New Head Chef At Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street’s Luci Restaurant

Melbourne, Australia – 5 October 2022: Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street (HMLQS) welcomes Jason Lear as the new Head Chef of its elegant restaurant Luci and cocktail lounge and bar, The Douglas Club, as well as the hotel’s in-room dining offerings. 

Working at notable Australian restaurants including Grossi Florentino (Melbourne), Cafe Di Stasio (Melbourne) and Pilu at Freshwater (Sydney), has perfectly positioned Lear to deliver Luci’s new Spring menu, which is a celebration of local Australian produce with dishes inspired by Melbourne’s vibrant, local Italian community. 

“I’m delighted to be at Luci. It’s one of Melbourne’s most beautiful dining spaces and also a bit of a hidden gem. I can't wait for guests to come in and enjoy our new Spring menu where we’ll be showcasing the best of the season, including a bruschetta with a Springtime twist featuring broad beans, peas and chèvre,” says Lear.

Menu highlights include:

Luci offers A La Carte dining or the option to choose from two, eight-course Chef’s Selection Menus ($130) showcasing local and regional producers. 

The first Chef’s Selection menu includes – rosemary focaccia, arancini, polenta fritti, bruschetta, barbabietola, tortellini, angello, and is finished with a Valrhona Manjari delice. A second offers vegetarian alternatives, including – funghi with pickled mushrooms, orecchiette with asparagus, peas and pangrattato, slow-cooked cauliflower steak with native herbs and caramelised yoghurt purée and house-made sorbet to finish.

Luci’s front of house is led by Food and Beverage Manager, Marjorie Vieira, with expert wine pairings from both local and European vineyards by in-house sommelier, Keir Vanner. The restaurant’s drinks list also features classic Italian cocktails, such as Limoncello Spritz and Negronis, and a list of mocktails made with Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits. 

Luci restaurant is open:

Luci and The Douglas Club are located at 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, to book, guests are advised to visit Luci’s website.

Luci’s new Spring menu by Jason Lear is available now. ​ 

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Notes to editors: 

About Luci restaurant 

Luci is a contemporary Australian restaurant, set inside the grand hall of Melbourne’s historic Equity Chambers building. Its Art Deco-styled dining room – designed by award winning Bates Smart – provides a sophisticated backdrop to new Head Chef, Jason Lear’s contemporary Australian menu with Italian accents. Luci is housed within the Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street Hotel and adjoins sister venue, The Douglas Club, on the ground floor. 

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 ​
​Opening hours: 

About Hilton Melbourne, Little Queen Street
​Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street joins Hilton’s 27 trading and 13 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 features 244 stylish guest rooms, including five spacious suites, Luci Melbourne Restaurant and The Douglas Club bar, a fully equipped gym, Queen Adelaide executive lounge and seven 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 is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising of more than 6,800 properties in 122 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 2021 World’s Best Workplaces list and been recognised as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can’t buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About Hilton Honors ​
​Hilton Honors is the award-winning guest loyalty program for Hilton’s 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties in 122 countries and territories. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount and free standard Wi-Fi. Members also have access to contactless technology exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app, where members can check in, choose their room and access their room using Digital Key. Hilton Honors offers its nearly 128 million members hundreds of ways to earn and redeem Points, including with select co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem Points for free nights, purchases on Amazon, exclusive experiences, charitable contributions and more. The program is free to join and travellers can enroll online at hiltonhonors.com. Learn more about Hilton Honors at newsroom.hilton.com/hiltonhonors, and follow Hilton Honors on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Hilton Hotels & Resorts
​For over a century, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has set the benchmark for hospitality around the world, providing new product innovations and services to meet guests' evolving needs. With nearly 600 hotels across six continents, Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties are located in the world’s most sought-after destinations for guests who know that where they stay matters. Experience a positive stay at Hilton Hotels & Resorts by booking at hiltonhotels.com or through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits. Learn more about Hilton Hotels & Resorts at newsroom.hilton.com/hhr, and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.