Christina and I talk all the time about these Flavour Of The Month stories and how much we love them.
They take probably more time and effort than most of the content we create, but they’re always worth it. There are a couple of reasons why we love them so much; partly it’s so we have the chance to think about all the stuff that’s happened over the month, but they also work as a kind of miniature google.
We can search our lives thanks to these posts.
And this month has been so full of the good stuff, if I hadn’t written this all up, there’s no way we’d be able to remember it all.
So here it is: a very busy little October!
Cheers – Jim & Christina xx
Skip to the good bits
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Anyone For Tennis?
My mates Brett and Frenchie have been at me for a while to come down to their tennis club, so I’ve finally found the time this Saturday to make my way over to Marrickville District Lawn Tennis Club to see what all the fuss is about.
It turns out this is not only one of the last grass-pitch tennis courts left in Sydney, it’s also where current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hits his balls. So to speak.
It’s a charming spot with a lovely old-school bar run by club-member volunteers and is just as much about the sport as it is the social side. And just as I like it, there’s almost as much tennis played as beers sunk.
It’s not until we look outside that we discover Sydney’s being hit by one of the biggest supercell storms it’s seen in a long time!
There is a little bit of tennis happening, even though the grass surfaces are just a bit too wet to play on. Justin and Frenchie show off their serves and I get in the lineup for a sporting photo.
Frenchie kindly uses his AI skills to make me look a bit better adorned for the shot – this is about as close as I’ll come to playing though I think. My skills are better suited to the bar.
But thank you for your hospitality, gents. I can see why you love this place so much.
Time For A Barbecue
Whenever our friend Nim puts the call out for a barbecue round his place, everyone drops whatever plans they have and come running like mice to the piper. His parties are always off the charts.
Nim’s favourite thing to do at the moment is to take a whole load of rump cap steaks (picaña), skewer them on a metal spike and roast them over charcoal.
I wholly encourage his obsession.
New-Look Surry Hills Brewery
This afternoon, we’re back at Sydney Brewery’s Surry Hills campus after quite the hiatus. We came here back in July 2020 with our friend Peter Hook, who was showing us how it had been renovated… with immaculate timing to coincide with Covid.
Since then, the brewery has had another facelift and is looking better than ever.
We’re here to celebrate this new look and my goodness, what a party. There’s a sushi station where a gentleman is cutting fresh sashimi, there’s an enormous charcuterie board that must run the best part of four metres, there’s a cocktail bar, a taco counter – and of course, all the beer you can shake a stick at.
Peter also discovers the oyster table where they’re shucking fresh oysters from Merimbula, and you know how much we love rock oysters from Merimbula, Pambula and the Sapphire Coast!
While we’re filling ourselves to the point of oblivion, we have the pleasure to meet the Albion Street site’s head brewer Danielle McDonald. Smart as a whip (but much friendlier), Danielle is the brains behind the bespoke beer for this relaunch, and it’s a belter.
Sydney Brewery has many venues now – here in Surry Hills, Alexandria, the Hunter Valley and of course in Rozelle. Make sure you check them all out!
Old Friends Catch Up
This evening has been a long time in the making. This is my friend Lloyd, who I’ve been friends with longer than anyone else in Australia. I met him in 2000 – before I’d found Christina – when we worked in the same office.
It was an instant friendship and we’ve semi-stayed in touch over the years.
I bumped into him in town one afternoon (it turns out that was ten years ago almost to the day) and we promised we’d catch up for a beer. Well, today’s the day.
We spend the whole night chatting and drinking, we both forget to eat anything and we go our separate ways knowing this is just the beginning of a rekindled friendship that should’ve happened years ago.
Isn’t it nice when things like that happen?
Muay Thai Comes To Sydney
Since our last trip to Thailand a couple of months ago, when Christina and I went to our first ever live Muay Thai fight in the illustrious hallowed grounds of Rajadamnern Stadium – the home of Muay Thai, we’ve been hooked.
So when the lovely people at the Tourism Authority of Thailand reached out with an invitation to a championship fight card, we were no-holds-barred in. Even when we found out the venue was almost an hour away!
When we arrive, we’re impressed to discover the hotel – the William Inglis Hotel in Warwick Farm – has gone all out for this fight night. And even better, we’re ring-side! And even better than that: this is a dinner-and-a-show kind of deal!
The fight card is full of amazing athletes, each and every one of them leaving nothing in the ring. There’s blood, there are knock-outs, there’s music, the crowd are loud and fully into it.
The evening is called The Road to Rajadamnern 1774 – where Muay Thai was first formulated into a professional sport and recognised as a true martial art.
It’s quite surreal to be enjoying a rich, opulent slow-cooked beef cheek with creamy parmesan polenta or pan-roasted chicken breast with cavalo nero and pomme anna while, just metres away, two people are kicking and punching seven bells out of one another.
It’s a full fight card and the bouts are incessant. It’s a brilliant night and not just from a sporting or gourmand’s perspective; we get to catch up with some of our wonderful friends from Tourism Thailand.
These ladies are great, and earlier we got to chat to with Khun Pop, the head of the tourism board, the Thai Consul-General Naruchai Ninnad, and our old friend and colleague Ohm Ayutthya.
A New Dessert Recipe
So I’ve got a new pen friend. It’s been a while – I think the last one was when I was seven and he was a German boy called Hans. He was quite dull.
This new contact is a wonderful nonagenarian from Australia called Jacqui.
She’s a long-time friend of Christina’s family and has recently moved from Sydney up to Queensland, but we’ve discovered a shared passion for cooking. The difference is she’s actually good at it and has some banging recipes.
This is one of her recipes that I’ve tried and it’s not only bloody delicious, it’s despicably easy.
It’s supposed to be a raspberry cake, but I happened to have an abundance of blackberries in the freezer, so I threw them in instead. Jacqui didn’t mind at first, but now she’s hounding me to try the recipe in its original form. I fear I may have drawn her ire.
Hunter Valley Comes To Sydney
Every year, the beautiful beach and park at north Sydney’s Balmoral fills with the sounds, sights and wines of the Hunter Valley.
This is Hunter Valley Uncorked Balmoral, where some of the best wineries in the Hunter Valley come to Sydney to show off their work and allow us lazy city slickers into the wonderful world of Australia’s oldest wine region.
It’s been raining on and off all week, but today is turning out to be one of those classic early Sydney spring afternoons.
We’ve been fans of the Hunter for years now and always try to make it to these festivals – if for no other reason than supporting our friends like the Scarboroughs and the Silkmans. And to drink wine of course.
We’re excited to see the Oyster Girls here too. This is one of the best party ideas around: The Oyster Girls roam the event shucking oysters to order. The girls are stuck behind a desk today, but their shucking skills and the freshness of the oysters are still unimpeachable.
Check out more of our stories from the beautiful Hunter Valley here. You’ll find winery recommendations, itineraries, places to stay and things to do in Australia’s first wine region.
Travel Writers – Assemble!
After mooching around Balmoral and enjoying the wonderful wines of the Hunter Valley, we head back to the Inner West to the Marrickville bar Doom Juice to catch up with some of our awesome friends from the travel writing industry.
It’s rare to even get one travel writer to stay still long enough to have a drink with them and we’ve somehow managed to find three!
Jess Lockhart, who’s NZ based, is in Sydney for a hot minute, and Steve Madgwick and Kate Hennessy are home straight off a long-haul from the States. They’re all doing amazingly well and are in fine form – though we’re also coming in after spending the day at a wine festival, so maybe we’re all just on the same page!
It’s great to see these guys though. Amazing company and a fun venue too.
Unlikely Champions
You might not know this about me, but I’ve been playing futsal with the same team since 2005. We’ve won our fair share of games and championships over the years, but while we’ve got older, the other teams haven’t.
Playing 25-year-olds at five-a-side football isn’t recommended, especially when you’re in your late 40s and mid-50s. It’s been a tough season this time round; we’ve only won a couple of games. Tonight, however, is a different story.
Somehow, last week, we were in the semi-finals of the comp and we didn’t think we stood much of a chance – until the other team pulled out and we won by forfeit. We now find ourselves in the unexpected position of being in the Grand Final!
I mentioned this is a five-a-side tournament. As you can see there are only four of us. If age wasn’t enough of an issue, four old blokes against what turned out to be about seven 25-year-olds looking lean and eager.
We’re not feeling very confident.
But we warm up, kick the ball around and wait for kick off. And wait. And wait. The referee meanwhile is have a long conversation with the other team, who are becoming increasingly animated.
Eventually the ref comes to us with the news: none of the other team have any shinguards. He won’t let them play.
We win by default!
We play a friendly against them (and lose 3-0), but the trophy is ours. And what a trophy: a pair of football socks that are about 12 sizes too small. But it’s the win that matters.
And then the referee comes over to us again.
“I’ve got some more good news for you guys,” he grins. “We’ve got more teams coming into the competition for next season, so we’ve created another division and your team’s going into it. Hopefully, you’ll get a few more wins under your belt now.”
He means it affectionately, but his words still sting a little. Also (and I don’t think this has ever happened to any team in any sport or code in history before) it means that we – major premiers, the winners of the grand final – have taken home the trophy, but have also been relegated!
Go figure.
Welcome To Wine Island!
Christina and I are very excited about this afternoon’s event. We’re going on The Island – a very cool two-storey pontoon with a full kitchen and wet bar – for a wine launch party!
Our hosts, Calabria Belena Wines, have some exciting news to celebrate.
We hop on the tender at the Man O’ War Steps next to the Opera House and zip across Farm Cove to the awaiting Island, where we’re welcomed with a glass of wine. This is going to be a fun party.
Soon enough, the food starts coming round – all kinds of delicious oddments that pair beautifully with Belena’s Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Rosé, Sangiovese and Shiraz.
There’s also a tarot reader here. We get in early and just as well; this lady is in high demand.
Christina’s reading goes well – it looks like she has a good year coming up. I, however, have a less promising future. One of the more prominent cards I pull from the pack is the Holocaust card. Not a good start, is it. It turns out I have dark forces working against me: someone close to me is trying to take me down!
It doesn’t put a dampener on the festivities, but I’m certainly looking behind me as I reach for another splendid glass of Belena!
There are all sorts of things happening on The Island this afternoon. There are talented caligraphers customising bottles of wine for people, there’s what I can only describe as a bell service wine glory hole (ring the bell and a hand emerges from a hole in the wall with a glass of rosé) and there’s also this guy.
Piping your choice of filling into freshly made cannoli and dipping it in your favourite topping, Cannoli Messina is a masterstroke.
If you’re having a Christmas party this year, I reckon this (and the Sydney Oyster Girls) is the absolute baller option.
When the party’s in full swing, the DJ hits pause on the decks so that the formalities can be addressed.
Up steps Andrew Calabria, head honcho of Calabria Family Wines who we heard from last month at Woolloomooloo. Belena Wines are part of the Calabria Family Wines group you see, and Andrew tells us more about the big announcement.
Adding to their portfolio of wines, Belena is about to release their small-format bottles. Look how cute they are!
These 200ml bottles of Rosé, Pinot Grigio and Moscato will be on the market by January ’27 right in time to set the summer alight.
You can also get a personalised full-size bottle of Belena now by buying two bottles, retaining your proof of purchase and filling in the form here. It’s a pretty cool Christmas present – just saying.
Backgammon And Wine
Talking of Calabria Belena Wine, we happen to have a bottle of their Pinot Grigio in the house, so Christina and I have taken advantage of a quiet afternoon to pop down to our garden, splash a drop in our glass and have a few games of backgammon.
It’s one of our favourite ways to while away a few hours and, I think you’ll agree, a pretty good life choice!
Birthday Golf and Chinese Food
This evening, we’re back out in Marrickville, though not with travel writers and not at an avant garde wine bar.
We’re at Scratch indoor golf centre for our brother-in-law David’s birthday. This place is amazing. You can play any of the professional golf courses around the world, there are clubs you can hire that are actually good and there’s a very reasonably priced bar too.
For members, this place is open 24 hours!
We have a hit then head out for dinner at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre and its excellent Chinese restaurant the Lucky Prawn. Food here is all the stuff you used to enjoy from your little suburban takeaway when you were a kid, though genuinely tasty.
Also, their deep-fried ice cream is in fact a whole salted caramel viennetta.
Happy birthday, David. Hope you had a great day. We sure did!
Regatta Of Tugboats
Today is one of the biggest days in the Balmain calendar: it’s the Balmain Regatta!
Our friend Michael is the head of the Workboat Convoy, the element of the regatta where all kinds of utility vessels (and a few pleasure craft too) join in a parade through the harbour.
Michael is the owner of not one, not two, but three old-school ships. Usually, we’re on his personnel boat 401, but today we’re on his beautiful old tugboat Sydport.
We load up with wine, beer and snacks, say goodbye to Schultz the doberman and hop aboard.
It’s always a good day when you’re bobbing around Sydney Harbour, but when you’re part of a mighty armada like this, pouring around Fort Denison, past the Opera House and under the majestic Harbour Bridge, it’s a bloody great day.
The Balmain Regatta is Australia’s oldest sailing regatta, which first ran in 1849.
After last year, when a massive tanker barged its way through the convoy and halted the race back to the sailing club, Michael was granted a compete pause on all shipping through the western part of the waterway.
Pretty cool move.
We motor triumphantly through Port Jackson to the mouth of the Parramatta River, drinks flowing food a-plenty.
We finally disembark at the Balmain Sailing Club, plant ourselves in the park and get stuck into the live music and the bar. We also meet life-member and BSC stalwart Tommy Richardson at his rightful place by his bar overlooking the festivities.
It’s a cracker of a day, especially by the time Christina and Amy crack their last bottle of rosé.
Soon though, the weather finally turns its nose up at our get-together and throws some rain into the mix. We all pack up and head for the hills. Or the pub as it’s better known.
We Head To The Hunter Valley
This morning, Christina and I are hitting the road and heading north to the Hunter Valley. As you probably know, we love the Hunter. The landscape is stunning, the people are great and the wine is excellent.
For more of our stories on the Hunter Valley, click here.
A Spot Of Golf… ish
We arrive in the region right on lunchtime, so we stop in for a cheeky pie at Ben Ean Patisserie and Deli. I chuck down one of their cheeseburger pies like it’s time to go and Christina enjoys her chunky steak pie too.
We get to our hotel – the Mercure Hunter Valley Gardens – drop our bags and head to our first port of call: the Hunter Valley Aqua Golf and Putt Putt Centre. Neither of us has tried aqua golf before, but we’re so hooked, we get another bucket of balls!
Similar to a driving range accept over a lake, the idea is you hit golfballs into nets scattered across the water in the hope of winning a prize. There are things like a free ice cream or a bucket of balls to win and even a cash prize, though that’s right in the middle of the lake and target is very small!
Christina manages to land one in the ‘free drink’ net though, which is very impressive.
We then move onto crazy golf and spend a very enjoyable 45 minutes putting. Back in the day, we used to hunt out putt putt courses when we were travelling. This reminded us just how much fun we used to have. Bring back the putt putt I say!
A Spot Of Dinner
We head back to the Mercure Hunter Valley Gardens, clean up (putting is sweaty work!) and head to Harrigan’s Irish pub for a couple of happy hour beers. We’re tempted by the menu, but we’ve promised ourselves dinner at the Blaxland Inn.
The best part about staying at the Mercure here is it’s walking distance to both pubs and a host of other wineries.
We haven’t been to the Blaxland Inn for a few years, and that was for the First Fire Festival, so it’s good to be back here on a regular night to try the food. Mondays and Tuesdays have a locals’ menu, where you can have two courses for $54 or three courses for $64.
We get cracking with a plate of sticky pork belly, which is superb, then Christina hits the 250g black angus rump while I’m tempted by the sheer quantity of the 400g panko crumbed chicken schnitzel.
Dessert is a shared choc chip skillet cookie, which is surprisingly good. And for wine, we go for the outstanding Andrew Thomas Synergy Semillon.
Top marks all round, Blaxland Inn! Wonderful service and delicious, satisfying food.
A Spot Of Wine-Tasting
Today, we head out on the wine-tasting trail. Our first stop is to our old favourite Scarborough Wines. We’ve been friends with the Scarborough family for years now and their wines are all awesome. We only meant to come and pick up a bottle of their newly released Tempranillo, but they’re out of stock.
We end up doing a full tasting, which is lovely and very enjoyable. We leave with a bottle of late-harvest Semillon and order the Tempranillo for delivery.
Next is the Wine House. It’s recently changed hands and we’re keen to see how new owners Kylie and Matt White are doing. It’s a lovely venue, and there are some big plans afoot. The Whites are aiming to continue the work of the previous owners, showcasing smaller, less-known wineries and ones that aren’t big enough to have their own cellar door.
Currently, there are three set tastings you can do here (though you can make up your own as well):
- Discover the Hunter, which is the kind of entry level tasting
- Silkman Tasting, which leads you through one of the most exciting and talented wine-makers in the region
- Valley Rising Tasting, which shows off some of the young winemakers who don’t have an outlet yet
So pop in to the Wine House and try a tasting here and learn about the incredible depth that the Hunter has in its wines.
Our last stop of the day is at Roche Estate for a tasting at the now combined cellar doors of McGuigan’s and Tempus Two.
This is a wonderful space, especially the members’ lounge, which is tucked away by the bar. The indefatigable Caitlin leads us through some of the two wineries’ finest drops and teaches us so many things about the region. She’s an absolute gun and very funny too.
Lucia for A Superb Dinner
This evening is the main event: dinner at the newly opened Lucia Roche Estate. Just next door to the McGuigan and Tempus Two tasting room, this is one of the few restaurants in Pokolbin that’s not attached to a winery or hotel.
With an eye firmly on Mediterranean – and in particular Italian – cuisine, Lucia also boasts well-crafted cocktails from its beautiful bar, wood-fired dishes from its impressive stone oven and local wines from the Hunter across its brilliantly curated list.
The food is elevated but approachable, the service is relaxed yet professional and the decor is highly considered with so many details that you only start realising after you’ve been here for some time.
Manager and licensee John Samway leads us through a few of his favourite dishes and wines, all of which are simply brilliant. The Hunter has been calling out for a place like this for ages and here it is.
For entree, we’re treated to the restaurant’s pillow bread and antipasti of wagyu bresaola, prosciutto, whipped ricotta, pesto and ‘nduja. The pillow bread is like the ones they serve at Totti’s, but way better.
We move onto pizza – a beautifully balanced pumpkin, chevre and sage affair with an excellent crust. Move over Gigi’s. You’ve got no idea.
Next is a dish that neither of us thought much of on paper, but when it comes out we’re truly wowed. A 300g sous vide wagyu rump in a red wine jus that’s so reduced and intense it’s almost black. The steak has been so well-cooked it cuts with a spoon and has rendered so much that it has an almost pate texture. The chips do well to mop things up before a dessert of sticky apple and cinnamon pudding with gelato finishes us off.
As for the wines, they’re all perfectly picked by John, but the Silkman Reserve Chardonnay and the Andrew Thomas Synergy Shiraz are top of the list.
It’s a wonderful meal and a Hunter Valley venue we’ll be recommending for a long time to come.
Well, that’s it. A lot of stories for you – we hope you’ve enjoyed them all. If you have, please let us know in the comments. If you haven’t, just click to the next article.
I’m sure there’s something you’ll like here if you look hard enough!
Cheers – Jim and Christina xx
There’s Always a Bit More!
If you enjoyed this Flavour of The Month, here are the last few previous months you can catch up on!