{"id":15283,"date":"2014-05-27T21:51:47","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T11:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=15283"},"modified":"2016-02-22T22:50:26","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T12:50:26","slug":"a-long-weekend-in-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=15283","title":{"rendered":"A Long Weekend In Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tagtravelwide\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Getting<\/a>

Getting touristy and having a beer at the Opera Bar in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.<\/p><\/div>\nS<\/span>ydney has always been one of my favourite places to go for a short holiday.\u00a0 You don’t have to travel particularly far from the city centre to enjoy some truly scenic spots to wine and dine in.\u00a0 Circular Quay and Darling Harbour are both picturesque locales where you can enjoy some of Australia’s best fine dining destinations.\u00a0 The city is a genuine melting pot of different cultures which means its also home to a hugely diverse mix of establishments serving up dishes from around the world.<\/p>\n

On this whistle stop weekend visit, Jen and I came with the intention of checking out some restaurants we hadn’t tried before; a mix of new eateries and some of Sydney’s much loved favourites.<\/p>\n

We’re not usually ones to have a quiet holiday where we put our feet up and this trip was no different.\u00a0 As well as an itinerary of six dining destinations, we were also keen to check out the Vivid Festival and watch the Socceroos final game in Australia before heading off to Brazil for the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Vivid Festival<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Vivid<\/a>

Vivid Festival lights up the Sydney Harbour in spectacular fashion including a huge light projection on to the sails of the Opera House.<\/p><\/div>\n

Vivid is a relatively new cultural festival in Sydney that was started in 2009.\u00a0 It’s described as a festival of ‘lights, music and ideas’.\u00a0 Over the course of three weeks, Circular Quay is transformed into a colourful hub of creativity where artists get to show off their latest work, bands (including The Pixies, Kate Miller Heidke and Lauryn Hill this year) perform at the Opera House and crowds get to witness a megabucks light and multimedia extravaganza that is emblazoned on the waterfront buildings in the city including the Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art.<\/p>\n

Jen and I met up with an old friend from Brisbane who showed us the sites.\u00a0 We had a couple of cheeky beers at the Opera Bar so we could watch the sun go down on the waterfront before the fluorescent beams from the MCA light up the Opera House to mark the start of the proceedings.\u00a0 As you’d expect, the Opera Bar is stupidly packed so I wouldn’t really recommend hanging around too long.\u00a0 Besides, you’d miss out on all the cool interactive exhibits that can be found along Circular Quay.<\/p>\n

\"Enjoying<\/a>

Enjoying the bright lights and spectacle of Vivid Festival.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"We<\/a>

We probably spent a good ten minutes staring at the ever changing Museum of Contemporary Arts Wall of Light<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Rainbow<\/a>

Rainbow Chan performing Since I Left You – not a bad choice for my first ever musical gig at the Opera House.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jen and I had a chance to catch our first ever gig at the Opera House on the Saturday night.\u00a0 There is a much loved Australian hip hop album from 2001 called Since I Left You<\/em> by The Avalanches.\u00a0 It’s a near perfect album from start to finish and to date, it’s been the group’s only release.\u00a0 Our friend Nick is adamant that a second album is ‘still coming’ but its considerable delays are starting to put it into Chinese Democracy<\/em> territory now.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the album was being performed live in its entirety at the Opera House by the pint sized Sydney performance artist Rainbow Chan<\/strong><\/a> backed by a sixteen-piece band comprised of deejays, samplers, a string section and two drummers.\u00a0 It was really quite something.<\/p>\n

I’ve never seen Chan perform before but I found her to be an amazing and exhaustive bundle of energy.\u00a0 Her powerful voice did justice to The Avalanches tracks and her incredibly energetic and enthusiastic dancing brought the appreciative fans in the venue to their feet for virtually the entire performance.\u00a0 Her infectious yet quirky appeal reminded me of the Icelandic pop star Bjork.<\/p>\n

