Chin Chin’s Chris Lucas will open new Melbourne restaurant with acclaimed Sepia chef Martin Benn

FOODIES rejoice — one of Melbourne’s most renowned restaurateurs has poached Sydney’s top chef with plans to open a new fine dining eatery in the new year.

Sydney restaurateurs Martin Benn and Vicki Wild will depart the renowned Sepia restaurant ahead of a move to Melbourne next year to join restaurateur Chris Lucas. Picture: Lucas Allen

• Hottest new places to eat in 2017
• Victoria’s 100 best restaurants

SERIAL restaurateur Chris Lucas is at it again, announcing today he’s opening a new noshery next year in the Melbourne CBD.

He’ll be joined in business by renowned Sydney restaurateurs Martin Benn and Vicki Wild, who will close their acclaimed fine diner Sepia to make the move to Melbourne to join Lucas in running the site.

Chris Lucas at Chin Chin restaurant on Flinders Lane in Melbourne.

With Lucas’ hospitality nous, chef Benn’s genius in the kitchen and Wild’s front-of-house expertise, the as-yet-named venue promises to be something special.

Lucas said: “With such a global profile, they could have easily headed overseas with huge offers from Hong Kong, New York or London, but I’m proud to say that they will be making Melbourne their home.”

Chef Martin Benn cooking in the Sepia kitchen. Picture: Britta Campion

The Lucas empire already includes the wildly popular Chin Chin on Flinders Lane, Hawker Hall in Windsor, and Kong and Baby, both in Richmond.

In May, he’s due to open the Japanese-inspired Kisumé at 175 Flinders Lane and will also open a Sydney outpost of Chin Chin in Sydney in August.

Sepia will close on December 31.