Enjoy variety of wines at the new restaurant Lesa in Melbourne 0 Likes

Lately a new restaurant has opened above Melbourne's Embla in Melbourne names Lesa. Launched by local Melbourne restaurateurs, Christian McCabe and Dave Verheul, much anticipated venue Lesa is located directly above their wine bar Embla.

The design and Allistarcox Architecture, the two have envisaged the Lesa dining space as one with a brooding atmosphere, exposed brick, steel-framed, factory-style windows and antique lighting. Lining the dining room are intimate, wooden banquettes with black, leather cushions line, while round, European, oak tables and reclaimed farmhouse benches also feature for larger groups. The centrepiece of Lesa's open kitchen is a large wood-fire oven, encased by bottle-green tiles and a glass-fronted wine room filled with wines personally selected by McCabe.

What all they offer?

On their website which is unique in design where you can drag the information wherever you want on your screen, offers a four-course, produce-driven menu with a six-course option and late-week lunch sittings which is coming soon. The Lesa menus will change regularly and the launch menu currently features raw flounder with hazelnut, green almond and pear leaf; chicken porridge, almond milk and black chestnut; aged pork loin, buckwheat miso, kale and pickled walnut; and salted bergamot meringue with, koji, walnut and quince.

The food will show a selection of old-world techniques presented in a new-world way. McCabe's wine list reflects pours and pallets collected by McCabe since moving to Melbourne, and focuses largely on minimal intervention, Australian producers and old-world vintages.

In their regular four course menu for $78 they offer lots of good veggie stuffs in first course with nuts, second course is all about milk and porridges, third course is heavy meal of meat and veggies and fourth course is desserts of icecream, buttermilk and more.

For pre theatre bookings they offer two course menu for $53

The wines they serve

There is a huge list of wines at their Lesa restaurant. At both Lesa and Embla they concentrate on organic and biodynamic wine producers, and handed you a wine list when you visit the bar. You can started with the Touraize Les Dix Bulles Pétillant Naturel NV, Jura and the Bobar Chardonnay Yarra Valley ‘16, or which ever you like with the Jordy Kay Pinot Nouveau ‘17, and the Unkel Raz Wile Shiraz ‘16 Yarra Valey. The service is very efficient, and friendly, and you can have fun too.

To match the more formal menu, wine guy Christian McCabe has lovingly built an extensive list over the last two years, purchasing several private cellars and importing drops from Northern Rhone and the Loire Valley.

A strong Italian selection will soon complement the French, with McCabe and his sommelier Raffaele Mastrovincenzo making several buying trips to Italy. Benchmark Australian producers are also part of the mix.

By night, the room is moody and low-lit, however lunch-goers will be able to enjoy the sunlight that streams in through large windows covering two sides of the building. The architect behind the pair's other venues including the now-closed Town Mouse, Allistar Cox, is also involved here, working with a mix of light and dark woods, brick and bottle-green tiles to create a sense of occasion that's enhanced by leather-backed chairs and antique tabletops dating to the 18th-century.

Location:

You can visit Lesa, level 2, 122 Russell St, Melbourne, Vic, Wed-Sat, 6pm-11pm. Bookings are recommended. You can visit their website for more information

At present Lesa is new 50-seat restaurant, which sits above the starred Embla and has been in the works since that venue opened in the CBD in 2016. Where the latter takes no bookings and encourages sharing a few plates before heading on your way, Lesa meaning "to gather" is all about pressing pause. The idea is to linger over four or six courses and a couple of bottles of wine while embracing a more formal style of dining where reservations are encouraged.