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Thursday May 24, 2012

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Ela mingles at Montsalvat

Posted by: 3AW Radio | 2 September, 2011 - 11:59 AM
Porterhouse

The Meeting Pool at Montsalvat, 7 Hillcrest Ave Eltham  www.montsalvat.com.au

Stunning environs, rustic interior, and good French provincial food – it’s not a bad combo, is it? The artist’s colony at Montsalvat is great for a visit on its own, so the addition of this smart restaurant with impressively large glass windows just makes all the more attractive.

The feel on a Sunday afternoon is convivial, the restaurant can get quite loud if there are larger groups booked in. If a sunny day’s expected it’s worth requesting a table in the courtyard, but inside there’s plenty to enjoy with the earthen walls, timber features, large bar and quirky artwork.

It’s a pretty mouthwatering, autumn menu – the Farmhouse terrine did indeed look homemade, chunky and tasty, there was even a layer of spinach; and it was complemented perfectly by tart chutney, caperberries and thin crispy toasts.

It’s always pleasing when the specials are just that, and my entrée was even better than our waitress described. A crisp pastry tart was filled with a pureed combination of pumpkin and chorizo, topped with goats curd and fresh dill and parsley.

The classic French main, and probably signature dish, is “Lily Jorgensen’s” rabbit chasseur, the meat falling off the bone, sauce just the right side of homestyle, and vegetables just simple and fresh.

The thick porterhouse steak is char-grilled, served on sautéed saltbush with a mushroom ragout and one of those simple sides that somehow almost overshadow the main – it’s only potato, but the pommes dauphinoise  with super-thin potato slices, and garlicky, creamy flavours was positively heartwarming.

Needless to say, Montsalvat is a pretty popular place on a sunny Sunday afternoon, so things at The Meeting Pool were at times bordering on hectic. The cuisine is self proclaimed provincial, and it must be said that the service sometimes matched that of the archetypal small town French village inattentiveness. But, the wait staff were definitely friendly and doing their best, it’s just worth noting as with entrees averaging $14-18 and mains at $28-34, some patrons will expect a more smooth service.

Wine list is fairly extensive, with offerings from Australia, NZ and France – glasses priced from $10-15; bottles reasonably ranging on average from $32 to $70.

The Meeting Pool boasts an authentically rustic feel inside and out, with food that’s traditional but refined. A wander through the colony post-lunch is a must; the medieval village feel, hidden studios, paved pools and wild cottage gardens will easily fill a good half hour to whole afternoon depending on how quickly you want to re-enter the rat-race.    

PLAY: Ela Carte with Ross and John

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