LOTI

The Verdict

LOTI is the latest restaurant gracing St Kilda’s shores. Bringing a strong Mediterranean summer vibe to Melbourne, diners will enter through the Saint Moritz’s sand beige marble archway just off the Esplanade and onto off-cut, stone flooring. The venue gives a relaxed luxury aesthetic, with a curvaceous theme that carries from the leather couches to the banquet seating and bar. LOTI’s namesake, Lady of the Ice, pays homage to the St Mortiz ice rink that once donned St Kilda’s banks—a nostalgic homage to the history and heritage of the precinct.

Head chef Elijah Holland is at the helm (Lume, Noma) alongside an experienced culinary team who marries Australia’s coastal produce with elements of Mediterranean cookery. Each week sees the kitchen team making visits to local fish farmers, sourcing only the best and ensuring minimal wastage with preserving, curing, and fermenting all part of the daily routine. 

Cooked over open fires the menu is absolutely brimming with flavour, take the showstopping butter-poached lobster, wrapped in kelp and barbequed with lemon-scented tea tree and served up with a Ditalini pasta. There's also the more minimal smoked yellowfin tuna mouse cornetto with salt-cured Albacore tuna mojama as well as non-seafood options like the Turbot ribs served up with grilled lettuce and capers, as well as wild venison with juniper, mountain pepper and black currant.

The dessert menu sees a mix of traditional staples with more modern sensibilities like local Victorian-sourced saffron ice cream topped with sweetly stewed rhubarb and raspberries or the playful take on childhood flavours with a burnt marshmallow sorbet with macadamia honey and coastal tea tree. The entire drinks menu has been overseen by world-class bartender and co-owner, Cameron Northway, there’s a heavy focus on artisan cocktails, locally sourced beers and an array of biodynamic, organic Victorian wines. 

The design of the entire space is credited to local industry maestros Mitchell & Eades. Their architectural stylings pick up on the seaside topography and bring it to life through the elegant high ceiling, soft feature lighting and a naturally-toned colour palette. No sandy stone was left unturned when curating LOTI’s beachy ambience - even the expansive wine collection is showcased through disarrange bottles and curved white metal racks. 

LOTI opens officially on Wednesday 22 June, book in over here. 

Image credit: Parker Blain (LOTI)