Restaurant Melba

Creative and fun food options. Make sure you reserve a spot ahead of time! Atmosphere is cool and casual. Lots of people in pants and sweaters. Show up and be prepared to relax and enjoy! Service was a bit slow - we were seated for about three hours. I think even 30 mins less would have been a big improvement. Plates are smaller, but perfect for sharing. For two people we spent about $200 before tip & tax. This is with drinks, two appetizers, desert, bread, and three entrees. Menu seems to change week to week, which shows how dedicated the restaurant is to the dining experience. Scallops and mussels were a highlight to us. We also loved their bread. Dauphine ravioli seems to be there specialty - we enjoyed it, but didn’t love it.

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 Québec City.

Asparagus dish could do with less cheese from personal opinion. Highlight was the whipped brie dessert, the roasted char. Great value for what you are getting. Worth a trip. Reservation required.

From the outside, Melba may seem unassuming, but step inside and you’re instantly transported into a chic, elegant dining experience. The decor and ambiance are top-tier—luxurious yet warm and inviting. The food was well-executed and flavorful, with thoughtful presentation throughout. While our personal preference leaned toward the food at their sister restaurant, Battuto, we’re so glad we had the chance to experience Melba. It’s a beautifully designed space that offers a refined and memorable evening out.

Are you looking for an overrated place with long wait times, then this place is for you! We were really excited to come to this restaurant and were truly disappointed. While our server was good, the service itself was very slow. Additionally, the food was quite average in taste, the only meal that really stood out that I would recommend is the guédille d’homard. We were really surprised by the ratings of this restaurant, which when compared to other restaurants we dined at this week in Quebec City, feels grossly overrated. On the bright side, we appreciated their curated cocktail list and free table side filtered flat and sparkling water selection.

On New Years Eve, we were able to get a last minute reservation thanks to cancellation they had. Melba was super friendly over the phone and that carried through to their service during our meal. We loved loved loved everything. They clearly know what they are doing here. Highly recommend.

Everything was incredible from the starters to the dessert. There was no dish that was less than a 9/10. The tomato provencale was to die for. One of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to

We took the full menu and I have to say that it was a very fine and great experience. All of the plates were flavorful and well thought. We were 4 persons and it would have been nice to have just a little bit more food per plates to share. Apart from that the service was expectational thanks to Patrick B. and his amazing experience in the field!