Lively riverfront eatery for inventive buffet dishes from around the world cooked in glass kitchens.
Melba Restaurant in Melbourne
Description
Privilege
I think they are charging way too much ($300approx.but not offering the quality of food and service.Food was terrible: gnocchi pasta was literally not good, chef was burning the naan bread again n again.Service was terrible too: waiting for water, not clearing up the plates and rude Asian old guy serving us.
MoreWe have been going here for years to celebrate special occasions, as it used to be the creme de la creme of buffets in Melbourne. Unfortunately, that was not our experience last night. The food was just okay, and overall underwhelming for the price. For example, the lobster was overcooked and tough. The gnocchi itself was good, but the sauce was watery and lacking richness. The sushi seemed hastily prepared, as if the server preparing it had heaps of people waiting, even though I was the only one in line. The only redeeming feature was the pork belly, which was tender and flavourful. I was given a lovely looking cupcake with a candle and Happy Birthday plaque at the end of the night, which was very sweet, but the cupcake tasted very dry and like it had been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days :( For the hefty price tag and experience, I think we would have been better off going to an a la carte restaurant for a 3 course meal.
MoreFood wasn’t that bad but service was not satisfied. Staffs’ attitude - especially the sashimi, grilled steak section - don’t getting along with their reputation. Disappointed.
MoreIf I could rate higher than 5, I would. Most modern, best tasting Indian I’ve ever experienced. Must try the Chettinad!
MoreThis is my 2nd time here and always good service. A good selection of cold meats and smorgasbord of different cultural food. My favourite is sashimi and fried noodles with seafood, unfortunately, the tiny lobster/crayfish is dry and tough. The crispy pork was extremely salty. Other meats were good. Still, it lacks the wow factor for me and my group of 5 to return, maybe next year.
MoreThis place is quite pricey so expectations would naturally be high. Service was very good as was the overall selection with lots of seafood on offer. However, the texture of the blue swimmer crab was mushy, indicating a lack of freshness whilst crayfish was overcooked. The 5 spicd duck also lacked the crispy skin from being left in the steamer to keep warm rather than being sliced on request..This was disappointing given the cost of the overall meal. On the plus side, the sashimi was enjoyable as were the desserts but overall it did not met expectations on the day.
MoreFirst time to Melba, nothing extraordinary to say. Food was average, service was very good. Indian curries very bland couldnt taste anything.
MoreThis is based fully on customer service and not the restaurant itself. Called four times to confirm restaurant booking only to get transferred to another phone that continually rang out (Not during lunch or dinner timeWhen I tried to explain to the initial lady who answered she cut me off and transferred the call abruptly. Poor customer service. I did not end up going due to no confirmation.
MoreCame here for the buffet for my wife’s birthday - the staff were very friendly and attentive, the buffet is great, but the best part is the naan by chef Deo Pal! Cheesy garlic with your main and then the m&m naan for dessert.
MoreSuch a great selection of seafood, especially oysterStaffs were very friendly and niceDefinitely will come back!!
MoreOyster is fresh, scampi is over cooked, very pricey
My buffet lunch at Melba restaurant was exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was my first time visiting Melba and the wide range of seafood and desserts along with many other food from across Australia made my experience ever so satisfactory. The freshness of the seafood was beyond my expectations. The sashimi just melted in my mouth, and the soup with a subtle hint of truffle tasted utterly delicious! The tiramisu and creme brulee were my absolute favourites. To top it off, a big thank you to the cheerful and attentive lady who served our table. (sorry I didn’t get your name). Your genuine attitude to make sure we’re well taken care of and your sincere birthday wish to my husband really made our visit so memorable. Thank you
MoreGreat venue with a lovely river view. First time visiting here and found the staff friendly and helpful. The food was fantastic and incredibly varied. It was all fresh and also beautifully presented. Coffee was also great. Must say anywhere with a chocolate fountain gets my vote. DEFINATELY recommend you save your dollars and come for the buffet lunch.
