Hospitality figures Elijah Holland and Cameron Northway will open the doors to Loti in Melbourne’s St Kilda tomorrow.
It marks the first restaurant for Holland who has worked in a raft of fine diners in Sydney and Melbourne including Noma Australia, Lume, Aria and Quay.
Loti, which stands for ‘lady of the ice’, has drawn on its seaside location when it comes to the culinary direction.
“My menu is inspired by nature, the coast and history of St Kilda,” says Holland.
“We are visiting local producers weekly, foraging centuries-old wild, native and naturalised botanicals and using new-age cooking techniques to form seasonal and approachable dishes that are packed full of flavour and hero our Victorian produce.”
The menu kicks off with snacks and small plates including a skewer of butter-poached grilled scampi and a smoked yellowfin tuna mousse Cornetto.
Larger plates span artichoke tarte tatin, whole lobster wrapped in kelp and a bbq rack of turbot ribs with sea parsley, grilled lettuce and capers.
On the sweet front, diners can round off a dining experience with saffron ice cream with rhubarb and riberries and a burnt marshmallow sorbet with macadamia honey and coastal tea tree.
Cocktails are a big part of Loti, which have been designed by bartenders from beverage consultancy company Sweet&Chilli.
The bar, which divides the restaurant, will serve up drinks that utilise local ingredients and spirits.
A dirty martini sees uni butter vodka teamed with vermouth and house seasoning, while the seasonal spritz uses a rotating house cordial and garnish mixed with gin, Regal Rogue Lively white, Suze and sparkling.
The wine menu hones in on drops from biodynamic and organic wineries as well as varietals from Europe. There will also be a reserve list for those after something special.
“We want dining out to be an experience that makes our guests conjure up memories of favourite trips away,” says Northway. “The Loti experience is meant to be a feast that everyone at the table joins.”
Loti will open from Wednesday to Sunday 12pm until late.