NUMBER’S UP

No.8 by John Lawson

Crown Melbourne, Southbank VIC

03 9292 5777 or www.crownmelbourne.com.au/number-8

Crown’s Number 8 Restaurant has relaunched as No.8 by John Lawson with a new menu, a new wine program, a reworked interior and a new produce-inspired attitude to food. Headed up by young chef John Lawson, the restaurant offers produce-driven menus and contemporary dishes based on a true understanding of seasonal flavours.  Central to the cooking is sustainably produced ingredients sourced locally from Victorian farmers. Lawson said “Produce drives the inspiration for my food. The essence of No. 8 is the use of traditional cooking techniques in the kitchen, contemporary combinations of flavours combined with a bespoke selection of carefully farmed local produce”. John has negotiated his own herd of lamb from Barwon Lamb, his own duck from Milawa Free Range Poultry and a strain of rare Almond Mushrooms.

No.8 by John Lawson’s restaurant décor is refined and relaxed with muted colours and a nature-based theme linked to the skeletal leaf motif that has become the signature of Lawson’s work.   The leaf connects the urban surrounds of the restaurant to his produce-centric menu.  Each table will showcase bespoke handmade earthenware created by local potter Michael Skewes.  Skewes collaborated with Lawson to create the tableware to complement the new look and feel of the restaurant. Each piece has been crafted with consideration given to size, shape and feel along with the way the food will look on the plate.

John Lawson moves to No.8 by John Lawson after three years at Crown’s Maze which then became Mr. Hive. Prior to that he worked for Gordon Ramsay at The London, for Daniel Boulud at New York’s Daniel and also at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saison with Raymond Blanc. His inspiration for locally harvested food comes from his stint at La Rapiere in Bayeux in France, where he cooked dishes using produce from local farms sourced direct from the farm each day. Lawson is from Essex, loves West Ham and is looking to adopt an AFL footy team — email him for suggestions.