A new city precinct has opened in Melbourne, bringing together some of the city fringe’s most-loved eateries alongside art installations and music events to create a microcosm of all that’s great about the heart of the CBD. ELLA, named after where Elizabeth meets La Trobe opened its doors on Monday 27 May, welcoming a host of new cafes including: Colours Bowls, the latest offshoot of South Yarra’s hatted restaurant, Atlas; Sam Sam where it’s all about deep-fried Korean chicken; Son in Law,  The Pad, a new concept by Collingwood’s popular Thai eatery; and Pick a Stick Chinese Skewers by the team at Dainty Sichuan. Existing Nepalese restaurant, Chilli Everest and ever-popular Ajisen Ramen.

ELLA is the latest precinct by The GPT Group – the developers behind next-door Melbourne Central. ELLA covers 2,500m2, and takes its inspiration from the high-end offerings found in Asia’s train stations.

ELLA resembles an Asian train staton with all the foodies delights

Collingwood-based hospitality hub, Worksmith, will open the doors to its second coworking space here, complete with first-in-Australia high-tech facilities available for communal use including an on-premise drinks lab and a space for events and pop-ups.

Ajisen Ramen

ELLA’s Development Manager, Stuart MacLeod-Smith, said while the combination of so many Melbourne dining destinations will place ELLA firmly at the centre of the city’s hospitality scene, food is just part of what the precinct will offer.

“We know Melburnians love food, but we’re also mad about music and art, we’re pretty innovative when it comes to technology and we enjoy continued opportunities to learn. We’re planning to tap into these elements to elevate and enhance the ELLA experience.”

“We want the space to be an intimate place for residents and visitors to meet and enjoy Melbourne life away from the hustle and bustle of the CBD streets, while still being surrounded by the attributes that make this city so fantastic.” he said.

With this in mind, the precinct has been acoustically treated so that both live and recorded music can be enjoyed. Live music will pop-up several times per week, showcasing both emerging and established artists, and a curated soundtrack will feature tunes by local Melbourne artists.

Tech platform, crowd DJ will enable visitors to select their favourite tunes from their mobile device and even vote for a genre of the week – it might be 80s v 90s, Northside v Southside, Bollywood v K-Pop – via an in-built kiosk. ELLA staff will have the chance to curate their own Tastemaker Playlists – with new selections uploaded monthly.

Chilli Everest

Staying true to Melbourne’s love of street art, there will also be a mural wall that local artists will keep refreshed. A sense of discovery will be needed to locate other works of art, as they’ll be in less likely places such as on café doors and high on ceilings, tapping into the hide-and-seek nature of Melbourne city.

To make dining at ELLA as convenient as possible, a chatbot will be accessible via Facebook Messenger for easy ordering and payment whether dining-in or taking-away. The chatbot will also be able to answer questions and provide useful and interesting information about what’s happening in ELLA.

Colour Bowls

Further openings will continue as the year progresses, with purveyors of wine, beer and cider, Blackheart & Sparrows amongst those set to launch as part of phase two on 27 June. Upscale cocktail bar by globally-renowned Luke Whearty, Byrdi, will open its doors a few weeks after that. The final slew of retailers is currently slated to open early 2020.

SAM SAM