Reed House

Chef Mark Hannell and front-of-house pro Rebecca Baker used their life savings to open Reed House, a cosy restaurant set in a bluestone building dating back to the mid-1800s.

The duo have serious hospo chops. Hannell’s first chef job was with Yotam Ottolenghi’s group, where he worked for years before moving to Australia and joining Three Blue Ducks group. Baker, originally from Melbourne, cut her teeth at Nopi in London before moving back and doing stints at The Everleigh, Bar Americano and Capitano. It was at Ottolenghi’s Nopi that the pair first met.

At Reed House, the menu has riffs on “old-school British recipes” like Welsh rarebit crumpets; Scotch eggs with ramen-style soy-cured eggs; roast chicken that brings bread sauce together with saltbush za’atar; and crisp chicken-salt-and-malt-vinegar-mayo potatoes. They sit alongside dishes like rye pici (hand-rolled pasta) with pecorino and macadamia, and cauliflower with tahini, blood orange and hazelnuts.

The drinks list, compiled by Baker, includes left-of-centre cocktails, like the Builders Tea Punch, with rum and sugar, a play on British Yorkshire tea. There’s also Stomping Ground lager and a democratic wine list with a mix of natural, classic, international and Australian drops. Knock one back in the heated outdoor area, which overlooks a courtyard, or inside at the bar or one of two intimate dining rooms.

Built in 1859, Reed House was previously a minister’s residence, a boarding house and a rest home. Its homey qualities (there are cosy rooms, two gorgeous fireplaces and a red-carpeted private dining space upstairs) became the blueprint for the restaurant, which is named after its architect, Joseph Reed.