We have just completed our first Australian Travel Exchange trade show at the International Convention Centre (ICC) at Darling Harbour. Consisting of a hybrid event of live and online appointments between Buyers and Sellers of the Australian travel industry over a ten day period. Offerings included: accommodation, tours, online travel websites and other services and products suitable for the domestic and overseas markets.
We are very excited to announce that we will be kicking off our Surry Hills dining walks at Eileen's bar, from now on! The bar is located above Four Pillars Sydney Lab + Gin store on Crown Street, serving beautifully-crafted gin cocktails that showcase the ever-growing Four Pillars range. Hosting regular cocktail-making/education classes where a gin still - named Eileen of course - sits elegantly in the corner.
We had the pleasure of trying the newish Ateş Restaurant Blackheath on last week's trip to the Blue Mountains.
We love it when our friends win raffle prizes and ask us along as their guest! In this case it was a fabulous cocktail making class followed by a Dumpling making class at Honkas - Bar + Eats in Potts Point. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon creating a Lychee Martini followed by the House Special of a PoPo Trio - Gin, Sake, Cucumber - with other cocktail-making virgins. After you have made a tray of dumplings you get to relax in the courtyard with a wine or two whilst the kitchen cooks-up your creations three ways: steamed, fried or deep-fried. They all turned out super yummy even if some of ours looked a little wonky!
Every six months or so the kids at Dulcie’s create a new cocktail each. They then invite the Quaffing Club - regular bar flys and industry supporters of the bar - to meet and test the new flavours and give our expert option on whether we think the latest inventions pass muster. We are not at liberty to discuss the members or rules of the club, but let’s just say we all know our vermouth from our liqueur and leave it at that.
The Sydney Connection turned 8 last week. Woo hoo!
And to celebrate we bought a piece of art for the home office My Poster Sucks which is coming all the way from Turin Italy! We first discovered their work Rootstock Sydney and bought a Sophia Loren piece featuring champagne. So now Obama joins the family.
Great to kick-off the new year with a booking - from one of our fave regulars - of Potts Point. Jennifer has come to three of our four Crafty Dining events and is a fierce advocate for The Sydney Connection.
Across town we are very pleased to announce that one of our fave modern Korean restaurants, SOUL Dining, has joined our Surry Hills line-up. Prepare to sink into a blue velvet seat, in an industrial chic space with low light and great service. SOUl Dining has been described as too Korean to be called modern Australian, but not traditional enough to be called classic Korean.