Spring feels so close now here in Sydney; we haven’t needed the electric blanket in days and the nights feel just that much shorter.
Soon the need for heaters and two pairs of socks will be a distant memory, and we’ll be looking longingly at our winter coats as things heat up for summer.
While we wait for that to happen, impressive book launches, delicious rare Japanese whisky tastings, boat shows, foreign dignitaries, new wines and catch-ups with good friends have kept us busy. Here’s the low-down.
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This afternoon, we’re at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre in Marrickville. As well as an entire room dedicated to Hawke—probably Australia’s most popular Prime Minister—this brewery is built as an ode to 1980s kitsch.
The food here all comes from ‘The Lucky Prawn’ suburban style Chinese restaurant with all the old favourites each with a slick twist, including deep fried ice cream… but here it’s deep fried Viennetta!
We’re here with Lonely Planet to celebrate their first ever book launch. Since 1974, Tony and Maureen Wheeler’s Lonely Planet books have been the lead guides for millions of travellers around the world.
Disrupted but not dislodged by the internet, Lonely Planet has done an amazing job in staying relevant in a difficult market. This is another landmark moment for this legendary travel brand.
To get the party underway, Aussie drag queen royalty Minnie Cooper takes us through a fun travel quiz that’s surprisingly hard.
Somehow, the Lonely Planet team, headed up by Commissioning Editor (and our mate) Jess Lockhart, have launched not one but nine new guide books on Australia!
We hear from Jess and four of the writers of these guide books. They talk about their approaches to gathering and giving information they share in the books, and also some of the curlier questions they’ve had to consider, such as gender issues and the importance of Indigenous knowledge in these books.
The nine books that Lonely Planet has released are:
Australia—the traditional (yet wholly revamped and reimagined) Lonely Planet guide to Down Under, Experience Australia—a condensed experience-focused guide book, and East Coast Australia, West Coast Australia and Tasmania.
Finishing off this collection are bite-sized pocket book guides to Sydney and Melbourne, the Best Road Trips Australia and Best Day Walks Australia.
These can all be bought here as hard copy and digital versions.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for brilliantly researched, superbly written and endlessly helpful guides to Australia.
This evening, I’m in the city’s newly developed Quay Quarter with my mate Peter to taste some Japanese whisky. Bar Besuto in Underwood Street (under the Salesforce Tower) has the largest selection of Japanese whisky in Australia—possibly even the world.
Owner Joel Best has curated hundreds of rare whiskies from the Land of the Rising Sun, some of which now only exist in his cosy subterranean bar.
Tonight, Joel is showing us through six of Suntory’s distillery’s spirits, talking us through somewhat of a vertical tasting and how the same whisky but made in different years has changed.
We start with a highball—whisky and soda with a twist of orange. Its simplicity and the quality of the whisky makes this the perfect lead-in.
Over the next hour or so, we experience not only some of the world’s great whiskies, but learn so much from Joel, who’s so free with is extensive knowledge of Japanese distilling.
For instance, if you see the rose emblem in the top right corner of a Suntory whisky label, buy the bottle. It’s a demarkation that this is from before 2004, when the distillery rebranded. Not many of these left in the world.
Along with our whisky tasting, Joel treats us to some snacks from his superb omakase restaurant, which is just past the bar through a secret door.
Christina and I visited Besuto Omakase a while ago in its old premises, and were immensely impressed with the food and service. From what we’ve heard, this new iteration is even better.
From the menu, Joel gives us a delicious onigirazu (Joel promised we’ll never look at a Japanese rice sandwich the same again) and two crunchy yet tender potato fingers topped with beef tartare. I could eat these all day and never get bored with them.
To finish with, Joel treats us to a sip of one of the few Japanese whiskies that are peated to play a bit of a game with our tastebuds. We taste the whisky, which has all the hallmarks of a Japanese whisky—smooth, bright, light caramel notes and delicate long finish—but with the added impact of peat.
I love the deep resinous iodine flavours of peated whisky, but then the fun begins. From a flat tin, Joel produces a spoon of tiny olive green spheres.
“Beluga caviar,” he explains as he lands a bump on the back of our hands. “Eat it, then taste the whisky again.”
The transformation is remarkable. Those powerful peaty flavours have all but disappeared, leaving just the whisky behind and a sense of smoke.
Book your whisky tasting a Bar Besuto here. Joel runs these fascinating (and delicious) tastings every Tuesday from 6pm for $100pp. Seating is limited to just nine people, so get in quick for the next one!
Travel writers, assemble! L-R: Ben Groundwater, Jess Lockhart, Kate Hennessy, Jim and Christina Butcher
After this amazing whisky tasting, Peter and I high-tail it to Newtown, where we catch up with some of the best people in the world.
Whilst having a couple of beers with these legends of the travel journalism industry, we thought a photo might be a good idea. Turns out we’re actually from a ‘90s American sitcom!
Today, we’re exploring a fascinating collaboration: James Squire brewery has teamed up with chef and TV personality Adam Liaw to bring a brand new beer to the table.
With Adam’s guidance, the brewers at James Squire have produced the aptly named Chef Blend Pale Ale that’s good on its own but really sings when you have it with food.
