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Merricote

Merricote, restaurant, Northcote, Melbourne.
Merricote, restaurant, Northcote, Melbourne.Supplied

Good Food hat15/20

European$$$

A lovely little neighbourhood needs a lovely little restaurant and Merricote plays that role for Westgarth. The open dining room does farmhouse knick-knackery with style, and the food is broadly European. Proud, sturdy influences from the chef's Dutch background are seen in the bitterballen meatballs that star rabbit and mustard one month, snail and fennel the next, and the stamppot (mashed potatoes, kale and green beans) with a hefty piece of rump steak. But the menu is broad. excellent charcuterie might include gently spiced duck rillettes; there are elegant shareable plates, such as raw tuna with palm heart and perilla; and respectful meat dishes, such as nose-to-tail lamb. Sides - crunchy broccolini with preserved lemon, potatoes rumbled with duck fat - are an attraction but desserts are a must. Some sweets are curiously beguiling. a cucumber and strawberry concoction with hay-infused ice-cream. Others are straight-up crowd-pleasers, like the chocolatey, cherry-licious high-art homage to rocky road.

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