Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner @ The Melt

Update Review, 2024

Sweet Potato Fries. $4.19.

It had been several years since I last tried fries at The Melt.  I've always found them fairly lackluster, but, when they put a freebie on my account for any fries I wanted, of course I couldn't resist.  I went for the sweet potato, as I had liked them more than regular in the past (although I was tempted by the cheese sauce covered ones too ...).

The fries were ready very quickly, <3 minutes.  Clearly hot and fresh out of the fryer.  They were fine. Good sweet potato flavor, but otherwise, highly average, nothing special about them.  At least real deep fried fries, so certainly better than frozen grocery store ones I'd bake or air fry at home.  Not much salt on them, but that was easily fixed.

I did want a dipping sauce, so I was glad I had my own honey mustard and bbq.

Mostly, they just made me want the thicker, double fried, lightly crusted sweet potato fries from Oren's.

***, no reason to get these again.

Update Review, 2017 - 2021

The Melt is a fast-casual chain around the Bay Area, that I have reviewed many times before, but, it has changed considerably since those original reviews.

I'm actually pretty amazed by the place, as it started out as a grilled cheese and soup shop, and has pivoted many times.  They introduced breakfast, and then took it away.  They added dessert melts, they took them away.  They added sides like fries, and mostly ditched the soup lineup.  They added burgers and grilled chicken.  Then cookies, ice cream and shakes.  They have expanded to locations all over California, and for a while, Texas.  But they have also closed unsuccessful locations, including the original shop, and the other two in San Francisco that I had visited before.

It is really impressive to see actually, a company embracing change, pivoting, and just rolling with it.  I think it is working, at least, it seems so given the number of locations they now have.

Their first restaurant, and offices, used to be in the same complex as my office, so I had a chance to try out the original concept many times, but it has changed so much at this point, I figure a new review is warranted.  This covers several visits, at different locations, over the past 8 years.

Setting 

925 Market St.

One of the newer locations is on Market at 5th, more central than their other San Francisco locations.  I'm not sure what was in that location before, but it looks quite nice now.

Outside Seating.

Like the Embarcadero location, they also offer outside seating, although not exactly with the same ambiance.  The people watching is likely better here though ...

Interior.

Inside is long and narrow, with a high, lofty, exposed ceiling.  Tables are mostly for two, although there is also a large communal table.  Lots of wood (I loved the floor!) and lots of light.  Additional seating is on the mezzanine level, and their corporate offices are on the top floor.

Ordering Pads.

Normally you can order online, or at the ordering kiosks set up near the entrance, but those were not yet enabled when I visited for the soft opening.

Ordering / Pickup Window.

I went the traditional way, ordering from a staff member at a register in the back of the restaurant (adjacent to kitchen, furthest from street).  This area is not large, and is combined with the pick up area.  They clearly expect, and encourage, orders to be done electronically instead.

A buzzer was given to me, and it flashed and vibrated when my order was ready.

Soda Fountain.

Drinks are self-serve, with iced tea, lemonade, and "all natural sodas".  I'm not sure what brand.  I tried both the root beer and the orange cream, and they were both very, very sweet.

Embarcadero Center

Spacious Interior.

The Embarcadero  Center location is spacious, with plenty of room to move around, look at the menu, and wait for your order.  It didn't feel cramped at all.

Ordering is done either through the app on your phone if you have it, at kiosks right at the entrance, or, if you prefer, with a staff member up front.

A note on the staff: I found all the staff at this location *really* friendly and personable.  They made the entire experience, that could be quite sterile given the tech based ordering, really enjoyable.  Points to the staff here.

Seating Inside.

There is also plenty of natural light from the big open windows, and a decent amount of seating, much of it counter-style, for solo diners.

We choose the location though for the outside seating, not something I normally look for in San Francisco, but the weather demanded it.   We were very pleased by the outdoor area, plenty of tables, perfectly sized for our group of four (sorry, my camera seems to have eaten my photo!)

Food 

The menu at the Melt has continued to evolve past the original fare of grilled cheese and soup, although they still have a lineup of signature grilled cheese, and a single (tomato) soup.  Now they have burgers, grilled chicken, and a few more sides as well, and yes, you can totally get things that *aren't* based around cheese, and don't, uh, have anything to do with melting.

Soft Launch, Market Street Location, August 2017

Pre-Opening Meal.

In addition to several visits at different locations on my own, I was invited to a soft opening for one new San Francisco location, on Market Street, just a block down from the Westfield mall.  Since it was a soft opening, I won't comment on the service and staff, as they were clearly still in training.

Caesar Salad + Grilled Mushrooms. $5.99 + $1.00.

"Romaine, shaved parmesan, w/ grilled cheese croutons."

For my meal, I opted for a salad, rather than burger or melt, as I just wasn't feeling in the mood for beef (and I don't actually like grilled cheese as an entree).  I had the choice of caesar or chopped cobb (same dressing, same base, just different toppings), and went for the caesar, entree sized.

I wanted to jazz up the caesar a bit, so I asked to have grilled mushrooms and caramelized onions added, both standard additions available for burgers and melts.  I was told that the mushrooms were fine to add, but, onions were not.  In fact, my choices were restricted to tomato, avocado, bacon, mushrooms, and grilled chicken.  This was pretty arbitrary and a bit annoying.  Grilled chicken was fine to add, but a burger patty wasn't?  Tomato was fine, but red onion slices were not?  The pickled onions found on the cobb salad? Also not ok to add.  Who made these "rules"?  Anyway.

The reason I was most excited for the salad was to try the famed "grilled cheese croutons".  Alas, my salad came without, and I didn't open it until I had left, so I didn't notice.  I wonder if they thought I wanted mushrooms ... instead of croutons?

I'm glad I added the mushrooms, they added something to the otherwise very boring salad.  I was pleased with the quantity of mushrooms added.  Not much else to say about them, soft, nicely cooked, but just mushrooms.

The romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp, assorted hearts and leaves, all torn into good size pieces.  This was the best feature of the salad, it clearly did have care put into it.

But I didn't like the dressing.  Caesar dressing tends to come in two styles, and I fall solidly in the camp of wanting it really creamy, really loaded with anchovy flavor.  This was more the style of kinda tangy and lighter, no real anchovy, basically, like generic caesar dressing from a bottle, more like a vinaigrette.  It was well dressed though, by which I mean, generously dressed, but not drowning.

My final disappointment was the parmesan.  The shaved parmesan is the same as used on the fries, which works well there, but I prefer large shavings of parmesan on my caesar so I can really taste it.  It was just too easily lost here.

So overall, this was a pretty big meh for me.  The lettuce was quality and fresh, the salad well prepared, but it was missing the croutons, and just didn't have the style dressing nor cheese that I like.

**+.

Sweet Potato Fries. $2.99.

"Seasoned sweet potatoes w/ shaved parmesan."

For my side, I actually selected the cheesy bacon fries, but, alas, they ran out of the three cheese sauce that is an essential component.  Rather than just get plain fries, I swapped to sweet potato fries.

They were ... mediocre.  Very thin, kinda shriveled.  Questionable how long ago they were fried.  Ok sweet potato flavor.  The same shaved parmesan as on my salad, again fairly lost, although a nice touch rather than just plain.

They weren't bad, but, just weren't particularly good.  I see no reason to get them again.

**+.

Melt Sauce.

