Sydney

This weekend’s best Mardi Gras day party is a Sunday roast in Camperdown

While Sydney is no doubt going to be jam-packed with fun things to do during Mardi Gras weekend, we’ve gone and picked out just one event that we think will be essential come next weekend. That’s the Absolut and Heaps Gay party in Camperdown on Sunday 6th March, fashioned as a Sunday roast but moving…

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Surry Hills’ legendary Vasco rolls into a new era with a refreshed food and drink menu

Since 2012, Vasco has been slapped with legendary status on Surry Hills’ Cleveland Street, stuck at the forefront of the kinetic strip amongst neighbourhood gems like The Norfolk, Brickfields, and Mjolner. That’s ten years of serving as the grungy neighbourhood cocktail bar, with renown for slinging some of the area’s best concoctions backed by a…

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Sydney’s iconic Mister Gee gets fruity with Alize Pineapple for a 2-night only block party

Mister Gee North Strathfield, which is still rolling after many years as one of the absolute best burger joints Sydney has ever seen, is about to drop something very, very unexpected on us. Teaming up with Alizé to celebrate the new Alizé Pineapple infusion, Gee will be taking a hard left turn from what one…

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These are the 3 best Sydney restaurants with live music

Restaurants are back. As Sydney keeps on opening up, more and more people are flocking back to their old and new favourite spots to make up for lost time when it comes to eating well, drinking even better, and catching up with friends. Throw some live music in the mix from talented local bands, from…

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Forget the chicken parm: Surry Hills icon The Clock Hotel now has a great French bistro menu

Surry Hills iconic The Clock Hotel has been through more than a few changes in its lifetime, and I’m hoping the latest is nice and permanent for the long-standing venue. That would be moving away from the typical pub grub associated with such a popular hotel into undeniably French territory, dissing the parma for some…

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Woolloomooloo’s Wharf set for a big change as Il Pontile brings regional Italian flare

Woolloomooloo’s iconic Finger Wharf would be a dream location for any restaurateur, so I couldn’t even begin to imagine how overjoyed Mario Percuoco is right now as he collaborates with the latest opening by Audacia Enterprises. As the son of Buon Ricordo’s Armando Percuoco, there’s an obvious pedigree and love for hospitality that sits behind…

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Lorraine’s Bistro is a fantastic French home run for Waverley’s Robin Hood Hotel

Sydney will never have enough French restaurants. The cuisine can arguably outmuscle Italian and Japanese when it comes to density, with some of the city’s most beloved dining institutions favouring the regional delicacies of France. Sydney’s already got a new spat of finer dining, more upscale French restaurants with Porcine and Bistro 916, but our…

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Five spots to book next week now that “Freedom Day” is upon Sydney

Not that it should be grotesquely touted as “freedom day” like it’s a signal to the ongoing pandemic is over, but October 11th has now been confirmed as the day when the fully vaccinated will be able to once again start enjoying fewer restrictions in Sydney. That means that we’re now able to book in…

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a’Mare, Crown Sydney Review: Golden-age service with a side of theatre

Alessandro Pavoni doesn’t have anything to prove. His Ormeggio at the Spit – old enough to be considered legendary – has always been a reference point for Sydney’s excellent spread of trattoria-inspired eateries. The Mosman restaurant’s more recent turn, skewing seafood and flirting with Puglia, has only solidified that reputation. But the chef is clearly…

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West Hotel Review: A strong atmosphere makes up for a lack of space (Sydney)

As part of Hilton’s boutique-minded Curio Collection, West Hotel comes to Sydney off the back of a strong and prodigious history of hotelling. Although unlike the Hilton chain, Curio clearly skews more designer, and focuses on more than just a few details to echo that ethos. Does Sydney’s property really fit into the brand’s identity?…

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Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney 2021 Highlights: Our top picks of the program

Promising epic art installations, fascinating panels, and incredible performances, we’re so excited to see Vivid Sydney reappearing on our calendars later this year. The lights may have gone out in 2020, but the self-styled “playground of the unexpected” will return this August, for three weeks of celebrating light, music, ideas, and the city of Sydney…

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hilton sydney

Hilton Sydney Review: History gets a slick refresh

Hilton Sydney is one of the city’s most reliable CBD hotels. It’s been that way for a long time, but not necessarily because of the guest rooms. The location, directly opposite the Queen Victoria Building, is of course one of the primary reasons for the hotel’s enduring success, despite stiff competition from fresher-faced and more…

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Sydney Solstice: 6 highlights of the new winter festival

Sydney isn’t about to let the postponement of Vivid get in the way of a good winter festival. Although our two major winter events – Sydney Film Festival and Vivid Sydney – have both been rescheduled and shifted to later this year, a new two-week replacement will more than fill the need for all that…

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Elder Scrolls Online Hot Sauce

This Elder Scrolls Online hot sauce has us extremely hungry

To promote the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, Bethesda ANZ has partnered with Melbourne Hot Sauce to create an ultra-spicy hot sauce. The sauce, called the “Hot Sauce of Oblivion,” weighs in at around 600,000 scovilles, the unit used to measure the heat contained in spicy food. As off-the-shelf hot sauces go, that’s pretty…

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Cam Avery has curated a score for one of Sydney’s most luxurious spa treatments

Until the end of May (so you only have a week), Sydneysiders will have access to a different kind of luxury spa treatment at The Darling Spa. How different? Well, one of the The Darling Spa’s signature treatments, the 90-minute Li’tya Mala Mayi, has been elevated with a multisensory approach in collaboration with Aussie musician…

