Hana

A trip to Hawaii gave Matteo Bruno (Meatball and Wine Bar, Mr Macellaio’s Meat Shop) an idea. When he returned to Melbourne he found a site for his new restaurant, Hana, which brings tiki spirit with a Maui touch to the CBD. And he enlisted the friend whose wedding he’d attended – Hawaiian-born chef Mario Manabe – to run the kitchen.

The menu consists almost entirely of raw seafood and is designed to share. Pickled mudcrab is served with tempura apple and ginger. Kingfish crudo comes with jalepeno and lemon ice. Cooked dishes include a Panko-crumbed pork shank and grilled Marron with carrot and cardamom puree. (For lunch there’s a smaller menu to cater to office workers. It includes four poke bowls).

The 40-strong wine list is 100 per cent organic and includes orange, biodynamic and other minimal-intervention drops.

Samantha Eades Design did the refurbishment. It features custom-made monstera-leaf wallpaper designed by Aron Tzimas, and finishes of brass, bamboo and greenery. There’s a coral and deep-green colour scheme throughout the space.

The cocktails are just as vibrant. Drinks are made with coconut, lime and rum served in cups shaped like a pineapple, or a marlin’s head. The signature Hana Colada can be upgraded to a “volcano” – an enormous yellow bowl-cup covered in green palm leaves and filled with cocktail umbrellas – for up to four people.