The family of Melbourne favourite Embla is growing; the famed drinking den will shortly welcome both a sibling neighbour with new addition Lesa upstairs.

Embla owners Christian McCabe and Dave Verheul have announced that their new venue is to be called Lesa (pronounced ‘Lisa’ and meaning ‘to gather’ in Old Norse). Planned for an early August opening, the venue is designed as a quiet haven away from Melbourne’s hustle, offering a set menu served at a relaxed pace.

“Good dining is about creating intimacy and a connection to the common occasion,” explains McCabe. “The Lesa dining room is up off the street, a bit more private, and lends itself to spending the evening.”

Lesa’s menu is ingredient-focused and designed around four-courses, to be individually selected in a move to distance the venue from share plates. Promised dishes include semi-dried potato cacio e pepe with basil and pecorino, and salted bergamot, with walnut and koji île flottante. The time-short (those en route to dinner or needed back at work) will be able to pick a two-course option.

A large wood-fired hearth forms the centre of the open kitchen, on which Verheul will be able to slow cook, smoke and grill dishes. The dining space will be rustic in design, accompanied by exposed brickwork, a dark wood sarking ceiling and stained oak flooring. It’s what the venue calls ‘a nod to the theme of returning to the original pretense of dining’.  Wooden banquettes, large round tables for groups of six, and four seats lining the kitchen pass form the bulk of seating options.

At Lesa’s rear is a separate wine room that has formed a home for McCabe’s growing wine collection. The wine served at the restaurant picks from this, with a focus on minimal intervention Australian producers and Old-World vintages. McCabe will be assisted in his wine program by sommelier Raffaele Maestrovincenzo, and will additionally run the floor with the assistance of Drew Green. Rounding out the venue team is James Kelly, who will assist Verheul in the kitchen.

Lesa
Floor 2, 122 Russell Street, Melbourne
@lesa_melbourne