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Sydney

Sydney Icons In Photographs

February 19, 2015 / Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Being a Sydneysider born and raised, I don’t usually take photos of obvious things like the Sydney Opera House. I recently attended an Instagram meetup however and took my SLR out for a stroll, and was really happy with some of the images I captured. Sydney is so incredibly gorgeous and it’s very easy to take that beauty for granted when you’ve grown up here like I did. So here are a few images of the Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens from my evening stroll that will make you want to visit Sydney if you live afar.

Vaucluse House: Sydney’s Best High Teas

February 18, 2015 / Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Food, Vaucluse / 14 Comments

Sydney is full of gorgeous historic places, such as Vaucluse House and Vaucluse House Tearooms. Tucked away in the suburb of Vaucluse, this little oasis of quiet is a gorgeous spot for an outing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city around it.

The Vaucluse House Tearooms overlooks the beautiful and sprawling Vaucluse House gardens, and is the location we chose recently to celebrate my dad’s birthday.

Vaucluse House is surrounded by 10 hectares of stunning gardens stretching down to Sydney Harbour. The sandstone mansion was built in the 1830s and was the home of William Charles Wentworth and his family. The Tearooms were added later in the 1930s in art deco style.

Reservations are for parties over six, or for the high tea menu only. Otherwise, be prepared to wait for a table.

My parents and Cheese ordered off the a la carte menu. Their dishes: Cheese Burger (beetroot, tomato, pickles on brioche with chips, $24), Tearooms Panko Crumbed Market Fish, (with fat chips, $28) Kids’ Cheese & Tomato Toastie ($8). My parents were both very happy with their dishes – fresh ingredients and well cooked.

Alec and I ordered the Colonial High Tea ($49pp including Glass of Australian Sparkling Wine, Selection of Premium Teas from Chamellia & Coffee from The Little Marionette).

Tearooms’ Scones with Berry Jam & Clotted Cream. I actually found the scones to be the only let down of the tea. They were hard and dry – obviously not freshly made to order.

Savoury selection: Cauliflower & Truffle Tart with Samphire & Parmesan Crisp, Smoked Salmon on Brioche with Lemon Crème & Caviar, Chicken & Tarragon Pillows, Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwiches, and an Heirloom Tomato Tart. We enjoyed the savoury selection, but would have liked to see some more traditional sandwiches here, like egg salad or cucumber.

Sweet selection: Apple Snow, Chocolate & Earl Grey Macarons, Strawberry Éclairs with Vanilla Crème, Brioche Doughnuts with Lemon & Lavender Sugar, Caramelised Pineapple & Orange Curd Custard Tarts. The highlight was the donuts. They were really delicious.

For dessert, both of my parents ordered the Vanilla Sponge (with buttermilk curd, strawberries & mint with garden chard, $14), which they both said was really lovely.

After lunch we took a stroll around the gardens. We checked out the vegetable garden and farm animals at the back of the property, as well as the stables (which are all free to visit). The produce from the gardens is featured on the Tearoom’s menu, so you can literally see your lunch growing before you.

The farm animals are a huge hit with kids visiting the property. They’re housed in huge enclosures and live a pretty pleasant life, from what we could see. The gardens and Vaucluse House are alone a reason to visit.

We didn’t enter Vaucluse House, but we enjoyed walking around the gardens immensely. The whole property is so peaceful and quiet that it’s hard to remember that not far away is the bustle of Sydney traffic.

We really enjoyed our experience at Vaucluse House, and will be back once more when we need to take a time out from Sydney and visit the calmer days of yesteryear.

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

Vaucluse House Tea Room
Wentworth Road,
Vaucluse NSW 2030
Phone: (02) 9388 8188
Prices: $$$
Hours: Wed–Fri 10am–4.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am–4.30pm
Get Directions
Bookings essential for high tea.

Fifth Wedding Anniversary at Aria and Quay Grand Pullman, Sydney

February 12, 2015 / CBD, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

Ahhh I love wedding anniversaries. This year, Alec and I celebrated number five, which seemed pretty significant for some reason. Half a decade has slipped by so quickly, and our lives have changed so very much in this time that it feels like another life time ago that Alec and I said our vows.

For our 5th anniversary, Alec booked us a night at the Pullman Quay Grand in Circular Quay for a “staycation”, and organised my parents to watch Cheese for the night. He arranged a suite with a harbour view – perfect for us to play tourist for the night.

When we opened the door what did we see but a complimentary bottle of champagne and a really sweet note from the staff wishing us a happy anniversary. Little touches like this really add to hotel stays to turn them into a special, memorable experience.

Our view was spectacular. We popped the champers and enjoyed our pre-dinner wine while admiring the view.

It wasn’t long before we were due for our dinner date. I’d booked us a table at ARIA, a restaurant right on the tip of Circular Quay, with a killer view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

ARIA is an award-winning, hatted restaurant owned by chef Matt Moran and restaurateur, Peter Sullivan.

We went in with high expectations for our meal, and were happily very satisfied with our dining experience.

For our dining, we chose the tasting menus. The regular for Alec, and vegetarian for me ($175pp). A vegetarian amuse bouche was brought out for each of us – sadly we ate them before I could photograph them. Next was miche bread and two butters: regular and seaweed.

The vegetarian tasting menu

Green asparagus with burrata, black olive and nasturtium.

Celeriac and carrot salad with smoked egg yolk and buckwheat.

Slow roasted bello rosso tomatoes with lemon verbena and olive oil.

Raviolo of potato and shallot with sage burnt butter.

Salt baked golden beetroots with watercress and charred artichokes.

Creamy mashed potatoes.

Slow cooked Cornucopia egg with broccoli, macadamia nuts and black truffle.

Regular tasting menu

Saikou salmon with apple cucumber, lemon and ear grey.

Southern calamari with Iberico Jamon, dashi custard and shiitake mushroom tea.

Pressed Jurasic quail and foie gras with pickled cherries and green almonds.

John Dory with white beans, piquillo peppers, and sweet garlic.

Kurabuta pork belly with sweetcorn and palm sugar dressing.

Lamb loin with sweetbread sausage, peas and charred globe artichokes.

Granita and mango palate cleanser.

Blueberry pressed pineapple with coconut sorbet and summer herbs.

Selection of house made petit fours.

Our meal at ARIA was really incredibly good. I loved that they had a special vegetarian menu all ready to show me (most restaurants either don’t offer a vegetarian tasting menu or just whip up something when needed). This showed me that they actually care that vegetarians dining in their restaurant have an equally wonderful time as the omnivores.

Alec and I both thoroughly enjoyed each dish. The stand out for me was the slow roasted bello rosso tomatoes with lemon verbena and olive oil. The flavour from the tomatoes and lemon was just exquisite. Alec’s only let down dish was the John Dory with white beans, piquillo peppers, and sweet garlic, which he said was a bit bland with undercooked beans.

My only personal disappointment was the dessert. While the blueberry pressed pineapple with coconut sorbet and summer herbs was very nice and refreshing, I really like desserts that are a bit more innovative to make a meal end on a really high and memorable note. The petit fours were extremely tasty however, which was a good way to end the meal.

After dinner we strolled down to the Quay to just take in the beautiful evening and enjoy each other’s company. We had a really wonderful anniversary, and appreciated some much-needed time to spend together.

ARIA
1 Macquarie Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9252 2555
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm, Sat 5pm-10:45pm, Sun 5:30pm-9:45pm.
Get Directions

Pullman Quay Grand
61 Macquarie Street,
New South Wales 2000
(02) 9256 4000
Get Directions

Brewristas: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Glebe, Sydney

February 11, 2015 / Glebe, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

If you love your caffeine hit, take yourself to Brewristas for some speciality coffee and really delicious food to boot. The new cafe specialises in coffee (duh), and their 12-hour cold drip coffee blends are perfect for the steamy Sydney summer. With names like Cold Brew, Brewmondae and Brewtea, all 3 are produced and bottled in-house, and give a massive buzz, so be warned!

Honestly, I don’t like coffee, but Alec does, which is why we ended up at Brewristas for brunch one Saturday. With an ex-Bills Darlinghurst chef at the helm in the kitchen, I was expecting the food to be pretty darn good (which it was).

The cafe has three distinct dining areas, with lots of space to move – even enough for large strollers to maneuver without hitting other diners, which has made the cafe a popular spot for local mother’s groups.

We were seated on the roomy patio out back, which is also where the giant chalkboard and swing are, so the perfect spot for families.

Cheese and I shared a Nutella Frappe ($7). It usually comes with coffee, but they staff will make one without it if asked. It was light and cold and just enough Nutella to fulfill my craving without getting sickly sweet.

We ordered Cheese a serve of Toasted Sourdough with Vegemite ($5).

My dish was the Toasted Sourdough ($5) with Poached Eggs ($4), Avocado ($2) and Roasted Tomato ($2). It was a really good size and also price and I was left feeling satisfied but not over-full. Very flavoursome food, and well poached eggs.

Alec ordered Porky Pig’s Hotteok ($15), the cafe’s take on the bacon and egg roll. In this version, the “bread” is two toasted honey jam-stuffed pancakes, (typically a Korean snack that’s sold on the sidewalk in winter), with spicy guacamole and mango habanero mayo.

