Name: Hollywood Dreaming | A Taste of HQ
Start: 2025-05-31T07:00:00
End: 2025-05-31T12:00:00
Location: Hollywood Quarter - Foster St

For one night only, Foster Street, Surry Hills will close to traffic and open to a feast of flavour, transforming into an al fresco food festival within...

Location:

2 Foster St
Surry Hills
Australia

Venue:

Hollywood Quarter - Foster St

Price:

Free

Featuring

Nelly Robinson (NEL)

Chef Nelly Robinson is the Britist-born Sydney based patron chef of NEL restaurant, a fine-dining restaurant located in the Hollywood Quarter of Surry Hills. Nelly is a champion of Native Australian ingredients, working with First Nations producers and actively engaging with partners to source the best quality local produce. His unbridled creativity is evident in every dish, aiming not only to surprise the palate but also to procure a memorable sensory experience for diners.

Lakhan Bhounsle (NOMAD)

Lakhan Bhounsle is the head chef at NOMAD, one of Sydney’s most beloved dining destinations known for its bold, fire-cooked flavours and Mediterranean spirit. Starting out with a self-taught cake business in Bangalore, Lakhan moved to Sydney to train at Le Cordon Bleu before honing his skills at Restaurant Hubert. A visit to NOMAD sparked a powerful connection — its spice rack reminded him of his family’s kitchen, and soon after, he joined the team as a pastry commis chef. Now leading the kitchen, Lakhan brings passion, precision and a love for layered flavour to every dish.

Mat Lindsay (Poly)

Mat Lindsay is one of Sydney’s most influential chefs, known for redefining wood-fired cooking at his acclaimed restaurants Ester and Poly. As chef and co-owner of Poly, located in the stylish Paramount House Hotel, Mat brings a bold, ingredient-led approach to contemporary dining — one that champions fire, flavour and finesse.

Lennox Hastie (Gildas, Firedoor)

Lennox Hastie is the renowned chef behind the intimate, Basque-inspired Gildas and the behind the elemental, fire-powered Firedoor. Born in the UK to a Scottish mother and an Australian father, Hastie honed his craft in Michelin-starred restaurants across the UK, France, and Spain, before discovering his passion for fire at Asador Etxebarri. Gildas, is a love letter to the pintxos bars of the Basque Country. At Firedoor, Lennox and his team work instinctively with seasonal ingredients and fire in all its forms.

Andy Bowdy (Kiln)

Andy Bowdy is the brains behind all things sweet at Kiln, Ace Hotel Sydney. He originally made a name for himself with weekly soft serve specials, pies of the week and a viral sundae at the one hatted Hartsyard in Newtown. Andy then went on to build a thriving cake business before opening his first solo venture, Saga, a neighbourhood cafe and patisserie with no set rules or boundaries. A desire to return to the restaurant world and focus on plated desserts saw Andy join Kiln in 2024 where he is now the driving force behind the pastry team.

Michael Shafran (Brooklyn Boy Bagels)

Founded by New York native and former food journalist Michael Shafran, Brooklyn Boy Bagels brings authentic, hand-rolled, boiled bagels to Sydney. After 12 years perfecting his recipe, Michael launched a pop-up that sparked queues around the block. Today, Brooklyn Boy is an award-winning bakery and winner of Best Bagels in Asia Pacific at New York Bagelfest 2024.

Matthew MacLeod (Chin Chin)

Executive Chef of Chin Chin Sydney, Matthew MacLeod has been a part of the restaurant since the first day the Melbourne-born brand opened this hugely popular Surry Hills follow-up in 2017. Inheriting a love of food and cooking from his grandmother, he honed his talents and love of Asian flavours with a role under Dylan Jones and Duangporn Songvisava at their pioneering Bangkok restaurant, the Michelin-starred Bo.lan. Then, as part of the opening team of the lauded Long Chim Sydney, Matthew spent time working alongside David Thompson, considered one of the world’s leading chefs of Thai cuisine.

Julian Cincotta (Butter)

Julian Cincotta is the co-founder and executive chef of Butter Sydney. Known for its unique blend of fried chicken, hip-hop, champagne and sneakers, Butter is where street culture meets cult-fried chicken. Julian’s creative vision has made the venue an iconic Sydney destination. He is also a founding member of Hollywood Quarter, the city’s most exciting micro-precinct nestled in Surry Hills.

