Melba, Southbank by Bureaucrat

If you want to impress your date/in-laws/partner, then treat them to a seafood buffet dinner at Melba - the in-house restaurant at Langham Hotel in Southbank.  Over the years, I've been to Melba for their gorgeous buffet, but it had been over five years since my last visit. There's seafood on offer on most nights but on Tuesday nights, there's the king of seafood available: lobster!


All-you-can-eat grilled lobster with garlic and cream sauce

To ensure that the lobster is cooked to perfection (and to also minimise wastage), the lobster (along with certain 'premium' dishes, such as the Peking duck) are served to you by the staff - that is, you're not going to get away with loading up your plate with a mound of lobster.  Having said that, they are generous - with each serve, you're guaranteed two big juicy, meaty pieces of lobster.  Further, you're more than welcome to go back for seconds, thirds and fourths, if you so wish.  I had one serve of lobster (see above pic), which was absolutely lovely.  Fresh, sweet, meaty lobster.  I loved the car-grilled flavour and the delicate sauce.


Peking duck


Seafood galore - crabs, mussels, prawns, oysters 


The main buffet area


As with many five-star hotel buffet restaurants, such as Collins Kitchen, Melba has a number of stations where chefs cook up your dish to your liking. I especially enjoyed the made-to-order char kuay teow, which was loaded with plump scallops, prawns and squid.

Other pretty (delicious) photos of the food that's available include...


...a sushi and sashimi station


...a cracker[ling] of a roast pork...


...made-to-order garlic butter naan bread, eggplant, tandoori chicken, Peking duck, antipasti and poppadom...


...cold cuts...


...lots and lots of fromage (more than shown here)...


...lots of miniature desserts, including an ice cream station with waffle cones and hot puddings.


For a chilly Tuesday night, Melba was impressively full.  There were lots of large tables and also young families enjoying the luxurious dining experience.


Langham hotel

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

A lovely place for a buffet and even lovelier food.  While it is pricey, the seafood buffet is definitely worth every penny.  You're definitely paying, and getting, quality here.

While I didn't use it for this meal, the 2016-17 Entertainment Book has a dining offer for Melba.  You get 25% off the total bill (up to the value of $45).  Click on these links to find out how we're raising money for FareShare by asking our dear readers to buy a copy of the 2016-17 Entertainment Book.

Also have a gander at Big Fil's review of Melba.

Find it at

Melba
1 Southgate Ave
Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: 1800 641 107