November’s a funny month, isn’t it. I think the word is ‘peroration’ – that final build-up to the finale. The opposite to the calm before a storm.
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, November does all the legwork for December and its fancy parties, but rarely gets its due credit.
So here’s our attempt to set the records straight for ol’ snake eyes.
Our November saw a whole lot of new stuff. New magazines, new electric cars (not to mention flying cars and full-blown robots), new breweries, new pie shops, new bars, new festivals… it’s been an exciting few weeks.
Christina even managed to fit in the first Christmas party of the year and I flew to Perth for the first Ashes test – for what it was.
So here’s November in the shell of a nut. Hope you enjoy.
Cheers – Jim & Christina xx
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Traditionally belonging to October but never mind, we celebrated Halloween on the 1st November this year. Dressing up as one of the Louvre robbers, Christina has managed to make even hi-vis and a balaklava look good.
Meanwhile, the rest of us accumulate at our friends Justyna and Phillip’s place and try not to freak out the neighbours.
My go-to of ‘cult leader’ is more of an excuse to pop a wig on than anything, while others have geared up as Manga characters, zombies, Wednesday Addams and even an alien abduction to name but a few. A great evening and a lot of fun (and wine!).
I’m on my best behaviour though; everyone here does jujitsu!
Beneath their funny costumes, these guys are all from Christina’s dojo Quantum Martial Arts, and there are even national champions amongst them.
If you were at the Halloween party, you probably wouldn’t recognise these two, but Christina and our horrific host Justyna have met today to discuss matters of the mind and soul on Justyna’s podcast Flight of the Phoenix Holistic Therapy.
It’s a fascinating interview and well worth a listen or a watch. You can hear it in full here on Spotify or watch it all here on YouTube.
This morning, Christina and I are down by the water in Pyrmont for a very special event. But before we get to the nitty-gritty, let’s enjoy the incredible views from Doltone House on Jones Bay Wharf and the enormous spread of breakfast goodies laid on!
Ok, sated? Let’s get into it.
This is the launch for Chinese car manufacturer Chery’s first car to Australia. Best known for their electric cars, Chery have cleverly decided to bring out one of the best hybrid options on the market to Australia instead.
If you haven’t heard of Chery, here are some stats that will make you wonder why you haven’t (btw, we hadn’t really heard of them either):
Founded in 1997, Chery has sold over 2mil cars in the first nine months of 2025 and is one of the top five passenger car makers in China. Every 25 seconds, a Chery vehicle is shipped overseas.
Although Chery are already in Australia with their Tiggo range (the 4, 7 and 8), the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is new to market and has some impressive features. Costing $59,990, this family sized hybrid electric SUV is packed with features.
Click here and a new window will open with a shot of the press conference presentation.
Oh, and yes, they make robots too!
Tell me the summer’s here in Sydney without saying the summer’s here! Jacaranda season has to be one of the prettiest – unless you’ve parked your car under one of them.
But seeing these beautiful blue-purple blooms crowd out the leaves of their trees all around the city never gets old.
Today is an absolutely epic day for us. We have just finished our latest edition of Hint Magazine!
This 60-page beauty is packed with Christmas tips – not just gift ideas, but lots of that too. We have recipes, inspo for making Christmas better, reasons why this stuff matters… and plus a sealed section for adults only we had a lot of fun creating this year!
Check out this year’s issue of Hint Mag here for free.
This evening, we’re out in the city at Bar Mammoni to learn more about the delicious wonders of San Daniele prosciutto that Italian fine food procurers Principe Foods has brought to Australia.
We’ve experienced prosciutto from the tiny region of Parma (prosciutto di Parma in fact), but the prosciutto region of San Daniele is even smaller and artisanal.
As well as freshly sliced prosciutto straight from the affettatrice per prosciutto, we try prosciutto-wrapped arancini, scallops with a puttanesca sauce and crispy prosciutto, negronis made with a prosciutto infused gin and prosciutto garnish, and even delicious a spritz with pickled chilli, rock melon and prosciutto.
It’s a proper prosciutto fest!
