Merne a house of Light and shade

BELLARINE newcomer Merne at Lighthouse is yet to shine bright.

Pickled pumpkin with radish and mozzarella.

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THE burden of history can weigh heavily on all, but especially on a restaurant.

If you’re moving into digs that once housed the Bellarine’s most acclaimed restaurant, the late lamented Loam, expectations naturally run high.

But four bright hospo stars of the region have shooed the ghost of Aaron Turner away from the kitchen at Drysdale’s Lighthouse olive grove, recently moving in with Merne.

With Matt Dempsy of Inverleigh’s Gladioli (24th best restaurant in Victoria in the 2016 delicious.100) providing firepower to Josh Smith (Tulip in Geelong) in the kitchen and former Vue Grand manager Caleb Fleet looking after front of house, those expectations this Lighthouse will again be a beacon for the Bellarine burn that much brighter.

Down a dirt road, an entry of sweeping gums sets the country dining scene complemented by an expanse of glass in the dining room making the most of views across olive groves through to Port Phillip Heads. Pity that magnificent vista was marred by windows in need of a clean.

In terms of first impressions, it’s not great.

Merne has great views to Port Phillip Heads. Picture: PETER RISTEVSKI

But a big country welcome, comfortable cane chairs around nicely sized and spaced tables and a cracking craft beer list half of which are local brews (with, ahem, Crown Lager snuck in at the end) go a long way in making good.

Oakdene Winery from up the road in Wallington bought this property last year and so have exclusive by-the-glass pouring rights, augmented by a tight dozen whites and reds from all over by the bottle.

The food menu keeps decision making at a minimum: either two ($55) or four courses ($75) for the table to share, starting with one or two grazing courses, a choice of two mains (for the table), and dessert.

Merne, apparently, is an indigenous word meaning “food from the earth”. In another dialect, it could also mean “food from the trendbook, 2016”.

Saltbush, kingfish, daikon, finger lime. Lemon myrtle and wattleseed and sea succulents and nori and fermented this and smoked that.

Individually, all are stars. Collectively, after four courses, it feels more like we’re at an awkward cocktail party, where everyone’s been invited simply because they’re famous and no one is really getting along.

The grazing gets under way – one slow dish at a time – with small somewhat bitter grove olives marinated in lemon and fennel, a Coffin Bay oyster with a fermented apple dressing that’s delivered by a chef, and some haphazard cuts of OK bread served with butter, but not, strangely, with olive oil.

The kingfish tartare with shards of nori.

Kingfish tartare, a dice of fish and daikon, was overpowered by shards of nori atop, though they were preferable to the lemon myrtle granita that just tasted of freezer burn.

Much better was a pretty plate of pickled pumpkin, the supple, thin ribbons served with creamy mozzarella nuggets, fried caper blooms and fresh and pickled radishes.

Given the Bellarine has a festival dedicated to them, the smoked mussels up next were a disappointment. Lacking any real smoky heft, they seemed lost among the various sea succulents and the thin kohlrabi blanket covering the lot.

A long wait before the last of the grazing courses hit, and was almost the proverbial good thing. Soft, slow-braised kangaroo on a risotto-like bed of buckwheat cooked with parsley that was great once properly seasoned, with slivers of pickled walnut adding extra textural personality. While the watercress atop that tasted so soapy it could’ve done the dihses did nothing for the plate, the rest of it was great.

Service was kept running fairly smoothly. Picture: PETER RISTEVSKI

Service, still on training wheels, valiantly dealt with the slow kitchen and kept the ¾-full 50-seater running fairly smoothly.

Main courses turned the tricks down and the generosity up and are probably a more coherent vision from the kitchen, and would’ve been delicious if they weren’t cold.

Roasted parsnips with saltbush and buttermilk – lovely hot, less so cool. Roasted cauliflower, lentils and cold rubbery kale? No thanks.

Smoked goat’s curd with two generous pieces of pink lamb, with colourful (cold) roasted beetroots is a classic and rather delicious triptych. Pan-roasted celeriac and sharp-sweet plums are also happy plate-fellows to two large pieces of pork that would’ve shone if served hot.

The macadamia nut and popcorn crumble under a half apple for dessert is a winner, though the “smoked” apple was crunchy hard, while the other, a salty ganache with sponge and coconut was OK, if disjointed.

The kitchen’s ambitions don’t match execution and it feels like the spectre of Loam is too heavy a burden to bear. They should burn some sage and exorcise their own expectations. For if they simplify the offering and turn down the trends, Merne could well shine bright.

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Merne at Lighthouse

650 Andersons Rd, Drysdale

Ph: 5251 5541

merne.com.au

Open: Lunch Thur-Mon; Dinner Fri-Sat

Go to dish: kangaroo with buckwheat

Rating: 13/20