"The Meat & Wine Co" was the first restaurant that came out the mouth of a local Aussie friend when we sought some advice on Melbourne's gourmet. After the experience tonight, I have to say that this place truly earned its reputation as a "Must Go" spot if you ever travel to Melbourne. The items on the menu were overall a bit pricy, but you will certainly find your money well spent.
I tried to make a reservation last Saturday morning but were only told both weekend nights were fully booked. Surprised by how popular this spot was, I tried again this morning and was glad to be told that there were several time slots available for dinner. So general rule being if you aren't only in town for a weekend, try to come on weekdays when you'll have a much better odds to find a table. Otherwise, you should probably call as early as possible.
From the first sight, the exterior of the restaurant was quite inconspicuous with glass door and windows. interior wooden decor, on the other hand, was cozy and welcoming with full racks of wines almost everywhere against the walls.
We ordered kangaroo meat skewers, medium rare rib-eye steak, half rack of beef ribs, and a bowl of garden salad for share. Had to say that the dishes were all amazingly delicious despite the salad which didn't leave much impression comparing to the others.
Kangaroo Skewers: Very first time for me to try Kangaroo meat. The meat on the skewer was cooked medium rare as recommended. I liked the presentation of the dish a lot. A skewer full of meat was hung by an iron hook on top of a bed of fried onion strings. Somehow had the feeling of acting as a bunch of cavemen sitting around a bonfire waiting on a feast from the great grassland of Australia. Overall the taste of Kangaroo meat was quite similar to steak but, personally, I felt it was a bit sweeter, leaner, and tenderer. I also found a hint of herb flavor from the meat, not sure if it was from the seasoning or meat itself. My mom, who wasn't exactly a meat lover, also spoke quite highly of the dish.
Rib-eye steak: Ordered as medium rare and the meat was cooked to exactly what I expected. Epic taste with ideal tenderness and juiciness. I had the steak with mushroom sauce that came with an additional charge, and I was quite satisfied with every single bite of the meat.
Beef Ribs: Hard to admit for someone who's been living in the States for a bit over 5 years, but the ribs here were probably the best ribs I've had so far. The issues with the ribs I had before were primarily around the overly sweet/sour barbecue sauce and the greasiness of the meat. Meat & Wine Co definitely did it right from both of these two aspects. The ribs were covered in a right amount of sauce where each bite included a well-balanced smokey flavor from the meat and a sweet/sauce taste from the sauce. In addition, the meat was tender enough that you could easily tear it off the bones with zero efforts. No pure fat lying around the edge of the ribs or grease dripping down from the meat, so if I have the chance to come again I would totally dive into a full rack of the ribs.
I believe I have already said enough good things about this restaurant. I would recommend Meat & Wine Co to all my friends travel to Melbourne. read more