Nathan Sasi is bringing maturity to his new restaurant, says Anthony Huckstep, who sizes-up his made-from-scratch menu.
Men in suits standing, drinking and blocking doorways. It has become quite the thing in the belly of Sin City. When we descend into new subterranean Mercado, we’re confronted by a pack of business wolves dominating the small bar. In those frantic first moments of looking to fit in, staff happily lead us through to a high-top table, remove cutlery and glassware and offer an aperitif. Phew.
Mercado, meaning “market” in Spanish, is more smart casual than suit and tie. The brainchild of chef Nathan Sasi (ex-Nomad) and the crew behind China Doll and China Lane, it’s one of a few new restaurants (Hubert, No. 1 Bent Street) making CBD dining more accessible with simple, well-executed food and great wine that arrives with a relaxed swagger.
Beyond the brass-railing of the island bar lie two dining rooms – one with a marble staircase that ascends up the George Street building, the other where diners can view an open kitchen and Sasi pacing back and forth. Both are smart spaces with leather banquettes, polished concrete floors, dark brown tables and chairs – but the focus is on Sasi. I had the feeling he never hit his straps at Nomad. Here he’s showing more maturity and patience in his cooking, and the result is significantly more satisfying.
The sharing menu, which straddles the flavours of Morocco, Spain and the Middle East, spans many techniques. Sasi is making everything from scratch
– flour, bread, cheese, cured meats. He’s even butchering animals that arrive whole and stone-grinding our for bread.
House-made brioche is filled with slivers of wagyu tongue that has been brined for four days, smoked for 12 hours, then cooked sous vide for a further 12.
It’s squished with a mustard and Gruyere sauce, while pickled green tomatoes bring balance. Goose breasts – offset by radishes – cured for two weeks and hung for two months are luxuriously rich, while the mortadella, set with truffle paste finds an ally in pickled guindilla peppers.
We veer from the fleshfest for a moment to devour our greens. Chickory, silverbeet, spinach and dandelion join house-made goat’s milk feta inside buttery layered brik pastry. There’s also plenty from the rotisserie: pork, chicken, beef, sh, even tripe. We opt for spit-roasted lamb with a side of wood red pumpkin, chickpeas and sheep’s curd. It’s spot on. So too a trifle for two – a yoghurt and rosewater panna cotta hides beneath strawberry jelly, pistachio sponge, puff pastry, pistachio praline and crowned by mascarpone cream.
Mercado is an honest manifestation of produce versus technique without being bound by a formal fixation. Loosen the tie and share in the new wave of casual beneath the city streets.
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