Kate LOVES Sydney

They call it a Fun Run?

Over the past month, Kate Loves Sydney has morphed into a fitness fanatic. There’s a new gym membership, a sudden desire to go jogging during the lunch hour, even a few laps at the pool.  Unlike most fitness kicks that Kate Loves Sydney has partaken in over the years, the motivating factor has not been the threat of swimsuit season. No, this time it’s all been motivated by the impending doom and realisation that I am soon to run 14kms. And for fun no less!

City 2 Surf is nearly upon us once again and this will be the 3rd year that Kate Loves Sydney has participated in the Fun Run. I’m sure there are many of you reading this, scoffing at the suggestion of a 14km Fun Run but what you’ll discover is that like most things, it’s the journey that makes it worthwhile. So whether you’re planning to run in City 2 Surf or would never contemplate it in your life, let me share with you the ten things I’ve learnt about City 2 Surf:

1. It’s ok to wear a garbage bag before the race. Apparently this is a really good way to keep warm before the run begins and I’ve actually seen quite a few people do it.
2. If you get hot during the race you’ll need to dump a layer of clothing. Each year hundreds of jumpers, jackets, long-sleeved tee’s are discarded along the City 2 Surf route. They’re collected after the race and donated to charity. If you don’t want to lose yours, refer to lesson no 1.
3. Crazy costumes are ridiculously popular. Last year I saw Superman, Wonder Woman, ballroom dancers from Dancing with the Stars, Roman’s with a chariot filled with beer and Smurfs.
4. The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay always has a fantastic band playing on the roof top. Last year it was an 80’s soft rock cover band that was performing Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger as I jogged past. Eye of the Tiger = Rocky = Motivation. Need I say more?
5. Heartbreak Hill is exactly that. But just when you think you may have a coronary as you reach the top, look back and you’ll be rewarded with a view of Sydney Harbour that is nothing short of spectacular.
6. You’ll feel like a sausage sizzle at the end of the race after going past the many bbq’s the local residents have set up in their front yards.
7. The local residents will cheer you on and you jog past their bbq’s. You’ll look at them with envy as they sit in their deck chairs and you begin to wonder why you decided to join in a 14km fun run. But it will make you feel all warm and fuzzy too and you’ll want to keep going to the finish line. Especially if they’re playing Eye of the Tiger at said bbq.
8. Others can benefit from your efforts. Not content with the personal satisfaction of running/walking 14km? Get your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you and donate the money to a charity of your choice.
9. The last 1km is the hardest. You’ll think that you’re through the worst once you’ve passed Heartbreak Hill but it’s the last km that will get you. Why? Because you’re already at Bondi Beach by this point but still have to walk an entire kilometre to the Finish Line.
10. You'll feel pretty chuffed with yourself when you cross the finish line. And why shouldn't you? As you cross the finish line you realise that you’ve just travelled 14km from the City to Bondi Beach with 60,000 other people and it wasn’t by public transport.

And what happens then? Well, it’s off to the pub to celebrate of course! Whether I’ve swayed you to join in or not, make sure you get down to Bondi Beach on Sunday 09 August. The atmosphere is amazing and you’re sure to meet some interesting characters. Papa Smurf will even be there.

Follow Kate Loves Sydney on Twitter for your regular updates on what’s on in Sydney.

Fancy some festival fun?

Sydney is Australia’s festival capital. We have the world-famous Sydney Festival, the Biennale of Sydney, the Sydney Writers' Festival and not forgetting the community and music festivals that take place throughout the year.

Summer immediately springs to mind when you think of festivals held in Sydney, but as the Winter Festival recently demonstrated, there’s no chance this city will let the winter chill halt the festival frivolities and this weekend is no exception. Here’s how you can get your festival groove on this weekend:

Bondi Bohemia
Hidden behind the façade of Bondi’s surfy exterior is a community of alternative, bohemian creativity which is on show over the next two weekends. The Bondi Bohemia Festival features poetry workshops, an Eco Kids Festival and the Bondi Winter Music Festival. Bondi Bohemia runs from 11-26 July.

