From pop-up restaurants to rooftop gardens, the restaurant scene is turning eco.

Going green

From pop-up restaurants to rooftop gardens, the restaurant scene is turning eco.

Pop-up restaurants have surged in popularity in Australia in recent years, having already been successful overseas for a decade or more.

As the name suggests, the concept behind pop-up restaurants is exactly that – they pop up, remain operational for a period of days or weeks and disappear again as quickly as they were set up.

As the phenomenon becomes more widely spread a new wave of restaurants is set to take the dining world by storm – by ‘going green’ and encouraging all of us to be more mindful of how we impact on the environment every day.

And, pop-up restaurants certainly seem a good place to start – with non-permanent infrastructure they have less impact on the environment from the word go, with a low carbon footprint and increasingly conscientious ways of sourcing, preparing and serving food they seem to be leading the way.

Greenhouse, a restaurant concept initially conceived by Dutch-born artist and environmentalist Joost Bakker is at the forefront. And it has also managed to make the switch from pop-up to permanent without losing any of its environmental integrity.

As co-owner of the Greenhouse restaurant in Perth, Paul Aron states they were drawn to going ‘green’ for their restaurant as: “Hospitality can be a very wasteful industry, so what better place to start?” And, it seems, that philosophy has paid off.

In 2008, the original Greenhouse by Joost was constructed in Melbourne’s Federation Square. The temporary restaurant was constructed entirely of sustainable and recycled materials and was open between November 2008 and January 2009. It attracted 1000 visitors per day and the attention of the global media.

Hot on the heels of this success, the concept moved west with a permanent restaurant, Greenhouse St Georges Terrace, opening in Perth in December 2009. This restaurant has since gone from strength to strength, being awarded Restaurant of the Year in Perth in 2010 and attracting between 800 to 1000 visitors each day.

Aron feels that one of the main selling points for their restaurant is that “the customers are fascinated by the building design which is definitely a drawcard.” He also goes on to say that as a team “we thought that Perth was the best place for the first permanent Greenhouse, the city is really forging a new and unique identity and the people here are very eager to get involved in something new.”

In February this year, the success was again replicated with the opening of Greenhouse Sydney – a pop-up restaurant that has attracted excellent reviews and masses of media attention. Scheduled to be open for business for just six weeks the success has been such that there are rumours abounding of a permanent Greenhouse destined for Sydney.

According to its website, www.greenhouseperth.com, the Greenhouse St Georges Terrace in Perth “hopes to be one of Perth’s most exciting destinations, with the emphasis on tasty, honest food and drink, and some simple ideas for a considerate and non-destructive lifestyle.” Co-owner Aron says: “The concept was to create a hospitality environment that challenged our customers to think about the building materials they use and why.”

And force you to think it does − the restaurant is built entirely from recycled or recyclable materials, including straw bales (locally sourced) for insulation, recycled plastics and raw plywood. The exterior of the building is clad in corrugated iron, covered by a vertical garden – with about 400 terracotta pots filled with strawberry plants and ivy.

There is a rooftop garden that not only provides a relaxing place for customers to take a break from it all, but also provides the restaurant with much of its fresh produce. A worm farm used to recycle kitchen and bar waste to use on the garden and a water recycling system also provide the team with further proof that they are leading the way with their green ethos.

The use of recycled materials doesn’t stop there though, with various items used throughout the restaurant being rejuvenated into ideas far from their original uses, such as the ice buckets made from old gas cylinders and the light shades fashioned out of fencing wire.

Due to demand, Aron says: “Our rooftop garden cannot sustain our restaurants requirements, up there we grow micro herbs for garnishes, some interesting varieties of heirloom veggies and plenty of herbs − all of which we use in the bar and kitchen.”

The other important facet of this rooftop garden is to provide their customers with an experience. Aron explains: “It is more of an educational tool for our customers, they see the vegetables coming into season and then that reflects in our menus.”

For produce that is not sourced from the rooftop, Aron says the restaurant supports local growers by sourcing the freshest local seasonal produce direct from the farm and from the market. Also, he says: “We have strong relationships with local farmers like Dale and Terri Lloyd from Eden Valley Biodynamic, who grow amazing wheat, barley and oats. We are trying to go back to basics with our food. We mill our own grain and make our own wood-fired sourdough for example.”

The menu reflects this with some of the dishes on offer, including sashimi of kingfish, sushi rice, avocado and wakami; or coconut jelly, pineapple granita, mango and lychee – all sounding delightfully fresh and contemporary!

So, aside from housing the restaurant in a building that is unique enough to initially draw customers in, the aim is then to provide a truly organic and seasonal dining experience that will bring those customers back time and time again.

And the future for Greenhouse? Aron advises that the pop-up Greenhouse is set to embark on a European tour and that there are future permanent Greenhouses planned for capital cities, so keep an eye out in your city. If a Greenhouse was to come your way, it would certainly be worth a visit!

As the green trend gathers momentum in Australia, there are also the charity pop-ups taking off overseas. The concept is simple enough – a celebrity Chef (the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein have already lent their support), a temporary location, a charge per head and the profits donated to a worthy cause.

Yet another way for us to ease our social consciences by eating good food and drinking good wine. Cheers to that!

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