What's new in June?

June 15, 2019

New city accommodation, a late night bar, top-notch restaurants, a food tour and a retail and eatery precinct opens in Melbourne and Victoria this month.

ACCOMMODATION

Level 14, Double Tree by Hilton opens
DoubleTree by Hilton - Flinders St located opposite the iconic Flinders Street Station has renovated the entire 14th level to introduce seven new rooms – all with interesting and unique views of the city skyline. What was once a private penthouse has now been spectacularly reimagined by leading Melbourne designers and architects Woods Bagot and iWolff Atelier. The new hotel rooms include three loft-style suites with soaring double-height ceilings and four king rooms including one accessible room, and two with balconies that which capture cityscape views including overlooking the buzzing station and Federation Square precinct. Styling includes mustard velvet desk chairs, exposed red beams, colour blocked Italian side tables, high-end bespoke joinery, French washed walls, and custom made pendant globe lights. 270 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, (03) 9654 6888

Zagame House
Also located in the Italian precinct of Lygon Street Carlton on the fringe of the city centre, the design-driven Zagame’s House invites another reason to revisit this newly-hot-again area. The property is an 18-million-dollar transformation of the former hotel operated by the Zagame family for 16 years. The extensive renovations and design provide a unique aesthetic, a dark palate with pops of neon and colour and many of the furnishings and art-works sourced from boutique, local suppliers. Distinctive commissioned art works completed on-site by artists Ryan Foote, Rosie Wood, Lulu Zagame and Karl Gordon showcase the creative DNA of its location. The hotel will also be home to a private event space, a neighbourhood wine shop and bar and a coffee house and kitchen. The street facing wine shop and bar, Lord Lygon, will be headed up by award-winning executive chef, Chris Bonello (AHA Chef of the Year and MPD Restaurant of the year), delivering a tapas and drinks menu that champions locally based farmers, distillers and producers. 66 Lygon Street, Melbourne,  Carlton, 3053

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Agostino
The eagerly-awaited corner-dominating King & Godfree finally re-opened on Lygon Street at the end of 2018 introducing an Italian delicatessen, grocery store, espresso bar and a stunning new rooftop bar named after the infamous former local late-night hangout Johnny’s Green Room, which features uninterrupted views across Melbourne’s skyline, live music, and a menu of Italian snacks. However, King & Godfree’s re-entrance and continued renaissance of Melbourne’s little Italy – wasn’t complete until now. Agostino is the venue’s cherry on the Panettone. It’s a 50-seat wine-bar with a bright buzzy vibe during the day and a more intimate mood lit by night. The food menu is full of Italian deliciousness from simple pastas to more substantial steaks, qual and more. Wine can be supped on site and or plucked from the substantial wine shelf and taken home.  293-297 Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria. (03) 9347 1619.

Bar Margaux
With late-night venues Heartbreaker and The Everleigh to their name, it’s no wonder that Melburnians are excited about Bar Margaux - the newest venture by hospitality stars Michael and Zara Madrusan. The bar will be inspired by New York venue Balthazar among other meat-packing district favourites. Guests will sit back in the cosy Parisian style dimly-lit surrounds of a glamourous French brasserie. Chequered black and white tiled flooring, an all zinc bar top, rich red leather banquettes and custom pendants and sconces inspired by Cafe St Regis in Paris will complete the vibe. On the menu will be French bistro classics such as duck frites, escargots de Bourgogne, moules Basquaise and signature ‘MGX’ cheeseburger. Drinks will of course be thoroughly considered with a focus on French wines, Champagne, aperitif-style cocktails and The Everleigh classics. Bar Margaux will be open in a basement on Lonsdale Street till the wee hours of the morning from July 1st. 111 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 3000

Saint Crispin becomes Lupo
Chef and restaurateur Scott Pickett realises his lifelong aspiration to open an Italian restaurant. The Smith Street site, previously Saint Crispin, will be a relaxed affair with a simple and understated palette of warm, neutral tones and textural timber with pops of earthy colour. Lupo’s menu will be a collaboration between Pickett, Executive Chef ​Stuart​ McVeigh ​(​The Botanical, Pied a Terre​) an​d Head Chef ​Charlie Watson (Eleven Madison Park, Elystan Street)​. The venue will have a pasta focus, made in-house daily and will continue Pickett’s passion and dedication to Australian ingredients. Dishes will include ​spanner crab lasagne, basil, sunrise lime and Western Australian black truffle & cipolla risotto - all cooked to order. The wine list will highlight small-batch producers, predominantly showing Australian-made wines using Italian varietals. The cocktail list will include a barrel-aged negroni made with Australian Campari. 300 Smith Street, Collingwood VIC 3066, +61 (03) 9419 2202

