Infinity, Hyun-hee Lee (Detail)
Welcome to a new season in our neighbourhood.
The ol' Kensington Street jukebox cranks out a storm of winter sounds. The Old Rum Store fills with voices once again for the Chippendale New World Art Prize. Bar Chinois hums its late night blues. Salted chocolate bars break at Kakawa, and Mekong hears thundering rapids through Southeast Asia.
Kensington Street is announced the "new benchmark for the City's future streets" at the 2016 Good Design Awards (congratulations, Turf Design Studio and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer!)
We're stoked to crack into the month of June. Sound good?
For the Love Of Grain, Andrew Christie
Join us for the highly anticipated opening night of the Chippendale New World Art Prize featuring an exhibition of finalists within the historic walls of The Old Rum Store and Kensington Contemporary Galleries. Come and celebrate achievements of the tremendous talent featured in the exhibition from 6-8 PM, Thursday 2 June.
Judges will unveil the finalists, and our winner will be awarded an artist's residency in the hills of Assisi (Italy) valued at $10,000.
Vote for your favourite artwork to go into the draw to win a dinner for 2 at Mekong, the latest culinary adventure to arrive on Kensington Street.
HOW TO VOTE
1. Take a photo of your favourite artwork
2. Post it on Instagram
3. Hashtag
#CNWAP2016
#KensingtonStreet
Votes will be tallied during the exhibition and the prize will be announced on Sunday 26 June.
Winning artist of the People's Choice will receive Dinner for 2 at the classically driven french fare, Bistrot Gavroche.
Squid Ink Dumplings - Photography by Lauren Commens
In collaboration with VIVID Ideas, the opening night will conclude with a banquet at Mekong from 8-10PM. Our esteemed judges, accompanied by professional curator Susannah Smith, will join in conversation on art philanthropy and collecting.
Thank you to all the guests at our SELL OUT banquet! You'll be well looked after with pairings from our sponsor Teusner Wines.
We'll see you Thursday evening in our glass pagoda above the sea.
Mekong lives in perpetual summer. Sail down the river and discover recipes hand-passed through the generations, spiced up by Chef Tiw Rakarin's contemporary twist.
Mekong offers a three-course lunch with a complimentary mocktail for only $28. From 12 - 3PM (Thursday to Sunday), roll through a choice of starter and main, capped off with the Bangkok Ice Cream Bowl for dessert and the sweet notes of a seasonal mocktail.
An absolute steal.
In the words of Terry Durack (chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald), it's a "fresh, cool amusement park of flavour." For a left-of-field lunch spot, Mekong "delivers a lightness, elegance and nuance we don't often see in our Asian restaurants."
Download the menu - click here
Lower Mekong offers some solid refuge from the cold.
The only Spice Alley venue with table service dips into the fresh flavours and warm hospitality of Vietnam. Word has been spread about the sugarcane prawn, crispy pancake with pork floss and the mother of all Vietnamese dishes; the make-or-break bowl of pho.
Good morning, Saigon!
OPEN 11AM - 10PM
Photography by Lauren Commens
We visit Bar Chinois each day of the week to taste its rotating menu.
Ease yourself back into the week by lunching with the Croques; Monsieur and Madame. These folk pose high authority in salon society - and delicious company.
Croque Monsieur arrives with smoked ham, gruyere cheese, bechamel and cauliflower pickle, while Madame dresses for the occasion, donning a fried egg like her wide-brimmed Edwardian hat. Both are accompanied by gently toasted bread to cushion the Mondayitis blow.
Comb your weary Monday eyes over a list of Bar Chinois martinis or fresh Asian-inspired brews. Upgrade your cup o' coffee to an espresso martini and let's toast to the small bar with"plenty of potential, character and charm."
Kakawa Chocolates
Kakawa Chocolate has finally arrived on Kensington Street! This sleek little chocolate boutique has moved into one of the street's iconic federation terraces. This is no run of the mill chocolate shop!
The Kakawa name originates from the first civilisation that cultivated cocoa beans on the Coast of Mexico. Within this boutique lies a passion for the highest quality chocolate, using no artificial flavours or preservatives. Chocolate bars and slabs, rocky road, fudges, caramelised nuts - each is carefully crafted and delicately presented.
There's hot chocolate for the bitter winter. But even when the temperature drops - we're still coming for the ice cream sandwiches.