I really wanted something to dip my fries into.  Ketchup and yellow mustard are all that was offered.  No honey mustard, no ranch, no aioli, the sort of things I normally like with my fries.  So I asked for a side of the "Melt sauce", not really knowing what it was, except that it is the special sauce they use on the burgers.

Sadly, I didn't like it either.  Too tangy for my taste.

**+.

Embarcadero Center Location, June 2019 Visit

It had been a while since I visited the Melt, and I'm not sure why.  They have so many menu items that I am eager to try sometime (e.g. burgers, including Impossible Burgers, mac and cheese, and more).

This visit was inspired when I had visitors in town and it also happened to be a ridiculous 87° in San Francisco.  No, not a type-o!  We wanted one thing, and one thing only: soft serve ice cream.  Which, as you may know, is a bit hard to find around San Francisco.  Thus the Melt was our destination, to check out some different menu items, but really, to get ice cream.

Dinner!

The visit was for both dinner and dessert, taking advantage of the usually warm day for soft serve, and trying new menu items.  Unfortunately, they didn't have some of the things we were intending to order (e.g. Impossible Burgers), but we still stayed to get dinner.  I demanded it, as, well, the promise of ice cream at the end was still there.  The ice cream, sadly, let us down.

Swiss 'N Shroom Chicken Burger & Sweet Potato Fries.

 Swiss 'N Shroom Chicken Burger

"All-natural grilled chicken breast, swiss, fresh spinach, grilled mushrooms, crispy onions w/ aioli."

My non-red meat eating companion was excited to get to try the Impossible Burger, but alas, they were having supply issues, and had Beyond Burger instead.  He wasn't into that, so he decided to get a chicken burger instead.

I didn't try it, but he said it was fine, albeit a bit boring and lacking much flavor.

Another companion did get the Beyond Burger.  She basically thought it was eh, and noted the Impossible Burger is much better.  

Sweet Potato Fires
"Hot and crispy Louisiana sweet potatoes seasoned with shaved parmesan."

Even though they didn't impress me before, I gave the sweet potato fries another try.  After all, my previous review was a pre-opening event, and at a different location.

They were better this time, no question.  Crispy, far more fresh tasting, and I did like the sweet potato flavor.  I still wished for a honey mustard style dipping sauce. ***.

I also sampled the regular fries (with Melt Spice on them), and they were fine.  Fresh enough, crispy enough, but not particularly standout in any way.  **+.

Steak & Cheese + Sauteed Mushrooms. $7.99 + $1.

"Our take on Philly’s favorite—Angus sirloin, cheddar, grilled onions, pickled jalapeños."

One of my dining companions loves Philly cheesesteaks, so he was excited to see the cheesesteak inspired item on the menu.  We were planning to split something, and I was hoping to try a burger finally, but, alas, I went with his choice.  After all, I can appreciate a good cheesesteak too.

Neither of us found it great.  His first comment?  "Strangely, for a place called 'The Melt', this is really ... lacking in the melty cheese department.  I want a lot more cheese."  His next comment?  "Yeah, this kind of bread is just wrong for a cheesesteak."

So, he wasn't pleased.  The bread really was grilled to perfection though, this is one signature move The Melt mastered early on.

Steak & Cheese: Side View.

I did add in mushrooms to give it more oomph, and I'm glad I did, as it really didn't have much going on.  I expected to taste the pickled jalapeños and have some kick.  I expected to taste lovely sweet caramelized onions.  I didn't really get any of that.  I'm not even convinced the pickled jalapeños were there.

The mushrooms were fine, the beef kinda ... dry and chewy.

So overall, pretty lackluster.  The beef not juicy, the entire thing not cheesy, and just overall not much flavor.  Neither of us were very happy with the order.

**+.

Market & 1st Street Location, March 2020, May 2020, and January 2021 visits

I do keep going back to the Melt, which I know sounds odd since I've had such lackluster experiences, but, I really do believe they are on to something. And, really, the issue I've found is the quality difference between location. It turns out, the newest location, also the closest to my house, is just, well, significantly better?

I once grabbed an ice cream cone from the Market & 1st location, and it was night and day better than the other locations, so, it inspired me to return more times, now, for something savory.

Signature Bag.

My first 2020 visit was during the Shelter in Place, so The Melt was offering takeout only, and I was glad to find somewhere nearby still open.

The staff were incredibly friendly, all smiles, and efficient.

My order was handed over in a branded bag.

Side Ceasar Salad. $2.99.

"Romaine, shaved parmesan, w/ grilled cheese croutons."

One visit, I opted for just a side salad, as I had most of a meal waiting for me at home, and I just really, really wanted some fresh lettuce to go with it.  I know this sounds odd, but, after lots of heavy food (freezer food, takeout, etc), my days of sheltering in place were getting old, and I just wanted something light.

I'm glad I took the gamble and tried the salad again, even though I didn't like it all that much at the opening of the other Market Street location.

Was it an earth shattering salad?  Of course not.  But the romaine was crisp, torn into good size chunks.  Not browned or limp, better than I had the day before from the salad shop Mixt.  The shaved parmesan was abundant, and I'd still rather have larger shavings, but this was fine.

The best part though?  I finally got to try the "grilled cheese croutons!".  It turns out, they were as awesome as I hoped.  Literally, little mini chunks of grilled cheese, extra crispy, like a crouton.  The cheese inside was the signature Melt blend, quite flavorful.  I know this sounds like a gimmick, but, they really were tasty.  Perfect for getting a little bit of grilled cheese decadence without a heavy meal, and, just far, far more interesting than regular croutons!

The dressing was better than I remembered as well, nicely loaded with parmesan cheese, although still a tangier and thinner style than I prefer, and, no anchovy.  

Overall, I enjoyed this little salad, and will get it again, and just use my own dressing.  At $2.99 the price really can't be beat (this was the side salad size).

***+.

Mini Mac. $4.49.

"A side portion of our Melty Mac.  Our custom cheese blend melted to creamy brilliance, topped with cheddar and toasted bread crumbs."

The Melt has offered mac and cheese for a while now, but they only recently (as in, early 2020), completely reformulated it.  I was excited to try out the new version, as Instagram shots certainly looked amazingly creamy.  In addition to the plain "Melty Mac" they also offer several other decked out entree mac and cheeses dishes with new toppings, such as the Garlic Chicken Bacon Mac and the Steak Fiesta Mac (yup, its got grilled steak, red peppers, jalapeños, crispy tortilla strips ... its a party!).

I kept it simple though, opting just for the side portion of the Melty Mac, dubbed the Mini Mac.

The Mini Mac, unlike the regular size portion, does not come with breadcrumbs on top, nor can you add them through the app or the ordering screen in restaurant.  Even the staff can't add them to the order if you order at the register, but, I asked nicely, and they were able to ask, in person, the cook preparing the order to add breadcrumbs to my order, which he did.  Breadcrumbs make a difference!

For the mini mac, the only customizations you can make are to add chopped smoked bacon ($1) or steak ($3), which is unfortunate, as the full size allows for a few more choices (grilled chicken for $2, jalapeños for free).  Honestly, there are a slew of burger toppings I'd love to see as options too, at least the crispy onions.  Or elements from the other new macs, like garlic.  But, The Melt doesn't seem to be big into customizing their non-burger dishes.

