Company that ran Ladybird restaurant at Hope Island wound up over $1.3m tax and super debt

The company behind a well-known waterfront restaurant has been pushed into liquidation over a $1.3m tax and superannuation debt.

The company behind a well-known waterfront restaurant has been pushed into liquidation over a $1.3m tax and superannuation debt.

Ladybird, an Asian fusion eatery on the waterfront at the Hope Island Shopping Centre, launched in October 2018 but closed down early in 2020.

A new Ladybird restaurant, using the same logo and social media pages, opened with different ownership in October 2020 at the ex-Palazzo Versace hotel at Main Beach, where it continues to trade.

Ladybird Restaurant at Main Beach.

Federal Court documents lodged by the tax office show the company behind the failed Hope Island, HI Restaurant, had outstanding superannuation payments as far back as October 2018 and as recently as July 2022.

Sun Woo Soon, whose address is registered with ASIC as a rental in Brisbane, is sole director and shareholder of HI Restaurant.

Company records show Mr Soon, 47, was sole director of the company behind another restaurant, Steakhouse Grill 66, which was wound-up by the courts in 2021.

The latest report to creditors from that collapse said the company owed $1.4m tax and superannuation, with the liquidator investigating possible insolvent trading, uncommercial transactions and “unreasonable director-related transactions”.

Ladybird Hope Island closed in 2020 and the company behind it owes $1.3m tax.

The steakhouse appears to be trading under new ownership at Melbourne’s Docklands.

The Main Beach Ladybird restaurant is operated by veteran restaurateur Lupco “Lou” Jovanovski, 59 – who was himself a long-time Docklands restaurateur, at one time running nine venues in the waterfront precinct.

Lupco "Lou" Jovanovski.

With wife Natalie Hallert, 49, Mr Jovanovski also runs the Birdcage restaurant in Main Beach, Red Steakhouse at Sanctuary Cove and Zazu Restaurant in Brisbane’s West End.

Neither Ms Hallert nor Mr Jovanovski have been directors or shareholders in the liquidated company.

The Gold Coast Bulletin has contacted Mr Jovanovski and Ms Hallert for comment.

Mr Soon could not be located.

Natalie Hallert and Lou Jovanovski.

HI Restaurant liquidator Michael Owen, of PwC, said his investigations were “at an early stage” and he was yet to receive a report from the director.

“Although our investigations are at a very early stage and are continuing, initial inquiries suggest the business may have traded from premises at Hope Island and ceased in 2020, albeit this will be subject, among other things, of our further investigations,” he said.

An online review of Birdcage by its director Natalie Hallert.

An online review of Birdcage by its director Lou Jovanovski.

Mr Jovanovski and Ms Hallert have also operated river cruises in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Ms Hallert’s company Natsea was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to operating an unregistered boat in the Broadwater in 2016.

The company’s boat, MV Voyager, ran aground during a wedding reception cruise, triggering the lifeboat evacuation of more than 80 guests.