Maris

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Wow. The food here is incredible. I have been going here for a few years,I didn't think it could, but the food has gone up a notch. The last time I went, I had the quail burger for entree, this was presented beautifully and delicious. Main-I had the duck: to die for. My partner had the beautiful fresh tuna entree and the steak for main, it melted in my mouth. This time we did the degustation - WOW - 6 courses of heaven. It was amazing value. All courses were sensation but the main of suckling pig stole the show. The wine list is beautifully written with some wonderful wines at great prices. We used to do BYO (we sometimes do if we have that special wine) but feel the list is so good we are happy to go that way. The sommelier there is incredibly knowledgable and willing to help out. The wines by the glass are always good and it's rare to see an aged Riesling by the glass, like here. If this was in the city, you would be paying way more for what you get. Love it, love it, love it!

Feb 26, 2011 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

My wife and I ate at Maris last night and I felt compelled to write a review to let other people know what a fantastic restaurant Maris has become. We have been to Maris a few times over the last five years and have always left impressed but our most recent meal was something different all together.

The meal started with a selection of house made bread which rivals some of the fine restaurants that we have eaten in europe and asia served with french butter and a dish of boiled egg with chopped truffle. From there we shared two entrees, mine a lovely pastry filled with foie gras mousse and my wifes a miniature quail hamburger. Both dishes were clean and full flavoured.

For main course my wife ordered a pasta with fresh yabbies in a crab sauce with basil and tomato, while I opted for the suckling pig. Again the quality of the ingredients were enhanced by the cooking and the flavours were big but refined.

By this stage we were feeling quite content and chose to share a fantastic dessert of quince and served with ginger sorbet, another winner. All along we were given excellent service and helpful wine suggestions from the friendly and informed staff.

A recent refit seems to have sparked something special from the guys at Maris and it couldn't be long before the food media catches on and makes it even harder to get a table.

Jul 11, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Wow what a fabulous experience and I cannot recommend Maris highly enough. We went to Maris with a group of friends and we all agreed that the food was amazing and the service top notch. I had the eye fillet for main course and it was melt in your mouth and full of flavour. My husband had the duck and it was cooked perfectly and the he didn't want the leg meat with potato foam accompaniment to end.

For a BYO restaurant, the wine list was vast and very reasonably priced. I loved the atmosphere and the newly renovated dining room. Maris will be our new local and it is definitely the best restaurant in the area.

May 02, 2010 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

An absolutely terrible experience not least because I phoned them a few days after our meal to give them feedback from the night (they don't have an email address to send this to?) and he basically said "we don't really ever have complaints" (ok but take this one on board buddy) and proceeded to tell me what we hadn't ordered and, therefore, were not a worthwhile table anyway (no dessert) and then told me to "have a nice life" before he hung up!

We planned our night out at Maris as a family catch up as I live in Sydney and rarely get the opportunity to see the whole family. We decided to try Maris based on the mostly positive reviews on eatabilty.com.au and the fact that it could become a local favourite of my parents as they live around the corner. Unfortunately, we all left wishing we had stayed home and that Mum had cooked a roast instead!

The main concern was the timing. We sat down at the table at 7 pm and had finished 2 courses by 8.20 pm. We were not in a hurry even though we had a baby with us, and only managed to get through 3 of the 6 bottles of wine that we brought with us.

We were told that there was a big table arriving at 7.30 pm and that we should get our orders in so we wouldn’t get stuck waiting behind them for our order. We obliged and were surprised indeed when the food came out so rapidly.

I feel that the kitchen’s needs were put ahead of ours. It was clearly much more convenient to get us “out of the way” so that they wouldn’t be pressured later in the night. Sorry but when I am paying upwards of $32 a main course I expect that the kitchen can cope with the orders coming through and that my dining experience is of the utmost importance.

Clearly, given we had brought 6 bottles of wine, we are not in a hurry to get out the door again! Our night was over at 8.30 pm giving us 1 ½ hours to catch up with each other. Not impressed at all. We will definitely not be returning nor will we be recommending it to anyone. There are so many fabulous restaurants in Melbourne, don't spend your money here.

Apr 27, 2010 

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  6     

Good Points: B.Y.O. is a pleasant change. Food is certainly inventive and tasty.

Bad Points: Food portions very small, a little more food on the plate would not send them broke but would make for a big increase in customer satisfaction.

Nov 22, 2009 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Loved it. Top rate service, inspired food. The room is ok, it is a bit noisy and the lighting is spartan (looks better in daylight) but heck, who cares when you are experiencing the culinary equivalent of a Shakespearean play: witty, thought-provoking, complex, multi-textured, compelling, challenging and thrilling.

Yeah, the servings are not huge, so if you want a parma and chips to fill your plate try The Angel Hotel across the road, they'll fix you up. But, if you want a dining experience that will leave you marvelling at the creative genius in the kitchen, come to Maris. I am a complete convert. (Note: my partner does not like fish and did comment that there was a fair bit of that on the menu and he did not have a vast number of choices: my response "so, learn to like fish" - he loved his eye fillet steak on a bed of pured spinach the colour of emeralds.... swoon).

Nov 09, 2009 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  10     

I think Maris is fantastic! The creativity of the food the presentation and the service are high end. To dine elsewhere you could add 80-100 for the food part of your bill easily. The team is a husband and wife and know their stuff. Always friendly. I have taken many people there local and international and all wish for a restaurant like Maris around the corner from them.

Aug 31, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

Had an amazing meal recently with a few friends. It was incredible value for money, loved the BYO, and thought the food was out of this world. A hidden gem.

Aug 24, 2009 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Great innovative food, first class service. BYO option a real bonus.

Jun 29, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

The food is certainly "modern" and some of the dishes seemed very innovative, no doubt appealing to foodies! That said, if you approach the menu with an open mind, almost everyone will find at least one dish that they will really like. The room is quite small, but narrowly avoids feeling cramped. It's nice to be able to BYO, make sure you bring one of your good wines!

Revisited Nov 2011 - Once again, we greatly enjoyed the innovative food (for the main course, one of us had suckling pig and the other duck) and the desserts were terrific. Service was excellent.

Feb 01, 2009