Melbourne is set to welcome a swanky new hotel to South Yarra in June and with it an impressive new dining destination courtesy of Scott Pickett. The chef is a burgeoning restaurateur, behind both Estelle, ESP, and Saint Crispin. His latest eating space will be named after daughter Matilda and marks a different direction for the South Australian, favouring foods cooked over open fires and hot coals.

Matilda 159 Domain will sit as a part of new boutique hotel United Spaces, next to the city’s Botanic Gardens. The open kitchen will incorporate a wall of wood fire, charcoal and smoke upon which will be cooked a range of Australian ingredients and seasonal fare. Dishes such as a john dory on the bone, native grenobloise, ‘Salt & pepper’ Blackmore wagyu bavette, and a wood-fired Macedon duck paired with leatherwood honey and last season’s figs will be available.

“The restaurant will be more relaxed than my usual style of cooking, somewhere guests can visit often and be guaranteed a local piece of meat, cooked exceptionally well over live flames and open grills, paired with seasonal produce,” says Pickett.

The restaurant itself will be a design haven, awash in natural linen textures and fitted with feature banquette seating and timber flooring. Custom lighting and furniture crafted from local felled trees accentuate artwork by Bill Henson. A bespoke glass cabinet forms the restaurant’s focal point – a space set to be filled with fresh produce.

The visual space was as important to Pickett as the food itself, “Matilda is a visual and sensory journey, and a true labour of love for me,” he explains.

Matilda 159 Domain will open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, and on weekends for brunch. There is also private space available for functions.

Matilda 159 Domain
159 Domain Road, South Yarra
matilda159domain.com.au