DINING OUT: THE POWDER KEG, POTTS POINT, SYDNEY

December 23, 2015

The Powder Keg
7 Kellett Street, Potts Point, Sydney, NSW
+61 2 8354 0984

A bar-restaurant hybrid with European colonial leanings, now served up with a serious Man Vs Wild slant.

If there’s been one winner from the draconian late night lock-out laws that have cursed Kings Cross for the past 12 months, it’s without a doubt The Powder Keg. Nestled in that sweet spot just behind the party annexes of Darlinghurst and Bayswater Roads but still close enough for a walk in a pair of heels, it’s a haven for late night revellers of a more refined kind. The ones that know when to go home but why would they when they can carouse their way through Sydney’s most whimsical drinks menu in a venue that feels as cosy as private apartment.

Yes, sliding into a low-lit TPK booth does feel a bit like you’re moving in. It’s the kind of venue that’s built for long meandering conversations (put this on your date night list) but if you ever get stuck, the cocktails make for an excellent talking points, with 110+ types of gin and 8 tonic water mixer options just the starting point.

Mixologist and owner Grant Collins (formerly of The White Hart, The Smoking Panda, Zeta and W at the Woolloomooloo Wharf) has fully realised his dream of the ultimate gin palace, creating a drink list that’s one part playful, one part history lesson. Take for instance the Gunpowder Plot, a ode to the Guy Fawkes rebellion of 1605; one part gunpowder tea spiked gin, gunpowder syrup, dandelion and burdoch bitters, served in a smoking cloche. It’s one way to remember the 5th of November.

For the next few months though the focus has been well and truly primed onto chef Elijah Holland’s (formerly ARIA and Jonah’s) foraging menus, with ingredients literally sourced directly from a single location. Think of it more as a food experience than a standard meal, with themes ranging from Beach To Plate, State Forest To Plate, all the way to Urban Forage (yes, that means an urban park in a city).

It’s a fresh spin on the Paddock To Plate trend and feels a lot like an adventure for your palette. It’s also an exploratory journey for Holland, who literally goes hunting and picking ingredients up as he finds them. Safe to say that he’s the most hands on chef in Sydney right now.

Naturally, Collins has crafted his own alcoholic ode to the forage: The Seaweed Mule (seaweed infused Russian vodka, with sea lettuce from Freshwater beach, ginger and seaweed syrup, with basil and ginger beer. Topped with candied seaweed). Like much of the menu, it’s an education in sustainability as well as a taste sensation and you’ll walk away with a bit of a story as well as a full belly.