Feast Of Merit

Dropped in was feeling peckish, the staff were so friendly and accommodating. Wine list was good and great food selection good for my latest fad paleo. Place very cool

A friend who’s a local recommended this place for dinner. It’s her fave haunt.
Sadly, the experience left a bitter taste in both of our mouths. The horrible service downplayed the fab food and great atmosphere. Our waitress was rude and should perhaps make a career shift to a job that doesn’t require dealing with the public.
I’ve been told Australia is famous for less than great customer service and this place is a prime example. Melbourne has heaps of restaurants which serve delicious food and probably provide a more enjoyable experience. I’d recommend eating at any of those and avoiding Feast of Merit.

It would be ridiculous to give this place anything but a 5 star rating.
Before I begin to rave about the food (and, trust me, there is much to rave about) let me talk about the fabulous enterprise that they are. It’s a not for profit business that has plans to support local community entrepreneurs all over the world, in a quest to combat poverty.
I forget the actual numbers, but I believe they plan to fund 1000 locals within the next few years. Admirable indeed.
Anyway, whilst that’s wonderful, you probably just want to hear about the food, right?
Where do I start?
Every single thing I ate was having a party in my mouth! Yes, seriously! These guys take flavour and ramp it up like I have rarely experienced! We started with oysters that had a super zingy topping sauce. I don’t even usually like anything other than a squeeze of lemon and a shake of salt on my oysters, but this had me converted. Completely delicious. We also had salmon croquettes, which were probably too salty, but none the less, I could not stop eating mine.
Our main was built around the fish of the day, which on this night was Blue Eyed Cod. This was a huge piece of fish, slathered in a spicy, spicy, delicious sauce, that somehow managed to get the taste-​buds dancing, but not interfere with the delicate flavour of the perfectly flaking and moist fish. Hats off, Feast of Merit. Clever juggling act!
There was a salad of mixed carrots that was another kabang in the mouth, and an intriguing blackened cauliflower, which was not my favourite dish of the night, but was the favourite of our friend who pretty much took care of the ordering, as he is a regular. I should add, saying «Not my favourite» is kind of nit picking, because it was pretty delicious anyway!
The staff are fabulous, funny and accommodating, the surrounds are contemporary and ambient and the cocktails are pretty good too. Sadly, it was a tad dark, so none of my photos were worth sharing. Definitely one of my highlights of the year so far.

This place is awesome for lunch, especially on week days. Pick one or two salads, and a protein (if you are so inclined) and you have a delicious, but healthy meal. On my last visit I had the pumpkin & chickpea salad with roasted Milawa chicken as my protein. So. Good. And only $ 15! Bargain for the quality!
The pumpkin salad came as a big roasted piece with the chickpeas and other bits and pieces (pepitas, some greens and the dressing) piled on top. You get a decent serve of protein too with the chicken including a drumstick plus wing and some breast. It was roasted in spices and came with lemon. Hello, yum.
Have also been here a few times for a coffee and service is usually friendly.
If you work in the area, I would definitely frequent this place for lunch regularly!

The lamb shoulder is define and an absolute must if you’re dining here. We had some specials to start and they were on par too. Decent service.

