THE POWDER KEG - POTTS POINT

The Powder Keg
7 Kellett St
Potts Point, Sydney

Step through the gate and doorway and into this beautiful and chic hidden treasure known as The Powder Keg. Here you'll find great drinks created by owner and innovative mixologist Grant Collins and food that will tantalise your eyes and taste buds from rising star Elijah Holland.

Whatever you were expecting - think again. These two will surprise you! While it's famous as a gin bar, with 110 varieties, it has much more than this.

We started with a great treat - a sphere filled with a mix of sloe gin, apricot brandy, water and a dash sugar. It was an explosion in our mouths that tasted so good. The garnish of lime zest and foraged flowers added colour, subtle citric hints and even more beauty to this memorable treat.

Ever had a drink arrive under a large domed glass lid with the whole lot full of smoke? Neither had we until now. The creative genius of Grant Collins astounded us with this eye-catching drink (and show). The Gunpowder Plot is made from gunpowder tea spiked gin, fernet branca, gunpowder syrup, dandelion and burdoch bitters and fresh citrus.The additional wow factor comes from it arriving in a smoking cloche with gunpowder twigs. The lid is then lifted at the table, the smoke clears and voila, this unique and very tasty drink is there! Our other starter cocktail was a Volcano Crash made from 5 year old rum, apricot brandy, fresh passionfruit, pineapple juice, egg white (to give it foam) and dry ice at the bottom to make it erupt - which it really does! 

The Powder Keg is a long thin venue with a smallish courtyard out the front leading in to the main restaurant. A long corridor, with booths along the edge, leads through to the bar area at the rear.

Our first food was a sign of things to come. It was soda bread topped with Belanglo foraged yabbies, cucumber, alyssum flowers and delicate drops of mustard seed.

Delicious and beautiful!

The duck schnitzel lollipops were something we noticed on the menu and had to have! They are served with pickled kohlrabi and tarragon mayo - and were as good as we had hoped they would be!

Then the oysters arrived on a bed of three different types of edible seaweed, again foraged by Elijah. They were topped with a G & T sorbet and alyssum and violet flowers. It was a work of art that was almost to pretty to eat - well almost because we ate them!

Time for more drinks - it is also a bar after all and Grant Collins drinks are really worth trying! The Nettle Gimlet is made from nettle fused gin, housemade lime cordial and nettle sorbet with fresh citrus. Another unique drink!

The Quail Scotch egg still had a runny yolk, quite an achievement! It was encased in a blend of
smoked potato, crispy pancetta and mushrooms. It was extremely tasty and again so beautifully presented.

For Sir the next plate to arrive turned out to be a surprise "dish of the night" and one of his top dishes of the year!

It was several varieties of Belanglo foraged mushrooms served simply with black garlic, Parmesan and parsley - and a side of house baked soda bread. It was a party in the mouth and Sir boldly stated that they were the best mushrooms he had ever had in his life. A big call but nonetheless a statement of how good they were.

When does a typical and simple green salad turn out to be not that simple after all?

Here at The Powder Keg - when the salad consists of goats cheese, clover, violet, shaved cucumber and a plethora of different foraged herbs.

This salad was delicious and a work of art all at once! We loved it - even Sir did - and he's not a big salad eater.























The meat arrived in style and quantity - and boy was it good!

The glazed beef short rib was so tender it almost fell off the bone. It tasted great too and was a big serving that is perfect to share.

It was served with Dutch green turnips and potatoes that were garnished with a decent sprinkle of crumbled bone marrow. It was a great combination that also went well with the meat!

How good is Cone Bay Barramundi? We really love it.

Here it was nicely done and served with smoked ricotta, borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes, nettle oil and a fresh lemon dressing.

It was a combination that worked well with great flavours and textures, and with nothing overpowering the Barramundi's flavours either. 

Persimmon isn't a fruit we have very often. It's not that we don't like it, it's just that we don't find it on menu's very frequently.

This dessert was persimmon poached in star anise then served with chocolate mousse all on a bed of salted caramel and garnished with persimmon chips and alyssum flowers.

It was a great mix of flavours again that subtly complimented each other.

Our final dessert was another work of art and as pretty as a picture in so many ways.

It was a sheet of house made sponge topped with lilli pilli jam, mascarpone, violets, blueberries and dollops of ginger and rhubarb sorbet.

It was like being in Willie Wonka's chocolate factory with the colours and combination wowing us - as well as tables nearby.

The Powder Keg ticks all the boxes - great drinks, amazing food and a lovely feel to the whole place. Drop by for a drink, then settle in for the night with more drinks and their great food. You won't be disappointed!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Powder Keg. Special thanks to owner Grant Collins and Elijah Holland for the great drink and food experience! Thanks also to Tarka, Nigel and Rafael for looking after us, and to Sophie for arranging our visit.

Elijah Holland (centre) with his team