Vue de Monde’s executive chef to open his own destination eatery
Vue de Monde’s executive chef Hugh Allen will open his own 40-seat fine diner, Yiaga.
After working on the project for the last six years, the Spring opening in Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens, will see Allen aim to create a new destination eatery.
The restaurant will operate independently of Vue Group (although Vue’s owners Far East Organization will help with the financials).
Allen has been scouting venues since 2019, before he became executive chef at Vue de Monde. He finally signed a lease in October 2023 on The Pavilion in Fitzroy Gardens.
“Everywhere I’ve worked has had such an incredible location,” Allen told Good Food.
“I knew I wanted to open a destination restaurant, but I knew I wanted to do it in Melbourne,” said the chef who has worked at other acclaimed venues including René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen and Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris.
“Around the world, pavilions are a place of hospitality,” who said he was inspired by London’s parks.
For over a century, the Fitzroy Gardens has been a long-established hub of hospitality. The once-thriving pavilion adjacent to the Model Tudor Village, now exists as a derelict structure, reduced to a slate roof and steel frame. However, a revitalisation project, spearheaded by renowned architect John Wardle, known for his work on the Ian Potter Southbank Centre, is underway. Wardle's design prioritises the use of exclusively Australian materials, aiming to create a unique dining experience.
The building's reimagined entrance will mimic the appearance of one of the park’s elm trees, constructed with vertically laid bricks, leading into a figure-eight-shaped chamber. A fully glass-walled dining room will offer panoramic views of the surrounding greenery, connecting to an open kitchen featuring a charcoal barbecue. The interior will showcase Tasmanian blackwood tables and chairs upholstered with the same leather used by R.M. Williams boots.
The restaurant will offer a multi-course tasting menu for both lunch and dinner, priced slightly below Vue de Monde's $360 per person. The menu will emphasise underutilised Australian ingredients, though the chef is careful to avoid direct comparisons between the two dining experiences.
Allen is experimenting with dry-aged kangaroo racks, slow-roasted over eucalypt and seasoned with dorrigo and mountain peppers, to create distinctive chops. A salad will combine mud crab with hearts of palm, described as a flavour blend of coconut, apple, and radish. For dessert, a reimagined version of a MasterChef-featured treat will be presented: a banksia pod-shaped Paddle Pop, layering ice cream and caramel, and served in a vase, resembling a native floral arrangement.
Complementing the culinary experience, Dorian Guillon, the 2024 Age Good Food Guide sommelier of the year, is crafting a wine list for Yiaga, with a focus on Australian wines, ensuring at least half the bottles are locally sourced.
Allen retains his role as Vue de Monde’s executive chef.
Jonathan Jackson, 25th March 2025