The Rocks Aroma Festival
Coffee, coffee, coffee… did I mention there’ll be coffee? If you’re a caffeine addict then head straight for The Rocks on Sunday 19 July to get your fix. Not a coffee lover? Try chai and tea from only $2 and for those with a sweet tooth, there’ll be plenty of chocolate on offer too. From 10am – 5pm.

Christmas in July – The Loft
December 25 not rolling around quickly enough for you? Why not get into the Yuletide spirit this weekend at The Loft, King Street Wharf. Sit back and relax as you’re served a special Christmas-themed High Tea with yummy drinks of mulled wine.

Follow me on Twitter @katelovessydney

Wet Weather Contingency

The weekend’s almost upon us and Sydney has decided throw a tanty. It has said that it’s had enough of being bright and sunny and has instead turned on its dreariest weather. It doesn’t happen that often but when it does, there’s nothing to do but head indoors and wait for the glorious sunny days to return.

Before you head to Blockbuster with the intention of retreating and curling up on the couch, there’s still plenty to do around town and to help you out here’s my pick of what’s on & places to cosy up this weekend:

Sydney Writers Festival: The Festival is now the third largest writers festival in the world and runs until 24 May. The program for this weekend ranges from a Cartoon Workshop for kids, Dominic Knight from The Chaser in conversation and Surfing writers Tim Baker, Nick Carroll and Sean Doherty discussing surf culture in literature. So even if you can’t get out for a surf, you can still chat with some like minded souls about it. Most events are free with ticketed events costing approx $15.

Hot Chocolate: It’s miserable outside and your body is telling you that comfort eating is totally acceptable (can’t you hear it saying “Come on, everyone’s doing it”). And when all you desire is something cosy and warm, I suggest heading straight for your closest Chocolate Café. They’re everywhere! Max Brenner, Lindt, Guylian and they’re all fabulous. Indulge! You know you want to.

Wine Bars: Sydney’s wine bar scene has gone through a real resurgence of late so round up your friends for a night of good wine and good conversation at a wine bar near you. My picks are Mille Vini in Surry Hills, Small Bar in the city and Time to Vino in Darlinghurst. Friends running late? Time to Vino has books at each of the tables to keep you occupied while you wait. 
 
Find a fireplace: Still a bit unsure if you dare venture out on the town during the cold snap? How about if you could plonk yourself in front of a nice, warm fireplace? Sound good? Then a pub with a fireplace is what you’re searching for. Try the 3 Weeds in Rozelle, The Lord Nelson in The Rocks or Zeta Bar at the Hilton.

Chicago the musical: The weekend definitely needs some ‘razzle dazzle’ and Gina Riley, Caroline O’Connor and Craig McLachlan are bringing it at the Lyric Theatre, Star City.

To find out more about what’s on in Sydney this weekend why not visit the following websites: Sydney.com, What's on in Sydney and BCL.

Kings Cross Festival

A visit to Kings Cross is always guaranteed to be entertaining. You can arrive on any day of the week, at any time of day or night and you’re always going to stumble across something that draws your attention. Often, whatever it is that’s caught your attention happens to stumble across you in a literal sense. But one thing that’s certain about Kings Cross is just when you think you’ve defined the area and the crowd it attracts, you’ll visit again and find your theory is thrown out the window.

To test this idea and see if other’s feel the same way, I did a Google search on Kings Cross and found the following quotes:

• Kings Cross is a wild mixture of prostitution and crime, with stylish restaurants and hotels. Australian Explorer.
• Here in a mixture of charm and sleaze -- tawdry shops and trendy bars, cheap rooms and classy hotels, corner takeaways and colorful bistros -- is a place that can quite easily be one of continuing amazement. Go Australia.
• Kings Cross continually reinvents itself, with new restaurants, bars and entertainment venues opening up all time. Sydney.com

The quote from Australian Explorer is by far my favourite, only after my visit to the Cross on the weekend, I’d add an extra line: Kings Cross is a wild mixture of prostitution and crime, with stylish restaurants and hotels, families and their pets, politicians and drag queens. 

