Sunday Brunch Buffet at Melt Cafe (2018) Mandarin Oriental Singapore

Melt Cafe at Mandarin Oriental Singapore has revamped its Sunday champagne brunch buffet to now feature some welcome additions such as a roving magician, enhanced Japanese section, imaginative desserts, a whole spring lamb and various healthy options to spruce up the weekend meal. The all-day dining restaurant is generally recognized to have one of the best Sunday brunches in Singapore and I was curious as to see how the weekend spread looked like over here. While I have been to this venue several times for its buffet, I had not yet tried their Sunday brunch until recently. I was invited over to check out the bountiful selection over a sunny Sunday afternoon.

If you have been to Melt Cafe before to dine in one of its popular buffets, you would notice that the new setup has caused certain food stations to be relocated. Where once, the Japanese and salad counters shared the same space; the Japanese section is now found at the far end of the buffet while the fruits and juices sections are placed together to promote a more holistic health offering. Here, you’ll find fresh orange, pineapple, cucumber juices and a special drink of the day.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER SINGAPORE SUNDAY BRUNCH REVIEWS HERE

Sushi

Melt Cafe’s sashimi selection ranks among the more generous when compared to other hotel buffets. Along with you standard salmon, tuna and squid sashimi, diners can also partake in more premium items such as hamachi or yellowtail as well as prawns. These are all replenished very quickly and whenever I pass by, I always notice a staff member busily maintaining the visually appealing sashimi setup on a large iced platter.

Indian

The Indian section ranks prominently where Melt Cafe’s buffets are concerned and you get your curries, grills and vegetarian options. This is further enhanced during Sundays when a whole spring lamb acts as the centerpiece of the spread. This is probably the largest single edible mass I have ever seen on display and it follows a growing trend in Singapore to present a large chunk of meat in its buffet – similar to what Shangri-la’s The Line does for their Sunday brunch.

Seafood

For seafood lovers, Melt Cafe’s Sunday brunch has no less than three types of shucked oysters for diners to choose from including Irish, Canadian and Taylor Pacific. My personal favorite among the three is the Canadian with its buttery flesh and smooth flavor.

Elsewhere, one can also find large Boston Lobster and other premium seafood items such as Spanner Crab, Tiger Prawns and Peruvian Scallops. The latter is noted for its sweetness and is worth a try.

Carvery & Outdoor Grill

Meat lovers will be delighted to know that Melt Cafe separates its carvery from the grill section so diners can actually take their pick among the red meat. While the carvery’s beef rib and ham are standard items to find in a Sunday brunch, the outdoor grill has steaks, lamb chops, chicken and fish that are cooked ala minute.

Desserts

One of the things that has always kept me coming back to Melt Cafe are the waffles which are prepared upon order. These freshly-prepared items are especially buttery and crispy and work nicely with some homemade ice cream as toppings. I was relieved to see that Melt Cafe has retained this station but it would seem that this is now overshadowed by the theatrical amaretto sabayon with red fruit compote. The alcohol-infused dessert is doused in liquid nitrogen and generates oohs and ahs from passers-by each time they see smoke billowing out of the pan.

Champagne

Overall, Melt Cafe’s Sunday brunch tries its best to wow its target audience and certainly ranks among the more impressive here in Singapore. Extras such as the roving magician, availability of freshly squeezed juices and an interactive kids’ room make this a compelling Sunday brunch to check out especially when dining with kids. Add the fact that this is also pricing nicely, at S$178++ per adult with the Ruinart “R” de Brut champagne option while practically every other five star hotel is nearing (or has breached) the S$200++ mark.

Melt Cafe’s Sunday brunch at Mandarin Oriental Singapore is priced at S$118++ per adult (non-alcoholic option); S$178++ per adult (Ruinart “R” de Brut champagne); S$218++ (Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne)

Melt Cafe
Mandarin Oriental Singapore
5 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039797
Reservations: +65 6885 3500