Restaurant Alba — Restaurant in Malvern

It's just not that great.

Upon entering the restaurant, a tall, slim man behind the front desk locked eyes with me. We held this uncomfortable silence for a few seconds until I asked him "How are you?" to which he replied "What's the name?" to ask if we had a reservation. We did, fortunately.

My wife and I were seated promptly and our server, Kim, was friendly enough. She described the wine special - a white Pinot Noir - as "something like flat Champagne." We came hungry, so I mentioned as we ordered drinks that there was an appetizer I'd like to put in - Kim replied "Oh, we take the whole order at once here" and walked away. Having worked in hospitality I can understand that - some point of sale systems require that you have the whole order before putting any part of it in (or some places are just very particular about timing their dishes correctly) so it's not unheard of to want that. I do wish it'd been phrased a little differently.

The first courses - octopus with tender baby potatoes & pickled red onion, a warm beet salad, and a burrata bruschetta - came without much delay. The bread for the bruschetta was a bit over-grilled to the point of being a bit burnt, but it was fine. The octopus and the beet salad were both very good - we thoroughly enjoyed those.

For our mains, my wife had cacio e pepe and I ordered the cioppino. The cioppino was very tasty - scallops, shrimp, and sea bass. The broth was rich - it could have done with a bit more acid but the flavor was very good. I was disappointed the scallops, despite being cut into quarters, still had the tough adductor muscle on the side.

My wife's portion of pasta was laughably small. Again, there is precedent for this - one shouldn't expect to get a Cheesecake Factory-style mountain of pasta covered in cheese when it comes to authentic Italian food - but there were perhaps 3 ounces of cooked pasta on the plate.

We wrapped things up with a dessert to go. I haven't eaten it yet.

Overall, our bill came to just north of $210. We'd received a gift card that covered the majority of it - upon returning, Kim very helpfully circled the original check amount at the table with me as if to remind me to tip on the full amount of the bill.

I dunno. The food was definitely the best part of the experience, as it was pretty good. The service and atmosphere were fine - but for over $100 per person I want something better...

It has been a long time since I found a burger unsatisfying, and while I have no doubt that the beef itself was of good quality, if it and the mediocre ketchup are to be the draw for this dish then someone needs to take a hard look in the mirror.

The touted homemade ketchup tastes like tomato paste with the "inspired" choice of a spice with heat that brings nothing else to the table. The burger was audaciously served with nothing but bacon and cheese, fails to be what any burger quintessentially is.

In terms of the burger, there is no concern for the assemblage of the all American staple, no other sauces, no crunchy fresh greens, not even an ingredient to help cut through any of the fat brought on by cheese, bacon, and beef. This menu item may very well be a placeholder to help satisfy picky or younger customers, but if the chef has any qualms about it being served then it should remain off menu. Whether we as cooks like it or not, a burger is lowbrow and trying to showcase an individual ingredient is frankly foolhardy. Burgers in general should have each ingredient work in symphony with another, not just serve one ingredient. If the chef is not confident enough to say "this is how my dish is to be eaten" from the start then they've already lost.

My only other criticism is that the fries come without salt. Only fools want a naked potatoes.

I will give Alba one credit, I did not order what I've heard to be their main focus, seafood and pasta, but I feel that if an item is on the menu it shouldn't be far below their own standards of quality.

Edit: It seems my view wasn't well received, to clear up any confusion I hope every worker in the restaurant is fortunate in these hard time. I also hope the chef realizes what their food tastes like. Also that their "vinegar based spicy ketchup" tastes less like a sour spicy tomato paste. It should also be noted that perhaps being a women isn't the insult one might...

As someone (who is Italian) who has 1) eaten at countless high-end restaurants in Philadelphia, and 2) apprenticed ("staged") under one of the best chefs/restaurants in Philly (Marc Vetri/Jeff Michaud/Osteria Ristorante), I can assure you dear reader, Alba is the best Italian dining you are going to find outside of Philly in any county (not just Chester)...and I would argue it is as good or better than many Italian restaurants in Philadelphia. Chef Sean is the real deal, he's trained under the likes of Thomas Keller, and he's been getting it done for a long time in Philly and way beyond. The guy can have a restaurant anywhere and be successful; he just happens to be killing it in Malvern. It shocks me this restaurant is not talked about more (which affirms my belief most people wouldn't know good food if it landed on their head; those people go to Limoncello). Alba is not awful, kitschy, over-the-top, "goomba" Italian food. It's creativity-meets-authentic. It's exceptionally-sourced ingredients. It's well-portioned, beautifully-executed dishes. It's house made pasta nirvana. I am not writing this as a personal friend of Sean or anything, I'm not delivering on any favors I owe to him or his restaurant. I'm just a guy who loves food and loves to cook, who's eaten at Alba dozens of times, who's just trying to save you from wasting your time and money anywhere else around Chester County. Go to Alba...