Event Details

For one night only, Foster Street, Surry Hills will close to traffic and open to a feast of flavour, transforming into an al fresco food festival within a festival.

Featuring the best names in Sydney food, from the likes of Firedoor, Nomad, Gildas, Nel, Kiln, Poly, Brooklyn Boy Bagels and Butter, A Taste of HQ invites food lovers to experience exclusive dishes, small plates and festival specials.

The chef line-up will include Lennox Hastie, Nelly Robinson, Mat Lindsay, Andy Bowdy and Julian Cincotta—the perfect opportunity to sample the work of these incredible chefs in one buzzy location.

Plus, The Rover, Golden Age Bar, Butter, Alberto's Lounge and Tio's Cerveceria will be shaking up and stirring some bespoke drinks all night long.

With live music, roving performers and a vibrant festival feel, A Taste of HQ is an unmissable night of food, fun and community.

A Taste of HQ for Hollywood Dreaming is supported by Transport for NSW Open Streets Program.

Featured restaurants

Firedoor

At Firedoor, owner and chef Lennox Hastie and his team work instinctively with seasonal ingredients and fire in all its forms. The kitchen is entirely powered by wood and everything is cooked to order.

Gildas

Gildas, is a love letter to the pintxos bars of the Basque Country. Named after the original olive-anchovy-guindilla pintxo from San Sebastián and the eponymous film starring the iconic Rita Hayworth, Gildas presents a menu designed as a journey — whether it’s a quick bite with a sherry or a shared, full-meal experience.

NEL

NEL restaurant is a beloved fine-dining restaurant located in the Hollywood Quarter of Surry Hills. Celebrated for its degustation menus, NEL offers guests an opportunity to experience a curated selection of dishes in a refined yet relaxed dining environment.

Poly

Poly is a restaurant and wine bar in Surry Hills with a menu created by chef Mat Lindsay in a kitchen powered by fire. Here, the menu is packed with inventive small plates, like fried potato with salted egg yolk or dry-aged beef tartare with horseradish, all cooked over a custom-built hearth. It’s a place where good wine meets great food, served up in a relaxed, design-forward space.

Kiln

Kiln is a contemporary rooftop restaurant and bar perched atop the Ace Hotel Sydney. Led by chef Beau Clugston, Kiln is a coming together of Australia's unique alphabet of ingredients and the simplicity that roots Scandinavian culinary philosophy.

Nomad

NOMAD is one of Sydney’s most beloved dining destinations, known for its bold, fire-cooked flavours and Mediterranean spirit. The menu focuses on sourcing Australia’s best produce and channelling it through the smoky, spice-laden lens of Spain, Morocco and the Middle East.

Chin Chin

A quintessentially Australian take on Asian food, the trademark Chin Chin taste is a carefully blended mix of freshness, spice, heat, exotic herbs and an obsessive need to perfectly balance all of these elements. Chin Chin lives by the philosophy that eating and drinking should be fun and relaxing much like our way of life.

Featured bars

The Rover

The Rover is a bustling neighbourhood cocktail bar in the heart of Surry Hills, known for creative drinks, freshly shucked Sydney Rock oysters, and serving the world-famous Gidley Burger.

Tio’s

Sydney's Tequila headquarters, Tio’s has been the go-to spot for verdita, cold beers, colder margaritas and hot popcorn since 2011. Located in Surry Hills, the bar has earned a stellar reputation as a powerhouse of fun, cementing its status as the city's ultimate destination for all things agave.

Golden Age Bar

Tucked beneath the iconic Paramount House, Golden Age Bar is a moody, art deco gem that brings together Sydney’s film buffs, cocktail lovers, and late-night romantics. Known for its intimate atmosphere, curated drinks list and impeccable soundtrack, the bar is part of the legendary Golden Age Cinema.

Alberto’s Lounge

Alberto’s Lounge is an Italian restaurant and bar that is as loyal to the Italy of Lygon Street as it is to the alleyways of Rome, an Italy that is as alive in nightclubs and art-house cinemas as it is trattorias and farmhouses.

Butter

Part sneaker store, part fried chicken restaurant, part champagne bar – Butter ticks a lot of boxes. Founded by ex-Rockpool chef Julian Cincotta, the venue is now a cult-favourite serving Sydney’s best fried chicken with a side of hip-hop and crisp champagne.