Review: NOtaBLE

[dannie]

NOtaBLE
http://www.notablerestaurantworks.ca/
4611 Bowness Road NW
Ph: 403-288-4372
Reservations Recommended

NOtaBLE is a highly anticipated new restaurant created by Chef Michael Noble. While the location is rather obscure in the main level of a new condo complex, it is definitely a fantastic place to check out. It is a great addition to fine dining in the NW quadrant of the city. Chef Noble has an impressive resume: http://www.chefdb.com/nm/1734/ and has also competed on Iron Chef America against Chef Morimoto.

Ambience and Atmosphere 10/10

Three of us arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes late for our 8pm reservation. The hostess greeted us warmly and ushered us to our table using the name that we had reserved under. The restaurant is organized into 3 sections. First is a bar area on your right when you walk in the door, second is a chefs table to the left of the open concept kitchen and the third is the dining room. The decor is warm brown and white tones while the kitchen open concept with shining stainless steel and white decor.

The feel to the restaurant is rather casual. There were people in shorts and t-shirts and others in slacks and blazers. The acoustics in the restaurant were quite remarkable. The entire place was packed, yet we could still hear what each other was saying without having to raise our voices. With the open concept restaurants, I have noticed this isn’t easily attainable.

Food: 9/10

We all decided to order different things for the starters and dinner and sample each thing. The server suggested absolutely anything from their rotisserie, while highly recommending the prime rib that night.

For starters we ordered:

Lobster Salad “ Mini Buns,” Chili Garlic Butter; Potato Chips: The half order of this contained 3 mini buns. It was a lobster salad on toasted bread. The flavours were quite simple yet had a note of elegance to them. The potato chips were house made with sea salt.

Tombo tuna tartare, local vegetable “ratatouille:” The tuna by itself was flavoured perfectly. The ratatouille was sweet and when you combined it with the tuna, it made for an entirely different taste to the dish.

Dungeness Crab and shrimp bake, wilted spinach, aged cheddar and toasts: This was full of robust flavour with the aged cheddar and the spinach as the star of the dish. We found that the amount of toasts that came with it weren’t sufficient, but we ended up using the rest of the chips from the other dish to finish it off. Both went equally well with the dish.

I would have given the starters a 10/10 except for the fact that I found the presentation to be a little disappointing. I suppose I had higher expectations for it.

For the main courses:

Prime Rib, 28 day aged: I always order prime rib as an end cut. I find that while it is more of medium well temperature, the flavour is just a little bit better. This is hands down one of the best prime ribs I have had in a long time. For the fact that it was an end cut, it was tender, moist and perfectly done. It was accompanied by fresh grated horseradish, vegetable of the day (green beans, carrots) and mashed potatoes. I could not finish the dish, so the guys both ended up finishing it for me and both were overly impressed.

Wild BC Halibut, Panang Curry Sauce: The portion on the Halibut was perfect at about 6oz, the sauce had a mild kick to it and it certainly made the dish. It wasn’t a typical curry, it was more of a marinade on the halibut. This made it lighter and much more decadent than I had expected when it came out. The vegetable were the same as the Prime Rib, but it also had baked fingerling potatoes instead of mashed. They were perfectly well done.

Galloway natural beef Flatiron steak: While this certainly isn’t the best cut of meat on the menu, it exceeded expectations. It was cooked medium rare and held its flavour very well. I was impressed at the fact that they didn’t over or under season the meat. It almost melted in your mouth. If this is an indication of the quality of their other cuts of beef, I will have to go on the record and say that it will challenge the bistecca at Mercato.

The three of us decided to split their flourless chocolate cake for dessert and we were all impressed. One of the guys described it as “an orgasm on your tongue.” I do believe that says it all :)

Service: 10/10

I have been reading that for the last few weeks the service at the restaurant has been lacking. Which seems fair considering it’s brand spanking new and kinks generally need a little time to be worked out. However, we did not find it lacking at all. Our server was prompt, friendly, answered every question and even had a few suggestions. He was more than accommodating with anything we had asked for. It’s also worth noting that Chef Noble did come out of the kitchen and made the rounds with each of the tables when he had a few moments. I always think it’s nice to see a chef take the time to make sure everyone is enjoying their food.

