Santina is a Rag Trade baby, having grown up amongst Australia's iconic designers in the once bustling fashion industry hub of Surry Hills in the 1970’s, 80’s and early 90’s. This year she is proudly celebrating 30 years in the fashion business.
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The Sydney Connection
Alchemy located on the corner of Crown and Devonshire Streets, is set in a cosy and elegant yet unpretentious dining room known for its menu of delicate meals made in the traditional Polish way. The restaurant is famous for its freshly-made traditional Polish dumplings (pierogi), goose, duck, polish borsch (barszcz czerwony) and stuffed meat.
We kick off our Euro themed dining walk at the newly renovated Essenza Italian, which is located on the corner of Crown & Devonshire streets in the J Grocer building built in 1912, offers a contemporary Italian dinner menu that is constantly evolving, showcasing local produce with a twist. The wine list is predominately Italian varietal grapes, transporting you to Tuscany with every sip.
We got lucky a few weeks ago when Dee from The Realness walked into our day job. After a chat about what the lovely kiwis were doing in Sydney, we ended up with a free ticket to the M.A.D. FEED Resilience episode at Carriageworks that night! M.A.D. - taken from the Danish word for food - is a nonprofit organization that brings together a global cooking community with a social conscience, a sense of curiosity, and an appetite for change.
On our second-to-last night in Rome we went on a food tour with Claudia from Raphael Tours & Event - who was a very charming and knowledgeable guide. After a brief introduction to the dark history of Camp di Flori our meeting place, we started out with a salami tasting and wine in the back room of the oldest Salami shop in Rome Norcineria Viola dal 1890 who export cured meats around the world.
Where we are starting our evening with a fun cocktail from Pocket Bar, was already a successful online design emporium before landing in Foley Street via the City of Sydney's Creative Spaces program on Oxford Street. The store / gallery space features artwork, jewellery and homewares by both local Sydney artists and talented regional designers. Founded by visual merchandiser Jess Polaschek, The Tribe aims to provide a platform for emerging creatives to develop their brand and showcase their work to a wider market. The Tribe’s Foley Street space also hosts a variety of exhibitions and workshops.
We popped out for a ladies night on Saturday at Dear Sainte Éloise and it was buzzing! Dark & sexy with warm reds, dark stained wood and a touch of velvet the space has been transformed from it's previous incarnation as Waterman's Lobster Bar. The name Dear Sainte Éloise was taken from George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, in which the writer prays for "just enough to buy some bread and a bottle of wine". (see the photo below for a partial view of the bar's black board with the chapter scrawled across it).
Re-discovering Ponsonby Rd on this trip back to our hometown of Auckland.. One2One Cafe is where the original Atomic cafe used to be and next door to our favourite Magazino store. Co-owner Chris Priestly has put the focus back on the beans and the food - with his former chef from Kerouac days the gifted Mark Nicholson in the kitchen.