Tiger Lane has opened its doors and turned on its lights ready to dish up the goods for its first day of trading on Thursday. And let us tell you - there are more than just a few lights to turn on.
Complete with all of the lights and buzz of a Tokyo or Hong Kong street, the hawker-inspired eateries along with a central bar offer a unique and delicious culinary experience, with signature pan-Asian flavours from Japan to South Korea, China and South-East Asia.
They join Taki and Inari, which opened at the Canberra Centre Tiger Lane precinct late last year.
"Tiger Lane contributes a meaningful new multi-sensory experience to Canberra's already formidable food scene," Canberra Centre general manager Gary Stewart said.
"This is an important milestone as we mark the second and largest stage of Tiger Lane, with the final two restaurants scheduled to open later this year."
An action-packed sensory overload, the Tiger Lane space also includes urban features such as an Australian-first digital LED floor, a life-sized bus stop and quirky Asian vending machines making custom fairy floss and dishing out even more culinary goodies.
Lining the ceiling are endless rows of red and white neon strips, mimicking the passing traffic of busy streets. A stainless steel bar sits at Tiger Lane's heart, reflecting the chaotic surrounding visual stimuli in its mirrored surfaces.
Then tucked at the back is the Tiger Lane precinct's third restaurant, Mrs Wang, which also opens its doors on Thursday.
The restaurant pays homage to the 1930s art deco style with its design but the menu is very 2023, with local chef Gerald Ong steering the ship.
The modern Australian Chinese restaurant will have items that change daily depending on what is coming from local farmers, and what's in its fish tanks, as well as some staples that people will want to return for. Did someone say fried ice cream with char siew caramel?
"Mrs Wang is modern Australian Chinese that's interesting enough for the well-travelled gastronaut, yet familiar enough to call it your new Chinese local," Ong said earlier this month.
Ong is also at the helm of two of Tiger Lane's hawker-style stalls - Lucky Duck and Golden Panda. While Lucky Duck is inspired by traditional Cantonese barbecue culture, Golden Panda honours the hawker, dai pai dong and Tze char shops of Asia.
Shaun Presland, ex-culinary director for Sake and frequent MasterChef guest chef, is leading the food direction across Tiger Lane. He leads the menus for the remaining three hawker offerings - Sticky Beak, Blowfish and Inari Express.
Sticky Beak is Tiger Lane's home of Asian fried chicken, Inari Express is the little sister of Tiger Lane's Inari restaurant and is offering up Japanese street food, and, Blowfish is the place to go for hand rolls and poke bowls.
