Merricote Northcote, Melbourne

Merricote Details

Merricote Address

81 High St
Northcote VIC 3070
Map
Merricote Menu
Merricote Website

Merricote Contact Info »

Cuisines

Modern Australian, Modern European

Hours

Lunch
Thu to Sat Noon - 3pm
Dinner
Tue to Sat 5:30pm - 11pm

User Reviews of Merricote, Northcote

Displaying: 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 9

Don't know what MoMo was on when writing that review. The interior design is retro rather than rustic. And Northcote is far from nondescript these days.

That aside, the food, value and service at Merricote are very good indeed. Try the Duck Rillette or the Nose to Tail Lamb (saltbush from SA) which had the best cutlets I've ever eaten. The cheese trolley is a knock-out, with a fine range of interesting cheeses in top condition.

Nov 27, 2011

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0 of 1 reader found the following review helpful

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 8 Service 10 Value 10

In the last half-a-decade or so, Melbourne’s northside has been increasingly viewed as an up-and-coming place, a favourite of the hipster and bohemian, the student and young professional. Mirroring this trend, a few inspired dining venues have emerged from its generally nondescript road strips. Nestled between a heritage strip of buildings, Merricote is an unassuming space of rustic domesticity. In the front dining area, less than thirty may be seated at undressed hardwood tables. An increasing rarity in Melbourne’s dining landscape, these tables are well-spaced and far apart, positioned over a well-treaded Persian-style rug. The galley bar that is the focal point of so many Melbourne restaurants is not here.

Moved to one side, one’s gaze will instead fall upon figurines of farm animals clamouring for attention from a small display shelf, the snappy monochrome tiling work, and the impressive wine cellar. A large gilt mirror reflects the natural light that streams through the full glass frontage, and the electric lights from the exposed looped ceiling bulbs and the retro-vintage lampshades. Merricote’s uncluttered, somewhat spartan, yet homely decor is at polar ends to the unexpected poetry of its contemporary culinary offerings.

Cast aside one’s prejudices born of its low-key rustic decor and its nondescript northern suburban location. Dining at Merricote is akin to discovering that first-edition book in a dusty second-hand book shop, or that priceless painting in the forgotten backroom of an antique store. MoMo & Coco haven’t been this excited about dining in Melbourne’s northern suburbs nor with modern-Australian/European food since the advent of Cutler & Co.

At Merricote, you won’t partake in quotidian European bistro fare, nor will you find the contrived, lightweight, high-falutin, over-priced creations typical of many restaurants with the same modern-Australian/European orientation. Instead, Merricote is an embodiment of a gastronomical flight of fancy, but unlike the ill-fated ambitious Icarus, it is steadfastly anchored with serious conviction and maturity. From start to finish, it never looses momentum, showcasing degrees of great creativity and originality. It all ends with a booming crescendo of three particularly exceptional sweet irresistibles. Overall, it’s a wonderfully realised dream of a dining experience.