Merne at Lighthouse
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Named after the indigenous term for ‘food from the earth’, Merne is a great gourmet addition to the region’s burgeoning food and wine scene.
If you haven't heard about Merne yet, you will. With an A team of four decorated Geelong region chefs and food experts, Merne is the spanking brand new relaxed, dining venue in The Bellarine. This is the latest culinary venture by Matt Dempsey of hatted restaurants Tulip and Gladioli, business partner Graham Jeffries of Tulip, former chef at Tulip Josh Smith and Caleb Fleet from front of house roles at the Vue Grand and Pettavel Winery.
The menu is based around sharing food and heroes regional, local and fresh produce sourced from the restaurant's fruit and vegetable garden where possible.
The large windows which encase the dining room, afford diners with a picturesque view of the surrounding olive grove and emerging vineyards and allows warm sunlight to billow in, providing a bright, airy and spacious atmosphere.
The dining room is marshalled by excellent service staff, led admirably by Fleet. Each very knowledgeable and pleasantly friendly and humble. Merne combines these elements to deliver an enchanting experience, one not found in the hustle and bustle of Melbourne. All this is before the food even arrives.
We opted for the 4 course option (which is a lovely understatement. The journey took us through around 10 dishes plus sides as each course comes with several plates). This commenced with olives and a wonderfully vibrant amuse bouche of freshly shucked oyster with fermented apple.
Our favourite dish from the first course was the buffalo mozzarella. Simple, elegant and impactful, the dish was exceptional. We enjoyed how the buffalo mozzarella, radish, caper and pumpkin each worked in sync to produce an enlivening dish.
The second course ensued with a dish of "mussel tacos". A celebration of the sea, perfectly cooked mussels were encased within kohlrabi "taco shells" and laced with aromatic chervil and sea succulents.
This was followed by a decadent dish of kangaroo. The kangaroo was absolutely stunningly tender, melt in your mouth and boasting a wonderful depth of flavour. Together with the buckwheat porridge, pickled walnut and parsley, this was comfort food at its best.
The final two savoury items continued the trend of the evening - spectacular.
The dish of Ling, swede, fennel and smoked eel was elegant and delicious. The flesh was extremely delicate and communicated the natural flavours of the gloriously fresh Ling. It was a seductive and interesting combination with the smoked eel cream adding interest without detracting from the Ling's delicate sweetness.
The dish of beef short rib, Jerusalem artichoke, broccoli and hazelnut was, as expected, delicious.
Desserts at Merne are similarly well devised. The Smoked Apple, goat milk ricotta, macadamia and popcorn was a thoroughly modern dessert that excited and delighted.
Not to be missed is the dessert of blue cheese (from Drysdale Cheeses), walnut, quince and truffled honey - a wonderfully decadent cross between a dessert and a cheese course. Simply stunning.
Merne's captivating menu which showcases the freshest and finest produce in the Bellarine Peninsula provides the perfect excuse to escape to the region for an enchanting experience filled with equal parts tranquillity and indulgence.
Location: 648 Andersons Road, Drysdale
Phone: 5251 5541
Link: www.merne.com.au
