Special thanks to Mellowcup Cafe for extending this food review invitation.
This is my second visit to Mellowcup Cafe at New Bob Centre. This time, I have the pleasure of sampling the barista’s handcrafted coffee and food items.
As observed during my previous visit, Mellowcup Cafe is experimenting with coffee beans from Blooms, a Hong Kong roaster with Moses Chan (陈豪) as its celebrity ambassador. Blooms’ beans are mostly sourced from Africa and Latin America.
Mellowcup Cafe is one of the more technical cafés in Penang’s coffee arena. Besides espresso coffee, Mellowcup Cafe also offers a number of manual coffee brewing techniques. This requires specialized coffeemakers that many cafés are not willing to afford.
Drip Brew Coffee (RM10.00) is the most straightforward brewing technique before the advent of espresso machines. Hot water is poured in a funnel which contains ground coffee beans. Water seeps through coffee grains and absorb essential oils, then passes through a paper filter solely under the force of gravity. Unlike an espresso machine which uses pressurized water, drip brewing is considerably slower and is why most cafés do not bother using this method.
Siphon Coffee (RM10.00) uses a more sophisticated setup. Ground coffee is placed in the narrow stem between two glass chambers. By heating the lower chamber, hot water inside boils and increases vapor pressure, forcing itself into the upper chamber. After the heat source is removed, vapor pressure drops and forces water to return to the lower chamber, carrying coffee essence along the way. This technique is known for producing very clear brew.
Cold Drip Coffee (RM18.00) is very popular in Japan where it is known as Dutch Ice Coffee. This is presumably because coffee was first introduced into Japan by Dutch traders of the Dutch East India Company. This technique uses cold water instead of hot water, therefore it takes several hours to steep. Filtered coffee is refrigerated for several hours to allow the taste to “ripen”. Cold drip coffee has less acidity and bitterness because cold water does not dissolve essential oils very effectively.
The food menu is not Mellowcup Cafe’s primary focus but is necessary due to customers’ expectation. One of the main dishes is Pan Fried Chicken (RM16.80), which is flavored with honey herb sauce and served over a bed of mashed potatoes. There are yardlong beans, carrots and cherry tomatoes on the side.
Salmon In The Bag (RM18.80) is baked with lemon, rosemary, olive oil and sea salt. I like the appetizing aroma when the paper bag is opened. Its texture and taste are reasonably appealing too. Mashed potatoes and garden salad are provided on the side.
As for Chili Aglio Olio (RM10.80), shrimp and salmon can be included for additional RM6.00. The pasta is reasonably al dente, but the amount of salt needs to be reduced significantly.
Chocolate Lover (RM19.80) is ideal for satiating one’s cocoa craving. Two pieces of waffle rest on chocolate ice cream and fruit cubes, while a chocolate lava cake with icing sugar forms the crown. The lava cake is quite aromatic especially when it is still warm. I also love the dark chocolate sauce which oozes out of the cake when the latter is punctured.
As for cakes, the Boutique Lychee Rose Cake (RM12.00) is topped with macaron, dark chocolate and fresh strawberry.
Meanwhile, the White Chocolate Peppermint Cake (RM12.00) comes with several types of edible flower. I am not sure whether I enjoy eating edible flowers. Granted, they provide aesthetic appeal. However, edible flowers are generally tasteless.
To appeal to the younger demographics, Mellowcup Cafe has 12 different types of mocktail drinks which are collectively called Zodiac Signature Drinks. Each astrological sign is represented by a fizzy drink of different color combination, such as Libra’s version as shown here.
It is nice to have a café which takes painstaking effort to educate the general public on coffee culture. This is certainly not the regular Starbucks; each cup of coffee is meticulously crafted by hand.
Name: Mellowcup Cafe
Address: 11-G-4, New Bob Centre, Jalan Gottlieb, 10350 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 016-463-0182
Business hours: 9:00am-9:00pm (Monday-Thursday), 9:00am-10:00pm (Friday-Saturday), closed on Sundays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/mellowcupcafe
Coordinates: 5.43204 N, 100.30189 E
Directions: From Jalan Bagan Jermal, drive towards Penang Botanic Gardens. With Penang Chinese Girls’ High School on the right, turn left and drive in front of the row of shops. New Bob Centre is a commercial building further down. Mellowcup Cafe is one of the shops at the ground level, several shops away from Sa Rang Chae. Street parking is available.