Bar Melusine

Loved everything about this new restaurant. From the herringbone tile to the giant hanging gymnasium lights. Oh, and all the dishes we shared were superb. Not large portions but a couple apps and one order per person was perfectly filling.

Renee Erickson does it again, this time, on Capitol Hill.
Bar Melusine’s menu is an amalgamation of small plates from the land and sea, with a nod to France, and a dash of pretentiousness (I mean, wtf is a periwinke?). While on the smaller side, the space is light, with a white/​teal décor, and amazing tile work.
We stopped in for a mid-​week dinner, and were nestled into a cozy 2-​person booth. The cocktails were interesting (pilot was my fav), and the oysters were shucked to order.
Everything else:
fried fish skin — crispy, but no real discernible flavor
smoked periwinkles — for the uninitiated, periwinkles are snails, and not worth the work to dig out of the shell
steamed mussels — good, but we’ve had better
pork rillons — melt in your mouth pork belly
steak tartare — a solid rendition of a classic
pineapple eton mess — it was dessert, so, yay?
Overall, the cocktails and oysters were the best part of the meal. As for everything else we tried, I guess we expected more. We weren’t blown away by anything, and to top it off, there’s an automatic 20% service charge.

Went for a birthday celebration with a couple of friends. Since you cannot reserve tables for parties smaller than 6 we had to wait to be seated. Initial estimate was 20 minutes, ended up taking about an hour. We got seated at the bar while waiting and got our cocktails, so the hour passed pretty quickly anyway.
The upside to this place is the staff. Super friendly, not «in your face» but always paying attention and making sure you have a good night.
The big downside is the noise level. It is hard to hold a normal conversation without raising your voice or leaning across the table to hear and be heard. Pro tip to the owners: sound dampening roof tiles have been invented…
The oysters are good and as local as they can get, a big plus for that one!
The dishes are all small and obviously intended for sharing, but some of them are so small that they cannot be reasonably shared even between two persons.
Overall we had a great time and the food is good, but I’ve had better and am not raving about this place.

We are BIG fans of Walrus and the Carpenter so we had to try Renee’s new restaurant. Here’s what we tried:
Oysters — favourite was hama Hama and Pickering passage. Our 11 yo tried her first oysters tonight and she loved it.
Fried fish skin — so bad but so good!!! Must try
Salmon Boudin — good but not great.
Smoked mussel tartine — yummy!!!
Frites — still can’t figure why they were so damn good…
Pork Rillons — like the fried fish skin, so bad but so good!!!
Overall, we were very pleased and look forward to our next visit. Then again, we need to also try Bateau next door… and the donut shop…

I went in with my friend on a Wednesday. Wow, what an atmosphere, so beautiful and clean! It felt like a white flashy french fishbelly bistrot, shiny and upscaled, darting around in a pool of green morroccan waters. It was lively and the music was good if not a little disjointed. My partner and i started with a selection of all the oysters, again beautiful and clean in presentation and flavor; We loved the treasure cove and sea cows. Scallop tartare was demure in size, but presidential in flavor. It commanded presence on the pallette, a distinctive and progressive view on the polyamorous marriage of pickled chantrelles, tarragon, and scallop. We devoured sweetbreads like bengalese tigers, brazen and competitive, bearing our smiling incisors as a taunt for the last awkward bite. Order two of these also, as these tender creatures couched in asiatic lemongrass may leave you on the hunt for more. If you are feeling wild and sapless, as oysters are want to do, we would suggest a bottle of Thomas et Fil Sancere. Our waiter (s) suggested it. And the waiters were great, a seamless string of smiling threads, weaving together a blanket of hospitality. We felt warm and comforted along the way. Thanks Bar Melusine. We’ll be back

I’ve been waiting for this strip of restaurants to open and the day has finally come! Cap Hill is seriously expanding into some higher-​end, cute and hipster/​modern restaurants (lark, bitter/​raw, bar melusine, bateau, soi7… etc.) This area also has Renee Erikson’s donut shop, Porpoise, as well as Racer coffee and Meat & Bread (porchetta sandwich chain from Vancouver). Talk about a food haven in this pocket!
So Bar Melusine– super cute restaurant that I’m assuming chicks LOVE (oysters and champagne, yay!) and guys may not (no burgers? $ 7 fries??). I find it more of a place to eat with your girl friends or if a guy is trying to impress a girl by taking her on a date there. It’s more of a bar/​appetizers place with a selection of small eats, champagne, wine and cocktails. Everything is in small portions and more than half the menu is cold food– i. e: oysters, cold lamb… etc. The quality of food is great, but the selection seems sparse. However, everything that we ordered: pork belly, lamb, oysters and fries were all good. It’s just that you need to order lots of it to fill full.
Dishes
Oysters– pretty standard. Good selection with maybe 8 varieties. Most restaurants that have oysters have the kumamoto which is the sweetest, least briniest oyster– pretty standard. We tried 2 others that the waiter recommended and they were also nice and fresh.
Lamb– served thin and cold with some creamy sauce. The lamb itself was perfect– juicy, tender and thin. However, I did not know it was going to be served cold and the creamy sauce did not have much flavor.
Pork Belly– one tiny piece. BUT, it was one of the best pork belly’s I’ve ever had– braised to perfection, flavorful, juicy and delicious. Just be sure to order one per person since again, it’s a tiny portion. They paired the dish with some thin slices of pear to cut the saltiness which was nice.
I was craving some carbs and got their fries which are the thick cut kind. They came out hot and chewy, but not so much crispy. Worth the $ 7? Probably not but it’s the ambiance and service you’re paying for. Speaking of, they include 20% service charge in all the bills so tipping is not up to you. Oh, and because this might be considered «fine dining», they don’t have ketchup.
Overall, quality food, cute place, good service… just might seem overpriced for what it offers. Can’t wait to try Bateau next door!

We walked in early evening for quick bites and had good first impressions of the place and a very friendly staff. However; the food (buckwheat crêpe and shellfish chowder) was just about average which makes it hard to justify the premium prices you pay for it. The oysters were good. But we really were underwhelmed by the food — our bill was $ 58 (including a mandatory 20% service charge) for 4 oysters; a cup of chowder and a small portion of buckwheat crêpe: barely a starter for two people. We came back home and made a salad to complete the meal. I wouldn’t be going back for food but would give it a try again for cocktails.

We passed by when it wasn’t open and were intrigued so went back later that evening.
Nice table by the window for 2 was quiet
Wait staff were friendly and attentive without being pestering
Good selection of nice wines, cocktails were tasty
Food was good — sharing plates full of interesting flavours and textures

So good. Such great cocktails. Best service. Fun and attentive staff. Bartender is amazing. So happy to have another great place in CapHill.