HOT STUFF
This month’s hottest restaurant openings and relocations, a tropical food festival, and spicy condiments.
RESTAURANT NEWS
THE LATEST FROM CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AUSTRALIA
MELBOURNE
Hummus heavyweight and talented chef Tom Sarafian will open two new venues this winter, joining forces with Nathan Toleman who’s behind the Mulberry Group (Hazel and Dessous). After closing Bar Saracen in early 2021, Sarafian spent time working on personal projects, including making his own hummus, toum and harissa products, as well as carefully making plans for his next ventures. In the coming months, Melbourne’s CBD will welcome both Zareh, a restaurant and bar; and Sarafian, a deli and casual eatery. Zareh is named after the chef’s grandfather and will explore Levantine cuisine with a decidedly Melbourne feel, including Sarafian’s signature dish of king prawn and spanner crab hummus. You can also expect meats and seafood cooked over a custom-made Armenian barbecue; and a focus on flatbreads and pastries from Lebanon, Egypt, Armenia and more. At the eponymous deli, Sarafian’s handmade products will be on full display – think freshly made yoghurt, cheeses, jams and cured meats – alongside a dine-in menu.
Sydney chef Mitch Orr has revamped the menu at the to bring snacks and seafood to the St Kilda hotel restaurant. Working alongside head chef Ben Parkinson (ex-Pipis Kiosk) Orr brings a menu coloured with some of his signature moves, so expect smoky flavours, Japanese kombu, anchovies and Australian seafood. Orr’s Jatz cracker-lead snack will get a
