Sometimes picking just one thing from the menu is really tricky, and this was definitely the case at The Merchant, which has recently opened on the Kingston foreshore. I was sorely tempted by the chicken liver parfait, the braised lamb papardelle and the lamb skewer, but after much procrastinating – mostly spent admiring the pretty tiles on the back wall – I went for the skewer, because there’s nothing like big chunks of lamb at lunchtime! I was struck by the huge portion size when the plate came out and delighted to see a wedge of lemon to drizzle over the lamb; surely ‘lamb & lemon’ are the ‘apple & cinnamon’ of the savoury world. The salad was tasty and substantial, with large pieces of fetta and pitted olives (hooray!). The lamb was a bit variable – perfectly cooked and soft on the outside, but a bit undercooked and chewy inside each piece. There also could have been a bit more yoghurt for dipping. I was, however, very impressed with the iced tea, which was lovely and sweet, and had fresh orange and lemon juice in it. Mmm. Yes they’re still finding their feet, but The Merchant has a lot of promise.
The Merchant, 3/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.themerchant.com.au (under development)
