#159 Lewis Bryce | Hotel South Melbourne

Lewis Bryce has had a fairly cinematic life so far, at least I think he has. Picture this: Cornwall, a small town on the coast, a young guy, spurred on by stories told by Australians on their big OE in the UK, dreams of adventure on the other side of the world and sets off to Byron Bay for a working holiday. Young guy meets young Melburnian girl, in Byron Bay for schoolies, romance and life-changing scenes ensue. Jump forward 14 years and fresh from a role as sous chef at Supernormal, Lewis is now head chef at newly renovated Hotel South Melbourne, which was built in 1854 and has hosted the likes of ACDC and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Given the late summer Melbourne has been having, we did seem to talk about tomatoes quite a lot during the chat, and so it was particularly fitting that Lewis sent out a delicious heirloom tomato dish with whipped parmesan and basil for me to try after our chat. I also had grilled shark bay scallops with preserved lemon butter, and I can tell you that with a glass of rose, this was the perfect choice for a Friday afternoon.