What better way to spend a very wet and windy Sunday afternoon? As we enter downstairs at Bar Merenda and climb the spiral staircase up to the second level there is rain tracking sideways. We are in Daylesford in August so it is cold.
There are a few people I know who have been to Bistro Merenda upstairs. They’ve all been treated to a superb ever-changing menu, with warm and inviting service. The seasonality aspect channels Alice Waters from Chez Panisse of Berkeley California. We dined at Chez Panisse many years ago and have been grateful to see her inspiration shared by talented chefs across the globe.
When we go to fine dining restaurants with Syd, who is now seven, we normally write in the reservation comments that “we have a 7 year old with us who is well behaved and used to restaurants”. What that should actually read is “when we go to a restaurant there is a painful ten to fifteen minutes where we try to ensure Syd is well behaved, while trying to read the menu and order a drink, as he sets the table in the manner he likes, and asks for his screens twenty times”. Today is no exception.
Modern Australian / Farm to Table
We appreciate the challenge for any floorstaff who have to navigate this situation, and ours did his job admirably. He is super experienced and used substantial patience, providing dining options for a very fussy child, and was just generally a fantastic person to speak with through the meal.
On this wild Sunday, the restaurant upstairs is half full, but the bar down below seems to be constantly heaving. We peruse the menu written for just these three days of August, and decide to add Merimbula oysters as a starter, and locally farmed truffles by Black Cat in Wattle Hill to the mushroom risotto at the extraordinarily good price of $12 per person! With alcohol a necessity after the first part of lunch, I’m onto a strong Manhattan using Kinglake Distillery handmade single malt whisky. Catherine has restrained herself into a lovely sparkling wine made from Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) in the Loire Valley.
Our oysters come out looking glorious, and they taste just the same. Toasts with crushed cannellini beans are delicious too, and we have Syd trying a bite, before handing it back to my delight. Next up comes soft house focaccia and olive oil, capocollo, and cervelle de canut. The capocollo, better known as coppa, is a salumi made from pork neck. Bundarra Farm make a version that is rich and soft, marrying the focaccia beautifully. The cervelle de canut is a Lyonnaise dish consisting of soft cheese seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices. Here it is served alongside vegetables including radishes that have been pickled sometime ago by the chefs in preparation for the “hungry gap”, explained to be this time of year where nothing is growing (except lots of potatoes!)
As I move to a glass of the Nebbiolo from Piedmont by Benotti Rosavica, and Catherine to the King Valley Aligote by Terrason, we are presented with the mushroom risotto and the local black truffles. This mushroom risotto is different. First, the stock used is a mushroom stock, but the mushrooms themselves from Wombat Forest, are quite separate to the carnaroli rice, and there is a thin surrounding moat of olive oil. For me there is a touch of sweetness to the dish, and the separate cooking of the mushrooms and the rice make the flavour of the mushrooms themselves stand out, but there is less richness in the rice itself. I wouldn’t want it this way all the time, though it is great here.
We’re chatting frequently with our waitperson upstairs and he’s spending a great amount of time across the three tables he’s serving. I overhear he’s serving a 2021 Syrahmi as part of the wine matching and gain the courage to ask for an off-list glass which he doesn’t hesitate to pour. Named “Once in a lifetime” due to the brilliant vintage, we discuss how some regions seem to be having once in a century vintages a lot! It’s beautiful and matches tremendously with the next course.
Superbly pink lamb sits in a pepper sauce that is expertly crafted, and full of heirloom pepper that is described as also “life changing” and may well be. This lamb from Pig + Earth (go figure) is served with a side of duck fat potatoes that instantly remind us of Hazel where the husband and wife chefs, Oliver Edwards and Brianna Smith, once worked. These texturally consistent and wonderfully cooked-through potatoes, along with a properly dressed leafy salad, make for a winning main course that doesn’t overfill us like some can.
From a technical perspective, the madeleines we are served are everything you could dream of. Using your fingers you dip them into a luscious Meyer lemon curd, and the simple combination is satisfying. We might sound like spoiled children, but we were looking for something a little more involved for dessert, not to take away the technical prowess that goes into the madeleines. A little oddly there’s no non-black tea for Catherine to enjoy with them, when it would make a great combo. I finish with a negroni that incorporates a sweet local red vermouth by Saison.
Syd was treated amazingly considering he is a very stubborn child to entertain. His cheese and butter pasta plus the focaccia made for a great kids meal, and his almost pure lemonade, and the partaking of the madeleines at the end was a real treat.
Everything about our experience at Bistro Merenda was more than pleasant, and completely consistent with the great things we had been told over several months by others who had visited. The bar downstairs is extremely inviting for a future trip too, especially during those times where we are lucky enough to stay at Lake House close-by. Walking out into the subsiding sideways rain was easier after such a delicious meal.