All right, so on a Balmy night in late January we decided to try this place that we had heard so much about. So we packed up the car (not really) we jumped on a tram, with our guide dog, and off we went. Walking up Swan Street I noticed that it is becoming popular again with some great restaurants and eateries.
In we walked without a booking, and looking at all the set tables it was not looking good. It was early (ish) and we waited patiently to be seated. After oohing and aaaahring over the puppy, we were seated at a table towards the back.
Promptly given some menus and offered water to start the night, we quickly ordered some Vodka, Lime and Soda’s.
From there a great chat with the waitress about the day, and the insincerity of asking how people are, because we don’t really care about the answer, and hearing the specials, we took to the menu. And although the menu is short, it is well refined and has something for everyone’s palette.
For entrée it was the grilled flatbread with za’atar, and some beetroot dip. This was accompanied by some oysters, both natural and with Red wine and pomegranate shallots. Although this sounds simple, the flavour of the oysters was complex, the red wine pairing well with the tartness of the pomegranate. As for the beetroot dip, this was silky smooth.
For mains we decided to share (As the menu recommends) and went for the Roasted Heirloom/​common carrot salad, The local tomato and basil salad, and also the Cherry Tree Organic 12 hour slow cooked lamb.
Oh god, where do I begin, well lets start by saying if you order these dishes be prepared to be ready, because the food was delicious.
The Carrot salad, was deliciously seasoned, and was under a well cooked poached egg, just breaking the yolk added another dimension to this salad, although very fresh, it had a depth well beyond its bowl. The seeds and nuts added some texture and finished this salad off perfectly.
It was then on to the Tomato Salad. And this, this is something I would be happy to walk 20 minutes for (And I am a true carnivore). The tomato felt like it had been soaking in the juices of the lemon oil and pomegranate, however it managed to hold its integrity, amazing only begins to describe the combination of flavours and construction of this salad.
And now for the meat of the meal. To say that this lamb fell of the bone, would be an understatement, I am pretty sure it was just falling through my fork, on the way to its demise in my mouth. Did my tastebuds appreciate this dish, lets just say, if I don’t go back soon, I fear the will pack up bags, and leave. The flavours were deliciously Arabic.
So all in all this was a great night, the food was amazing, the service matched with friendly and genuine staff. Will be definitely coming back soon.
5 stars is hard to get in my eyes, but they deserve all 5 of these.

A perennial favourite. Delicious food, relaxed and friendly service, and consistently excellent music make Feast of Merit one of our «go to» eateries when we need a quick, healthy, tasty and reasonably priced meal.
The presence of Milawa organic chicken, free range lamb and sustainably caught fish on the menu make this one of the very few restaurants in Melbourne where I will chow down carnivore style, but there are also plenty of options for our vegetarian brethren.
The fact that the proceeds go to supporting youth education initiatives in disadvantaged communities in Africa, Asia and Australia, is simply outstanding. I would feel compelled to support such a business even if they served hippy tofu gruel, but luckily, like I said, the food here is truly top notch.
A socially conscious business with a triple bottom line that aims to ensure that the customers, the community and the planet also win. All without being preachy about it. That makes it a big win in my book. Five «feel good» stars!

I had heard of feast of merit from a friend of mine and when I saw it one day on swan street the atmosphere inside was buzzing !!! So I arranged to go with my girlfriends last night for our fortnightly dinner catch up. All the tables you could book were taken when I called (so I recommended to call up early to book!). We sat at the communal table which was fine for us. The menu is designed to be shared and I recommend that’s the way you do it! Being a vegetarian I shared the new season pumpkin, almonds, barberries, moghrabieh, aioli and pickled green chilli and also some roasted Jerusalem artichokes, sunflower seeds with tahini dressing !! We also had some flat bread and eggplant dip to share between the four of us as a starter and the other girls shared the «evening feast» of milawa free range chicken, balgar, preserved lemon and green olives as their main. Well let me tell you I walked out of there feeling like I hate eaten so much food but yet I had only spent 25 dollars and that was with a cider!. I can not recommended this place enough, the food flavours and presentation was insanely good and the food portions are defiantly great for sharing !. It Looked like a great place for a date too. It was such a great funky atmosphere and décor is great! Deff a cool place to check out ! I will defiantly head there with my boyfriend one night (and make sure I book early for a table for two!) Ohhh and I’ll also head to lunch with one of my girlfriends who was there for dinner as well!

Love this place! great cozy atmosphere with friendly service and excellent food. The slow cooked lamb was my favourite dish of the night as it just fell apart off the bone so easily. They have some great veggie sides as well — highly recommend the cauliflower.

There’s a lot to like about Feast of Merit.
— The interesting drinks list the runs the gammit of healthy to sinful. Think: Ayuverdic tonics, fresh coconuts and lavender infused almond milk to St Ali coffee, Jalapeño bloody mary’s and giant serves of rum punch to share with dfriends.
–The cool interior, complete with nooks and crannies and cute window seats that offer prime people watching over Swan Street.
— A food menu that is true to the seasons and keeps most people happy from paleo-​saurs to vegetarians. My pick: a plate of beautiful vibrant salad, a mere $ 11 for a plate that kept me full for hours.
The only thing I don’t like about Feast of Merit?
The music sometimes boarders on load and obnoxious at times.