Pricing:

3 starters, 3 main courses, 1 dessert, 2 virgin Caesars, 4 glasses of wine and 3 beers came to just under $200.

Overall: 10/10

I strongly recommend NOtaBLE to anyone who wants to get out of the house for dinner. Be it a special occasion or just dinner out. I can say without hesitation that this is now one of our top 5 go-to places for dinner.

Dannie

[beyond_ban]

How big is it inside? Room for large parties?

[Kritafo]

interesting I have reservations for this evening all based on Fridays is a prime rib night!

Ohh I can't wait!

[dannie]

Originally posted by beyond_ban
How big is it inside? Room for large parties?

Depends what your idea of large is. There was a party of 12 seated near us, a couple booths that hold 5-6 people. The bar area looks like you could push the tables together and get about 15 people in there.



Originally posted by Kritafo
interesting I have reservations for this evening all based on Fridays is a prime rib night!

Ohh I can't wait!

Feel free to add to my posts here! Let me know what you think. I was really happy with the prime rib :)

[Kritafo]

We are a party of 4 and by the sounds of it...all of us want prime rib,... so that part stinks, nobody is willing to trying anything else for the moment.

Ohh I can't wait to go!

[bleu]

Some of my colleagues have gone here and come back with rave reviews. I definitely have to try this! :)

[CapnCrunch]

The brunch they serve here is pretty fantastic. Eggs benedict is superb.

We had a good dinner here as well.

[dannie]

Good to know about the eggs benedict! It's always good to hear about places that do brunch on there weekend.

[lint]

Had dinner at NOtaBLE last friday with the wife.

We started off with the Seared East Coast scallops, grilled romaine hearts, bacon & caper dressing, the wife had the Saltspring Island mussels & “frites”, Thai red curry broth, cilantro and I had the NOtaBLE aromatic-rubbed free range
“half” chicken with vegetables instead of fries. The portions were large and the food was fantastic. Neither of us had room for dessert after that. We both thought the value was exceptional when compared to say Joey's/Earls/Cactus Club etc. Definitely planning on going back to try the other stuff of the menu.

[mr2mike]

The half chicken was good. And their lunch stuff is quite good too. Maybe a little pricey for lunch, but none the less, it is still good food.

Things to avoid, the pasta. I forget the dish but my gf and her friend both got the same pasta dish and they got 7 pieces of pasta. I quickly did the math and it was just over $2/piece of pasta, haha. Not worth it.

Also the big slab of pork was not too appatizing and the guy who got it was disappointed and thought it was too fatty. Could have been a bad luck thing too.

Parking can be a challenge at peak times but overall its a good place and a change of pace from the typical Joey's/Earls.

The head chef is the owner so I'm sure anything not to your satisfaction, he will do his best to circumvent the situation and make your experience enjoyable.

I will definitely go back.

[Anton]

I've been here a couple of times but didn't think that the benedict was very good. The biscuit/bread that they used fell apart very easily and just didn't have a good flavour/consistency to it. I've only had it once though so maybe it was just on an 'off' day.

Dinner there is always great. The Phil & Sebastian creme brule that they had and will be bringing back for the fall is unreal.

[Maxx Mazda]

Been there a few times now, I like it.

[bignerd]

Went last night, had shrimp crab bake to start, I had prime rib (which is HUGE) and husband had the swordfish. He had the chocolate brownie and ice cream and I had chocolate hazelnut creme brulee for dessert. All food was excellent, I have however had better creme brulee. He had two premium drinks and I had two glasses of wine, bill was 129.00.

Also do not be afraid to sit at the counter near the wood grill, it was warm but really cool to watch the kitchen work and all the food being prepared and grilled.

