Alex Prichard, acclaimed chef and former culinary director of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, today opens Sara Dining in Berry, on the NSW South Coast. Sara Dining, a produce-driven restaurant set within Moraea Farm, part of the Linnaeus Collection, is Alex’s first solo venture.
The restaurant brings together Prichard and his wife Angie, with locals Peter and Nadia Yannopoulos, owners of the Linnaeus Collection. Linnaeus Collection is a portfolio of private residences across Berry offering a considered alternative to the traditional hotel stay.
Alex Prichard, culinary director and partner Sara Dining says: “There’s something special about cooking with produce that’s been grown metres from the kitchen. Sara Dining is about letting that produce lead. After years in the city, it feels like the right time to slow down and build something connected to a place. Being here has loosened up my idea on aesthetics, and I’ve become more flexible in my approach to food.”
“We have two gardens, and if we can end up growing 80% of the fruit, vegetables and herbs that we use in the restaurant, I will be very happy. We want Sara Dining to feel like an extension of the farm, a place where people can come for a long lunch, wander the gardens, and leave with a real sense of where their meal came from.”
At Sara Dining the menu heroes the farm’s own harvest along with the region’s incredible seafood, meat and dairy producers. The opening menu moves from snacks and small plates through to big plates, all designed for sharing. Highlights include: Shoalhaven Sydney rock oysters with a pink peppercorn mignonette; salt and pepper Shoalhaven squid with Aleppo pepper and lime; and a wood-fired butterflied Shoalhaven flathead with café de Paris butter. The retired dairy cow rib eye, carved by the outdoor parillia grill, anchors the big plates section, served alongside a nettle tortellini with sheep and goats curd, peas and koji. Dessert includes pavlova, finished with passionfruit marigold cream and fruit picked fresh from Linnaeus Farm.
Evan Stroeve, formerly of The Waratah Darlinghurst, joins Sara Dining as venue manager and has also overseen the development of the beverage program that leans into small-production Australian wine and a selection of international bottles. The 500 bottle wine list will offer 33 wines by the glass, with the opening three pages focusing on New South Wales producers. Cocktails are classically catagorised into highball, sprits, and spirit forward. The house martini leans on a distillate of mountain marigold and fresh citrus leaves dotted around the farm, and a mini frozen margarita highlights smoked pear, citrus and garden herbs.
Occupying the original home’s garage and workshop, the design of the 60-seat space was led by Studio XOX, with an approach that draws on the natural materiality of the farm and its surrounds. Rosso Orbobico stone is featured throughout the space, complementing the deep tones of plumberry walls, alongside cerise tiling and dark walnut joinery.
Sara Dining continues the story of Moraea Farm and the Linnaeus Collection’s commitment to regenerative, produce-led hospitality on the NSW South Coast.
Sara Dining will open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Monday. Bookings are now available on the website.