New Hire: Denmark House Head Chef Raj Shrestha Wants Melburnians To Eat Better Rye

Denmark House, just up from Patricia on Little Bourke Street, is home to Melbourne’s 137-year-old Danish Club. Not a member? Don’t worry – the club’s third-floor restaurant is open to anyone. In May, chef Raj Shrestha took over the role of head chef. His appointment is the start of a new era for the venue, which aims to bring a more refined offering to the city.

Shrestha has rolled out a new smorrebrod-focused lunch offering and, in September, will revamp its dinner menu, focusing on seasonal Danish cooking. “My approach in the kitchen comes down to a simple mantra: stay humble, work hard, and let the food speak for itself,” says Shrestha, who grew up in Nepal, and lived in Denmark for a decade before coming to Melbourne in 2025. “I hope Denmark House introduces more Australians to the depth, generosity and authenticity of Nordic and Scandinavian cuisine.”

We caught up with the chef to learn more about what he has in store for the restaurant.

Can you tell us a bit about your career so far?
My family ran a Newari restaurant back in Nepal. Newari cuisine has this incredible tradition of nose-to-tail cooking, where every part of the animal is used and nothing goes to waste. Growing up around that kitchen taught me so much, not just about technique but about respect for produce and the idea that good food doesn’t need to be wasteful to be delicious. As a kid, I was always underfoot, watching my parents work, seeing how a meal could bring the whole family and community together. I don’t think I consciously decided, “I’m going to be a chef,” at that age, but that early exposure to hospitality and craftsmanship really shaped me. Looking back, it feels like the natural starting point for everything that came after.

After high school, my sister encouraged me to look for opportunities abroad, and that’s what took me to Denmark. I ended up staying for more than 10 years, completely immersed in the Danish hospitality scene. It was there that I really developed as a chef, learning to blend French technique with Nordic influences. I completed a stage at Restaurant 108, Noma’s sister restaurant, which gave me an incredible look into how a Michelin-starred kitchen operates. I also worked at the luxury Hotel Skt Petri [now 1 Hotel Copenhagen] and the acclaimed bakery Andersen & Maillard, before eventually becoming head chef at Feed Bistro, which was a big step in my career and gave me the confidence to lead my own kitchen and vision.

What changes do you have in store for Denmark House?
Right now, we’re really focused on the lunch menu, which celebrates smorrebrod – Denmark’s iconic open-faced rye bread sandwich – with traditional toppings like herring, roast beef and salmon, alongside Australian native produce like finger lime, desert lime, saltbush and wattleseed. Beyond that, a new dinner menu is coming soon. There’ll be evolving seasonal dishes, weekly specials, and set menus that bring together the best Victorian produce with traditional Danish techniques like house-made rye bread, pickling and fermentation. And I’d also flag our house-made aquavit. It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about how seriously we’re taking authenticity here.

How would you describe your cooking style?
Refined European technique meets Nordic and Scandinavian food culture, with a modern Australian twist. I lean on the French discipline I learned in Denmark, but I want the food to feel genuinely Danish in spirit – humble, produce-driven and generous – while still speaking to where we are now, in Melbourne. There’s also a thread back to my Newari roots in there, too. That same nose-to-tail resourcefulness I grew up around shows up in how I think about pickling, fermenting and using every part of an ingredient.

You’ve previously said you want to create “a dining experience that feels genuinely Danish”. What does that mean to you?
Being genuinely Danish isn’t about ticking boxes on a menu, it’s about capturing the spirit of hygge, that feeling of warmth, comfort and togetherness that’s so central to Danish life. It comes through in the little things: the care we put into our rye bread, the traditional toppings on our smorrebrod, the atmosphere we’re building in the room. Danes are incredibly particular about their food traditions, and I want to honour that authenticity rather than water it down.

What’s inspiring you in the kitchen at the moment?
Rye bread, honestly. It’s much more than bread in Denmark; it’s part of their identity. Danes are incredibly particular about what makes a good loaf, from the balance of seeds to the fermentation and texture. We create a dense, flavourful loaf that’s naturally high in fibre and made to nourish as much as it satisfies. It’s the foundation of smorrebrod, and I’m excited to introduce Melbourne diners to an authentic version of one of Denmark’s most iconic foods.