Alba - E Montreal

There for a drink this past Friday and Nadia's service deserved a 2nd go so we returned for apps (lamb and Octopus) on Saturday. The food was phenomenal..seriously...portions were not too large for a main though tasted as good and filled us up...coming from the East Cost of Canada, this was as good/better than most restaurants we have been to.We were there before, during and after a wicked rain storm and the only ones on patio during the rain. Nadia was so wonderful keeping us looked after and providing advice, 1st class service and a most pleasant personality. She and the restaurant deserve a visit.

Sono stato insieme a mia moglie e a mio figlio di 10 anni in questo ristorante perchè adiacente all'hotel dove ho soggiornato. Abbiamo mangiato a pranzo e a cena e devo dire che la cucina è ottima . La sera abbiamo mangiato a la carte e il giorno dopo a pranzo abbiamo scelto di prendere il menu. Sarà che da quindici giorni non la mangiavamo ma la pasta era buonissima e cucinata meglio che in un ristorante italiano. Buonissima anche la carne e ci è dispiaciuto dover ripartire perchè saremmo volentieri andati di nuovo in questo ristorante. La gentilezza del personale rende il posto ancora più accogliente. Non è neanche tanto costoso.

The Alba restaurant was located across the way from our hotel. We ate there twice, and each time had a very enjoyable meal. First night we tried their three course, set meal, which was very well prepared and very good. The second night we ordered from the regular menu and again the food was very good. The Staff was very friendly, helpful and pleasant. In retrospect, I wish we had eaten here more, would have been much better than some of the places we had eaten.

Priced as a fine dining, you could expect a restaurant to be one notch higher than this. Service is good (but not outstanding nor very warm). Food is well executed but not creative at all. There are way better restaurants for that price in the area. Just cross the street for example to go at Renoir at the Sofitel...not that I want to be negative or discourage anyone to go as nothing is wrong here...just no real bang for the bucks.

Solid choice for downtown Montreal. Ambiance is nice, food is good, location is convenient, menu makes sense, service (on this night) was outstanding. Perfectly enjoyable, but never quite reached the five star level on any front. Scallops and duck breast were both tasty and nicely presented. The oysters on special @ $1.50 apiece were great. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but I'd probably be more inclined to try something new.