Between tourists and people in suits, Southbank has, plainly, felt a bit stale in recent years. But the tide is turning with two big plays from Crown: Mischa Tropp’s epic Kolkata Cricket Club, which opened last week, and Marmont, a promising new Los Angeles-influenced restaurant led by Grant Smillie. It’s on the Crown Riverwalk in the former Rosetta space and opens to the public on Wednesday December 18.

For many, Smillie’s name will conjure memories of club nights in Melbourne’s early aughts. But the club, festival and radio DJ started his hospitality career by co-founding Ponyfish Island in the middle of the Yarra in 2010, then took his charm to Los Angeles and co-founded hotspots EP & LP, Strings of Life and Grandmaster Recorders. He’s proudly served the celebrity crowd including the likes of Matt Damon, Khloe Kardashian and Justin Bieber.

Has all this prepared Smillie for the job of rejuvenating the Riverwalk? Well, he’s done it before. “Before EP & LP, it was like a strip mall. A kind of place where your mom and pop would be,” he tells Broadsheet. The DJ-turned-entrepreneur roped in some business partners (including Swedish House Mafia member Axwell) to turn the West Hollywood corner into a restaurant-slash-party space that became popular among A-listers including Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. “But having a rooftop space looking at the Hollywood Hills and 300 days of sunshine is not the worst thing on the planet to get that thing off the ground,” he laughs.

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At Marmont, he also has great real estate going for him. The venue has a significant amount of footpath seating and overlooks the Yarra, with views of Flinders Street Station and the south end of the city.

Like EP & LP, music is in the DNA of Marmont – albeit dialled down. “For the first time, I thought, let’s not be so literal with music. But let’s make sure music is a super important part of the experience.” A late dinner reservation here might finish on the dancefloor, and there’s a corner that can be turned into a private room, with intimate seating next to a turntable and vinyl shelf.

Most of the restaurant is wrapped in a 20-metre mural by Melbourne sketch artist Jeff Phillips, who also goes by Jeff the Peff. The cartoony artwork portrays an Oscar day in late 1980s Los Angeles.

“It starts with the Hollywood Boulevard through to the arrival red carpet, to the ceremony, then to the after party,” explains Smillie. It’s also a Where’s Wally game for Marmont’s frog mascot, who’s hidden throughout. “Marmont is effectively a glass box that opens up that has a direct relationship with the river. So the internal part of our restaurant has to compete with this beautiful landscape”.

For food, Smillie tapped Mark Tagnipez, a former head chef at both Mexican chain Fonda and at Supernormal, who worked with Smillie at EP & LP. The atmosphere and restaurant experience draws from California’s signature breezy glamour while Tagnipez’s seafood-forward menu takes cues from Latin America and his Filipino American heritage.

Expect scallop tostadas, a pork pluma number riffs on a similar dish from EP & LP, and buttermilk fried chicken with pickled chilli that Smillie and Tagnipez tap to be the best-seller. “All my team members say it’s the number one for them,” says Smillie. Plus, in true American style, there’s also a standout burger with zucchini pickle and seasoned fries.

Smillie has a few collaborations prepared, too, including re-uniting Tagnipez and EP & LP founding chef Louis Tikaram (now at Brisbane’s Stanley Restaurant) and a New Year’s Day party where he’ll jump behind the decks again with a few of his crew.

Does Smillie think he can make Crown cool again? “We’re doing some seriously interesting things that make it worth the trip,” says Smillie. “We'll be planting our flag firmly, and we'll make sure it is.”

Marmont
8 Whiteman Street Southbank 3006

Marmont opens on Wednesday December 18.

crownmelbourne.com.au/restaurants/marmont