Christopher W.
Google
Manze had been on my hit list for a while as it is a Mauritian style dining experience, which I thought was pretty unique to explore within Melbourne. Inside, it gave me more wine bar style vibes with cool decor and a more laid back rather than formal dining experience. It is small plates to share and a set menu, which I assume helps keep consistency and kitchen production steady.
The food took a while to prepare, which I wished was a bit faster, but it was worth the wait for the flavour.
We added the taro fritter balls, which reminded me of mini croquettes but much cleaner and more flavour packed. The skewers, which I think were goat, were cooked to a T and tender with a good amount of sauce and flavour that left you wanting more. The cucumber style dish was fresh and had a good punch of flavour. The mussels were standard, with fresh fruit or produce mixed in giving them a nice flavour hit, but there were only about two to three pieces each.
There were six of us and on the set menu we had a pork dish to share between two, served with rice and salad. I have previously had bad experiences with Otway pork, but the chefs here charcoaled it beautifully and created a very tender piece of meat. It was not dry at all and paired very nicely with the rice and salads. It felt like the type of food you would eat overlooking water or at a beach.
The dessert was pretty standard, fruit over ice cream dressed up with fancy ingredients. The produce was good but overall it was just okay.
I really enjoyed Manze, but I was still left a bit hungry afterwards. The wait times at moments were longer than we would have liked, but overall it was an enjoyable experience. I am giving it a 5 because the food did taste good and put a smile on my face, but it was close to a 4 based on the serving sizes and the value I felt I got in return.