Coming Soon: Chef Alejandro Saravia Wants You To Help Test the Menu for His New CBD Restaurant

Chef Alejandro Saravia is keeping the concept for his new CBD restaurant close to his chest. Which is surprising considering he plans to give the public an unusual degree of access before opening the doors later this year.

What we do know is that the Farmer’s Daughters, and Morena Barra chef will open Masia, a new venue at GPT Group’s new office tower development at 51 Flinders Lane. It’ll be a two-in-one venue designed by Sydney-based Pony. On the ground floor will be a casual bar focused on snacks and entree-sized dishes – “an all-day dining affair” where you can grab a glass of wine and drop in at any time. The larger upstairs space will be more of a traditional restaurant, with room for 180 across a private dining room, cellar and terrace.

Saravia will lead the team as executive chef, and will be joined by head chef Daniela Clavijo, who has worked across Farmer’s Daughters and Victoria and is currently at Morena Sydney. Masia will be a departure from the Latin American cuisine of Barra and the Gippsland-focused menus at Farmer’s Daughters, though the new restaurant will still explore a culinary culture close to his heart. “While my journey has always been guided by provenance, regional identity and the emotional power of my Peruvian roots, Masia opens a new chapter,” he says.

Also new is Masia’s membership program. People can register for free and have the chance to receive invitations to wine tastings, early menu development workshops with Saravia and Clavijo, and other pre-opening events.

It’s a way to do some early market research and build up a database, but mostly, Saravia says the membership program came from a desire to improve the public’s understanding of how much work goes into opening a restaurant. “There’s a lot of misconceptions that opening a restaurant is the easiest thing in the world, when it takes a lot of time, it takes years.”

Masia will open at 51 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, later this year.

masiamelbourne.com.au
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