Fine dining restaurant to feature local produce

SEASONAL and locally sourced food is set to be showcased at Babae, a new restaurant opening inside Hotel Vera later this month.

The Sturt Street venue will be managed by chef Tim Foster as part of the newly formed Goldfields Hospitality Group.

The restaurant will seat 26 guests and will have an ever-changing menu with many of the ingredients coming from Foster’s farm located south of Bendigo.

The rotating menu will also feature locally sourced wine pairings.

“Babae offers an intimate, fine dining experience with a menu that champions the region’s growers and producers, augmented by produce from my own 25-acre garden,” said Foster.

“I gained great insights from cooking with parents and grandparents at home, inspired by literature and fine-tuned with hands-on experience garnered over my career in the hospitality industry.”

The room will feature a timber and marble counter, acting as a central meeting point, and a veranda courtyard with birch trees and a water feature.

David Cook-Doulton, director of Hotel Vera, said Babae will have a welcoming feel.

“We wanted Babae to echo the wholesome, honest and genuine character of the hotel’s namesake, my grandmother, Vera,” he said.

“Like Vera always did, ushering guests into Babae is akin to welcoming people to our home; it is an extension of us and what we believe makes for a memorable dining experience.”

The venue will open Thursday 25 January and is one of two restaurants run by Foster launching in the Goldfields region.

Terrae is set to open in Bendigo at Hotel Ernest shortly after the launch of Babae.

Babae will be prix fixe, or a fixed price menu, starting at $90 per person and will be open for dinner Thursday to Saturday, lunch Friday to Sunday and for breakfast daily for Hotel Vera guests.