Crafty Dining East Sydney

This October we are proud to announce our third Crafty Dining experience as part of Sydney Craft Week and Good Food Month.

This time we are heading for East Sydney, showcasing the rich variety of contemporary furniture design, vintage fashion and dining options on the streets of East Sydney and Potts Point.

Grand Days

We first became aware of Grand Days existence at the Kings Cross festival in 2014., purchasing a book about Diane Keaton and having a brief chat with co-owner Tom at the stall. Since those early days this William Street icon has transformed from books only to a treasure trove of records and vintage clothing for men & women plus an amazing range of retro accessories.

We particularly enjoy their daily Instagram posts which always tell a story and make us want to shop! Our other obsession are the glittery turbans that Tamara makes on her trusty over locker. We have given a couple as gifts to girlfriends and there is always an oh-ah upon opening.

Essentially Grand Days is all about the stuff of art, culture, society, history.

Owner / Operators Tamara Kennedy and Tom Hespe offer the opportunity to tread an unexpected path, to be surprised and excited; by a timeless classic, an obscure album, a book that has traveled the world and had numerous lovers or been faithful to the one companion.

Like any good bookstore their fiction range covers the classics, contemporary and Australian literature, sci fi, and thrillers, plays and poetry. Grand Days have books on art, architecture, history, the sciences, personal development, business, sport, theatre, film, music, true crime along with foreign language, reference and text books.

There is a back room devoted to vinyl which houses an eclectic mix of Rock, Pop, Funk Soul and Disco, Jazz, Country, Folk, Latin and Classical records. Collectable items such as clothes, bric a brac, along with unique artefacts and mementos round out the selection.

Dulcies Bar Bohemian

We were thrilled when Dulcie’s opened on the strip just before Christmas last year.

We truly believe we need more brave and innovative operators to open small bars, restaurants and retail stores to fill the Cross with life and colour once again and make the lock-out laws a distant memory.

The Great Depression might have been a major theme of the 1930s, but for Sydney it was, in part, a time of celebration inspired by the opening of the Harbour Bridge and artistic, intellectual and social change. It’s this vibe that Dulcie’s King Cross channels.

The 60-person basement drinking parlour – which once served as a popular strip club and a rumored heroin dispensary – has been named after Sydney’s queen of Bohemia, Dulcie Deamer, who was also a novelist, poet, thespian, journalist, founder of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and the first female boxing reporter. At 74 she was told by the doctor to stop doing the splits on bars because she’d had a heart attack.

The venue features decadent fabric, rugs and antique furniture. Old portraits of Deamer, posters of old maps and photos of Sydney before the Harbour Bridge was built hang on the walls.

The stage is used for tarot reading, burlesque, cabaret and monologues. At 1am on Friday and Saturday nights there are live shows.

Dulcie’s is also about showing and celebrating modern Australia says General Manager Brandon Martignago: “it's serving only Australian wines, spirits and produce”, which are always a big hit with our guests, who love to discover Australian beverages on our dining walks.

There is always a Sydney story behind each drink with names like Naughty Mrs Norton, consisting of coconut fat-washed Tromba Tequila, Mr Black Amaro, Marionette Cassis Liqueur and macadamia bitters. The drink is named after Rosaleen Norton, aka the ‘Sex Witch of Kings Cross’ who practiced animal sacrifice and became the only Australian artist to ever have her work destroyed by a court order.

We are looking forward to sipping on an especially crafted cocktail from the Dulcie’s crew in the colourful boudoir of Grand Days on our Crafty Dining East Sydney walk.

*Some of this piece originally appeared in Broadsheet, Sydney

Menu

Dulcie’s Carousel Club , an exquisitely crafted cocktail with Old Young's 'Pavlova Vodka', Poor Toms 'Imbroglio', Strawberry Gum Syrup and Lemon Juice

Served with a charcuterie board of Australian cheeses and cured meats