The Melting Pot
I’m sure most people, foodies or not, have heard of The Melting Pot. It’s Edmonton’s only fondue-style restaurant and it’s been around for almost 10 years. We actually have the only Canadian location! Although it’s been around for that long, I’ve only been there twice. Last week was my second visit for a late birthday lunch with one of my friends. During my first visit two years ago (review here), I only had dessert so I didn’t have the full experience. As soon as I sat down, my first thought was “date night” (side note: I was not on a date). The atmosphere is very intimate and romantic, yet cozy. It’s dimly lit as well, which you can tell from the shadows in my photos. The booth that we sat in felt secluded from the rest of restaurant as it was in a corner style.
I enjoyed their lunch menu because it allows you to have the full fondue experience without the prices! There are a few options for their lunch: cheese & chocolate $18, cheese, salad, & chocolate $25, and petite luncheon $30. My friend and I both went with the petite luncheon because we were really hungry! It’s a 3 course lunch that includes: cheese or chocolate fondue, a salad, and an entree of meats, a seafood, and a pasta. Their lunch menu is only available on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue
Since the petite luncheon only includes a cheese or chocolate fondue per person, one person should order the cheese and the other person should order the chocolate. My friend and I decided to try their spinach artichoke cheese fondue. I love spinach artichoke dip so I knew I had to get this when I saw it on their menu (baked potato cheese fondue came in quite close though!). The fondue was prepared for us at the table. After heating up the fondue pot, our server began with a veggie broth then stirred in Butterkase and Fontina cheeses. The cheese was melted with fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic. For our dipping sides, we had white French bread, apple slices, tortilla chips, and raw vegetables. The cheese was soooo rich and creamy. It wasn’t heavy either and I could honestly eat the whole pot to myself! We mainly ate it with the bread and chips because we love carbs. Both of us tried the apple slices with the cheese and thought it was a weird combination that somehow went together.
Caesar Salad
The next course was a salad, which was refreshing from the cheese fondue. For salad choices, there is strawberry almond, house salad, wedge, and caesar. My friend and I both ordered caesar salads. I’ve never had so much parmesan cheese served on my caesar salad before but I’m not complaining! The caesar salad had parmesan-encrusted pine nuts which added a bit of sweetness to it. Garlic and wine seasoning was given to us to enjoy with our salad and meats.
Entree with Mojo Cooking Style
Shrimp, Ravioli, Teriyaki Sirloin, Chicken Breast
The main entree reminded me of Asian-style hot pot except that they actually tell you the cooking times here (1.5 mins for food that walked on land, 2 mins for everything else). The petite luncheon comes with teriyaki sirloin, shrimp, chicken breast, and 4-cheese ravioli pasta. A small bowl of raw broccoli, mushrooms, and potatoes are included, too. You get to choose your own cooking style from a variety of options; seasoned court bouillon (a fresh, seasoned vegetable broth) is complimentary while others are an additional cost. We decided to go with Mojo (additional $7.50) which is a Caribbean-inspired bouillon with fresh flavours of garlic and citrus. The flavours were not strong but paired well with the food items we had. Six sauces are included: sesame sauce, a creamy sauce with a blend of sour cream, cream cheese, & onions, teriyaki sauce, a light yogurt-based curry, gorgonzola blue cheese, and one more that I can’t remember! My favourite sauces would be teriyaki with sirloin and shrimp, cream sauce with potatoes, and curry with chicken. I thought the chicken would be dry after it was cooked but it was very moist! The only item I didn’t enjoy was the ravioli because I didn’t like the taste of the cheese. It may not seem like a lot of food but it was filling and I almost thought I wouldn’t have room for dessert. My friend told me that “dessert is in a different stomach” which I agree with 100%!
Cookies & Cream Chocolate Fondue
Assorted Fruits & Dessert
The chocolate fondue was the best part of the whole meal! On my first visit here, I had tried the yin yang chocolate fondue so I didn’t want it again. My friend and I chose the cookies and cream chocolate fondue. The dark chocolate was heated up then flambéd with wine and stirred with Oreo cookie crumbs. For dipping, we received a tray of assorted fruits and desserts. The fruits included strawberries (we asked for extra of course), pineapple, and bananas. Other items were brownies, sponge cake, cheesecake, and marshmallows. I didn’t like the other items except from the marshmallows because I thought they were too sweet. The chocolate fondue itself was so good that I started eating it by itself at the end!
If you haven’t been to The Melting Pot yet, I suggest trying it for a fondue-style dining experience. Their lunch portion is a good place to start! I recommend making reservations because it may get booked up. It is also a lengthy dining experience because my reservation was at 12:30 pm and we didn’t finish until almost 3 pm. Make sure that you really enjoy the company of the person that you’re eating with!
Address & Hours
2920 Calgary Trail NW
Edmonton, AB
Mon to Thurs: 4 pm – 10 pm
Fri & Sat: 11 am – 10 pm
Sun: 11 am – 10 pm
