Juliet Ate Here | receipt no. 1 — marmelo, melbourne

JULIET ATE HERE | RECEIPT DIARIES
Meals, moments, and the receipts that reveal them

RECEIPT NO. 1
MARMELO, MELBOURNE
A meal, observed

Date: Friday night
Guests: Juliet + Sam
Seats: At the bar (the best kind)
Total: $192

Didn’t know what to expect, it’s a hotel restaurant, after all. But from the maitre d’s first line, we knew we were in good hands.

No booking, 8pm, Friday. Bar seats (the best kind).

Cod croquettes flying out of the kitchen. A table near us ordered the lobster, $350 for five.

I’d never really had Portuguese food, maybe just a tart once, years ago. But this was something else. Bright, seafood-heavy, full of warmth and salt and smoke.

We started with the yellowfin tuna. Pure delight, each mouthful balanced, rich, perfect. It reminded me of the Attica tart (my favourite dish there). Then came the cockerel with African spices, Sam called it the best chicken he’s ever had (he says that a lot, but still).

Two rounds of South Australian olives, the small ones were the best. Chickpea salad. Pastel de nata. Chocolate cup. And to drink: a bergamot + olive leaf martini that smelt like citrus and restraint. A Caipirao, sweet and sharp.

Well fed. Well looked after. Service that sparkled, food that held its own, and a bar that felt like a stage. A world-class experience tucked behind a lobby sign.

Would recommend.

cuisine: Portuguese, not just pastry
tuna: soft luxury
martini: bergamot and balance
total: $192, worth every cent