Chin Chin boss Chris Lucas to open 7th restaurant, Yakimono, next month

Chin Chin boss Chris Lucas will re-open all his restaurants at the glam 80 Collins site in one hit — including long-awaited Japanese eatery Yakimono.

Chin Chin boss Chris Lucas is reopening all of his new restaurants on the same day when Melbourne’s lockdown ends.

Fast-paced Japanese eatery Yakimono was the third and final Lucas Restaurant to open at the glam 80 Collins site, behind hyped Society and Lillian Terrace.

Society, which made headlines last month after Martin Benn and Vicki Wild left the multi —million dollar venture, only traded for one week before lockdown.

Lillian Terrace was also meant to open in August.

Sarah Lew and Chris Lucas at the opening of Lillian Terrace. Picture: Tim Carrafa

On Monday, Lucas revealed Yakimono, Society and Lillian Terrace were now taking bookings for its main restaurant and private dining areas when they reopened on November 5.

Yakimono, meaning grilled everything, is inspired by Lucas’ time living and working in Tokyo.

The two-level venue — which includes an outdoor terrace — takes on a late-night izakaya bar vibe, with all of head chef Dan Wilson’s (ex-Huxtaburger) menu cooked over flame.

Yakimono is the new Japanese eatery by Chris Lucas.

Yakimono’s quick bites include BBQ pork cheek with fermented chilli, Wagyu beef yakitori (grilled meat on a stick), spicy beef tartare and curried sweet potato gyoza.

Yakimono is the new Japanese eatery by Chris Lucas.

Bookings are now open for November 5.

WINERY’S BIG POST-LOCKDOWN CHANGE

Yarra Valley fine diner Seville Estate may not revert to its pre-pandemic play when it emerges from lockdown.

Head chef Soren Thogersen and his team will trial a new concept to turn the once a la carte winery-restaurant into a degustation-only offering.

“It’s really hard to think of what the real restaurant will look like because of all the blows (lockdown) has brought,” he said.

Seville Estate will have a completely different concept post lockdown.

“Every restaurant is screaming for staff. I don’t think we can open the doors with the same model we had when we went into lockdown. We don’t have the staff to cater for the offering we had then. It’s time to do something different.”

Thogersen has been toying with turning the 70-seater dining room into a premium chef’s table experience, serving fewer customers with a higher per-head cost.

“We’ll plan to move forward under a model we can sustain and with the staff we have to make sure it’s a scalable model,” he said.

Seville Estate has continue its successful meal boxes during lockdown, delivering to suburbs within 50km of the Yarra Valley restaurant, which includes the outer east, and as far afield as Essendon, Brighton and Rye.

“While Seville at Home is not sustainable by itself, we are trying to maximise damage control,” Thogersen said.

“It covers costs and helps keep us employed.”

Seville Estate has had a successful run of its at-home offering.

MANGO MAGIC

Mangoes have hit peak eating season, giving fruit lovers an early taste of summer.

The quality and affordability of the tropical snack are only set to improve in the next couple of weeks, with more than 100 tonnes landing in Melbourne supermarkets and greengrocers every week until the end of the year.

Fruiterer Thanh Truong said three varieties – Kensington Pride, R2E2 and Calypso – would dominate the spring/summer offering.

“Nothing tastes as good as the first mango of the season,” he said. “Even though I don’t like the term seasonality, these fruits do have an element of that to them. They won’t be around forever and that gives us more urgency to eat them while they’re hot.”

Thanh Truong, aka Fruit Nerd, is celebrating peak mango season. Picture: Mark Stewart

Truong said while all three varieties had their place, the KP was best known as the “smell of Australian summer”.

“KP mangoes are the people’s fruit,” he said. “The best KP, in terms of flavour, are one of the best in the world, and Australian growers agree with that. It gives off a really resounding aroma.”

R2E2 mangoes are mainly exported overseas, commonly referred to the as “Australian mango” in Asia, while the Calypso are loved by farmers for their high yields.

Mangoes are typically grown in Darwin, Katherine, and Far North and South East Queensland.

Truong said he was passionate about making sure everyone had a good mango experience. “We generally don’t want anyone to have a bad one,” he said. “My only advice would be, don’t let a mango go overripe.”

My Master Sommelier founders Dorian Guillon and Carlos Simoes Santos.

WINE CLUB

Two Melbourne master sommeliers hope to get people drinking better with a new side hustle.

Vue de Monde head sommelier Dorian Guillon and wine director Carlos Santos-Simoes and Rebecca Adams recently launched My Sommeliers Wine Club, a monthly wine subscription service. Members receive three bottles from different countries and accompanying videos about the producer, tasting notes and best food pairings. The platform is designed for both the everyday and gourmet wine drinker. Subscriptions start at $149 per month (that’s $49 per bottle). ms-wineclub.com

PARK VUE

Speaking of Vue de Monde, the high-end restaurant will retreat from its Rialto perch to host the ultimate gourmet barbecue at the Royal Botanic Gardens this weekend. Executive chef Hugh Allen and his team prepare fancy snacks, such as crab sausages and the fine diner’s famed lamingtons, paired with a bottle of everyday plonk or fancy wine.

Available Sunday October 24 at the Southern Cross Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens from 11am to 4pm (or until sold out).

Vue de Monde’s gourmet BBQ will include its drawcard lamingtons.

NEW STORES

Melbourne bakery Baketico is opening new stores in Brunswick East and Brighton in the next fortnight. High-end chef turned pastry prince Raymond Capaldi launched the bakery business earlier this year off the back of his successful Wonder Pies stores. Baketico already has stores in Heidelberg, Westgarth and Port Melbourne.

CHEF DEPARTS

Alejandro Saravia, executive chef at Melbourne Peruvian favourite Pastuso, is stepping away from the restaurant after seven years.

Saravia will continue to work at Gippsland-themed restaurant Farmer’s Daughters, which he opened in the city earlier this year. He will also pursue other projects.