I *adored* the breadcrumbs, so I really appreciated that they allowed me to manually add them.  They were crispy, salty, garlic-y (?), and were perfect to compliment the richness of the mac.   Honestly, they were somewhat *needed* to balance the rich mac and cheese! **** for the breadcrumbs.

Mini Mac: SO CHEESY. SO CREAMY.

I was fairly impressed with the mac and cheese too.

The pasta was perfect - not mushy, not too al dente.  The large size elbows were fairly unique, much bigger than your standard mac, and were great at getting filled with cheesy goodness.  The ridges helped hold on more cheese too.  It really seemed like research was done to pick the perfect pasta vehicle for the cheese sauce.

And then, of course, the cheesey nature.  It was remarkably creamy.  And cheesy.  And rich.  And complex.  I am not sure what cheeses were used, it was clearly a blend, lots of flavors at play.  Again, so clear they had done some work formulating this!  The Melt knows their cheeses.  It reminded me a lot of Velveeta mac and cheese, which I mean in a good way - I grew up on Velveeta (both as an ingredient that my mom frequently used, and then later, when I was in college, for the mac and cheese meal kits).

I think the regular portion of Melty Mac also has additional cheddar cheese melted on top.  I'm glad this didn't actually, as it was plenty rich like this.  I bet a drizzle of hot sauce would be great with it, or, obviously, any of the other toppings available.

The side portion is $4.49, for a very generously stuffed cup.  A small cup, but quite full.  It was so rich I can't really imagine needing more, unless you were sharing (and pairing with a salad perhaps? I think that would work quite well).  I am curious how much larger the full size is for $2.50 more, and how generously topped the more elaborate versions are that are more than double the price, but this was all I needed.

***+.

Sweet Potato Fries. $4.25.

I know, I had tried these before, several times, and dubbed them lackluster.  But never from this location, which just seems to have a better operating kitchen.  Plus, I just love sweet potato fries, and I wanted to keep on trying.  I was craving them.

And ... I was rewarded for my perseverance.  

These were actually good.  Not limp like before, but crispy.  Thicker pieces.  Piping hot, great sweet potato flavor, double fried style.  You can tell just by looking at them that they seem like a different product from that first review.

I read my notes and brought my own honey mustard dipping sauce, but also tried out their new ranch, and they worked with that too.

Definitely solid option, I'd get again when craving, but wouldn't go out of my way for them.

***+.

Ranch.

As I mentioned, I tried the ranch with my sweet potato fries, and I was pleased.  

Actually decent ranch.  Not too ... ranchy.  Good with sweet potato fries.  I'd get it with salads in the future since I didn't care for their ceasar.

***.

Pickle!

A simple side salad, mac and cheese, or fries only do not normally come with a pickle, but, one time the staff member handing over my order asked if I'd like one, and I certainly wasn't about to say no!  #pickles

It was a good pickle, dill, a deli style pickle, full cucumber, just sliced in half.  Good crunch, good acid level, just, a good, standard pickle.  I will gladly accept these again in the future!  (which, I'm happy to report, I've done many times since, and truly enjoyed every time.  They have good pickles!)

****.

Original Reviews, 2001 - 2012

The Melt is a fairly new grilled cheese/soup shop that opened in my office building a few months ago. They have several other locations around the area as well, with ambitious growth plans. They have been open only for lunch and dinner until now, but their breakfast menu debuts on Monday. As a preview, they were giving out free oatmeal and breakfast sandwiches to everyone who works in the building today. They did this back when they originally opened with their grilled cheese and soup as well.  Since I never published those reviews here, I've included them below as well.

I desperately wanted this place to be good (grilled cheese and soup at my doorstep would be fantastic!) ... but it hasn't impressed me yet.

Summaries of lunch/dinner offerings (full reviews and photos below):

Cheese:

The cheese was consistently melted well! Most of my unhappiness here was just in the fact that I didn't get to pick my cheeses, so since I don't like jack cheese, I disliked the colby jack and the jalapeño jack (but the jalapeño jack did have a really nice layer of real chilis!). The brie was a pretty standard brie. I'm still interested in trying the sharp cheddar and the provolone/fontina.

Overall, decent.

Bread:

The bread itself was pretty generic and standard. The herb layer on the outside also didn't really seem to add much. Again though, I had the sourdough and the white wheat, which I wouldn't pick. I'm interested in trying the potato, the 8 grain, and the garlic.

Overall, not offensive, but not good either.

Sandwich execution:

They were ruined by soggyness. They need to be crispier. Perhaps less butter. The butter level was pretty nasty, but it is hard to tell if it was just too much given the sogginess and if it would be good once crisped up.  Jalapeños and apple butter spreads were pretty good.

Overall, bad.

Soups:

All were decent - not worth going out of your way for, not worth getting on their own, but paired well with melts. Purees work well for dunking. Served a little too cold. I did leave the meal with an overly salty feeling in my mouth however, and I think it came from the soups.

Overall, decent.

Combos:

These were well done. I do recommend getting one of their suggested pairings - they clearly put thought into what flavors combine well, and if you like dunking your sando in soup, these worked well. Sum of the parts is greater than the whole!

Overall, great!

So ... would I go back? It is hard to say. At the end of the day, most canned/boxed soup is equivalent in flavor.  And I can certainly make a better grilled cheese. But it is convenient and I would like to see what the ones I'd actually order are like.  And then there are the interesting sounding sweet ones to try (s'mores, pb & j, and raspberry shortcake) ...

---

Lunch [ Originally published November 16, 2001 ]

I've been excited for this place to open as it is uber convenient and I've read a lot about their crazy high tech machine that is supposed to make the perfect grilled cheese (cheese melted perfectly, bread toasted perfectly, in under 1 minute). They also do online ordering - you scan a QR code on your phone when you walk in the door so they start making it when you get there, etc.  Sounds very promising.

Today they were giving out free combo lunch meals to people who work in the building. To handle the crowds (I assume) they were doing it mass production style, so you didn't get to choose what you ordered and they just kinda handed them out in batches. So, keep that in mind as my experience will be different than a standard ordering experience.

The menu features 5 grilled cheeses ($5.75), 5 soups ($3.95), all puree style for easy dunking (two tomato basil, sweet corn tortilla, spicy black bean, italian sausage and pepper, and creamy wild mushroom), cookies, drinks, and 3 sweet dessert sandwiches. Full menu here. They also recommend combo meals ($8.75) that pair a sando and soup and include some chips. You can always add bacon or tomato to any sandwich (for free).

Of the grilled cheeses, there were three grilled cheeses I wanted to try: sharp cheddar on potato bread, fontina & provolone on garlic bread, and brie and apple on white/wheat, one that I wasn't all that interested in (colby jack on 8 grain), and one that I really didn't want: jalapeno jack on sourdough (jack is probably my least favorite cheese and sourdough my least favorite bread!). Of course, the one they had for lunch was ... jalapeno jack on sourdough :) So, take my review with that in mind.

"The Mission" combo meal, $8.75.

The packaging included a cute a little binder clip on the bag ... uh why?  The chips were just standard, greasy, forgettable.

Sweet corn tortilla soup.  $3.95.