This was the scene I stumbled upon as I arrived at the 2009 Kings Cross Festival on Sunday. As I walked towards Fitzroy Gardens, revellers were emerging from nightclubs, bleary eyed and no doubt feeling super-seedy at seeing so many sprightly people about bright and early.

Walking in, I could hear over the loud speaker that we were arriving just in time to watch the festival dog show. The pooches were lined up with their owners, awaiting the call of the MC, a glamorous drag queen dressed as a Stepford Wife no less, to invite them on stage to strut their stuff.  Pooches of all sizes, colours and shapes twirled around the stage, some more obediently than others (if you were there I’m referring to the pooch that decided to do it’s business on stage – definitely not Best in Show this year) as the judges prepared to make their decision and award the cutest pooch. 

Of course, being the Kings Cross Dog Show, not just anyone was invited to judge the contest. And thus it was here that I found Malcolm Turnbull, Leader of the Opposition, judging the dog show with his wife Lucy. Judging by the picture on his website posing with the family pooches, the Turnbulls are clearly dog lovers but it was certainly a surprise to find them at the festival and proving once again that you just never know who you’ll see in the Cross.

I’m not sure which pooch ended up winning because I was distracted by a fluffy little dog standing beside me, perhaps looking on with pageant envy, but for reasons that will soon be apparent. This little one was rugged up for the cool autumn morning and won me over with a stylish jumper that read “I LOVE SYDNEY.”

Moving on from the dog contest, the Festival was brimming with people keen to sample food and drink from local businesses who had set up stands for the day. Gazebo Wine Garden was there, Sugarmill and Jimmy Liks too. There was even a giant seafood paella being cooked which judging by the queue was in high demand. Sometimes though, it’s the simplest things that win me over and this year it was the Darlinghurst Public School stand. I was drawn to the huge array of brightly coloured cupcakes and lollies like I was back in school and we were at the fete. Chatting to the ladies working at the stall I discovered everything had been cooked by the parents in order to raise money for the school. Good ol community spirit at its best.

So once again, I found myself surprised and intrigued after visiting Kings Cross. It was fantastic to watch so many different groups of people, families, drag queens, locals, tourists, party goers and shop owners all gathered to celebrate the this renowned area of Sydney.

What are your favourite things about Kings Cross? Is it the nightclubs, the restaurants or just some good ol fashioned people watching? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Autumn Racing Carnival

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are falling and there’s no escaping the brisk, chill in the air, announcing that summer is officially over. Sure, this weekend we’re expecting fantastic weather, 25 degrees, sunny skies and no doubt there’ll be plenty of people at the beach. I however, am just not prepared to brave the 18 degree sea waters (a big wuss in other words). And as fantastic as summer is, I kinda don’t mind seeing it go, because it’s autumn in the city and that means one of my most favourite times of year has arrived – The Autumn Racing Carnival.

The Autumn Racing Carnival is a celebration of horse racing that runs over six Saturdays, beginning at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney’s west on 21 March before moving to Royal Randwick Racecourse on 11 April. The carnival is first and foremost about horse racing, but for most people, it’s less about the horses and more about fashion and socialising.

It’s an absolute guarantee that come Easter weekend, you’ll find me trackside at Royal Randwick Racecourse, with a carefully constructed new outfit, a race book full of tips and a glass of bubbly in hand. 

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet, as half the fun of a day at the races is the preparation that goes into it. For women, it’s all about the millinery. Do you choose a hat or a fascinator, or even given the weather, maybe even a beret? Over the years I’ve learnt the hard way that you should always pick your dress before you pick your headwear. A few years ago I bought a gorgeous hat from the milliner Neil Grigg, only to discover that I had nothing to wear it with. Probably because as someone pointed out (not very kindly) it did resemble something Johnny Depp would have worn in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Believe me, it’s not easy to match a top hat to a dress!! And to make things worse, after parting with a decent sum for the hat, on race day I had the fashion faux pas crisis of running into a lady wearing the same hat. We saw each other coming in the distance, gave a polite nod of awkwardness to each other, kept walking and then tried to avoid standing too close for the rest of the day. Make sure you have a look at the picture gallery to see what I mean, it’s a pretty un-missable hat!

