Restauranteur Dan Tesoriero said the name was not intentionally chosen to be provocative.

Tesoriero, with best friend and chef Douglas Kerr, view the concept as simplicity and a closeness to nature in the taste of traditional European peasant life.

The odd letter addressed their way as 'Dear Peasant, could you...', was a reminder of less-pleasant connotations, they quipped.

Peasant, set to open in late July, will run a set five-course menu with corresponding vegetarian options that will change weekly. Only the chef will know the menu before guests arrive.

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The restaurant will only open two nights a week, Fridays and Saturdays, in a move Tesoriero said would be both sustainable and allow for greater flexibility.

"We want to meet up with producers and enjoy the process instead of the manic evening service everyday and you don't have the time to finesse everything the way you want it," Tesoriero said.

"For example, taking the time when someone says 'come and see my honey and our bees'."

Seasonality and buying only what was needed in cuts of meat where important factors for Tesoriero and Kerr. They will churn their own butter - a key ingredient in peasant-style meals.

Where possible, they will focus on local produce.

Kerr arrives from Criterion Clunes, which boasts a European style menu, and from where he earned the Golden Plate Peter Wilson memorial award as best regional chef.

Peasant style is not a new venture for Tesoriero and Kerr. The pair were behind Billy Boy Blue in Carlton North, offering shared meals in varying sizes.

A degustation format aims to reconstruct traditional European meals with each course offering a little taster from a different country, rather than one "hearty" solid meal as the term peasant might suggest.

Where possible, Kerr will push the boundaries with long forgotten meat cuts such as a pig's ear. Kerr said this was about testing response too.

Such cuts or offal might only be used in one course and, being a series of small meals, this would not dominate the experience.

For Tesoriero, Peasant is a chance to bring what he does best back to the city of his childhood.

Tesoriero went to primary school in Mount Clear before a family move to Perth.

His career led him back to Melbourne and Tesoriero said it was always his intention to move to a regional property in Ballarat as soon as he could. He made the shift before the pandemic hit and has spent the past two years studying and preparing to launch into Ballarat's dining scene.

Minor changes will be made to the wine bar interiors, even the menu will be projected on the wall, as Tesoriero and Kerr focus on the food and carefully chosen wines to deliver their vision.

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