New bar Neighbourhood should have opened in Bondi ages ago. I’m often mystified at how Sydney’s (if not Australia’s) most famous suburb has so few really good drinking spots. I mean there are some, but with a name like Bondi Beach, you’d expect a bit more. Thankfully Neighbourhood is taking Bondi’s reputation by the scruff … Read more
Craft beer. It’s like that home-cooked meal you always lust after. It’s that warm feeling of drinking something someone has loved and cared for, and produced so that you will truly enjoy it and feel at home. That’s what the Royal Albert Hotel’s angle is, and boy do they deliver! Tucked away down a Surry … Read more
This week’s Friday Drinks is set in the dark recesses of Darlinghurst, Sydney. Embracing forgotten ways of good manners, great service and impeccable drinks, Eau de Vie embraces ‘20s style with a flourish. Dedicated to the bon vivant within us all, the prohibition hideaway tommy gun tone of this jazz-infused speakeasy tells you to kick back … Read more
It’s Friday! That’s a relief, isn’t it? The weekend stretches before us like the far end of an Olympic swimming pool, threatening to drown us with its infinite possibilities. And so begins the first ordeal of our leisure time: where should we go for Friday drinks? Do you want comfy armchairs and a table? Is … Read more
If you haven’t been to the Clock Hotel before, you are either under-age or you’re not interested in pubs. This one’s a belter and shouldn’t be missed. Obviously a classic Aussie pub at its heart, the Clock has undergone many incarnations. From the outside, it’s clear that it’s always been a pub, with its classic … Read more
Has anyone noticed how microbreweries have become really popular in Australia recently? Is anyone really that happy about it? If someone asked me those questions, the answer would be a very loud ‘YES!’ One of the pubs doing great things with all things beer is the Harts Pub on the outer rim of the Rocks … Read more
A pub crawl is a wonderful thing. You travel from bar to bar, pub to pub, a drink in each one… it’s a night of endurance, a night of attrition against sobriety. I saw something like this while in Tuscany. But as the Italian ‘youths’ (god, I feel old using that word!) bar hop, they … Read more
As I step down into the sunken courtyard of the Slip Inn I’m transported. It’s like I’ve pushed through the saloon doors of a Mexico City cantina at happy hour. The bustle of the crowd, the sparkle of lights in the trees, the DJ playing mellowed Latino pop covers… This is El Loco at Slip … Read more
Sydney is well-known for its many and varied eating houses. Us lucky few who live here are spoilt, aren’t we? Well, there’s a new place to try in the City now. And I’ve got to say, it’s pretty good. Palings (rhymes with ‘darlings’) is the latest thing to open up at Ivy. It’s a welcome … Read more