Overview
What do you get when you take a southeast Asian-style hawker market, give it fresh, neon-lit designer digs and throw in some modern technology? Well, Melbourne is about to find out, when HWKR opens its doors in the CBD this February.
Taking over a contemporary space beneath A'Beckett Street's Eq. Tower, HWKR is set to deliver a dining experience pretty unique to Melbourne. Its four permanent kitchens will play host to a rotation of Asian food vendors, with residencies from some of the world's top chefs already in the works for the opening year. Tenants will take over the kitchens for three months at a time, each plating up a menu of signature fare alongside one exclusive HWKR dish. Meanwhile, on-site cafe ManyMore — run by local not-for-profit group the MAI Foundation — will be slinging coffees daily, with all its profits heading to charity.
The space will feature loads of seating options throughout, including a stacked staircase along one wall, where you can soak up all the hawker buzz while chowing down on your food.
Best of all, HWKR's tech-savvy setup means there'll be no scrounging for change when it comes time to pay. Diners simply download the venue's app to order their food, either from their table or before arriving, and pay via their device using the cashless and cardless systems.
Among the first to give the concept a workout will be 2017 Masterchef winner Diana Chan, delivering her own riff on hawker fusion fare. She'll kick things off with the likes of traditional satay, and a lobster brioche roll oozing Singapore chilli crab sauce.
HWKR will open at 137 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne in February 2018. For more info, keep an eye on hwkr.com.au.
Image: Jayden Oswald.