Luci Restaurant And The Douglas Club Open On Bourke Street
MELBOURNE, Australia – 13 April, 2021 – Officially opening its doors on Thursday, 15 April, Luci, located at 472 Bourke Street is contemporary Australian restaurant with a nod to Melbourne’s history of Italian immigrants and its evolution into a cosmopolitan culinary city.
Housed within the grand hall of the historic Equity Chambers Building – now transformed into Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street – Luci boasts a sophisticated Bates Smart designed interior that showcases its proud 1930’s architectural heritage with a contemporary edge. Featuring double height ceilings, refurbished oak paneling, and bespoke marble tables and flooring, its elegant and warm ambiance provides the perfect backdrop for every occasion.
The menu by Executive Chef Sam Moore (Pier in Rose Bay, Becasse, No.35 at Sofitel Melbourne) is contemporary Australian with European accents and is designed to appeal to locals and travellers alike, and his dishes showcase the finest culinary craftsmanship with an honest and creative approach.
“Striking a balance between classic and modern sensibilities, my produce-driven food highlights quality ingredients prepared with an elegant simplicity at the fore. From ocean fresh seafood, or vegetables just out of the soil, I am proud to deliver this menu to our diners,” says Moore.
Across three services, dishes include;
Breakfast
- Huon salmon rillettes, fine herbs, rye toast
- Fried duck egg, roast squash, pear, smoked ham, hazelnut
- Chilli crab benny, spinach, poached egg, bonito hollandaise
- Brown butter pancakes, caramelized banana, smoked chocolate fudge sauce
Lunch and dinner
- Hiramasa kingfish crudo, Harding’s orchard apples, celery, horseradish
- Pork tortellini, Jerusalem artichoke, smoked pancetta, hazelnut
- Portland blue eye cod, lemon & caper butter, broccoli
- Wimmera duck breast, celeriac, radicchio
Brown butter pancakes, caremalised banana, smoked chocolate fudge sauce_Credit Kristoffer Paulsen_5
Fried duck egg, roast squash, pear, smoked duck, hazelnut_Credit Kristoffer Paulsen 1
The Luci wine list has been constructed to be a diverse mix of classic, fun, minimal intervention wines from Australia and around the world, and features some fantastic local Victorian producers including Curly Flat, Bannockburn Vineyards and Yeringberg. Expect recognisable classics alongside a lively rotation of low intervention small producers.
The Douglas Club
Luci is accompanied by The Douglas Club, an opulent lounge bar also residing at 472 Bourke Street, offering cocktails, cognacs, an extensive wine and champagne selection, and snacks.
Located at the front of the restored Equity Chambers building, The Douglas Club is the perfect spot for a city drink. In contrast to Luci its lowered ceilings and stormy colour palette create an intimate and brooding space split across two rooms – where guests can choose to sit at the bar and watch the theatre of mixology, or sink into one of the emerald green velvet lounges. Overhead a kaleidoscope of contemporary Melbourne scenes plays out on a grand scale across two digital screens.
Bar Manager Gee Shanmugam brings a wealth of experience, creativity and passion to The Douglas Club, having previously been at Windsor’s Galah Bar and The Espy’s Mya Tiger.
“We look forward to seeing The Douglas Club becoming a favourite late night spot for a cocktail in the city. Our drinks list is sophisticated and yet playful, and the two spaces allow you to opt for either a bustling main bar or a more relaxed corner across the way,” says Shanmugam.
Its cocktail list captures the golden age of travel with a series of unforgettable recipes from different eras all with contemporary twists and playful names, such as Death in the afternoon; Old Cuban; and Colada Breakfast. For those that are peckish a delicious snacks menu pairs perfectly with any drink, so it’s always encouraged to add a morsel to your experience such as a Spanner Crab Tartlet with Bonito Mayonnaise, or some Mini Parmesan Donuts.
Luci and The Douglas Club are located at 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
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Notes to editors:
About Luci restaurant
Luci is a contemporary Australian restaurant set in the grand hall of Melbourne’s historic Equity Chambers building. Its art deco styled dining room – designed by Bates Smart – provides a sophisticated backdrop to awarded Executive Chef Sam Moore’s contemporary Australian menu with Italian accents.
Luci restaurant is housed within the Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street hotel and adjoins The Douglas Club.
W: lucimelbourne.com.au
I: @lucimelbourne
A: 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Bookings: lucimelbourne.com.au/bookings | info@lucimelbourne.com.au | +61 3 9116 8877
About The Douglas Club
Set within the historic Equity Chambers Building, The Douglas Club is an opulent lounge bar split across two rooms. The bar celebrates a bygone era where glasses are clinked between the historic walls of this polished yet laid back establishment. The walls are swathed in a blue-green hue that compliments the bar’s striking marble features, countered by emerald green velvet lounges and rose gold accents.
Offering cocktails, cognacs, an extensive wine and champagne selection, and its own snacks menu, The Douglas Club is housed within the Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street hotel and adjoins Luci Restaurant.
W: thedouglasclub.com.au
I: @thedouglasclub
A: 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Bookings: thedouglasclub.com.au | info@thedouglasclub.com.au | +61 3 9116 8866
About Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street
Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street joins Hilton’s 28 trading and 12 pipeline properties in Australasia across three brands, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio Collection by Hilton. Taking up residency in the historically significant Equity Chambers building – originally built in 1930 – Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street will feature 244 stylish guest rooms, including 10 spacious suites, a restaurant and bar, a fully equipped gym, an executive lounge and five meeting and event spaces. Its central location is well situated for both business and leisure travellers with its proximity to Melbourne’s key business districts and vibrant art, theatre and dining precincts. Visit melbournelittlequeenstreet.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street on Facebook and Instagram (@HiltonMelbourneLQS).
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,400 properties and more than one million rooms, in 119 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2020 World’s Best Workplaces list, and was named the 2020 Global Industry Leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. In 2020, Hilton CleanStay was introduced, bringing an industry-defining standard of cleanliness and disinfection to hotels worldwide. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the more than 112 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can’t buy, plus enjoy instant benefits, including contactless check-in with room selection, Digital Key, and Connected Room. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
About M&L Hospitality
M&L Hospitality is a Singapore-based real estate investment platform with an international portfolio of best-in-class hotels. Since 2009 M&L Hospitality’s portfolio has grown to 20 hotel properties across the Asia-Pacific and European regions. Its hotels are in prime, central locations in international gateway cities. M&L Hotel’s are operated by the most recognisable international brands, including Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Radisson Hotel Group. Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is M&L Hospitality’s second property in Melbourne with the group also developing and owning Doubletree by Hilton Melbourne – Flinders Street.