Verity Lane Market has been a popular destination since opening in 2020. Photo: Lean Timms.
The Verity Lane Precinct in the Sydney building is growing, with owner Phillip Keir recently purchasing 106 Alinga Street.
“We were keen to get that piece on the corner because it’s kind of the entranceway to Verity Lane,” Mr Keir told Region.
“The original idea with Verity Lane Market itself was to partly reorient the buildings towards the laneway and we’ll be looking to do the same with this new element.”
Mr Keir said they’re yet to make a final decision on what will go into the space but it will be a distinct and separate offering to the food hall-style area of the Verity Lane Market. This is partly an homage to the original construction of the Sydney building, which – despite its outwardly uniform design – is actually made up of several different structures built by a number of different owners in the 1920s.
“We’re kind of respecting the way it was built, but we want to integrate it into the precinct. So the thought at this stage is to have a full-service restaurant.
“It will be a slightly more formal approach than the market itself, with table service and a higher price point – a more elevated style of dining.”
Verity Lane, Sydney Building Civic. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
While the restaurant will be a distinct space, Mr Keir says they’re anticipating people will move between the different offerings in the precinct. Diners could meet at the bar inside the Verity Lane Market before dinner and then go for a drink at Dear Prudence wine bar on Alinga Street afterwards.
The Verity Lane Markets, which opened in 2020, will remain the precinct’s anchor point. The markets will continue to benefit from the current laneway revitalisation, with the ACT government resurfacing and putting in a new drainage system to allow more people to enjoy the space.
Esther Loke was a previous vendor at Verity Lane Markets and now runs Sourdog Provisions in Nicholls. Photo: Aiden Rothnie.
And it’s not just the city that is reaping the benefits: the food hall set up in Verity Lane has allowed some vendors to road-test their hospitality businesses before taking them out into other parts of Canberra. Co-owner of previous Verity Lane vendor Project Enoki Esther Loke now runs Sourdog provisions in Nicholls, while partner Gerald Ong will be heading up one of the new venues at Tiger Lane in 2023. Ramen Daddy is another vendor that moved on to open its own establishment.
“To some extent, Ramen Daddy used Verity as a way to develop a product, and now they’re at Dairy Road … it’s really good to see,” said Mr Keir.
“We always hoped that the market would have this incubator element which could allow people to go from doing weekends markets to a more full-time offering and then moving towards a full-time restaurant.”
Owner Phillip Keir says the new venue will be distinct from the existing Verity Lane Market. Photo: Ash St George
Despite all the excitement, the new restaurant in the Sydney building is still a long way from welcoming diners.
“It’ll probably take about six months to work out what and how. All we have is a sense of how it should sit … what’s important to us is that it’s a gateway into the lane itself.”
Verity Lane is located in the Sydney Building in Civic. The Verity Lane Markets are open from 5 pm to 10 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and from 5 pm until late on Thursday through Sunday. It will close on Christmas Eve, reopening with regular trading hours from Tuesday 3 January. Head to the Verity Lane website to learn more about the current vendors.
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