IDES

The team behind Peter Gunn's new restaurant IDES must be really organised. Or really lucky. Or both. The ambitious new venue opened at the same time as the Ides of March — and while it was a disastrous time for Caesar, it's proven to be rather fortuitous for the ex-Attica chef.

Gunn, who's spent the last five years as a sous chef under the legendary Ben Shewry at Attica, is striking out on his own with his new Collingwood restaurant with seating for just 36 lucky guests. But it's not exactly a big risk for him, as Melburnians have been keen on what he's got since 2013. Gunn's already put in the leg work for IDES via his monthly pop-up dinners at Persillade that he organised while working in the kitchen at Attica (kind makes you feel guilty about lazily ordering takeaway, doesn't it?). The dinners were always booked out months in advance, and his first permanent restaurant has been just as busy.

Interestingly, the menu retains the spontaneity of the pop-ups with dishes going unplanned until the last moment, which Gunn believes injects energy into the menu. The package clocks in at six dishes for $110 (wine pairing will be available for a little more moolah), which is extraordinary good value for a degustation menu designed and made by one of Melbourne's — and perhaps, the world's — best young chefs.