Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank

2 Recommended

cptslowyeo

Level4

479

Located at Irving Place is Carol Mel. It has gone through a revamp and gone are the local food fare and refreshed with western delights. It is a mere 5 minute walk from Tai Seng MRT. It has a very cosy ambience, with red bricks lining the white walls and mellow lighting in the air-conditioned cafe.Peeking at the new menu, you will notice interesting items like Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank ($26), United's French Onion Soup ($12) and Buttermilk waffle with curry chicken katsu and melted ch

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Peeking at the new menu, you will notice interesting items like Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank ($26), United's French Onion Soup ($12) and Buttermilk waffle with curry chicken katsu and melted cheese ($17). These items definitely stood out to me in comparison to your typical hipster cafe offerings.

1. Luncheon Fries *highly recommended*

Luncheon meat fries seems to be the new norm since truffle fries are now served in almost every cafe islandwide. But the trick to good luncheon (spam) fries is the thickness of the fries and how they are cooked. Carol Mel seems to have gotten a winning recipe with a slightly crisp and thick batter covering the outer layer of the spam fry.

On the inside of the spam fry, it is moist and it almost melts in your mouth. It is not oily, soggy or dry. The inside of the spam fry is of the best texture I've tried.

2. Buttermilk waffle curry chicken katsu with melted cheese $17

Buttermilk waffle curry chicken katsu with melted cheese

Crispy butter milk waffle, with breaded chicken katsu layered with melted cheese. Served on the side is japanese curry with cubed carrots and potatoes. This was a first for me, to have japanese curry with a waffle. This is definitely an Eastern version of the "Chicken and waffles" popularized by the Southern North-American culture.

Buttermilk waffle curry chicken katsu with melted cheese

The breaded chicken tasted savoury and was well complimented with the salty and gooey melted cheese. The buttermilk waffle was light and airy. The Japanese curry wasn't too spicy and was a great way to bring out the taste of the breaded chicken cutlet.

3. Porto Fungi $13 *highly recommended*

Chunks of assorted fresh mushrooms. The key word here is "Fresh" mushrooms which were truly juicy and brought out so much flavour into the pasta. Served with Italian herbs, garlic and cooked in a supreme Italian cream sauce. On first sight, I definitely noticed way more mushrooms than pasta! Not to mention the pasta was al dente and the sauce wasn't gerlat. I could definitely devour this entire plate of pasta without thinking about the carbs in this dish. It's that yummy! Oh yes! I'm a mushroom lover so grab this if you're like me!

4. Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank ($26) *highly recommended*

Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank

Slow braised lamb shank (450gm) in red wine sauce, served with a side of seasonal vegetables and pasta aglio olio. I was extremely excited to try this. I haven't had a good lamb shank in awhile and the price tag was attractive too! The meat was so tender you could just use a fork or spoon to gently push the meat off the bone. The meat was extremely flavourful on its own but if you are someone who likes stronger flavour, dunk the meat into the red wine sauce and you will not be disappointed.

Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank

The aglio olio was also great and perfect for the very hungry. I'm totally ordering this again, but I would need to drag someone out to polish this off with me, because you would also need to save space for the desserts at Carol Mel!

5. Signature Whimsical waffle *highly recommended*

Signature Whimsical waffle

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Crispy waffles just the way I like it with caramel gelato, melted cheddar cheese (similar to the chicken katsu), grilled marshmallows, berries and topped off with salted caramel sauce and maple syrup!

Signature Whimsical waffle

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The aromatic whiff of the melted cheddar cheese was distinct and yet not too overwhelming, which turned out great in a dessert. The waffles had a light and slightly hollow interior which I adored. This sweet waffle definitely satisfied my cravings with its cripness and fragrances of the batter, as well as the cheddar cheese scent.

Signature Whimsical waffle

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The ice cream served was creamy, milky and smooth in texture. The ice crea had a lingering sweetness that was emphasized with the salted caramel sauce and maple syrup. The grilled marshmallows also brought an extra sweetness factor to the dessert. The berries were visually appealing and gave a contrasting sour flavour to the variety of sweet items on the plate.

6. Tiramisu in a pot

I'm a huge fan of tiramisu and I'm an even huger fan when it is served in a pot! Because you get the fun of "digging for treasure" lol! The mascarpone cream came with a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The fragrance and aroma lingers in the palate, coupled with a spongy and airy chiffon-like mascarpone fingers.

I would have certainly yearned for a higher intensity of the alcoholic flavour. The portion was rather huge for 1, hence sharing is recommended.

Overall : A great chill out place in tai seng. It has a lot of interesting menu items which are both promising and definitely delivers a "wow" factor to your palate.

