foodie cravings writer Karina headed along to The Merrywell to try out their new menu last month, this is what she thought.
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I think new menus are one of the most exciting things a restaurant can do. It allows the chefs to try new things and diners to have a brand new experience in a familiar place. The new menu at The Merrywell has been created by their new chef Ryan Ebbs and is full of exciting new dishes.
We started the tastings off by trying the new share plate options. There are five new options on the menu including Korean Style Fried Chicken Bao (3pc $23) and Veggie Empanadas with cassava and creamed spinach, onion confit and sundried tomato chimichurri Sauce (4pc $21). My favorite however was the BBQ Duck Sloppy Joes with sriracha slaw and fried buns (4pc $21). Though it was a little spicy I really enjoyed the slight punch. The buns had this pleasant sweetness to them that complimented the Sriracha Sauce perfectly. The BBQ Duck was cooked perfectly and was soft and delicate. Even though this was a share plate, next visit I’ll be ordering this dish and not sharing them at all.
Two new burgers were added to the all day dining menu, and in true Merrywell fashion they are the ultimate ‘Dude Food’ Burgers. Though each one of the them were interesting and different in their own way. The Charcola Burger with a 50/50 pork and beef patty, smoked pastrami, tomato, onion, wasabi cream and fried egg ($28) was simply amazing. The bun was probably the darkest black possible, and interestingly is made by dying the water used in the dough with charcoal. Though the bun doesn’t taste burnt or charcoal, the overall burger had an almost smoky flavor to it.
The second burger is called the Donut Doubler, with a glazed donut, double beef, crispy bacon and aged cheddar. If you’re a little confused as to how it would taste, don’t worry it tastes amazing! It is a little bit sweet but the double beef patty and the aged cheddar cuts though the sweetness perfectly! The donuts are inverted so the glazed part is inside the burger so you can actually hold it in your hand and eat it the right way. Though this was a bit too much for me, it was an absolute favorite around the table! This definitely is a burger you want to try at least one in your life.
The dinner menu starts after 5pm, and is my favorite part of the menu! The one dish that stood out the most to me was the Broken Sushi ($33). You could definitely say the this is probably one of the most ‘female friendly’ dishes on the menu. In fact it was pleasantly surprising to see a dish like the on The Merrywell menu. The Broken Sushi dish is a Seared Salmon on a bed of vinegared rice cake with sushi sauce topped with pea leaves, fried ginger and wakame. The salmon was seared beautifully! Even though at this point I honestly could not fit another morsel in me, I loved this dish so much I almost finished the entire plate full!
I don’t normally like pork chop as I find it a bit big and meaty to tackle, but I really like the Pork Rib-eye on the dinner menu. I enjoyed the spiced apple addition to the dish, I think that it was my favorite part of it. The Pork Rib-Eye is a 350gm Belly of Pork Chop served with apple cider braised cabbage, spiced apples, roasted fennel with a bourbon glaze ($34).
The new menu at The Merrywell is filled with delicious new treats that you are bound to enjoy. The dishes each have interesting elements you wouldn’t normally have suspected and they just work so well with each other. I loved that the new menu really shows that The Merrywell can make more than just ‘Dude Food’. I can’t wait to go back there and have some more Broken Sushi. I would also like to point out the dishes in the dinner menu are all sample sizes, the actual dish size is much bigger.
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A bit about Karina
If someone were to record all my thoughts for a day, they would be astonished by the perpetual insatiable hunger I have for food. I constantly desire food, but not just any food, the most fabulous food I can find. From healthy low-carb high-protein power balls to decadent chocolate filled desserts, I will readily devour anything that looks and tastes fabulous!
As you can tell we’re huge fans of The Merrywell, read more posts here:
The Merrywell’s ‘To The Mex’ – Winner of Perth’s best steak sandwich
An American Feast at The Merrywell
Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited as a guest of The Merrywell, see disclosure policy for more details.
