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Events

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Note: March into Merivale launch party 2013 is  now posted.

The March into Merivale Launch Party 2012 took place on the evening of 16 February with a fiesta of food and drink from the Merivale group of restaurants and a theme of “Eat My Words”. Massive crowds spilled into the Ash Street Laneway and upstairs at the Ivy Room with tickets to the popular event selling out in advance.

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
March Into Merivale Launch Party – Eat My Words

VIP guests were welcomed in the glorious setting of Felix with cocktails on arrival and wines, sparkling wines, beer and beverages throughout the evening.

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Felix Bar, the VIP area

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Cognac and Peach Bellini with champagne foam (top R) and Earl grey infused gin and citrus Martini with an apricot and orange marmalade (top L)

High attendance made it difficult to make way through the crowd with a estimated 1500 people attending the event. The popular El Loco stall had long queues forming for those patient enough to get a taste of the ” secret taco”.

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Ash Street Laneway

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Felix: lamb pie, sauteed mushrooms and tarragon jus; tasting of  fruit de mer with lobster roll, oyster and prawn

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Mad Cow: Barbequed rangers valley wagyu flank steak with spicy barbeque sauce; signature pavlova with strawberries and passionfruit

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Musicians at Ash Street Laneway

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Ash St Cellar: chicken and chorizo Argentinian empanada with salsa criolla; ash st cellar tart of the day with berries

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Sailor’s Thai: grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce; beef curry with roti

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Ms G’s: sang choy bao of cheeseburger springroll with potato chip mayonnaise; Vietnamese ocean trout ceviche with prawn crackers

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

El Loco: crumbed flathead pico de gallo, mayo, pickled chilli; ‘secret taco’; field mushroom quesadilla with chipotle mayo

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Bite Me

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Upstairs in the Ivy Room, where the remainder of the restaurant stalls were set up, it was even more difficult to manoeuvre around the crowd.

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

The Beresford Hotel: shellfish orechiette with vongole, mussels, crab, cuttlefish, squid, chilli, garlic, parsley and lemon; classic panzarotti in three different flavours

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
Entertainment and eye candy

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Sushi E: snapper sashimi, ruby grapefruit, white soy dressing; wagyu beef confit with miso sesame sauce; spicy tuna “dynamite” roll

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Bistrode: spit roast melanda park pig with raw fennel and lemon dressing; wagyu beef pie with homemade bistrode ketchup

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012
El Loco margaritas – deliciously potent

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Mr Wong (opening August 10 with Dan Hong & Jowett Wu): Steamed scallop shumai and Sushi Choo: creamy salon and avocado handroll, mixed seafood ceviche, vegetarian handroll

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Uccello: vitello tonnato, piquillo peppers and caper berries; prawn and calamari salad with saffron infused orzo, olives, chilli, cherry tomatoes and parsely

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

David O’Brien (Merivale events executive chef): tuna carpaccio, foie gras butter, brioche, quail egg

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Est: salad of sand crab heart of palm, avocado, chilli, pink grapefruit, coriander cress; mascarpone citrus cannoli, raspberries and violets

March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012  March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012

Some of the favourite dishes on the night include Felix’s lamb pie, sauteed mushrooms and tarragon jus, Sailor’s Thai’s beef curry with roti, Ms G’s Vietnamese ocean trout ceviche with prawn crackers, The Beresford Hotel’s shellfish orechiette, Est mascarpone citrus cannoli, raspberries and violets with the standout dish being David O’Brien’s tuna carpaccio, foie gras butter, brioche, quail egg.

Tickets to the launch party cost $20 and were redeemable for 8 food/drink tokens, and could be topped up on the night.

March into Merivale runs from Friday February 17 through until Thursday April 5 2012. The $33 lunch and dinner meal offers are back as well as an array of special nights and events showcasing the culinary talents of the Merivale chefs.

Merivale Restaurants: est., sushi e, Felix, Mad Cow, Uccello, Ash St Cellar, Sailors Thai, Sushi Choo, Bistrode CBD, Ms.G’s, The Beresford Hotel, El Loco.
http://merivale.com.au/

Previous Merivale Events on Gourmantic:

Gourmantic attended the March Into Merivale Launch Party as media guests. Photography by MrGourmantic.

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

8 Comments

  • Great summary/pics from a fabulous event! RT @Gourmantic: March Into Merivale Launch Party 2012 – a fiesta of food &… fb.me/1n1GgKfxu

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter.

    • I thought the food was even better than last year. Of course, one couldn’t try everything but all the dishes were well presented and delivered on flavour. No idea who Mr Wong is… it was so crowded we barely could get around to all the stalls to take food photos let alone have a quick word to any of the chefs!

      Edit: Please see post re Mr Wong.

    • It was a tough choice, and looking back I wish we had more time in between taking photos to savour more dishes!

  • We were disappointed they sold out. But looking at the size of the crowd, we wouldn’t have enjoyed it. It’s a shame. We went in 2011 and the crowd was manageable.

    • Hi Ben. A few people have said the same. Last year had better crowd control but I guess as these events gain popularity, it becomes unavoidable. Shame you missed out. The food that was showcased by the chefs was most impressive!