Bringing an exciting take on Australian cooking to a long-neglected site in East Melbourne, Yiaga is a deeply intentional and innovative new restaurant by chef Hugh Allen, who remains executive chef at the esteemed Vue de Monde.
Allen — who was named Gourmet Traveller’s Chef of the Year in 2023 after starting his career at Rockpool, aged 16, and spending three years at Noma — delivers a multi-course set menu in a design-led setting where the kitchen and dining room are closely intertwined.
Yiaga’s constantly evolving menu by Allen and head chef Michael McAulay (also Noma, Vue de Monde) presents ingredients sourced from farmers, fishers, growers and makers across Australia, like deeply flavoured beef from retired breeding cows from Blackmore Wagyu; Queensland coral trout; and wakame seaweed foraged from the Victorian coast.
“We’re looking for new, raw and fresh producers,” Allen told GT. “We want guests to have that sense of discovery, and for it to be an exciting opportunity to try foods they maybe haven’t eaten before.”
The drinks program by Master Sommelier Dorian Guillon (Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal) offers a classic wine pairing; an all-Australian pairing highlighting boutique producers of wines, beers and spirits; and a non-alcoholic pairing devised by the culinary team each day to align with what’s on plates.
Evolving through different formats (a Federation-era tearoom, a ‘20s dining room and a popular park kiosk in the ‘60s) over the past century, the Fitzroy Gardens location has been reimagined by noted Australian architect John Wardle, who retained the existing structure and roof. Now, the 44-seat dining room, including a semi-private table for eight, and kitchen area invite appreciation for the culinary skills on show as much as the surrounding gardens.
“I came across the dilapidated space when I was going on one of my five-kilometre walks during Covid,” Allen tells GT. “I was always on the lookout for the site for my first restaurant, and it was perfect.”
Allen and Wardle’s shared appreciation for detail, craftsmanship and a sense of place are on show inside the venue and outside, too, with terracotta tiles and textural grouting evoking the nearby elm trees and grounding the restaurant among its surroundings.
Australian design, materials and artists fill the space, which is defined by a continuous single wall covered in more than 13,000 hand-made tiles designed by Wardle. More noteworthy contributions include a Tasmanian blackwood timber cellar by Ross Thompson; bespoke seating by Adelaide furniture maker Jon Goulder; an artwork by Yolŋu artist Wanapati Yunupiŋu; and a custom table by Vivienne Wong made from a cypress branch from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
While Yiaga establishes itself as one of Australia’s most exciting openings of 2025, its opening doesn’t mean Allen is stepping away from his ongoing role at Vue de Monde — he’ll be moving between both restaurants.
Yiaga is now open in the Fitzroy Gardens at 230-298 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. Bookings open on the first of each month for three months in advance for dinner Thursday–Saturday and lunch Friday–Sunday.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Blackbird has officially flown south
