GoodGod Small Club’s The Dip diner returns for one night only − with a Japanese twist

It’s been 10 years since Sydney farewelled American-style diner dance club The Dip, but it’s making a comeback for one night only during the Festival of Food at The Streets of Barangaroo this October.

The Dip served fuss-free diner food such as pumpkin pie, smoked turkey legs and hot dogs inside GoodGod Small Club, a subterranean CBD nightclub which attracted musical acts such as Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts before closing, four years after The Dip, in 2018.

But DJ, chef and co-owner Andrew Levins is heading back into the kitchen and behind the DJ decks, popping up at Japanese restaurant and vinyl bar Rekodo on Friday, October 18.

It’s the first of three Good Food Events announced as part of The Festival of Food, a new month-long program filled with food, drink and music experiences.

Levins will team up with Kiln executive chef Mitch Orr to create a $149 per person four-course dinner, serving Dip classics with a Japanese twist, paired wines and salted caramel gelato sticks from Rivareno Gelato.

Orr, who has become known for his anchovy, smoked butter and Jatz dish, leads the hatted kitchen at Kiln, the contemporary Australian restaurant on the roof of The Ace hotel in Surry Hills (and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide’s New Restaurant of the Year in 2022).

The pair have worked together before on Sydney food podcast The Mitchen, which published weekly episodes between 2015 and 2020. Levins also works as a food writer, having published articles in Good Food, Time Out and ABC Life.

Levins will DJ throughout the evening, taking advantage of Rekodo’s nearly $100,000 sound system. Diners will also have access to Levinshop, a pop-up store with books, movies and vinyl curated by Levins in partnership with Title.

Good Food Events has also revealed its second Festival of Food event, Part & Parcel, which will see dumpling bar Lotus Dumplings, Spanish restaurant Born by Tapavino and craft chocolatier Oh! Boo Chocolates team up for a ticketed “fun cha” dinner at Lotus Barangaroo on Thursday, October 10.

For $110 per person, diners will be served a procession of dumplings, empanadas, croquetas and dessert parcels, with two accompanying drinks.

Rekodo x Levins is the latest event from the Good Food Events team. It follows a sold-out long table dinner with Melbourne food legend Guy Grossi and Lana head chef Alex Wong in Quay Quarter Lane in Sydney, and a collaborative dinner between Lee Ho Fook and Baba’s Place at QT Melbourne.

Rekodo x Levins, 6pm Friday, October 18. Tickets available here.

Part & Parcel, 6pm Thursday, October 10. Tickets available here.