Canberra, say hello to ILY!

The team behind XO have transformed their Morning Glory venue in New Acton to become ILY – an acronym for ‘I love you’ – which promises simple, comforting food with a local focus.

The new space is set to fling open its doors to the Canberra community on Sunday 9 May.

“This is a home-style kitchen, but not at all how we know it,” co-owner Greg Lally said.

“The cuisine dances on the edges of categorisation, somewhere between ‘modern Australian’ and contemporary European, but is not shackled to any geography, genre and technique.”

Expect dishes like breakfast gnocchi, steak frites and burgers to fill you up during the day. Then, come nightfall, enjoy home-style classics like roast chicken, beef cheek and kingfish – all with a bit of a twist; not that we’d expect anything less from the XO masterminds.

The kitchen will be helmed by the renowned Tim West, formerly of Biota Dining in Bowral and Esquire in Brisbane.

Lally said while West’s menu is completely new, ILY is “both an evolution and continuation” of Morning Glory.

“The transformation was sparked by the challenges of 2020 and its butterfly effect through the industry. It was a catalyst to explore new ways of working, connecting with suppliers and serving the local community,” he said.

“We wanted to shift to an unconstrained format, providing complete freedom over food and wine programmes free of any clear genre or classification. We recognised that what makes our team click is the mosaic of cultural backgrounds and food experience.”

ILY’s interiors have been designed by local firm Capezio Copeland, filled with light and pops of white, pink and burgundy.

Lally said ILY is a celebration of the team’s love for food, wine and dining in the Capital and everyone who contributes to it: “we are so excited to finally unveil what we have been working on this past year”.

ILY will be open 7am-3pm every day and from 20 May, 6pm-10pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Head to the website to book.