The other week, I caught up with International award-winning DJ Alan Thompson at his new café bangbang in Surry Hills, Sydney. “Other than house music, food is my greatest passion” says Alan, originally from the UK but now an Australian citizen, and so the doors of bangbang opened in June 2009. Paying homage to his love of Tarantino films and Nancy Sinatra’s “bangbang”, made famous by Kill Bill.

The old ragtrade building has been transformed to an urban café for the uber cool. It is British Café meets American Diner. Communal dining tables are the original cutting tables from the building that once housed Ksubi and you can also spot other traces from the ragtrade times such as old irons used as door stoppers. Alan also has a fascination for chairs; drummers seats by Yasu Sasamoto plus low chairs and cute stools for outdoors. The white wall is painted with artwork by Hana Shimada of headphones with the cord crawling along the walls in honour to Alan’s other love – music. He doesn’t play his DJ mixes here though as he likes people to have a relaxing conversation with more softer tunes such as jazz and classical playing in the background.

I like how a lot of Alan’s soul is infused to this small funky space with his own style as well as some of his childhood memories and the history of the building within the interior. It feels a bit raw and very real. The cool ceiling lamps with naked light bulbs are actually made by himself and was harder than it looks to get up. Neutral colours are accentuated with black. An orange wall is glowing behind the counter which is the colour of success and so far it has actually been going pretty well.

As we met up after hours, I am yet to return to try the menu which is designed by Alan in a tribute to dishes his mother used to make in Wales combined with some Australian crowd pleasers. Sweet treats are also cooked daily, and bangbang serves well-selected Australian produce, free range eggs and organic drinks. It’s however not all green eggs and ham, DJ Alan Thompson still hits the decks every weekend playing at Australia’s most influential clubs and will continue his melody of music and food with plans for bangbang 2 by the beach.

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Yen Huynh, Creator of mecho | the style black book

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