We continued to march on into Merivale and its aptly named festival this year with the hotly anticipated European Laneway, fashioned as a feast under the stars. After a series of successful events in previous years, the laneway was once again choc-a-block of the best food and drink the Merivale group has to offer, all conveniently located on Ash St.
These were but a mere fraction of the stalls dishing out food and drink to make you think you’ve stepped into an alleyway somewhere off the streets of Paris, Barcelona or London. The full line up consisted of all of Merivale’s European-leaning venues that is, Felix, Ash St Cellar, Bistrode CBD, Lorraine’s Patisserie, The Paddington and Uccello. Attendees who paid the $45 entry are equipped with six tokens to spend at the stalls with each item of food and drink costing a single token. Party atmosphere aside, this proved to actually be a pretty fantastic way to sample lots of different items from a French beef bourguignon to an Italian tiramisu.
It got a wee bit crowded towards the middle where the queues were in the thick of it. But after we grabbed a plate or two, we sauntered down to the ends of the street where it’s several degrees cooler and quieter.
The Insalata di polpo from Uccello consisted of octopus, potato, black olives. The octopus was tender with a slight pleasant chew to it. The flavouring was light overall while the potatoes were a welcoming substantial carb component to this warm salad offering.
Pumpkin crostini with rosemary from The Paddington was the dark horse that night with it’s simple description masking a moreish savoury flavour in the combination.
Felix’s Twice baked gruyere souffle with sauce soubise would have been done a greater justice had it been served warm but there are some understandable logistical issues with an event like this and ensuring baked food is constantly piping hot. The souffle itself went fantastically with the side salad but we thought even more cheese to this cheesy pie wouldn’t be a miss.
Another from Felix is the beef bourguignon which , a clear crowd favourite after it managed to sell out prior to the end of the event. It was easy to see why when the beef literally falls to the slightest provocation of a fork. So far we’re quite pleased to see that each portion was a good amount of food considering the price breakdown would have been $7.5 per plate.
The slow roasted pork, sautéed kipfler potatoes, cabbage and apple salad from Bistrode CBD fights for first place along the aforementioned beef. Your token gets you a heap of flavourful pork that doesn’t get too heavy thanks to the addition of the slaw. This was another must order of the night.
For a hot evening, we cooled down with the citrus blanc. The concoction comprises of Lillet blanc, mandarin, fresh orange soda water. Our throats parched from the heavy food and heavy weather meant that this refreshing little number tasted like nectar from the gods.
Lorraine’s Patisserie can do no wrong; only things that are so, so right. This espresso ice cream cake with chocolate sauce is one of them. It has all the flavours of a tiramisu plus the creamy joy that is ice cream. The sponge fingers at the end are a tad bit soggy though which although is true to a tiramisu, isn’t all too pleasant on its own.
Last but certainly not least amongst the food that night is the whole grilled sardines with anchovy and parsley vinaigrette from Ash St Cellar. The smokiness does come through with the fish but the toppings are what round it off with a decent tang. It’s a sight that’s probably not for the faint hearted but rewards heavily with its burst of savouriness.
We ended our foraging with an early night cap in the form of a wine or two. We enjoyed this riesling from Ash St Cellar, the perfect exit strategy as we wistfully departed from our little European rendezvous.
—
For a full list of remaining events as part of March Into Merivale click HERE.
———-