The Misson combo included the sweet corn tortilla soup. I thought the soup was better than the sandwich. It had a nice corn flavor, but certainly wasn't anything I'd ever go out of my way for. I didn't really get the "tortilla" aspect of it since it was a puree. I probably wouldn't like it eating it on its own, but I don't think they really intend for anyone to just get a soup here, I think that is why they are all purees. Dunking the spicy jalapeño grilled cheese in it did work very well, I see why they recommend that pairing. This was a case where both elements were certainly better when combined.

Jalapeno jack on sourdough. $5.75.

The sando did have a nice kick to it - I'm not sure if there was a jalapeño spread on there, or if all of the jalapeño chunks came from the cheese, but there was a healthy layer of jalapeño that was quite nice. The cheese was melted well. One slice of bread had an herb coating on the outside, the other was plain. Both slices were buttered up quite a bit. But ... it was soggy and not crispy, which was a big fail, as that is what their fancy machine is supposed to do right? Maybe it got soggy in the walk back (3 mins)? The bread being so soggy really made this not very good. I see the potential since I did like the jalapeño flavor, but the buttery/soggyness just ruined it. I'm guessing that since both the cheese and the bread weren't the ones I'd choose, this was even a bigger issue for me since the flavors didn't save it either.

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Dinner [ originally published November 16, 2001 ]

I went back for dinner, since they were offering free dinner for my apartment building! Like earlier, there was no choice in ordering, so again, I am reviewing things I would not normally order.

I had two combos:

1. "The Outlaw": Colby jack on 8 grain bread with spicy black bean soup. My last pick of soup paired with my second to last pick of sandwich.
2. "The Parisian": Brie and apple butter on white wheat bread with creamy wild mushroom soup.

Colby jack on white wheat bread.  $5.75.

As I mentioned before, I do not like jack cheese. At all. And colby jack is even worse than jalapeño jack, since the jalapeño jack at least as the jalapeños to give it a kick and something interesting. This sandwich is normally served on an 8 grain bread, which sounded hearty and good to me, but they were out of that and it was served on a bread they called white wheat. I kinda hated this sandwich. Slightly less soggy than the one I had earlier, but still not crispy, way too buttery, full of cheese that I found repulsive, on truly boring bread. The cheese was very nicely melted however, and it included the spices on the outside again. For me, this was not good, but if you like colby jack, I'm sure it was fine.

Spicy black bean soup.  $3.95

The spicy black bean soup was much better than I expected, although this is not a soup I'd normally ever order. It had decent spices and did combine well with the colby jack. Again a case where I see why they recommend the pairing, and where the soup and sando are both much better together than they are on their own. The soup was flavorful enough to eat on its own too.

Brie and apple butter on white wheat bread. $5.75 

Decent brie and a decent apple butter that complimented each other nicely. I liked the sweetness from the apple butter. The sandwich was again soggy however, and again way too buttery (don't get me wrong, a nice crisp buttery grilled cheese is a fantastic thing, but in this case, the butter just contributed to the sogginess). The white wheat bread was pretty boring but not bad, per se.

Creamy wild mushroom soup. $3.95.

The creamy wild mushroom soup was decent and had a strong mushroom flavor. In this case, I did not like dipping the sandwich in it, as the mushroom flavors just overpowered the brie and apple. It was definitely more of a standalone soup.

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Breakfast

Like the lunch/dinner sandwiches, the breakfast sandwiches are all grilled.  And you can add bacon or tomato for free to any sandwich.  Instead of pairing with soup, you can pair with kettle cooked, steel cut oatmeal.  They offer two varieties of oatmeal ($3.95 each) and four sandwiches ($4.25).  They also offer Peet's coffee for a somewhat steep $1.75 per cup.  It was bitter and seemed over brewed or old.  Meh.  [ The second and third days, it was much, much better! ]

Maple raisin oatmeal (sample size).

The oatmeal itself seemed undercooked, strangely crunchy.  There wasn't much maple flavor.  Plentiful raisins.  Would not order.

Cinnamon apple oatmeal (sample size).

Again, the oatmeal seemed a little undercooked, but not as much as the maple raisin.  There were little apple chunks throughout.  The flavor seemed off, it was cinnamon, but really wasn't very good.  This was kinda gooey, a really unappealing consistency.  Definitely would not order.

Maple Banana Waffle.  $4.25.

This was decent.  Two crisp waffles, filled with sliced banana, grilled.  The banana got really soggy from the grilling process however, which made it a little unappealing.  The waffle had a subtle maple flavor to it, but it also came with a side of maple syrup to dunk everything in.  The syrup definitely made the dish!  It wasn't particularly good maple syrup (I'm a bit of a snob in this area, having grown up in New Hampshire with family that makes their own), but it really did compliment the waffle and banana quite well, and added some needed sweetness.  The waffle was surprisingly crisp.  I'd consider getting this again.

Another Maple Banana Waffle.

[ Updated 10/12/12 ]
I said I'd consider getting it again, and I did :)

This time I liked it much less.  The waffle wasn't nearly as crispy as the previous time, and it didn't have much flavor.  The banana was sliced fresh to order, which I really appreciated, but it was again warm and soggy since it was inside the waffle, which is just a little weird.  The syrup was again the best part, but not particularly flavorful.   I think some peanut butter inside of this would go a long way ... mmm!

I won't get this again, but it did make me appreciate a few things about The Melt.  Even though I am too much of a snob for their syrup, I am glad they use real maple syrup and not fake stuff.  And I like that they slice the banana to order, or in the case of the egg in the hole, crack an egg to order.  They do have a good commitment to quality.

"No Nuts PB&J".  $4.25.

This is on their lunch/dinner dessert menu as well.  8 grain bread, filled with Biscoff spread and fig jam.    I love a toasted PB&J so this sounded great!  Unfortunately, it failed in exactly the same was as all of their regular grilled cheeses: too oily/buttery on the outside and kinda soggy.  The bread had a decent heartiness to it, but was fairly unremarkable.  The fig jam was good, with lots of fig flavor.  I didn't taste much of the Biscoff spread. (Biscoff spread is sorta peanut butter-like, made from Biscoff cookies, those pretty boring, hard, graham cracker-like speculoos cookies that are often served with coffee).  There wasn't a lot of either spread, it could have used more.  Would not order again.

"Egg in a hole".  $4.25.

Wow!  This was actually really good!  White wheat bread, sharp cheddar cheese, optional bacon/tomato, and then egg cracked into the hole.

This is their classic grilled cheese, made with their standard white wheat bread and aged cheddar cheese.  But then, they cut a hole in the top piece of bread and crack a fresh egg, to order, into it.  The whole thing is then put into the grill, which manages to fry up the egg nicely.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the egg came out, with a crispy exterior where it had touched the grill.  Sure, I'd prefer a slightly runny yolk, but this was nicely cooked.  The top was brushed with a salty herb mix.  The seasonings went perfectly with the egg.  The inside was where it shined.  The cheese was just perfectly melted.  I can't say I've ever ever had cheese this perfect in my life.  It oozed out, coating the egg, coating the bread, just amazing.  I also added bacon.  It wasn't quite as crispy as I'd like, but was smothered in cheese and pretty delicious.  My co-worker added tomato and said that was quite good as well.  Like all of their sandwiches, I would have liked the bread to be crisper, and again blame this on the amount of butter/oil they slather on the outside, but it was certainly the best sandwich I've had from there.  I'd order this again.

"Egg in a hole".  $4.25.

