Starters: smoked ocean trout with horseradish snow and caviar
Merrijig Inn, Port Fairy. Been wanting to go since last year since I was working on the south west part of Victoria. It’s in the old fishing port area where small boats are tied to the white tipped stumps by the river bank. It’s a charming little area, though very quiet and certainly doesn’t have a business/shops/restaurant strip to keep this area buzzing. Locals may prefer it this way, but I can imagine if there were many more people living here, the riverside would be a wonderful place to have lots of shops and accommodation. I am thinking of Dinan in France.
Overall the food was good and actually decent value. The starter of smoked ocean trout was delicious. My favorite was the crayfish – tasting like the ocean and very fresh. There was some repetitions throughout the menu (sea lettuce used in 3 dishes, samphire in 2, black fermented garlic in 2). Although they were mainly used as garnishes, it’s a bit annoying to see it multiple times, and then realizing that sea lettuce and samphire grew just about everywhere I looked on the coastline. The blue eye fish was devine with the truffle oil and some sort of consumé. The pork was flawless, but I wish more chefs can pair it with something other than apple. Yam, popular in Japan, could go well with pork, along something acidic. The beef was tender and well cooked (sous vide style, or ‘under vacuum’ in French, not ‘under pressure’ as suggested by the waitress). The meat was accompanied by ‘field herbs’ which didn’t work well for me. The steak had a full flavour that drowned the delicate scents the tiny herb springs could provide. Dessert was refreshing and I love the basil granita.
The interior was warm and like a nice home. It’s really something special and worth taking someone special to. Ask for the table near the window and watch the quiet street and skies darken as you eat. If anyone can tell me what the accommodation is like, I would love to know.
Starter: cauliflower soup
Crayfish, roe, coastal herbs, “sea foam”
Abalone, shellfish consommé, black garlic, radish, samphire
A warm and cosy interior
Eye, calamari, peas, black garlic, sea lettuce
Western Plains suckling pig, apple, fennel, morcilla
Eye Fillet, roast garlic, roasted milk skin, ash, paddock herbs
Peaches 3 ways, sheep’s milk gel, basil granita
#1 by Cindy on April 12, 2010 - 2:23 pm
I ate their vegetarian tasting menu this summer and LOVED it. Their vego take on surf’n'turf is very cool. We booked accommodation elsewhere, though, so can’t help you out there.
#2 by Matt on April 22, 2010 - 12:34 pm
In April 1996 my bride and I stayed at the Merrijig Inn on our honeymoon. We had a delightful attic room, with fluffy pillows and doonas, looking over the water. It was cosy and romantic, and the sense of history palpable. As fot the restaurant, I dont remember the food as much as the quirky service. I’m sure if the food was anything like the above, I would have remembered it! Nevertheless, it was certainly a memorable stay for us!
#3 by Fred Matteson on October 29, 2011 - 5:44 am
The dishes look so appetizing specially the eye fillet. This actually reminds me of the Asian series The Kitchen Musical.