About
A contemporary Australian restaurant in the grand hall of Marlowe Chambers.
Celebrating Melbourne’s history of migrant kitchens, and its evolution into a cosmopolitan culinary city.
I
Architecture
Vera means true in Italian, which suits a kitchen that would rather be plain than clever. It is pronounced VEH‑rah, with the stress up front.
II
Local
Adding a room to Melbourne’s Italian‑influenced dining heritage. The philosophy rests as much on modern Australian, produce‑driven cooking as on the people who walk in off the lane.
III
The name
Vera comes from the Latin verus, true. A plain word, and the one the kitchen keeps returning to when it decides what belongs on a plate. The room is named for it.
IV
Design
Triple height ceilings and walls of windows, one opening onto an internal courtyard hung with work by local painters. Interiors restored in warm brass and terrazzo, over the building’s 1920s arched bones.
Marlowe Chambers
The hall was built in 1928 and listed for its arched façade. The restoration set polished terrazzo and long oak tables against those original bones, and left the light alone.
Visit
VERA · MELBOURNE
VERA · MELBOURNE
VERA · MELBOURNE
VERA · MELBOURNE
MARLOWE CHAMBERS
MARLOWE CHAMBERS
MARLOWE CHAMBERS
MARLOWE CHAMBERS
18 ASHGROVE LANE
18 ASHGROVE LANE
18 ASHGROVE LANE
18 ASHGROVE LANE
BUILT IN 1928
BUILT IN 1928
BUILT IN 1928
BUILT IN 1928
BREAKFAST TO LATE
BREAKFAST TO LATE
BREAKFAST TO LATE
BREAKFAST TO LATE
THE GRAND HALL
THE GRAND HALL
THE GRAND HALL
THE GRAND HALL
VERA’S LUNGO
VERA’S LUNGO
VERA’S LUNGO
VERA’S LUNGO
MODERN AUSTRALIAN
MODERN AUSTRALIAN
MODERN AUSTRALIAN
MODERN AUSTRALIAN
ITALIAN INFLUENCED
ITALIAN INFLUENCED
ITALIAN INFLUENCED
ITALIAN INFLUENCED
TERRAZZO AND LIGHT
TERRAZZO AND LIGHT
TERRAZZO AND LIGHT
TERRAZZO AND LIGHT
DOLCE E CAFFÈ
DOLCE E CAFFÈ
DOLCE E CAFFÈ
DOLCE E CAFFÈ
VERA CUCINA
VERA CUCINA
VERA CUCINA
VERA CUCINA