The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Heide Kitchen by The Mulberry Group replaces the cafe at Melbourne's Heide Museum of Modern Art

Emma Breheny
Emma Breheny

Heide Museum of Modern Art's cafe has reopened as Heide Kitchen.
Heide Museum of Modern Art's cafe has reopened as Heide Kitchen.Earl Carter

The cafe at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne's north has a new name and new operators. Heide Kitchen, run by The Mulberry Group (Liminal, Hazel, Dessous, La Cantina), opens today.

Making the most of the on-site kitchen garden, the new menu combines cafe favourites that The Mulberry Group made its name with, along with bistro-style dishes at lunch. Think gruyere omelettes or house-smoked barramundi scramble in the morning and, later, lamb shoulder with broad beans or crumbed pork cutlet and remoulade.

The new team, led by founder Nathan Toleman, have also added picnic baskets to make the most of the museum's park-like grounds, and a coffee cart with sandwiches, salads and pastries.

From left: Heide Kitchen sous chef Jillian McInnes, Mulberry Group founder Nathan Toleman and chef Bob Piechniczek in the kitchen garden.
From left: Heide Kitchen sous chef Jillian McInnes, Mulberry Group founder Nathan Toleman and chef Bob Piechniczek in the kitchen garden.Tom McAdam
Advertisement

Toleman says he was drawn to the site because of frequent visits to Heide as a child and the fact he opened his first cafe nearby 15 years ago. The kitchen garden was another drawcard.

There are plans to run a monthly farmers' market and kitchen garden workshops.

Chef Bob Piechniczek and sous chef Jillian Mcinnes are baking focaccia, cakes and tarts, making pickles and sourcing charcuterie from sister restaurant Hazel. Square One Coffee Roasters, also part of the Mulberry Group, is on coffee duty.

Picnic baskets, which require 48 hours notice, will be filled with baguettes, salads, something sweet and optional wine or cocktails.

The group has made minor cosmetic changes to the site, known for the past four years as Heide Cafe. Before that it was Cafe Vue, a spin-off of Vue de Monde, for eight years.

Advertisement

Open Tue-Sun 8.30am-4pm

Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen, 03 9850 1500, heide.com.au

Continue this series

Melbourne hit list December 2022: Hot, new and just-reviewed places to check out, right now
Up next
The nine tapas tasting box.

Melbourne's Sakedokoro Namara will transport you to Tokyo

This sake bar is so like what you'd find in Tokyo, it made me a little giddy, reviews Besha Rodell.

Go-to dishes: Pickled mussels with a side of flatbread.

This Bonny bar snack combo is not to be missed

The quality of the cooking makes this polished neighbourhood wine bar destination-worthy.

Previous
Fried rice is part of the raft of likeable Chinese dishes at Shi Hui Shi.

Contemporary Chinese restaurant Shi Hui Shi opens inside Hotel Sorrento

Nostalgic Aussie-Chinese fare is back on the menu in a historic Mornington Peninsula pub.

See all stories

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up
Emma BrehenyEmma BrehenyEmma is Good Food's Melbourne-based reporter and co-editor of The Age Good Food Guide 2024.

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement