WLG Wellington Pop-up Restaurant – Kings Cross, Sydney
WTF is WLG you may ask ? It’s the latest pop-up restaurant concept which has hit Sydney. I remember going to The Pond not long ago which was a great experience. It was a pop-up restaurant which was only in operation for three months. WLG on the other hand is only open for two weeks and is an attempt at showcasing the best of Wellington’s food and wind scene on the footsteps of Sydneysiders.
Everything served over the two weeks is genuine New Zealand produce and dishes produced by passionate New Zealand chefs. I found everyone involved to be very passionate about Wellington and what they were doing. It was great to hear their stories and how Wellington is gearing up to be a premiere food and wine destination for travelers from all around the world.
We were lucky enough to dine early last week to see what the fuss was about. There was a frenzy of Twitter and Facebook activity regarding the event, Sydney does love the pop-up wine and food concept. To set things straight, yes this was a PR invite but under no circumstances were we in a food for comment situation. I’m writing this up because I think it’s a steal to pay $29pp for 3 courses in Sydney, some places charge $29 just for entrees!
When we arrived, we were told that the venue was brought back to life specifically for this event. The location was formally known as Bayswater Brasserie, which someone people would call a Sydney institution. We were told that when they arrived to inspect the place, it was left in an abandoned state where food and drinks were still left on the table, even the bar was still loaded with alcohol. Whatever state it was in, they did an amazing job with the clean up process and the restaurant looked as good as new to me. In fact, it had a bit of character about it and I’ll be sad to see WLG depart when the event is over.
We were joined by other bloggers and organisers of the event. The long communal dining table was great, it gave me an opportunity to have a chat with a few random people who thought it was amazing concept and they wished it would become a more regularly event.
Shared tasting plate
We kicked off with this shared tasting plate. I’m a big fan of anti pasto type platters, having the chance to try a bit of everything always goes down well. We had a variety of crisp West Coast New Zealand white bait, Lot 8 spiced olives, venison rillettes with spiced pear and watercress, fried goat’s cheese balls with Manuka honey and kiwi chutney and finally citrus-cured Regal King Salmon gravlax with New Zealand wasabi panna cotta. The wasabi panna cotta and white bait were a hit for me.
Vension Wellington
My main was a short venison loin, wrapped in puff pastry with portobello mushrooms, smoked bacon, sage and peppercorn sauce. Medium rare goodness, the only way to eat good meat! However, I did find the supporting cast of the dish a bit ‘flat’, but that probably let the venison shine, and so it should as it was bloody well cooked.
Snapper w/ Cloudy Bay Diamond Clams, baby peas, fennel, crayfish butter and chervil
To mix things up a bit, Minh had the snapper. A fillet of grilled snapper is grilled and served with Cloudy Bay Diamond Clams, baby peas, fennel, crayfish butter and chervil. The smell from the combination of ingredients was infectiously good.
Portobello mushrooms and swiss chard baked in filo with braised fennel, olives, goats’ curd and green lentils
Billy went for the vegetarian option which was probably the best dish of the night. The flavour was intense, there was a bit of texture due to the pastry and lentils and the pastry itself was flaky and crunchy. It’s a top dish, I’d come back just for it.
bombe Alaska
To finish what has been an already excellent meal, we are treated with a Chocolate and Coffee Praline Bombe Alaska with a Raspberry Consommé. It’s a clever mix of Whittaker’s chocolate ice cream and what tasted like salted caramel.
Wellington on a Plate is a steal at $29 for 3 courses. Wine by the glass is also pretty good, at $7 per glass. The event is apparently booked out but there are a handful of walk in spots available each night. The event is still running and will run until Sunday 26th September so there is still time to check it out.
And a tip from grabyourfork : Otherwise sit back at relax at the WLG wine bar which will be serving New Zealand wines and cheese for $15 per person. No bookings are required for the wine bar. The wine bar is open from 5pm weekdays, and from 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.
WLG Wellington Pop-Up Restaurant
Location: 32 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross
Open from Tuesday 14 to Sunday 26 September (closed Mondays)
Info: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/australian_visitors/what_is_wlg
eatshowandtell dined as guests of Hill and Knowlton.
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By Howard
We started eatshowandtell in 2008, it was meant to be just a journal of where we ate. The first thing I usually do when I'm looking for a restaurant is check out eatability and the restaurant website. But what is usually missing is pictures of the food, how do I know I'm getting what I expect? This blog hopefully plugs that gap.
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This article was written on 22 Sep 2010, and is filed under Dinner, Sydney, CBD.
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I love the idea of a pop up restaurant. and definitely a steal at only $29 each.
My Restaurants Melbourne´s last [type] ..Tea Blossoms
Lovely photos, Howard. I did like they way they set up the restaurant so there was lots to look at and touch. And miniature Whittakers chocolate squares are always good too
Helen (grabyourfork)´s last [type] ..Meet Fresh Taiwanese Dessert House- Haymarket Chinatown- Sydney
Mini whittakers were great, can’t seem to find them in Syd though!
My gut instinct told me to order vegetarian and surprisingly the best dish of them all in my opinion.
It was a great night, everyone was so relax and casual and chilled.
billy@ATFT´s last [type] ..Mandarin Marmalade & Grand Marnier Pudding
Yeah I drove past looks interesting!
We went last night, I thought it was a fabulous promotion and a great way to get people talking. I thought the service was a little overbearing, it was obvious they were trying to hurry you along to pass the table to someone else. Some of the dishes were different to yours, I wish I’d got to try the venison wellington!!
Lisa´s last [type] ..Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding with Poached Rhubarb
Sad that we have to be so emphatic about the food-for-comment thing these days…
The Bombe Alaska was indeed the bomb, I guess you appreciate it more knowing that you won’t be able to just come in any day and have it again.
Hmm I wouldn’t say I was emphatic, I’m usually quite open if I have been invited to something.
Amazing photos!! Feels like I’m back there again. The food was fantastic and I loved having the opportunity to meet and dine with fabulous fellow bloggers such as yourself.
xxMs D
Ms Darlinghurst´s last [type] ..Pure Blonde White Party