The force behind the iconic strawberry and watermelon cake has unveiled his latest project Hearthe in Sydney’s Stanmore.
Christopher Thé took over Mrs Underwood cafe in May last year, with the space undergoing renovations and re-emerging as Hearthe.
The cake shop and cafe will open seven days a week with a menu that covers a range of savoury and vegan options alongside pastries, breads, cakes and other sweet treats.
“After growing my previous business Black Star Pastry into a huge entity, my heart was really happiest when I was just cooking in the kitchen – just me and my small team, serving the community and giving them whatever came out of my mind on the day,” says Thé.
“My food, my vision for Hearthe is to combine the native flavours of Australia and evolve it to suit a modern, global context, whilst keeping waste to an absolute minimum. Dishes and ingredients will continually evolve with the seasons. Nature and Australian produce drive the recipes and lead my inspiration and process – I just listen.”
Cakes fall under ‘signature native’ and ‘seasonal’ categories and include Geraldton wax cheesecake with dessert lime and strawberry gum; Paperbark dacquoise with macadamia, smoked ganache, white kunzea honey and eucalypt caramel and basil olive oil sponge with gin, raspberry gel and hibiscus marshmallow.
Hearthe will also have a selection of optional cream accompaniments available including a vegan option along with wattleseed, hibiscus white peach and fresh cream.
For those partial to pastries, Hearthe has ticked all the boxes with croissants, pain au chocolate, a cinnamon spice stick and an almond croissant available plus saltbush scones and a berry tart with almond cream.
There are also more substantial plates on the menu, charting a slow-cooked meal of the day informed by produce at the peak of its season – think roast pork with crackling; kangaroo Wellington or chicken tagine with couscous – as well as Akoya oysters, congee with smoked barramundi dumplings and yam hash with hot smoked salmon, coriander seeds and Warrigal greens.
Hearthe also has a cocktail list featuring native spirits along with cold-pressed juices, teas, milkshakes, smoothies, cordials and coffee by The Little Marionette.
The cafe is slated to open in early February and will operate seven days a week from 7am until 4pm.