This event showcases the delicate flavours of this treasured meat and begins a month-long celebration of San Daniele di Prosciutto across the venues of Hinchcliffe House. And if you haven’t visited any of these outstanding bars and restaurants, make sure you get there asap (and before the prosciutto runs out!).
You can find more information about Hinchcliffe House here.
It’s finally happened! The day we’ve all been waiting for: White Bay Brewery in Rozelle has left the building… actually that happened a while ago, so more specifically: Sydney Brewery has entered the building!
Christina and I have been long-time fans of Sydney Brewery – before it was even called that in fact. It was once called Schwartz Brewery and was based in our local, the Macquarie Hotel on Goulburn Street, Surry Hills – now known as Harpoon Harry’s.
This impressive brewhouse now has venues in Lovedale in the Hunter Valley, Alexandria, Surry Hills in the Rydges Hotel and now here in Rozelle. We’re very excited to see how this adventurous brewery innovates in this space – there’s plenty of it to play with – and makes this site something to really travel for. The beer at least is better!
You might notice Christina has changed a bit by the bottom right image above. That’s because that’s not Christina; it’s my mate Brett!
Prepare to be very impressed. We’re in a flying car! That’s right, the future is here! We’re the Jetsons, Marty and the Doc from Back to the Future II, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang… maybe not the last one… but how cool is this?
We’re at White Bay Cruise Terminal for another car launch! This is GAC – an impressive Chinese auto group and one that’s just come to Australia. These flying cars are already in China (and you don’t need a pilot’s licence btw!), but we’re here for the unveiling of three new cars to the world.
Beneath the black satin shrouds are three cars that are set to revolutionise the car landscape here, but before we get a look at them, we’re treated to an excellent didgeridoo concert and some background on GAC.
And if you haven’t heard of this motor company before, it’s been around for almost 30 years, and is now in over 85 countries around the world.
Its 6,000 strong R&D team has spent over US$7.6 developing the core brands (GAC, Aion and Hyptec), and over the next five years, this impressive auto firm will bring out another 10 models across the A- and B-segment SUV categories, and in the utility markets.
And here they are: from left to right, the EMZoom compact SUV (from $25,590), the Aion V medium SUV (from $42,590) and the high-end seven-seater M8 Phev (from $76,590).
There are some incredible features across these new vehicles.
The sporty EMZoom comes with a raft of tech that you don’t usually find at such an affordable price range – auto parking 360-degree cameras, a massive 14.6″ screen and a panoramic sunroof.
In the mid-range, the Aion V is built for comfort and even has a fridge-freezer in the central console.
With all the gadgets (and seating) the giant M8 Phev even has a combined electric-petrol range of over 1,000km and the seats all have 10-point air pump massage functions with three different modes!
These cars also have the interesting option of being remote operated. If you’re stuck in a small parking space, you can use the app on your phone to have the car extract itself without you getting in!
After the official unveiling, we’re guided to the party hall where the new models are on display for us to experience as well as some up-and-coming models like the cool Hyptec HT with its crazy gull-wing doors.
We settle in with a couple of pretty slick-looking cocktails and find out more about these cars set to completely change the Australian car market.
While we’re talking about cars, look what I’ve spotted on Sydney Harbour. Now that’s how you get through morning traffic and solve parking issues!
Exciting times for the Balmain Peninsula! Lode Pies and Pastries has finally arrived.
With three other venues around Sydney, we were starting to feel ignored by this baked-goods sensation. But officially opening its doors on 19th November, Lode has made our month.
We try the bolognese and the beef pies (there’s also a veggie option) and are very impressed. I was expecting the top to be crusty and crunchy, but what I’m guessing is a kind of croissant laminate pastry is crumbly and delicate. And the filling is generous and delicious too.
As for other items on the menu, fellow patrons seem very happy with the burger, and the wide array of sweets is very tempting. We will be back!
This morning, I’ve hopped on a flight without Christina! I’m off to Perth with some mates to watch the first Ashes Test. It’s going to be an interesting experience, not just because both the English and Aussie teams are in a bit of disarray, but also because out of the six of us, I’m the only Pom.
Do I go Barmy Army or True Blue?
