Daylesford’s favourite wine bar has grown up and moved out, all without losing its soul. Bar Merenda’s recent move into new premises is a shift that initially inspired dismay among its rusted-on tribe of fans, but Andy Ainsworth, who opened the OG venue on Howe Street with wife Clare in 2021, says the transition has been warmly received. “People seem to be responding well to the space and using it how we’d imagined they might,” he says.

The team has taken over the former Pancho site - an address already dear to many locals - and transformed it into a venue with a dual personality: intimate downstairs wine bar, refined upstairs dining room.

Downstairs is designed to be easy, fluid and spontaneous. “We want to sort of be that all-day, all-night casual wine bar,” says Andy.

“It’s an à la carte blackboard menu… maybe they want a snack, maybe they want a bowl of soup, maybe they want something off the grill.” It’s a promise of generosity without pretence: a place where locals know they can simply wander in: “No reservations. I just want it to be dynamic.”

That dynamism extends to the menu itself. As always, the venue is guided entirely by ingredients. “It’s written each week, and it’s purely based off what we receive from this wonderful network of small local producers… If they’re not growing it, we’re probably not selling it.” It’s a philosophy that turns the region’s seasons into a weekly creative challenge. “We kind of go, what’s growing? What have our farmers got? What do the fishermen say is great? And then we work backwards from there.”

Up the curving staircase, the mood shifts. The room is small - just 16 seats - and the energy is quieter. “We do a weekly four-course menu up there,” Andy says. Bookings are recommended; the experience is more of a commitment. As with downstairs, the wine selection threads through both spaces, and diners can opt for a thoughtful pairing. “For those who just want to leave it up to us entirely, we’ve always got really cool things open.”

Space was a key part of the decision to move. “It’s just a spectacular building… there’s some wonderful outdoor spaces as well,” Andy says. Kerbside seating and a leafy rear courtyard invite the wine bar to spill outward when the sun appears. “People can perch on the windowsill… the capacity can grow quite a lot when the weather’s good.”

Inside, fire is the new heartbeat. The team kept the open fire but shifted it into the kitchen, extending their cooking possibilities. “We’ve installed a little wood-fired grill that we have going all day,” Andy explains. The grill, he adds, brings “that charry goodness” to everything from vegetables to meat, an elemental new layer to the food. Fish, pork, leeks - anything can pass over the coals. “It’s a nice way to cook… very much about the core ingredients rather than fancy techniques.”

Despite the move, the team is unchanged. The kitchen, the floor and the philosophy - all intact. “It’s not like a new restaurant opening,” says Andy. “It’s just like moving house.”

Bistro Merenda - Bar Merenda 117 Vincent St, Daylesford barmerenda.com.au

BISTRO MERENDA

STORY BY LARISSA DUBECKI
PHOTOS BY AMBER GARDENER