Chef Florent Fabulas & Meli-Melo mesmerise in east London

The first time we encountered the prodigiously talented chef and owner of Meli-Melo in east London was at arguably one of the best Halal burger restaurants we’ve ever reviewed.

Meli-Melo on Osborn Street near Brick Lane

Having joined Brioche Burger (rated 4.5/5) in 2017, Chef Florent Fabulas helped elevate their menu by creating such extraordinary burgers the likes of which we haven’t had since.

Considering his calibre though, it wasn’t surprising, given that Florent has worked under such renowned chefs as the late Michel Bourdin, Gordon Ramsay, Angela Hartnett, and Pascal Aussignac.

After joining London restaurant The Great Chase in 2018 to carry on his passion for fine-dining cookery, he eventually launched Meli-Melo as his very first venture in 2022, before relocating to Osborn Street near Brick Lane a year later.

A modern fine-dining restaurant with a sizeable prayer room

With the interior having recently undergone a modern facelift to match his fine-dining creativity, Chef Florent’s Meli-Melo boasts a contemporary vibe, with a touch of the rustic.

As a devout Muslim who converted to Islam back in 2011, not only is his venue fully Halal, but there’s also a sizeable prayer room (although East London mosque is located around the corner).

Full English 2.0 - Fried eggs, 'bacon', sausage, spinach croquette, cheesy potato rosti, leek, mushroom 3 ways, vine tomatoes, spiced beans, toasted sourdough bread, £16.00

Full English 2.0 - Fried eggs, 'bacon', sausage, spinach croquette, cheesy potato rosti, leek, mushroom 3 ways, vine tomatoes, spiced beans, toasted sourdough bread, £16.00

English Breakfast Tea, £2.80

Despite this Full English looking busy, it was obvious that plenty of thought had gone into making this brunch item, which we won’t be forgetting in a hurry.

The secret to its success was that no matter the combination, everything worked in tandem, including the thick succulent sausages and the quality crispy bacon.

But it was the spicy mixed beans that managed to bring this dish together, with the English Breakfast tea for £2.80 completing the formalities.

Scallops, Prawns & Oxtails - Pan-fried scallop, roasted prawn, oxtail nuggets, shellfish cauliflower cream, bearnaise, blinis, spicy toragashi, £14.00

Scallops, Prawns & Oxtails - Pan-fried scallop, roasted prawn, oxtail nuggets, shellfish cauliflower cream, bearnaise, blinis, spicy toragashi, £14.00

An accomplished starter this Scallops, Prawns & Oxtails, with utterly tender pan-fried scallop, roasted prawns that still had that give, and the bold oxtail nuggets.

Add to that the selection of sauces – from the mellow shellfish cauliflower cream, to the bearnaise, blinis, and the spicy toragashi – and we could only imagine how good the other starters might have been.

Lamb Rack – Neep cream, potatoes, spiced veggies, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, trio of relish, £24.00

Cooked medium by default, these four slices of dreamily pink lamb were super succulent, with the fat having been expertly rendered down to a crisp finish.

What made this more than just your average roast, however, was the various elements, from the smudges of different flavoured relish, to the ‘neep’ (Scottish word for swede) cream, and the gentle spiciness of the gravy.

And when you add the crispy Yorkshire pudding and fluffy potatoes, as well as the spiced vegetables, this plate turned out to be a faultless triumph.

Sirloin Roast – Neep cream, potatoes, spiced veggies, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, trio of relish, £24.00

Aside from the Sirloin Roast, which is recommended being “ideally served medium”, and the gravy, which was thin and lacking any real depth of flavour, the rest was virtually identical to the above.

In this instance though, we were left somewhat disappointed by the chewy nature of the sirloin. To make matters worse, this required more seasoning. We’ve had better at half the price.

Beef Shortrib – Sambal sticky rice, spiced gravy, chimichurri, cured egg yolk, slaw, £26.00

This innovative take on a slow-cooked Beef Shortrib on the other hand was phenomenally good.

And while the mesmerisingly smoky pulled shortrib contrasted brilliantly against the sticky mound of rice beneath, what really set this apart from all the others were the different flavoured sauces.

In effect, our taste buds were pushed and pulled by the spicy and the sweet, before being hit by the tangy herbiness of the chimichurri. We just couldn’t get enough, and only wished there was more for us to enjoy.

Almost Tiramisu – Lady fingers, coffee cream, brownie, vanilla mousse, caramel, cornflakes ice-cream, £10.00

There was nothing almost about this. Simply put, this was the best Tiramisu we’ve ever had.

The contrast between the beautifully saturated lady fingers filled with coffee cream, the soft vanilla mousse on top dusted in chocolate and laced with a caramel drizzle, and the more firmer chocolate brownies nestled in between, was superbly adjudged.

With the cornflake ice cream providing that extra dimension, this was light enough for us to consider polishing off a second portion.

Bakewell Crumble – Raspberry & pear compote, oat crumble, chiboust, almond custard, lemon curd, raspberry gel, white choc ice-cream, £10.00

This Bakewell Crumble was a refreshingly vibrant dessert, and boasted the contrastive textures of the oat crumble, the zingy lemon curd, and the swirls of chiboust crème pâtissière.

With the zestiness of the raspberry and pear compote being offset by the mellow sweetness of the white chocolate ice-cream, this was all one could ask for to end a good meal at Meli Melo.

Chocolate Tart – Choc cremeux, vanilla chiboust, tonka bean custard & vanilla ice-cream, £8.00

In spite of the chocolate crémeux being layered within what turned out to be an indulgently crumbly Chocolate Tart shell, this Chocolate Tart didn’t quite cohere as seamlessly as the above two.