Mercer's Restaurant









732 Main Road
Eltham
03 9431 1015


Mercer's has been a constant on the restaurant landscape in Melbourne for over ten years, and in 2010 was awarded one hat by the Age Good Food Guide.

Driving past this restaurant it always looks inviting, warm lights radiating from it's homely windows, and surrounded by lush gardens. On entering the restaurant you have a feeling of being welcomed into someone's home. On a crisp Autumn evening the temperature was perfect inside and the aroma's wafting from the kitchen were mouthwatering.

The menu read well. Options of a la carté or degustation were both inviting, and the descriptions on the menu were well written. Degustation menu for food matched with wine was a very reasonable $128. The a la carté menu was 2 courses for $58 or 3 for $72 for food only. A combination of imaginative modern Australian food was on offer. An interesting mix of French techniques with some influences from Asia, Britain, Europe and even the Middle East.

The wine list offered good selections from Australia and around the world, with many choices available at very reasonable prices.

Entrees included Tandoori Marinated Quail, Onion Soup with Cognac, Crisp Pork Belly with Scallops and Black Beans and A Roma Tomato Tart Tatin. The Pork belly and scallops was fantastic. The striking plating showcased the jet black bean puree and the scallop was cooked perfectly. The menu promised crispy skinned pork, however the crackle was more chewy than I was hoping for. The quail was well cooked however didn't really taste like it had any tandoori marinade treatment at all. Having said this it did not need the marinade to be a successful dish. The onion marmalade was fantastic however the whole dish was upstaged by the accidental hero.... The potato bourek! This potato fried pastry originating from eastern Europe was so delicious I could have eaten a whole plate of them.

Main course offered dishes like Kangaroo fillet with braised tail, Hapuka Fillet with lentils, Duck Breast with Khmer style Curry and Black Angus Scotch Fillet with Guinness braised beef and mushy peas. All meals were plated beautifully. The Beef Fillet was cooked to perfection and was well matched with the braised beef and peas. The accompanying salad of roasted vegetables with Persian feta was almost a meal by itself.

The service throughout was well paced and attentive. Dessert plates were well presented, displaying good modern styling combined with classic winning flavours. The raspberry brulleé was light and not too sweet, and had a good crunch on top. Cheese selections were enticing with choices from Normandy, Holland and Gippsland winning my attention.

Overall a great place to enjoy good food and wine in a warm and cosy environment.

Rating: 15/20

Mercer's on Urbanspoon

Comments

  1. This is one of my favorite restaurants. Meals are always cooked perfect and the place is comfortable. I will surely miss this place as I am starting to drink meal replacements because of my recent weight gain.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts