This month we report back on a delightful pop-up restaurant in the ‘hood named Acciughe Salate, or Salty Anchovies, which took over the Bayswater Kitchenette space for 6 weeks in June and July. If you have finished your Dry July spell and and want to make a change to your usual drinking rituals, we have some good suggestions for tasty non-alcohol alternatives. And we say a sad and unexpected farewell to Dead Ringer, a Surry Hills steward of the Sydney dining community. As always, stay tuned for more updates and discoveries from Sydney's ever-evolving food scene.

Acciughe Salate Pop-Up

Whilst local ‘hood favourites Glenda & Alessia of Bayswater Kitchette were away for just over a month in Italy recently, their friends Andre and Michele hosted a wonderful pop-up called Salty Anchovies in the tiny but mighty Kings Cross space.

Chef Andre produced a different menu each week of tasty, rustic Northern Italian food. Complimented by a succinct wine list curated by Sommelier Michele of mainly Piedmont region vino - including one from his own family vineyard. We enjoyed an aperitivo with snacks post attending the Sydney Film Festival one Saturday evening and were so impressed we went back for three courses the following Friday.

Here’s hoping the guys come back soon with a permanent space for us all to enjoy.

No Booze Dining

So you have finished your Dry July spell and are ready to resume your usual drinking rituals. But maybe you are 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 than 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 including: Lyres who craft their spirits to taste just like the classics they pay homage to. Sourcing the finest all natural essences, extracts and distillates from the four corners of the globe; NON who work with both local and international farmers and suppliers to create complex flavours in celebration of the best ingredients at their distillery located in Victoria, Australia.

We first discovered some great mixed boxes of no-alcohol brands during the second Sydney lock-down, when we realised that if we continued to consume booze the way we did in Lockdown One it would all end in tears!

Our first online order came from Kill Joy in Melbourne which was founded by Kat, who came up with the idea of creating a no-alcohol wholesale business when she swore off booze for an entire year. Later we found Craft Zero - or maybe their algorithm found us - a Sydney based business founded by friends who were tired of turning up at parties (pre-COVID) with a bottle of soft drink, instead a stylish and more adult-looking bottle of wine.

Overall, the non-alcoholic beverage market in Australia is evolving rapidly, with consumers looking for more natural, healthy, and flavorful alternatives to traditional soft drinks. As this trend continues to grow, we can expect to see more innovative and exciting beverage options emerge in the coming years.

Farewell Dead Ringer

Our friends at Dead Ringer have called it a day after 9 years of providing fabulous food, service and Australian wines to the Sydney dining community on leafy Bourke Street in Surry Hills.

We have been introducing our guests to the grand Sydney terrace house with the handsome polished wood bar and a generous front verandah for the past two years.

Our all-time favourite dish was the Creamed Almond dip with pickled beetroot and dill, for which the recipe was a closely guarded secret. Followed closely by the roasted fish of the day accompanied by a delicious dressing like smoked tomato butter with aleppo peppers. The vegetarian guests always wigged out over the whole roast eggplant, tahini + almond dukkah. The wine list was made-up of innovative, small Australian producers and Venue Manager and Sommelier extraordinaire Sally, always suggested the best pairing with our chosen dishes.

To Rob, Sally and the DR floor + kitchen crew we wish you all the best for new adventures after a well-deserved break.