Grant Allen: Pop-up surprises (+recipes)

Andreas Eggman, Karen Juryand Ben Barton at the POP dining event at the Basement Theatre. Photo / Grant Allen

Grant Allen meets some cooks turning day spaces into night-time eating venues.

In recent times, the commercial wold has been turned on its head. Conventional methods of retailing, service delivery, publishing, advertising, and even food offers and dining experiences have changed dramatically. The phenomenon of the internet has sped us forward to a situation where information, global trends and new ways of marketing are a click away. We live in New Zealand with reasonably efficient web access and now share in a dynamic and immediate world via cyber space. As with food, fresh is best and what's happening "over there" is happening here.

A few years ago, when my new catering business was slow, I connected with my fellow caterer Jonathan Lousich. I suggested we pick up on an international trend of underground events - pop-up restaurants, supper clubs and one-off occasions based around food - collaborative, spontaneous, mutually beneficial and experimental.

We gave birth to Gourmet A Gogo and took to creating dinners in spaces not usually associated with dining. We used film studios, vintage shops, Christmas shops, historic houses and even a hairdressing salon. We now work in a more permanent space, but that's another story.

Pop Dining is Auckland's hottest pop-up story. Ben Barton and Andreas Eggmann are Auckland's prime movers and shakers of this phenomenon. These boys are driven by their food enthusiasm and lovingly subversive approach to providing food in extreme circumstances, sourced from the weirdest of places and partnering with the strangest connections. I love their events.

Often held in existing day-time spaces, Ben and Andreas will colonise the space at night and present adventurous and affordable dining options. Recently at a night at Winehot, we drank pastis, ate rillettes then supped on their version of Bouillabaisse.

Pop Dining hooked up with the Basement Theatre for its Christmas production and Christmas became re-interpreted. Festive standards were cooked on barbecues in a tent as patrons grazed before the show.

It was the end of a hot, sunny day and I couldn't believe how cool these dudes appeared before the kick off but, once in motion, I understood why. Everything was prepared before and, once the barbecues were hot, feeding the 50 or so punters was a smooth story. "It's about entertaining," says Ben. "The spirit of pop-up dining is about the theatre of restaurants, taking back-stage up-stage. We are about challenging ourselves and giving our supporters a total experience."

Ben shared some recipes from the Basement Theatre event/

Recipes

• Corn and Clam Fritters
• 'Watties' Spaghetti
• Asparagus Shots

• Check out popdining.com for future events.