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SOUL Deli, Sydney Review: A necessary addition to the local café scene

When you think of Korean food in Sydney you either conjure images of wagyu sizzling on a built-in grill, or obscenely crispy fried chicken dripping with a tangy house-made sauce. Illa Kim and Daero Lee have been redefining that image for years at their Surry Hills restaurant, Soul Dining, often bringing in influences from other…

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Little National Hotel Sydney Review: Designed for city staycations

The gentle tune of minimalism sweeps through Sydney’s Little National Hotel. Opened in September of last year, the latest from Canberra-dominating Doma Group is a conscious push against the often irresistible excesses of big-city hospitality. Not just that, the hotel’s soft, soulful accommodation is an obvious embrace of Japanese-influenced, less-is-more philosophy, gently sketched onto Sydney’s…

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Free live music to arrive in Sydney every Friday this month

This May, Sydney’s Seymour Centre will be introducing a new weekly event to its annual calendar: Seymour Nights. The night is part of the venue’s contemporary music program, and will kick off this Friday – May 7th – with two sets from beloved alt-bluegrass outfit The Morrisons. The night kicks off just after sunset, at…

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Theatre Review: Belvoir’s Stop Girl is a powerful and compelling story

Trigger warning: review contains references to mental illness and trauma. Sally Sara is a Walkley award-winning journalist, writer and author who has reported from more than 40 countries as a foreign correspondent with the ABC. Her debut play Stop Girl at Belvoir in Sydney is a powerful and compelling story of a woman’s struggle with…

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Live Review: Dan Sultan delivers a heartfelt show that sparkles with human emotion in full technicolour

In “Magnetic”, Dan Sultan sang, “I’m trying to keep it simple/But I’m a complicated man.” Never were truer words uttered. Sultan’s one-off show at the Enmore Theatre certainly saw him keeping things modest. With his commanding voce and an acoustic guitar, he charmed the audience. The songs were wistful about the past and also had a…

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Opera Kitchen is now a vibrant Italian & Japanese food hall

It’s one of Sydney’s most sought after dining spots, given it sides right up to Sydney Harbour, and now Opera Kitchen has reopened with a fresh new approach to dining. The venue is now a multi-cuisine food hall, giving Opera Bar more than a few new neighbours for anyone keen to mix-and-match their dining experience….

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Junipalooza Sydney eyes August launch with a two-day homage to gin

Two-day gin superfest Junipalooza is eyeing an August 2021 debut for its Sydney iteration, following five successful years staging its Melbourne festival. The homage to all things gin will be taking over Carriageworks on 28th and 29th August, rounding up dozens of distillers under the one roof. Given the way the festival works and its…

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Barry's Bootcamp Surry Hills

Barry’s Bootcamp and Chin Chin link up for the ultimate fitness feast in Sydney

Fancy your HIIT with a side of scrummy Thai food? I’m not talking overly-sauced takeaway pad see ew after you’ve just flurried your way through sprints and burpees either. The team behind global fitness favourite Barry’s Bootcamp has teamed up with pink-hued contemporary Thai restaurant Chin Chin for just that. HIIT with a side of…

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Contemporary Korean fusion opens in Chippendale with Jung Sung

Contemporary Korean restaurant, Jung Sung, has opened its doors and is taking up residence in Chippendale. Set on the third floor of the Old Rum Store on Kensington Street, the restaurant captures a modern industrial interior with dark metal, stone and copper accents. On the menu, head chef Insup Kim, takes inspiration from traditional Korean…

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What to do if you want to re-kindle your love for Sydney in 2021

We’re lucky to live in Australia. That phrase – as common as it is – has never been more accurate. We haven’t beaten this ongoing global pandemic by a long shot, and it would be foolish to be complacent about something that could very well rear its ugly head at the drop of a hat….

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Restaurant of the Month: Mister Percy – Pyrmont, Sydney

Sydney’s hotel restaurants are boring. Maybe that was a bit too definitive. Let’s just say, Sydney hotel restaurants are, for the most part, unmemorable. At least when compared to standard-pushing cities like Tokyo and New York City. Although, I’ve never eaten at a Chicago, San Fran or L.A. hotel restaurant that inspired much enthusiasm either….

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Delta to increase Sydney to Los Angeles flights in March on their flagship A350-900

Finally, some news of an airline increasing, not decreasing, flights between the US and Australia. Delta Air Lines, who have been praised for their Delta Care Standard implemented during the pandemic, will start flying their flagship A350-900 aircraft six times a week from 8th March 2021. This will give Australians and Americans looking to return…

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Whisks at the ready, The Big Bake comes to Sydney

Copious amounts of sugar, a baking competition and a cocktail bar – what could possibly go wrong?! The Big Bake Sydney is a pop up baking experience where you team up to compete for the title of Baking Champion. Loosely based on the popular Canadian television show of the same name, The Big Bake incorporates…

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Black Star Pastry new store in Newtown

Black Star Pastry opens fresh Newtown store, this time on King Street

It has been 13 years since Black Star Pastry opened un unassuming shopfront in Newtown, slightly veered off the main strip of King Street with a diminutive space popping with vibrant cakes and fresh pastries. Now, the internationally renowned bakery and sweets shop has firmed their grip on Newtown’s culinary scene by making the big…

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Theatre Review: Belvoir’s Fangirls is a teen dream hypercolour pop party

Being a teenage girl is rough. Expectations are high, bodies are changing, social media is all consuming and society deems your interests as silly. There have been countless attempts to represent teen girl culture both on stage and screen, yet most rarely seem to get it right. Originally premiering in 2019, Fangirls attracted a buzz…

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