You don’t need to be in the heart of Melbourne to get a good plate of food and a brew anymore. And Merchants Guild in Bentleigh is proving just that. Opened in 2013 by chef Paul Davies, and owners Mario Minichill and Vincent Conti (from St Kilda’s Inkr7) Merchants Guild has already started to make a serious name for itself.

But that wasn’t good enough for chef and co-owner Davies who is now pushing his food further by installing an Urban Cultivator (a self contained hydroponic indoor garden) into his kitchen. This is giving Merchants an edge by giving them farm fresh ingredients only seconds away from their hungry guests. Gives a whole new meaning to farm to plate.

The Urban Cultivator allows for no pesticides, a reduction in travel time for produce and a reduction in food waste in the kitchen. It is currently growing sunflower shoots, mustard seeds, pea tendrils, and other micro greens like red raddish and broccoli.

For Davies is was about providing his guests with food as fresh and healthy as possible, and for him that meant growing it himself. With these new ingredients comes some superfood options on the menu including the Superfood breakfast of avocado, kale, broccoli flowerette, barley, mung sprouts, green chilli, and pumpkin seeds on toast with light cottage cheese and free range eggs, and the Super Salad with brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, baby beetroot, broccoli, nuts, and seeds topped with a tahini yoghurt and black rice popcorn. 

If you’re feeling less like fresh vegetables, these guys still have you covered with Doughnut French toast with vanilla bean mascarpone, banana, cherries and pistachios, and the ham, tomato, grilled cheese toasted sourdough sandwich.

They are also very serious about their tea with 10 on the menu, making it almost as long as the food menu.

Merchants Guild
680 Centre Road, Bentleigh East 3165
(03) 9579 0734
themerchantsguild.com