NEW HAMPTON - POTTS POINT, SYDNEY

New Hampton - Harvest
15 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point, Sydney

They've certainly spent a lot of time, effort (and presumably money) transforming this place into something that has a real wow factor to it.

It's described as a little bit of the Rocks in Potts Point but in reality it seems almost medieval. There's plenty of exposed timber, natural stone, exposed beams and what looks like antique tile flooring. Natural materials done well have a warmth to them - and New Hampton exudes this. It's a longish place with plenty of different spaces inside - lots of cosy places to sit and sip and nibble - even a fireplace. They also have some lovely laser cut steel pictures and framed sheet music and musical instruments. It all adds to the atmosphere.

Harvest Restaurant is at the rear, a little hidden away but just as pleasant inside.

Once you're inside New Hampton it's well worth looking around, especially if you're planning to settle in for a while.

This way you get to understand what's there and to choose the best spot for you.

There's so much charm inside this place - their significant redecorating efforts have really paid off in a big way.

Harvest Restaurant has an almost art deco feel to it in parts with coloured lights behind laser cut steel showing outlines and names of major cities around the world. It was quite a contrast to the rest of the venue.

Before we ordered anything a serving of bread arrived at the table. It was a lovely fresh house made bread with a really tasty sun-dried tomato butter to go with it. 

Mlady chose a tasty starter with plenty of depth of flavour - in fact it would have been my second option.

She had the seared scallops, chorizo jam, olives, tomato and cucumber salsa.

The scallops were succulent and juicy, elegantly presented and smelled and tasted delicious. The chorizo jam added some depth but didn't drown the delicate scallop flavour. 

My starter was just as good. I had the pan fried quail with parsnips, bacon and black pudding.

It was interestingly presented, smelled delicious and was very appetising. The quail was nicely cooked and moist and tender inside.

The use of black pudding was a nice touch - but considering our chef Ben Palmer hails from England it's probably not a total surprise to find some influences from his homeland.

Mlady loves fish and often steers that way when ordering her main course.

She chose the Palmers Island mulloway. It came with pea puree, zucchini and buerre blanc.

The skin was certainly crisp, which is the way she likes it, and the flavours worked well together. The flesh was beautifully moist and tender and it was a decent sized serving.

For my main I was torn between two choices and actually left it to the chef to surprise me with one of them! I wasn't disappointed when I got the confit pork belly, crispy ear, sweet potato and chorizo croquette. Wow - this was a great comfort dish!

We had two tasty sides as well - the pea, feta and charred zucchini was fresh and tasty and the roasted chat potatoes and garlic was warm, crisp and full of flavour.

Mlady generally grabs something chocolate for dessert but this time she ordered the pear clafoutis with vanilla bean ice cream.

It arrived in a cute little fry pan - but be warned because it is extremely hot.

If you like pies or flans for dessert then you'll probably like this - she did! The vanilla bean ice cream went very well with it too.

My dessert was a white chocolate cheesecake with strawberries and almonds. In fact I was surprised as it was a deconstructed cheesecake that was served on a slate tile.

This dessert was so colourful with a sea of white and red contrasting nicely with the black slate and scattered mounds of crumbs adding texture variations. A garnish of sprouts on top added further to the dish, which tasted lovely.

Harvest Restaurant is new so it's still waiting to be discovered. It's hidden a bit as well which means passing trade won't see it, however it's worth finding.

Chef Ben Palmer has put together an interesting menu that has plenty of variations and combinations and it's continually evolving.

The venue itself is also memorable so it's well worth venturing inside!


Sir and Mlady dined as guests of New Hampton and Harvest. Special thanks to chef Ben Palmer and a big thank you to Danny, Ben and Kieran. Thanks also to Sophie for looking after us so well on our visit.