Call it the Richmond revival. Messina just opened there and Jimmy Grants has a store in the works. Now, the one-year-old Belle’s Hot Chicken has announced a second restaurant to join its first in Fitzroy.

“It’s always been our goal to expand,” co-owner Miranda Campbell says. It’s been just three months since she opened the tiny Bar Clarine next door to Belle’s with partners Morgan McGlone and Reno Pontonio.

At the Swan Street store the trio will serve exactly what it does now – fried chicken, beer and natural wine – with a few new sandwiches. Despite this, and a similar number of seats, the new restaurant will look quite different.

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The first Belle’s Hot Chicken was adapted from Belle’s Diner, which came before it. This time it’s a blank slate. “The first evolution of Belle’s was quite masculine,” Campbell says. “We’re not afraid to mix it up and be creative and quirky with the design.” Pontonio is taking charge of this himself.

All things going to plan, the Richmond outlet will also serve as a blueprint for future versions of Belle’s Hot Chicken in Sydney and Asia. Yes, Asia. “That’s always been the end game,” Campbell says. “We think our product is pretty suited to the Asian market.”

Belle’s Hot Chicken Richmond will open in October 2015.

Belle’s Hot Chicken Richmond
Shop 1, 107 Swan Street, Richmond

belleshotchicken.com