V Rating: Super V
Where: 71 Evans Street, Rozelle.
When: Dinner Tue - Sun: 6pm - late.
Tel: (02) 9818 4201.
Price: Entree: $9.90 - $12.90. Mains: $19 - $21.

Last weekend Andy and I belatedly celebrated our four year anniversary. Ahh yes, who would have thought that a humble invitation to see Spiderman could lead to a lifetime of wedded bliss (OK, the wedded part is still in train… but we have the bliss down pat).

We have a tradition of taking each other out to a good restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. This year Harvest was the natural choice given I hadn’t reviewed it yet it’s the only romantic, fine dining vegetarian restaurant in Sydney.

While other vegetarian restaurants in Sydney are mostly Asian Buddhist, Harvest has a secular, European feel. There’s nothing like it in Sydney, although it reminds me of Bernadette’s in Canberra, Sprouts in Adelaide or the now defunct Squirrels in Brisbane.

The street frontage is bedecked with fairy lights and the intimate view of the city skyline isn’t too bad either. Inside, the walls are painted vivd blue, the tables have crisp white linen tablecloths and the furniture feels like something out of a country kitchen.

The comparatively expensive menu borrows vegetarian dishes from around the world, including pastas, stir-frys, fried and fresh spring rolls and pakhoras.

For entree, Andy chose the three mushroom ravioli with an unusual orange and basil sauce. I was dubious but the dish was outstanding. The light orange sauce added tang and sweetness to the soft pasta.

I went with a tapas plate combining guacomole, eggplant roulade, hummus, and goats cheese dip. It was served with long, thin wafers of bread. The dips were delicious - particularly the spicy eggplant and soft, rich goats cheese, but the hummus was too plain for my liking.

The mains menu was broad and had something for everyone. There are comfort dishes like lasange, and moussaka, plus more adventurous risotto cakes with roasted red pepper sauce, and English spinach and kumera gnocchi. Andy sensibly chose the generously sized moussaka.

I chose what I thought was an Indian curry (which I love). Unfortunately, I didn’t read the numerous ingredients on the menu closely and it turned out to be more of a peanut satay (which I don’t love). The chutneys and pappadams that gave with it were great, but the dish was too heavy and rich for me to finish.

Seeing as it was our anniversary we decided to splurge and get dessert - white and dark chocloate truffles filled with ice cream. These were luxorious, sweet and creamy - and definitely a job for two. I enjoyed them but should probably had chosen a less decadent option.

While Harvest isn’t vegan, they ensure that there are a decent number of vegan dishes on both the entree and mains menu. All cheese is rennet free, and they only use free range eggs. Where possible they use organic food. From memory, there are other foods, such as honey, which they either leave out or can omit.

Harvest is not a restaurant that I’d eat at everyday. However, it makes a wonderful and romantic choice for special occasions. Love you honey!

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