HOT PLATES

Luci Restaurant

With the recent opening of the Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street comes a new destination diner: Luci (above). Helmed by executive chef Sam Moore (ex-Pier in Rose Bay and Becasse), the menu is influenced by Melbourne’s melting pot history of immigration and multiculturalism. Luci is complemented by The Douglas Club cocktail bar, which riffs off the grand 1930s architectural heritage of the building it is housed in. lucimelbourne.com.au

Casa Merida

Casa Merida, the latest addition to Sydney’s Kellet Street, will transport you to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.The 60-seat cocktail bar is par t of the Milpa Collective (La Palma Cocktail Bar in Bondi Beach; Sonora in Potts Point) and serves up a menu inspired by Mayan dishes and accompanied by specialised Mexican spirits. casamerida.com.au

Lune Croissanterie

Lune Croissanterie has opened its latest signature patisserie in the Queensland capital.The new space on Manning Street in South Brisbane (on Fish Lane) creates the brand’s signature bakes, from morning buns to cruffins, and, of course, buttery, flaky croissants that have made headlines around the world. lunecroissanterie.com

Scott’s Luncheonette & Bar

Aiming to cover all bases from morning to afternoon, Scott’s Luncheonette & Bar in Palm Beach on Queensland’s Gold Coast has locked in a triumphant trio: coffee, sangas and wine. Believing that at some point its customers will be in “dire need” of at least one of these things, the day starts with serious coffee and brekkie sandwiches, followed by gourmet sangas like Mediterranean eggplant parmigiana with mozzarella, passata and basil for lunch, and finishes with a wine looking out to the water. scottspalmbeach.com.au