Sydney-based design studio, loopcreative, has been appointed to help the team behind Chippendale’s KOI Dessert Bar realise their next move with the creation of two new venues this year. The first project, KOI Kitchen, opened in April 2017. The 180sqm production and catering kitchen in Ryde is being built to help meet the demands of the rapidly growing business run by Ika Malda and sons Ronald, Arnold and Reynold Poernomo (both of MasterChef fame) and business partner Jackie Park.

The facility will function as a production and catering kitchen for the KOI Dessert Bar in Chippendale, as well as catering for in-house cooking classes and training. Attached to the venue will be a small café where locals can come in to experience the team’s tasty treats while getting a birds eye view of the day-to-day operations. Rod Faucheux, director at loopcreative, explains: “The brief was to create a commissary and production kitchen that caters to the expansion and growth of the KOI Dessert Bar brand in a space that allows customers to experience first-hand the delicate touches of the pastry chefs hard at work.”

Next to open in April will be a small bar and dining room situated adjacent to the existing KOI and Spice Alley at 40 Kensington Street, Chippendale. Housed in one of the food precinct’s heritage listed terraces, the downstairs bar will offer customers casual street food in the form of bao and beers, while upstairs will be a small and discreet private dining room. The bar’s design is a blend of Scandinavian wooden features combined with a Japanese twist. There will be handcrafted solid oak dovetail jointed timber joinery and European furniture set the tone over a warm terrazzo floor.

Designed by loopcreative
Photography by Michael Wee