Forty seven weeks down...

This week has been pretty busy with only two weeks left living in Sydney. It's starting to sink in that this will no longer be my home. After having such an amazing time so far it's going to be very sad to leave, however, that being said I'm excited at the prospect of another adventure...

The weather this week has been the worst yet, all it seems to do is rain! I think this maybe in preparation for my return back to England. It certainly make me less likely to go outside.

On Wednesday it was my roommates Birthday so I filled our apartment with balloons and old school photos.

That evening we headed to Otto on Woolloomooloo wharf. Recognised as one of Sydney's premier restaurants, Otto boasts lush designer appointments and dim lighting. The restaurant itself is very expensive, but as it was a special occasion I splashed out. I had Caprese to start which included tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil and for main, risotto ‘quattro fromaggi’ which consisted of aged aquerello rice, gorgonzola, pecorino, taleggio, parmesan.  The risotto was exquisite, it really is a dish to die for!

Thursday evening the roomie and I headed to fox studios in Moore park to watch a comedy show at The Comedy Store. It offers up the cream of the touring comics and you will be sure to leave with an aching belly.

On Saturday morning I took some friends from Melbourne to Chezdee in Potts Point for brunch. I had granola with fruit and yogurt which was delicious. 

Saturday night was my roomie's birthday party so we through a house party and lots of people came round. It really was lovely to see everyone and it certainly made me realise who I would be leaving behind which is really sad.

We then headed to home nightclub for a few dances. 

On Sunday we took our friends that flew over from Melbourne for the party to Bondi. We all had brunch at Aqua which was really nice, although, the service wasn't very good. I had French toast with grid bananas and golden syrup. It certainly sent me on a massive sugar high.

We then walked along the beach and relaxed on the sand for a while. 

If you ever watch Bondi rescue you will certainly recognise the below lifeguards. I got to have my photo taken with them which certainly made my day! 

Afterwards we headed to Icebergs for a glass of wine over looking the sea. It has the most stunning views of Bondi beach which was the perfect way to finish the weekend off.

Keeping you posted. 

Sarah x 

Forty Six weeks down...

This week was all about my events with work. This meant lots of early starts and late nights but it was fun creating an exhibition stand for the first time.

On Monday it was still set up day at the exhibition, so we had to put the machines and furniture on the stand. We were finally set up by 8pm.

Tuesday was the start of the event. It was actually pretty boring, especially, as all I did was stand there. Thank god I had my laptop so I could catch up with my blogging during the event.

The Australasian gaming expo did a time lapse video of the event from start to finish. My stand is the one at the front called ecash. Check it out...

After the exhibition I organised a cocktail party at Cargo's. The venue was really cool and modern. I had a few mojitos and sparkling wines which certainly helped me talk to a bunch of randomers! I got to sneak off quite early which was good as I had quite enough of having to speak to creepy old men...

On Wednesday after the expo I headed to the cinema to watch Inbetweeners 2. We thought the cast themselves were at the premier of the movie in another screening room, however, they popped into our screening room to do a quick Q&A session which was pretty cool. I can confirm that are just as funny in real life!

After work on Friday, I headed to Löwenbräu Keller in the rocks to meet a few of my old colleagues from my first job in Oz. This traditional German restaurant is authentic Munich-style, it offers hearty cuisine and quality imported biers in a traditional bier-hall environment. It is pretty pricey but it's worth it as a one off experience. For food we tried the chicken Schnitzel and Oven-Roasted Pork Knuckle Served with Sauerkraut, Löwenbräu Bier Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. The pork was delicious as it just fell off the bone. 

Afterwards we headed to the Argyle for some cocktails. I tried a cocktail called Cherry Blossom which was Divine, although, it was way too easy to drink! We spent the rest of the night in the RnB room singing and dancing to some old school classics. 

On Sunday morning the roomie and I met a friend at the Grounds of Alexandria for brunch. Located in an old pie factory from the early 1900’s, The Grounds of Alexandria is the flagship venue for its specialty coffee.This place really is amazing! It houses a beautiful cafe with a large outdoor garden oasis. So spacious, surrounded by perfectly manicured herb and vegetable gardens, a little kids play area, rustic table settings outside with market stalls of food and drink. The food itself was delightful, I had smashed Avocado on sough dough bread with tomatoes, feta, basil and chilly flakes.

After brunch I headed to the crime museum where I had wanted to go for ages. The entrance fee was $10.00, which was reasonable. It was really interesting, I spent most of my time watching a few short films about mug shots and crime scenes from the 1900's. 

I hope you guys had a good week?

Keeping you posted.

Sarah x 

Forty Five weeks down...

This week seems to have gone soo fast. I have been trying to tick off all the places I want to see, drink and eat at...

Monday after work I headed to Bar100 to salsa. I haven't been social dancing for a while so I was pretty nerves! I always forget how much fun it is!

On Wednesday night I headed to Misschu tuckshop who's makes exquisite hand-made Asian finger foods. This Vietnamese restaurant has become a firm favourite with the locals. I found that out for myself, upon arrival there was a massive queue and nowhere to sit. I can confirm, however, it was certainly worth the wait. I had a pulled pork bun for starters and then Satay chicken with rice and green vegetables for my main. The food was scrumptious. I can understand why it's very popular as they only use the best and market fresh ingredients to create delicious meals at affordable prices.

Afterwards we headed to the cinema to watch Deliver us from Evil which was a horror movie. I enjoyed watching it as there was lots of suspense throughout the movie.

My roommate and I decided to do a bar hop afterwards and go to the bars we still have on our bucket list to do before we leave. 

