California, here we come. Crown Melbourne has announced that a new Cali-inspired riverside venue called Marmont will open in the former Rosetta site this summer. Its previously announced replacement – a bar called The Henley that was to spearhead the 30-year-old casino’s redevelopment – is no longer going ahead.

Marmont is a partnership with Melbourne native Grant Smillie, a restaurateur and DJ who co-founded bar-on-the-Yarra Ponyfish Island, but has spent the past decade or so making his mark on Los Angeles, opening hotspots E.P. & L.P. and Grandmaster Records.

“In my opinion, this is the best site on the Yarra River in Melbourne. And one of the best in town, period,” Smillie tells Good Food. “When the opportunity became available to partner on the project with Crown, it was an immediate yes from my side.

“I understand the importance of the site and the legacy that was built prior to me getting involved,” he says of Rosetta, once part of Neil Perry’s stable of restaurants. “And [I] am looking forward to what the next chapter will be as we open up to the promenade and embrace the newly designed indoor/outdoor experience.”

The site has been stripped back to its bones, and the new venue is taking shape within the framework. Day-to-night Marmont promises alfresco dining, sunset drinks and an all-vinyl DJ console.

And while it shares a name with Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont – a renowned celebrity hangout – it’s not out to emulate it. “Being a Californian offering, we wanted to make a nod to the old-world Hollywood, but not [a] literal expression.”

The menu will be seafood-forward. Expect share plates such as Abrolhos Island scallop tostadas with yuzu kosho, apple and basil (“the perfect mix of Latin and Californian”) and house-made soft pretzel sticks with crab and Old Bay seasoning.

The drinks list will lean towards cocktails made with agave-based spirits. And Smillie is excited about a desert-inspired collaboration gin that “combines Californian botanicals with Australian ingredients”, which will be released in early 2025.

Marmont is slated to open in December.

8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, crownmelbourne.com.au