Dr Pong

Dr Pong Address: 1a Burton Street, Darlinghurst.

Ph: 02 9332 3565

Website: www.DoctorPong.com.au

Email: [email protected]

Dr Pong DOCTOR PONGS HAS UNFORTUNATELY CLOSED DOWN –  YOUR NEAREST PING PONG TABLE IS NOW AT NAME THIS BAR

The Grand Sunday Royal Roast
Snuggle up beside the real fire – this winter – with mulled wine, roast dinners and guest DJs

1a Burton Street, home of Sydney hotspot Doctor Pong, invites you to embrace winter every Sunday, starting this June.

Leading the roast dinner revolution Doctor Pong prides itself on offering an affordable, wholesome, array of meats and vegetarian options from two Chef Hatters. Including only in-season, organic, vegetables, Doctor Pong will use the freshest ingredients. And include a roast dinner staple – the mighty Yorkshire Pudding.

Enjoy an authentic glass of royally mulled wine, in royal medieval mugs, next to the roaring fireplace, or a game of scrabble and free Ping Pong, against a backdrop of great music and food.

With surprise guest DJs, advertised last-minute, the We Love Indie DJs will be on-hand to provide the soundtrack to your Sunday. Expect latest and greatest in indie, rock n roll, and classic uplifting tunes that will tickle your senses and evoke memories.

Doctor Pong burst onto the scene a year ago, and quickly gained a loyal cult following. With a ping pong table at the centre of the bar/restaurant, it’s Berlineque / New York feel has played host to the Rolling Stone awards after-party, Puma launch party and more. The bar showcases the best up and coming art and music talents, and the Royal launch will be no different.

I’ll Get You My Pretty, a window into the real life of Sydneysiders will present their first ever (!) showcase before the operation relocates to Berlin. A pop-up city blog, with Europe as the next destination, expect an exhibition of mind opening proportions.

In the short time Dr Pong has been open, word has spread among Sydney’s small-bar aficionados of its grungy, laid-back aesthetic, its red plastic beer cups and its “beer, beats and ping pong” mantra. As a result, I expect the place to resemble a slipshod American frat house. Instead, I am surprised to find a sleekly decorated, ultra-trendy, colourful, spacious and sophisticated bar. Dr Pong has done its German counterpart proud, recreating the unfussy but super-cool vibe for which the Berlin original is famous.

INSIDE, THE DECOR IS A FEAST for the eyes. The restaurant, which takes up one side of the large, open bar, has black-and-white prints by New York-based photographer Juan Mon all over the walls. Clusters of light bulbs hang from long cords, and a lime-green feature wall glows in the dim light. Along the other side of the room is a fantastical mural, grungy Chesterfield couches and tables covered in graffiti. In the middle is a long bar and the piece de resistance: the ping pong table. Board games and easels lie around, and every corner has a mix of quirky couches and bric-a-brac.

CHILLED OUT IS THE WAY TO BE at Dr Pong. Everyone is. Guys in colourful sneakers play a casual game of ping pong, the bar staff wear civvies and the wait staff are laid back yet very attentive. We’re told up front that a few cocktail ingredients are missing, so we go for a Berrylicious (42 Below Passion, Chambord, berries, passionfruit and ruby grapefruit juice) and trust our bartender to make a variation on the Cheesecake Sour (Frangelico, limoncello, Bacardi, mascarpone cheese and lemon juice). He replaces the cheese with a macadamia liqueur, creating a slightly confusing blend of sour, fruity and nutty. The Berrylicious is deliciously fruity. For the rest of the night, like everyone else, we stick with the house wine ($7) and the infamous beer served in keg-worthy red plastic cups ($5).

1 Burton Street, Darlinghurst, 9332 3565
Open Tue-Wed, 4.30pm-late; Thur-Sat, 11am-2am

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