Sydney Archives - Page 28 of 79

Sydney

Grandma’s Little Bakery: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Alexandria

March 6, 2016 / Alexandria, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Grandma’s Little Bakery is a kid-friendly cafe in Alexandria, serving up home-style cooking and baking in a cosy, friendly environment. Their concept is “bringing together flavours & loved recipes from real Grandmas & Grandpas from all over the world”, which I found very sweet.

As a result, their menu features dishes like their famous Shakshuka (2 eggs served on a hot pan, olive oil with added ingredients like feta or spinach, served w/ Bread), soups, salads, sandwiches, and an all-day breakfast menu.

This little cafe is a favourite with families because of its little play area inside. While it is really best suitable for toddlers, older kids were having a blast in there too.

We ordered the Unique Ricotta Pancakes (served with yogurt, strawberry & dressing with honey blossom sauce with a touch of nuts & seeds, $12.50), an iced chocolate, $5.50, and a kids’ fresh juice, $4.90.

The food wasn’t the fastest, but we were there on a busy day. We also found the staff to be a bit harried, but again, probably because it was a busy day.

The store part of the cafe features rows upon rows of jams, cookies and baked goods if you feel like taking something home for later.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Grandma’s Little Bakery
42 O’Riordan Street
Alexandria, NSW 2015
Phone: (02) 9690 0069
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sun 7am-4pm
Get Directions

Eden Coffee: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Zetland

March 6, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Food, Zetland / 0 comment

Eden Coffee used to be our local brekkie joint when we lived nearby. While their focus is on providing the best coffee possible to diners, they also have fantastic food, friendly staff and a very welcome vibe. If you’re after a kid-friendly cafe in Zetland with great coffee and delicious food, Eden is your best bet.

Despite there being nothing particularly kid-friendly at this cafe, like a kid’s menu or play equipment, it’s still really family-friendly, as evidenced by the many families who brunch here every weekend. Mums regularly park their strollers at the tables both outside and indoors, as the cafe is big and roomy, with an upbeat atmosphere that welcomes tiny and perhaps noisy guests.

We dined at Eden on many, many, many occasions. My regular dish was the Avocado Smash plus Haloumi (smashed avocado on sourdough with roasted tomatoes), or the Eve’s Breakfast (eggs your way, house-made baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and kale, roasted tomatoes on sourdough), while Alec loved the Adam’s Breakfast (eggs your way, spinach, bacon, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, on sourdough).

We would regularly order a babyccino, kid’s milkshake or smoothie for Cheese, plus either banana bread or toast.

The staff at Eden are fantastic. There’s nothing like your regular cafe knowing you and your order when you walk in (or perhaps it’s a sign that we are boring and should branch out into other menu items?).

Highly recommend our old local. If you’re in the ‘hood, drop by!

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: No.

Eden Coffee
781 Elizabeth St,
Zetland NSW 2017
Phone: (02) 9699 3309
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 7am-4pm
Get Directions

Lemonia: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Annandale, Sydney

March 6, 2016 / Annandale, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

We were wandering around Annandale recently and came across the adorable Lemonia Cafe right on Booth Road. The cafe has heavy Greek influence, from it’s name (inspired by the greek word Zesty (Ζέστη) which translates in English to “marked by spirited enjoyment”) to the menu. A chalk board inside the cafe proclaims that fresh Greek cakes will be available on Monday afternoons and we are sad that it’s Saturday and not Monday so we could try them.

The menu has lots of vegetarian and gluten-free options. No specific kid menu, but there are plenty of things that kids will eat.

The charming waitress taking our order noticed our preschooler was getting antsy and we had neglected to bring anything to entertain her, and very thoughtfully took her to the back of the cafe to select some toys and a colouring in sheet from a cabinet. On closer inspection, the toys could do with a bit of a bath, but the colouring in sheets and pencils were very welcome!

Our food came quickly and was all spot on. Alec had the Megalo Brekky (your choice of eggs, grilled tomato, confit mushrooms, chorizo, roasted chats, bacon & sourdough $21). His mushrooms in particular were fab, but his whole dish was fresh and full of flavour. I ordered Luxe Artisan Toast (sourdough $6) plus a side of Avocado ($4.5) for Cheese, and the Museli Bowl (natural yogurt with a choice of mixed berry, poached pear confit or fresh strawberries with toasted museli $11) for me.

My muesli dish was just how I like it – mostly natural yogurt and fruit with a small amount of museli.

