This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.
In an attempt to get into the festive spirit The Panda headed “Down Under” to check out Crown Melbourne’s most talked about new eatery, The Merrywell, and was more than pleasantly surprised.
Finding myself at a loose end in Melbourne I decided to head down to my old stomping ground, the Crown Entertainment Complex, to see what I could find. I was starving hungry and thirsty to boot and was looking for more than bamboo and a bowl of water. A couple of old friends from the forest told me Crown’s new eatery, The Merrywell, is the perfect place to grab some nourishment so off I strolled.
A modern interpretation of the gastropub, The Merrywell is the perfect addition to Crown – innovative food, stylish décor and an environment that caters to everyone appear to be this new restaurant’s mantra. The venue is casual yet unpretentious and makes full use of the expansive views of the Yarra River. In addition to the stunning view The Merrywell boasts a series of inviting spaces that combine to create an innovative dining venue.
I was lucky enough to have a drink with Grant Macpherson (G-Mac to his mates) who is one half of the team responsible for working the magic in the kitchen that keeps customers coming back for more. No wonder this place rocks as G-Mac spent years managing some of the best dining options in Vegas. Running food and beverage for Steve Wynn for 10 years makes for an impressive CV.
“We wanted to take the best from Vegas and bring it to Crown. We also wanted to make sure that we had a contemporary Australian pub feel and an establishment that complimented the feel of Southbank and the Yarra River,” said Macpherson.
The most amazing thing is the fact that with The Merrywell, Crown has actually pulled it off. The bottom level of the restaurant feels like a 21st century sports or burger bar. It has the warm friendly appeal of a local pub, albeit a slightly swanky one. Upstairs has a more upmarket feel with large dining areas, al fresco balcony, private dining rooms and a couch area complete with open fire. I choose to sit outside and soak up the incredible view of the Yarra River and the Melbourne skyline at night. This is a million dollar view and is the perfect place to take in the breathtaking fireballs that emanate nightly from Crown’s gas brigades along the river. You can feel the intense heat from your seat.
The food was incredible. For starters I couldn’t help but try the lobster rolls, lollypop buffalo wings, cheese and macaroni balls with BBQ sauce and the mouthwatering grilled mini wagyu cheeseburgers. Unless you have spent time in the US you have no clue just how good a burger can be and these were first class. The mains range from steak and pasta to an incredible seafood tower featuring fresh oysters, mussels and lobster.For desert I tried a five-pudding platter featuring mango pudding, chocolate pudding, panna cotta trifle, rice pudding and a tiramisu brûlée and all I can say is wow! The lovely young lady I was dining with and I rated our favorites from one to five. I went for the panna cotta at number one but she couldn’t get past the chocolate pudding.
We found ourselves chatting to the parties sitting on either side of us. To our left were a lovely young Chinese couple and on our right were a mum and dad and their son who was turning 18 years old that night. He wanted to come to Crown for dinner and was going to play poker afterwards for the first time. It was such an inviting environment. It’s incredible that any restaurant can cater to such a diverse range of clientele. An intimate dinner, a quick burger for lunch, a birthday party for 10 people or a mid-sized function are all something The Merrywell can cater for effortlessly.
There is a great range of tap beers including one of my favorite Italian beers, Peroni, and some impressive Australian microbrewery beers and all are served frostily cold. I had an incredible glass of local cold climate shiraz from Geelong, which is one of the best “by the glass” wines I have tasted in some time. I also tried out the sangria and I would highly recommend the spiced variety, served in a jar with ice, which is the perfect pre-dinner drink.
I am giving The Merrywell the big thumbs up because it deserves it. Great food, perfect location and if you can’t find something here to tickle your taste buds then you are too hard to please. The décor and service are incredible and it all comes with a price tag that is arguably “too cheap”. The seafood tower is a steal at around AU$60 and would be good value at almost twice the price. The desert tasting plate is a very reasonable AU$12. This place could well turn into one of those restaurants where you have to book well in advance.
Well done to G-Mac and his team for creating a joint that I am looking forward to revisiting many times. The best of Vegas in the heart of Melbourne. Does it get any better than this?
Food
|
8.5/10
|
Wine/Drinks
|
8.5/10
|
Setting
|
9.0/10
|
Service
|
9.0/10
|
Value
|
9.5/10
|
Overall
|
17.5/20
|
Lollipop Buffalo Chicken Wings / Blue Cheese 4 portions
Chicken wings, mid joint | 16 fresh pieces |
Chicken wings, lower joint | 16 fresh pieces |
Buffalo Hot Sauce | |
Frank’s red hot sauce | 1 cup |
Tobasco sauce | 1 teaspoon |
Garlic powder | 2 teaspoon |
Butter | 2 tablespoon |
Blue Cheese Fondue | |
Buttermilk | 2 tablespoon |
Blue cheese (gorgonzola) | 2 tablespoon |
Cream cheese | ½ cup |
Rosemary | 1 sprig |
Salt and pepper to taste | |
Celery hearts | 4 to 8 pieces |
Method:
Start by making the Buffalo sauce. Slowly warm the Red Hot sauce, the Tobasco sauce and the garlic powder. Finish by beating in the butter until emulsified. Keep in a warm place untll needed.
Rinse the chicken wings under cold water. With a sharp knife chop off each end, the cartilage part of the wing joints. For the mid joint (the one with two bones running through the middle) push the meat through the larger of the two bones with your thumb. Completely pull out the bone, leaving one single skinny bone, and push the meat down to the end of that bone leaving a nice lollipop. The lower joint only has one bone so do the same as before by pushing the meat down revealing the lollipop form.
Take these chicken wings and deep fry at 170 to 180 degrees until cooked through. Remove from the fat and toss with the Buffalo Sauce. Serve these wings together with the Blue cheese fondue and some celery hearts.