I got the egg in a hole again, after having liked it so much the first time.  This time, it wasn't nearly as good.

The bread was again too soggy, and buttery/oily.  The egg was overcooked and uninteresting.

The cheese was again absolutely perfectly melted and rather amazing, but needed to be consumed within moments of it coming off the grill or it lost that quality, and the congealed cheese was really nothing special.

The bacon as the winning ingredient.  It had a really amazing flavor, and went so well with the cheese. It was the bacon that kept me eating this after it got cold and unappealing.

I'm not sure why the magic was lost on this one.  The machines are all using timers and are calibrated the same, so it should be exactly the same as my first one.  If I go for breakfast again I'd still consider getting this, but I won't be going out of my way for it.

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Cinnamon raisin with lemon cream cheese.  $4.25.

This was decent cinnamon flavored bread with some raisins in it, nicely grilled and crisp.  The cream cheese inside had a subtle lemon flavor but a really bad mouth feel.  I didn't like the cream cheese at all.  Perhaps it was just strange from being served warm?  Would perhaps try again, as I really wanted to like this one.

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Madhouse Bakehouse, Australia

Update Review, November 2023 & February 2024 Visits

Another few trips to Sydney, more enjoying Madhouse Bakehouse items.  See below for my original reviews.

Baby Cakes.

The first few times I saw the baby cakes, I passed right by them.  They truly didn't look particularly good.  And then I tried one.  And I liked it.  I had them several more times over the course of my time in Sydney, and genuinely enjoyed them every time.  Madhouse also makes full size cupcakes, but I had only the smaller ones, dubbed "baby cakes".

Chocolate Truffle:

"Our dark chocolate mini cupcakes are utterly tantalising with their rich, velvety cake and dark Belgian chocolate ganache. We sprinkle them with colourful, edible confetti."

I actually liked the chocolate one, even though they didn't look great, and were kinda dry.  There was very strong chocolate flavor in the base, even though the color wasn't particularly dark. The frosting was really tasty too, again, great chocolate level.  They must use high quality chocolate.  ****

Vanilla Baby Cakes.

"Each is attractively piped with a sweet buttercream frosting in 3 different colours (white, purple, green) then sprinkled with edible colourful confetti."

Next I tried the vanilla.  I really liked these too.  Good flavor in base, sweet, buttery, and slight tang.  A dense style, not airy, which I prefer.  The different colored buttercreams were all the same flavor, but were enjoyable too, not cloying sweet, just the right balance of butter and sugar.  ****.

I'm not sure if I liked the vanilla or chocolate more, both were great.

Mini Vanilla Cheesecake.

"This creamy baked vanilla cheesecake is the perfect blank canvas to create your favourite tantalising cheesecake of the day. Switch it up from Blueberry, Chocolate, Oreo, Raspberry – the choice is endless!"

The cute little cheesecake here came from Madhouse Bakehouse, the cafe serving it added a drizzle of berry coulis, fresh berries, and boysenberry ice cream.  They clearly took the "perfect blank canvas" description to heart!

The cheesecake was fine.  Reasonably creamy, reasonably cream cheesy, but not particularly notable.  Same with the gluten-free crust.  Very average.  ***.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownie (Gluten-free).

"Our gluten free Raspberry Brownie is a dense, rectangular soft chocolate slice with intense raspberry and chocolate flavours. Lush raspberry swirls are visible through the chocolate and it’s all topped with white chocolate shavings and swirls of raspberry jam."

I have mixed feelings on the gluten-free chocolate raspberry brownie.  On one hand, it absolutely didn't taste gluten-free or strange.  It also was *exactly* as described, with intense raspberry and chocolate indeed.  But ... that intensity actually made me not care for it much.  It was too fruity, too rich, too chocolately.  Not bad by any means, and great texture, but, I didn't really want it.  Better warm with vanilla ice cream to cut the intensity.  ***.

Update Review, May 2015 & 2016 Visits

If you haven't already, I suggest you read my original review from my January / February 2015, and then return here.  I'm skipping all details about the company this time around.  The short version? Packaged cookies and brownies, that are actually quite good.  Who knew?

Cookies

I still don't understand why I like these cookies so much.  As I've said before, I don't really like cookies.  And others who love cookies don't even think these are great.  But I do.

Fig, Roast Hazelnut, and Orange Cookie. (May 2015)

I decided to try more of these cookies on my next visit to Australia, since the desserts in our cafes were pretty lackluster, and, unlike my visit during the summer, I wasn't exactly craving ice cream this time around.

I started with the interesting sounding fig, roast hazelnut, and orange cookie.  Like the Raspberry, Coconut, & White Chocolate it had a sweet, buttery base.  Yes, it was a crispy cookie, but, it was still good.  The bits of dried fig gave further pops of sweetness and a texture change, and I really liked the roast hazelnut chunks.  The orange though I didn't like, and the entire cookie was flavored with orange oil.  I'm not one for orange (or other citrus) desserts in general.

If it wasn't for the orange oil, I would have actually quite liked this, which is shocking since it is a cookie.

**+.

Fig, Hazelnut & Orange. (2016)

The fig, hazelnut, & orange quickly made its way to the bottom of my list.

I don't tend to like orange/lemon/lime flavors in desserts, so, that was obviously part of the problem, and I'll admit that the orange flavor was well done, if you like that.

The bits of hazelnut were fine for crunch, but the fig was just too chewy, and the base to this one was boring and offered nothing.

No need to try this one again.

**.

Smarty Pants. (May 2015)

This is a playful cookie, the least interesting flavor-wise of any that I tried, but good in its simplicity.  No dried fruit, seeds, or creative ingredients.  Instead, just chocolate chips and Smarties.

The Smarties added color and were somewhat perfectly distributed on top.  I wonder if I lucked out, or, if they really do these by hand or something?

The cookie itself, like all the Madhouse cookies, was crispy, buttery, sugary.  It was basic, yes, but, I really do like their cookie base.  The chocolate chips were large size, milk chocolate.  The Smarties were just Smarties, so nothing notable there, except that the extra chocolate was nice.

So overall, another decent cookie, that surprised me again.

***+.

Milk Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut. (May 2015).

Another decent cookie.  I just don't understand why I like these.  They are packaged, crispy cookies!  And a chocolate one at that?

But the base is buttery and sweet, with a nice cocoa flavor. The little bits of roasted hazelnut add a great crunch and flavor.  Hard to go wrong with the chocolate and hazelnut combination.

***+.

Update review:  This was still a very good packaged cookie, with a great hazelnut flavor, salty even?  But, a hard, crispy cookie, not really my ideal dessert.  ***+.

Triple Chocolate. (2016)

It had been several years since I had the Triple Chocolate, as it was one of my least favorites before, but, one day, it was the only kind available, so, I went for it.

And, like many of the others, I basically liked it, against all odds.  Dry, hard, crumbly cookie and all.  Not my thing, on paper.  But it had a good cocoa flavor.  Nice sized chunks of white, milk, and dark chocolate.  I loved "discovering" them throughout.  Great with a cup of coffee.  Great dipped in whipped cream.  

I'll get another. ***+.

Brownies

The coffee shop in the building also sources several of the brownies.  For the foodservice industry, Madhouse Bakehouse sells them by the slab, so they were nicely cut down into little squares for us.  Of course, this just made me feel guilty when I took two brownies at a time.  But really, they were small, who eats a brownie that size?

