Don’t let the weather dampen your spirits, because Vivid Sydney – the Southern Hemisphere’s leading multi-artform and lights-on-steroids festival – kicks off tonight, baby! Vivid runs from Friday, May 23 to June 14, and this year’s bumper line-up is a cracker, featuring a totally free-to-explore light walk, a ripper music schedule at the Opera House and beyond, and my personal favourite part: lots of delicious things to eat and drink. (Hello, dreamy collabs with Michelin-starred chefs, laneway parties and even a pop-up roller skating rink next to a retro American-style diner.)
Vivid Fire Kitchen – a flame-fuelled market held along The Goods Line in Ultimo – also returns, serving up fire-kissed eats to hungry Vivid-goers. Time Out Sydney got a preview of this flame-powered street – here is everything you need to know, plus my five must-eat dishes (and a few notable mentions). Hungry? Same. Let’s dig in.
What is Vivid Fire Kitchen?
Part of Vivid Food, Vivid Fire Kitchen is a night-food market and street that's chock-full of vendors, stalls, bars and an outdoor kitchen featuring live cooking demos from the best in the biz. One thing they all have in common? All the dishes (except the oysters and ice-cream) have been touched by fire. At night, Sydneysiders can head on down during Vivid to eat their way through the tasty, diverse eats. Bring a group of friends so you can order a bunch of things and go to town.
Where is Vivid Fire Kitchen?
Vivid Fire Kitchen is held along The Goods Line in Ultimo, right behind Darling Harbour. It used to be an old railway line, but these days it’s a public walkway.
How do you get to Vivid Fire Kitchen?
Leave the car at home – it’s best to get public transport (either train or light rail) to Vivid Fire Kitchen. It's accessible from Central Station, where you’ll walk through that long underground tunnel (Devonshire Street Tunnel). Follow this towards the city – the pathway briefly opens onto street level, but continue your walk underground, and soon you’ll arrive at The Goods Line. Alternatively, you can catch the light rail and get off at the Chinatown Light Rail stop. From there, it’s about a ten-minute walk.
Who's cooking at Vivid Fire Kitchen?
Vivid Fire Kitchen isn't just about eating – you can learn about the art of cooking over fire and take home some tricks to wow your next dinner guests. Throughout Vivid, there will be nightly demos from some of the world’s best pitmasters and barbecue experts. Catch Aussie star Jess Pryles, American gun Nyesha Arrington, Oscar Solomon of The Apollo Group, Lennox Hastie of Firedoor, Annita Potter, the award-winning chef behind Viand, Paul Farag, executive chef of Aalia, Karima Hazim of Sunday Kitchen, Morgan McGlone of Bar Copains and Bessie’s, Michael Rantissi, owner of Kepos Group, and many more. Talk about a five-star line-up. See more here.
What are the must-eat dishes at Vivid Fire Kitchen?
I’m so glad you asked! I was lucky enough to get a preview and ran around like a headless chicken to try as much as I could (and yes, I had to unbutton my jeans at the end). The good news? I reckon the offerings are even better this year. There are also a few bars to grab a drink, including one selling mulled wine. While there are plenty of meat-heavy dishes, there’s enough to satisfy vegos and pescos too – plus sweet treats to end the night. Here are my five must-eat dishes, plus a few notable mentions:
1. Tandoori chicken tikka naan tacos at Pocket Rocketz
These guys lured me in with their butter chicken jaffle – and I reckon you should order one of those too. An Aussie classic filled with slow-cooked butter chicken, perfumed with cloves and cardamom, and amped up with melted mozzarella cheese, it’s nostalgic, delicious and messy all at once. But my dish of the night goes to Pocket Rocketz’s naan tacos. Think: warm, charred naan topped with succulent chicken tikka, garlic butter, tandoori mayo, mint chutney, fresh coriander and more. A banging two-handed Indian party.
2. Flame-kissed skewers at Firepop and Hoy Pinoy
I couldn't choose between these, so I reckon you should hit up both. Time Out fave Firepop is there in their signature red food truck, pumping out their yum meat lollipops: buttery Wagyu cubes with a garlic and salt crumb, and tender lamb skewers fragrant with cumin dukkah. So good. Then hit up Filipino barbecue legends Hoy Pinoy. My pick? Pork belly skewers in a sweet-sticky-sour banana ketchup glaze made from saba bananas – even better paired with a bright, citrusy calamansi and ube iced tea.
3. Sliced brisket and pickles at Burn City Smokers
This is a fire-fuelled food market, so it would be remiss not to get some seriously good barbecue meats. Head to Burn City Smokers for their 14-hour smoked beef brisket, bolstered with a sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauce. Pickled veg balances out the glorious fat, and the side of creamy mac and cheese rounds out a hearty, yum feed.
4. Soft-shell lobster flatbread with crocodile bacon at Crustacean Nation
Crustacean Nation, a seafood stall from Carriageworks Farmers Market, is slinging under-the-sea delights at Vivid Fire Kitchen. Begin with fresh, plump oysters from Pambula before their signature lobster flatbread. Fire-glazed soft-shell lobster from Tweed Heads is paired with curried slaw and shavings of smoky crocodile bacon (yes, really) on a soft flatbread. It’s bougie, flavoursome and packs a punch.
5. Crème brûlée churro cone at Mr Spanish Churro
If you thought France’s silky crème brûlée and Spain’s warm, doughnut-like churros couldn’t get better, think again. Mr Spanish Churro is merging the two cult desserts – and the result is so good you could cry. Warm, sugar-dusted churro is curled like an ice-cream cone before being filled with custard. Sugar is sprinkled on top, then torched to create a thin layer of sweet toffee. Ridiculous.
Notable mentions also go to Miss Sina, who’s selling plant-based treats of your dreams (including cinnamon-spiced s’mores), as well as tasty bites from Plate It Forward, Flyover Fritterie, Mapo Gelato and more.
Find out more here.
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