I love love love this place. Anything that’s combines wholesome food and a good cause gets my vote. The polished concrete floors and exposed brick ambience is a bonus.
A social enterprise set up by the clever peeps at YGAP, FOM features locally produced and grown food in wholesome food combos.
I only came here for breakfast and can vouch for the tasty almond milk porridge with honey and toasted almonds. I also ordered an almond milk chai latte which also rocked. Yes, I seem to have an almond fetish, don’t judge.
Planning to go back to try the lunch and dinner options. Recommend if you’re in the hood. But if you’re seeking deep fried stodge, this place won’t work for you.

What a strange, fun noisy café this is.
I’ve always gone on weekends and it is always packed to the point of having to wait in line. The wait is worth it though with food being excellent (although I’m not a fan of their bacon) and the coffee being well worth the while.
It is slightly alternate and was apparently intially funded by YGAP.
If you want something a little different, socially responsible with a large splash of happy and noisy this is a good place to go.

Went for brunch/​breakfast and half the items weren’t available and the salad option had been pushed back to a later time then stated in the menu.
Quite expensive– won’t be going back

There is a lot to love about Feast of Merit. A quick scan of the menu instantly shows that this place cares about quality ingredients and healthy food offerings without a gouging ticket price.
In addition to taking care of your insides, Feast of Merit is also a YGAP initiative, which means all profits are put back into youth and leadership projects locally and in third world communities. It’s feel-​good food with a feel-​good outcome.
The space is large and airy, the perfect place to unwind over breakfast, lunch or dinner. I came for breakfast, but it appears they’ve got a few beers on tap and a bar so I am keen to check out their evening offerings.
For breakfast I was torn between their ‘Yeusli’ (Organic puffed quinoa, chia seeds, activated buckwheat, figs, goji berries, pomegranate seeds, coconut flakes, almonds, currents, raw cinnamon, your choice of milk on the side) and one of their incredible looking smoothies. I opted for the Yeusli and had no regrets. Delicious, super-​charged with raw food goodness and a reasonably-​sized, filling portion. No overload of oats and yoghurt like most café muesli offerings.
Normally I don’t give 5 stars if the coffee isn’t amazing, but I loved the different food offering and concept enough to bump it back up. Coffee is totally fine but the black coffee is not amazing. If you’re a latte drinker you probably won’t notice at all and there’s the bonus of being able to choose different milks if you’re not into soy or lactose.
The staff were friendly and accommodating, all menu items were well priced and can feed you for $ 15 or less. Winner.

Social enterprise restaurant — feel good food. Beautiful design and fit out, sustainable produce, and the staff love being here. St Ali coffee, chef Ravi Presser in the kitchen, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Wow I’m the first reviewer here? WTF Melbourne Unilocalers!!!
Feast of Merit has a very diggable vibe. The concept was born in Nagaland, NE India, I know this because I read the blackboard. And I think it’s worth repeating (short version, the blackboard is lonnnng…)
Basically when someone from the Naga community comes into money or I guess a good harvest, they hold a ‘feast of merit’ for the village. And the feast lasts until all the wealth has been shared. That’s socialism people!
OK blurb done, time for the consumerist aspect. It’s a lovely open-​type restaurant with great staff and would be perfect for groups to share dishes– although it’s high-​ceilinged and open it wasn’t overly loud. A hungry vegetarian like myself would have to spend at least $ 30 to even touch the sides though. The vegetarian mains ($ 15) are things like an amazing sounding broccolini dish or falafel (they’d run out) but nothing that qualifies as a meal (and they don’t do rice). CARNIVORES however, can get a shared slow-​cooked lamb shank typa thing for $ 15 each so go here carnivores! I ended up snacking on smoked eggplant dip (divine) & a couple of glasses of wine. If this was more veg-​friendly I’d be back for brekky tomorrow.