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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Jellylovesfood

Level3

Carol Mel Cafe, started 1.5 years ago in year 2014, was situated along a high competitive stretch of f & b shops at Tai Seng. Initially started off with 2 sisters, Caroline and Mel, but now Mel had left to pursue her own dreams elsewhere. Each day Carol Mel Cafe facing great competition because of their neighbours, so what made them special and how do they distinctive themselves with others? After my visit at the cafe, I concluded its their good service, positive attitude to accept negative comm

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[Carol Mel Cafe]

Each day Carol Mel Cafe facing great competition because of their neighbours, so what made them special and how do they distinctive themselves with others? After my visit at the cafe, I concluded its their good service, positive attitude to accept negative comments and good food at reasonable prices. Carol Mel had also introduced new dishes to their dinner menu and Im in love with their desserts most. Food were mainly prepared by Chef Andy and pastries by owner, Carol, herself.

For starters, we had:

1• Smoked Duck Carpaccio (S$13.00)

Smoked Duck Carpaccio

- Smoked duck, athough it's commonly seen or conveniently sold at supermarts, I still love them as a starter or meat protein in my salad. Carol Mel handled theirs by doing honey-glazed version, topped with mixed herbs and fresh greens. The marriage between sweet and savory was so yum, especially the slight charred edges around the layers of duck fats. Rating 5/5

2• Fusion French Mushroom Soup (S$12.00)

Fusion French Mushroom Soup

- If you think this was just your ordinary bowl of mushroom soup, you're wrong! Power packed with 5 types of mushroom bits: Portobello, Button, Shimeji, Bunapi and Oyster mushrooms, it had all the vitamins and iron your body needs. Scoop deeper and you will find an onsen egg hidden in this pond of fungus *Wow*. Initially I thought the egg will thicken this watery soup when break but it did not. French cream, bonito flakes and herbs scattered on top did improve the savory taste when mixed. Rating 3/5

3• United French Onion Soup (S$12.00)

United French Onion Soup

- As I don't consume beef, that's why I skipped this dish. Chef told us that the soup comprises of beef extracts. Nevertheless, look at the ooOozy goozi cheese!

4• Classic Carbonara (S$15.00)

- Carbonara, a common pasta dish in cheese cream base, was one of the top selling item in Carol Mel. Although Edamame was added in their version for an additional crunch, but still the spaghetti was abit soft for my liking. I preferred al dente ones. The overall dish would also taste better if the streaky bacon were pan-fried or caramelized before mixing in, to give that extra crisp texture. Rating 3/5

5• French Confit Du Canard (S$18.00)

French Confit Du Canard

- Crispy duck skin was my favorite part. Meat was firm but not tough, goes really well with the "black sauce" provided. The chef named the black sauce "Prince sauce" and it tasted really appetizing with hints of red wine and orange citrus finish. The sauce definitely up the taste of the ducky! Rating 4/5

6• Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank (S$26.00)

Signature Italian Braised Lamb Shank

- 12 hours of preparation and slow braised to obtain this yummy, flavorful piece of lamb shank. Every bite you could taste the marinates fully absorbed in the flesh. The meat was really tender, falls-off-bone easily and the best part was; it didn't had that gamey 羊骚味. The aglio olio lying behind was delicious too. I love the al dente texture of the pasta and the garlicky after taste. Rating 5/5

7• Signature Whimsical Waffle (S$16.00)

Signature Whimsical Waffle

- All of us at the table WOW when whimsical was served to us. All the elements on top made this dessert so pretty, we really can't bear to cut it at first. Waffle was topped with a scoop of salted caramel gelato, fresh fruits, torched marshmallows, cookie soil crumbles and drizzled with maple sauce. For the first time I saw kiwiberries, fresh figs on waffles! Yum yum! As for the waffle, texture was crispy on the outside but slight doughy on the inside. If you love buttermilk waffle, you definitely gotta try this.

- There's something else I want to highlight. There's melted sharp cheddar cheese on top of the banana slices. Chef Andy said he love cheese a lot therefore tried out something bold in his food. These cheesy banana slices tasted unique to me yet weird at the same time. But overall, I still love this waffle creation. Rating 4/5

8• Carol Mel's Deconstructed Banana Split (S$15.00)

Carol Mel's Deconstructed Banana Split

- I love this interesting way of enjoying my banana split dessert! The banana fritters were so good!! Crispy, cheesy on the outside and warm inside, together with the cold gelato, it's da bomb! Keep the fried bananas coming please! 😋 Rating 5/5

9• Creme Brûlée (S$5.00)

- Last item to end our dinner. Creme brûlée was thick and creamy yet texture wasn't smooth enough. But I still love how the brittle caramelized top interact with this eggy chilled dessert. Rating 3/5

*******
Nicely executed new dishes with passion and creativity. Although I felt desserts flare better than cooked food itemsbut I will come back for that yummy lamb shank. Pastries were definitely up to standard as Carol came from hotel patissier background. Cosy and non-noisy environment could let customers enjoy food in peace too! Do pay them a visit if you're near Tai Seng area, your visit won't be disappointed

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🚩Carol Mel Cafe
1 Irving Place
Unit 01-30 The Commerze @ Irving
Singapore
+65 6635 5755
carolmel.com

Mon to Thurs 11am - 8pm
Fri to Sat 11am - 9pm
Sun 9am - 4pm

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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