Little Chloe Micro-Roastery

I was flipping through an old issue of 8 Days (an entertainment magazine circulating in Singapore), reading up on the latest(-ish...) restaurants opening in Singapore when I read that one of the restaurants, Carvers and Co, sources their single origin beans from a Melbourne micro-roastery called Little Chloe. I did a quick web search of Little Chloe, and was pretty chuffed that it's just about 20 minutes from where I live. They enjoy pretty decent reviews online, so I made plans with a couple of friends to have brunch there. 

They both happen to be really handy with a camera, so I sat back for most of the shots, and let the two of them let 'rip with their skills. I'm happy to sit and watch.

It was kind of sweet to learn that the cafe was named after the owner's granddaughter.

It was bustling when we got there, but we managed to get a table and was served by an enthusiastic waiter who cheerfully informed us it was his first day here. His enthusiasm was catching. He double-checked with the barista that they serve magic ($3.50), and the rest of our orders went without a hitch. 

Is ordering magic a gimmick? Whatever. Yes, it's just a double-shot flat white. But it's like a secret handshake, and when in Melbourne, do as the locals do... . I like how the magic was the same price as the other coffees we ordered: a mocha and a cappuccino, even though it has two shots. R noted that the mocha could have used a little more chocolate. I didn't try, but seeing it is a micro-roastery, I would likely stick to coffee-only drinks on my next visit. 

Mocha. The latte art was grand. 

The inclusion of Lamb Rendang in the menu was a little surprising, but as much as my curiosity wanted to, I don't know if I can justify ordering Rendang at a brunch place. Based on the online recommendations, R and I had the Tasmanian Smoked Salmon with Potato Rösti ($17.50). The poached egg was perfectly done, and I like the inclusion of mint leaves. While the dish was good, I couldn't get a sense of how the different ingredients gel with each other: the potato rosti was well-made, but the röstitasted better on its own than with the smoked salmon, as did the smoked salmon with the rösti. Like the latte art on their coffee, the presentation was gorgeous. Kudos to their design. 

Tasmanian Smoked Salmon on a Potato Rosti, with mango and green tea chutney, smashed avo and Persian fetta, and a poached egg. 

EJ had the Red Chili Scrambled Eggs ($15.50), which came highly recommended on Zomato. Almost every table had an order of this dish, so they must have been doing something right with it. In fact, the table next to ours had a ginormous pile of eggs, which made me kinda stoked about this dish. When EJ's order got here, the plate had markedly less eggs and bacon on it; damn it! We should have upsized the portion, like the table next to ours' must had. I took a bite of EJ's eggs and it wasn't nearly as spicy as I would have liked. After all the fuss about this dish online, the eggs came across as a little anti-climatic.  

I came to Little Chloe half-hoping to snag a bag of coffee beans, and I took the chance to poke around a bit during our meal. I spotted their coffee roaster tucked away in the corner, which is presumably where all the magic happens. 

Oh you. You so purty. 

As my gaze fell on the shelves of coffee beans, the helpful barista looked over and inquired if there was something he could help me with. Perfect timing. I explained that I have a moka pot at home and I'm interested in trying some of their coffee beans, but was unsure of which one to choose from. A few quick yes-no questions and some deliberation later, and he guided me towards the house-blend away from the pricier single-origin options. The house-blend has a more intense flavour than the single-origins, and is frequently used for the coffees served in Little Chloe.

The verdict? Great service and decent food, though a bit on the small side. The coffee and the atmosphere make Little Chloe a good option for brunch: it's popular, but not crowded. Unlike the hottest brunch places in Melbourne where a line snaking out of the door compels a sense of urgency to leave after finishing your food, Little Chloe has a lazy weekend feel to to it, where you can sit on the bar stools facing the side-walk and watch people go by. 

Note: Where indicated, the photos are taken by R. The admittedly less refined shots are taken by yours truly.