THE BLOCKS: Pop up restaurant, wine bar and art, Walsh Bay, Sydney (15 Mar 2012)

Pier 2/3, 13 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay NSW 2000

16 March to 5 April, Wed-Fri 4 pm - 11 pm, Sat-Sun 1 - 11 pm

http://www.theblockslive.com

Multi-sensory discovery of wine

“Penfolds and renowned London-based designers Studio Toogood have collaborated to create an ambitious multi-sensory environment dedicated to wine and creativity called THE BLOCKS. Through art and design, THE BLOCKS encourages visitors to discover their palettes using sight, touch and smell before tasting some of the world's greatest wines all matched to distinctive foods.”

Thanks to Tom Hyde from The Royals for inviting me to the launch of THE BLOCKS which will run for 3 weeks in Sydney (16 March to 5 April). I've been told once open trained sommeliers will take visitors on a journey to discover their palate using sight, smell and touch before indulging in Penfolds Bin and Luxury wines, complemented by locally foraged and seasonal tastes designed by Executive Chef Jock Zonfrillo (Magill Estate Restaurant). The launch canapes were quite interesting and I liked how they were presented and served — all single handed eating so you could keep holding onto your glass of wine. The Crab canape was my favourite of the night although a bit more crab meat and a bit less sauce would have been nice. I thought having a bit of pickled cucumber salsa and fresh coriander on top to help cut through the heaviness of the sauce would have possibly made it even better for me. It will be interesting to see what the final seasonal dishes will end up being and how they will be plated and matched to the wines.

I tried the limited range of wines on offer for the launch and they were all quite nice but the lethal tasting Penfolds cocktail was the winner for me. Maybe it's because I'm a gin lover and simply love cocktails but it was also interesting to have a cocktail with wine in it besides sangria. The art was pretty cool but I probably didn't really understand it as much as I should because we didn't have the benefit of a guided tour around the space although I did find out you need to smell the huge wooden sculptures — they smelt good. I probably need revisit to fully appreciate the art and wine journey that's been created and hopefully learn a bit more about Penfolds wines and discover which ones I like the best. I do enjoy a pop up restaurant and bar but it's a shame it won't be on for long. Apparently it's best to make a booking as there's only around 120 seats for the dining experience but you can also try your luck and just turn up I believe as well.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting art and space, Interesting canapes served at launch, Free entry to site (but you pay for wine and food), Sommeliers will guide visitors around the site when open

CONS: Preferable to make a reservation to guarantee a spot, Location is a little bit of a trek, I can't find a menu online to view

MUST TRY: Returning to check out the menu

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Entrance

Penfolds wines on offer to sample at launch

Penfolds cocktail

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Wagyu beef canape

Crab canape

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetable canape

Mulloway canape

Steak tartare canape

Pumpkin canape

Greens canape

Dessert canape

Bar

Seating

Kylie Speer (middle), Airlie Walsh (right)

Thang Ngo, Daniel C, Richard Elliot

Friendly launch folk

Speech time: Penfolds' David Phillips (left), David Clark of Vogue Living (middle), Faye Toogood of Studio Toogood (right)

The Faders DJs

Art meets wine

Look for the crushed car for the entrance


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Malaysia Kitchen Food Market: Pop Up Restaurant Event, Sydney (17 Feb 2011)

The State Theatre Laneway, enter via George St opposite QVB

49 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.malaysiakitchen.com.au
http://twitter.com/#!/MKInsiders

Sydney loves Malaysian-mania

It takes a certain amount of patience to line up for just over an hour before you actually get to sit and eat your lunch but in the end the perseverance is rewarded with a sampling of four Malaysian dishes for only $10. I arrived at around 11.50 am to a very long queue reaching towards The Hilton and discovered people had been queuing since 11.30 am to be the first in line. The event can sit a maximum of 80 people so once the first group are allowed in it's about 45 minutes until people from the second group are allowed to trickle in as seats become available — I ended up being the 113th position. I think there's a maximum of 250 covers per opening session. Receiving my raffle ticket group placing was like receiving the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket which I held on to tightly as it made me feel reassured of my eventual entry amongst a slightly unclear queuing system — clearer directions from staff would be helpful.

It was funny watching pedestrians walking past with expressions of what-the-hell-is-happening-here looks. Once you get to the front entry and pay your $10 you walk down a photo plastered laneway with joy to have finally made it in to unfortunately discover you've now arrived at the next queuing section — WTF. Oh well, it's all part of the experience I guess. You can order drinks at this stage but I think it would have been nice for complimentary cups of water to be made readily available at this point, especially if you've been waiting a very long time and it's a very hot day.

There are 15 restaurants listed as being part of the event and for each lunch and dinner a selection of four are chosen to provide 1 dish each. There doesn't seem to be a listing of when each one will be on so it's a bit of pot-luck of who you'll get on the day. Today's lunch starts with a Char Kway Teow from Kuali unfortunately uses pad thai style noodles rather than the wider Chinese rice noodles which I prefer. It's lacking a bit of robust char factor like you might find at Malay-Chinese Takeaway, Sayong or even Yummy Cuisine but it's pleasant enough. Next served is the

Roti Canai from the legendary

Mamak whose lineups are famous as well before opening.

The satay chicken had plenty of flavour but could have been a bit hotter in temperature to be even better and the roti was very good although that's what they're famous for doing so well.

Jackie M

serves up a Nasi Lemak which I surprisingly enjoy since I'm not usually a huge fan of this dish. My fellow Malaysian diner thought the rice could have been less wet and stuck together and the sambal seemed a bit watered down and could have had more kick to it which I tend to agree. To finish the

N

asi kunyit with beef rendang is served by

Kaki Lima and rich in flavour including some distinctive kaffir lime notes. I enjoyed this dish served with

turmeric glutinous rice. All in all if you can stomach the wait to get in I think it can be a very enjoyable dining experience to share with a few friends or even perhaps by yourself.

I'm suspecting if you dine alone you might even end up getting a bit more to eat because you wouldn't have to share your roti or rice. Enjoy if you're one of the lucky ones to get in before ending.

Opening hours (I suggest arrive as early as possible):

Wed 16 Feb 2011: 6 – 9 pm

Thu 17 Feb: 12 noon – 3 pm & 6 – 9 pm

Fri 18 Feb: 12 noon – 3 pm & 6 – 9 pm

Other reviews and info of Malaysia Kitchen Food Market:

• TimeOut Sydney

• City of Sydney

• Grab Your Fork - Media Launch

• Chocolatesuze - Media Launch

• Jenius - Media Launch

• The Heart of Food - Media Launch

• Noodlies - First Night

• Simon Food Favourites - 16 Feb visit

• Simon Food Favourites - 17 Feb lunch

• Mirgraphy

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good value ($10 gets you 4 sampling dishes), Nice decor and atmosphere with lanterns, Interesting location, Friendly staff albeit feeling a bit overwhelmed by the huge interest

CONS: Hugely popular so arrive as early as possible to line up (I suggest 30-60 mins), Weather permitting, During lunch you might be under direct sunlight, Drinks are expensive I believe, Dishes may not be as authentic as you hope but it's a good introduction

MUST TRY: Definitely worth visiting before it ends (it keeps being advertised as one week but seems to actually only be on for 3 days)
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Video walk-through of Malaysia Kitchen Food Market from outside lineup through photo laneway and past kitchens and table seating

The queue at 11.50 am before the 12 noon open time

End of the queue at 11.50 am already stretching past Mick Simmons

My place ticket — now I feel reassured amongst the queue

Doors open at 12 noon for the first 80 people (minus VIP people on the guest list that don't have to queue up)

Laneway of photos

The inner sanctum line up where you're one step closer to getting to eat something — sugar levels running low but hold on

Drinks are available for purchase in the inner sanctum lineup — I believe beer or soft drink

Seating and decor

Chinese lanterns create a colourful ceiling which opens up to the sky — not sure how it'll cope with rain though

Table setting — you better like communal eating

Laneway seating

Mirrored surface create interesting surroundings and make the space feel a bit bigger and brighter

Sound system at the end of the laneway with mirrored signage — hey that's me in the mirror!

Kuali: Char Kway Teow - Stir-fry rice noodles with prawns, fishcakes, bean sprouts, egg and garlic chives (was shared between 2)

Mamak: Roti Canai with satay chicken served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce (was shared between 2)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Jackie M: Nasi Lemak-Fragrant coconut rice accompanied with dried anchovy sambal, peanuts, egg, cucumber and achar (was shared between 2) — Hey, that's Ms Jackie M herself!

Kaki Lima: Nasi kunyit with beef rendang - Slow-cooked beef curry served with turmeric glutinous rice and cucumber slices on banana leaves (was shared between 2)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Table water — it's free and needed after all that lining up

Table cutlery — mirrored table looks cool but not if you're seated in a spot where the sun is directly above

Toilets available in the side entry to the State Theatre

Malaysian restaurants being showcased

Contact details and map flyer

Time of exit 1.35 pm — no queues now and some limited seating was still available if you're lucky. I think there's a maximum of 250 covers for each session.

Lunch time menu – Friday 18 Feb 2011

Lees Malaysian serving Vegetarian Gado Gado

Jackie M serving Nasi Lemak

Malacca Straits serving Penang Chicken Kapitan

Kaki Lima serving Jahoran chicken and beef satay served with peanut sauce, cucumber, onions and compressed rice


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