marion

yum! such agreatmeal. burrata is to die for, as are the mussels. portions are lovely to share with a small group.

a chic, small, yet vibrant modern restaurant located in the heart of fitzroy! once again, we brought our team member to dine here with us as a thank you gesture, and we were honestly proud of our choice.

the food is undeniably good and their service is top notch! the friendly staff have impressive skills with carrying the dishes.

we ordered quite a lot of food and they did not disappoint!

marion is agreatlittle bar to visit during the day that you can nibble through as you enjoy your wine sipping session. their wine collection is absolutely crazy - come visit and find out yourself!

fresh,light and seasonal the words that best describe marion’s european menu. the highlight is the wine. we had agreatsommelier 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. the chicken looked 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.

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 agreatstarting 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.

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 agreatitalian restaurant in a very accessible location in gertrude street, fitzroy.

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

absolute winner.greatfood and service. we had oysters, chorizo and octopus crostini, flathead with pipis and the standouts for me was the calamari (so good grilled!), the tortellini, the lamb arrosticini, plusgreatfries (so glad was asked if they had it in the back to soak up all the jus!

beautiful restaurant with lovely staff andgreatindoor 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.

finally managed to checkgreatvenue out after rave recommendations on sunday night.greatambience, food and selection of wines! highly recommend, better than supernormal!

slick modern atmosphere that invites you in through the big windows opening out onto gertrude street.
service wasgreatand the food was delicious.
highly recommend.

andrew mcconnell is taking over fitzroy – well, at least that’s how it feels. marion is his newest venture on gertrude street, and the fourth in melbourne’s hip, inner city suburb. this new wine bar is the talk of the town; even though it only opened late october, marion is already bustling with locals (and others) who are eager to check out the newest jewel in mcconnell’s crown. located right next door to the renowned and more up-market cutler & co, marion is an ideal spot to enjoy a pre or post dinner drink – or if you’re after a more casual meal, then settle in for the night.

named after the laneway behind the bar, the feel is casual, clean and modern: white washed walls; a feature wine display (floor to ceiling, with metal shelving); copper finishes; and an open kitchen, backwashed with white tiles.

as you’d expect from a wine bar, the wine list is impressive; and as it shares the cellar with cutler & co, you’ll find some rare and special selections. so, if wine is your thing, but you could happily skip the fine dining experience, then you’ll be in heaven at marion.

even though it’s primarily a wine bar with a simple menu, the food is by no means neglected. marion offers seasonal tasting plates, with a focus ongreatquality produce – and you’ll be pleased to know that mcconnell’s signature tangy, zesty flavours are alive and well at marion. we loved the natural oysters with vinegar mignonette; asparagus and comte cheese; cured pork neck shavings with apple and mustard; calamari; and a whole flounder.

put simply, marion is a really chilled out place, without compromising on quality. as well as dinner, they’re also open for weekend breakfast, with options such as mortadella sandwich with gentleman’s relish; omelette with asparagus, tarragon and pecorino; or for something more indulgent, ricotta doughnuts with chocolate sauce. one thing is for sure: you’d be pretty happy to have this as your new local.

what will andrew mcconnell do next?

ridiculously expensive for what you got.greatatmosphere but don't go if you're hungry or you're going to feel guilty about spending a lot of money

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

consistent service and food here, which is great.  try the chicken!  if a table isn't immediately available, there's agreatstanding area to sample some decent drinks.

brilliant.
duck harts,greattexture of the harts with the zing of some fresh horseradish.
the eel was a standout, just three elements all perfect, winning dish.
washed down with some ra ra rizza, d-lish.

we had long lunch on a weekday and managed to eat through most of the menu. the tables are quite small and more cafe style, the food fortunately is not. the duck fish with kombu and the beef tartare were favourites. the osso bucco wonderfully tender and fragrant with the white polenta being an absolute standout. the romanesco new broccoli with pistachio was interesting and so were a couple more plates that we had.greatwines and service, we'll be back to taste the rest of the menu.