A 130-seat restaurant is opening this summer on the Williamstown waterfront, and it belongs to a chef who has waited 30 years to sign his own name to a dining room.

Bungalow 147 by the Bay is the debut restaurant from owner and chef Deepak Mishra, whose career includes stints at Hotel Windsor, Hotel Chadstone and The Langham Melbourne. Mishra also serves as VP of Bocuse d'Or Australia (the national arm of the world chef championship) and takes on a coaching role for Team Australia this year.

Who is behind the venue?

The heritage building sits on the bay and stacks several revenue streams into one site: a downstairs restaurant and wine bar, a courtyard and veranda for alfresco dining, plus an upstairs events space and private dining rooms. In a market where single-format rooms struggle to cover fixed costs, that mix of casual trade, functions and private dining spreads the labor and rent base across dayparts and occasions.

Micaela Cancino of Studio Argil designed the space, drawing on Indian homes with lime-washed walls and accents of aged timber and brass.

Mishra said: "I was looking for a place with character, a connection to the water and room to bring people together. This building offered all three: the heritage character, a bayside setting, and room to host everything from an intimate dinner to a large-scale celebration."

What does the menu look like?

The food program is built on Mishra's Indian heritage, specifically Eastern Indian, Odia and Bengal cuisines — a regional focus that differentiates the menu from the generic north-Indian offerings common in Melbourne. The structure is engineered for sharing: snacks and small plates, breads, larger dishes and desserts, all made from locally sourced produce.

"I wanted to create something of my own," Mishra said. "Bungalow 147 brings together my European culinary expertise, my Indian heritage and the style of cooking I've developed."

The beverage program follows the same sourcing logic. Rohit Singh, winemaker at Avani, is contributing to the wine list, and cocktails will highlight Indian ingredients such as teas, spices and tropical fruits — ingredient-led drink design that ties the bar's cost structure to the kitchen's spice procurement rather than running as a separate operation.

What happens next?

An official opening date has not been announced. The venue will need to draw diners from across Melbourne, not just the Inner West, to fill 130 seats in a bayside location — a positioning Mishra is banking on, saying he wants guests "whether that's for dinner, a glass of wine, or to celebrate something special overlooking the bay." If the regional menu and multi-format spaces land, Williamstown gains a destination restaurant with a competition-grade kitchen at its helm.