MoreCame here on a Monday night dinner. I had the buffet while my partner who is celiac ordered from the ala carte menu as the buffet reasonably could make no guarantees about cross-contamination.Her roast lamb came out dry and lukewarm and had to be remade, and the gluten free bread was supermarket quality. Ala carte service was very slow. The portions were however very generous.As far as the buffet, a mixed bag.- Indian had fresh naan made right for you which was delightful. The curries were rather bland but the chutneys were excellent.- sashimi was sliced very inconsistently and unpleasantly thick and chewy- pork belly was perfect- other roasts were average if sightly dry- dim sum was excellent- oysters were well sized and pleasant- both the prawns and the lobster were overcooked to the point of being chalky- cheese and salad bar was competent as would be expected- dessert selection was excellent and the quality was surprisingly highThe final frustration was the restaurants blanket refusal to bag up the remainder of my partners enormous ala carte (not buffetdish for alleged "food safety" concerns, which is ridiculous given that this is absolutely standard literally anywhere.Overall, the experience and selection was nice, but for the price, I could not recommend it. The food quality is in no way commiserate with the price.
MoreWe had breakfast as we were staying at the Langham. The staff are always so lovely and attentive. We didnt enjoy the table position as we were stuck in the middle (no views near a windowand the lady next to us (within arms reachwas talking really loudly on her phone the whole time. Not a relaxing breakfast after a night out!The food itself was good and plentiful, but the scrambled eggs were runny and the plates near the fruit were hot which isnt ideal. I think as we arrived near the end time that we got the tale end of food cooked earlier (our issue for not going earlier).
MoreThe food was awful, had only 2 vegetarian options and the staff was literally looking at all of us to finish so that they can clear the table. Conservatory is so much better with the service ambiance and space. I will not even give 1 star.If you’re having a hard time choosing between Melba and Conservatory - GO TO CONSERVATORY.I had an awful experience and I regret paying so much here. Highly disappointed.
MoreOne of the best buffets in Melbourne. All the food categories were awesome, I liked Indian food the most with delicious curries and fresh Naan made by the SOUS Chef Deo Pal. He was really good and offered us different types of Naans(Fresh Breadwhich my whole family loved. Will visit again very soon.
MoreThe location, service, and dining experience is 5 star. However the food is 4star. Its a little over rated. Especially when you are paying $150 pp.Smoked salmon- beautifulUnagi- Very niceSalmon Sashimi- not as fresh as some other 5star japanese restaurantsOysters- Very FreshPrawns- A little over cooked and chewySashimi platter- very nice, good presentationLobster tails- a little dry, (not as fresh as you would want)Duck Pancakes- hardly any duck meat insideDessert- they didnt replace the vanilla ice cream for agesapple tart was frozen insidepudding- beautifulrasberry + berries mix- so yummyHot food (great selection and variety of indian, itallian, chinese, cuisine but couldnt fit any more in my stomach after eating all the seafood)All in all- its a beautiful fine dining experience for adults and date night! Wouldnt go there (all the timeThere are other fine dining restaurants in melbourne that have a higher quality seafood buffet for sure.
MoreLoved it! Had my birthday lunch here and there is a variety of foods to choose from. The roast pork belly and lobster and the baby octopus yum! Also love how the dessert is in bite size pieces so you can choose more than one 🤣😋 and the chocolate fountain 🤤
MoreReally good quality buffet. Cook to order steaks, lamb ragu, sushi, fried noodles. Butter lobsters, prawns, oysters, carvery, Peking duck , made to order naan bread, assortment of curries and array of desserts and chocolate fountain. My recommendation is to go during Monday to Thursday.
MoreWas great. Good selection of foods.Staff were also great
Unfortunately our table was really disappointed and won’t be returning. I am heavily pregnant and I warned the chef and asked my steak to be very well done, and it was bleeding in the middle once I cut it. The lobster was very stiff & dry. Which I looked most forward to and couldn’t eat it. The crab was mushy, like watery mash potato instead of crab meat. Prawns had no taste at all. Pork roast very dry. $7 per soft drink. I really wanted to like this place. The only thing worth it was the dessert bar.