Triple Chocolate Brownies.

These things were decadent and awesome.  So rich and fudgey.  I don't usually pick brownies as my dessert of choice, but these were shockingly good, particularly for a product that wasn't fresh.  I especially enjoyed them topped with whipped cream (shhh, don't tell anyone!)

***+

White Chocolate & Macadamia Brownie.

The blondies were also shockingly good.  I only tried them because the chocolate ones were so amazing and one day they had no chocolate.

The base blondie was perfectly sweet, with little pops of sweetness from the white chocolate.  The macadamia chunks added a great crunch.  And the powdered sugar on top amped up the sweetness even further.  Quite successful!

***+.

Original Review, Jan/Feb 2015 Visit

Madhouse Bakehouse is a commercial bakery in Australia.  They produce goods for cafes, hotels, airlines, caterers, etc country-wide, including Qantas.  Although they are a large commercial bakeshop, they do not use mixes or preservatives, and make everything from scratch.

Their products range from cookies and brownies, to "slices" and cakes, plus granola, muesli, and breakfast breads.  Each product line has a large variety inside of it, like the brownies, which includes interesting flavors such as ginger with caramelized white chocolate, and a large selection of gluten-free options.

 My office in Sydney stocked a few of their cookies, so I was able to try several of those, but I never encountered any of their other products, so I can't evaluate those.  The cookies were great, and I'm not a cookie person at all, so I would really love to try some of the other items, like the slices, in particular, the honeycomb slice!  I love honeycomb (another Australian discovery)!

Raspberry, Coconut, & White Chocolate Cookie.

Ok, like I said, I'm not a cookie person.  Sometimes I enjoy a cookie, but in the realm of desserts, I will never pick a cookie.  But, my office cafes, while wonderful for the savory cuisine, really, really didn't make very good desserts.  After a few weeks in Sydney, I was seriously needing good dessert.  I was getting desperate.

So I tried a Madhouse cookie.  Now, back to my general lack of interest in cookies.  The only cookies I ever like are soft ones (or, perhaps, ones coated in icing), fresh out of the oven, still warm.  I never like hard style cookies.  I never like packaged cookies.  Why on earth did I try this?  Again.  Desperate.

But, I was rewarded for trying.  It was really, really good!  Yes, it was a hard, crispy style cookie.  But the base was buttery and sweet, really pleasant, loaded with coconut for a bit of crunch.  There was a generous amount of little bits of dried raspberry, super flavorful.  The only disappointing part was the white chocolate, there were only two chips in the entire cookie!  I wanted more creamy, sweet, white chocolate.

Anyway, this was a complete surprise.  I loved it, and devoured it.  I wish I had discovered these earlier on in my visit.

****.

Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sour Cherry Cookie.

I also tried the chocolate, pistachio, and sour cherry cookie.

It was again a hard style cookie, a bit too crumbly for my taste.  I did like the bits of dark chocolate, the crunch of the pistachio, and flavor from sour cherry.

But, not my sort of thing at all, and I handed it off to Ojan. **+.

Update: I tried another.  I again didn't like it.  Hard cookie.  Crumbly. Bitter from pistachio.  The dark chocolate bits were the only thing I liked. **.

Triple Chocolate Cookie.

Next up was the Triple Chocolate Cookie.  It featured, well, three types of chocolate: white, milk, and dark.

The base was about the same as the other chocolate cookie, hard, crispy style, too crumbly.  It had a subtle cocoa flavor to it.  The other chocolates came as chips, all of which were unremarkable.

My least favorite of the cookies. **.

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Menzies Bar & Bistro, Sydney

Update Review, November 2023 Visit

Yup, another trip to Sydney.  My November trip was pretty busy, and I only managed to go out with friends once in the entire time I was there (I know, lame me, but, I did have plenty of tasty food, mostly takeout or just fast casual dining on my own).  For my one real adventure, I made a return trip to Menzies Bar with two others, a place I had been to only once before, but had one particularly memorable dish that made it worth a return for me.  See below for my original review to start.

This visit was on a Tuesday evening, when Menzies had a live jazz quartet playing, which created a nice vibe.  The place was just over half full, so certainly not as busy as our previous Friday night visit.  Service was quite good for Sydney, reasonably attentive.  The meal was fine, but not great, and unless someone wants to go back again, I think it has fallen off my repeat visit list.  There sadly wasn't a single dish I'd want to get again, although some had good components.

Coconut & Yuzu Sour. $26.

"1800 Coconut Tequila, Yuzu, Suze, Pine, Fresh Lemon."

We all started with cocktails, which matched the vibe really well.  I enjoyed watching the bartender in action, as he was definitely a bit of a showman, tossing the shaker into the air, catching it with ease, shaking it up high, etc, etc.  He also came over to talk to me personally about my watermelon allergy, as they have a watermelon cocktail on the menu, and I appreciated the extra reassurance of the precautions he could take, and acknowledgement of those he couldn't.

My cocktail had a classy and slightly dainty look to it.  The floater of ... pine? was an extra touch of class, rather perfectly placed.  The drink was very coconut forward, with decent sour notes from the yuzu.  Not too sweet.  Certainly an interesting drink, a bit in the realm of a margarita, but, with a more complex sour, and the addition of coconut.  I tasted the sour and coconut more than the tequila though, and would have liked it to be a touch more boozy.  Overall, fine, but not something I'd get again.  ***.  

Kingfish. $24.

"Saffron, Tomato, Desert Lime."

We opted to share a few small plates.  One diner, a vegetarian who eats some raw fish (but not a real pescatarian), selected the kingfish.  I believe this was my first time having kingfish.

The fish itself was clearly fresh and high quality.  Served properly chilled.  Nice firmness.  A more mild fish than I was expecting from the color.  

The menu said there was tomato in the dish, and saffron, and desert lime (a local Australian fruit).  The puree that looked like passion fruit was likely the vibrant yellow color from the saffron, but I didn't actually taste saffron.  I didn't taste tomato either, but perhaps yellow tomatoes were used in that puree?  Were the little seeds the desert lime?

Mostly, it was just a nice mild raw sashimi, with decent quality olive oil, and not quite enough seasoning.  Fine, but not remarkable.  ***.  

Fritto Misto. $24.

"Parsley, Aioli."

Next up, we ordered a special starter, whole stuffed grilled squid, but, alas, the kitchen had sold out of it.  I was fairly heartbroken, as I had nearly ordered a whole grilled squid a few days prior from a Thai restaurant, and had been craving it since.  So we went for the fritto misto, a dish I had sorta wanted on my prior visit.

The mix was mostly calamari rings, with one or two bodies, and one or two shrimp.  I had the rings and one small shrimp.  All were lightly battered, and well fried, not too greasy.  All were aggressively salted.  I know, "chef's palette" and all, but, it really was quite one note.  Too heavy in the salt.  The batter wasn't particularly flavorful.  Same with the aioli, very plain.  The lemon was juicy and nice to drizzle over it.

Overall, fine execution of the battering and frying, but, besides too much salt, not really a flavorful dish.  I wouldn't get this again, and only had a couple pieces.  **+.

Special: Chicken Liver Parfait / Smoked Salmon Roe. $12.

Next up was the dish I was most excited for, the chicken liver parfait.  I knew it wasn't exactly the same as the very memorable chicken liver eclair from my last visit, but, nonetheless, I love a good liver dish, and they had clearly proven capable of doing a great one before.

