Martin Benn Finally Reveals The Name Of New Melbourne Restaurant
Society is set to open late March 2021.
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When three-hatted chef Martin Benn announced that his lauded Sydney fine-diner Sepia was closing more than three years ago, heightened levels of anticipation surrounded his next move.
Combining with Melbourne restaurateur, Chris Lucas, Martin Benn and Vicki Wild kept their cards close, only revealing that an upcoming venue would be housed at 80 Collins street in Melbourne’s CBD.
Today, the trio announced the launch of Society – a 300-seat landmark establishment of dining and drinking due to open in late March 2021.
“This year we have been challenged like never before, but we have proven our resilience and in 2021 we will celebrate our achievements,” says Lucas. “Society is a restaurant for Melbourne and Australia, it will signal a rebirth of our great city and I hope it will be a restaurant that places us comfortably on a global stage.”Three venues will complete the offering at 80 Collins Street, with the centrepiece, the Society dining room – to also offer customised private dining – alongside the Lillian Terrace and a luxurious lounge bar.
The fit-out, by leading Melbourne design firm Russell & George will see the lounge bar connect the two restaurants, acting as a perfect hideaway for a Martini and a pre-dinner taste of what’s to come. Elsewhere, the main Society dining room sees lofty ceilings for a grand, yet intimate experience and the Lillian Terrace enjoys a leafy, open-air terrace experience for indoor-outdoor dining.
Martin Benn’s avant-garde cooking style will continue to evolve on the plate however the menus in all three environments will be entirely unique to each setting and will be a la carte throughout.
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Soneva’s groundbreaking Coral Restoration Program in the Maldives has been endorsed by the United Nations and listed on UNESCO’s Ocean Decade platform, recognising it as a global model for reef regeneration and sustainable marine science.
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In a landmark moment for marine conservation, the Soneva Foundation’s Coral Restoration Program has received official endorsement from the United Nations and been listed on the UNESCO Ocean Decade website — an international recognition of its pioneering work in large-scale reef restoration.
Based in the Maldives and operating from Soneva Fushi’s AquaTerra science centre, the program is now the region’s largest coral restoration facility. Combining advanced marine biology with local collaboration, it has redefined how the tourism sector can contribute meaningfully to ocean health.
What sets the program apart is its blend of innovation and scale. The facility includes a Coral Spawning and Rearing Lab—Maldives’ first of its kind—replicating natural reef conditions to stimulate coral reproduction. Thirty micro-fragmentation tanks further accelerate coral growth, enabling up to 150,000 coral fragments to be produced and replanted on damaged reefs each year.
Since launching in 2022, Soneva’s coral team has relocated more than 31,000 coral colonies and fragments from threatened areas, establishing a thriving coral hub in the Indian Ocean.
he initiative is managed by Soneva Conservation, a Maldivian NGO set up by the Soneva Foundation, and forms part of the group’s broader sustainability strategy.
“This milestone is a testament to the scientific rigour and community-driven ethos at the heart of our work,” Dr Johanna Leonhardt, Soneva’s Coral Project Manager, said. “It validates the potential of hospitality to lead ocean regeneration at scale.”
Beyond science, the program engages governments, NGOs, research institutions and the wider tourism industry—demonstrating how cross-sector partnerships can drive real environmental impact.
The UN recognition now positions the project as a beacon for similar initiatives globally, reinforcing the Maldives’ role as both a luxury destination and a marine conservation leader.
The Soneva Foundation’s wider environmental efforts include carbon mitigation projects, reforestation, and waste-to-wealth innovation. As part of the Pallion group, Soneva continues to redefine what it means to be a responsible luxury brand.
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