Lentil as Anything: Bill of fare that suits everyone's pocket

At first glance it could be seen as a recipe for disaster. But Sydney's highly competitive dining scene is about to welcome a new restaurant concept that invites patrons to pay as little or as much as they wish for their dinner.

Lentil as Anything will offer an array of quality vegetarian cuisine in King Street, Newtown, from next month. But rather than present a bill at the end of the evening, the not-for-profit enterprise relies solely on an ''honesty policy'' that lets diners decide what the meal is worth - or how much they can afford.

While the donation-driven restaurant might sound like a bold social experiment, it is already an established success in Victoria, where the homeless, the hip and the wealthy mingle daily at four venues in Melbourne.

Founder of the Lentil as Anything chain Shanaka Fernando says he hopes Sydney will embrace his dining philosophy based on ''trust'' and ''eliminating social barriers''.

''Conventional charities tend to entrench the divide, with the poor huddled together eating … and the rich dining in their top restaurants. At Lentil, we like to have everyone under the one roof,'' he says.

''I remember one day we had Nick Cave in, we had ex-governor-general [Peter] Hollingworth and we had a guy about to go to jail the next day, also. One of the volunteers, meanwhile, was a guy who had left prison having served time for murder. It was a fantastic, eclectic mix of people.

''The model works in Melbourne. So why shouldn't it work here?'' Fernando, a former Sri Lankan refugee, launched the first Lentil as Anything, in St Kilda, in 2000.

In the years that followed, he abandoned the capital he ploughed into the project and turned it into a non-profit co-operative and youth training enterprise. Today, the chain also offers vital workplace training and hospitality experience to people, including asylum seekers, the long-term unemployed and the mentally impaired.

The Victorian government declared Fernando a "social challenger" and, in 2007, awarded him the Australian Local Hero Award on Australia Day.

At the chain's Abbotsford, Victoria site, more than 800 customers are fed daily, with people coming from all walks of life, generating a communal atmosphere.

Fernando says the extent of people's generosity never ceases to amaze him. ''Some people eat for free because they have nothing,'' he says. ''At the other end of the scale, one lady gave me $10,000 … she just had a burger and remarked she loved what we were doing.''

Another man has written several cheques for $5000 after his daughter overcame heroin addiction through volunteering at the restaurant, which helped build her self-esteem and get her back on track.

Fernando says it is not just money that keeps his brainchild ticking over. ''So many people donate time, which is an incredibly valuable resource,'' he says.

''Plumbers, carpenters and electricians donate thousands of dollars in expertise.

''Farmers have turned up with truckloads of pumpkins and potatoes. We've got about 100 volunteers across four restaurants at any one time,'' he says.

''We're so lucky to have that recognition and support in the community. People are sophisticated … they get it and do what they can to contribute and keep the philosophy alive.''

Fernando says that whenever he has spoken to Sydneysiders about replicating the concept in the harbour city, Newtown has been flagged as the ''ideal place to start''.

While he has previously had to close restaurants in different areas because they ''hadn't worked'', he is confident Sydney will ''take root'', just as St Kilda did 14 years ago.

''Our philosophy is all about valuing people over money,'' Fernando says. ''Experience tells us most people embrace that.''