OPENING HOURS
MON-SAT 10:30AM - 6:30PM
SUN 10:30AM - 4:30PM
Image courtesy of Corporate Culture
Cult, a branch of furniture and design showroom Corporate Culture, has just opened its doors in Chippendale. Corporate Cultures holds successful showrooms in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. Located at 21-23 Levey Street, Cult showcases designer furniture for residential homes and features internationally renowned designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Marc Newson and Hans J. Wegner.
Freshen up your home for the new season with sleek, innovative design of the highest quality.
Join the CULT.
Nothing like a cracked lip to ruin winter's charms. But The Beauty Table has us covered.
Our new neighbour offers a wide array of beauty and medical cosmetic treatments to keep these Kensington Street faces looking radiant. There's facials, teeth whitening, semi-permanent make up. Dig a little deeper with a revitalizing anti-wrinkle or skin lifting treatment.
OPENING HOURS
TUE-SAT: 10AM - 10PM
SUN: 10AM - 6PM
Image courtesy of Silvereye
Sam Miller, formerly of Noma in Copenhagen, brings a rare culinary experience to Sydney's food scene. His local brainchild Silvereye offers an invaluable element for Chippendale's cultural renaissance - and a new dinner menu for the winter months.
Silvereye focuses on fresh, seasonal produce cured through traditional techniques such as fermenting, pickling, curing and smoking from Miller's North European roots. While launching its new three-course dinner menu at $90, Silvereye will also continue to offer its five-course tasting menu - $140 - and (if you're looking to indulge) its seven-course tasting menu at $175.
All menus are served with a selection of snacks to start and a selection of petit fours to finish. Wine and non-alcoholic juice pairing also available.
With the visual lure and vibrancy of Silvereye, we're hook, line and sinker.
On the second Saturday of every month, Explore Chippendale Historical Walking Tours paves a trip through time on the streets of Chippendale. Take a trip back in time to discover Chippendale's sordid past and clandestine affairs hiding beneath the bricks of Kensington Street federation terraces and its surroundings.
Led by a professional historian, tours will start on Saturday 9 July, 2-3PM. The first month's theme will be A History of Women in Chippendale.
For $28, from 12:30 - 2PM, tour attendees can also join us for a three course lunch at Mekong. Keep yourselves warm with the spices of Indochine cuisine and our complimentary wines paired to match the dishes. A steal, so be quick, all aboard.
BOOKINGS - CLICK HERE
Before
After
Huge congratulations to our brilliant urban designers at Turf Design Studio & Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects! The team knocked out Best "Architectural Design" at the 2016 Good Design Awards for their vision of yours truly.
"Kensington Street brings to the table Sydney's newest laneway and sets a new benchmark for the City's future streets. Transforming a once abandoned corner of the city into an 'eat street' destination; heritage terraces are awash with new creative spaces, bringing an eclectic buzz to Broadway and Sydney's evolving downtown." – Good Design Awards 2016
Australian Financial Review - On the list of Australia's Top 100 Restaurants, Automata takes #9 and Silvereye #50
Australian Financial Review - Exec chef Robert Daniels on Kensington Street Social's counter dining culture.
Bitesize Traveller - Bitesize Traveller hails Bar Chinois a place of "potential, character and charm."
Broadsheet - "Mekong is testing out the waters for two weeks before it sets sail towards an official launch."
Broadsheet - Nicholas Jordan and Leigh Griffiths go to dinner at Mekong.
Business Insider Australia - Kensington Street wins "Architectural Design" at the 2016 Good Design Awards
The Daily Telegraph - Mekong launches.
Good Food - On Automata's bar scene
Good Food - Terry Durack reviews Mekong
Good Food - Kakawa Chocolates opens on Kensington Street
Hospitality Magazine - "Mekong is plating up tastes of Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam."
Music.com.au - Kensington St Fashion Week Launch Night In The Old Rum Store
The Urban List - "We Ate Our Way Through Spice Alley And It Was Delicious."
The Urban List - CNWAP x VIVID banquet at Mekong in "June Food Events."
Urban Walkabout - Urban Walkabout names Mekong and Lower Mekong in Sydney's newest destinations.
Vogue - Kensington Street Social in "Rise and dine: This is why breakfast is the new dinner."
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