The Auswine Forum

Sydney Dwellers

Not completely wine related so forgive me but:

I have been to Sydney many times on Business and have always had very limited time to look around. Have just booked my very first trip to Sydney for pleasure as going over for a wedding in March. We will be staying in the city and not really looking to venture too much further afield this time. We only have 3 nights there.

Have you guys got any suggestions for

- Best Shopping
- Best Wine Shops (I know city will be expensive and won't be buying much but as far as interest for a browse go)
- Best Coffee
- Best place to go for lunch
- Good Restaurants (not too over the top with reasonable wine list)
- Any good outdoors/sports shops - wouldn't mind picking up some trail shoes
- Sights hints/tips etc

I haven't been there for a couple of years but last time we found "Coast" a decent feed with a reasonable wine list. It didn't break the bank too badly and the service was of a high standard.

- Best Shopping - Hard to go past Pitt St Mall, new flash Westfield also at same location etc...
- Best Wine Shops - City Wine is OK on Circular Quay corner w/ George st, much better is Ultimo Wine Centre in Jones St, not far from CBD. Wine Odyssey (Rocks) is prob worth a look, haven't done it myself yet though.
- Best Coffee - not a CBD'er so not sure here. Becasse bakery on 5th floor westfields was good though
- Best place to go for lunch - 5th floor westfield in Pitt st has an awesome new 'food court', think 'business class' version, no Maccers in sight. Yum everywhere.
- Good Restaurants (not too over the top with reasonable wine list) - Fix St James gets rave reviews, and Stuart is an excellent sommelier, hard to beat. MCA in Circ Quay supposed to be good. There's finally a few really good wine bars around now (like FixStJ), Wine Library, 121BC, TimetoVino - all mostly in the Hyde Park area. Most do food or substantial bar snacks.
- Any good outdoors/sports shops - wouldn't mind picking up some trail shoes - not sure other than big ones like Rebel sports.
- Sights hints/tips etc - summit bar has revolving 47th floor views, nice place for a snack, beer or cocktail. (Wines avg and restaurant too pricey though, stick to the bar). You've prob done manly ferry, always good, as is fush'n'chups at Watsons Bay via ferry.

Let me know if you're keen for a long lunch or dinner BYO get together, sure we can organise something, would be good to meet you.

Cheers
Tim

Restaurants - also consider BYO. Wine list mark-ups are high. Try Atelier in Glebe, or go to Newtown, and try Sofrito or Oscillate Wildly in Newtown. If you want to go to either of these, book now.

Also, perhaps some people have good Surry Hills suggestions?

None of these restaurants involve venturing very far from the city, but they do give you a different, inner-city experience, as opposed to the city.

Agree with all Tim's suggestions and also agree with Orpheus about heading into Surry Hills down Crown St area for food.

- Shopping - You'll find the CBD to be expensive, no avoiding it. Besides Pitt St Mall/Westfield are the QVB, and a little bit around World Square. Mostly mainstream stuff. Paddington probably is maybe a little more left of field depending on what you're looking for.
- Wine - Ultimo wine centre is like a french wine library (but expensive). Very fun to browse through for a wine geek, though. Tastings there on Saturdays around midday.
- Coffee/Lunch - In Surry Hills, Bourke Street Bakery make a good coffee and to-die-for Lamb/Harissa/Almond sausage rolls, not to mention chocolate or lemon curd tarts... I'm a fan of their Mocha as it doesn't sacrifice coffee flavour but has very rich dark chocolate taste. If you can't make it to Surry Hills they distribute through Central Baking Depot, which is in the city.
- Most of the interesting wine bars are in or around Darlinghurst. Would add Love Tilly Devine and Delicado to Tim's list too.
- Good Restaurants (not too over the top with reasonable wine list) - For BYO Alio in Surry Hills (also on crown st), and Atelier in Glebe are good, quite affordable and do BYO (Atelier only Tue-Fri). Tabou in Surry Hills on Crown St is pretty good french bistro, no BYO.
- If you're coming in March, all the Merivale restaurants do "March into Merivale" and is a great way to get to Est. on a budget (3 courses for $65 there). Book well ahead though. No BYO.
- Sake restaurant is getting popular and on the upper end (no BYO). Haven't been there yet.
- Lots of little cheap Japanese places if you're on the go, some of them quite good. Nakashima at The Rocks is a favorite of ours and has BYO.
- IMHO good/authentic chinese in Sydney are the cheap, cheerful "eat and go" dumpling shops. Seabay (next to World Square) and the cheap and ubiquitously named "Chinese Noodle Restaurant" (under the Burlington Centre in Chinatown, 8 Quay Street Haymarket) are yummy. Chef's Gallery is just slightly up the scale, next to town hall and quite tasty too. Personally I avoid the upscale or mega-popular asian places with massive queues like Din Tai Fung and Mamak like the plague, the queues are not worth the price and the food is no better.
- Any good outdoors/sports shops - wouldn't mind picking up some trail shoes - There is are a number of hiking, skiing and mountaineering shops in a clump on Kent St right behind town hall, and one or two the next block up on nearby Clarence and York St's (near Clarence St Cyclery). Starting at cnr of Bathurst St and Kent St (Paddy Pallin and Kathmandu) and working your way north/northeast. Don't expect cheap prices but you might find the odd store having a sale. If you like outdoor gear you can walk away from the area quite a bit poorer.
- Sights hints/tips etc - You'll probably end up in darling harbour at some point but it's a bit outdated... a little further up at King St Wharf is nicer but may be more expensive. Nice to sit outside with a beer at James Squire at sundown if weather permits.

