Tom Sarafian has opened his first restaurant in Collingwood, drawing on his Armenian heritage and broader Arab culinary cultures.
Zareh, which shares a name with his grandfather (an Armenian who came to Australia from Egypt), builds on the Melbourne chef’s eponymous line of condiments and experience in kitchens in Melbourne (Bar Saracen, Lumi, MoMo) and London (St John). As well as core food memories with his father, Haigo, and Zareh (both chefs), inspiration comes from Sarafian’s partner Jinane Bou-Assi’s Lebanese background, echoing a historic mingling of food cultures.
“There are dishes that are close to me and Jinane’s hearts, from our childhoods, and some that have become signatures of mine over the years,” Sarafian tells Gourmet Traveller. “Over generations, Armenian and Lebanese communities shaped and enriched one another. That spirit of cultural exchange and resilience is what we’re honouring at Zareh.”
The menu features Victorian produce punctuated by hand-selected imports including pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and fermented pepper pastes, many of which are sourced by Lebanese mother-daughter business Droubna, which works to preserve traditional farming practices and food culture. “We met Droubna in the south of Lebanon, and I was just blown away by the quality of their ingredients. They’re so different from what you find commercially available here, even in Arab grocers, and take the food to the next level. We’re bringing over about 80 different ingredients.”
While the menu changes as often as every two or three days, dishes might include hummus with spanner crab and king prawn sauce, served with wood-fired aish balada (an Egyptian bread); beef manti on garlicky labne; and Persian-style chicken skewers marinated in turmeric and fenugreek. “It wouldn’t be crazy to order the whole menu for a full-on feast, but you could also just come and sit in the bar and have a drink and a fried brik pastry or a lahmajun,” Sarafian says.
“One of the things I’m most excited about is an Armenian dish called ghapama. We’re working with beautiful local heirloom pumpkins, which are filled with spiced rice with dried fruits and nuts, cooked in a wood-fired oven.”
Zareh’s cocktail offering by awarded bartender Matt Linklater (Black Pearl, Bulletin Place) stars arak, including Lebanese-made Arak Farid (also named for a grandfather), which Sarafian and Bou-Assi are the first to import to Australia. A house martini comes topped with the chef’s take on the Gilda. “We kept the essential ingredients the same, and added a slice of barbecued red bullhorn pepper, filled the olive with labne, and put a pickled Turkish green chilli on top. It’s the best way to start a meal.” On the wine list, leading Armenian and Lebanese producers sit alongside local and broader international labels, while an Armenian brandy might be your nightcap of choice.
With room for a cosy 40 guests, the restaurant’s palette of soft greens, pink lime-washed walls and deep wood feels homely thanks to personal elements, like a retro glass sliding door (an exact replica of one at Sarafian’s grandparents’ home), tiled details, and turntables that Sarafian reckons he bought when he was about 18. “We’ve got beautiful old Turkish plates, copper from Iran that we collected on travels, all the water jugs are Lebanese… There’s a lot of soul in the building.”
Some comes care of custom brass-capped speakers by Tasmanian brand Pitt & Giblin, and a selection of Sarafian’s own records. “We’ve been collecting a lot of Arab vinyl, a lot of Armenian, Iranian, and old Lebanese records over a couple of years, and some pretty cool new stuff as well. We shipped about three suitcases back from Little Armenia in Los Angeles, and Mexico City.”
In the coming weeks, Zareh will also launch a retail section with Sarafian’s own products (the range is set to expand beyond the current line-up of hummus, toum and harissa) plus house-made basturma, yoghurt, and bread. Vinegars, honey, jam, spices (including za’atar and freshly ground sumac), distilled waters, and more from Droubna will also line the shelves.
Zareh is now open for dinner at 368 Smith Street, Collingwood. Lunch service will commence in the coming months.
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