We had the rare pleasure of dining at Sokyo at The Star last week, before attending a performance of the fabulous Ladies in Black as part of Sydney Festival in the Lyric Theatre.
What a dynamic environment in which to enjoy contemporary Japanese cuisine! At 6:30 on a Wednesday evening the place was buzzing with date-night couples and little families. Situated in the foyer of the stunning Darling Hotel with minimalist Japanese screens dividing the sexy bar and restaurants spaces, we started with a refreshing mock tail of Hibiscus, apple, mint and lime. Sydney is experiencing 40 degree days right now so this went down a treat after our walk over the Pyrmont Bridge from the city.
We started with the very colourful creation of Usuzukuri - snapper in a soy & lime vinaigrette covered with micro herbs & edible flowers. Followed by some very well-dressed Hokkaido Scallop Yuzu Honey, onion, capers, crunchy miso, yuzu honey which was a total taste bomb in the mouth.
We also tried a Robarta each of Corn-fed Chicken, Shallots, w/ yakitori jus and the Queensland Sushi Roll w/ Spanner crab, spicy aioli, avocado wrapped in soy paper.
Being on a restricted diet for the start of the new year we really appreciated the good, clean flavours that Sokyo's menu delivers on both counts. The service was also knowledgeable, efficient and friendly. A perfect pre-show dining experience.
Our latest dining discovery, Dead Ringer, is on leafy Bourke Street in the heart of Surry Hills. Housed in a grand terrace house, with handsome wood joinery & leather upholstery, the two-sided dining room frames an equally handsome bar. The team has a genuine love of good hospitality and food paired with classy cocktails. We describe Dead Ringer to our guests as ‘a restaurant with a well-stocked bar’.
We have a new player onboard for our Darlinghurst dining tours: introducing Bar Nina on the corner of Crown & Stanley Streets. Right smack in the middle of East Sydney the restaurant opened in April 2021 - mere months before Lockdown 2.0 kicked-in. We had intentions of popping-down to check-out the menu and vibe but Rona got in the way. So it was lovely to finally go there recently for a Saturday afternoon rose & oysters and discover that yes this is a place we definitely want to bring our guests!
Opening auspiciously on the first day of Spring, Bloom Cafe Aperitivo is a small but fabulous space is bought to you by the very creative Mauro & Amel of House Bar & Bistrot. The cafe is very conveniently situated just behind the restaurant on Kellett Place.
It feels good to duck-up to the front counter of the doorways and windows around the hood and grab our weekly takeaway treat from our favourite people. Even some of the die-hard "we-don't-do-takeaway" businesses are coming to the party now! Moving and taking action always feels better than sitting at home stewing about a situation that feels out of your control.
There's an awful lot of amazing takeaway and delivery options available across the city right now. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed at the sheer amount of offerings inner city Sydney is pumping out! This is an exercise in morale boosting, employment of staff and engagement with the regulars of each small business in each precinct. There is often not a high profit margin in this service, it's really about the businesses staying connected with the community.
We started our Australian Travel Exchange 2021 on Sunday afternoon with a booking of three key luxe travel guests of Destination NSW on a curated lunchtime dining walk of Surry Hills on a Sunday afternoon. We met our guests upstairs at Tilly Mays Sydney who had just returned from hitting Bondi for a surf lesson and were in need of sustenance. The generous all Australian cheese board accompanied by a refreshing Pizzini, King Valley prosecco hit the spot perfectly.
We love it when our friends win raffle prizes and ask us along as their guest! In this case it was a fabulous cocktail making class followed by a Dumpling making class at Honkas - Bar + Eats in Potts Point. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon creating a Lychee Martini followed by the House Special of a PoPo Trio - Gin, Sake, Cucumber - with other cocktail-making virgins. After you have made a tray of dumplings you get to relax in the courtyard with a wine or two whilst the kitchen cooks-up your creations three ways: steamed, fried or deep-fried. They all turned out super yummy even if some of ours looked a little wonky!
The idea for SOUL Deli - Sydney’s first Korean brunch café/deli - came from a spur-of-the-moment pivot. When the nation went into the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and husband-and-wife team chef Daero Lee and Illa Kim had to close their Surry Hills contemporary Korean restaurant SOUL Dining, they launched BOWL by SOUL to offer freshly made takeaway rice bowls. The pivot proved hugely popular with locals, many who returned daily, to enjoy the affordable and authentic Korean rice bowls (deopbap), homemade with fresh ingredients.
Great to kick-off the new year with a booking - from one of our fave regulars - of Potts Point. Jennifer has come to three of our four Crafty Dining events and is a fierce advocate for The Sydney Connection.
Across town we are very pleased to announce that one of our fave modern Korean restaurants, SOUL Dining, has joined our Surry Hills line-up. Prepare to sink into a blue velvet seat, in an industrial chic space with low light and great service. SOUl Dining has been described as too Korean to be called modern Australian, but not traditional enough to be called classic Korean.