marion

being a wine bar, the wine list is expectantly noteworthy, with the staff being completely across marion’s offering. marion is the epitome of melbourne’s first class foodie. scene – which is what makes it the new fave. value for money: 4/5. verdict: the new fave – get around to trying it soon

really friendly and attentive service. just came in for a wine and was given complimentary snacks too!

already buzzing by the time we arrived, this wine bar lured us in with its construct of modern australian dishes to share and of course, wine. our waitress for the night helped settle us in and gave us some good recommendations on food.

we start off with their complimentary flat bread, lightly pan-fried and gave off some garlic bread vibes. the texture was wonderfully chewy, almost like a springy donut. this was served with some creme fraiche, not sure if it needed it as it was good on its own. we also enjoyed some finely sliced jamon serrano, salty with some deep flavours.

our first small dish consisted of buffalo mozzarella, radicchio and blood orange. the mozzarella was nice and milky, the radicchio was lightly bitter and provided some crunchy textures whereas the blood orange gave the dish some sweetness.

we ordered one of their special items of the night, their fish wing topped with miso and then cooked over fire. navigating the through bones was easy and had a wonderful umami and charred flavour to it. some lime on the side because sour and fish are best buddies.

next we got a duo of vegetable dishes to share, one being baby globe artichokes with sorrel and horseradish. you can taste each of the layers and the nuttiness of the artichoke, this was an okay dish. i did enjoy the asparagus with pistachio and brown butter, again nice charredness and enjoyed the creaminess of the sauce.

the mussels were unexpectedly a cold dish and was mixed with nduja, fried bread, lovage and aioli. there's the spicy element from the nduja and you get the cooling effect from the cucumbers. i wouldn't be surprised if the mussels were canned but sometimes, good things come in cans.

if the table next to us hadn't gotten the rump steak i doubt i would have ordered it as i've hadn't had much luck with that cut but it looked and smelt absolutely irresistible. my senses did not betray me that day, perfectly cooked with a rich wine merchant sauce and peppercorns. the steak coming from the rump was firm but very tasty and the cime di rapa really soaked up that sauce, delicious.

the dessert list looked rather simple, upon recommendation we got their strawberries and cream. i'd say it was an upgraded version with sticks of meringue and a strawberry sorbet. as the waitress put it, the meringue reminds her of fads, she's not wrong there. unfortunately i had to share this, i could polish off 2 plates of this!

another solid melbourne wine bar and we were lucky to snag a small table with a last minute booking. it was busy all night and people were waiting at the bar for seats. service was spot on and the food flow was well paced.

an absolutely beautiful restaurant with new york trattoria vibes. i was extremely well taken care of there as a vegetarian, enjoying a set menu brimming with fresh and vibrant veggie dishes. the soft, pillowy bread and cheese-filled choux was a great starting point. next up were various vegetable dishes including artichokes on a bed of chimichurri, a delicious buffalo mozzarella and ridichio salad, creamy butter beans topper with pecorino, and asparagus with a wonderful green herb sauce.

my main dish was a delicate, housemade pasta topped with goat cheese and my dessert was one of the most rich and boozy tiramisus i've had in a while. of course, a visit to marion isn't complete without wine, of which there are several to choose from.

secound visit and still love this place so much :)

visited on a pretty hot day of spring, the wine we choose was unfortunately the last bottle and hasn’t been chilled before so they offered a glass to apologies for the wait. i wouldn’t mind waiting and they could careless but they didn’t.

love that energy!

a beautiful wine bar in busy fitzroy, marion is all class. on a recent date night, we popped in after dinner to have some wine and dessert here. the perfect spot for an intimate date night, but also fun enough for groups, marion caters to everyone.

with a gorgeous ambience, and an elegant decor; it's difficult not to be impressed by all the beautiful bottles of wine on display. service is sophisticated but still warm and lovely, and staff are more than happy to recommend a tipple or two.

our desserts were absolutely delicious. quality, french style food with a simple presentation and divine taste; taking advantage of seasonal produce and delivering beautiful dishes. all in all, we were very impressed with our visit to marion and definitely intend to return again for a dinner date.

