By Danielle Bowling, Hospitality Magazine
Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group is preparing for the launch of Butcher and the Farmer on 22 September, located at the new Tramsheds development in Sydney’s Glebe.
The produce-driven 300-seat restaurant, bar and private dining room will feature a restored heritage tram and will be open seven days a week from 8am, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Butcher and the Farmer’s ethos will be to celebrate ingredients and produce sourced largely from farmers they have a direct relationship with. The site will include a butchery and a takeaway concept, and chef Jared Ingersoll, together with head chef Simon Van Twillert, has created a menu featuring whole animals roasted over coal, a rotisserie, and smoked meats and vegetables. These will be prepared on the site’s Southern Pride pit, a smoker imported from Texas which has two regulators to allow for precise temperature control. The menu will also feature pickled and preserved vegetables, some house-made charcuterie, terrines and parfaits, and cultured yoghurts.
The providore and takeaway sections will sell coffee by Melbourne roasters Rosso and home-made baked goods like cakes and crumpets. For a more substantial takeaway meal, hot dishes including coal roasted Holmbrae chicken, spit roasted meats and smoked brisket with fermented chilli sauce will also be available.
“Butcher and the Farmer is all about feeding people good, honest food, and them knowing where it comes from. The suppliers we are working with have been chosen, first and foremost, based on the flavour of their produce and because they are passionate people who pay close attention to every single part of their production. I hope that comes through in our food – we want to create simple, beautiful dishes that honour traditions and truly reflect and respect the produce they are built on,” said Ingersoll.
Dishes on the opening menu will include smoked garlic toast with grated parmesan; smoked beef short rib and spit roasted lamb, and comfort desserts like cobblers and pound cakes.
A separate menu will identify the farmers and growers contributing to the menu at that time, detailing what they’ve supplied. Some of the suppliers featured on the opening menu include Crackwillow Farm in Oberon, NSW (pork); biodynamic egg suppliers Cornucopia Farms; Richard Gunner and Scott de Bruin in South Australia (meats); and Country Valley and Pepe Saya (dairy).
Bread will be custom-made for Butcher and the Farmer by Tramshead bakery neighbour, Dust.
The wine list, by Joel Davis, will have a NSW focus, featuring wineries including Lowe Wines, Mudgee; Lark Hill Winery, Bungendore and Bloodwood wines, Orange.
The butchery, managed by Mel Bligh, will break down whole animals on-site each week, as well as selling prime cuts, house-made sausages and charcuterie, and cooked meats like slabs of brisket, marinated meats and rotisserie chickens.
Butcher and the Farmer will also host workshops and educational programs that will showcase its suppliers, producers and products. An urban farm and community garden is also being developed, and will be used as both an educational space and a source of produce for the restaurant.
Fellow Seagrass hospitality concepts include The Meat & Wine Co, Hunter & Barrel, Ribs & Burgers and Italian Street Kitchen.