Next to the cafe is a small shady park that is perfect for kids to run around in, or you can walk to the nearby Orphan School Creek playground a few streets away in Forest Lodge (entry via Wood st).

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes (outside).
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Lemonia Cafe
4-8 Booth Street,
Annandale, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9552 2425
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 6am-6pm
Get Directions

High Tea At Parliament House: Sydney’s Most Exclusive High Tea

February 27, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

On the last Friday of every month, at precisely 3:15pm, excited lovers of cake and tea are admitted into the rarely seen Strangers’ Dining Room at Australia’s first and oldest Parliament House to enjoy their High Tea in the House experience.

It’s a somewhat secret experience at the moment, as so few people are aware of this high tea. When combined with the limited seating option available, this high tea becomes Sydney’s most reclusive, and exclusive, afternoon tea experience.

To get to the Strangers’ Dining Room, overlooking the beautiful Domain park, requires walking through a metal detector and passing by some heavily armed guards. It’s a bit of a surreal way to enter a high tea room, that’s for sure.

With the only dining option for 3:15pm, a small crowd gathered in anticipation of the dining event about to take place.

After checking in with our names, we chose our table – by the window with the best natural light.

The china drew our attention immediately – it’s a special Wedgwood china pattern designed for Parliament House. I was hoping to be able to purchase a tea cup to take home, but sadly they are not available for sale.

There are three options available:
Traditional High Tea served with tea and coffee – $42 per person
Hope Estate Pinot Chardonnay NV Sparkling High Tea – $44 per person
Lerida Estate Lake George Brut Rose Sparkling High Tea – $52 per person

The High Tea in the House was created by Executive Chef David Learmonth and his team of expert chefs. While not every component was made in-house, every ingredient on the menu was sourced from NSW.

Scone tier
Lemonade scones with strawberry gel and cream

Savoury tier
Bocconcini tartlet with chive coulis
Smoked salmon and dill cream cheese crepe roulade
Cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches

Sweet tier
Milk chocolate aero squares
Flamed lemon meringue pie
Macarons
Mini cupcakes
Opera cake

I was somewhat perplexed when the tea stand arrived with the one type of sandwich, the salmon scroll and the bocconcini tarts after I had told them I was vegetarian, as usually I am given an alternative to meat. After confirming that this was the regular platter and there was no vegetarian option I was grateful that there happened to be two vege savouries for me to eat. After we devoured the savoury plate, another was brought over, which I loved. The hot weather had put me off eating too much sickly sweet stuff and I was craving savouries. I do appreciate when extra sandwiches are offered at all high teas, actually, as well as additional tea.

Speaking of tea, I chose an English Breakfast loose leaf tea which came in a beautiful silver pot. The handle was burning hot strangely, and the post only held enough water for two very small cups, but it was a really lovely tea.

The scones were excellent, even though they were not super fresh. I really love when scones arrive fresh out of the oven!

The dessert tier defeated me on this day. I enjoyed the lemon merengue tart, the opera cake and the tiny vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting, but I couldn’t eat any more!

On the whole, I enjoyed the high tea, in particular the savoury tier and scones. The desserts were good, but not very creative. I did think that this high tea was excellently priced. At $42pp it’s cheaper than the majority of high teas in Sydney, and in a location you’re likely to never be privileged to step foot in again.

NSW Parliament House
6 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9230 2248
Bookings are recommended and can be made by contacting NSW Parliamentary Catering on 02 9230 2248 or by email to dps.catering@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Get Directions

Sheraton on the Park High Tea Buffet: Sydney’s Best High Teas

February 7, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 6 Comments

I’m a regular at the Sheraton for their amazing high tea offerings, but this was the first time that I’ve tried their High Tea Buffet. For the same price as the beautiful tiers that come around, on weekends you can choose the buffet if you so desire.

I’ve been curious about the buffet, but what encouraged me to book it for my dad’s birthday this week was how easy it made dining with people who have various food requirements. My dad can’t eat a variety of ingredients, which can make regular high teas hard. The buffet, however, meant he could pick and choose from a huge variety of food and find plenty of things to eat, with zero hassle.

The buffet had an absolutely mind blowing amount of choice. I was determined to try one of everything (ha!) and failed miserably, which has only increased my desire to return so I can sample more of the dishes I missed out on.

The foyer of the dining area was set up into stations – sandwiches, sweets, quiche and macarons (an interesting pairing!), scones, hot cross buns and crepes, DIY ice cream and cheese, nuts, crackers and creme brulee.

The creme brulee was so fresh that we watched the chef make it at the station and then place it onto the serving platters.

