Restaurant Melba — Restaurant in Quebec

BEWARE: There is road construction happening all around the restaurant. Travel to the neighborhood and parking is an absolute nightmare right now. Prepare to park a few blocks away. We had high hopes for our meal at Melba, and while the meal was very good, there were a few things that just left us feeling unfulfilled. While we were right on time for our reservation and were promptly seated, it became clear pretty quickly that the kitchen was in a routine to serve based on a seating system, taking a certain number of folks during specific time slots...which is fine but not practical given the size of the restaurant. It's not a brigade kitchen and unfortunately it tainted our experience. We didn't receive a morsel of food for nearly an hour after being seated. Part of the problem was the way service was presented. While my wife and I both agreed that the service was excellent overall, we couldn't understand why the waitstaff needed to provide an explanation for every single item on the menu. It's unnecessary to describe every single preparation in detail to every single table. It's simply slows down service and makes folks anxious. I guess there is a case to be made that descriptions will save time in answering questions, but running through the entire menu?...I don't see the need. When our server finally got around to our table, to speed up ordering, and hopefully getting some food to eat, we made sure to let her know that we didn't need her to describe dishes we wouldn't be ordering. The food is executed at a very high level. The very small menu is strangely written and frankly confusing...and if you're a vegetarian, you should probably consider going somewhere else. The "Appetizers" are more an Amuse Bouche...meaning you're only going to get just a few bites. The Basque-Style egg with Red Tuna Rillettes & Basil is essentially a deviled egg...ONE egg, split in half filled with a tuna rillette. It was fine. "On the Plate" might be entree's...or they might be side dishes or in our case, another "Appetizer". The Provençal-style tomato, parsley, parmesan & garlic scapes was a larger plate and very good. Scallops, cucumber, grilled nectarine & coriander cream was another delicious "appetizer". The Confit halibut, zucchini tian & saffron beurre blanc was a star but unfortunately the Dauphiné ravioli & corn consommé with yellow wine just didn't fulfill its promise. The pasta was undercooked and the flavors in broth were difficult to pick up. Desserts were fine with the Rice Pudding, plum jam, caramel & coconut ice cream being the winner in my mind. The meal was very good as you'd expect from a Michelin Bib Gourmand, but our experience seemed just a bit stuffy for the environment. The dining room was very loud and frankly the music playlist seemed strange and out of place. I'm being picky, I know. But after spending nearly $300 for food, drinks, tax & tip, we left wondering what Melba was trying to achieve...the food and service are worthy of a very good fine dining room but the rest felt more a bit too "neighborhoodsy"...

What a delightful restaurant!

Understanding Melba is perhaps first about understanding the concept -- small plates intended to be shared. The menu is divided into hors d'oeuvres and larger plates, but even the larger plates -- as our server explained -- are light and intended to be shared. One challenge with such a concept is figuring out how many dishes to get to satisfy the whole table. Another challenge is that all diners must understand all dishes that might be ordered, consenting to what they would be consuming.

To address these challenges, our server was exceedingly helpful, especially so given our group of four English-only speakers. He went through the entire menu in detail, answered questions, and helped us figure out just how much food to order. We were very grateful for his patient attention.

Complementing the helpful service was the casual and comfortable atmosphere. The noise level was quite low. All the patrons were having a good time, and the restaurant was full, but I never struggled to hear my dining companions nor raise my voice to be heard.

From the hors d'oeuvres, our table shared the gougères (pictured), the "lobster rolls" (pictured), and summer barbajuans. The gougères were everything you expect from that pastry, and served with a delightful spread of goat cheese, shaved snow peas, and pea puree; the intense flavor of the peas evoked memories of walking through my parents' garden as a child, picking peas and eating them from the vine. The lobster rolls were cute little bits that captured the essence of the dish -- well-cooked lobster and toasted bread. The barbajuans were wonderful little bites, and without asking, the staff kindly prepared one of the four pastries without fish, accommodating my wife's fish allergy.

For large plates, they first brought out a course of the two cold dishes we ordered -- the beef tartare (pictured) and the marinated halibut (pictured). Both raw preparations were exquisite. The beef tartare demonstrated excellent knife skills, with meat cut into perfect, tiny, consistently-sized cubes. Instead of serving the tartare with toasted bread, tiny little croutons were mixed in at the last moment. The halibut exemplifies something woven throughout the meal -- the bold use of acidity to make every dish pop.

After that, they brought us the three other dishes -- pistou linguine,  ravioles du Dauphiné (pictured), and the roasted char (pictured). I let my family enjoy the pasta, so I can't comment on it, other than they very much enjoyed it. I focused on the roasted char -- wonderfully cooked and generously sauced.

For dessert, I enjoyed the brie mousse (picture), while others at my table enjoyed the vacherin (picture) and praline iced parfait (picture). My dessert had wonderful savory elements, alluding to a cheese course, but sweet enough to be a dessert. My dining companions were also quite happy with their desserts.

Overall, a fantastic meal. Melba was one of the highlights of our trip to...

We visited for the first time in late November, and Melba is now our new favorite restaurant.

From the moment walking in, it is so clear that the owner put so much thought into every aspect of this space. The design is so thoughtful. The seating is so comfortable (both the banquette and the chairs). The colors and the lighting so beautiful. I love the scale of the space. It is intimate while also offering enough space for privacy. The music at just the right level, and the playlist just right. I loved the terrazo floor as well. I didn't get a chance to try to padded stool seating at the counters, but they looked very comfortable as well.

The service was excellent. Our server was really helpful in guiding us through our choices, preventing us from ordering too many or too few dishes. Each item was outstanding and beautifully presented. We each had a cocktail, and wines by the glass, and we were very happy with our choices.

If you are looking for a more personal experience in a neighborhood setting, it is worth the excursion. We walked from the lower town in about 40 minutes, in the bitter cold, and found it completely reasonable. We hope to return soon.

Such a great addition to the excellent dining scene...