3.5 stars ⭐️ marion wine and food was nice, but a bit pricey. we ordered 2-3 wines, 3 starters, 3 entrees 1 main 2 sides and 3 desserts for the three of us which costs about $300.

the music was a bit too loud for a wine bar, but the highlights were:
- oysters
-chicken liver parfait
- chargrilled vegetable side
- snapper
- mille feuille w quince
- lime tart with persimmon

the other dishes were just okay:
- kingfish crudo was not as fresh as i liked. a bit fishey but the flavour combination is good
- the mussels were nice but it was surprising that it was cold, so it felt a bit slimey
- the tiramisu was a bit too bitter for my liking

very classy. we had an awesomely romantic dinner. expensive, but well worth every penny. 
 
the décor was appealing. the display of fresh foods (walnuts, flowers, plants) and various wines and alcohols near the register was well presented. the lighting was low (aka romantic) and provided by hanging lights suspended from the ceiling (this always looks awesome when this is done). the music was light modern jazz and was kept at an appropriate volume so we could hear each other speak. i found it to be quite hot inside the venue (perhaps it was just me). some of the highlights were:
 
lamb arrosticini - the lamb was served on metal skewers with a sauce and lemon to squeeze over it. the meat was rare and pink in the middle. it was slightly chewy yet still tender. the lemon was a welcome addition, adding sourness to the dish. the sauce was quite spicy and complemented the rich smoky flavours of the lamb well.  
 
roast beetroot and endive with roe - the beetroot was roasted until tender and juicy. it was cut into pieces and served under a crust on which the roe was placed. the roe was salty and refreshing. it was excellent addition to the dish. the endive was crisp and this brought a contrast to the dish.   
 
grilled rump cap - the steak was char grilled and placed over grilled leek. the thick, smooth wine sauce, had a dark, intense burgundy colour, which matched well with the darkness of the steak and the charring of the leeks beneath. the steak had a subtle, smoky flavour, which was complemented by the freshness of the leeks, and wine sauce. the meat was slightly charred on top, and pink and tender throughout. 
 
balnaves cab merlot - the wine was a rich dark burgundy in colour, and had a light taste, with a plum flavour, and a slight acidity to its finish. went well with the steak!

truly one of melbournes best dining experiences, the food is consistently mind blowing and service solid. the only negative are the prices on beverages, most specifically on wine which in some cases can feel outrageous.

absolutely amazing experience dining here! the food is simple yet so tasty. stand-out dishes were the pine mushrooms (must try!), the mussels and the roast chicken. could not fault any of the food though. tiramisu for dessert could have been presented a little better given the high standard presentation of the rest of the menu. would definitely go back!

quite a nice place for an after work week ending dinner. food was rather tasty. had home made grilled bread with their own garlic labne, a couple of anchovies on toast and prawn roll in a brioche bun with aioli.
it was until we had the rump cap which was chewy as to chew by the nice salty fries accompanied with their aioli was better to chew than their steak and their charred mushroomson barley want too bad either.

i took my partner here for a night out. we couldn’t get a booking but we were assured that we could do a walk in and when we did we were shown some stools and a nice ppl watching seating area.

the service was excellent, really professional and friendly. as this was a wine bar we ordered a delicious bottle of exceptional local wine, as i like to support local growers. we had a red wine that was superb, just perfect with our chefs recommendation for dinner.

this consisted of a range of small entrees, a main meal and dessert. perfect as we had a ravishing appetite hahaha ... we were so hungry we could have eaten the napkins!

we started w an oyster and some bbq chestnuts, both of which were delicious, followed by home made bread and creme fresh! yes yes yes lol

then some kingfish that was so thin it just fell apart! wow!! just beautiful.

the next dish of hot peppers was soooo hot, phew hahaha i had one ... then i managed 2 more but i was perspiring so much that i almost created a puddle. my partner soldiered on and reluctantly finished the plate, when others around us failed! mmnn the delights of spice hahahaha

the main course was free range chicken, french crispy fries and a radicchio salad. and this was the perfect combination for me, the chook was fed a heavenly diet, the chips crispy, and light, and the salad lacked too much bitterness, instead it was well balanced and it all worked so effortlessly together. sublime really.

oh and the wine... hahaha that was so good, a speciality vineyard with minimal human intervention makes the most incredible depth of complex flavours not generally tasted in your average bottle. just incredible, i felt swept away! lol

the tiramisu dessert was good, very good but this was my least favourite dish of the night, maybe because i’m not a huge fan of cream.

but overall this was a very special night at a great italian restaurant in a very accessible location in gertrude street, fitzroy.

a must try... enough said! enjoy :)

we didn’t come here for the wine though the wine list is extensive but for the food and it didn’t disappoint. the mussels & rump dishes were delicious and full of flavour and desert mmm.
cons- we were oddly seated in an awkward corner spot near cases of wine like i was in a stock room. there was one over zealous waiter who kept hounding us then another who couldn’t care less so service was lacking. i would still go back nevertheless.

had drinks and eats here .
it was quite busy for a monday night.
food was very small nibbles and not a large choice .
the octopus and olives were overwhelmed by the olives as they were minute slices of octopus.
the mussels were lovely and the ricotta agnolotti was delicious.
enjoyed the french wine

the roast chicken was the stand out dishfor us.
also had the cauliflower, crudo - which was good too! the mussels dish lacked that seafood taste, which was rather disappointing.
service was very good, so too was the wine.