Sydney by Night: Hidden Laneways, Quirky Bars

I love Melbourne's bar scene. I love the bar scene in Berlin. I never thought I'd say the same about Sydney, but I've got to admit that it does have some quirky and unique night spots that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Our first stop was a super cute hidden laneway bar called Grandma's. The vintage decor at this place is darling, and their cocktail list is both innovative and delicious. It's definitely a new favourite. The owners describe it as a "Retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded Granny glamour". Love it!

 Delicious cocktail made with cloudy apple juice and honey!

 Rum and coke with ice cream - an alcholic spider!

We wanted to go to Grasshopper next, but it was closed for a private function. We then tried Baxter's Inn but it had a huge line, so we ended up at Stitch. This is another laneway bar with a name fitting its decor:

We couldn't resist paying a visit to Slip Inn, the venue made famous because it is where Princess Mary met Prince Frederick of Denmark during the 2000 Olympic Games. It is surprisingly a very unclassy joint with cheap drinks... and a plaque:

The night ended outside the Ivy (we decided not to go in), where there is this pretty art fixture:

In conclusion, Sydney has some unique and character filled night spots (just how I like it!) and I look forward to checking out more hidden laneway bars in the future!

Dragonfly Sex and High Tea (Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney)

Sydney Cont'd - for post one click here.

We decided to indulge in a spot of High Tea at the Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney. It cost around $50 for a buffet selection of food, a pot of tea and a flute of sparkling wine. It certainly wasn't the nicest high tea I have gone to, and the food was rather average... but it was still very much enjoyed.

I was very excited by the gingerbread men, I loved these as a child... the creme brulee was delicious too:

Finger sandwiches and scones were rather average, but the self serve crepes packed a punch (note the skittles, yes I am like a child):

I just love photos of macaroons. There is something so *food porn* about them. These looked a lot better than they tasted, they were below average as far as taste and texture go unfortunately:

The cute buffet arrangement:

In terms of value for money, quality and taste, I wouldn't rate the Intercontinental's offering of high tea very highly. There are plenty of hotels offering high tea in Sydney - next time I'll try another. Hooray for the economic term known as 'competition'.

There were some very educational elements to the day, experienced immediately before high tea when we took a leisurely stroll through the Botanical Gardens.

Flying foxes - according to one person in our group, "They're like bats, but fuzzier".

Check out this St Andrews Cross Spider in its web. I was wondering what that dark white zig zag / zipper looking part was... the Bear Gryllis of our group informed me that spiders who make very large webs add this feature so that larger animals don't accidentally walk/fly through and destroy the web. Trusty Wikipedia somewhat confirms this: "The white patterns are called stabilimentum and reflect UV light. They have been shown to play a role in attracting prey to the web, and possibly to prevent its destruction by large animals."

 By far the most interesting part of the animal/insect educational series in which we found ourselves involved dragonfly sex. This male red dragonfly procreated with a yellow dragonfly in a typical display of aerial acrobatics. Immediately afterwards, the yellow female hovered over some lily pads and started laying eggs into the water (while the male hovered protectively above her). We could actually see the eggs, and could see little fish eating them. The female was subsequently exhausted, and rested on a leaf while the male continued to dart around energetically, looking for his next victim conquest. As one person in the group exclaimed, "Wow - we just saw the circle of life!". This was all very exciting for our group of childlike adults.

So there you have it - our stroll through Sydney's Botanical Gardens turned out to be more educational than a documentary. High tea was very much deserved after all this intellectual stimulation.

Oh Sydney... what have I been missing?

A few weekends ago, I spent a weekend in Sydney. I have never been a huge fan of this city. My favourite Australian city is Melbourne, hands down, for its quirky culture and personality. Next comes Perth, with its sunny weather, laid back vibe and gorgeous beaches.

Upon reflection, I realised that Sydney trips for me have always been work or family related. I have either been stuck in meetings in boring, clinical offices, or engaging in obligatory small talk with distant relatives. I decided to embrace Sydney as a tourist, see it through a tourist's eyes... and when I did this, I realised that it's actually got a lot to offer. I still wouldn't choose to live there, but for a visit, it's rad.

The first thing I noticed was that Sydney shopping malls have some super decadent Christmas decorations. I LOVE decadent:

The huge Swarovski crystal tree in QVB is the bomb

 You can see how even without Xmas decor, QVB is simply stunning

 There are plenty of permanent art fixtures throughout the shopping precinct, one just has to stop and observe (it's all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this big city... and miss out on the delightful surroundings!)

 I was surprised to find (once I actually opened my eyes) that Sydney CBD has some wonderful architecture! Old buildings juxtaposed with the new...

 Town Hall by night

More QVB eye candy / porn

Things I like about Sydney / Lisa's Guide to Things to do in Sydney:

1/ The city is always buzzing. You can get KFC chips at 3am if you have a craving for them. I did. 

2/ The architecture, artwork and attention to detail in retail displays. Less quirky, more precise than Melbourne. There is some beauty in this.

3/ Kirribili markets, and Kirribili generally with it's cute laid back cafes.

4/ The Coogee to Bondi trail, and having brunch at a yummy cafe along the way. Next year, I plan not to miss Sculptures by the Sea. We have it in Perth and it's fantastic - this year life got in the way and I couldn't get down to Sydney while it was on. There are photos of the sculptures on this blog and I'm kicking myself that I didn't get there.

5/ The Fish Markets, for super fresh fish, crabs and prawns (and on a rainy day, you sort of feel like you're in Asia... gotta try it to understand it)

6/ When the sun is shining, the Harbour looks amazing and much can be forgiven. 

7/ TimeOut magazine, because it's always full of great ideas and photos of places and things I want to try. It's your window to the slightly alternative side of Sydney.

8/ Hidden laneway bars. They're all the buzz because they're hidden, yet you'll find a great guide on Timeout Online. They're a little bit quirky, themed, decorated... some have great cocktails. A slice of Kreuzberg in Berlin IMO, which is a super amazing place to spend time. I have a dedicated post on these coming up.

9/ Chinatown by night (late night). Tacky neon lights, filthy restaurants and big servings with cheap food. The non-Asians in our group got given forks. Fried ice cream was yum. Dead cockroaches in bathroom. It's an experience, right?

10/ Queen Victoria Building. It is stunning, it has nice tiling and decor... and I found something to buy in it. Smiles all around.

More SYDNEY to come, including my shopping purchases, dragonfly sex (yes really!) and quirky hidden lane way bars by night....