The space is the old Foley Brothers building, built around 1886 and once part of a bustling commercial district just meters from Darling Harbor's wharf and railway. The state heritage inventory describes the building as “a remarkable example of a largely intact, largely intact complex of modest warehouses, wagon paths and courtyards, which is very rare today.”
Inside, visitors may be drawn to the smoke from the downstairs grill Ibushi, symbolized by a wispy ceiling installation by Filipino-Belgian wire artist Lasso Jugalap. Or you might be drawn to the whiskey bar in the back, which features custom wallpaper by local tattoo artist Chris Horigo. .
Whiskey bar, Whiskey Thief. Credit: Louise Kennerley
To get there, they pull a giant cast bronze door handle, about 30cm high and 20cm wide, by Daniel Barbera of Melbourne, and one of six bar stools by British designer Tom Dixon. Might sit on one.
The Herald's photographer was inside Garaku, a second-floor kaiseki restaurant with a dark leather-covered stone dining bar, tall glass-covered candles and a large pixel wall designed by Tokyo spatial director Hiroto Yoshizoe. When I entered, I was breathless. “It changes depending on the season,” Smith said. “It’s all about the theater.”
On the other floor is Seasonal Diner Five, where wooden works by Japanese ikebana artist Yuki Tsuji hang from the ceiling. His sculptures also adorn eight-seat omakase restaurants, a chef-centric Japanese culinary tradition that has taken Sydney by storm in recent years.
It seems like the perfect place for Instagram, but Smith dismisses it as a risky way of designing. “If you started with Instagram in mind, I think you’ve already failed,” he says. “What we tried to do was curate a lot of very curated points of view that were very punchy and had stories and stories about them. If it's Instagrammable, that's great. That’s it.”
A massive pixel wall that changes seasonally (or throughout the night). Credit: Louise Kennerley
But will these lofty ambitions succeed? Around County 48, the W Sydney Hotel opens in Darling Harbour, and several more boutique hotels are under construction further down Sussex Street There are early signs of change.
The real transformation will come if the long-planned redevelopment of Cockle Bay Wharf, including a 43-storey office tower and an overpass over Western Distributor with a public park, comes to fruition. The plan is under evaluation by the department.
While the area currently lacks foot traffic, Smith points out that Sydney's CBD is not prohibitively large. “We're not talking about New York. Sydney is small. It's about a 10-minute walk.”
Andrew Hoyne, a land and real estate consultant whose office is nearby, said he has developed a newfound attachment to the area that he didn't have six months ago. He believes the P48 project will attract other businesses and encourage investment in the district.
The back of the block – previously a warehouse and commercial office – has been converted into a whiskey bar. Credit: Louise Kennerley
“What's really great about Sussex Street and that area is that when you put a different lens on it and step back, you realize, 'Wow, there's a lot of really beautiful historic buildings,'” Hoyne said.
“I think they had some bad tenants and lacked a bit of love. I always thought Sussex Street was a bit of a dirty place (and) the whole town is coming back to life. The most All the interesting bars are deep in the woods, heading towards Chinatown.”
Mr Smith hopes P48 will become a destination that brings people out of their bubbles and, yes, out of their villages. “If you build a place with enough gravity and enough suction, people will come. This is more than just a restaurant, this is a place where global conversations, not just local conversations, are born. That's what Sydney needs more of.” That's another thing we often forget.
Get the day's latest news, entertainment ideas and long reads to keep you entertained. Sign up here to receive our evening newsletter.
