3 months ago
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It’s delicious news for fans of Gayan Pieris’ cooking, with the Sri Lankan chef to become the restaurant’s owner next month.
Hatted Sri Lankan restaurant Many Little will soon change hands, with its long-time head chef Gayan Pieris to take the keys from current owners Polperro Winery as soon as December 1.
Pieris overhauled Many Little’s menu in 2019, taking it from the European bistro-style skew it opened with in 2018 and introducing the food of his homeland, a move that landed it a hat in each of the past five editions of The Age Good Food Guide.
Many Little is well-loved for its hoppers (fermented rice pancakes), says Pieris, and while they will continue to play an important part in the offering, Pieris intends to push further into the complex flavours and techniques of the teardrop nation.
“I want to turn this into an actual Sri Lankan kitchen,” says Pieris, who will refurbish the Many Little kitchen in the winter of 2026.
“One of the challenges I had here is that it’s a normal bistro kitchen. We haven’t had the opportunity to give the full sense of Sri Lankan cooking. I really want to bring that regionality and then have that broader Sri Lankan offer.”
Wood-fired cooking, fermentation and dry-ageing will play parts in the new offering, with Pieris set on resuscitating some ailing traditions of his homeland. That will include the production of fish sauce lunijja, a savoury backbone of Sri Lankan cooking.
“Those things – they’re vanishing in Sri Lanka. Younger generations – they don’t know much about those things. I really want to preserve them and maybe give them another home here.”
Pieris is also the creative director at sister venue Polperro, a Red Hill winery fine-diner with an organic farm that supplies Many Little. He will retain the title, continuing to train staff and influence the menu, but spend the bulk of his time at Many Little.
Meanwhile down the road, landmark winery Crittenden Estate has reopened its flagship restaurant after closing for renovations in May. Led by head chef Brunno Melo, the menu will make sound use of its grill, with swordfish and smoked maple chimichurri, and tomahawk pork chops from Raven’s Creek, to lead the offering.
“Our philosophy is about expressing a true sense of place – coastal, seasonal and deeply connected to the Peninsula,” says Melo. “We’re inspired by the produce and people around us, creating dishes that are honest, textural, and balanced – flavours that speak to both the landscape and the wines.”
Rounding out the region’s tasty tidings, Scott Pickett’s fire-driven Ember will open in early December, replacing Audrey’s at The Continental Sorrento. Straight out of the Pickett playbook, Ember’s menu will be led by premium dry-aged steaks and fresh Australian seafood cooked over fire by long-time collaborator chef Jake Furst.
“Audrey’s set the benchmark for coastal dining, and Ember builds on that legacy with a fresh, fire-led approach,” says Furst. “I’m excited to create a menu that champions Mornington Peninsula’s incredible growers and producers.”
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