From underrated restaurants to kebab shops: Top chef Tom Sarafian’s favourite food spots

When chef Tom Sarafian opened what might just be Melbourne’s hottest restaurant right now, Zareh, last August, it fulfilled a long-held dream to honour his Armenian and Egyptian heritage. But it’s his retail condiment line – most notably a hummus that was three years in the making – that steered him to cult status.

Even now, the hummus, toum and harissa are made by hand in his Collingwood kitchen on Sunday and Monday nights when the restaurant is closed. That dedication is why he’s appearing as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia. Handing down a 60-minute dip challenge, Sarafian flips the cloche on his iconic hummus to inspire the contestants.

When he’s not at Zareh, here’s what he’s cooking at home and where else you’ll find him.

Eating in

Go-to at home

Manti, which are Armenian beef dumplings that take hours to make and are devoured in minutes. I like to add tomato sauce and a super garlicky yoghurt, covered in lemon, chilli and sumac on top.

Guilty pleasure

A Hawaiian pizza with a vanilla Coca-Cola when I am sick. There’s something about that combo that works for me, and it’s the only time I’ll have it.

Best kitchen wisdom

I worked at St. John in London with English chef Fergus Henderson in 2014. He shared lots of kitchen wisdom, but the one I took with me was that happy chefs cook the best food. I’ve taken that everywhere I work.

Eating out

My favourite home town restaurants (and go-to dish)

I love the boldness and simplicity of Jim’s Greek Tavern in Collingwood. It inspires me. There’s no menu and it’s always a lucky dip of dips, the freshest seafood, barbecued meats and salads. The lemon oregano potatoes and barbecued offal are amazing. They buy their seafood from an incredible larger-than-life supplier, Stavros, at Preston Market, who tells me they’re the fussiest when it comes to seafood.

For a special-occasion dinner, we go to Anchovy in Richmond. I love [2025 Good Food Guide Chef of the Year] Thi Le’s cooking – it’s unique. I ate the tea-smoked duck, and once she brought out a theatrical clay pot with mushrooms. I had a broth and rice with it. It blew me away.

I like to dine at Bacash in South Yarra for a grilled John dory. It’s my partner Janine’s favourite. I go to Tipo 00 for the duck gnocchi, which is back on the menu after a few years off, and Bistra in Carlton for lamb ragu pasta, and rainbow trout with white beetroot.

Sogumm in Cremorne is a beautiful space, warm and welcoming, and the team is cooking very interesting and unique food. It’s underrated for how amazing it is! I went with JP from (Sydney restaurant) Baba’s Place, and we were both blown away by the cooking. We ate the whole menu, but the standout was this acorn jelly they made with the most delicious marinated cucumbers on top. I’ve never eaten anything like it before.

El Columpio in Fitzroy is another favourite. They make a great Mexican breakfast. We go for the chilaquiles and pozole – a soup they’re famous for – and the beautiful tamales.

Favourite hometown cafe and bars

I love Ca Com [a banh mi spot next door to Anchovy in Richmond], where I get an egg banh mi as a late breakfast.

For coffee, there’s a great family-run Ethiopian cafe in Collingwood called Ageyo Coffee. It’s the best place for a coffee – I either have a long black, a magic or a latte.

For an ice-cold martini, I go to Caretaker’s Cottage in the city. In Collingwood, I go to Hands Down. It’s run by Don, who is a great cocktail maker. There’s always records playing – make mine a negroni.

Favourite secret takeaways in Melbourne

The best adana in Melbourne can be found at Katik Turkish Take Away, in Campbellfield. You have to kind of fight for a table, and you leave smelling like smoke and fire in a good way.

Miksa, a Turkish food truck by chef Ismail Tosun, is a great nighttime spot. He parks his food truck in a car park in Campbellfield and does his thing. I’ve had four or five kebabs here.

In Sydney

I love SIT in Marrickville; JP is an incredible chef, and a wizard when it comes to yoghurts and dairy. I love the beautiful pot-set yoghurt with honey and nuts. It’s a simple way to start the day.

I go to Baba’s Place for dinner and order the charcoal chicken with toum.

Another Sydney favourite is Poly by Mat Lindsay. The pickle plate with a dozen vegetables is interesting. Some have been barbecued, they’re quite dramatic, not just the average sort of pickles.

I like Cantina OK! for a margarita. And Le Ho Fook for the glacier toothfish, which melts in your mouth. It’s served with spring onion ginger sauce – delicious.

Favourite place to eat in Australia, and what special food memories does it hold?

My number-one restaurant in Australia is The Agrarian Kitchen in Hobart. I’ve been five times and each time has been life-changing. I was floored, not only by the food, but by the genuine hospitality. We had a four-hour lunch and then lay on the lawns afterwards with cheese and wine. The food is grown there, the cheese is made in-house, and the preserves and ferments are exceptional.

On the road

Favourite food city and why

It has to be Beirut in Lebanon. I had some recommendations from friend and mentor [the late] Greg Malouf – and first visited before I opened Saracen in 2019, and more recently in 2022 with Janine, who is Lebanese.

Favourite places to eat there and why

Places that stood out include Tawlet in downtown Beirut; which translates to table in Arabic. It’s only open for lunches and it has regularly rotating chefs, each focusing on a different region in Lebanon. Of the cooks, 99 nine per cent are women who come from their villages to put on a big buffet-style spread. I remember the cold mezze, hot mezze, an entire dessert station and coffees and teas.

On Saturdays there’s Sukkal Tayeb – a farmers’ market that opens next to the restaurant. You can buy fresh fruits, jams, pickles and preserves.

Where do you stay when you’re there

The Albergo – a famous hotel that’s like something out of a movie. The hospitality is incredible, and the rooftop and pool are where everyone hangs at night.

I also stayed in the mountains at a family-run guest house called Beit Trad. They have these incredible chefs who cook home-style food using incredible quality ingredients.

Tom Sarafian is a guest judge on MasterChef Australia on Tuesday, June 23 at 7.30pm. Watch and stream on 10.