marion

brilliant wine bar with a refined design, extensive wine list and intriguing and delicious menu. between two we shared the veal tartare, the mussels, the persimmon and prosciutto, the haloumi and thechickenlivers. everything was exceptional however the mussels and the haloumi were major standouts. we also shared a lovely bottle of south african chenin blanc.

you know you can 100% trust a place when it’s andrew mcconnell, the guy is a star. marion is a superb little wine bar which does incredible food and the service you get is an absolute stand out, very efficient and friendly too. highlights were pretty much everything... the bread at the start was unbelievable as was the ricotta agnolotti. roastchickenwas flavoursome and juicy... excellent selections of wines and beers, definitely a place to visit.

fresh,light and seasonal the words that best describe marion’s european menu. the highlight is the wine. we had a great sommelier who chose excellent whites to accompany our lunch. we had both the pescatarian and meat chefs selection menus between 5 of us. the mashed potato, pea and cheese croquettes and the kingfish crudo were some of the tastiest items on the menu. the flash pan grilled zucchini were also very nice. each dish was nicely done and honoured the main ingredients. thechickenlooked particularly soft and moist and was greeted with enthusiasm from my other guests. the fish was delicate and moist. overall though, there was not one particularly stand out dish that had any kind of wow factor; big complex flavours are not really a feature, which i find a bit disappointing. i really want to walk away feeling somewhat elevated - especially considering that marion is by no means a cheap lunch. it was about $140 each. but, the staff were very lovely and attentive. marion does have fantastic ambiance, and it has class. so if light, european cuisine is your thing, you will love it.

this is my kind of food: the produce is the star and it’s super healthy.
i was there for a birthday dinner, and i believe they served us some sort of banquet. i got the chance to try pretty much everything.
the bread that came first was delicious! it came with a yoghurt sauce which was fresh and just the right amount of sour.
the highlight for me was the chicken. i have rarely eaten such moist and tender chicken. it came with zucchini. it felt like what i’d eat at home - except that i cannot cook thechickenlike this!
i loved the atmosphere. the staff was great.
you must go!

we caught up with friends at marions after work one evening and had some really interesting wine by the glass on the outside tables along with an aperol spritz or two and some snacking items off the bar snack menu (5-7pm). really recommend the beignets from this menu. there were spare tables inside by just after 7 and the sky looked dark and mysterious so moved in for more substantial eats. we left the wine ordering to our friend who is an expert in all things european so enjoyed his decisions while we shared a range of mains in a busy venue full of other people’s conversations. favourites amount the mains would have to be the half roastchicken(for its size ... i was starving by the time it arrived), confit duck and salad, and the ricotta agnolotti. my least favourite dish was zucchini which was actually quite bland despite peppercorns and mint.

service outside was exceptional but they struggled a little when we moved inside and i was getting hangry starving by the time the last and most substantial dish arrived. that said i did come down from my grumpy place and overall really enjoyed tonight’s dining experience.

the roastchickenwas 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.

beautiful restaurant with lovely staff and great indoor or outdoor seating on gertrude street. a really interesting menu - but don't make our mistake and order the chef's selection! after a few of the smaller plates very disappointed for a group of 5 to be given two large plates of the roast chicken as the only main course . we had assumed with the chef's selection we would get to try more than one of the different main dishes - it was described as a good way to sample across the menu. will be ordering off the regular menu in future for a better selection and value for money.

we finally made it back to marion for a meal. previously when we last stopped by for a drink we tried the prawn horseradish rolls which left me hungry to return - i am a total sucker for a crispy/creamy combination and this dish nails it, so we of course had some more. this is a must have dish when dining at marion.

it’s perhaps a little unsophisticated of me to say the fried bread with fromage blanc was another highlight for me. the rump was cooked perfectly (fantastic with the curry sauce) and the roastchickenwas also on point.

the only dish i wasn’t so keen on was the zucchini on a crispy, pastry base, but this dish is no longer on the menu in any case.

wine tip would be the quealy secco splendido ancestrale which was a delicious, crisp, dry sparkling.

the service was fantastic, as was the ambiance. if you are going as a couple i would try to get a seat on the long bar looking out to the laneway, which i would say is the best spot during daylight hours.

have been looking forward to trying marion for a while and although we had some great wine at dinner last night (thanks to some recs from our waiter), i was not blown away by the food.i enjoyed the roastchickenandchickenlivers as well as the fig and prosciutto but found the tortellini and the veal tartare quite bland.would come back for drinks.

went to marion on a friday without a booking. got a table all the way at the back, which was actually fine because we could hear each other well. service was friendly. all meat is free range. did bring us a wrong drink but that was fixed easy enough. we had the prawn roll which some people in their review said it was overpriced. suppose that's true, but maybe it is an expensive prawn? it had nice flavours but $10 for a tiny little roll with 1 prawn and a bit of mayo is a lot. also had the peppers, they were very nice! so were the asparagus. as main we shared 1/2chickenwhich i thought was very boring and totally not worth the money ($38 i think it was). boyfriend thought it was delicious though. had a salad which was basically just some leaves, $8.. all and all we spent about $140. not too bad and the food was yummy.

roastchickenand andrew mcconnell. anyone who belittles the virtues ofchickenhas not tasted perfect roast chicken. there was a time wherechickenwas plain jane. go to marion and a half roastchickenis anything but that!

the complication (besides salmonella) when cookingchickenis the fact that it is so often overcooked that we all believe it shouldn’t be soft and moist. we overcook it, bringing out extra salt in the skin, that compensates for some of the flavour lost as thechickendries out. then we cover it with any sauce to compensate, and have each mouthful with potatoes of some description.

what is difficult to explain is why every time i eatchickenat one of mcconnell’s restaurants, whether it be cutler, or luxembourg, or here at marion, it is far better than the rest.