You can spend a fair amount if you want to on millinery for the races and there are some gorgeous designers out there such as Nerida Winter, who will tailor a headpiece to match your dress. If you’re on a budget like me (who isn’t really) then you can’t be past the markets for style and value for money. Paddington Markets is always a winner and further down Oxford Street, the Fringe Bar Markets is another gem. Both are only held on Saturdays and my tip is to get there early.

For the men, well, it’s a lot simpler preparing for a day at the races:
• Shower - check
• Suit - check
• Polish Shoes - check
• Sunnies – check

Enough said.

This years carnival officially kicked off on 21 March at Rosehill Gardens but this weekend is when things really start to ramp up. Saturday 4 April is the running of the Golden Slipper, the world’s richest race for 2 year olds. Crowds of over 30,000 are expected to converge on Rosehill Racecourse, coming from Sydney and across the nation.

The following weekend, things move over to Randwick Racecourse and being the avid racing enthusiast that I am, I’m very excited to see it roll around. A day at the races is always fun. Everyone gets dolled up in stunning and some not so stunning fashions, which is perfect as I love a bit of people watching. It’s very social and a perfect opportunity to meet and chat with new people. The prospect of winning a few dollars isn’t too shabby either.

As the day goes on, it’s hard not to notice that by the final race, a few punters are looking a tad worse for wear.  So let Nanna Kate (as I’m sometimes known) share with you some words of wisdom for getting in and out of the races with dignity in tact:
• Wear sunblock – it’s autumn, it’s likely to be cloudy and a bit chilly but you’re still going to get burnt. Don’t forget to slip, slop, slap.
• Alternate water with alcohol. Drinking during the day in the sunlight is a recipe for disaster. Make sure to keep hydrated with the H2O.
• Don’t leave in bare feet. If you're like a lot of women, your feet are going to be sore after wearing heels all day, but leaving in bare feet is not a good look and a bit of a safety hazard. Why not take a medium-sized clutch and put a pair of thongs (sandals for the non-aussies) in before you leave home. Then you can leave in comfort and not have to worry about stepping on something and requiring a tetanus shot.
• One final word of wisdom - Don’t forget your brolly. It is autumn and the weather is a little unpredictable.

Have I enticed you to spend a day at the races? I hope so, it's good fun and something to try at least once. If you have a free Saturday over the next few weeks, then pull your fancy threads out of the wardrobe and join in the roar of the crowd during the Autumn Racing Carnival. To learn more about what’s planned, visit www.theraces.com.au or www.ajc.com.au

Arts Sydney

If I’d been asked a month ago to share my understanding of the arts, the only insight I could offer would be an infamous line from the movie Clueless. “She’s a total Monet. You see, it's like the painting see, from far away it's okay, but up close it's a big ol' mess.” Ok – so perhaps I’m really not that clueless, but I do find the arts scene quite intimidating. And given that Sydney is filled with so many amazing galleries and hosts international arts festivals such as the Biennale, I bravely stepped out this month to learn about arts in Sydney.

Not knowing where to begin, I enlisted the help of Isobel Johnson from Sydney Art Tours.  Unlike myself, Isobel is at home in the arts world and runs a series of customised tours of Sydney’s galleries.

We begin our tour at the Yellow House in Potts Point.  The Yellow House was a haven for artists in the 1950’s with the group residing there (which included Russell Drysdale) going on to become some of Australia’s most well-known contemporary artists. Today, the Yellow House is home to Martin Browne Fine Art. Isobel explains that the gallery specialises in contemporary Australian and international art and this month is showcasing a group of young and up-coming artists.

