The hottest Melbourne restaurant openings of 2015

Lady Carolina, Brunswick East

Award-winning chef Paul Wilson returns to Melbourne after a stint consulting to Sydney restaurant projects, joining restaurateur Alby Tomassi in a "nuevo Latino" venue in Brunswick East they're calling Lady Carolina. "The aim is to create an interactive, world-class, gritty, fun and energetic canteen," says the British-born chef, who fell in love with Latin flavours when setting up St Kilda's Newmarket Hotel four years ago. Lady Carolina will have a custom-made pit smoker and wood barbecue, asado grill and rotisserie that will allow them to introduce "a new spin on meat cookery". Lady Carolina is expected to open in autumn.

Chris Lucas' place, Windsor

Expect queues to form at 98 Chapel Street, Windsor, from June 2015, when restaurateur Chris Lucas opens his latest project. The man behind CBD hotspot Chin Chin, Richmond pizzeria Baby and buzzy Korean barbecue joint Kong hasn't finalised the concept but he's drawing inspiration from Good Food Month's Night Noodle Markets, "where I saw a fun, open environment serving up a mixture of hawker-style food with a great range of delicious food-oriented craft beers". Design for the yet-to-be-named project will be a collaboration between interior designers Eades & Bergman and architects Craig Tan & Associates.

Estelle Bistro and Estelle by Scott Pickett, Northcote

On January 4, Estelle closes for a rapid-fire retouch, re-emerging in the first week of February as Estelle Bistro, "a really good local bistro" serving oysters, charcuterie and a two- or three-course a la carte menu. Meanwhile, in the bookshop next door, ambitious fine-diner Estelle by Scott Pickett will be taking shape, connected to the bistro by a secret door. The moody charcoal grey restaurant, with custom-made timber tables, a polished concrete bar and handmade crockery, is slated for a March start.

Ezard @ Levantine Hill, Coldstream

In September, heavy machinery began work in a Yarra Valley paddock. Emerging on the site is Ezard @ Levantine Hill, a 100-seat restaurant and cellar door in Coldstream with Teage Ezard heading the kitchen. Designed by Karl Fender of Fender Katsalidis Architects, the arch-shaped structure incorporates a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, three barrel-shaped private tasting booths, a bar, retail outlet and terrace. The menu will be written to show Levantine Hill Estate's wines to best advantage. It's tipped for a July opening.

Fat Duck, Melbourne

Is there another restaurant opening that's generated as much interest internationally as Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck at Crown? Nope. Months before the first fork has been lifted, the place is fully booked. Crown has confirmed that shipping containers have begun arriving at the Melbourne docks filled with bespoke cutlery, plates and serving vessels, which will be delivered to Crown in the coming weeks. Most of the staff from Fat Duck in Bray, outside London, will begin arriving in Australia from January 10 so by the following week, the full team of 70 will be on the job. The Fat Duck at Crown opens on February 3 for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Its six-month season ends on August 15.

The Longhorn Saloon & 5 Points Deli, Carlton

American brothers Will and Mick Balleau (Richmond's Chingon and Le Bon Ton in Collingwood) have enlisted chef Nick Stanton to help realise their star-spangled dreams in Carlton. Inside the former Muttis, at 118 Elgin Street, they're building New York-style 5 Points Deli and seafood bar downstairs and wood-fired bar and grill Longhorn Saloon upstairs. They're working towards a February opening.

Lee Ho Fook, Melbourne

Victor Liong's contemporary Chinese cooking will continue to evolve in bigger premises in Duckboard Place, the same CBD laneway that houses Tonka. The main upstairs dining room, which adds brass elements to the building's Victorian brick backdrop, will seat around 50, with an intimate downstairs area for 16 to 20. Many of Liong's signature dishes will be back, along with some surprises. There will also be more focus on wine service and some quirky drink ideas: "Not so much cocktails but house infusions and aperitifs," Liong says. Opening March-April.

Lûmé, South Melbourne

There's some serious firepower in the Lûmé (pronounced loo-may) kitchen. Shaun Quade (Quay, Royal Mail Hotel, Biota, Bar Nacional) has teamed up with J.P. Fiechtner (Paris' Le Chateaubriand, Michelin-starred Bo Innovation in Hong Kong) on a fine-dining restaurant they hope will be rated among Victoria's big guns. The long, skinny former burlesque club, at 226 Coventry Street, will have a 40-seat bar delivering accessible, tasty food and high-end cocktails, and a 40-seat dining room serving a contemporary tasting menu from an exposed kitchen. They've recruited sommelier Sally Humble as manager. It's due to open on April 8, serving dinner Wednesday to Monday and a long Sunday lunch.

Miss Katie's Crab Shack at the Rochester Hotel, Fitzroy

After winding up Miss Katie's Crab Shack at the Public Bar in North Melbourne on December 21, Katie Marron will join Brigitte and Jon Costelloe (Aviary Hotel, the Vic Bar, Dr Morse) and Stuart Moss (The Carlton) in opening a bigger shack at the Rochester Castle Hotel (202 Johnston Street, Fitzroy). The four partners are giving the old pub a complete refurb, creating a "dive bar feel with a bit of a nautical theme", similar to the atmosphere Marron nurtured on Victoria Street. They'll offer a bigger menu in the 60-seat dining room, "because we have more room than we're used to working with", plus a small, snacky bar menu. New dishes include Sailor Jerry's spiced rum-glazed chicken ribs and Old Bay-seasoned popcorn. Slated to open early March.

Rosa's Canteen, Bourke Street, Melbourne

Rosa's Kitchen is all about Sicily. But the menu at Rosa's Canteen, the 60-seat contemporary offshoot evolving behind 500 Bourke Street, will take a broadly Italian outlook, with guidance from Rosa Mitchell and Braedan Cleave (ex Rosa's Kitchen, Spice Temple) on the pans. Expect 1950s-inspired greens and blues, Victorian ash and terrazzo floors and louvred windows taking in Supreme Court views. Initially due to open in September, then January, Rosa's Canteen now looks like a March starter, says co-owner David Mackintosh.

Top Paddock side project, Melbourne

Coffee and something sweet. That's as much as the team that brought us Three Bags Full, Two Birds One Stone, Top Paddock and the Kettle Black is willing to reveal. But the new project, in Spencer Street's Upper West Side residential development, is expected to open in February, with a focus on food-to-go and great coffee, supplied by their own roastery, currently taking shape in Cremorne.