Scott Lord

Scott Lord rejoins Commune Group as head chef of the Swan Street restaurant New Quarter, serving Vietnamese influenced modern cuisine. Lord brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise following stints at multiple Melbourne institutions including Sunda Dining, Tokyo Tina and Cumulus Inc. and Dunedin’s Pier 24.

At New Quarter, Lord showcases his exceptional understanding of Southeast Asian cuisine, championing authentic ingredients such as white pepper, kombu, dashi and fish sauce; delivering refined and inventive dishes that draw on his previous cooking experiences of Japanese and European cuisine.

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Lord’s appreciation for food started in childhood, where he eagerly cooked for his family. Determined to turn his passion into a career, Lord followed his high school teacher’s advice and pursued hospitality, beginning as a kitchen hand. After years of working under various chefs, he joined the multi-award-winning restaurant Pier 24 as Chef de Partie, working alongside the esteemed Michael Coughlin.

From Dunedin, Lord moved to Melbourne in 2015 where he took on the role as Chef de Partie at the bustling Cumulus Inc., before joining Commune Group’s modern Japanese restaurant Tokyo Tina as Head Chef. For two years, he brought his left-of-centre approach to Japanese dining, placing emphasis on sourcing local and unusual ingredients.

In 2018, Lord joined the South-Eastern family Sunda Dining as Sous Chef before returning to Commune Group. As Lord steps into his role as Head Chef at New Quarter, he continues to flex his creative flair introducing a new menu that accentuates Melbourne’s take on Vietnamese cuisine.

Guest Recipes