The staff at Brewristas are very attentive, knowledgable and friendly. They’re used to accommodating mother’s groups, so are very kid-friendly too. This little cafe is already buzzing despite being only a few months old. With a combination of simple and innovative dishes, and, of course, coffee coffee coffee, it’s on it’s way to becoming a very popular hangout.

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

Brewristas
73 Glebe Point Road,
Glebe NSW 2037
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Thur 1pm-9pm, Fri 1pm-11:30pm, Sat 10am-12am, Sun 10am-9pm
Get Directions

Three Blue Ducks: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Bronte

February 4, 2015 / Bronte, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

Three Blue Ducks is a tiny restaurant up the hill from Bronte Beach. Even though it’s away from the main crowd of sun seekers, be prepared for a wait as this popular eatery is always busy.

The focus at Three Blue Ducks is local produce. A lot of their fresh ingredients come straight from their on-site garden (more on that later). Where possible, they use organic, Fairtrade, biodynamic and locally sourced products.

The Three Blue Ducks team also works with the local community to promote sustainable food practices by supporting initiatives such as Grow it Local, and setting up footpath herb gardens for all to share. All of the restaurant’s organic waste is collected and composted by locals, and local community gardens, which, in turn, grows food for local families. They also have a rooftop solar power system for use in the kitchen and dining areas and all cleaning chemicals are eco-friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable, and they use biodegradable takeaway containers.

We met at Three Blue Ducks with friends for a week day lunch when it was easier to get a table. The wait staff were very friendly, and happily found is a great table where we could all fit comfortably by the window.

Our group ordered: Raw Salad of Spinach, Beetroot, Fennel, Red Cabbage, Pomegranate, Parsley, Goats Cheese with Bird Seed Mix and Chardonnay Vinegar ($22), special of the day: Fish Cakes, Steak Sandwich with red pepper mayo, tomato, onion marmalade and rocket ($18), kids’ milk shake and friand.

My salad was huge and full of nutritious things. It was fresh, light and crunchy. Absolutely delicious.

Follow the alley down past the bathrooms to find a little garden area that kids can explore.

Watch out for bees!

The garden is full of herbs and vegetables – fun for teaching kids where their food comes from and what they look like before they’re picked.

And chickens are always a favourite! The back garden area is a great place for kids to get their energy out while parents are enjoying a relaxing brunch.

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

http://www.blackstarpastry.com.au/” target=”_blank”>Three Blue Ducks
143 Macpherson Street,
Bronte NSW 2024
Phone: (02) 9389 0010
Prices: $$
Hours: Sun-Tues 7am-3:30pm, Wed-Sat 7am-12am
Get Directions

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield

January 28, 2015 / Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

If you have a preschooler, likely you know exactly who the Octonauts are, too. The popular TV show (it’s one of the 10 most watched TV shows in Australia) has been teaching kids about the importance of ocean conservation since it began airing on television two years ago.

The Octonauts are a team of eight quirky (and adorable) sea creatures, led by Captain Barnacles (a polar bear), whose mission it is to explore underwater worlds, rescue sea creatures and protect the ocean.

By watching this TV show, Cheese has learned a great deal about ocean life, such as that jelly fish sting, and sharks are dangerous. Unlike a lot of shows that I’m pretty sure rot the brain (don’t get me started on those horrible egg unwrapping YouTube videos), Octonauts is something I’m happy for my daughter to be watching on TV as it’s so educational.

If your kid is also an Octonauts lover, they’ll be excited to hear about the Australian world premiere of the Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield show, a live adventure musical touring Australia from 21 Feb to 28 March 2015. The show features all of the show’s beloved characters, transformed into lifelike walkaround costumes (like the Captain Barnacles in the pictures, whom we were lucky enough to recently meet). Expect to hear the famous “Creature Report” song, The Octonauts theme song, plus 15 new songs sung by the Octonauts as well as a colourful array of Australian reef creatures.

Cheese is a massive fan of The Octonauts, as you can see from her face in these photos. We were lucky enough to be invited on a tour of Sydney Sea Life with Captain Barnacles himself.

As we walked through the aquarium, we met all kinds of special Australian reef creatures, such as the Crown of Thorns Starfish, with whom Captain Barnacles is going to face his scariest threat ever in the live show (this starfish has got some epic big, sharp spikes, so I can believe he’d be scary when he’s not behind glass!).

Thank you so much Life Like Touring and Octonauts for this very special experience.

Does your Octonauts fan want to see their heroes live, too? Tickets for Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield are on sale now at octonautslive.com.au.