When the dish arrived, I was a bit surprised by the composition of the dish.  I thought it would be a cute little parfait, like, served in a small parfait glass, to be consumed with a tiny spoon.  Instead, it was really just a chicken liver mousse on top of a bread component, canape style.  

The chicken liver mousse was great.  Very creamy, light liver flavor.  I loved the salmon roe on top for the additional pop of flavor and salty component.  ****+ toppings.

But ... the bread disk under it ... now that I truly, truly did not like.  It was crispy, which was nice, but, it was so, so, so oily.  I'm still not sure how it was possibly as oily as it was.  Biting into it left my entire mouth coated in a film.  It ruined the next bite, because all I could taste was the oil.  My dining companion who also had one of these remarked at how bad this component was.  0 stars for the base.

Its hard for me to rate this overall, because, 1) I was sad it wasn't the type of parfait I was expecting, and 2) the base and topping were so polar opposites in terms of enjoyment.  I was tempted to order another, and just ask for no base.  I really did love the liver itself.

Asparagus. $22.

"Stratcciatella, Bottarga."

I love asparagus.  Asparagus is not in season where I live.  I was overjoyed to see it on the menu.  Even more excited to see it came with stratcciatella and bottarga.

The asparagus itself was well prepared.  Large thick whole pieces.  Juicy, not woody, lightly al dente, not mushy.  Lightly grilled, more smoke would have been even better.  But still, yay, asparagus.  ***+.

The stratcciatella was a nice creamy component, but wasn't really as flavorful as I'd hoped.  It didn't really taste like anything.  Maybe my palette was just blown from the salt in the calamari and the oil slick from the liver parfait?  I kept going back for a bit more, wanting it to be more than it was.  **+.  The bottarga shavings added a touch of salt and flavor.

Overall, I was happy to have asparagus, but there wasn't much special about this dish either.  ***.

Strozzapretti Primavera. $28.

"Zucchini Flower, Peas, Basil."

Menzies is actually reasonably well known for their pastas.  I was pretty much done at this point, but my companions wanted pasta.  The vegetarian had only one choice, this primavera.

The plating of this was lovely, with zucchini flowers draped over the top.  The pasta was nicely cooked, al dente on the softer side.  Reasonably creamy sauce.  Not as vegetable forward as I'd expect from a primavera name, but it did have a few peas and small pieces of shaved green vegetable ... maybe zucchini? Maybe asparagus?

A kinda boring dish, but reasonably well prepared.  **+.

Pasta Special. $36.

"Fussili, baby octopus, black olives".

My other dining companion selected the pasta special, which featured baby octopus.  That part drew me in, although the red sauce and black olives somewhat turned me away.

It came smothered in bread crumbs, which added a bit of texture, but also made it eat a bit dry.  The pasta was perfectly al dente.  Kudos to them on that.  What was fascinating was the baby octopus.  It was soft.  As in, truly soft.  Not just tender, but, legit soft.  Octopus can so often be chewy or rubbery, and this was as far from that as you can get.  It ... melted in the mouth.  My brain was so confused, as it definitely expected more bite from it, and having the pasta have more bite than the octopus was just odd.  It wasn't bad, it was just unexpected, and unlike anything I've had before.  As I expected, I wasn't really into the tomato sugo sauce nor black olives.  The pasta was well coated in sauce though, not too saucy, but all equally got a light coat.

This gets a point for well executed pasta, and for fascinating octopus (I still want to know how they did that ... was it slow braised for hours?), but isn't the flavor profile I'd go for, and, I just wasn't in the mood for pasta at that point.  ***+ for execution and fascination, **+ in terms of my own taste.

Sky Bar: Zeppole. $18.

After dinner, our group moved upstairs to Sky Bar, another establishment owned by the same folks and part of the same restaurant group.  We had cocktails and dessert up there, since the dessert menu at Menzies was lacking anything not caffeinated.

THE GREEN HORNET. $26.

"Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Makrut Lime Leaf, Lime Sherbet, Pomelo, Pandan, Green Chartreuse, Fresh Lemon."

I had another cocktail, which I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of.  It was really quite good - strong booze, interesting complex sour notes.  I didn't taste pandan, but the rest - lime sherbet, pomelo, lemon, green chartreuse - came through nicely.  A well balanced cocktail, perhaps a touch sweet, but, good.  I'd consider getting it again.  ***+.

Zeppole.

"Drunken raisins, cream."

Because I can't resist ending a meal on a sweet note, even when I'm pretty stuffed, I ordered the zeppole from Sky Bar.  As you can tell, the lighting was unfortunate, but the serving was 4 small rings, covered in sticky caramel, with some boozy large raisins.  The zeppole were fine - moist, hot, fresh, but not particularly flavorful.  A neutral base.  The caramel was very, very sticky, the kind that makes everything get stuck together, including your teeth.  Sweet, tasty, but, not an enjoyable style to actually eat.

The cream was thick and rich, well spiced, and my favorite part.  I think it might have had mascarpone in it?  Overall, the zeppole themselves, ***, caramel **, cream ****.  I would not get these again.

Original Review, August 2022 

"Spread over three levels, Shell House is an unparalleled hospitality experience in the Sydney CBD, combining both indoor and outdoor settings over 1,250 sqm of space. This includes a ground floor bar, the Menzies Bar, the Shell House Dining Room and Terrace, and the Clocktower Bar on level 9 and the Shell House Sky Bar on Level 10."

The Shell House is a new dining/drinking complex (er, "hospitality experience") in Sydney, opened in late 2021.  A big renovation project of an entire building, with 3 different bar concepts, plus a fine dining restaurant.  I'm not sure how it hit my short list of places to check out during my first visit to Sydney in 2.5 years, but, I'm glad it did.

My group of four was able to get a booking for a Friday night slot at one of the bars at 5pm, but I was told very clearly we had a 2 hour table limit, that there is a 12 hour advance cancel policy, and tables are given up after 10 minutes of being late.  They aren't messing around here (although, we did stay for nearly 3 hours ...).

Service was a mixed bag - very attentive at first, and then entirely absent for chunks of time.  Per Sydney standards, really.  Our first round of food came quickly once we ordered, the main dishes had quite a lag.  Getting the bill at the end required effort on our part, which I didn't expect as we were well past our table time limit.

Service aside, I'll gladly return, and would love to try any of the other Shell House establishments too.

Setting

"Paying homage to the legendary Menzies Hotel, The Menzies Bar is a true labour of love, where obsession with history, hospitality and good times are woven together to deliver a bar legitimately unique to the Sydney CBD. Wrapping the bustling corner of Carrington and Margaret Street, the European inspired bar and bistro showcases a menu of snacks, smaller and larger plates, along with a show stopping cocktail selection and a thumping wine list, available all day and late into the night. "

Each space at the Shell House has a unique vibe, menu, and focus.  I selected Menzies Bar for my group, as it had a fairly large and appealing food menu, although the other bars have more interesting cocktail menus, and, given their level 9 and 10 locations, definitely better views.  This is Julie's dining club after all, I think you know my priority.

Entrance.