MoreThe food was ok, good variety. I was disappointed with the service here, no one asked if we wanted more drinks, we only had 1 within 3 hours. Whereas the restaurant next door had much more attentive service. It was more a get bums on seat feeling, not what you would expect $150 per head
MoreWe went to the Langham high tea for a birthday and safe to say I was a little disappointed. Once we were seated it was approx 25 min before orders were taken it wasn’t busy and there lots of staff . The coffee arrived well after the high tea was served and only because we asked where the coffee was . We chose the $90 high tea with free flowing sparkling wine . It wasn’t free flowing it was actually refilled once. It wasn’t busy at all so there is no reason the service should have been so poor , free flowing means top up every time my glass is empty and this was not the case. The food was average at best. The party pie was the highlight ( is there such a thing as a bad party pieThe scones were delish so soft and fresh . The rock lobster cocktail tart tasteless and the tuna poke not fresh. Once our 2 hour session was up wait staff were so quick to remind us and hand the bill over.Would have been nice to actually have my wine topped up a little more , have wait staff check in and see if we needed anything and maybe some nice music in the backround would have added to the ambience . Overall disappointing experience.
MoreFirst time set on my feet at Melba restaurant, I felt a warm ambience as well as warm greetings from the staff.I had reserved by the window seat for three, where I can see Yarra River and Southbank. The dining area is not big, compare to Conservatory restaurant in Crown. However, this is closer to the buffet station.I really enjoyed my lunch buffet experience here especially the grilled and seafood selection. Last but not least, we could take as many beautiful shots as we want in the iconic Langham hotel. Dont forget to check the pink phone box in the lobby as well as the pink cab in front of the entrance.
MoreThe food wasnt awful, its was not bad, but also not good, in my opinion its below the standard you would expect from a half decent, everything was made more bland. I get thats its a buffet but every dish was just a slightly inferior version of what its mean to be. From what I saw the food seemed some what fresh, just not very tasty. Ive given it 2 stars in particular because for 150 per person its way over priced, the standard of food is not what youd expect for that price. I would expect maybe $40-50 per person (max). Also they charged me 13 bucks for soda water 👀
MoreLoved the sushi here. Chefs were friendly and provided good character to a few of the dishes. Customer servers (Waiterscould be bettered, often came across as a bit arrogant. Overall 4/5 stars, Things need to jazz up here ASAP, if they want to survive.
MoreIt was an okay experience. Some of the dishes were very fresh and nicely cooked e.g. the prawns, mussels. However there were some that were left cold, or tasted not that fresh. Some oysters tasted good, some tasted weird.I would have given this a 4 star if not for the very stressful process of booking. We were guests of the hotel but were initially not able to book because they were apparently fully booked. It took us several calls with long waiting time, and several f2f enquiries to be able to get a spot for dinner. Only for us to find out throughout our dining experience that most of the tables around us were empty. Very appalling and disappointing.
MoreWe’ve been to Melba on a couple occasions. It is quite pricey for the dinner menu but the food is nice. We particularly enjoyed the live cooking and sushi station which heightened the experience. The service was slightly on the slower side
MoreAmazing lipsmacking food, theres all kind of cuisine available from seafood to vegen to aisan continental, sushi, desserts, Indian buffet, salads, all types of meats and bbq also available, I felt 2 hours time for a seating is less they should extend it to 3 hours, if youre there for an experience 2 hours would be less, but otherwise worth the money for any special occasion, especially when you have an event and want to ensure theres somwthing for everyone to relish.
MoreOrnate decor, tour the world with a dinner buffet selection covering, Italian, French, Asian, Indian, Seafood and Japanese. The views across the river and city make a great backdrop.
MoreI had the buffet breakfast and it was really good. It has the normal problems of a buffet such as waiting in lines, waiting for food to come out and temperatures not always being hot. But it has a great range of options to choose from including a traditional western breakfast, continental breakfast and Asia specific such as miso soup. It also has a salad and juice bar. Plus the staff are super friendly.
MoreHad the buffer dinner for an Xmas party and thoroughly enjoyed the selection of mouth watering food on offer. The entrance had a beautiful display worthy of a vogue magazine cover so definitely bring your camera too, preferably pics before food!