The term contemporary art has absolutely no meaning to me but looking at the space before me, the giant fish pond in the center of the room seems to be a sign of what to expect. It’s certainly unlike any gallery I’ve ever visited. There are no grandiose oil paintings of naked Romans, but rather a selection of small, finely drawn sketches. I’m intrigued by the attention to detail from Liyen Chong’s A Fragile State exhibition, as her drawing of a human skeleton becomes the focus of my concentration. “Take a closer look,” says Matt, one of the gallery staff. “Do you notice anything unusual?” As I struggle to form a knowledgeable response, he tells me that the drawings aren’t in fact drawings at all. It’s actually needlework that’s been threaded using Chong’s own hair. After being momentarily squeamish, I started to appreciate the skill it would have taken to complete\ and am quietly impressed. 

From here we move to the King Street Gallery which is actually located on William Street. I’m sure there’s an explanation behind this but I’m too distracted to enquire as before me stands three huge black and white images. What are they supposed to be I wonder? Ghosts? Spirits? The swirls of movement are intriguing and yet I cannot quite place their familiarity. The curator explains that the exhibition, Luminous Dark is the work of Chinese artist Huang Xu and focuses on the industrial revolution taking place in his homeland. Once again I take a closer look and realise that the images are actually that of plastic bags, reflecting the issue of waste management in China.  Wow - turns out this whole art thing isn’t so confusing when you have someone to talk you through it.

Buoyed by optimism after spending the day with Isobel, I decide I’m ready to tackle one of the main art institutions and the great man himself – Monet. On Wednesday evenings, the Art Gallery of New South Wales opens until 9pm and hosts a series of free public talks called Art After Hours. When I visit, it’s the final week of the Monet and the Impressionists exhibition and there’s a phenomenal crowd gathered in the gallery. It seems Monet is a favourite with punters of all ages. Deciding to tag along with a tour of the exhibition, I’m guided through the history of Monet and the impressionist movement and discover it is pretty impressive stuff. Later, as I listen to Senator Bob Brown talk to the crowd I also discover that Monet was a greenie, buying the land where his famous waterlilies series was painted so it couldn’t be developed.

At the end of the evening I’ve realised that the arts isn’t that scary after all. The key is finding someone to guide and talk you through the work. So if like me, you’re a bit of an arts novice, I highly encourage you to get out there and explore Sydney’s galleries. Talk to the gallery staff or take a guided tour, you’ll find people are passionate about the arts and happy to have someone to share their insight with.
If the larger galleries still seem a little daunting then take my tip and visit Aquabumps at Bondi Beach. Eugene Tan photographs the world famous beach every day, combining his love of surfing and photography. You won’t have to struggle with hidden meanings here. It’s all about sun, surf and summer in Sydney.

Find out how you too can become a Culture Vulture while in Sydney.

Cocktails and Parties - Sydney Fun in the Sun

The gorgeous summer days in Sydney just keep coming and despite many of us heading back to the office after weeks of holidays - that holiday vibe is still in the air. It seems the sunny skies are calling to us all to venture away from our desks, to move off the couch and to embrace this fantastic weather while it’s still here. In fact, at this time of year it seems that everything in Sydney revolves around the outdoors.

Take a stroll past any of the cities bars and you’ll discover their beer gardens and balconies bursting with patrons. This trend is evident as I enter the Zeta Bar at the Hilton and discover the roof top balcony is the place to be. The hip bar in the heart of the city recently launched its Summer Sundaze series so I’ve decided to pay a visit with some friends and sample the bar’s impressive cocktail menu. We’re introduced to Zeta’s bar supervisor, the charming Frenchman Jean, who talks us through the inspiration for the latest additions to the cocktail menu. After a few minutes with Jean I’m surprised to discover the intricacies behind the cocktails at Zeta as he takes us through a sampling of cocktails available before, during and after prohibition.

The first cocktail we sample is the Charlie Chaplin, a martini-style cocktail with equal parts slow gin, apricot brandy and lemon juice that was widely available before prohibition and a favourite of the man himself. The level of detail in the presentation is impressive with the cocktail served in an antique stainless-steel goblet as it would have been in the era before prohibition. The unique presentation of the cocktails turns out to be one of the talking points of the evening as we’re presented next with a cocktail in a brown paper bag – from during prohibition of course! From there we’re served Pina Coladas (a Hilton claim-to-fame we learn) in a hollowed-out pineapple, complete with a fireworks sparkler then yummy Mai Tais in Tiki mugs.