Will be back again, several things on the menu that I had a hard time deciding between. I would recommend a reservation-they were busy all night long.

[bigbadboss101]

Was there on Wednesday. Nice atmosphere and it was rather busy. Our food took a little longer but was great. I had the grilled salmon on risotto which was very good. Had a piece of my friend's lamb which was tasty. The various desserts were great. All the girls were making ecstatic noises.

Will go again. A little pricy but better than some other places we have been to.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by lint
the wife had the Saltspring Island mussels & “frites”, Thai red curry broth, cilantro .

My wife and I shared that to start, it was really good, I could have drank the broth straight up.

I had a lamb burger which I think happened to be a special that day, and it was awesome as well. I've only been once but it was outstanding in my opinion, and from a price standpoint, more than reasonable for the quality and quantity of food provided.

[flipstah]

How big are the portions? Would you say they're fair for the price or it's sampler-sized with a main-course price tag?

Sorry, I don't understand the concept of high-priced, small-portioned meals.

[bignerd]

Well the prime rib was huge.... I can only describe it as a slab of meat (albeit a very tasty one!). My husband had the swordfish and did not complain about the portions and he can eat a lot. All the other meals I saw around me looked fine for size/price.

We sat at the bar by the kitchen so saw all the meat being cooked and a lot of meals go out. Steaks also all looked a good size.

The menu does have some meals that can be ordered as a starter size or a meal size. Perhaps the appetizers were more expensive here but I think the size was the same as any other restaurant.

[rage2]

Only the OP mentioned the service... hrm.

I've been there several times now, and everytime the service was fucking horrendous. It seems like I keep getting stuck with wait staff that hates their jobs or something.

Food and prices are great tho, it just sucks that service blows so bad.

[BananaFob]

Originally posted by rage2
Only the OP mentioned the service... hrm.

I've been there several times now, and everytime the service was fucking horrendous. It seems like I keep getting stuck with wait staff that hates their jobs or something.

Food and prices are great tho, it just sucks that service blows so bad.

Yeah I was kind of disappointed with that too. I also think considering the reputation of the place, the servers all look really cheesy with their t-shirts.

I was kinda choked going there one night at 8:00 on a Friday and being told that the Prime Rib had run out. My friend and I were really hoping to get the Prime Rib. He asked for the chicken as a second choice and was told 5 minutes later that they were out of that as well.

Did anyone else find the restaurant blazing hot? I was sweating at the table :p

[Kritafo]

yes the restaurant is blazing hot and I just read they are correcting that, it was an issue with the new building.

ahh Servers come and go, that is the problem with most restaurants. Some are outstanding, some suck. I find most people in most jobs have the don't give a crap attitude these days.

Straight from the FB page.

"We have some great news!!
We realize that over the course of the last year the temperature in the restaurant has often been too warm for comfort due to a variety of issues with both restaurant and base building systems. A solution to the problem is finally on it's way! Chef has ordered an additional fan coil unit to bring more cool air to all of you and we are hoping to have it installed by the end of August. Yay for finally being able to have both a warm fire and a temperate dining room!"

[dannie]

Originally posted by rage2
Only the OP mentioned the service... hrm.

I've been there several times now, and everytime the service was fucking horrendous. It seems like I keep getting stuck with wait staff that hates their jobs or something.

Food and prices are great tho, it just sucks that service blows so bad.

The service standards have definately gone downhill in the last 6 months or so. So much so that we haven't been back for quite a while.

[bignerd]

One complaint.... phoned to make a reservation. They only accept reservations via phone. Tried calling a few times, nobody answered so left a message with my name and phone number, info etc...

Called back later as I hadn't heard anything and someone actually answered only to tell me they were booked and were busy which is why they don't answer the phone. Been a week and still nobody has returned the message I left. Went to Rouge instead.

