Ricky and Pinky — Melbourne, Australia

Chinese restaurants have long been a staple of the Australian dining scene, however much their repertoire of long soup and fried ice-cream might scandalise traditionalists in, say Singapore or Hong Kong. And now, with the opening of Ricky and Pinky in a mid-19th-century public house – along a street littered with eateries and boutiques, just a couple of blocks from the Melbourne Museum – we daresay the gauntlet has well and truly been thrown down.
The restaurant’s throwback moniker is an homage to the Hong Kong tattoo parlour where owner Andrew McConnell was once inked with a dragon. Its interior design is a modernist riff – Melbourne-based Sibling Architecture dispenses with expected tropes of a Chinese restaurant in favour of bright primary colours. Gold and blue pipings bend and twist to form transparent arches and room dividers (an ode, it seems, to Shanghainese art deco), while puce leather banquettes, Bentwood chairs, blackbutt tables, sea-green and dark blue carpets, and ceiling mirrors conspire to create a mood that feels more like the Jetsons’ living room than your average Chinatown pitstop.
Meanwhile, terrazzo Lazy Susans twirl with chef Anchan Chan’s exuberantly concocted dishes of mapo tofu, deep fried quail, homemade Chinese sausages and rice fried with salted egg.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
211 Gertrude Street
Melbourne
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.


















-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principles
Tucked in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a modern take on legacy and a nature-filled lifestyle
By Monique Kawecki Published
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitality
As women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Melbourne Place: ‘an alchemy of colour, texture and personality’
Designed by Kennedy Nolan, Melbourne Place is the Australian city’s newest independent hotel, oozing creativity and urban energy
By Amber Hunter Published
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeys
Stay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this February
From intimate seaside inns to lush tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openings
Explore the best new hotels in the world, from the revival of a grande dame in Madrid to the restoration of a gothic beauty in Prague
By Nicola Leigh Stewart Last updated
-
Australian surf culture merges with the charm of the Mediterranean at Il Delfino
Il Delfino, designed by Sheree Commerford, is a restored 1940s seaside inn nestled on the Yamba coastline in Australia
By Amber Hunter Published