Just In: Merivale Is Opening Chez Dominique, a Pop-Up Bistro on the South Coast, Later This Month

Last month, Merivale announced it had picked up The Whale Inn, a 17-room hotel, restaurant and bar in the south-coast town of Narooma. It was the group’s second Narooma property, following its acquisition of tiki bar The Quarterdeck earlier in the year – owner and CEO Justin Hemmes calls the town his “second home”.

Now, Merivale has announced its temporary plans for The Whale: a French-Australian couple is set to take up residency in the restaurant space later this month. Paris-born Elsa Marie and Sydney-born Julian May run Chez Dominique, an “itinerant bistro” hosting pop-ups and private dinners on the south coast. After years working in a range of kitchens at home and abroad – between them they count Septime and Le Saint Eutrope in Paris, Brawn in London and Sydney’s 10 William Street, as well as their own Parisian bistro La Vierge, on their resumes – they returned to Australia in in 2019.

Marie and May are bringing their Chez Dominique concept to The Whale, with a focus on French food that harnesses south-coast produce. Since arriving back in Australia, they’ve developed relationships with local farms Borrowed Ground, Queen Street Growers, Old Mill Road and Stepping Stone Farm; they’ll use produce sourced from those growers, along with vegetables and herbs grown on-site. The menu will also be dominated by seafood caught in Narooma, pork and beef by Martins Ridge Farm, and duck from Tathra Place in Taralga. And they’ll bake sourdough in-house, daily.

The pop-up is set to run for the next few months; future plans for the site will be announced soon.