This is such an easy-drinking beer, with a bright citrus flavour followed by deeper malty notes and a pleasant dry finish. For a pale ale, it’s not overly hoppy, which makes it versatile for food pairings. Just as Adam wants!
I’ve been a big fan of James Squire’s beers for a long time (their Hop Thief range is brilliant) and this new Chef Blend is another feather in the cap.
This is a delicious pale ale, perfect for pairings with a multitude of dishes. Obviously, things like fish and chips or steak work with the Chef Blend, but there’s such a lovely flavour profile on this beer that make it really versatile. It would be great with tomato-based pasta, seafood or even creamy dishes and salads.
Adam’s a clever man and has done a great job with this beer. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Chef Liaw, and you know the annoying thing about him? He’s not only talented, but is as nice in person as he comes across on TV.
Today, Christina has been invited to Meta’s head office in Barangaroo to meet with the Instagram team for a special announcement: IG has launched a new podcast called “Off the Handle” hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg to put the spotlight on creators.
The inaugural guest on the podcast has also made a special appearance at the launch—GFlip, who shares some secrets about their wedding anniversary traditions and what’s coming up.
This event has been a great way to catch up with friends Christina knows online and to meet so many new creators too. Plus it’s always fun to see behind the curtain and realise there are real people working at Instagram after all!
Exciting times for McGuigan Wines! We’re huge fans of the Hunter Valley and you can’t much more Hunter than McGuigan. This multi-generational wine family is one of the cornerstones of the Valley. Their wines not only set benchmarks for quality but also price.
We’re trying their new Gold Label range—three red varietals that are perfect for that everyday glass. They’re good examples of Hunter reds: medium-bodied versions of wines that are better known as ‘big Aussie reds’.
And now the weather’s picking up, these make for the perfect shoulder-season sipper!
McGuigan have made a Shiraz, Merlot and a Red blend that are full of forest berries and spice, ripe plum and soft tannins, and dark berries and chocolate respectively.
The Merlot in particular is such an easy-drinker. And at a very amenable price point of $14 a bottle, these wines are set to make this coming spring a very happy one!
It’s always interesting to see what’s happening at Darling Harbour. Especially when Sydney International Boat Show kicks off. It’s a weekend-long expo on all things that float—well, not everything. But there’s always something cool and new to see.
On the water this year, there’s everything from the $14.5m Nomad 101 yacht, which is also the biggest boat of the show, to the hilarious JetCars. These boats, made to look like high-performance sports cars on water, can actually go very fast and look like a lot of fun.
This evening, we’re giving the brand new Peter Lehmann wine range a shot. The all-new Barossan X line is a clever riff on Shiraz that brings a whole new perspective to this South Australian classic.
Far from your everyday Shiraz, these wines have a little extra something that sets them on a different shelf. The three labels—Twisted, Radical and Daring—all have Shiraz at their backbone, but blended cleverly into the mix are touches of Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Montepulciano respectively.
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To the bold, juicy and spicy notes of Shiraz, the Tempranillo in the Barossan X Twisted bring cherry and dried fig to the party and can even be served lightly chilled as the weather warms up. Meanwhile, in the Barossan X Radical, the Touriga allows plum and blueberry to mingle with the Shiraz. Drinking this wine with a rich ragu and pappardelle or a sumptuous cheese board is the way to go.
As for the Montepulciano in the Barossan X Daring, this wine gives sour cherry and herbs that go so well with the Shiraz’ plum and forest fruit vibes. Ideal for rich steak frites or even roast lamb, this is a delicious drop.
This evening, Christina is out with her girlfriends to check out the recently opened kitchen at the Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle. Celebrity chef Manu Feildel is behind the French-inspired menu of the eponymous Bistro by Manu, and after we had such success with his recipe for potato dauphinoise, expectations are high.
As the food starts to come out, the ladies are more and more impressed.
Ordering very smartly, the ladies only have one main from the menu; the tender free-range chicken confit with cannellini beans and kale fricassee. They do this to make the most of the much more tempting entree and side dishes.
A rich and sumptuous French onion soup, an opulent double-baked comte cheese soufflé make me wish I’d smuggled myself along to dinner.
Some peppery saucisson, grilled green beans with toasted almond slivers, a bowl of the most velvety buttery pomme puree with a beurre noisette make the meal.
Dessert is irresistible, and the ladies enjoy canelés suzette—a kind of flambé French rum baba—before retiring to the bar for one last drink before bed.
Tonight, Christina and I are back in Darling Harbour to watch another dance battle. It’s been a while since we were here—not since March in fact—but Beat Breakdown, who host these events, are still doing a fantastic job.
Last time we were here, we watched a waacking showdown. Tonight it’s crumping’s turn! Much more aggressive and higher energy, this style is more in line with traditional breaking than waacking. The dancers are also much happier with more people flooding the floor. Check out how close everyone is to the competitors!
This dance competition is free and happens on the third or fourth Thursday of every month. Check out the schedule here.
After the battle has ended and the winner announced, we head into Darling Square—down Steam Mill Lane—for dinner.
We find a little casual Korean place and order up a storm. Bulgogi (grilled beef), mandoo dumplings, tteokbokki (spicy soup with rice sticks) and a kimchi pancake really hit the spot!
We.re definitely going to come out here more often. It’s affordable and the food is superb, but also the energy around here is so vibrant—and it’s only Thursday!
