Christine Manfield to cook at Eighty Six restaurant in Canberra in July

Much-lauded chef Christine Manfield is coming to Canberra in July to take over the kitchens at Eighty Six restaurant in Braddon.

She's already making waves with a temporary stint at Berta in Sydney, cooking up Italian meals and the desserts she's known for.

Owner Gus Armstrong says Manfield will be doing a contemporary Asian menu when she starts cooking at Eighty Six.

"I have a certain view of what Canberrans should be consuming when they go to a restaurant. The best restaurants in Australia all have strong ties to Asian cuisine. So I'll be doing my bit to influence our dining culture," he says.

"The restaurants close to our style that are trending the hardest are fusion heavy like ACME and Lumi. We like this movement. We already incorporate Asian ingredients and techniques into most of our dishes, we just don't talk about it or market ourselves this way."

It starts with dinner service on Wednesday, July 1, and then lunch and dinner from Thursday to Saturday, July 4.

"It's an exciting time in Australian restaurants. I want to be a part of the food movement that we find so exciting and share it with our customers," Armstrong says. "Enter Christine; she is the godmother of Asian fusion cookery and just so happens to be a good friend."