Venue Magazine Issue 26 2008

After a gruelling 240 days, 28 contractors, 15kms of timber and a whole lot of creative genius, Hugos Manly has finally dropped its hoarding. The restaurant is located on the western wing, directly opposite where the Sydney to Manly ferry drops off its commuters, at the site previously known as The Cove restaurant.

As one would expect, this new venue from the Hugos boys is uber cool and stylish, yet comfortable. The interior has a classic feel inspired by the venue's maritime location and heritage devoid of intense colour and pattern so that the stunning vista becomes the main design focus like an enormous wrap around plasma screen. It's a venue that quietly blends into its' surrounds and feels like it could have been there for years such is its' classic design.

Licensed for 300 patrons, the venue features back-to-back banquet seating, which has been meticulously upholstered in premium leather with a duck down fill, offering quite the comfortable position to enjoy that spectacular view. The design aesthetics were largely inspired by the site's corner position, offering a 270 degree aspect, which is arguably one of the best in Manly. Overall, the design was to be sympathetic to the environment and reflect the heritage characteristics of the existing wharf building. Co-owner David Evans worked closely with renowned architect Vince Squillace to achieve this objective.

The interior walls are lined with a white timber cladding, the profile of which replicates the heritage timber surrounds of the wharf building. This customised detail seamlessly integrates the new space with the historic 1940's timber feature of the wharf.

It was imperative to David that this project utilised Australian hardwoods such as Spotted Gum and Ironbark to once again reflect the natural beauty of the site. David explained how the exterior decking pays homage to the unique Australian wrap around veranda. With this in mind it certainly appeals as the new Manly hot spot to dine or enjoy a sunset drink while watching the world go by.

David Evans is portrayed in the press as an affable bachelor, who has made headlines for escorting supermodel Elle Macpherson around Sydney during her recent trips home.

How did you get started in this business?
After finishing school in Melbourne I did a Hotel Management course before working at The Lager Bar in Melbourne which was very successful. I then travelled the world for a while before returning to Melbourne to open up The Pantry, which is still operating. In 1996 I relocated to Sydney and opened Hugos Bondi which we operated for ten years.

Why did you move to Sydney?
It's warmer. In 2000, in time for the Olympics, we opened Hugos Lounge and that was a huge success. From that we expanded to SkyBar 1 and SkyBar 2, including the VIP Bar, and in 2004 we launched Hugos Pizza which has won multiple awards. Now we have Hugos Manly which has been a long, hard journey but we got it there.

How long had you been planning a venture in Manly?
When I first moved to Sydney in 1996, I lived in Manly for three months and really liked it. Initially I was looking to open a venue in Manly but the Bondi site came available and so I moved there. I've always desired to open a site here in fact I looked at the site where the Bavarian Bier Café is and also the site that Will & Toby's occupied. But I wasn't 100% sold on either of them. This site was offered to me last year and I was impressed by the strong structure, really nice outlook, great sun, protected from the wind, really nice layout which we could do a linear design with.

How would you describe the Hugos concept / brand and how is this venue different from the others?
The concept has been constantly evolving since we developed it twelve years ago. Initially Hugos Bondi was fine dining but it also did breakfast which it won awards for. The key is to always be versatile. We looked at what we thought Bondi needed at that time which was fine dining with a nice little cocktail bar. People kept telling us that we should expand to a bigger bar and we found the site in Kings Cross which was only just starting to take off. We were one of the first of the 'new wave' venues in Kings Cross having got our inspiration from The International. We always seem to be one step ahead although with Manly there are already some good venues such as Garfish, Whitewater and the Manly Wharf Hotel but they definitely need more options as there's a huge population on the Northern Beaches looking for somewhere quality to go.

How would you describe Hugos Manly?
It's like a big beach house with a wrap around deck, an indoor/outdoor venue, a restaurant come cocktail bar come large bar.

How involved are you with the design of your venues?
I'm heavily involved in all areas of the design. I basically do all the layout design - bar and kitchen, table plan, position of doors etc - to ensure functionality. Architects can't do that for you unless they're hospitality trained. I know how to do drafting, I put it to scale and then hand it over to the architects and between us we come up with design concepts. For this project I used Vince Squillace who lives locally and is in touch with the community, council requirements and has experience in hospitality design.

A lot of the interior uses materials and furnishings that I have used before in other venues such as the Verona leather from Contempo Leather which I used in SkyBar, the ottomans are similar to the ones in Hugos Pizza but adapted to suit this venue. The coffee tables are similar to the ones used at Hugos Lounge but instead of mirror tops we've got marble tops. The things that work well you take to your next venue and that includes a good team of people.

All of our bars have a certain design theme running through them: all the facades are different - from tiles to backlit onyx - but the back bar is always the same with a wine rack showcasing bottles, glasses and wine displays. It looks really smart and the way the bars light up at night time gives a really nice ambience.

The interiors are quite subdued giving focus to the view, was that intentional? Yes, especially as we only have one wall and the rest of the venue is window with a wrap around verandah outside. There was no room for anything like art.

The venue blends into the exiting wharf in fact the original timber cladding detailing of the wharf has been incorporated into the design of the venue. We've taken several elements, such as the dark timber, from the wharf into the premises, interior and exterior, so it looks like it's been here for ever.

What didn't you want the venue to be?
Cold and clinical. I wanted it to be lived in and comfortable with vintage leather and duck down filled cushions. Basically things you'd put in your own house. It's relaxed with really nice lines.

Why do you think Will & Toby's Manly wasn't a successful venue?
Well we looked at that site but I really think that this side of Manly, the harbour side, is better. In the summer on a nice day the harbour is protected whereas you have a prevailing north-easterly breeze on the beachfront. Plus you lose the sun at about 2pm whereas here we get the afternoon sun. We can also seat 150 people outside whereas Will & Toby's could only seat about thirty.

Manly has a bit of a reputation as being quite rough at night, does that bother you?
I think it's the same as any area. There are a lot of people that come into the area any given weekend and there are some quite large hotels in the area. Of those thousands of people 95% are quite well behaved. Plus there are a lot of overseas travelers in Manly and they all have their different ways of handling themselves at night time. It's not usually the locals who cause trouble. Either way, the trouble tends to be focused around The Corso where the hotels close at 3am or 4am and there are a lot of people on the street at one time. A lot of it is people getting frustrated trying to find a taxi - there isn't enough public transport. Down here on the wharf, the venues close earlier around 1am and the clientele tend to be more up market.

What's next in your empire - Hugo's Penrith?
No, I like staying coastal! I like to be by the beach as it has a soothing effect. I'm happy here and with what we've got, so probably for the next couple of years I'll be busy looking after that. We are looking to do a Hugos Hideaway which will be a boutique accommodation offering or further down the track, I'd like to expand Hugos Bar Pizza but it's a matter of finding the ideal site.