I’m not a person who can articulate the nuances of audio projection and how it works in the Opera House but needless to say this was an enjoyable act to see live.\u00a0 I love The Avalanches album from start to finish and to see it performed by such a gigantic and eclectic musical group blasting us with a wall of sound was really something special.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

An interactive light exhibit projected and overlaid images of Jen and I as artwork on the side of a Circular Quay laneway<\/p><\/div>\n

Food And Drink
\n<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"As<\/a>

As always, food was a big part of the trip<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2009, it was a rainy night in Sydney dining at Tetsuyas, the establishment of world renowned chef Tetsuya Wakada, that really kicked off my love affair with fine food.\u00a0 Five years and a hundred restaurants later and I still have the appetite for finding new diners, new dishes and new gastronomical experiences to enjoy.<\/p>\n

For this visit to Sydney we didn’t have any big tasting menus or degustations planned.\u00a0 Instead, we had researched a bunch of popular places using food blogs and the Good Food guide and made a shortlist of places to check out.\u00a0 We didn’t make a reservation at a single one so there was every chance some of our plans would be scuppered.<\/p>\n

Our first stop was at Mr Wong<\/strong>, recipient of Best New Restaurant in Sydney, as recognized by the Good Food Guide of 2014.\u00a0 It’s an inner city Chinese establishment set up by chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu.\u00a0 The venue is plush and inviting, with a stone wall interior furnished with ornamental wood trimmings.\u00a0 It looks amazing and thanks to its popularity and five million servers, it is a hive of activity.<\/p>\n

Patrons raved about the peking duck and with good reason.\u00a0 They’re served with a delicious crispy skin and sweet meat that is on the money.\u00a0 We also had the Balmain bugs and the pork bun which were glorious.\u00a0 People rave about the mud crab but we were stuffed so it’ll have to wait for another time.\u00a0 Our verdict was that Mr Wong is a definite winner.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The wagyu burger at Rockpool Bar and Grill<\/p><\/div>\n

That night we went to Rockpool Bar and Grill<\/strong> to get a quick bite to eat and a scotch before watching Rainbow Chan at the Opera House.\u00a0 For the uninitiated, you should know that Rockpool specializes in and are masters of serving steak.\u00a0 They are also an extraordinarily opulent establishment in Sydney.\u00a0 Our resident expert Nick explained that the venue was used as a shooting location for Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby<\/em>.\u00a0 I have no idea if thats true or not but I can believe.\u00a0 The place looks like a million bucks.\u00a0 Because we could only stay a short while, I ordered a wagyu burger instead of going a whole three course dinner.\u00a0 The burger was enourmous, flavoursome, came with a paltry single leaf of lettuce as a side, and tasted amazing.\u00a0 I washed it down with a scotch and then we were off.\u00a0 I could happily come back to Rockpool.\u00a0 Their whisky selection was several pages deep, filled with extravagant distillers and unique curios the likes of which I hadn’t seen before.<\/p>\n

The next morning we went to Potts Point to have breakfast at Bills<\/strong>, owned by celebrated Australian chef Bill Granger<\/strong>.\u00a0 At Bills you get a pretty straight forward classic Aussie breakfast with eggs, sangers, tomato and bread.\u00a0 It wasn’t anything especially creative but everything was fresh and cooked perfect.\u00a0 Plus, Potts Point turned out to be quite a picturesque little area to start your day.\u00a0 The autumn air was brisk and there were plenty of folks out walking their dogs.\u00a0 It was a lovely morning to have a coffee, slow down for a minute and watch the world go by.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The classic Aussie breakfast at Bills in Potts Point<\/p><\/div>\n

