsamic and multigrain toast, it’s light, refreshing and very appetising!
🐙𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐬
With roasted peppers, mandarin, potato, chorizo, chimichurri.
🍗𝐑𝐨𝐣𝐚𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠
Super crispy wings with mild rojak flavour, topped with peanuts and cucumber. This is really unique and a must-try for all first timers!
🐟𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬
Served with pumpkin puree, kale, sauce vierge, fish cracker & ikura. The freshness and flavours were really on point!
🍖𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭
Limited portions available and exclusively available only on the weekends, I just have to give this a try! I’d roasted beef ribeye (200g) served with roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and beef jus. Was pretty disappointed as I personally think the beef was slightly on the tough side and the Yorkshire pudding was super hard!
🍫𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐤𝐞
Served with chocolate sauce & fresh berries. This is super good! I love it when the lava cake comes warm and the interior is molten and flowy with chocolatey goodness🌟!
🍮𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐞
🧃𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
☕️𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞
🍹𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫
🍸𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢

Highly recommend @cafemelbasingapore for their good food paried with a lovely ambience.

If you don’t know where to head to this coming weekend, I’ve got you covered!

Known for its all-day breakfasts, traditional weekend roasts and kid-friendly space, @cafemelbasingapore has opened yet another outlet at Mount Sophia, near Dhoby Ghaut.

Retaining the structure of an old chapel, the ambience at @cafemelbasingapore was super lovely and tranquil - spacious, brightly-lit, posh indoor seatings with tall ceilings. You can also opt for an idyllic alfresco dining.

Here’s what we tried:
🍅𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩
Rich, thick and flavorful tomato soup👍🏻.
🧀𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚
Consisting of strawberry, basil oil, white balsamic and multigrain toast, it’s light, refreshing and very appetising!
🐙𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐬
With roasted peppers, mandarin, potato, chorizo, chimichurri.
🍗𝐑𝐨𝐣𝐚𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠
Super crispy wings with mild rojak flavour, topped with peanuts and cucumber. This is really unique and a must-try for all first timers!
🐟𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬
Served with pumpkin puree, kale, sauce vierge, fish cracker & ikura. The freshness and flavours were really on point!
🍖𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭
Limited portions available and exclusively available only on the weekends, I just have to give this a try! I’d roasted beef ribeye (200g) served with roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and beef jus. Was pretty disappointed as I personally think the beef was slightly on the tough side and the Yorkshire pudding was super hard!
🍫𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐤𝐞
Served with chocolate sauce & fresh berries. This is super good! I love it when the lava cake comes warm and the interior is molten and flowy with chocolatey goodness🌟!
🍮𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐞
🧃𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
☕️𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞
🍹𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫
🍸𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢

Highly recommend @cafemelbasingapore for their good food paried with a lovely ambience.