Inspired by the unique pleasure of diving into a bowl of noodles, embarking on a brace of tacos or maneuvering a hot dog while perched on kindergarten-issue plastic stools, brothers and owners Stan and Aaron Crinis were determined to bring a taste of these magically humble experiences to Wollongong’s CBD. The result was Dagwood.
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How to conceptualise an appropriate environment, however, was inherently challenging, as the city council may well have frowned upon swarms of diners clogging up the streets of its CBD.
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The solution was to bring the street inside and create a pleasingly haphazard collection of benches, booths and nooks that would recreate the impromptu feel of less regulated cousins across Asia and Latin America. A 160-square-metre concrete shell affording 120 seats proved to be the perfect canvas for the project.
“We wanted to create enclaves or zones within the restaurant so that you would have a different experience each time depending on where you were situated, aiming to reflect the different culinary components one would experience eating in a street market or food fare” explains Mandy Edge, Director of the design studio responsible for the fit out.
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Materially, the recycled brick paving and timber floor boards echo the rustic resourcefulness of street stalls and simple restaurants across the developing world, while crude elements such as steel cabinets with a burnished, antique finish to display wine are mixed with more refined surfaces such as a Carrera marble bar top and on ledges situated throughout the restaurant where patrons can lean provocatively as they munch and quaff.
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Walls are covered in a variety of bright, bizarre and vintage posters, which paired with wall lights and exposed ceilings evoke gritty back-alley scenarios perfect for delicious and relaxed dining.
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The net result is of a warm and cheerful space, varied enough to ensure successive visits promise the discovery of new and quirky details.
Edge Design Studio
mandyedge.com
Photography: Steve Back
steveback.com.au
Dagwood
facebook.com/dagwoodbk?fref=ts