Omnia Bar & Bistro
New to South Yarra, Omnia Bistro & Bar combines the talents of award-winning chef Stephen Nairn and World Class Global Bartender of the year Orlando Marzo.  The restaurant will pop-up near to the site of the world-class luxury residential development called Capital Grand, and will effectively act as a training ground. The all-star Melbourne team will spend their days developing dishes for the restaurants that will take up residence in the development later in the year and early 2020. Meanwhile, at Omnia, the à la carte menu will offer European classics such as steak tartare, stuffed quail or ​Whole Flounder, brown butter, lemon & capers – using some of Australia’s best produce.  The drinks list comes with typical Marzo flair, with a wine list made up of artisan makers and a cocktail list of botanically-inspired flavours. The cosy dining room offers earthy, wooden tones, soft brown banquettes and a solid veined marble top. A private walkway leads guests to the light-filled Garden Bar at the rear of the bistro. 23-25 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141, +61 (03) 8080 8080

GLACÉ by Christy Tania now open at Emporium Melbourne
Celebrated pastry chef Christy Tania has opened her second GLACÉ store at Emporium Melbourne. With an existing store in Windsor, the Emporium Melbourne store is the first city centre offering for GLACÉ. Visitors to the store can enjoy Christy’s delicious, hand-crafted range of ice creams, cakes and desserts. A variety of savoury options are also on offer, along with a selection of salads from Charlie Carrrington (Colours by Atlas). The café features a dessert bar and designated seating area for up to 40 people. Guests can enjoy sit down or take away desserts, pastries and ice creams. To celebrate her new store opening, Christy has launched a new menu item for GLACÉ called “Gateau de Voyage”. Available Lemon, Dark Chocolate and Matcha, these ‘travel cakes’ are purpose made to travel well and are packaged in colourful boxes which have been locally designed with a made in Melbourne tag – making them the ideal gift for friends or family living interstate or overseas. Level One, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

REGIONAL

Paper Scissors Rock Brew Co
Halls Gap, one of Australia’s premier rock climbing and nature-based locations has welcomed its first micro-brewery, Paper Scissors Rock Brew Co. Located in the centre of town, the new venue features large glass walls for visitors to enjoy the picturesque view of the Grampians, as well as the new 37-meter long art installation. There will be an ever-changing range of Pale Ales and IPAs with guest brewers to keep things ultra fresh. With regular live music, and menu items such as pork and black pudding scotch quails eggs, beer mustard mayonnaise – the brewery is sure to be a very popular addition to the tiny town. The brewery is located next to the Halls Gap information centre at the Grampians Road and Heath Street intersection.

Gold Mines Hotel
An historic Bendigo hotel with a history dating back to 1857 has been lovingly restored and invigorated with new owners and a new menu. The hotel represents the wealth of regional Victoria in the height of the goldrush and has a fond place in the hearts of locals. Finished in 1872, the national trust listed hotel sits on 1.5 acres of sprawling historic gardens designed in the mid 1800’s by David Chaplin Sterry. Taken over last year by the owners of Kyneton's Source Dining, this private retreat has only recently been open to the public to enjoy. The updated menu designed by Executive Chef Tim Foster, celebrates the best of contemporary Australian cuisine in this historic venue and reflects a similar quality of Australian produce wrapped up in favourite gastropub style dishes from ribs to burgers and steamed buns to a kangaroo salad. The Hotel has one of the top 10 beer gardens in Australia.  49-57 Marong Road, Golden Square VIC 3550, +61 3 5443 3004

TOURS

Foodie Trails
A new culinary and cultural experience in Melbourne is now available run by passionate local foodie Himanshi Munshaw Luhar. The tours started from a desire to introduce people to her own rich Indian culture, then extended to include the famous Italian precincts, the Greek dominated suburbs, the well-known areas of Chinatown, Vietnamese cuisine and the lesser known ethnic areas of Footscray and Dandenong. The tours are 4 hours in total and start at the Immigration Museum, with an overview of the waves of immigration that have shaped the city and state. From vegemite on toast to the meat pie, Australia’s own evolution of gastronomy is not ignored. Foodies can choose from Melbourne Foodie Culture, Indian, and African cultural food walks. The tours run three days a week at 10.30am and are priced at $125pp. Email: [email protected] or call 1800 667 791, P O Box - 387 Bentleigh Vic 3165

DESTINATIONS

ELLA
Located at the north west corner of Melbourne Central, ELLA is a new shopping, dining and entertainment precinct that brings together some of the city best qualities all under the roof of one of its favourite shopping destinations. The space will introduce revolving art installations, music events, and a curated selection of popular eateries including Colour Bowls, the latest offshoot of South Yarra's hatted restaurant, Atlas; Collingwood’s Son in Law - The Pad; and Pick a Stick Chinese Skewers by the team at Dainty Sichuan. The high-tech destination also introduces a bluetooth jukebox - where visitors can select their favourite tunes from their own mobile device, and a chatbot via Facebook Messenger and WeChat for easy ordering and payment. The 2,500 square-meter space will offer communal seating and a general liquor license, meaning diners can grab a drink from bottle shop Blackheart and Sparrows or high-end cocktail bar Byrdi, grab their favourite dish and sit where ever they like. Elizabeth St and Latrobe St, Melbourne

Content: Visit Victoria