The Black Sheep Cafe

The Black Sheep Café is a little gem that used to be tucked away in an idyllic corner of Seletar which was great since it was a 2 minutes drive from my place. My brother used to be a regular and I tagged along occasionally but when they moved to Mayo Street, our visits came to a halt. Fast forward a couple of years and I thought it would be nice to drop by.

Chef Ratha still operates a one man show in the kitchen, but this time with a lot more space than his old restaurant. The menu is still pretty much unchanged, sporting well-loved classics like the baked brie and duck confit.

We started by sharing a Baked Brie crusted with pistachio and citrus fruit compote. As usual, the cheese failed to hold its structural integrity (as far as I remember, there was only once when I had this dish at the old place did the cheese maintained its shape). That’s not important, however. The sweet-sour compote offsets the creamy melting cheese to make a very nice appetiser.


Evelyn had the Duck Confit with Apple Rosti. Duck confit can get cloyingly oily and taste preserved but one can tell that this version was made only recently and skilfully fried to rid it of excess oil. The tangy mango relish pairs well with the duck leg and especially well with the crisp skin. I always liked the Apple Rosti but this time I found it slightly limp – perhaps too little oil in the pan.


My snapper came quite awhile later. The thick piece was seared and then finished in the oven in a text-book demonstration of how it’s supposed to be done. The flesh retained its firm texture, juicy interior and most importantly, tasted properly of sea fish.


Desserts were Ratha’s ever present Flourless Chocolate Tart and a Kahlua Soufflé. Both were excellent but a special mention goes out to the soufflé as the most spectacular one I have ever seen.



The Black Sheep Café is highly recommended if you can spare a couple of hours for a meal. Costs about S$50 a person for 3 courses + wine.