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First Look: wildly popular supper club Enter Via Laundry evolves into an intimate 20-seat diner. The original pop-up at chef Helly Raichuras home had room for just a handful of diners. Now, after amassing a waitlist in the thousands, Raichura is serving 20-dish Bengali banquets made with native Australian produce at her first restaurant, hidden down a laneway in Carlton.

After a colossal $7 million expansion, Victorias Four Pillars reasserts itself as a world-class gin destination. Shrouded by a striking copper veil, its a sight to behold. The original cellar door struggled to keep up with demand as soon as it opened in 2015. Now, its tripled capacity and it should be at the top of your hit list.

Now open: new Italian disco diner Connies couldve been plucked straight from an old-school movie. By the Heartbreaker team, its a cinematic experience with a jukebox, disco balls and red vinyl everywhere. Ascend the stairs for supersized pastas and grandma pies, tirami-sundaes and cocktail pitchers.

Come for reimagined cacio e pepe, stay for the food scrap revolution at Parcs, an energetic new wine bar from the Sunda and Aru team. Boundary-pushing chef Dennis Yong wants to challenge how we think about food waste. Hes creating clever, considered dishes with produce other restaurants might toss aside or overlook altogether.

First Look: bask in the glow of Bar Paradox, Supernormals subterranean drinking den. For two weeks only, the now-closed pop-up was the place to be. Beyond the spiral staircase, it served delightfully squishable pork katsu rolls and build-your-own baolinis paired with expertly curated cocktails by Orlando Marzo.

First Look: elegant 30-seat oyster and chablis bar Pearl is hidden in a CBD arcade. In the same way as its sibling Pinchys is all about champagne and lobster, Pearl champions another age-old pairing with oyster degustations and 500 Burgundy wines to choose from.

Benyue Kitchen, a new Chinese restaurant by Laus Family Kitchen alumni, is putting Aberfeldie on the culinary map. Behind an unassuming brick facade, the homey, family-friendly diner is serving some favourites from the now-closed St Kilda institution such as phenomenal scallop dumplings plus a raft of Cantonese classics.

First Look: Mortadelis new deli and grocer is like a mini, modernised Mediterranean Wholesalers. Right across from the OG Torquay cafe, shop sliced-to-order cold-cuts (including much mortadella), charcuterie-board essentials and fancy Italian pantry staples. Theres even an in-house fishmonger.

Your big brekkie comes in ramen form at Kissaten, a Japanese-inspired cafe in leafy Alphington surrounds. It also does katsu sandos, fluffy omurice and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki all from 8am.

At Baguette Studios, a chic new North Melbourne cafe, pretzel croissants and beautifully buttery ham sangas are unexpected winners. Co-owner Aileen Seo is melding her French culinary training with her Korean heritage, so youll also find riffs on dishes from her homeland, such as a beef bulgogi-inspired cheesesteak slathered in jalapeno mayo.

First Look: a historical church hall loses its religion to become pub and food-truck park Trinity St Kilda. Get big burgers and macncheese bites from the shiny 1965 Airstream out front, then head inside for a beer in the plant-filled main hall, or a Shirazmataz cocktail in what feels like your nannas fancy lounge room.

Serving Cameroonian soul food from an orange shipping container, Vola Foods transforms an empty Brunswick lot. It hasnt been an easy road here for Cameroon-born chef Ashley Vola, but now shes helping Melbourne get acquainted with lesser-known traditional dishes (including fried dough balls) from her homeland.

Now open: slurp lobster-topped or truffle-infused ramen at Parco, a tiny new spot in Moonee Ponds. What started as an under-the-radar lockdown pop-up at Shujinko is now a fully-fledged ramen restaurant. Turns out Di Stasio executive chef Federico Congiu is just as proficient in Japanese cooking as he is in Italian.

One of Koreas greatest comfort foods, jajangmyeon, is the star at Paiks Noodle now open in Melbourne. Its by South Korean celebrity chef Paik Jong-won. Thick, chewy, house-made noodles come topped with a decadent black bean sauce, plus theres Korean fried chicken and sweet-and-sour pork.

Its a family affair at Thy Thy Counter & Canteen the next generation of Richmonds beloved Vietnamese eatery. Serving southern Vietnamese classics, as well as specialties from the north, the relaunched family restaurant brings together a retro yet modern dining room and generations of experience.

Now open in Carnegie: Cocos Patisserie, with seven-layer lamingtons by an ex-Vue Group executive pastry chef. Owner Katherine Marks left her corporate job to pursue her passion for pastry and recruited Tivoli Road Bakery founder Michael James to help make it a reality.

Link:
All the New Melbourne Restaurant, Cafe and Bar Openings We Got Excited About in April 2022 - Broadsheet