On a whim, we decided to visit Ippudo<\/strong>, a popular Japanese ramen joint that we first experienced in New York.\u00a0 The Australian Ippudo hasn’t fared quite as well when you look at patron reviews on Urban Spoon but Jen and I had like for like dishes with the New York venue and we think they’re pretty comparable.\u00a0 The broth for the ramen is beautiful, the pork buns are melt in your mouth tender and that weird cucumber thing they do is still a treat.\u00a0 The main difference is that Ippudo in New York is located in the East Village and is populated by a weird amalgamation of Asians, musos, hipsters and beatniks.\u00a0 It’s like the Cantina from Star Wars<\/em>.\u00a0 Ippudo in Sydney is located on the fifth floor of a Myers shopping centre.\u00a0 It’s frequented by just Asians.\u00a0 That’s not nearly as exciting.<\/p>\n

\"ippudo001\"<\/a>

The Akamaru Ramen at Ippudo, Sydney.<\/p><\/div>\n

We also checked out Jamie’s Italian<\/strong> in Sydney.\u00a0 I know, I know.\u00a0 It’s a bit touristy and I’m sure there’s about five hundred of these places around the world but we wanted to experience it all the same.\u00a0 Turns out so does everyone else!\u00a0 “The current wait time is two hours sir” was what I was told when we arrived.\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 We had no where to be so we just enjoyed some more of the sights at Vivid Festival before coming back for supper.\u00a0 We had a bottle of prosecco, some bread and cheese sides and vongole and lasagne for mains.\u00a0 It was a lovely evening and we were pretty sloshed by the end of it.\u00a0 Before I forget, the Winter Berry Trifle was a smashing dessert.<\/p>\n

Lastly, a morning brunch at Bourke St Bakery<\/strong>.\u00a0 Its so small, the counter is about a meter away from the front door and there’s just one window seat indoors.\u00a0 The rest are all out on the sidewalk.\u00a0 But people come from miles to try out their fresh pastry and coffee and with good reason – it’s absolutely divine.\u00a0 The weather gods smiled on us for the entire trip and it was no different on our last day.\u00a0 We demolished the Pain Au Chocolat and took our time finishing our coffee as the sun beamed down on us.<\/p>\n

Football<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"anzstadiumpanny\"<\/a>

The crowd gathers before kick off at ANZ Stadium. 50,000 fans came to see the Socceroos off before they headed to Brazil<\/p><\/div>\n

On our last night, we journeyed to Olympic Park to see the Socceroos play South Africa at ANZ Stadium for their World Cup send off.\u00a0 The stadium is absolutely monstrous and holds a gargantuan 80,000 people.\u00a0 It hosted the opening ceremony and the track and field events during the Sydney Olympics and nowadays is home to Sydney FC, a bunch of NRL teams and is a sell out for State of Origin each year.<\/p>\n

A respectable 50,000 were on hand to see the Socceroos tonight and man would they be disappointed.\u00a0 South Africa brought out a weak squad loaded with teenagers and debutants.\u00a0 Despite this, they unexpectedly took the lead in the first half after a goal mouth scramble saw keeper Matthew Ryan beaten by a low drive to his left.\u00a0 It lasted all of five minutes before Socceroos legend and captain for the night Tim Cahill headed home an equalizer.\u00a0 The Socceroos appeared to have the ascendancy but couldn’t convert their opportunities.\u00a0 We expected a strong second half and didn’t get it.\u00a0 The team lost the initiative and there were few scoring chances.\u00a0 A rather lacklustre finish against some tepid opponents.\u00a0 Right now, we shudder to think how the team will fare against the tikki takki skills of the Dutch and the Spanish at the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"japanesetourist\"<\/a> \"jenbreakfast\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All in all, we had a lovely long weekend and it was a thoroughly enjoyable first getaway for the year.\u00a0 In Sydney, there’s good food, good company and if you time it right, plenty of amazing sights and sounds to experience.\u00a0 We got pretty lucky with the weather, the football was a little bit rubbish, but overall, we had a blast.<\/p>\n

We’ll be back Sydney.\u00a0 Those mud crabs at Mr Wongs better not get too comfortable.<\/p>\n

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