Sandwiches: As a vegetarian, I was only able to eat two of the sandwiches, which was a slight let down for me over the high tea stand, where I would usually get a vegetarian quiche plus three other vegetarian savory options.

I did enjoy the sandwiches though – an egg and cream cheese on fluffy white bread and a wrap with pumpkin and blue cheese.

Quiche: The only quiche available was salmon sadly, so I didn’t try it. I hope next time I go there is a vegetarian quiche on offer.

Sweets: It was impossible to know where to begin. There were so many sweets it hurt to look at them. I really loved the variety offered – everything from chocolate cake pops covered in pistachios to mango and raspberry pudding with white chocolate bubbles, tiny strawberry cheesecakes and deconstructed pavlova. I tried about 9 I think (yikes!), and went home thinking about all the others I didn’t get to. Next time!

Scones: These were fantastic – super fresh and warm, with giant bowls of jam and cream. I had a blueberry scone and found it fluffy and light. Perfect cream, thick fruity jam. So good.

Ice cream: This was cheese’s favourite. Choose from chocolate or vanilla, then add a selection of toppings like chocolate curls, nuts, shortbread pastry crust and chocolate balls.

Tea selection: As part of the basic buffet you are offered a choice of tea or coffee. I chose English Breakfast, which came in a pot that gave me about three full cups of tea. The lovely hostess came around later to offer is a hot water refill, which I appreciated.

I don’t usually order Cheese her own dishes when we have high tea as she just doesn’t eat them, and I was concerned with this being a buffet that it would be an awkward situation. I had nothing to worry about however, as no one minded that she pecked at a few things here and there.

The service at the Sheraton on the Park is fantastic. As soon as we finished with a plate it was whisked away, often without me even noticing, by friendly, smiling staff.

I can’t recommend the Sheraton on the Park High Tea Buffet enough for your next high tea. You’ll probably be like me and want to go back to try everything you missed the first time!

The Buffet High Tea is $49pp and includes one coffee or tea per person. Additional cost for sparkling wine. Bookings recommended.

Sheraton On The Park High Tea Buffet
161 Elizabeth Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9286 6000
Prices: $$$

Tintos: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Balmain, Sydney

January 30, 2016 / Balmain, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 5 Comments

I do love trying new cafes. This week I stumbled upon Tintos in Balmain – a tiny little hole in the wall that opens up into a reasonably-sized cafe, right off Darling Street. I admit I was seduced by the cronuts in the window …

Lucky I was, as this little cafe is an absolute gem. As we sat down at cable reel that was doubling as a table, I noticed a few big baskets of toys and colouring in supplies. What an amazing find! Cheese was entertained for our entire stay and we had to pry her away from the toys when it was time to leave.

We ordered a light meal – two Avocado Toasts ($11), mine with Haloumi ($5) and Alec’s with a Poached Egg ($3) and Bacon ($4). They were just perfect.

Soy and lindseed bread with smashed avocado in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. Just devine.

Cheese devoured a giant Mixed Berry Smoothie ($7.5).

My English Breakfast tea ($4) was by Tea Craft and served in a pot so big I got several cups out of it. Tintos prides itself on having excellent coffee, and it’s always good to be able to try and agree that they deliver what they promise on.

Our table was right next to a giant map that covered most of one wall. On the map were blu-tacked coins placed there, I assumed, by visitors from all over the world. I really enjoyed seeing where people had come from to get to this little cafe in Balmain.

Tintos is a fantastic little cafe that we will be going back to soon, to try more dishes off the menu.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Very little.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Tintos
306 Darling St,
Balmain NSW 2041
Phone: (02) 9810 2962
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 7:30-5pm
Get Directions

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Australian Premiere

January 30, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 6 Comments

My childhood was spent falling in love with Disney movies. I was absolutely obsessed with all of them – starting with The Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, through to the modern ones that came out as I was growing up such as Aladdin and The Lion King. I was 15 when I saw the original Lion King movie, and was obsessed with the music for months (ahem, might have been more like years). When The Lion King stage show came out in my 20s, I saw one of the very first shows in Sydney and cried all over again at the beauty of the music and heartbreaking storyline.

Now I have my own Disney-obsessed kid, who is still too young to watch the original Lion King movie. She is, however the perfect age for the new Disney Junior series that is a spin off from the much loved movie – The Lion Guard.