Starting with Marble Bar, which is located in the Hilton Hotel on George Street. The bar is very old school filled with ornate marble and high ceilings with murals from the 1890's. I selected from the extensive cocktail list a Bellini, which, was very sweet and reasonably priced. The bar also has live indie bands performing so it's the ideal place to relax after work.

We then headed to Zeta bar which is also located in the Hilton on the fourth floor, this exclusive escape from Sydney CBD. Zeta bar is well known for it's stylish, sleek and sophisticated cocktail bar. They push the boundaries of cocktail making, for example, they are well known for their beach-side which is a Bondi beach inspired creation and consists of gin, lemon, sugar and mint alongside traditional beachside equipment such as ice cream, edible sand and flavoured sunscreen.

The next stop was Baxter Inn, which is well hidden down a dark alleyway on Clarence Street. The basement bar specialises in whiskey with an overwhelming list of 156 choices. As I am not a whiskey fan I stuck to sparkling wine!

The next bar was Blu bar on the 36 floor in the Shangri-La hotel. This ultra-modern cocktail lounge high above the city provides panoramic views of Darling Harbour, Sydney Opera house and Sydney harbour bridge.

 

The final stop was Frankie's Pizza for a slice of Margarita Pizza. The bar itself looks like something from Lady and the Tramp with its red-and-white checked tablecloths and complete with candles stuck in old Chianti bottles dripping with wax. Frankie's is a very popular after party venue as they are open till 4am, although, I couldn't have lasted that long and got up the next day for work...

On Thursday after work I headed to Malabar in Darlinghurst for one of the housemates leaving dinner. I am not a particular fan of Indian cuisine but this was amazing. For starters I had poppadums with mango chutney. I had Lamb Kurumah which is lamb in a light creamy sauce from ground cashews and whole pieces of garam masala slowly cooked with mild green chilli flavours and bay leaves. The lamb just melted in the mouth it really was sensational. I also had cheesy naan bread which was very delectable.

Saturday was pretty much spent prepping for the Australian gaming exhibition which I was organising. We didn't finish putting up the walls and laying the floors till 11pm which was pretty tiring. 

Mid-afternoon I was on the food run and stopped at kaffeine in Balmain. Balmain itself is a beautiful area filled with loads of cute cafés and bars. Kaffeine cafe has a lovely chilled out vibe and the mango smoothie was to die for! 

On Sunday the housemates and I headed to Chez Dee for brunch. The restaurant is a transformed house which is decorated very shabby-chic with vintage chandeliers which were stunning. The menu is incredible, I really struggled to choose. I ended up opting for mango and mint smoothie with corn fritters, crispy bacon, avocado and pesto. 

Keeping you posted.

Sarah x 

Forty four weeks down...

After my week away it's been good to get back into a routine. Although, after the accident it's left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially, as I seem to be getting bills as reminders…

I now only have a month left in Sydney, so I choose to not dwell on the past but to make the most of the remainder of my time here... starting with visiting as many bars and restaurants as I can before I leave!!

Wednesday night a few of the housemates and I went to The Village in Potts Point. It's a sophisticated bistro-bar with a open-air fairy-lit courtyard just down the road from Kings cross, but, far enough away to avoid the madness. I had a glass of moscato and had the clay pot baked lasagne with buffalo mozzarella & fresh basil served with warm crusty bread, which tasted incredible.

On Thursday after work we headed into the city to Establishment, which has a classical elegance meets party atmosphere and the usual go to place for those who work in the city.

Upon arrival we received a free glass of champagne and sat down for a meal of which I had pad thai. They do, however, offer other options other than Thai food such as Bert’s pie: Beef shoulder & red wine pie, potato mash peas and gravy which my roommate had.

We then received another free glass of champagne which was possibly an incentive to keep us in the bar, safe to say it worked! 

I headed to the lifts and went up to the fourth floor to a bar called Hemmesphere. This bar is more for wealthy business men looking to wind down from the stresses and strains of the work day. The bar oozes sophistication with an award-winning Japanese sushi restaurant inside.

At work I'm in preparation for my upcoming events which consist of an exhibition for gaming experts and a cocktail party. So on Friday afternoon I got to leave the office and head down to Darling Harbour for a few meetings with some of the bars for my cocktail event. It was pretty fun looking at the different venues, especially, as they all have great views of the harbour. 

Friday night I decided to stay in and relax with a few glasses of wine and of course some movies. I got treated to this beautiful view. I'm not going to lie, I really will miss this apartment!!

On Saturday night I also got treated to this view of the fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge.

On Sunday morning the roomie and I headed to Rosebery to visit Kitchen by Mike for breakfast. This well-known restaurant is located inside a warehouse and ex-Rockpool head chef is the owner. The Canteen-style set up hosts a different menu daily dependant on what produce Mike locally sources. I had a banana smoothie with the ploughman's special which consisted of Leg ham on toast with smashed egg, goats cheese, avocado and pickled vegetables. Be assured that this is food worth waiting for, and may even leave you wanting more...

Afterwards we walked about two hours to Port Botany and walked along the Coast round to Le Perouse which was about 6 miles. It was definitely worth it as the coast line was beautiful and the beaches were very quiet and peaceful. It almost could have been a seaside village in Devon.  I even treated myself to a Mr whippy Ice cream with a flake and nuts, just like when I was younger!
 

Once we got back to Kings Cross we couldn't help but go to the supermarket and get all the ingredients for a traditional English roast dinner with Apple crumble and custard. It really was like an English Sunday only with better weather! 

I hope you had a good week too?

Keeping you posted.

Sarah x