Chur Burger: Sydney’s Best Burgers, Surry Hills

January 23, 2015 / Inner West, Surry Hills, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

I love burgers. LOVE burgers. In fact, the last meat I ate before I gave up all kinds of meat for good was a hamburger. I wasn’t sure I could be a vegetarian when I loved burgers so very much, but after much searching and sampling, I’ve been finding the best vegetarian burgers in various countries now. My previous Sydney fave, The Counter, closed down while I was living overseas, and I hadn’t found a worthy successor until my recent visit to Chur Burger.

Chur Burger has been popular with food bloggers for a while, always a good sign. Nestled in the quiet back streets of Surry Hills, Inside however, the vibe is lively, with retro pop music playing loud (the music was actually our only grumble about our dining experience. While we liked the music selection, we found it too loud to hear what our friends were saying).

We had a bit of a food splurge and ordered waaaaay too much for our little family to eat. Everything was so delicious though, that we gave it our best shot and walked away with groaning stomaches at capacity.

Mozzarella sticks and tomato jam (special of the day, $10). HEAVEN. Deep fried cheesy goodness.

Sweet potato fries, garlic, lime ($8). Delicious. Thick, crispy and soft in the middle.

Chips, chilli salt ($6). We ordered these with plain salt so Cheese could eat them. Perfect, fat fries.

Spiced chickpea fritter, grated beetroot, honey labne ($10). The holy grail of vegetarian burgers. I find it so hard to get a decent vegetarian burger and this one was pretty much perfect. Lightly spied patty, and the honey labne was devine.

Grilled beef, cheese, tomato jam, mustard mayo, pickle ($10). This was Alec’s. Asked for a comment he said “it was really good” and that was all he could offer.

We also ordered two Milkshakes – Vanilla and Milo ($10, all with Heilala vanilla). I only tried the Milo one but it was absolutely divine. Cheese and I battled it out to see who would get to eat the chocolate Milo bits left on top at the end. Alec said his vanilla was delicious and drank the entire thing before I could sample it.

Chur Burger had lots of families dining in, as you’d expect from a burger place. While there was nothing particularly kid-friendly about it (no kids’ menu, room for strollers, change table), it was such a laid back, casual affair that bringing a few noisy kids certainly had no impact on the other kid-free patrons’ dining experience. I certainly felt very comfortable with my wiggle preschooler and didn’t worry to much if she was being loud or fidgety – no need to feel like everyone has to be on their best behaviour, so long as they’re hoeing into burgers and enjoying their shakes and fries.

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

Chur Burger
48 Albion Street,
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9212 3602
Prices: $
Hours: Mon 11:30am-9pm Tues-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sunday closed
Get Directions

Queens Park Shed: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Randwick, Sydney

January 21, 2015 / Randwick, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

One of our recent cycling adventures brought us to the Queens Park Shed cafe. Originally a women’s change shed, it eventually became a disused sports storage shed, until Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust engaged Trippas White Group to turn it into a community space and cafe. The Shed is a popular cafe with families in particular, due to its location next to a large playground.

The inside is spacious and filled with large benches or cosy nooks. There is also seating outside, perfect for parking strollers.

The Shed offers little diners cute print outs such as this Ariel page, and crayons, as well as babyccinos served at the perfect temperature (and with a marshmallow, of course).

Alec and I both chose the Avocado Toast (avocado toast, free range poached eggs,
vine ripened tomato, goat’s cheese, $17). While we were impressed with the fast service, the meal itself was on the average side, due to a lack of seasoning. The cafe’s location was so great however, that we will be back to try it again and hopefully get a better dish.

The Shed runs a few programs for kids, such as Kids Eat Free on Thursdays from 5pm, and the Kids Power Hour, Monday – Friday 2:30-4pm, for a filling after school snack.

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

Queens Park Shed
31 Darley Rd,
Randwick NSW 2031
Phone: (02) 9380 9350
Prices: $
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm
Get Directions

Summer Playground At The Sydney Opera House

January 15, 2015 / Animal Experiences, Cheese, Indoor Play, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

The Sydney Opera House never ceases to surprise me with their wonderful programming for families.

Right now, kids can enjoy the fabulous free Creative Play available daily at the Sydney Opera House just inside the Western Foyer. Kids can take time out of the heat with free LEGO play, while contributing to a collaborative musical composition – using their LEGO creations. The shapes built by the kids is turned into music using a really cool technology (a scanner in the roof and some sophisticated software). Three very entertaining and energetic musical performers engage the kids and introduce the LEGO music every 15 minutes.

