When Sydney hospo couple Ross and Sunny Lusted (Woodcut, The Bridge Room) first announced they were opening two venues in Melbourne, they kept the details extremely vague. Now, they’re ready to tell us all about them.
The couple are opening a Portuguese restaurant, Marmelo (Portuguese for “quince”), and a Spanish basement bar, Mr Mills. Both venues will be on the same block as Dave Verheul’s Embla and the yet-to-open boutique hotel Melbourne Place.
“Marmelo is inspired by the small restaurants and bars of coastal Portugal and Spain and will embrace the European essence of Melbourne’s fresh produce markets,” Ross says.
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SIGN UPThe restaurant will seat 90, centred on a charcoal grill and wood oven, which Ross and the team will use to prepare crisp carolino rice (arroz carolino), whole John Dory with kale, and suckling pig shoulder served with oranges and bitter leaves.
Ross will prepare a savoury version of pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) with crab meat, sheep’s cheese cream and crisp salted pork. Desserts promise to be rich and will include quince cooked in the wood oven.
Downstairs at Mr Mills, the team says there’ll be Iberian classics with a focus on Spanish food. Expect grilled padron peppers, a poached tuna gilda, and garlic prawns with burnt chilli and grilled bread served alongside cocktails, and European and Victorian wines.
Both the restaurant and bar were designed by Melbourne interior architecture and design studio Mitchell & Eades (Onigiri, Beverly). Marmelo takes influences from Lisbon streets and will have decorative hand-painted tiles, brushed metal details and banquette seating.
Marmelo and Mr Mills are expected to open at 130 Russell Street, Melbourne, later this year.
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