The last hurrah for Harry’s bar
He’s dealt with fires and fussy diners for nearly two decades. Now, Howard ‘‘Harry’’ Morris is looking forward to some time on the other side of the bar.
The sale of Harry’s Restaurant and Bar to local restaurateur Matt Bouterey was finalised last week.
Harry’s final night of trading is scheduled for September 28, with a final soiree planned for the following evening before handing over the keys.
Morris said the number of good memories over the years had made the decision to move on a difficult one.
Harder still had been informing customers and staff who had supported the business.
‘‘It’s a bit emotional really, but I am going to miss a lot of people but I’m trying not to think about that too much at the moment – I’m just trying to get through the next two weeks,’’ Morris said.
While the plans for the rebooted bar are not yet known, it is understood that the premises will reopen in time for the summer closure of upper Trafalgar St to traffic in November.
Morris said he felt confident that Harry’s would be in good hands, whatever Bouterey chose to do with the establishment.
‘‘Matt and I are two different people but he’s a good operator.’’
Morris said he had been seeking a change of scene for some time, although the time demands and focus on his business kept him from straying too far from the kitchen.
‘‘A little bit of freedom will give me a bit of an opportunity to see what’s out there.’’
He was happy to consider himself a man of leisure for the time being, but it was unlikely he would be completely stepping away from the hospitality industry.
‘‘I might do a little bit over the summer, I’ve been talking to a couple of people about some consultancy-type, back-of-house kind of stuff to pay the bills, because there’s still bills coming in – but I don’t intend to rush into anything.’’
‘‘This time of the year . . . I’ll make the most of it because it probably won’t happen again.’’
Morris and his business partner Rob Fanselow emerged in the Nelson restaurant scene in 2000 when they rebranded Ciao’s Collingwood St premises as The Cut.
Just a few months later, a major fire at the restaurant temporarily halted the pair’s vision.
The Cut reopened in February 2001. However, a desire to move away from formal dining resulted in the pair opening Harry’s Bar & Dining in Hardy St in 2005.
‘‘It was Rob’s idea to call it Harry’s – I wanted to call it something like Wok On or Wok Now, but he was adamant,’’ Morris said.
Despite the success of Harry’s in Hardy St, Morris had always thought the best place for their business was the top of Trafalgar St.
When the opportunity popped up to relocate to the former Chez Eelco building in March 2011, they jumped at it.
According to Morris, the bar’s popularity has continued to grow from new and existing clientele.
He said there had also been a noticeable change in the hospitality scene in terms of the variety of dishes being served up and the expectations of patrons.
While the Asian-fusion menu items like chili salt squid and the massaman curry had become part of Harry’s culinary legacy, he estimated the business had shifted from a 75 per cent food focus down to around 60 per cent in recent years.
‘‘The alcohol sales have grown, so that has made the business more manageable – when it’s heavily foodfocused it can get expensive to run.’’
Matt Bouterey was approached for comment.
It’s a bit emotional really . . . Howard ‘‘Harry’’ Morris