Vivid 8Bits + Bytes
Martin Place, Sydney
Pop up open: 27 May – 18 June 2016, 17:00 – 23:00
Warning: This post may contain traces of succulent burgers causing mild to severe salivating, 80's flash backs or hallucinations of PAC-MAN chasing cheese draped burgers. If you experience any of these symptoms, please consult your nearest burger joint at Vivid 8Bits + Bytes pop up, Martin Place, before 18th June. Treatment: eat a burger here asap!
Mid-week date night, the Earl and Countess decided to dine al fresco and check out this year’s Vivid pop up installation in Martin Place and we can honestly not rave enough about how rad this night was.
Yes, you heard me, “rad”. 80’s children ourselves, the Earl and I were overcome with tasty nostalgia by the 8Bits + Bytes experience Sydney creative agencies, Motti+Smith and Paper Moose have curated. An 80’s love child of sorts, the duo have merged five of Sydney’s epic burger joints with classic arcade games, pixelated, neon light walls and a well stocked bar. The effect: a hip, cool atmosphere to hang out in for a night. And bring the kids (even the big ones). The oversized TV set challenges you and a friend to a game of real life Pong where your body is the paddle! Radicle, and a great way to work off a burger. Bonus points.
The gaming experience is mixed into the dining experience too with an Instagram Battle Burger (#battleburger). Tallying the scores of the most popular burger, the pixilated results are broadcast live to the oversized TV set. Dinnertime in the 80’s was never THIS much fun!
We washed our hands, waited for everyone to be seated, said grace and tucked in to four tasty burgers. We had to test a selection. To take the burger battle seriously of course.
Gunsmoke was our first burger of the evening from The Milk Bar by Café Ish. The best way to describe this lip smacking creation is to think of the taste sensation if nachos and smoked beef brisket were to have a baby. With succulent beef pattie, crispy rasher bacon, apple smoked buffalo BBQ sauce AND dorito chips and jalepenos, this was definitely a favorite of the Earl, who well and truly polished it off (well, it’s rude to leave left overs on your plate remember?). The only other thing we must praise Gunsmoke for was that it didn’t skimp on the all-important cheese. Smoky American cheddar topped off with liquid cheese made this burger truly delicious. And, for the 80’s working class man famished from a hard day’s work, you can add an extra pattie to really fill you up.
We also can’t leave The Milk Bar without mentioning (aka screaming from the skyscrapers) its Donkeys Kong Milk Shake. Our first sip may have been the exact moment we flashdanced back to the 80’s. Remember banana Nesquik? Well, you will after one sip of this. Chocolaty, banana creaminess, topped with a generous helping of glossy whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and roasted peanuts, we should have really got two because we struggled to share this one.
Our next 80’s burger star of the night was the PAC-MAN from Sydney’s much-loved Newtown burger joint, Mary’s. As the arcade hero name suggests, this was, quite literally one burger being gobbled up by another burger.
So much fun eating this one! The texture was the first thing I noticed biting through one soft on the outside, nicely crisped on the inside, brioche bun, into the second, smaller one, it was heightened by a sweet, crispy onion ring hidden inside the smaller bun. Possibly this Countesses new BFF, a version of the classic cheeseburger I found it much lighter than other burgers of the night. Shout out to the tomato ketchup too… smoky, tangy tomato goodness, it was almost salsa like.
We paused here a moment to sit back and let our burger bliss take over a little. Taking in the bright lights of the exhibit and sounds of cheering from the Pong gamers we sipped on a glass of the bar’s warming mulled wine. Filled with aromatic cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg the warming goodness did help settle the tummy.
We took on Sammy’s Polish Pounder next. A collaboration within a collaboration really, this taste sensation was created by both Sammy’s and fellow foodie, The Jugernauts. This burger had us doing a little dance on the spot when we bit into the juicy, sweet n sour, deep fried pickle perched high up on top of it’s crispy potato bun. This was a classic burger with a surprising twist. Oozing with golden runny cheese we were surprised by the kick of hot horseradish mustard and delighted by the tangy, fresh sauerkraut full of flavor that cut through the rich burger patty, the two were a complimentary duo and a really nice, original addition to the traditional burger.
The el loco burger award of the night definitely goes to Bang Bang’s Hackroulette burger. Chilli con carne in a burger? Yeah, I know, we hear ya. But we’re pleased to report that Bang Bang have made this a tasty, warm, burger a reality. Thank you to the crazy chef who decided to take a punt on this one! Well worth it. They’ve manage to form chilli con carne, complete with black beans that burst in your mouth, into a burger pattie that is massive on texture, warmth and spice. The brilliant accompaniment with this burger that we loved just a little, was the shot of gherkin juice, a little bit of brilliance in the game, and not bad as a pallet cleanser. Take a punt on this!
In summary: We will be back every night this week.
No, in all seriousness, this is one Vivid experience any burger lover really should not miss. It’s a fun, interactive experience that tantalises all your senses. Take in the smells of smoky, sizzling bacon and meat patties mixed with the chai scent of the mulled wine wafting through the air. The mouth-watering taste of these superb burger creations will have you licking your fingertips and wanting to try them all while taking in the pixelated sights of the light display and vibing off the chatter of the crowd and music filling the air.
Open from 5 to 11pm until the 18th of June, wrap up and get into this delicious 8Bits + Bytes Vivid experience while you can.
The Earl and Countess, who now review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out visited this pop up as guests and would like to take a moment to really thank Blake and Fernando from Motti+Smith and Mark from Paper Moose for their warm welcome, hospitality and banter throughout the night. You and your teams have created an exciting, engaging "don’t want to go home" experience. You should be proud of the organisation and production quality of the exhibit. It was a pleasure having the opportunity to dine out at 8Bits + Bytes – so thank you. Special thanks also to Rachel Cameron of The Society Group for this invitation.