Chiara restaurant - Melbourne, Australia

Having cracked the market in Melbourne’s oft-derided Docklands suburb with chic tapas joint Bar Nacional, the Walker Baker Evans group has struck gold again with Chiara. Former Pollen Social Street chef George Fowler has been installed at the helm for a classic Mediterranean menu: flatbread pizza cooked in a brick oven (the pork belly and radicchio iteration is a must-try), kingfish carpaccio, slow-cooked shoulder of Flinders Island lamb served with artichokes and gremolata, and a creative selection of regional Italian wines. Rod Faucheux of Loop Creative outfitted the space with oak parquetry flooring, hand-stitched leather banquettes, Established & Sons ’Corona’ lights and the ’Cabaret’ wallpaper by Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin for Mokum.