Chef Tim Martin’s new venue Harvest has opened its doors on Claremont Street in South Yarra. The all-day coffeehouse, bar and eatery features wine, aged meats and fermented products.
It’s the first solo venture for Martin, who has 16 years of experience in the industry. The chef-owner has previously made his mark as head chef at The European and won The Age Good Food Guide’s Young Chef of the Year in 2015.
Harvest will have a produce-driven menu and showcase Martin’s penchant for natural fermentation: think pickled vegetables paired with charcuterie aged on-site. Everything will be made in-house, with Martin making the most of ingredients. House-made butter, for example, will become buttermilk which will become ice-cream.
Breakfast will feature a selection of toasties and pastries as well as more substantial dishes such as Benedict muffins with brown butter hollandaise and ham off the bone. The lunch menu will offer a variety of proteins including sourdough battered fish and grass-fed O’Conner’s bottom sirloin, served with red wine sauce, pepper sauce, bone marrow or fries.
Share plates make up majority of the bar and dinner menu, such as fried chicken oysters with shaved cabbage, mayo and bocadillo and tongue ‘n’ cheek cigars with brick pastry and charred onion salsa. Heartier mains come in the form of the sourdough ceccamariti pasta with ox tail ragu alla napoletana and bone marrow and artichoke heart stew with peas, morels and soft herbs.
Low-intervention winemakers are highlighted on the wine list, while coffee will be Harvest’s original blend, the locally roasted One More Cup of Coffee — a nod to Bob Dylan. Martin has plans to brew beer and produce wine for Harvest in the future.
The front-of-house team is led by ex-Attica sommelier, Stuart Quinn, who will manage the floor and ex-Borsch Vodka and Tears’ Scott Bailey, who will run the bar.
“I imagined Harvest as a place I would want to frequent,” says Martin. “Casual, with simple and well-priced food. Whether it’s a solo glass of wine or an amiable catch up with old friends, I want to provide people with a regular destination to relax and enjoy our artisanal selection of drinks and plates.”
Harvest seats 32 people with plenty of additional room to enjoy casual drinks at the bar, while two conjoining rooms will eventually open as a gallery space, with the option of private dining for 80 guests.