Food Review #6: Melo Restaurant
A new restaurant fresh on the eatery scene, Melo calls itself a French-Japanese restaurant and bar. Located within the busy neighborhood of BKK 1, the restaurant is small but attractive, and an initial perusal through its Instagram page reveals it as a potential Instagram pic hotspot.
We ordered the Melo Japanese set, which was $7.00. It consisted of cold soba noodles, a cheese pork cutlet, a mixed salad with sesame dressing, and vegetable pickles. The soba noodles were chewy and did not disintegrate immediately, which was what made it good (and what the texture of it is actually supposed to be like). The broth was cold, slightly sweet, and refreshing, and was not too overpowering either. The mixed salad was delicious and was not heavily covered in a dressing, like most of the salads Sabrina has had in her life. The salad and its sesame dressing paired really well with the soba noodle dish. The pork cutlet had that nice cheesy stretchiness when pulled apart, as well as a nice crunch to it. As for the pickled vegetables, Sabrina did not try them since she is not a huge fan of bell peppers. Overall, the set was aesthetically pleasing and flavorful. We would rate it a 7.8/10.
We ordered two of their teas. The first one was their apricot, honey, and lavender tea, which cost $3.50 for a pot. It was served on a dainty marble tray, with a glass teapot. The first sip was dominated by the sour notes of apricot but left a sweet, lingering aftertaste of honey and lavender. Although this tea was a little too sweet for Jenny, we recommend it for those who can't decide between sweet and fruity. The other tea we ordered was the black tea with peach. It was also $3.50 and it was able to bring out a fruity flavor without being too sweet, like Snapple's peach tea. This pot of tea was less sweet than the former.
Of course, we tried their dessert: the first was their tiramisu with strawberry ice cream, which set us back $4.50. The cake was moist, soft, and melted the moment it entered the mouth. Although it was velvety in texture, its strength lies in that its soft, cloying sweetness was balanced by the sweet-sour tang of the strawberry sorbet it came with. Would we recommend? Yes, go for it. We give it an 8/10, with two points taken off for not being memorable to our tastebuds.
The second was their chocolate mousse, which was $5.00, a creamy, delicately dense dish accompanied by oranges, strawberries, blueberries, and grapes and a sprinkling of crunchy granola on top. We were not a fan of the oranges and grapes on top, as its flavors did not pair too well with the chocolate mousse. The dessert was rich in chocolate, creamy, but a little on the dense side rather than airy. The plating was very cute, like most of the dishes here, but quite small for its cost. Overall, we would rate this around a 7.5/10, with points are taken off for the fruit choices and cost, but we still recommend it for those who have a sweet tooth.
The interior of the place, although pretty, felt a little empty. We recommend the window seat for the best natural lighting for your flat lays. The atmosphere was bright; pop music from the early 2000s played softly in the background and the servers were friendly and attentive.
Its claims to be Japanese-French, though, is questionable; whether a mismatch of trendy dishes in a menu qualifies as fusion is debatable. However, that is not to say that the restaurant itself is bad. The background music and quietness makes it perfect for brunch, a date, or a study session. Or a brunch study date, at the rate the deadlines are closing in. For those of you going for the 'gram (no shame, so did we), we recommend wearing something white and blue to match the interior and the doors.