We were lucky enough to attend the Australian premiere of The Lion Guard, where we watched the first extended episode, called Return Of The Roar. At 45 minutes, the first episode is longer than the following ones will be to introduce the new cast, re-introduce beloved old characters, and set the scene for the next generation of troublesome cubs to take on their own adventures. Simba and Nala have grown up and have cubs of their own, including Kion, who is the star of this new series. Cameos from Pumbaa and Timon also link the old with the new, and bring in a motley crew of brand new animal characters: Bunga, Ono, Fuli and Beshte.

The reason I haven’t shown my four-year-old The Lion King movie yet is I think it’s still too scary for her, but I was confident that a Disney Junior spin off would be age appropriate – and it was. There were moments in the show when I wasn’t sure what direction it would go (the suspense!) and I was relieved that each moment of confrontation was diffused without violence. My very sensitive child agreed at the end that The Lion Guard was great and that she enjoyed it immensely.

While my daughter is not yet able to articulate why she enjoyed it so much beyond she loved the songs and the honey badger, Bunga, I really enjoyed the skillful animation, beautiful music and the themes that emerged: friendship, loyalty, perseverance, bravery and love. Perfect for my little girl to be watching and learning from.

I can’t wait to watch the rest of The Lion Guard when it premieres on the Disney Junior Channel on February 6.

Thanks so much to Disney Australia for inviting us to join The Lion Guard.

DirtGirl’s Get Grubby Musical: Sydney’s Best Shows for Kids

January 24, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

With a daughter who loves every kind of Disney princess out there and doesn’t like to do anything “yucky”, her latest love of dirtgirl has been a refreshing change for our family. We watch dirtgirlworld on ABC Kids, and I really enjoy the environmental messages in the show, as well as how it encourages kids to “get grubby” outside.

When I found out the dirtgirl’s Get Grubby Musical was coming to the Sydney Opera House, I was keen to take Cheese to see it. The show is recommended for kids aged 3 and up, and I found my four-and-a-half year old to be the perfect age for it.

Dirtgirl, scrapboy and Costa the garden gnome appear live on stage in a show filled with upbeat music, slapstick jokes and, underneath it all, a serious environmental issue that effects our planet – the loss of our bees. It’s an issue my husband and I have discussed ourselves before with concern, so it was great to see it being played out before us in a way that kids could understand and get involved with, too.

Fans of the TV show will enjoy seeing their colourful favourite charaters come to life before them, against a beautiful backdrop representing the most fantastical garden you’ll ever see. When presented by these hip eco-warriors, making compost out of chook poo and saving water have never been funkier. Catchy, interactive songs engaged the young audience, with the figure-of-eight bee “bum” dance being repeated frequently on our way home.

After the show, the cast came around to the foyer to meet their young fans. They were very friendly and encouraging with their tiny grubby friends, and the kids were so excited to take pictures with them and get their autographs.

We walked away from the show thoroughly entertained, and with a desire for gardening in my daughter’s head. Time to get grubby!

dirtgirl’s Get Grubby Musical
Sydney Opera House
January 22-24, 2016

Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for hosting us. All opinions are my own.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party

January 21, 2016 / Cheese, Disney Travel, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

A few months ago, I entered a competition to win tickets to a Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party in Sydney. I didn’t think much of it again, until, amazingly, I received an email letting me know that I’d won two tickets to the party. What good luck!

Cheese chose her Anna Frozen Fever outfit after I persuaded her that it was too hot for anything else and promised I’d even do her hair like Anna’s. One YouTube tutorial later and a hairdo that kind-of passed for Anna’s we were walking into Kurzon Hall with the blaring Frozen soundtrack welcoming us.

Kurzon Hall in Sydney, where the party was held, kind of resembles a castle, making it the perfect choice for a royal garden party. While summer in Sydney can be anywhere from around 20 degree days to 40, the party day was a particularly scorchingly one, with temps of almost 40dC. It was one of the hottest summer days we’d had – quite ironic to be going a Frozen party in such mad heat!

Thankfully the Disney team were well prepared for the heat, with parasols at the entrance, umbrellas covering most of the seating, paper fans dispersed to guests, and free gelato.

As we chose a table for our special afternoon tea, a hostess greeted us and brought us a giant picnic basket full of delicious goodies. The generous serving could have fed another two of us! We received a vegetarian basket, with quiches, a wrap, a vege roll, brownies, fairy bread, a Frozen cupcake, blue lollies, juices, apples and bananas.

The party had a tight schedule of events that kids could choose to participate in: face painting, horse and carriage ride and meeting Anna, Elsa and Kristoff. In between these events the kids were free to play a variety of old fashioned games like giant naughts and crosses, Jenga and Connect Four. I have to say here, a huge props to the very professional Frozen crew who were decked out in winter costumes and barely looked like they were sweating.

