The Waverley
339 Elgin St., 613-627-4140, thewaverleyelgin.com
Open: Monday to Wednesday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Prices: mains $14 to $28
Access: no steps to entrance or washrooms
There are two kinds of restaurant-goers — one who sees a $25 burger nicknamed “Le Monster” and scoffs, “Not on your life!” while the other, pondering that triple-decker creation that also includes cheddar, gruyère, bacon, short rib, potato chips, lettuce, onion, bacon and special sauce, pauses and then says, “Monster me.”
Le Monster burger at the Waverley on Elgin Street
I’m in the first category. But someone I know was game to try eating a mouth-stretchingly tall burger, layered to excess, and so we went recently to the Waverley on Elgin Street.
He tackled the Monster and even enjoyed it, noting the moistness of its house-ground patties without being that discriminating about what came with them. “I don’t know if I should be proud or sad that I finished the whole thing,” he said after.
As gargantuan as it was, the Monster was one of a few highlights at the Waverley, opened by its owners last spring to replace their Japanese-inspired restaurant and lounge Izakaya. Its owners must have been pleased with the change because they replicated the Waverley’s look and menu in Orléans in late August when they opened the Waverley East at Innes and Trim roads.
On Elgin Street, the Waverley is an attractive room broken in thirds, with a dining area dominated by comfy circular and wall-length banquettes, another section filled with high-top tables, and, between them, a large, woody, three-sided bar. As if to please multiple constituencies, there’s a large mural featuring Jacques Cartier and blow-ups of vintage stamps on one wall, Kurt Cobain’s oversized portrait hanging by the washrooms, and a TV set turned to TSN, all within one’s swivelling gaze.
The menu is similarly broad, featuring lightly tweaked pub fare, sandwiches, comfort food and more ambitious bistro-style dishes.
Over three visits, I’ve sampled a few satisfactions, generally of an à-la-minute, beefy nature, but also much that I wished had been better.
We easily liked best the priciest choice in the menu’s “steak frites” category, a 10-ounce striploin steak ($28) that was properly cooked and full of juice and flavour.
Striploin steak at the Waverley on Elgin Street
Beef tartare ($14) lacked the bells and whistles offered elsewhere, but the basic version was reasonably well made, with good freshness and mouthfeel. It was short on brightness and surprise, but the drippy fried quail egg was redeeming.
Beef tartare at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Other dishes ranged from adequate to something of a letdown, with disappointments that were too sweet or too bland or too sloppy or too cold.
With two pre-teens at the table, we chose the nachos with pulled pork ($14). The boys had no complaints but the adults found the pork overly sweet and wished for more heat from the nachos, in terms of temperature and spice.
Pulled pork nachos at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Each boy had a sandwich — a cobb sandwich that put the famed salad between bread, and a short-rib melt — and both preferred the nachos. I tried the short rib sandwich and found its meat didn’t have the mouth-filling wow of a long, good, just-completed braise.
On another visit, the Monster-eater tried Waverley’s ribs ($22) and judged them OK, but tasting mostly of sweet maple-bourbon barbecue sauce. Meanwhile, mashed potatoes on the plate packed an odd, peppery hit.
Baby back ribs at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Seared scallops ($15) were agreeably peppery but a little overcooked and the cauliflower purée under them was cold and grainy. At first, squash-and-cocoa soup ($10) was a conversation piece, but apart from the flourish of melting, cocoa-tinged whipped cream, the soup was under-seasoned and bland.
Seared scallops at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Squash and cocoa soup at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
With the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, the pasta was fine, but where was the promised half-pound of seafood? We found scant flakes of lobster and no hoped-for chunks of meat.
Lobster mac and cheese at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Duck confit was pleasingly priced at $19, but not nearly as pleasing as duck confit that elsewhere costs $10 more. Waverley’s duck confit lacked the vivid, rich flavour that makes the dish special, and was awkwardly joined in a big bowl with cold, too-chunky, too-sour pickled beets and too much mushy polenta.
Duck confit at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Bouillabaisse makes lovers of fish soup swoon in Provence. At the Waverley, the $26 bowl registered mostly as mussels in a slightly lobster-y broth, augmented by some OK shrimp and less OK scallops, plus chunks of fish, tomatoes and potatoes and slices of fennel. Bread slathered with spicy rouille (red pepper sauce) was much needed, as the dish, while meeting the definition of bouillabaisse, skimped on richness.
Bouillabaisse at the Waverley on Elgin Street
Among desserts ($8), only the chocolate-lover’s special of warm cake, chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce delighted. White-chocolate crème brûlée lacked creaminess, but was more eggy and custardy. An apple tart, which we were told would be fresh-baked, arrived not even warm but was not too bad.
Flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
White chocolate crème brûlée at the Waverley on Elgin Street.
Apple tart at the Waverley on Elgin Street
For both Waverleys, the motto is “Chill. Drink. Eat. Socialize.” Based on my meals, I’d guess that if you prioritize relaxing and drinking and socializing at the Elgin location, you might be fine. But our desires for big flavours and culinary care and finesse just weren’t met.
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Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews
