Big Harvest

This is a review for the catering business, not the café/​restaurant.
Big Harvest is my go-​to caterer for both work events and private events/​parties. Their catering menu is far more extensive than the café menu, featuring a wide variety of delicious and healthy salads and assorted canapes. Besides the «hippy food» factor (unlike Hope M., I have a serious nostalgia-​driven weakness in this department!) I love that their platters are different than your standard catering fare (esp. for work, where the sandwich is still ubiquitous.)
They deliver on time, the value is great for the amount of food you get (a LOT), and they have consistently been vigilant about dietary requirements, calling bakers and such when necessary. (I am very allergic to dairy, and not breaking out in hives at work functions or social events is pretty important to me.)
My favourite salads are: the beetroot salad and the salmon and rice salad. (Nb. these are amazing served together).
My favourite platters are: the charcuterie platter (the roast beef is so, so indescribably good. .. I die!) and the Mediterranean platter.
Downside: I’m very unimpressed with their olive selection (boring) and their hummus (horrible clumpy and overly-​oily texture, not smooth and creamy like it’s supposed to be). If you need those for your menu, go fetch them elsewhere.

The harvest available here might not be extensive, but it’s tasty. For breakfast there’s Moroccan baked beans, muesli or sourdough toast with a variety of topping. For lunch try the baguettes, Middle Eastern inspired salads or perhaps the chicken tagine. Finish it all off with a coffee and scone. If you can’t squeeze yourself in the communal table then just grab some takeaway and head to the park.

Big Harvest specialises in salads with substance. No limp lettuce leaves drowned in dressing, rather gourmet concoctions that are easy on the waistline. The space is certainly small but if you’re lucky enough to find yourself some room, its a great spot to kick back and enjoy your lentils/​chickpeas/​tofu ect.

Found on Elgin Street, Big Harvest do good simple things. For those of the health conscious fear not, these amazing carrot salads and the like will make you sit proudly on your healthy high horse of good foods. And what’s that I see beside it? Why it’s the most amazing magical brownie you have ever come across! Take that healthy kick high horse! Chocolate time!!!
The servings are small enough though that I reckon it’s suited for the healthy conscious who want the opportunity to indulge. The brownie won’t kill you (unless you are allergic to chocolate) and the other winner is the muesli slice they have on offer.
Expect to pay an absolute premium for these delicious wares, and the other hurdle you’ve got is the service. The counter folk are a little standoffish about it all, and you sometimes get the feeling like you’re at a party you weren’t actually invited to.

Okay, I need to be upfront here — I was raised on ‘hippy food’. My school lunches consisted of things like pumpkin seed, tahini and mashed banana sandwiches on dark rye bread. As such, I generally hate any meal that is more than 10% legume or has ‘gluten-​free’ written anywhere near it. I’ve done my time with wholefoods and I’m now dedicating my life to flavour.
So yesterday, when I was unsuspectingly lured to Big Harvest for lunch by a hirsute tree-​hugging friend, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour-​wholefood balance. I had the polenta and pumpkin slice with a decent amount of feta on top (yay for dairy) which was really rather delicious! The coffee was great, and they’ve got a good range of juices and other drinks. I also noted they offer toast with Dench’s bread (wheat!!!), topped with anything from avocado to Vegemite. Yum!
As it was a sunny day we sat out on Elgin Street, which was a little noisy but still quite pleasant. They’ve got a big communal table inside that has a collection of magazines and newspapers to flick through — it seems like it would be a nice place to sip a coffee alone.
The main game at Big Harvest seems to be their catering, with the café just as a side business taking up only half of their double-​shop front premises. Honestly, I think it’s a bit of a shame — having one big airy space would suit the laid back, simple food vibe they’ve got going on.