Mezzo Bar & Grill was (sort of) the very first restaurant that I visited in Melbourne, visiting Australia for only the second time in my life. I had no idea at that time that I would end up meeting someone, falling in love, and then both of us leaving two different continents to come to a new third, that of Australia, to live and work...but that's another story.
At the time, it was, I believe "Oysters on Lt. Bourke" - which was quite amusing as I asked the concierge of the Grand Hyatt where I should go to get some good oysters, and he said "Oysters on Lt. Bourke, on Lt. Bourke" ... it probably sounded like a better restaurant name until someone had to actually say it out loud.
The decor is nearly identical to what it was, and even the menu hasn't changed that much, but obviously as an Italian slanted bar and grill, Mezzo is no longer focussed on the oysters.
Which isn't to say they don't have them, they do, and they were very good! They even have an Oysters Happy Hour from 1730 till 1830 daily, where they're half price. We actually managed to slip in under the wire by 5 minutes last night and they actually honoured this -- kudos!!
So with that sort of start, why am I only giving this three stars?
Well, let's start with that and get it out of the way: The service.
The staff were friendly, generally attentive, but, with Mezzo being located in Melbourne's "theatre district" they get a LOT of people coming in just before, or just after, a show. I can imagine the pressures this puts on a kitchen, and Mezzo seems to give priority to people who are off to see something at the theatre.
Indeed, the women who sat down next to us, AFTER us, got their starters, mains, and dessert before we ever saw our mains.
We sat there a long time with just our water. My wine glass empty, and the two bread rolls long since vanished within. I did manage to catch the eye of one of the waiters or floor managers and got another glass of wine, but, ideally, I think a note of apology, or a check-in for more wine/bubbles (wife was on bubbles) or even another roll would have been good. It was a good 20 minutes of empty table here, folks...
But, the woman who actually served us our meal was VERY apologetic about this. I actually got the sense that she felt a bit ashamed that it took us so long to be served. She wasn't just paying lip serve, she genuinely conveyed a since of "we need to do better" and I appreciated that. We didn't complain, we were in no rush, and I fully appreciate that HAD we been off to see a show, we would have loved the extra speed.
Now for the meal itself: Great stuff. We started with a dozen mixed oysters. Curiously, the waiter didn't even know which oysters they had on and had to go ask...but they were very good, fresh, and we had them "natural" style.
We then shared the scallops starter, which also was delicious. My wife consumed hers before I even blinked!
For our mains we went with the spanner crab risotto for myself (fantastic!!!) and my wife had the gnocchi -- also very very good. As a side, the steamed spinach went very well.
We didn't have any dessert, but I know that they've got a good tiramisu here, and next time we may give that a shot.
So, a delicious meal, but a bit of room for improvement for the overall end-to-end experience. We weren't too put off by those detractors, and look forward to returning! read more