The showstopper of the evening arrives when Jean serves us a ‘bacon-infused’ cocktail. Yes, my friends, a cocktail with bacon as the garnish! Jean warns us that it’s a very “masculine” drink and as soon as it hits my lips I realised what he’s talking about. A little too potent for my sweet tastes so I promptly move back to the Mai Tai. For all the men out there though that believe cocktails are a women’s domain, I can safely assure you it’s not and recommend you hightail it to Zeta to give the bacon-infused cocktail a go. To see the bacon-infused cocktail in all its glory, take a look at the latest photos I’ve updated.

The past weekend took me out onto the harbour to All Tomorrow’s Parties, a music festival held at Cockatoo Island. The event was part of the program of activity taking place this month for the Sydney Festival which is an annual cultural celebration of Sydney in summer. Cockatoo Island is heritage listed site with many guises over the year ranging from an imperial prison to a naval shipyard. In recent years it’s been re-opened to the public and with its mix of industrial and colonial buildings set against stunning views of the harbour, it was an amazing site to host a music festival.

All Tomorrow’s Parties was curated by musician Nick Cave and featured over 25 of his favourite acts playing on four stages. During the day, the mood was relaxed with groups of friends exploring the island or chilling out listening to the many performances. However by night the mood had changed and it was clear that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were who everyone had made the journey to see. It was a fantastic day and impressive to see Cockatoo Island used as a festival venue.

So as you can tell, there’s still plenty of exciting things taking place around Sydney at the moment so why not get out there and explore and enjoy Sydney in summer!

Sydney City - the nightlife vibe

Christmas has come and gone but Sydney is still swinging. On any given night, Sydney’s bars and hotels are overflowing with friends and colleagues catching up over a drink and reflecting on the year that was.

There’s no better time to hit the Sydney CBD (Central Business District) and surrounds for a night out with friends and there’s a plethora of venues to choose from. I’ve been out and about in the last week in the quest to find the best nightlife and here are my fave spots to check out:

If Small Bar was a newspaper it would be hot of the press! Opening just before Christmas, this boutique bar is the first venue to open under the City of Sydney’s new laneway funding grant. It’s a move designed to re-invigorate Sydney’s bar scene and pave the way for smaller venues to open around town, utilising the many vacant laneways in the city. It looks like a successful move if my visit to Small Bar is anything to go by.

As silly as this will sound given the name of the venue, I really was surprised at how little Small Bar turned out to be! But as they say, good things come in small packages. Walking in with my friend Sarah, we were immediately greeted by the owner and friendly wait staff who were all more than happy to chat with us, make suggestions from the wine list and provide some background on how Small Bar came to be. This is definitely somewhere to take a good friend or partner for an intimate catch up. Head to Erskine Street and grab a table for two, a good wine and relax at Small Bar. Never mind big groups of colleagues – they won’t fit in!

The Glenmore Hotel in The Rocks on the other hand, has space aplenty and it doesn’t get much better location-wise for a cheap catch up with your work mates. They do really good pub meals, making it a good spot for lunch and dinner. After climbing the seemingly endless flight of stairs to the rooftop, reward yourself with a nice cold beverage and admire the view of the harbour and Sydney Opera House. A word of warning though before you test your fitness and brave the stairs  - call and make a booking before you arrive so you won’t be turned away on arrival.  Trust me, there’s nothing more disappointing than discovering how unfit you are and not even having a reward for your efforts.

 Another place known for its seemingly endless stairway is ivy. The reward at the top of this staircase however is entry into Sydney’s hippest uber club. With over ten bars and restaurants to choose from it would be hard not to find a space at the ivy to your liking. My tip – skip the stairs and head straight to Ash Street Cellar in the laneway adjoining ivy. The bar has a real European feel with the alfresco laneway dining. Great wine list and tapas menu too.

Not only is it the silly season, but here in Oz its summer and daylight savings time. So why not make the most of it and discover one of the many outdoor bars in the city. For a vibrant atmosphere you can’t go past Customs House Bar and Quay Bar. Both bars are quite close to each other and located at the Circular Quay end of the city. Here’s where you’ll find the cities bankers and financial works relaxing after work. Friday nights are wildly popular, making them both a perfect spot for a night out.

