The Merrywell // American Burgers
Sunday 24th May 2015
After hearing about Merrywell many times from friends, I finally had a chance to visit today. We were seated upstairs on the terrace which was really quite nice. The view is amazing and you aren't bothered too much by any breeze. The sun was up high this afternoon so after a while it got a bit hot, but it wasn't too much of an issue.
Mac & Cheese Bites
dorito crusted, house bbq sauce
Mac & Cheese is a great comfort food, either as a side dish or meal so when I saw Mac & Cheese bites on the menu, I really could not pass up the chance to try it. For the big price of $14, you only get 8 pieces of these bites and unfortunately I have to say that I was actually really disappointed. The dorito crusting was barely present - quite possibly crushed a bit too well so you don't get much of the taste or texture of the chips. The mac and cheese itself reminded me of some cheap frozen meal version of it. Not that I'm saying all cheap mac and cheese are bad, but Merrywell's version had a thick and creamy sauce, but essentially tasteless. The mac was stodgy and quite unpleasant.
Merrywell Burger
beef patty, bacon, cheddar, pickles, l.t.o., special sauce, ketchup, mustard, french fries
The chips were nice and crispy, though they were thicker than your average french fries.
The Merrywell burger has been voted Burger of the Year 2012 & 2013. It looks great but it mediocre at best. The bun was not any more special than the kind you get from your normal supermarkets and the fillings were just the same. The patty was cooked nicely, semi rare in the centre, and the sauces were nice and tasty. Though, thats about it. It was a good burger, but nothing to rave about and very underwhelming for the steep price.
Classic Wagyu Hotdog
ballpark mustard, pickle relish
This sausage would have to be the highlight of the meal today. Lightly spiced and full of juicy goodness. The hot dog bun was again, nothing to rave about, and the condiments went well with the sausage, but I would have been more than happy to have the sausage by itself or as Bangers and Mash. The doritos were a nice touch and they were great to snack on, but I felt that they were very out of place.
I was really disappointed by this meal today after hearing nothing but good things about Merrywell. The only meal I would consider getting again would have been the hot dog. All the dishes were well overpriced and I will most likely not be back anytime soon.
The staff were very friendly but it did take quite a while for the waiter to show up and take our orders. The restaurant itself was not too busy this afternoon and the meals were served in a reasonable time.
The Merrywell Cnr Clarendon St & Crown Riverside, Southbank (03) 9292 7468 Website / Facebook
Hours: Upstairs Monday - Thursday // 5:00pm - 10:00pm Friday - Saturday // 12:00pm - 10:30pm Sunday // 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Downstairs Burger Bar Sunday - Thursday // 12:00pm - 10:00pm Friday - Saturday // 12:00pm - 11:00pm