Some will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Tabou has gone belly-up, unfortunately.

Odyssey's post on "hints/tips" etc reminds me that there is something to be said for heading up to the Lord Nelson in the Rocks, for a bit of pub-brewed beer and a bit of history.

orpheus wrote:Some will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Tabou has gone belly-up, unfortunately.

Bugger!

- Best Shopping - Dunno
- Best Wine Shops (I know city will be expensive and won't be buying much but as far as interest for a browse go) - Dunno
- Best Coffee - Mecca Espresso - King Street between York & Clarence Street, under the Grace Hotel. They care.
- Best place to go for lunch - Circular Quay Maccas
- Good Restaurants (not too over the top with reasonable wine list) - Dunno
- Any good outdoors/sports shops - wouldn't mind picking up some trail shoes - Mountain Designs, Paddy Palins, etc, are all around the 400-500 Kent Street region.
- Sights hints/tips etc - Manly Ferry trip.

I'm going to assume that "not too far afield" allows the inner suburbs - Glebe, Surry Hills etc. No more than $10-20 in a cab at the outside, generally much less, and easily accessible by bus or (longish) walk. If so:

- Best Wine Shops (I know city will be expensive and won't be buying much but as far as interest for a browse go).
Definitely Ultimo Wine Centre. The Oak Barrel on Elizabeth Street in the city is also worth a look.

- Best place to go for lunch
If you're following other people's advice and going to the new Westfield in Pitt Street Mall the food court is very good - best salt beef sandwich in Australia at Reuben & Moore up there. If you like Korean there are good places down the bottom of Pitt Street towards Central Station. Golden Century in Haymarket for yum cha (also great for late night dining). If you want to do the Circular Quay/view thing you could do worse than Ocean Room at the Overseas Passenger Terminal or Cafe Sydney in the Customs House - both pricey however.

- Good Restaurants (not too over the top with reasonable wine list)
Bistro Ortolan in Leichhardt, Oscillate Wildly in Newtown, Billy Kwong in Surry Hills and Glebe Point Diner in Glebe all have BYO, at least midweek. All excellent, though none cheap and Oscillate Wildly is pretty experimental. Mohr Fish in Surry Hills is lovely, but tiny and no bookings (get on the list for a table and wait in the pub over the road - they'll come and get you). Na Zdrowie in Glebe is good if you're in the mood for (Polish) comfort food - also BYO. Kazbah in Balmain for North African cuisine. Best pizza in Sydney at Rosso Pomodoro or Capello, both in Balmain.
I'd also like to recommend a clutch of wine bars: Vice in Balmain, Wine Room by Gazebo in Surry Hills, and the Wine Library in Woolhara.

- Sights hints/tips etc[/quote]
Cockatoo Island is nice, and a good reason to get a ferry. The cocktail bar re-opens at the start of October and is fun.

Another great coffee place in the city - Vella Nero. It's owned and run by three sisters from Auckland, and the coffee is fantastic;

http://www.vellanero.com.au/

wine shops and eating in one go: North Sydney Cellars is a gem. Wish we had one of these in Melbourne. Small, but excellent selection of wines to purchase, and a very, very good cafe/resto in the same space. Been there several times, each one a joy....

Hmmmm....things to do in Sydney...?
Wear a Hawks scarf !!

Its Sydney...most people will have no idea who the Hawks are...

But yeah..that sucks...

Chinese food - I'd disagree with the Din Tai Fung comment...Those other places are not as good but Din Tai Fung IS overpriced. It is probably twice as expensive as any of their other restaurants globally.... In general though, Australia has pretty bad Chinese food...What I mean by that is there are some good places but far more really BAD ones and if you picked one randomly, even if a heavily Chinese area, it is likely to be pretty bad. I have chalked this up not to the cooking but to the quality of the ingredients. (which are normally really high in Australia).

