Feast of Merit

In Nagaland, in the north-east of India, if a community member comes into money, it is tradition for the whole village to be invited to an enormous feed. Everyone shares in the new-found wealth. It’s called the Feast of Merit and this is also the philosophy behind the cafe and restaurant of the same name.

Feast of Merit is an initiative of YGAP (Y-Generation Against Poverty), a charity that supports youth education and leadership projects in Malawi, Ghana, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Australia. The venue is an attempt to develop permanent funding for the charity.

In support, some of the staff members volunteer their time, and suppliers such as St ALi, Hopkins River Beef and St. David’s Dairy donate products.

Head chef Ravi Presser (former Kinfolk, Cumulus and Circa) runs a vegetarian-friendly menu, concentrating on raw foods and grains, along with sustainably produced meats.

Massive salads with ingredients such as roasted Dutch carrots, mint, pistachio, freekeh, harissa and preserved lemon line the bar, and can be adorned with extra protein such as roasted Milawa chicken.

The booze list, designed by Shaun Anderson, is also local, focusing on biodynamic wines and smaller-batch beers such as Coburg Lager.

Upstairs there's a rooftop bar which continues the vegetarian-friendly theme, albeit in a smaller, snack-oriented menu.