The Party King

Justin Hemmes learnt the art of having a good time from his parents. Now, he’s getting ready for the sparks to fly in Sydney once more, writes JOANNA HUNKIN.

- Joanna Hunkin

Justin Hemmes is the first to admit he likes to have a good time. Everybody does, he says. It’s a basic human instinct: we want to have fun. But creating an environment in which people feel relaxed and comfortable enough to have fun is an art. One in which Hemmes is unusually gifted.

“Often you’ll go to places and people don’t feel comfortable and they’re looking around,” he says as we sit side-by-side on a leather banquette, sipping freshly poured cocktails (Martini with a twist for him, French 75 for me). “When you go to a place that’s brand new and everyone is talking to their friends, you know it’s right,” he says. “It’s about creating an environment that people feel comfortable in, and can actually converse and have a good time. They’re not waiting for something to happen.”

We’re at Little Felix, Merivale’s newest opening and latest addition to The Ivy precinct on Sydney’s George Street. We’ve only just met (bar a brief introduction at the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards) but the bar’s décor – with its dark green walls and plush velvet chairs – creates an instant intimacy. It’s conspiratorial.

Over the course of the next hour, Hemmes will discuss everything from his childhood and teenage years through to the impact of Sydney’s lockout laws and business confidence. He is warm and animated, never more so than when discussing his family, especially his late father, John, and his two young daughters.

More than anything, Hemmes is hospitable. He makes you feel welcome and wanted.

Hemmes learnt the art – and joy – of entertaining from his parents, John and Merivale. (The Merivale group, which began as a fashion house before morphing into a hospitality empire, is named after Hemmes’ mother.)