Shopping - The CBD, especially with Westfield, has really good shopping but the prices are really bad...
Hiking stuff - The shops on Kent St as mentioned before will have a decent selection..prices are not good unless you catch a random blowout sale...

Coffee: Single Origin Coffee if you are in the Surry hills Area. No view, great food /coffee/atmosphere however not open on weekends.
http://www.singleoriginroasters.com.au/
Wine shops: All of the above including The Oak Barrel - 5 minute walk to Single Origin Coffee
Things to do: Jump on a ferry to Manly or Watsons Bay. Great way to see the harbour at minimal cost. Have lunch at any of the many restaurants at Manly, or have a beer at the Watsons Bay Pub.

Polymer wrote:Its Sydney...most people will have no idea who the Hawks are...

But yeah..that sucks...

Chinese food - I'd disagree with the Din Tai Fung comment...Those other places are not as good but Din Tai Fung IS overpriced. It is probably twice as expensive as any of their other restaurants globally.... In general though, Australia has pretty bad Chinese food...What I mean by that is there are some good places but far more really BAD ones and if you picked one randomly, even if a heavily Chinese area, it is likely to be pretty bad. I have chalked this up not to the cooking but to the quality of the ingredients. (which are normally really high in Australia).

Shopping - The CBD, especially with Westfield, has really good shopping but the prices are really bad...
Hiking stuff - The shops on Kent St as mentioned before will have a decent selection..prices are not good unless you catch a random blowout sale...

The CBD Westfield is one of the most malevolent, evil monuments to vacuous capitalism I have encountered. It is devoid of generosity of spirit and imagination, with chaotic, unfocused entrances, low ceilings, horrible, unkind lighting, and a hotch-potch of unexpressive corridors. If the architects and interior designers get any work ever again, it is either because people are not aware of this monstrosity, or because they recognise that it was the client, not the architect, who was responsible for the traversty.

Just for your information .

Polymer wrote:Its Sydney...most people will have no idea who the Hawks are...

But yeah..that sucks...

Chinese food - I'd disagree with the Din Tai Fung comment...Those other places are not as good but Din Tai Fung IS overpriced. It is probably twice as expensive as any of their other restaurants globally.... In general though, Australia has pretty bad Chinese food...What I mean by that is there are some good places but far more really BAD ones and if you picked one randomly, even if a heavily Chinese area, it is likely to be pretty bad. I have chalked this up not to the cooking but to the quality of the ingredients. (which are normally really high in Australia).

Shopping - The CBD, especially with Westfield, has really good shopping but the prices are really bad...
Hiking stuff - The shops on Kent St as mentioned before will have a decent selection..prices are not good unless you catch a random blowout sale...

The CBD Westfield is one of the most malevolent, evil monuments to vacuous capitalism I have encountered. It is devoid of generosity of spirit and imagination, with chaotic, unfocused entrances, low ceilings, horrible, unkind lighting, and a hotch-potch of unexpressive corridors. If the architects and interior designers get any work ever again, it is either because people are not aware of this monstrosity, or because they recognise that it was the client, not the architect, who was responsible for the traversty.

Just for your information .

Phil H wrote:Coffee: Single Origin Coffee if you are in the Surry hills Area. No view, great food /coffee/atmosphere however not open on weekends.
http://www.singleoriginroasters.com.au/
Wine shops: All of the above including The Oak Barrel - 5 minute walk to Single Origin Coffee
Things to do: Jump on a ferry to Manly or Watsons Bay. Great way to see the harbour at minimal cost. Have lunch at any of the many restaurants at Manly, or have a beer at the Watsons Bay Pub.

A second for Single Origin.

The CBD Westfield is one of the most malevolent, evil monuments to vacuous capitalism I have encountered. It is devoid of generosity of spirit and imagination, with chaotic, unfocused entrances, low ceilings, horrible, unkind lighting, and a hotch-potch of unexpressive corridors. If the architects and interior designers get any work ever again, it is either because people are not aware of this monstrosity, or because they recognise that it was the client, not the architect, who was responsible for the traversty.

I agree with you orpheus re the set out and architecture of this place and I know a few contractors that worked on it thought the same thing.
It is unfortunate but....will it make money....yes it will.

By the way, what happened to the Hawks Tom? They had it won!

Red Smurf

Red Smurf wrote:

The CBD Westfield is one of the most malevolent, evil monuments to vacuous capitalism I have encountered. It is devoid of generosity of spirit and imagination, with chaotic, unfocused entrances, low ceilings, horrible, unkind lighting, and a hotch-potch of unexpressive corridors. If the architects and interior designers get any work ever again, it is either because people are not aware of this monstrosity, or because they recognise that it was the client, not the architect, who was responsible for the traversty.