[Kritafo]

I AGREE! I hate the reservation system. They never called me back either. They need to get one online or go with a system like OpenTable... or hire someone to answer the damn phone and stop taking so many walk-ins so I can make a reservation in less than 3 weeks

[zipdoa]

Although I have not been to Notable, I have lived down the street from it for 6 years.

There is a MARKED difference in yuppie traffic since it's opening. I thought there was an exotic meet one night, but I guess people were just showing up for dinner.

[poison]

went there last thursday with the fam..to start had the seafood hotpot with the saffron broth- really good but small portion..wife had the half free range chicken--nothing special, kinda dry..i had the lamb sirloin it was good but a little salty. I wanted the primb rib but they ran out...id go back again if was in the area..

[Kritafo]

Originally posted by zipdoa
Although I have not been to Notable, I have lived down the street from it for 6 years.

There is a MARKED difference in yuppie traffic since it's opening. I thought there was an exotic meet one night, but I guess people were just showing up for dinner.

Yes Montgomery is definitely changing...lots of infills and new homes going up. My son went to Montgomery Jr High and the boys would get their fill of exotic cars during their noon hours hanging out at Lily's subs.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by Kritafo


Yes Montgomery is definitely changing...lots of infills and new homes going up. My son went to Montgomery Jr High and the boys would get their fill of exotic cars during their noon hours hanging out at Lily's subs.

Lily = :thumbsup:

[Kg810]

Can't speak for the rest of the items on the menu, but I would recommend staying away from the Porchetta.

I went there a few months ago and all that I can remember was the tasteless Porchetta I ordered. Not only was it tasteless I ended up getting food poisoning from the half that I was able to force myself to eat.

This restaurant was totally overhyped. As pointed out, the reservation process is terrible, service is "meh", food was forgettable. My girlfriend and I won't be returning there for a long time.

[Myrrinda]

Took my mom there for her birthday on the 19th and it wasn't too bad. I had the same issue with trying to make a reservation. Kept leaving messages and no one would call me back. Finally I got a guy on the phone who said they were booked but that they only reserve 50% of their tables and that we should try walking in. We did, and we only waited about 15 minutes to get in, and that was at about 7:00, so not too bad.

Mom had the Halibut, Dad had the NY striploin and I had the prime rib. My parents thought there meals were pretty good. My prime rib was excellent but I wasn't a fan of the sides. It came with some potato au gratin thingy that I thought was kind of mushy. Overall it wasn't too bad, but nowhere near as good as Escoba, which is my favourite restaurant! I'd consider going back to try the halibut though. Service was pretty decent. Not spectacular, but not bad either. The biggest complaint was the music. It was so loud my parents and I had to yell at each other across the table.

[rc2002]

Originally posted by BananaFob


Did anyone else find the restaurant blazing hot? I was sweating at the table :p

Yeah it was uncomfortably hot when I was there. I felt bad for the servers. I would only consider going back in the winter or when they get a new air conditioning unit (which still was not installed as of the 29th of august).


The wait time was quite a bit longer than most places which is probably a function of staff to customer ratio.

I was able to get in on short notice which was a pleasant surprise considering the stories I've heard about getting a table there.

[Sorath]

Anyone know if there is a dresscode for this restaurant? Wanted to try it tonight

[Royle9]

no mandatory dresscode any time I've been there.

[Kritafo]

no dress code we went in shorts hopefully it's not too warm there to

[Sorath]

wow this place is awesome, the scallops were amazing even the garnish for the scallops were amazing, and they have HUGE HUGE portions. I thought the price was pretty good for the 3 of us. Our server was actually really good, no bad service at all

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[Sasuke_Kensai]

Went last week for a birthday, had the 8-person table (not sure if this affected service or anything). We did have a reservation so no wait time, it looked like there was quite a line.

Service was good, attentive without being in-your-face. We went through quite a bit of water, I don't think the carafes ever ran empty.

Food was delicious, I had the chicken special that day, $27. Pretty big portion for this kind of place too. Moist, tasty, not oversalted, all that jazz. Also, velvet fog on tap so bonus points.

