Iain “Huey” Hewitson hails from New Zealand but first made his name in Australia with Clichy, the restaurant he opened in Collingwood in 1977, which quickly gained renown as one of the finest dining rooms of its time. In the 1990s he launched a new career as a familiar face on television, starring on Healthy, Wealthy and Wise before hosting the long-running national hit Huey’s Kitchen. Today he’s still a familiar presence in our feeds, revisiting recipes from across a storied 50-year career in food and amassing hundreds of thousands of followers along the way across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Ahead of his return to the kitchen at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival for a string of sold-out events at Carlton hot spot Bistra, Huey reflects on the food, places and people that have made dining in Melbourne what it is today.
When I want to celebrate an occasion with a special meal, I go to Bistra – the service is personable and attentive, the food is inspiring and the room reminds me of my restaurant, Clichy.
My fondest memory of Clichy is the feeling after a glowing review in The Age soon after opening – by midday we were booked six weeks in advance.
And I’m excited to bring back Clichy for MFWF because I’m reminded of those exciting times in the restaurant industry, when visionary chefs and restaurateurs like Mietta O’Donnell and Tony Knox, Stephanie Alexander, Hermann Schneider and Gloria Staley were leading the way. They inspired the “young turks” to follow in their footsteps – encouraging many of us to reach for the stars.
My local is Pacific Seafood House on Toorak Road, South Yarra. Terrific barbecue meats, reasonably priced fresh seafood from the tanks, and my favourite pipis with XO sauce. And, as a bonus, it’s BYO.
The best new thing I’ve found is the new bar next door to France-Soir – La Splendide. Great bar food, including perfect, freshly shucked oysters from next door and Pol Roger poured from magnums.
When I want to show off the city to friends from out of town, I visit our new-wave Asian eateries, such as Firebird, Suzie Q, Anchovy and Lee Ho Fook. And if we’re lucky enough to snare some of the six seats in the lottery system, we’d take our friends to Chae. They make their own soy and gochujang – both are delicious.
My favourite place to load up on supplies is the friendly South Melbourne Market with its extensive range of produce – especially the amazing range of potatoes and seasonal fruit at Georgie’s Harvest, and the wonderful spices and nuts at Rita’s Coffee & Nuts.
And I wish more people would experience the excellence of Melbourne’s eat streets, such as Little Vietnam in Richmond, and Chinatown and Koreatown for the delicious dumplings and other specialties.
My defining food moment in Melbourne was arriving in Melbourne in the early 1970s and discovering that it really was the dining capital of Australia (and it still is).
If there was one thing I could change about eating and drinking in Melbourne it would be to bring back the upper echelon prix-fixe BYOs in the style of Fleurie, the original Tansy’s and Paysanne, which were super popular and gave their patrons a chance to bring out those special bottles.
But the thing I hope never changes here is Melbourne’s never-ending enthusiasm for exciting foodie adventures.
And to finish, I remember Arnold Palmer’s reply when a fan said he was a lucky golfer – “Yes, I am, and the harder I practice the luckier I get”.
Iain “Huey” Hewitson’s memoir Who Called the Cook a Bastard launches at his special appearance at Bistra this March as part of Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Tickets to Clichy: Original Food in the French Manner are available now and selling fast.
Catch Huey and his recipes on YouTube series Huey’s Fabulous Fast Food Cooking for One (or Two), and follow along for more on TikTok and Instagram.