Merchant is Guy Grossi's newest venture, located in the Rialto Intercontinental, which seems to be really trying to push and revamp it's image, away from it's sky deck (quietly I like Eureka skydeck more, so just as well) and lure in the big hitters of the Melbourne food world. Shannon Bennett being the next one to move Vue de Monde from it's old residency on Little Collins Street and start serving up high on level 40 or 60 something. I can't remember and am too lazy to check.
I have been checking Merchant's menu online and have been enamoured at the broad variety, with fairly reasonably looking prices. So one night, when David needed someone to help kill time before going for drinks, I proposed we get dinner at Merchant, and we were so full and content afterwards, David didn't bother going out anymore!
Merchant is not so easy to find once you step into the Rialto, but it didn't take long to find help to get escorted there.
It's a relaxed, nonchalant atmosphere about the place, no table cloth, colourful, glossy chairs, set in a dimmed room and waitresses in the most darling flared wrap dresses. They all looked so neat, but so sweet and quaint as well. We were greeted extremely brightly, the waitresses leading us to our table with aplomb and a cheery greeting from the chefs in the open kitchen as well, who always looked like they were smiling. You could sort of feel the Venetian inspiration with the small hints of coloured glass and not so subtle vibrantly lush walls.
The menu reminds me a lot of Giuseppe Arnarldo and Sons at Crown, there's not really a structured three course layout, but a variety of categories inviting you to try a little bit of everything.
I wasn't planning on drinking, but when the waitress brought up the idea of a bellini, I caved in and said yes. Front-house selling, it works guys. I was quite impressed that it was made at the table, the waitress spooning in the peach puree, which looked deliciously thick and pink, then topped it up with sparkling wine right in front of us. It was quite delicious, with a nice little tang from the peaches. Not overly sweet at all. But a little bit painful at $18 a pop!
I can't remember if I tried the bread. But I do know that David finished two lots of it. Although he decided not to be so Italian and ask for butter (several times) instead of olive oil. He absolutely loves his butter on bread, and is never impressed by just olive oil. Hehe.
We started with two saffron arancini, a little on the small side, but absolutely beautiful. They weren't heavy and mushy like I've had before, but it was absolutely hot and crunchy around the outside, and the texture of the rice was so distinct, each grain quite distinguishable, which I found fairly impressive as it still held together well. Tasty too.
Saffron. Mmmm.
After reading Libby's review of Merchant, I was very keen to try the goose prosciutto, as I love pushing the envelope with what I eat and being able to eat everything. I'm not a lover of offal for nothing!
Goose was something I (am pretty sure) have never had before, it was served with a scattering of fennel and shaved cheese over it, the fennel provided a bit of crunch to the chewy and deliciously savoury prosciutto. And the cheese? A nice little bit of sharpness. The combination was different, but quite delicious, refreshing too.
We also decided to try a special, of fried whitebait. Mmmm! I really enjoyed these, I'm used to them being a little crispier, but I liked how meaty these little fishies were, look how fat they are! They was only a light dusting of batter over them which was nice, it didn't mask or outshine the flavour. Very much enjoyed these, but found myself getting very, very full on them!
I did want the squid ink risotto, but couldn't quite get David keen enough on the idea, so we got one of the vegetable risottos, I know it had zucchini flower, but I can't remember what else. When I told mum I was going to Merchant, she commented on how dad didn't like the risotto at Grossi Florentino as it was too soggy for him.
Guess I take a bit after dad. The risotto was delectably creamy and rich, very warming and comforting on a cold night, but for a risotto it was a bit too soggy and wet for my taste. The rice was a bit too soft, needed to be more al dente for me. It was tasty though, flavours were good! We kept going back for more of the cheesy goodness and ended up...leaning back in our chairs groaning at how full we were. The agony of melted cheese...
To try and feel healthy I ordered a side of baked vegetables....but they came out like this. Very oily, a little sad and burnt looking and overall, not fantastic in flavour for me. Definitely a bit of a downside to the meal.
We had to sit and mellow out for a while after our meal, we were both just so full, although a cup of peppermint tea helped settle the stomach down a bit. I loved that I got a pastel yellow cup, so cheery!
As always though, there's that tiny bit of room left for dessert and I had been eyeing this on the menu all night. Apple fritters with cinnamon ice-cream.
The ice-cream was delicious, but the fritters themselves? Incredibly underwhelming. I am an extremely visually driven person and I just found the presentation quite blase and uninteresting. They're not the prettiest looking things. The batter was a bit thicker than I would have liked and I found I just lost almost any apple flavour, a bit doughy.
So to buy or not to buy? Merchant was enjoyable, and the appetizers were certainly executed well and delicious, but the sides, dessert and risotto were a bit hit and miss for me. I would like to comment on more of the proteins...but alas, too few stomach's....
Service was generally pretty good, it was certainly better at the start of the night and started to deteriorate through the meal a bit as the restaurant got a bit busier, but everything still came out at a good pace. I won't be suckered in for another drink here though (...maybe)!
I think Merchant would be the perfect location for after work nibbles, maybe when our daylight lasts a little longer, but I'm not as keen to come back for a full meal again (unless someone tells me the proteins are ah-maaaayzing).
495 Collins St
Melbourne, 3000
Melbourne, 3000
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