Latest Reviews
-
All right here we go. One of my favourite places ever. I dont eat beef, lamb or pork so Im already limited but I attended a Friday lunch buffet and it…
-
Me and my friend wanted to go for a Saturday buffet and this was convenient for us from where we lived. Amazing spread of food, sashimi's to deserts y…
-
This is more of a 3.5 stars. We came here for the buffet and thought the food was ok, but not really worth the money since the asking price was about …
About
Melba is open for Casual Dining. Melba serves Contemporary dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
Feature List
wheelchair accessiblecraft beerserves cocktailsavailable for functionswifiindoor seatingReviews
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to post a comment.
9 Reviews on “Melba”
This is more of a 3.5 stars. We came here for the buffet and thought the food was ok, but not really worth the money since the asking price was about $100 per person. As I mentioned in some of my other reviews, it’s difficult to find buffet places in Melbourne that are good value for money, and this place was no exception. There was a decent variety of food so that’s basically what you’re paying for.
In terms of ambience, I actually felt the lighting was a little dim and dingy feeling (this was a dinner session). I’m not sure if that was a fluke, but it certainly didn’t give the same grand impression as Conservatory’s buffet. I would prefer to go to Conservatory over Melba unfortunately.
I have been coming to Melbas regularly for over ten years. Our visit for my sisters birthday last week however was one of the more disappointing trips. Being around the Christmas period it was completely packed and they attempted to seat us at on a couch style set up.
Given its a buffet two three seaters either side of a table is not exactly conducive to constantly getting up and down to replenish your plate. In my family this would mean the poor middle person would be climbing over people are ten minutes. They eventually put some other tables together and found as an alternate which was good.
What was not so good was the food. The prawn dumplings were so super stuck together that when I tried to seperate them as I served myself they all fell apart. All of us agreed the food variety wasnt as impressive as usual. What did impress were the noodle dishes available at the wok station, the freshness of the sashimi and the deliciousness of the chocolate passion fruit tart. The other desserts failed to delight and for the price point on this occasion it fell a little short relative to its previous gold standard
Updated review
Has been about 18 months since my review was posted for here so thought it was worth revisiting as my dining experience on Wednesday night proved the one critique I had last time has been rectified. In the past the desserts have been visually stunning but lacking in taste. This week we had an exceptionally delicious chocolate and passionfruit eclair, a chocolate pudding, red velvet cake, raspberry chocolate mousse slice and mini lemon meringue pies just to name a few which were all super yummy. Well done all for lifting the already superlative standards
Original review
I’ve probably been here 20 plus times in the last ten or so years. It’s pretty much the scene of every family birthday and it never disappoints. It’s fairly standard to feel physically unwell for several hours afterward if you chose to dine buffet and have minimal self control like me. Not sure why anyone would actually go here and prefer a la carte as the variety is ridiculous.
They have a live sushi/sashimi station, a hot noodle station as well as a pasta station, a grill where you can get a steak made to order and an Indian station where you can order a fresh naan with your choice of inclusions. There is also a salad section, carvery and cheese station but most people pay the fairly hefty prices for the unlimited seafood.
It’s probably more of a special occasion place given you are paying between $85-95 per person depending on the day you dine but it’s definitely worth it. My only criticism is the desserts leave a little to be desired. This is the one area I have seen deteriorate over the years but they do have a Cadbury chocolate fountain and connoisseur ice cream.
Some photos from my latest visit on the weekend and some others I dug up from when I went on the 4th of July as the American Oreo cupcakes were just too cute
My partner took me to Melba on 2nd January to start the year on the right foot.
Having been to buffets in Las Vegas makes one very fussy, but Melba did measure to its reputation.
The service was good, but our waiter did say that him and his colleagues had a very long night at work on NYE and I could tell they were all very tired.
Theres a really good choice and almost everything is great!
My personal favourite was the Sushi/Sashimi Station – I couldve happily just eaten that all night.
Least favourite – the Indian station. The tandoori chicken and salmon I got were both very dry and inedible. I got some goat curry, which was delicious.
My partner got half a lobster and, again, that was exceptionally dry. Again, I feel that thats due to the staff being overtired.
We paid $250 + tip for the two of us, which included one glass of ros and a rum & coke.
Came for a Monday lunch with 15 Family members including children to celebrate birthdays and anniversarys.
We all received welcome letters and cup cake gifts. Sadly no glass of champagne was offered when other places do.
Used valet parking .. only $19 if u eat at Melba… convenient and good value.
Food was very good. Big choice from Japanese to Indian as well as Chinese and a good Carvery with meats.
Sashimi and sushi are prepared fresh and well presented.
Rotti and Indian food is tasty as are the cheeses and starters.
Plenty of noodle and pasta dishes made fresh as ordered and a huge selection of mini cakes with a huge chocolate fountain makes the sweet tooth person happy.
Chefs at the stations were wonderful and obliging. They even assisted with gluten free meals when asked.
Only let down was table service.
You have to ask for cutlery to be replaced when you run out. Waiters take and clear the plates and cutlery between meals but dont ask if you need clean cutlery or napkins. Drinks have to be asked for and when the waitress gave the drinks menu Only took an order from
One person and did not ask others if they wanted a drink. I think this is a training issue as much as a communication problem.
Lastly furniture in the dining room while practical is showing its age with scratches.
In brief we ate well and sat for over 3 hours and had a great time.
Melba has a reputation as being one of the best in Melbourne so decided to try the weekday lunch buffet. Was good value about $65.
The best part was the entree and main course selection. There was a variety of salads, antipasti, asian and indian section and just about every type of roast meat. Even a tandoor oven cooking fresh Naan bread to order!
They only negative was that they could have offered more selection of fish and better desserts. They offered prawns, crab and sashimi bar but would have been nice to have a few more items to uphold their strong reputation. The desserts were very ordinary, seemed bought in, would be better if they improved them (the desserts were better at the Conservatory) again just to meet the high expectations I had before going in.
Excellent ambiance overlooking the city and Flinders Street Station with diners that appreciate the finer things. I will definitely return.
Best place to go to especially if you love seafood. Had the freshest oysters and sashimi here last night… and didn’t even get to have the crabs, prawns, mussels, etc because I couldn’t get enough oysters and sashimi! The other great thing about Melba is the freshly made naan. Oh my goodness. The garlic and cheese naan is TO DIE FOR! Gooey cheese on the inside surrounded by soft, fluffy and pillowy naan goodness. Naan other can compare!
One of my favorite buffets in Melbourne. Melba had fresh salmon and oysters, and yummy peking duck, roast meat and lots of dessert varieties. The m&m custom made naan bread is one of my favorites.