The Shell House sits on the corner of Carrington and Margaret Streets.  Each venue has a unique entrance, each with a bouncer, and most, with velvet ropes to line up at.  When you arrive, well, you feel like you have "arrived" ... if you can get in.  Bookings basically mandatory, and I think they kinda screen for looking the part.  Most of the time, with a booking you aren't getting in (even just to look around, we wanted to see the Clocktower Bar space, just to see the vibe difference, but, nope!).

Menzies Bar & Bistro is on the ground floor, easy to locate.

Interior.

Inside you'll find, well, a bar, the main focal point, which takes up the entire center of the space, with seating wrapping around the whole thing.  Tables for 2-4 make up the exterior of the space.  Bookings are required for each type of seating.  We opted for table seating, and were given a fantastic table in the corner, out of the flurry of activity.

The vibe was definitely happening, the noise level is "energetic", and basically, the place was bustling from the moment we arrived at 5pm for our booking, until we left 3 hours later (well past our 2 hour time limit on our table, oops).  I'd love to see how the other spaces compare, as this was definitely the one for those who wanted the see and be seen vibe, and didn't mind speaking loudly to be heard by their dining companions.

Food & Drink

The menu at Menzies focuses on smaller share plates to match the bar vibe, but ... think very upscale bar bites, not your standard fare. Oysters, crudo, and unique fine dining share plates fill this section of the menu.  There are a few sides (salad, fries, veggies), and a handful of main dishes (yes, you *can* get a burger if you really want), and a fairly minimal dessert menu (just a single chocolate dessert, a cheese platter, and affogato).  The same menu is served at lunch and dinner.

Most tables seem to at least get a few share plates, although you can certainly go just for drinks, or just for drinks and dessert, if you please.

Dinner.

Our group opted for a full dinner (no dessert, just given the rather meh lineup), each with our own starter from the share plates section, and a main dish.  We started with a round of cocktails/beer and then moved into the extensive wine list (it is shared with the other Shell House establishments, so there are some good options on there).

Our meal was very good - it is clear this kitchen has skill, and the menu has some very nicely designed dishes.  I'll gladly return to try more, or, honestly, just to get the amazing chicken liver eclairs again!

Black Cat Fever. $22.

"Cognac, Bulleit Bourbon, Dubonnet, Oloroso Sherry, PX, Salted Maple, Cacao Nib."

I started the evening with a cocktail, and was drawn in to one from their custom cocktail menu as it featured many things I like: cognanc, bourbon, salt, maple ... um, sure?  Add in sherry, Dubonnet, and more, and it was bound to be an interesting time, right?

And it was.  Served with a rather comical amount of ice, this was a very booze forward drink, and required slow sipping.  I didn't taste any distinct notes of cognac nor bourbon, but, it was balanced in its own way.  Interesting, different, but not something I'd get again.

**+.

After cocktails, our group moved into bottles of wine, which I didn't get details of, but, were pretty fabulous.  I was with folks with good taste in wine, and I definitely benefited form their choices.

To Share: Chicken Liver. $16.

"Eclair, Trout Roe, Amaro Jelly."

There were several reasons why I picked Menzies as our destination, but, this dish alone was probably the number one.  I love liver mousse and pate, I obviously like pastries, and I'd seen photos of this, and it sounded totally and completely like something I'd love.

My group of 4 contained one vegetarian, and one who didn't like liver, but that worked well, as a serving was two eclairs.

To Start: Chicken Liver Eclair.

I took my eclair with glee.  It looked as good as the Instagram shots I had seen.

And it tasted ... even better.

The base was a classic little eclair: choux pastry, light and airy.  So much more interesting than your standard crostini or cracker, or even brioche, that comes with more pate or mousse.  And then on top, so much rich, creamy chicken liver.  The balance was perhaps a bit off, as some of my bites were a bit too heavy.  A little of that very rich mousse went a long way and there wasn't enough eclair to pair with it, but, I loved the mousse.  It tasted strongly of liver, which I wanted, but also was so enriched with cream that it was luxurious at the same time.  I'm not quite sure where the Amaro jelly was, I had expected a little layer of it somewhere, or perhaps inside the eclair, and I think it would have been nice to have that complimentary flavor, but the trout roe on top did a nice job of adding an additional focal point and pop (literally) of flavor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and savored it in rather small bites.  It was a unique spin on chicken liver.  That said, I think small improvements could be made - perhaps a little less mousse or larger eclair, or even actually stuffing the eclair, and I did wonder about that seemingly absent jelly ... 

It paired beautifully with my wine, and I'd get this again in a heartbeat, even with its slight downfalls.  ****.

To Share: Yellowtail Crudo. $28.

"Cucumber, Smoked Pil Pil, Wasabi, Caviar."

The non-vegetarian, non-liver eating diner choose the yellowtail crudo for their starter.  I didn't try it, but, it looked delicate, fresh, and well plated.  They seemed to enjoy it, and I did hear mention of how nice the caviar was for a bit of pop.

To Share: Spiced Eggplant. $16.

"Pastilla, Whipped Chickpea Cream."

The vegetarian option for a starter was a spiced eggplant pastilla, also served as a pair, with "whipped chickpea cream', that looked like a lighter style of hummus.  It looked reasonably crispy although perhaps a touch greasy and a shade or two darker than I'd want.  I didn't hear much comment on it.

To Share: Potato & Scallop Tart. $30.

"Roasted Garlic, Anchovy & Watercress."

For my main, given my odd sense of jetlag and random eating all day, I decided to get another share plate, but for myself.  I knew from having seen photos that it would be four scallops, which seemed about right for how I was feeling, hunger-wise.

The dish basically looked as I expected - four lightly seared scallops, perched atop some potato puree, with crispy potatoes standing up, and herbs all around.  Now, if I hadn't seen photos in advance, and expected something more, um, tart like, I'm sure I'd be confused, but, I knew that going in.  Why they call it a tart, I really don't know.

Anyway, after the glory of the chicken liver eclair, and compared to how my fellow diner's dishes looked, this was a bit lackluster.  The scallops were only very lightly seared, I'd like a harder sear, more caramelization.  They were a fairly small size, obviously bigger than bay scallops, but not quite what I'd expect from sea scallops, and had no real flavor to them.  They were tender, and not rubbery nor overcooked, but, were just a bit boring.

The same with the potato elements.  The puree was smooth and creamy, the chips crispy, but ... nothing really stood out.  I'm not sure where the roasted garlic nor anchovy were, which is a shame, as those would be great flavors to have accent this.  The watercress was a bit overwhelming.

So overall, nothing was poorly executed, but the dish just didn't offer much.  ***.

Main: Murray Cod. $46.

"Asparagus, Wild Mushroom, Sauce Vin Jaune."

The murray cod looked gorgeous.  It looked amazing in Instagram photos I had seen, and just as good in person.  If I had wanted a full size entree, there is no question I would have gotten this. The skin looked perfectly crisp, the fish moist and glistening, and, asparagus, mild mushrooms, and cream sauce are some of my favorite things.  If I were to return to Menzies, I'd certainly consider this dish.

Main: Braised Beef Cheek. $45.

"Paris Mash & Roasted Shallot Red Wine Jus."

The other diner oped for the braised beef cheek, and it too looked top notch.  It pulled apart easily with his fork, looked crazy tender, and was nicely sauced.  Another dish I'd gladly try sometime.

I didn't get a photo of the buccatini our vegetarian diner ordered.  It looked, well, like pasta with red sauce and some cheese.

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