Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street (HMLQS) welcomes Jason Lear as the new Head Chef of its elegant restaurant Luci and cocktail lounge and bar, The Douglas Club, as well as the hotel’s in-room dining offerings.
Working at notable Australian restaurants including Grossi Florentino (Melbourne), Cafe Di Stasio (Melbourne) and Pilu at Freshwater (Sydney), has perfectly positioned Lear to deliver Luci’s new Spring menu, which is a celebration of local Australian produce with dishes inspired by Melbourne’s vibrant, local Italian community.
“I’m delighted to be at Luci. It’s one of Melbourne’s most beautiful dining spaces and also a bit of a hidden gem. I can’t wait for guests to come in and enjoy our new Spring menu where we’ll be showcasing the best of the season, including a bruschetta with a Springtime twist featuring broad beans, peas and chèvre,” says Lear.
Menu highlights include:
- Granchio – Qld spanner crab, asparagus custard, snow peas, cured egg yolk, black garlic
- Saltimbocca di quaglia – Yarra Valley quail, prosciutto, sage, radicchio, gnocchi alla romana
- Tortellini – roast duck, pancetta, pickled shimeji, fennel purée
- Pesce – John Dory fillet, Jerusalem artichoke, smoked butter, rainbow chard, salmon roe
- Angello – grilled lamb fillet, crispy belly, rhubarb, silverbeet, date jus
- Cavolfiore – slow-cooked cauliflower steak, native herbs, caramelised yoghurt purée
- Bistecca Fiorentina – a traditional Florentine steak, featuring a 1kg Gippsland Chianina T-bone
Luci offers A La Carte dining or the option to choose from two, eight-course Chef’s Selection Menus ($130) showcasing local and regional producers.
The first Chef’s Selection menu includes – rosemary focaccia, arancini, polenta fritti, bruschetta, barbabietola, tortellini, angello, and is finished with a Valrhona Manjari delice. A second offers vegetarian alternatives, including – funghi with pickled mushrooms, orecchiette with asparagus, peas and pangrattato, slow-cooked cauliflower steak with native herbs and caramelised yoghurt purée and house-made sorbet to finish.
Luci’s front of house is led by Food and Beverage Manager, Marjorie Vieira, with expert wine pairings from both local and European vineyards by in-house sommelier, Keir Vanner. The restaurant’s drinks list also features classic Italian cocktails, such as Limoncello Spritz and Negronis, and a list of mocktails made with Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits.
Luci restaurant is open:
- Breakfast: Daily
- Lunch: Thursday, Friday
- Dinner: from 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday
Luci and The Douglas Club are located at 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, to book, guests are advised to visit Luci’s website.
Luci’s new Spring menu by Jason Lear is available now.