ED: well, that was a bit of a damp squib. Both teams all out by the middle of Day 2. We had tickets to Day 1 and Day 3, so only one day of cricket, but we made up for it with a day at the Swan Valley wineries and another down in Fremantle. As for allegiances, I found the Barmy Army quite irritating and the English team reckless… but I’m still not sure which way to go.
I’ll be running a separate story on our exploits out west, so watch this space!
While I’m in Perth, Christina has had the pleasure of landing the year’s first Christmas party. Our lovely friends from Shout Magazine, for whom we do regular blind tastings and judging panels for, are throwing a shindig at Bar Reggio.
The Shout Mag team, which is a booze and hospitality media group, are a lot of fun and I’m pretty disappointed to have missed this one. There’s always next year.
This evening, Christina and I are checking out the fantastic new venue for That Plant Shop. These guys have been a peninsular institution for ages, and the owner, Ed, is a qualified botanist. If you have any question about your existing plants – or even better – a question about the best thing to grow in your home or garden, these guys will have the answer.
Their previous venue was a real Mighty Boosh Jungle Room (minus the pack of Mod wolves) – a roaming building filled with verdant plants draped from every shelf and sitting on every surface.
But this spot, right in the middle of Darling Street, they’ve added to their unqiue immersive environment with a little bar. You can come here for horticultural advice or just for a glass of wine and some cheese.
And by the way, they’ve had a real-life sommelier come and pair superb cheeses with each wine.
We’ve gone with their Ross Hill Chardonnay (we’re big fans of this winery from Orange, NSW) and a ‘brie fermier’ that goes superbly with the firm clean lines of the wine.
This has to be one of the more unique places we’ve enjoyed a romantic glass of wine and cheese – not only in Balmain but in general. If you’re looking for something special to do with your partner, book this in right now!
This morning, Christina and I have popped down to Wollongong, about 90 minutes south of Sydney, to see our ridiculously lovely friends Jules and James – Christina has known Julia since they were at pre-school.
The sun’s out so we head to a local spot for a swim with James and Jules’ excellent kids Mo and Vinnie to Corrimal Pool. It’s a heated pool, but the weather’s still warm enough to make it feel chilly initially.
It’s a wonderful day though, and so good to catch up with these guys. And their boys are just so funny.
We’re not expecting to stick around for dinner, but Jules and James take us to one of the family’s favourite eateries, and we trust these guys with our appetite!
We’re right to – Katsu Tabi is one of those Japanse restaurants that is so good that it doesn’t need to take itself seriously. The manga cat- and geisha-based memes on the walls speak volumes.
More than that, the katsu curry they do here is outstanding. Christina has the chicken and rice, while I thought I’d go for the pork katsu with big fat chewy udon noodles. I haven’t had katsu curry with udon before, but I tell you what, I’m a fan now!
Today is an important day for Balmain: today is the suburb’s first proper street festival, and it’s an absolute banger!
For over half a kilometre of Darling Street, market stalls, live music stages and bars fill the road, and really show just how diverse and interesting this little bit of Sydney is. The festival really sets the suburb off and everyone, from the shops and cafes enjoying the extra Christmas foot traffic to the visitors checking out the parks we have here, is having a great time.
We make the most of some of our favourite brands having stalls – like Blackwattle Distilling, Red Mill Rum and Bar 26, turning out wonderful spirits and cocktails – to new ones like French-style salumerie Saucisson Australia, and all kinds of artisan crafts and foods.
Not wishing the year away, but we can’t wait to see what Balmain Festival 2026 brings!
But the real pinnacle of November is more esoteric than you might imagine. It isn’t the launch of new and exciting electric car brands or sitting in a giant flying drone. It’s not eating new-concept pies or the latest brewery to open in the area. It’s not even the most historic start to an Ashes test in over a century or eating great prosciutto.
For us, it’s winning two meat trays from our local bowlo from the same $10 ticket and enjoying a surprisingly filling whiting and chips, and a club sandwich from our local, which happens to be the oldest bowls club in NSW by the way.
Anyway, here’s to November and the mad run-up to Christmas!
Cheers everyone
Jim & Christina xx
