After waiting for almost three months, a new restaurant in Bendigo opened its doors yesterday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Alium Dining was set to open in March but decided to postpone when the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns.
Head chef Jay Harkness said the first dinner service was exciting.
"Originally, we were meant to open in March," he said. "The week leading to that was exciting. It still is exciting but it's more cautious excitement.
"Our first plans were over a year ago and it's about working with the best products we can get. I'm a fan of local produce but we won't be restricted to it.
"The world Alium means different. We want people to come and have fun. We're here to support the diner and do the best we can do whether it's service, drinks or food."
Mr Harkness has been a chef since 2013 when he started as an apprentice at The Match. In 2019 he spent six months at Rocks on Rosalind as the head chef.
He said he was eager to take on the challenge of a new restaurant and left Rocks on Rosalind last year to help start Alium Dining.
Despite coronavirus restrictions being extended in Victoria, Mr Harkness said the team wouldn't be affected by a 20 diners per restaurant limit.
"We can only maintain 20 diners but are looking at it optimistically," he said. "Twenty people a night gives us time to find our feet. This way we can find out what works but I am looking forward to being able to offer other chefs more permanent roles. Everyone is casual at the moment."
There is already plenty of interest in the new restaurant with bookings being made days in advance.
"As far as I know there is a waiting list for the next couple of weeks," Mr Harkness said. "At this stage we are just open dinner but we will make a decision on lunch service once we see how confident we are. At this stage we are taking it slow."