Esteemed UK chef Michael Lambie set to open new CBD restaurant, Juni, in November

He’s the chef behind a long-list of iconic Melbourne venues such as Stokehouse, Circa at the Prince, Taxi Dining Room and Lucy Liu. Now Michael Lambie is opening a new South East Asian city restaurant next month.

Esteemed UK chef Michael Lambie is launching his first restaurant in three years next month on Exhibition St called Juni. Picture: Glenn Hampson

He’s the UK export behind some of the city’s best restaurants.

Chef Michael Lambie put St Kilda’s Stokehouse on the map, made waves at Circa at the Prince and Federation Square’s Taxi Dining Room, became a pub hero with Lamaros Hotel and The Smith before launching fiery CBD fave Lucy Liu.

Now, after three years, he’s launching a new South East Asian restaurant in the city on Exhibition Street.

Juni pays homage to his late mother June and will reflect Lambie’s signature spin on South East Asian flavours.

“I love the clean flavours of Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, and I am loving creating a menu that encompasses all of these factors that appeal to my customer base,” he said.

“The service will be fast paced with a focus on wine, well-made cocktails and drinks.”

“I’m committed to building a fantastic professional team and an amazing restaurant.”

Lambie is returning to Melbourne after a short stint in Queensland following the sale of Lucy Liu in 2020.

“My heart has always been in Melbourne, and I’ve always lived here,” he said.

The menu will play with the concept ‘fire and spice’ and all dishes are designed to share.

Some standouts include the Chinese roast duck, pot-roasted beef short rib, rare tuna tataki, crispy fried eggplant and a vegan red curry.

The heaving 140-seater space is set to open in late November.

Juni, 136 Exhibition St, Melbourne, open daily from noon till late