MoreDined on 2 Dec 21 for work group of 24 people for Christmas lunch. Everything was amazing. Its hard not want to try everything. Theres an amazing selection of seafood, sashimi, cured meats, antipasto items, salads, cheeses, roast meats, vegetables, curries and condiments. The dessert selection will have you wishing you started there, most items are bite sized but big enough to share with another person so you can try a bit of each. And theres a chocolate fountain, icecream and lollies too. We sat over a 3 hour period and ate way too much but it was really enjoyable. Pretty certain well be back next year. Service by Tao was fantastic as well.
MoreThe man behind the sushi bar was shocking! No smile No verbal answer and put food on my plate like I am a homeless. The food range is not good enough for the price. First time ever, my friends and my kids and myself were still not full when we walked out of a buffet restaurant.
MoreWent there on Tuesday night to celebrate our anniversary . We paid $110 per person for the buffet . The price which you pay and the varieties of food they serve is pretty average . There is one seafood , small paste ,Asian and Indian counter . The only best thing about was great cab sav wine.
MoreFancy Sashimi bar. All the seafood and desserts are very high quality. Only the roast meats are a little disappointing, but very happy to come back with firends though!
MoreAfter looking at the recent reviews of the covid safe style buffet, I was a bit worried when I booked my pre-Xmas eve dinner buffet. Turns out its a nice surprise,not only the food is as delicious as always, but the covid safe plan makes us feel comfortable to dine in. Enough social distancing between tables, limited number of customers in the buffet hall, each station has chef served you and customers would not need to get close to the food but can still look and choose what they want. Needless to say, the waiters service level is top-notched, from arranging the best window seating to frequent change of plates, refilling beverages, sanitized wipes. Everything is just perfect.Last but not least, even the in-room dining is superb and at reasonable price.
MoreExcellent selection of food including seafood, sushi, Indian, antipasto, noodle bar, pasta bar, roast selections and dessert bar.Unfortunately quality has dropped since my last visit. Same variety but not as high quality.Amazing location, view and decor. Great staff. Price on Sunday over $100 for lunch.
MoreGreat dinner buffet at Melba - sushi and seafood station were my favourite as the oysters were super creamy/fresh and all nigiri made to order! Crab and lobster claws tasted a bit bland and seemed to be thawed, but for $99 a head the range of seafood was pretty good. Dessert bar was generous and a nice selection of local cheeses to taste. Service also top notch, so would definitely come again!
MoreReally enjoyed the special menu we tried for Lunar New Year - creative and delicious dishes. The Langham always does their themed events so well. We also grabbed some items from the buffet - love the raw bar, especially the fresh oysters and the m&m naans freshly made from the station.
More5 stars at the Buffett, which had represented all flavours of our cultural stew. I Feasted on many offensive combinations of fine cuisine.-1 star because the blinds were drawn. On account of the heat, I suppose , but one could expect at least one blind to be open, so that one could be aware of the view.As it was I could easily imagine myself to be dining in a well lit car park.
MoreIt was an alright experience for me. We went for dinner and it was quite pricey for the narrow selection. The oysters were fresh but tiny. The Indian and Asian sections were great because they made food to order and the the staff were friendly. The staff at Japanese section wasnt very friendly though.The view was pretty as it faces the river area.
