Hatted chef Julian Hills to open his first solo venture, Navi, in Yarraville

In further signs that food is rising in the west, former hatted chef Julian Hills is two months from opening an intimate 25-seater in Yarraville.

He's drawn on his Cherokee heritage for the name of his first solo venture, Navi (meaning local), which is coming together behind the facade of a heritage building that once housed Gravy Train and has now been redeveloped into apartments.

Hills, who consistently earned a chef's hat while at Mornington Peninsula's Paringa Estate for the past six years, has enlisted his architect brother to lend a hand on the fitout, using recycled timber, earthy colours and a large slab of marble for a purpose-built table. And he's applying his own fine arts training to the plates, vases and table centrepieces.

He's planning a $120-a-head eight-course contemporary tasting menu (with "little extra bites" added along the way) that will evolve constantly, using ingredients from small producers, in some cases backyard growers.

Among the dishes he's working on is smoked bonita cured in bees wax paired with sea greens and a roasted bone dashi.

Navi will open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner at 83 Gamon Street, Yarraville, in July.