I had thought the highlight event would be meeting the Frozen crew, who looked almost identical to the cast from the movie but then I looked down at the schedule of events and saw that the gorgeous Aussie singer, Ricki-Lee was scheduled to sing a selection of Disney songs. WHAAAAAAAT?!

Sure enough, Ricki-Lee turned up and, in sweltering conditions, put on an amazing show. She really has such a gorgeous voice, but, even more than that, she looked like she truly loved the songs, and engaging with the kids. The kids – oh my, they were in heaven. It was like a real life princess from a Disney movie was singing to them. They just couldn’t believe their eyes.

Ricki-Lee sang a few Frozen faves (Do You Want To Build A Snowman? and Let It Go) as well as other well-loved Disney songs, such as Beauty And The Beast, Part Of Your World and A Whole New World. Without a doubt, she made Cheese’s day by putting the microphone in front of her during one song so they could sing the song together. For a kid whose dream right now is to be a performer like Katy Perry, it was the most amazing gift to be given.

At the end of the party, we were sent home with a gorgeous present – a Disney snowflake necklace – as if all the amazing entertainment wasn’t enough of a gift! A huge thank you to Disney for putting on the Frozen Summer Garden Party. We really had the best afternoon – one that I don’t think my daughter and I are likely to ever forget.

I highly suggest keeping your eye out for future competitions like this, as, you never know, you might win tickets to the next one!

Barangaroo: The Best of Sydney For Families

January 17, 2016 / Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

Barangaroo Reserve is Sydney’s newest park, located on the north-western tip of Sydney’s Central Business District. What was once a flat strip of concrete that was used as a container wharf has been transformed into a six-hectare waterfront parkland on Sydney Harbour, with 6,500 sandstone blocks placed along the foreshore and 75,000 100% native trees, shrubs and plants.

Underneath the reserve is a giant new cultural space called the Cutaway, two levels of car park and two of Australia’s biggest water tanks (so Barangaroo Reserve can be a self-watering park).

The new reserve is named after an important Aboriginal women at the time of early colonial settlement, Barangaroo. One of her husbands was Bennelong, after whom Bennelong Point (where the Sydney Opera House sits) was named. The Barangaroo precinct was use for fishing and hunting by the Gadigal people, the Traditional Owners of the Sydney city region.

While the park is not yet complete, visitors can enjoy the first two sections of the Wulugul Walk that are open to the public. Wulugal is the local indigenous word for kingfish, a fish with a golden band on its green-blue skin – similar to the appearance of the new foreshore at Barangaroo.

When the Barangaroo precinct is completed in 2022, the Wulugul Walk will run for the entire 2kms of foreshore from Walsh bay to Darling Harbour. At the moment, the walk has two sections open to the public – Barangaroo Reserve at the north of the precinct and a second section in Barangaroo South linking up to King Street Wharf.

With the opening of the reserve, this particular part of Sydney’s waterfront district is open to the public for the first time in over 100 years.

The entire of Barangaroo is very accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. It really is the perfect stress-free outing for families with elevators, gently sloping paths from top to bottom, plus clean bathrooms that have baby changing facilities.

A visit to Barangaroo to take a walk or picnic is already a great day out, but if you visit over the next week you’ll have a chance to experience the Sydney Festival’s Ephemeral City in the Cutaway. French artist Olivier Grossetête is overseeing the construction of a city of boxes, built by volunteers of all ages, using a whopping 9,000 boxes – or more than 10 tonnes of cardboard. The buildings will be demolished on Australia Day, January 26, so get in and stick together a box or two before they go.

We had a fantastic time at the BOXWARS section of the city, where kids can build their own tiny city out of cardboard.

You can see our little homes above!

Older kids and adults will also enjoy the free Flying Fox at ‘The Ephemeral City’. Zip-line over the box city and, upon landing, grab a roll of sticky tape and get building.

Open: 8–24 January, 2pm–8pm (closed Mondays), at The Cutaway. Price: Free.
Minimum weight requirement for the Flying Fox is 30kg.

Barangaroo
Getting there: Walk The most enjoyable way of arriving on foot is from Circular Quay. The direct route is to walk through the Argyle Cut and along Argyle Street to the reserve entrance at Munn Street Reserve (1.2km).

Wilson Parking operates a public car park at Barangaroo Reserve between 6am – midnight, 7 days per week.