I agree with you orpheus re the set out and architecture of this place and I know a few contractors that worked on it thought the same thing.
It is unfortunate but....will it make money....yes it will.

By the way, what happened to the Hawks Tom? They had it won!

Red Smurf

May I direct your attention to the AFL thread in the Lounge...on that other site..

In short, I cried myself to sleep

For a bottle shop I would recommend a place called 121 BC in Holt St Surry Hills (5 min from CBD). Tiny but an amazing selection of Italian wines and they have tastings on Saturdays every 2nd week. There is also a wine bar attached.

Eating out I would recommend District Dining in Surry Hills (just near 121 BC) and Bodega (Cwlth St Surry hills) which has a tremendous range of Spanish wines and small plate dishes (and is very "Surry Hills-ish").

In a pricier range, Becasse restaurant is extremely good despite being in a shopping centre now. I can also recommend Bel Mondo ($55 for 3 courses, moderately "fancy") and Baroque (great value Bistro style French) in The Rocks.

2nd the idea of Cockatoo Island as a visiting place - if your lucky maybe the cocktail bar that opened up last year will be back again when you visit...

the columbian

Hmmm, if you're going to the Columbian, you may as well go to Palms. LOL

But under the tips section, can I add that the Harbour Bridge Pylon Climb is about $10 and gets you nearly as high as the proper bridge climb without the $180 cost each and stupid grey jumpsuit, lots of stairs and the ban on taking your own camera. The pylon closest to the city can be "climbed" or really you just go up the stairs. You can spend as long as you want, take as many photos as you want for free on your own camera and the view is fantastic. You get on to the walkway over the bridge off Cumberland St and get to walk across which is lovely in it's own right and then go up the pylon for even more height.

When you come down there's a pub right across the road called the Glenmore Hotel which has a rooftop beer garden. It used to be a bit of a secret but not so much now. On a nice day it's a great place to have a couple of beers. They do food but it's nothing special and there's other pubs in the rocks that do better both food and beer / wine but this has such a good view, it's worth a stop in at least if the weather is good.

I'm a bit biased but Newtown is worth a look for both shopping and if you like more quirky fashions and retro, alternative, kitsch stuff. It's also a huge food destination. Not so much really top notch but plenty of good cheap eats. As mentioned the better restaurants include Oscillate Wildly and Linda's is also fab and you can get in by booking the day before unless it's a Saturday. There's also a couple of pubs doing very good, very reasonably priced food, the Carlisle Castle and the Botany View right down the St Peters end of King st (This is a local secret and i shouldn't have mentioned this!). The Courthouse is a local favourite but is just your bog standard pub food. All the cafes do fine coffe but Campos is recognised as one of the best in Sydney. I prefer next door at Luxe bakery where their bread and sandwiches are to die for. Might be a challenge with only 3 days but it's only a couple of stops out of the city on the train and the station is right in the middle of everything.

Surry Hills is a bit closer to town but the restaurants are spread right out and it's not as easy to walk around and see everything. If you do one big night, a great place is Porteno on Cleveland St. It's been open a year or so but is still packing them in and is a leading trendsetting restaurant. South American themed but much more than that. You'll need to book or get there very early. Depends on what you eat and drink but it is around the $50-$80 a head mark.

Yes, Newtown is a good option.

Oscillate Wildly is in a different league to Linda's though, which is just your standard fair (IMO).

SOfritto's, which I mentioned earlier, is a better bet than Linda's, but with all of these restaurants (except, perhaps LInda's), your best chance of securing a booking is to book early.

In Newtown I would recommend Bloodwood - excellent food and a good albeit short wine list. And not far from the Sando should you want a sticky floor pint and game of pool...
Oh another thought - just saw Marble Bar in the city is celebrating its 118th birthday - its underneath the hilton and worth a visit for a cocktail if your staying in the CBD.
And for the best beer seek out the Lord Nelson in The Rocks - legendary.

sjw_11 wrote:Eating out I would recommend District Dining in Surry Hills (just near 121 BC) and Bodega (Cwlth St Surry hills) which has a tremendous range of Spanish wines and small plate dishes (and is very "Surry Hills-ish").

In a pricier range, Becasse restaurant is extremely good despite being in a shopping centre now.

Unfortunately the move to CBD Westfield has driven the Becasse prices through the roof (to $190/head for dego - was a very reasonable $140-150/head before the move). I loved the old Becasse, disappointed with the relocation.

District Dining is also surprisingly pricy once you add up the final bill with a little wine.