I’d previously thought Cheese was just not really into Lego, but she surprised me by wanting to build Lego towers for over an hour. I literally had to drag her out of the building, which was a shame considering how great the air conditioning was.

Creative Play operates daily until January 26. Free and suitable for any ages who enjoy building with regular sized LEGO (no Duplo here).

Out on the Western Forecourt is the Summer Playground. The Harbourside sandpit is a big hit, letting kids kick off their shoes and play with the provided sand toys while parents can sit around the sandpit under shade and enjoy a drink or lunch.

Hungry families can grab a bite at the Summer Playground’s House Eatery By George, Opera Bar or Opera Kitchen. Their kids’ menu features three meals, each $15 (tip: if the cafe inside the foyer is open, you can pick up a kids’ box for $7 which includes sandwiches, juice, a cheese stick, museli bar, lollypop and mini box of smarties. These boxes can be brought out into the Summer Playground area to eat).

When we stopped by, the Taronga Zoo’s Zoomobile was there, giving kids the chance to meet Australian wildlife like echidnas, snakes and shingleback lizards. Sadly the day we visited (Jan 15th) was the last day for the Zoomobile.

The Sydney Opera House Summer Playground is open until 01 Feb 2015, Sun-Thur 9am-11pm, Fri & Sat 9am-12am.

Public transport is the easiest way to get there (catch the train to Circular Quay), but if you need to drive, until 31 January Wilson are offering Opera House visitors a special Summerhouse deal. Pre-book a bay in the Opera House car park and quote Summer15 to receive $15 flat rate for weekday parking 9am-5pm and $9 flat rate for weekend parking 9am-5pm.

Sydney Festival: Waterfall Swing, Festival Village & The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

January 13, 2015 / Cheese, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 7 Comments

The Sydney Festival is on right now (it runs 8-25 January) and they have some really fun events for families. We’ve checked out the Waterfall Swing in Darling Harbour, the Festival Village in Hyde Park, City of Sydney Lawn Library and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Next, I’m looking forward to Family Week (Jan 20-25) in Hyde Park, with its free workshops, art and music for kids.

The Waterfall Swing in Darling Harbour is super fun for kids and adults. In fact, when we were there, I saw about 50% kids, 50% adults enjoying the swing, so don’t be shy! The intelligent swing creates a cascade of water that opens just in time for the rider to pass through. Be prepared to get soaking wet! (8–24 January, 9am–9pm, daily)

We also stopped by the City of Sydney Lawn Library, which is home to a lot of activities for all ages like calligraphy, circus skills and pop-up crafts. The kids particularly enjoyed the big Jenga-style blocks.
(8–25 January 2015 ,11am–11pm Daily, Closed Mondays)

The Festival Village in Hyde is home to delicious (albeit a bit pricey) eats and treats. Restaurants include Bar Pho, Harvest Trader & Co, Puntino Trattoria, Bite Size Delights, Bar Coco Milk Bar, Jafe Jaffles, the Village cheese shop Cheesesmith, and Porteno and Gelato Messina have joined forces to create The Double Down Diner.

There are also a variety of free and paid events on during the festival. Freebies include live music playing, such as this band.

Gelato Messina “The Royale With Cheese” ($10). The Messina “gelato burger” – milk chocolate gelato patty layered with white chocolate cheese, passionfruit “mustard” and raspberry “ketchup” served on a warm brioche bun. Honestly, I didn’t like this one. The bun was a bit weird and not sweet enough for me. I would have preferred some kind of fake bun made out of biscuit .

Gelato Pie ($8) “The Nutty Professor” – peanut butter biscuit base layered with peanut custard, vanilla gelato, peanut crunch and topped with whipped cream. Pretty tasty, but I’m not a huge nut fan.

Gelato Pie ($8) “Lemon Meringue Pie” – Buttery biscuit base layered with lemon custard gelato, lemon curd and topped with torched lemon meringue. This was my favourite of the three. Really lemony and delicious.

Basket of fries $10. Really good and a big serve to share.

Ricotta and spinach pastizzi ($4 each). They were huge and really tasty. Zero spinach weirdly.
(8–25 January, Closed Mondays. Free entry until midnight, food available from 11am.)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has got to be one of the best kids’ shows I’ve ever seen. The show features four stories by Eric Carle, combining 75 beautifully constructed puppets with the timeless charm of Carle’s famous stories and illustrations. At 50 minutes it was the perfect length for the attention span of small children. The seamless mix of storytelling and puppetry was mesmerizing for adults and the kids alike.

Stick around after the show to meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar himself. (8–18 January at 10am & 12pm Wed & Sat at 10am, 12pm & 3pm).