When Cameron Williams was 15, he told his parents he wanted to quit school and become a chef. He turned up in his school uniform at the now-closed Jacques Reymond restaurant in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Prahran and begged for work until Reymond relented. Williams started an apprenticeship with the legendary chef when he was 17, before working in other notable kitchens including Grossi Florentino, Sydney’s Sepia and Michelin-starred restaurants in London and Copenhagen.

In 2020, he opened his own restaurant, Lene (pronounced “lenny”) in Richmond, just east of the CBD, where he’s committed to making things from scratch and amping up flavours with exceptional ingredients (his signature dish is raw yellowfin tuna with rösti). These are his favourite Richmond spots.

Image credit: Minamishima

Minamishima for omakase

1/7

“This sushi restaurant costs an arm and a leg but is blow-your-mind good. It’s omakase-style, where you are led by the chef. I like to sit at the sushi counter, choose the sake pairing and watch what’s going on. On a recent visit the most awesome thing I had was caviar sushi – rice dressed with a hunk of caviar.”

Image credit: Laikon Delicatassen

Laikon Delicatessen for a breakfast bun and coffee

2/7

“I love the old-school, Italian-deli vibes of this place, which has been around for almost 50 years. My typical order is a breakfast bun of scrambled egg, grilled mortadella and chutney on a potato bun. They serve great Allpress coffee – my order is a long black – and sell cheeses, cured meats and dips.”

Image credit: The Royston

The Royston for beer and ambience

3/7

“Chandeliers, leather couches and pool tables give The Royston a cosy Americana feel. It was one of the first pubs in Melbourne to serve beers only from independent breweries and they change them all the time. I order whatever lager they have on tap and the chicken parma, with cabbage salad and chips, is great.”

Image credit: Pacific Seafood BBQ House / Facebook

Pacific Seafood BBQ House for roast duck and pork

4/7

“The bang of a cleaver on a wooden chopping board is a constant at this loud, busy Cantonese institution. I like to order the spicy salt calamari followed by a roast duck-roast pork combo on rice and pair it with BYO red wine. Be warned: it’s always heaving and you might need to wait for a table.”

Image credit: Fratellino

Fratellino for fennel and sausage pizza

5/7

“My go-to for pizza is this unpretentious place next to my restaurant. They do crisp, thin-based woodfired pizzas – my favourite is the finocchio e salsicce: fresh fennel and sausage with chilli oil.”

Image credit: @phuocthanhbakery / Instagram

Phuoc Thanh Bakery for crisp pork banh mi

6/7

“This spot was one of the first banh mi places in Richmond and now has outlets around the city. They bake their own baguettes – thousands every day. It’s all super-fresh and on busy days a conveyor belt of people make the banh mi. My order is crisp pork with extra chilli.”