When planning a night out there’s no reason to limit yourself to the CBD. Surrounding Surry Hills and Darlinghurst have a number of brilliant venues including The Beresford. The Bourke Street establishment opened its doors recently and is already a hit with the punters. When I arrived one night after work last week, the front bar was busy and the sizeable beer garden was filling. The building itself is stylish with the original art deco architecture merging with the new, modern interior design of the venue. Don’t visit the Beresford without stopping to sample the cocktail menu. They may take a little longer to make but the final result is well worth it.

So after traipsing through Sydney’s bar scene last week, I’ll leave you with one final suggestion – Time to Vino in Darlinghurst. This my friend, is a wine-lovers heaven. Unlike many wine bars though, Time to Vino is far from being pretentious which is probably why I found it so charming. Don’t know anything about wine? Believe me it won’t matter. After giving the waiter a very loose description of what type of wine I was looking for (white, not too sweet or too dry… Poor guy, that wasn’t much to work with, was it?) he returned with a gorgeous wine that was totally on the money for what I was after. Impressive service and reasonably priced – it doesn’t get much better than that.

Enjoy the tips and feel free to send through your suggestions for some hot bars to visit in Sydney.

Read more about Sydney's nightlife vibe .

Eastern Village Hubs - Charing Cross

If you pick up a copy of any tourist guide and search the eastern suburbs, you’re likely to read about Bondi and Coogee ad nauseam. So rather than talk you about all of the places you’ll find in the standard tourist brochures, I’m going to take you on an insider’s tour of one of my favourite places in the eastern suburbs, Charing Cross.

Charro, as the locals call it, is a small village bordering the suburbs of Waverley, Bronte and Randwick. It’s a true blink-and-you’ll-miss-it location but this tiny strip is full of gems. Start your day with breakfast at Bellagio Café on Bronte Road. Grab a seat on the deck out the front or perch yourself out in the courtyard with a newspaper. The food is super tasty and the service is tremendous.

After breakfast, take a stroll down Bronte Road and discover the many cute boutiques that call Charro home. The gals will love Elodie. I have to restrain myself from hitting the ‘stop’ button whenever I drive past on the bus. A fleeting glance at the window display with its gorgeous dresses as I pass by is all it takes to bring out my inner impulse shopper.

Another fave is homewares store, Jo & I. It’s yet another store where I am forced to show restraint. I have been known to walk out with ten scented candles, some joke fridge magnets and a bunch of gorgeous hand-painted ornaments for the Christmas tree as I think to myself “Do I even own a Christmas tree?” In fact, if I talk for too much longer about shopping I may very well put myself on the next bus to Charro… so lets move on!

Bronte Road Bistro is a reasonably new addition to the area and by all accounts is ‘the’ place to dine. On a warm evening, the outdoor tables are a popular pick with guests. According to the reviews the menu is smart and reasonably priced, the wine list gets a big tick of approval and the service is top-notch. So why haven’t I been there yet I hear you asking? Well I’m going next week so watch this space for a review.

As reasonable as the menu at the Bronte Road Bistro appears to be, for a cheap feed and great company you really can’t beat the Robin Hood Hotel. Every night of the week you will find this place bursting with locals getting their fix of the popular $8 steak. And let me tell you, it’s a damn fine meal. Over summer it can become difficult to find a table as the Hood faces an influx of patrons from the near-by OzTag competition (an Aussie version of touch-rugby) at Queens Park. So get in early, stake your claim (excuse the pun) and settle in for a night with the locals. You may even spot Australian Idol winner Wes Carr who until he struck fame in Idol, was working behind the bar and doing regular gigs at the hotel. 

So now that I’ve talked up the virtues of Charing Cross, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the eastern suburbs. Do you have a favourite restaurant or bar? Where’s the best place to relax with a few drinks on a Sunday afternoon? Or if you haven’t visited before, what’s on your wish list of places to visit?