Rupert and Ruby @ Icon Park

It's not easy to start a restaurant. Even with the evolution of the pop-up, there is a lot of start up cost involved, and you can't be guaranteed the public are going to want your concept. Restaurants slip through the cracks every year, and once a venture fails, it's very difficult to get back up on that horse and try again.

Icon Park have come up with an outstanding solution - using the power of crowd funding.

The concept is elegantly simple. Budding restaurateurs can pitch their concept to Icon Park. If their concept is solid, Icon Park will then run a fully marketed crowd funding campaign on their unique platform. The public pledge, and the restaurant with the strongest following gets both the start-up capital and the venue - not to mention a chance to work with mentors and marketers who have decades of industry experience.

After a successful first season (Stanley St Merchants who raised over $100,000 in just 21 days!), the current pop-up is Rupert and Ruby - a combined effort of season one contestant Ruby's BBQ, and Fat Rupert's of Bondi. The concept, conceived on a honeymoon road trip across North America, is all about rich flavours and fresh Aussie produce. The food tastes great, the cocktails are divine and nothing breaks the bank - the perfect recipe for creating a dedicated clientele.

With the flexibility of changing the soft furnishings of the location - while the full kitchen and fixtures are all ready to fire up - the Rupert and Ruby fit-out is comfortable, retro style that blends well with the Darlinghurst scene. The plate my burger was served on was identical to one my own Grandmother used to own - an unintentional heartstring tug that added to the experience. There is nothing pretentious about the food or the setting, and nothing that screams 'American' either - unless you count the smoky BBQ flavours.

While Rupert and Ruby is the brainchild of a crew who are already established in the industry, it will be interesting to monitor future season winners with less experience. If the standard set by Rupert and Ruby is maintained, and if mentors and marketers continue to guide the concepts in the right direction, Icon Park projects will swiftly become a Sydney staple for foodies.

With a 2015 season set to include more Sydney venues, opportunities for pop-ups to become permanent and a slew of new investment opportunities, Icon Park will be a group I will be keeping a close eye on. For now, I'll satisfy myself with playing on the website and popping in for the occasional burger and cocktail.

Rupert and Ruby will be in Icon Park Darlinghurst until 24th December - open 7am to late every day.