The Mulberry Group Has Revived the Eatery at Heide — and Homegrown Produce Is the New Hero

It's been an icon of Melbourne's cultural scene for decades, established as a pioneering creative hub by the legendary John and Sunday Reed in 1934. Now, Heide Museum of Modern Art is set to make a few culinary waves, too, with the launch of new produce-driven onsite eatery Heide Kitchen.

Reimagining the space formerly home to Heide Cafe, the sustainability-focused daytime diner boasts a strong pedigree of its own, as the brainchild of celebrated hospitality crew The Mulberry Group (Hazel, Dessous, Liminal, Common Ground Project).

Not only does the glass-walled restaurant leave guests feeling fully immersed in the verdant landscape, but those natural surrounds also play a huge role in what's being showcased on the plate. An oft-rotating lineup of breakfast and lunch fare centres on organic ingredients plucked from Heide's onsite kitchen gardens, as well as produce from the regenerative agriculture farm at Common Ground Project.

That might mean breakfasting on the likes of hot-smoked salmon and saltbush crumpets, a BLT-inspired tartine, or the smoked barramundi scramble with crispy kale before a visit to the gallery. Or perhaps diving into the wagyu burger or niçoise salad after a trip around the grounds.

A risotto comes singing with garden-fresh ingredients, the scotch egg is paired with romesco sauce for a primo snack, and Mulberry Group's signature hotcake also gets a well-deserved run.

Meanwhile, Heide Kitchen's coffee cart is slinging takeaway sips and sangas. And it won't be too long before you can also grab a curated picnic basket to enjoy outdoors while wandering the famed sculpture park.

Lots more local goodies star throughout the restaurant's drinks offering, with quality coffee pouring alongside beer, local vino — perhaps a Heathcote vermentino or the Underground Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula — and a curation of booze-free sips.

Find Heide Kitchen at Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen. It's open from 9am–4pm Tuesday–Sunday.

Images: Samantha Schultz.