Merricks General Store
| Where | 3458-3460 Frankston-Flinders Road, Merricks, Victoria, 3196—View map |
Contact | 03 5989 8088 admin@merricksgeneralstore.com.au |
Website | www.merricksgeneralstore.com.au |
Open | Breakfast Monday to Sunday 9.00am to 12.00pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Cash |
Diet | Soy |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
Comfortable Peninsula breakfast stop
James Hains 31 July 2008
Sunday morning and the cumulative effects of the weekend's exertions in Red Hill were sinking in. With thoughts of a warm open fire we dragged ourselves down to Merricks to meet my companion's family.
The Merricks General Store is a popular meeting spot on the Peninsula and it can be hard to get a seat at for breakfast. Fortunately the older folk had arrived early and scored the table right in front of the open fire. Better still they had cracked a bottle of 2004 Elgee Park Sparkling Pinot, a sparkling shiraz might be a little too much over breakfast (unless you are hoeing into jaffles filled with duck ragout) but the 04 sparkling pinot turned out to be a great way to liven up the mind and the palate.
My bacon and poached eggs on sourdough were as expected; vibrant orange yellow gooey yolks, quality bacon and two slices of toasted sourdough. You could make up the perfect mixture of runny yolk, toast, egg white and bacon. It all came down to the last lonely little piece of toast to mop up the rest of the egg off the plate and the bacon fat I had carefully cut off thinking I was doing myself a favour. You know you shouldn't but sometimes the joy is in being naughty and chewing that unctuous bacon fat, bread and yolk cocktail. I realised that health hadn't exactly been the theme of the weekend and the bubbles and the fire were conspiring for a comfortable morning.
Around the table the pancake stack and poached eggs on toast were also getting the thumbs up. Home made baked beans were available as well other breakfast staples. Its not an adventurous or extensive menu but its in keeping with the rustic restored room and the location - honest fare done with a bit of love.
The service was attentive yet relaxed and the bottles of tap water were kept coming. The short maccchiato to finish was well made with a rich crema.
I left feeling far better than I did on the way in. If we weren't heading to visit friends at Flinders the morning could easily have lead to another bottle of sparkling pinot and a long lunch. We settled for a takeaway bottle of the sparkling pinot @$35 to take to our next stop; made using the methode champenoise it has three years on lees and has a fine bead, soft boysenberry notes, a slightly earthy nose and lethied voice that tells you to forget the morning after the night before. A great breakfast drop.
The Merricks General Store is part of the growing food and wine milieu of the Peninsula and makes for a comfortable breakfast stop. The store also serves lunch and dinner and acts as cellar door for local vineyards Elgee Park, Baillieu Vineyard and Quealy.