MoreI had a 6 night stay at the Langham hotel, which is where this restaurant is located. I would rate the breakfast buffet that was packaged with my hotel stay about 4.5 stars. The food was decent and the service was acceptable for the price. I ate here every morning. This negative review is primarily for their overall dinner buffet experience.The dinner experience here was appalling for this type of establishment. At about AU$100 per person at a "5-star" hotel, service was horrendous. I would rate their service as 2 stars (0 for table service, 4 for the food staffout of 5 stars. Our server never checked up on us a single time for the hour and 20 minutes we were seated. She would come by to pick up our used plates at the beginning of our stay while we were away from our table, but completely stopped after 2 passes. For at least 20 minutes, we had 3 plates and 1 bowl at our small table. I had to stack my wifes used plates onto mines so she can have dessert. Our server would walk slowly to two tables that were next to us, but would never check up on us or another nearby table. All diners would need to grab her attention for service. I hope that all staff was training appropriately and our server will need to be retrained so other diners would not have to be as upset as I was.The on-duty supervisor and highest ranking staff member on the night of service offered a 20% discount off our bill. I declined as my complaint was about the horrible service and not the food. It would be unfair that I ate my fair share and not pay the appropriate amount. I would instead liked to have heard that they will be retraining our server.As for the food, it was good. They had an above-average selection of sushi items such as abalone, uni, salmon, tuna, etc. The hot buffet area was clean and serving area staff was very attentive in refilling the food and assisting patrons when needed. There was also a full-serve Asian stir fry and pasta line that also served sirloin steak. The quality of their desserts were below average. Overall food quality was decent at about 3.5 stars when factoring in the price.Please be aware that I am trying to be as objective as possible. I typically only write positive reviews as many people only write reviews when treated unfairly or had a bad experience. I will be one of those negative reviewers for this post as I felt this experience was unacceptable. This is my first negative review ever.Do not dine here for a 5-star table service experience, but embrace the view and the food.
MoreMelba has always been my favourite buffet in Melbourne. Its always fresh, plentiful and varied. They label things well and theres truely something for everyone. They do great Indian food, great sushi, beautiful pastas and salads and fish and the most delicious desserts. Its pricey, but I think theres definite value here. The staff are always friendly and helpful and its a perfect spot if you have a special occasion or just a treat for a change for lunch or dinner.HOWEVER ... that being said. We just came here again for the first time in a while for a very special occasion. We made the booking for 8 people. When we booked over the phone, they didnt once say that since we are coming for lunch and having guests, the best thing to do would be valet park with the hotel for a flat rate of $19. No. They didnt tell us that. Instead, we paid $75 - yes $75 - for just over three hours of parking with Wilson. It is daylight robbery and should be regulated. The hotel lost that business by not disclosing it to us, and instead our money went to Wilsons. But the thing is, when they know youre hosting guests, the least they can do is verbalise that on the phone with you at the time.Otherwise, the day went smoothly (other than the idiot waiter who told us our table was the one "over there with all the big balloons" on it after we urged him to keep it subtle as the guest of honour was with us as a surprise ...), and I recommend the lunch here for sure. Just be sure to NOT park downstairs unless you valet.
MoreFirst meal in Melbourne.Big discount for the Hotel guestsNice food. Good service.Very friendly staff.Seated by the river. Can see the night view of Downtown & the river.Sure will come again with friends
MoreMy 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.There’s a really good choice and almost everything is great!My personal favourite was the Sushi/Sashimi Station - I could’ve 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 that’s due to the staff being overtired.We paid $250 + tip for the two of us, which included one glass of rosé and a rum & coke.
MoreI have to say even though Melba is not as luxurious as Conservatory, the food is definitely better. This place surprised me - they have delicious Indian dishes and very tasty Miso soup, you can also order dishes cooked freshly for you. However their desserts rather quiet disappointing, the choices were too limited. At the same time the chocolate ice cream was exceptionally good. Very interesting place, worth to try.
MoreWide range of food options but taste was not up to the mark. Desserts were amazing.Must visit for sea food lovers(wide range taste is ok)Indian 2/5Wok 3/5Pastas 3/5Salads 4/5Sea 4/5Desserts 5/5View 5/5 (if window table)And automatic blinds :DI went on a Sunday and valet parking was $65 .. lol ....I parked in Wilson($11 flatwhich is 1min walk from the place.There were few more items but I was so full that I had to let it go. Damn. !!!! Stay away from breads they make u full.
MoreWe came In as a group. We had a large table service was fantastic. Even walking in to the restaurant, the hotel has a beautiful lobby. Its almost like being in the Bellagio or Venetian in Las Vegas. The election of seafood is amazing. Fresh sashimi, deserts , cheeses and fresh pasta in the spot. The view from the sitting area of the city is breath taking. I came here 3 years ago and we didnt get In so.please make a reservation.
MoreWant to order over the phone?
Call +61 1800 641 107