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Save<\/p>\nBringing spark to a pocket of the city he\u2019s never played in before, the Chin Chin and Grill Americano owner will offer his take on Cantonese hits such as dim sum and prawn toast.<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Prolific restaurateur Chris Lucas<\/a> owns Japanese venues (Kisume<\/a>), South-East Asian (Chin Chin), French (Maison Batard<\/a>) and Italian (Grill Americano<\/a>). But his growing stable includes nothing from China\u2019s wide spectrum of regional cuisines. His next venue Wishbone corrects that. <\/p>\n Part of a gleaming new $1 billion office tower on Bourke Street, it will offer up an outsider\u2019s vision of Hong Kong dining that melds the city\u2019s dense urban lifestyle with throwbacks to its glamorous yesteryear. Wong Kor Wai\u2019s 1960s-set film In the Mood for Love, buzzy Temple Street Night Market, and older neighbourhoods such as Wan Chai are all on the mood board.<\/p>\n When it opens in October in the CBD, Wishbone will be the restaurateur\u2019s 13th Melbourne venue \u2013 and his first on its west side. Lucas has never crossed the dividing line of Swanston Street but says: \u201cMidtown feels like it\u2019s on the cusp of something new, with people like [beauty retailer Mecca\u2019s] Jo Horgan helping drive that shift alongside major projects like 435 Bourke Street. <\/p>\n \u201cThe opportunity to work on something of this scale, something that is transformational for an area, is incredibly exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Reached via a laneway entrance, the three-level restaurant will experiment with Cantonese hallmarks such as dim sum and wok cooking. Tradition is not a word that\u2019s guiding the menu. <\/p>\n Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.<\/p>\n Sign up<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c[Wishbone diners] will be eating Cantonese food but also we\u2019ll have other elements in there. It\u2019s not really traditional Cantonese food,\u201d says chef Dan Chan.<\/p>\n Related Article The Hong Kong native (currently at Tombo Den in Windsor<\/a>) is leading the laboratory of menu ideas, drawing on experience working at Japanese venues Yakikami (also in Windsor) and Yardbird, a Hong Kong hotspot, as well as Melbourne\u2019s own Supernormal<\/a>. <\/p>\n But there are some Cantonese non-negotiables he\u2019ll honour, including dim sum, available as a small selection at lunch and dinner, and at yum cha service on weekends. Glossy char siu pork and crackly roasted pork will be part of a contingent of roasted meats. Duck is still a maybe due to the amount of space needed. The fast and furious energy of Hong Kong\u2019s beloved street food stalls, known as dai pai dongs, are the third touchstone. A core dish of black pepper beef wok-tossed with potato might be reinterpreted as a honey and black pepper steak.<\/p>\n More playful ideas include a nod to Sichuan province\u2019s mapo tofu that might see a mala (spicy, numbing) dressing paired with milky stracciatella cheese. Prawn toast might be made with youtiao, the long round Chinese doughnuts, and mayo amped up by the Japanese condiment yuzu kosho.<\/p>\n \u201cLike all of Chris\u2019s restaurants, it\u2019s a take on Hong Kong, on street food, on Cantonese \u2013 and a very Melbourne take on all those things,\u201d says Celia McCarthy, general manager of brand for the group.<\/p>\n Diners will be greeted by sweeping archways and statement windows, one of which shows off a large red Perspex staircase. Mid-century Hong Kong design references reign supreme across the 120-capacity split-level space, designed by DKO Architecture, also responsible for Tombo Den. <\/p>\n A team was recently dispatched to Hong Kong to source light fittings, cutlery, crockery, host desks and more.<\/p>\n Chan says that Hong Kong\u2019s food scene is just as dynamic as Melbourne\u2019s, incorporating different influences to make something new. But he\u2019s still nervous about how people will respond.<\/p>\n A key challenge in recreating Hong Kong\u2019s street food will be cooking on woks in the all-electric kitchen, part of the building\u2019s green energy design. But Chan says the group\u2019s Geelong outpost of Chin Chin has gone through the same learning curve.<\/p>\n Lucas is working on another restaurant in the same tower that will open this year. The theme? Greek, honouring his heritage.<\/p>\n Wishbone opens October 2026 at 435 Bourke Street, Melbourne<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Restaurateur](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/71011d26eb19af1cee1ba98e48d232ca8773f27c.jpeg\")
Restaurateur Chris Lucas (right) and chef Dan Chan outside forthcoming restaurant Wishbone.<\/p>\n![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/22a327ed55ef6121bd9287158b0aac5855b659fe.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Wishbone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0e452160faedd0fa7fd5285854c507e12fb1e28f.jpeg\")
Wishbone is designed by DKO Architecture, the same firm that worked on Tombo Den (pictured).<\/p>\n![\"Temple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20562728bbf82f5eaf82f2f79b8af21e058be5df.jpeg\")
Temple Street Night Market is an inspiration for the restaurant’s design.SHUTTERSTOCK<\/p>\n
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