Blog around the World » Sydney

La Promenade

Pingu — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:58:20 +0000

Not drunk enough for Kebabs, but want good Lebanese food??!

Situated by the Parramatta River in Shepherds Bay, La Promenade is one of those local restaurants that attract both families, couples and celebratory parties alike. The night I tried out this joint, the place was full by 7pm.

Good generous servings of lebanese food and genuine service.

Dips with Hummus, Eggplant and Fresh Yoghurt -$16

Kafta $26

Lots of lamb, and delicious homemade hummus.

Linguini Marinara – $24

More seafood than pasta – this dish is smashing, amazing sauce to boot!

Address:

82-100 Belmore Street

Shepherds Bay

Laneways By George!

Pingu — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:39:46 +0000

Laneways By George is a Hidden Networks project to transform and explore the potential of City laneways with creative, innovative and inspiring high quality temporary artworks. It runs from Oct ‘09 through to Jan ‘10. I took the opportunity to check this temporary artwork out on a gloomy Monday arvo. Admittedly, I just didn’t understand some of them – but it did make me intrigued enough to walk down some of Sydney’s CBD lanes I never knew existed!

I took these on my Blackberry (3.2 mp) so the quality isn’t great – but here are a few that stood out…

Infinity Forest

Penfold & Hosking Place

A green oasis in the city. In the space between firs escapes, vehicle ramps and back doors, discover timber walls that conceal a forest within.

The Meeting Place

Little Hunter Street

This installation encourages interaction as strangers walking through must engage with each other to navigate through this compressed lane.

The Urban Barcode

Abercrombie Lane

Suspended above the Lane, white fluorescent tubes light up the code below painted in black.

I Dwell in the City and the City Dwells in Me

Bridge Lane

Emerging from these old and worn brick walls this installation is described as prosthetic skin emulating human skin and emotions. It includes an audio component like a slow thudding of a heartbeat flowing through the walls.

Seven Metre Bar

Underwood Street

On current trajectories polar ice cap melts will drown Underwood Street. This collaboration shows the landscape at 7m above sea level.

Forgotten Song

Angel Place

From the canopy of bird cages above Angel Place the songs of lost birds chirp.

You can pick up a walking map from Custom’s House – you have to ask for it at the concierge because they’re a bit stingy with it. But it maps out all 8 Lanes where installations are built – very helpful if you’re not failar with all the back laneways that run through Sydney streets!

Tapas – Hunter Style

Pingu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:59:02 +0000

On a recent getaway to the Hunter Valley, I decided to drop by Tatler Cafe to try out the tapas which came recommended by a few of the cellar door folk in the region.

About a scenic 8-minute drive from Pokolbin, Tatler Café is located in Lovedale.

Now, do not be fooled by it’s modest ‘tinny’ exterior, once inside this small unassuming café the atmosphere is alive with laughter and the jingling of wine glasses and cutlery.

We were seated in the back courtyard where the views of the Brokenback Range and the crackling of the flames eating away the wood in the fireplace were a perfect match for a chilly winter’s afternoon.

We chose 4 dishes to try – which left us no room for dessert! The servings are much larger and the food itself takes a ‘Valley’ spin on your typical Spanish Tapas.

Lemon & thyme crusted scallops w/ lemoncello sauce.

A pretty little dish, so I was a little disappointed with the crust which seemed overdone and overpowered the lightness of the scallops.

Hubby enjoyed it though and scoffed it all down!

Baked field mushrooms w/ marinated herb fetta.

If you love feta, this is an ideal dish. A well-balanced dish giving the taste buds a surprise with the saltiness of the feta and the texture of the buttered mushrooms. Melts in your mouth!

Chorizo sausage rolls.

An aussie twist on the Spanish Chorizo!

Greek lamb fillet souvlaki w/ minted yoghurt.

What could be better than chunky pieces of lamb grilled perfectly on a skewer? For a meat-lover such as myself – not much! To top it off the accompanying yoghurt dip was fresh and made my mouth salivate even whilst my tongue rolled over each morsel.

One negative. Be prepared for slower service – the pace at which each plate came out meant that we were eating one dish at a time.

Great little restaurant for anyone wanting to relax in an idyllic atmosphere – right next to the Tatler vineyards for those wanting to roll across for more vino tasting!

Tatler Cafe & Bar

477 Lovedale Road

Lovedale NSW 2321

Urban Views From Cockatoo Island

Pingu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:52:09 +0000

Looking for somewhere to go on the weekend that’s a little different and won’t burn a hole in your wallet?

Check out the Heritage Listed Cockatoo Island, in the middle of Sydney Harbour. A former imperial prison turned shipyard, this island is now the host of many regular art installations, exhibitions and most recently the upcoming 2009 Australian Comedy Festival. It also boasts magnificent views of Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Ferries operates services from Circular Quay to Cockatoo Island every day.