So you have finished your Dry July spell and are ready to resume your usual drinking rituals. But maybe your also considering incorporating some of those tasty non-alcohol alternatives into your weekly beverage consumption? As a food tour operator we are receiving more requests for no-alcohol drinks to pair with our set- menu format. And it is not always for religious reasons - like in the past - it’'s more often to do with healthier attitudes towards alcohol intake or guests wanting to pace their drinking over the course of a long trip away. Thankfully most bars and restaurants now stock some wonderful options such as Lyres and NON.
The transformation of the grand terrace house corner spot into The Waratah is a delightful celebration of Australiana, blending culinary expertise with artistic flair. Natural elements have been incorporated into the design, from the Waratah light-box shining onto Victoria Street, to the hand-painted flora ceiling mural echoing the beauty of Australian landscapes in the urban setting of uptown Darlinghurst.
We are in love with the latest small bar in our hood Ms.Cattea, Sydney's only tea bar with an alcohol license. Housed in a beautiful, chic space at the fountain end of Darlinghurst Road as it turns into Macleay Street, Potts Point. The interior channels the owner and founder Cathy Zhang’s Chinese heritage, with elegant Mother of Pearl chandeliers above and bright red canisters of classic tea flavours lining the shelves behind the bar.
We are still processing our recent trip back to Aotearoa. After four years between visits there were a lot of changes on the dining scene of our original homeland. There are pockets of beautifully restored early century buildings with well-designed streetscapes - such as Britomart downtown and the hip, fun venues in the lovingly restored 19th Century St Kevin's Arcade on K'Rd giving us hope for a bright and innovative future of dining in Aotearoa.
It’s time to change-it-up in time for summer by adding Vermuteria - a modern day homage to old-school European wine and aperitivo bars - to our Potts Point Dining Tour repertoire. The warm, red neon lite room is located on the former site of Cafe Hernandez, a 24-hour Spanish Cafe that lived at the site for 50 years, on the lower half of Kings Cross Road.
Last week we tried the amazing new Christmas Gin from Four Pillars Gin whilst on our Surry Hills dining tour with a lovely American couple. There is a sweet story behind the making of this spirit each Christmas. This gin is Cam’s tribute to four things he loves: Australia, Christmas, gin and his late mum, Wilma.
We have always been mad-keen fans of Bar Sopra,since the venue first opened in the heart of Potts Point in October 2020. Pumping on summer nights when al fresco dining is encouraged. There’s a Spanish theme running through the menu of seafood, meat and vegetarian tapas, cheese and charcuterie boards.
We started our Australian Travel Exchange 2021 on Sunday afternoon with a booking of three key luxe travel guests of Destination NSW on a curated lunchtime dining walk of Surry Hills on a Sunday afternoon. We met our guests upstairs at Tilly Mays Sydney who had just returned from hitting Bondi for a surf lesson and were in need of sustenance. The generous all Australian cheese board accompanied by a refreshing Pizzini, King Valley prosecco hit the spot perfectly.
