Mercer's

6th November 2011

On a Sunday afternoon i decided to head out to Eltham for lunch at Mercer's to complete number 52 from my list. A converted weatherboard home in Eltham with polite welcoming staff and a relaxed service pace. A nice touch was Steven Mercer the head chef coming out at the end of the meal to enquire how the lunch was.

A very decent wine list and a reasonable selection by the glass was offered and offered at very reasonable prices.

After having a look at the menu, i decided to go all out and choose the 5 course degustation menu which consisted of 2 entree courses, a choice of 1 main course, a cheese course and a desert course. However before any of the courses arrived we had an appetiser of Yabi laksa bisque. Rich, velvety smooth and luxurious the yabi flavour was powerful without being too fishy and had a great flavour and smell.

The first course was a salmon and crab roll. Delicious crab stuffed inside a salmon cylinder and accompanied by 2 goat's cheese dumplings, cubed beetroot and a beetroot emulsion. Served on a slate, the presentation was amazing and the food was pretty great too. The goat's cheese dumpling was soft on the inside and had a slightly crisp outside.

The next course was the second main and was the 'Malaysian Dancing Prawns'. Prawns perfectly cooked and juicy covered in a slight chili hint sitting on a bed of fried eggplant salad and a crisp circular ring. The chili was more subtle but noticeable rather than a big hint but the flavours worked well together.

The main course was a herb crusted beef tenderloin cooked to perfection with a very pink inside and a brown outside hidden slightly by the delicious herb crust. Accompanied by mini thinly sliced vegetables and a wondrous and homely ox cheek and fennel sausage and a red wine glaze it was a winning combo and a superb display of quality produce and amazing technique.

The next course, the cheese course, was the least favourite course for me. Cheese always seems like a disappointment at a great restaurant as very little is done to it rather than presentation and doesn't show off  any of the technique. However the alpine cheese was good and presented well on a slate tile with candied walnuts (very good), walnut and quince paste (good) and walnut bread.

The final course was the desert course. Referred to as ' Le Grande Desert' it featured mini versions of all the al a carte desert served on a big plate. Featuring an apple and sultana terrine, red delicious sorbet served on a apple and cinnamon crumble, a rhubarb cheesecake, burnt butter and berry friand and a chocolate souffle. Great flavours and different elements that were all perfectly executed and had great flavour. Some of them were different and a great show of imagination whilst others were simple dishes done well.

Overall the meal was great, quality service, presentation and most importantly food made it a worthwhile trip out to Eltham. Some great courses and flavours and dishes and a menu that had been thought out and matched extremely well and then executed perfectly. It was easy why this restaurant was bestowed with a Hat.