Ambience was great, typical trendy restaurant/lounge atmosphere I guess.

When it came time for the bill, the waitress pointed out that there was already the 18% gratuity added on, and when we used the machine pushed it through with 0 tip to avoid any awkward times.

Thumbs up!

[phreezee]

Originally posted by dannie


The service standards have definately gone downhill in the last 6 months or so. So much so that we haven't been back for quite a while.

Went there for lunch today and we had a girl that I had recognized from before and service was terrible. Food took long for 3 items. Quality check was way late, so much so that she shouldn't have even bothered. NO water refills, or any refills for that matter. Sat there with empty plates for 10-15 minutes... I just wanted the bill to GTFO.
I don't think I'm going back. She might have had 3 tables at most, so she was just clueless and incompetent.

[heavyfuel]

I drive by there every day and I wish that CPS would step up the jaywalking enforcement. Just a matter of time before someone gets smoked right out front. Looks crowded as fuck all the time too and maybe it's just me but, if I'm spending $200+ to take my woman out, not only do I not give a fuck about the surrounding tables' conversations, but I also want to make sure I don't hear them.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I've only ever been here for lunch, but found it very average for the price. Wasn't impressed at all. Maybe dinner is way better?

[bigbadboss101]

We thought it was pretty good, not fantastic. There are restaurants that are similarly good. It was quite busy the night we went though.

[Neil4Speed]

I was very impressed when I went, slightly more expensive than earls, but a consistantly memorable meal of far better quality.

I have always had good service too, seems like they hire their waitress' based on skill set rather than "skill set".

Its busy because its good.

[beyond_ban]

I've enjoyed it everytime I've gone. If I'm up for a drive, Crazyweed in Canmore is awesome as well

[Kritafo]

I love going at lunch, it's even busy at noon hour. Big fan of their brisket sandwich, and their catch of the day is always fantastic. Never had bad service, the only average thing I have ate from Notable is the prime rib.

[Isaiah]

Tried NOtaBLE last week. Found it decent and didn't have a problem getting a same-day dinner reservation when I called at 10:00am.

As previously stated, the service could be better but I would return for the food. The lacklustre service can be chalked up up to the abundance of former Earls staff running the floor. At least 5 of the servers on the night we were in were formerly at Earls.

[AudiPWR]

Originally posted by Sorath
Anyone know if there is a dresscode for this restaurant? Wanted to try it tonight

No restaurant has a dress code if you have money. Well maybe except for the CGACC. Everyone there has money but everyone needs to dress to their standards.

[89coupe]

Trying this place for the first time tonight.

Hopefully my boy behaves, haha.

I'll post my impressions after.

[Sorath]

make sure you order the scallops

[snowcat]

Originally posted by 89coupe
Trying this place for the first time tonight.

Hopefully my boy behaves, haha.

I'll post my impressions after.

Are you going to haggle the price their as well?

[89coupe]

Originally posted by snowcat


Are you going to haggle the price their as well?

As well? :confused:

[flipstah]

Originally posted by snowcat


Are you going to haggle the price their as well?

You can't mock someone when you yourself can't even use the proper words.

[adamc]

how's the talent?

[89coupe]

Just got home from dinner.

Food was great, the only dish I didn't enjoy that much was the braised lamb, normally I love lamb but this dish didn't shine.

We tried nine different starters, some in entree size, one main entree for me (the lamb) and two desserts.

The service was friendly and fast.

The starters we tried were

Mussels
Fresh oysters
Scallops with grilled romaine. (Very tasty!)
Potato rolls
Chicken liver parfait
Beef tartar
Crab and cheese
Ravioli (Very tasty!)
Potato rolls
Wings

Main course was braised lamb.

Desserts were

Apple milk pie with Gelato ( So good!)
Chocolate pudding with ice cream

We were stuffed, 2 adults, and two kids, haha.