Main image: The restaurant’s warmly lit interior creates an intimate atmosphere. Image: Kristoffer Paulsen.
—by Tomas Telegramma
Acclaimed chef Tom Sarafian’s muchanticipated debut venture isn’t just another restaurant opening—it’s a deeply personal journey through family history, culinary influence and cultural expression.
Image: Kristoffer Paulsen.
Even while working at a restaurant as iconic as London’s St John, chef Tom Sarafian had his family’s food top of mind. “I’d be grilling lamb thinking ‘imagine how good some toum would be on this’,” he recalls, referring to the whipped garlic paste that is a staple of Levantine cooking.
A third-generation chef with Armenian and Egyptian heritage, Melbourne-born Sarafian certainly sharpened his butchery skills at the nose-to-tail pioneer, but what proved most defining were his years spent working under Greg Malouf, the globally influential Australian chef who passed away in 2024.
“Working with Greg early on set the tone of my entire career,” says Sarafian, whose mentorship under Malouf—spanning Melbourne’s MoMo and London’s then-Michelin-starred Petersham Nurseries—exposed him to refined European technique and fresh perspectives on tradition. “I was seeing dishes from my childhood executed with a beautiful finesse I didn’t know was possible.”
What followed were extensive travels throughout the Middle East, guided by destinations explored in Malouf’s genre-defining cookbooks. Sarafian eventually returned to Melbourne, taking a head-chef role at Rumi, and later at the nowshuttered Bar Saracen. It was at the latter that his silky-smooth hummus earned cult status—enough to prompt him to launch his own condiment label, featuring elevated takes on toum and harissa.
Located in the increasingly residential northern end of Smith Street, Zareh is more than just a culmination of Sarafian’s professional experience; it’s a heartfelt tribute to his family’s culinary legacy.
Named after his late grandfather, Zareh Sarafian—an Armenian from Egypt who forged a career in Melbourne’s French fine dining scene during the 1970s and ’80s—the restaurant offers nostalgic nods to the family via thoughtful interior details and historic newspaper clippings celebrating the patriarch who started it all.
“He set the scene for us,” says Sarafian of his grandfather. “He’s the reason that all we do revolves around food.”
Passion has turned into a profession for several of Sarafian’s family members, with Zareh now serving as the unofficial headquarters for the close-knit clan. His dad Haigo marinates the house olives, brother Nikki makes the dips, and cousin Bella works front of house. Meanwhile, partner Jinane Bou-Assi brings her marketing expertise to bear as an unstoppable force behind the scenes, even stepping in to welcome guests.
This sense of family unity gives Zareh its deeper meaning. “My grandma, she’s 93, was very proud to see us all working together,” Sarafian shares. And no doubt she is equally pleased to see the next generation enthusiastically celebrating their culture—a shared history expressed through food in a restaurant that feels like home.
While Zareh’s menu resists being pigeonholed into any one cuisine, Sarafian confidently traverses the Middle East and the Mediterranean, with a strong focus on Lebanon, thanks to Bou-Assi’s heritage. Several distinctive dishes trace back to Armenia, whose cuisine remains largely unexplored in Australian dining. “The Armenians and the Arabs coming through [the restaurant] are so thrilled and proud to see dishes they know so well done in such an exciting way,” he says.
Smoky khorovats (Armenian barbecue) is a cornerstone, with meat grilled close to the coals for an unmistakable char and aroma. “There’s a rule that the meat should be no higher than 10 centimetres off the charcoal,” Sarafian explains. “It creates a kind of smoke tornado that swirls around, perfuming the meat.”
to traditional dishes. Image: Kristoffer Paulsen.
“He set the scene for us,” says Sarafian of his grandfather.
“He’s the reason that all we do revolves around food.”
Another Armenian classic, ghapama, sees Sarafian hollow out an heirloom pumpkin, brushing its interior with butter and oak honey before filling it with spiced rice, toasted nuts and dried fruit, then roasting to tender perfection. He’s also curing his own bastourma (air-dried beef), which might arrive atop grilled sourdough with fresh goat’s curd and marinated bullhorn peppers. His signature hummus remains a fixture, crowned with Queensland prawns and sweet spanner crab.
“With our food being quite rustic and humble, we wanted the space to feel elegant,” says Sarafian of the interiors, designed by Min Chun Tseng. Inspired by his grandparents’ home, it’s already resonating with diners for its effortless charm. “The best compliment we’re getting is that it doesn’t feel like a new restaurant; that it feels lived-in, in the best way possible.”
That easy familiarity speaks to more than just good design—it reflects a soulful approach where the atmosphere is as carefully considered as the menu. Tucked beneath a midrise apartment building, the intimate 40-seater features dusty-pink limestone walls, olive-green banquette seating, and a wood fire-fuelled open kitchen. The bar, led by Matt Linklater (ex-Black Pearl), showcases inventive cocktails built around arak, including an ice-cold martini crowned with Sarafian’s twist on the classic Basque gilda. European, Middle Eastern and Australian wines also feature.
As much as Zareh is a self-assured debut from a young chef embracing his identity, it’s equally a tribute to the mentors and relationships that have shaped—and continue to shape—Sarafian’s journey. “When it comes to places where Armenians can go to be together, there aren’t many in Melbourne,” he says, but it’s a gap Zareh is already bridging. “Last week, we had another [man named] Zareh come in. It turns out he knew my grandfather—they used to eat bastourma sandwiches and play cards together. Without the restaurant, that connection might never have happened.”