Category: Australia

AustraliaFeaturedGerman RestaurantLöwenbräu KellerSaturday SydneySydneyThe Rocks Sydney

Löwenbräu Keller. German Restaurant. The Rocks, Sydney

Löwenbräu Keller German Restaurant Recently I had the opportunity to eat at Löwenbräu Keller, a German Restaurant  in The Rocks area of Sydney. It is part of the Urban Purveyor Group which owns other similar places such as the Bavarian Beer Cafe, The Argyle and Sake. As it was my partner’s birthday she was able to take advantage of the ‘free main meal with ID proof of same day birthday’ deal. If you have a birthday coming up and have at least one other with you ordering a main meal, you can get your main meal free. (Subject to change.) My…

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The Stoned Crow. Small Craft Beer and Wine Bar. Food and Drink Review. Broadway, Sydney

On Saturday we went to the Stoned Crow. It’s on Broadway and has replaced the old Hotel Broadway. This is a great redecoration with wood panels everywhere, a more friendly mood lighting, and the ubiquitous craft font on all the faux chalk boards above the drinks area. Glasses start at around $8 each though there were some specials, such as house wine for $5. I chose an $8 glass of cabinet sauvignon block 50 from the Central Ranges which, while not as juicy as a cab sav from the coonawarra region, definitely worked well with Stoned Crow’s style of meat…

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Hinky Dinks Darlinghurst 1950s Dining Small Cocktail Bar Review

Hinky Dinks in Darlinghurst is one of those bars that you just don’t believe exists. Hiding behind a tiny door and window not far from the dazzling King’s Cross, this bar serves some amazing cocktails. As King’s Cross and surrounds are becoming THE place for cocktails, it’s difficult to be innovative, yet Hinky Dinks does this in style with their 1950s diner atmosphere, professional service, and easy to watch cocktail preparation. (Drink and a show!) We chose four different cocktails and all of them were a delight. We had the Dark Dinky n Stormy, the Honey Badger Punch, the Black Forrest…

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Hunter Valley Winery Tour Video Australia

I try and make it to the Hunter Valley every couple of years, to check out the new types of wines available and to visit any new wineries. I usually choose a tour so that I can enjoy the tasting experience and not worry about how to get back to Sydney. Here is a short video of one of my trips. In it you’ll see 5 areas of the Hunter Valley, including wineries Savannah Estate, Blueberry Hill, Tempus Two, Hermitage Cellars and James Estate, plus edits of the journey to and from. It’s very short as I’ve cut my own commentary…

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Vivid Sydney. Get ready for 2016! Part 4. Darling Harbour and Vivid Sydney compilation video featuring Sydney University, Martin Place, The Opera House, The Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks and more.

The final part of my Vivid Sydney report. Darling Harbour featured regular fireworks and laser light shows during the Vivid Sydney Festival, as well as a new edition of a ferris wheel. The ferris wheel not only took you to the top and down, it also allowed you to turn your car around 360 degrees. Apparently it was $8 per person for one loop. The video below features a quick compilation of various Vivid Sydney displays around Sydney including at Sydney University, in Martin Place, of The Opera House, on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, across to the Art Gallery of New…

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Vivid Sydney. Get ready for 2016! Part 3. The Opera House. The Harbour Bridge. The Rocks.

We walked down Elizabeth Street to avoid much of the crowds but still took a quick detour to near Customs House for one of the geometric displays.   The queue was at least half an hour long just to look at some mirrors inside a geometric shape so we decided to avoid it, go back the way we came and get to The Opera House that way. The Opera House Vivid Sydney display was different to last year. Last year’s was basically images in the shape of the Opera House with some creative animation, but still showing the geometric structure…

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Vivid Sydney. Get ready for 2016! Part 2. Martin Place Sydney Vivid Display.

We were expecting the display in Martin Place to feature buildings covered in lights, and displays such as creatures crawling up the sides of office blocks. As it turned out, that was so last year. Instead Martin place had been taken over by several corporations intent on promoting their brands. One of them was Intel, which on one day had a guy dressed as a giant robot. I didn’t get to seem him during the time I was there. Maybe next year! Other features included trees made of slices of wood that would make sounds and change colour when you…

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Vivid Sydney. Get ready for 2016! Part 1. Sydney University Vivid Display

Well, what an amazing ride Sydney’s Vivid festival was. While arguably not as good as the previous year, depending on who you speak to, Vivid Sydney’s 2015 event was still a refreshing and artistic light show organised by both amateurs and professionals. There was something for everyone. For me, seeing Intel’s drones on display in Martin Place was the highlight, but then I like anything robot-like! I also like artistic manipulation of geometric shapes, so creative use of shadows in light forms to change the shape of a building, or structures closely resembling dodecahedrons or tetrahedrons, or even some basic…

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A Distilled Wine Known as Grappa at Vanto in the QVB in Sydney.

In Sydney I regularly explore the bars and restaurants, looking to discover something new. In menus I look for different combinations of food that are unique or interesting, as well as drinks I’d never heard of. Sometimes I’ll be at a restaurant where I’ve already tried everything, but I’ll try something again that might be worthy of a review. This review falls into the former category as, and I was quite surprised to realise, I’ve never really tried grappa. Grappa is a drink made from the remains of the wine making process (seeds, pulp, skin and stems known collectively as…

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Japanese Airlines JAL Flight Sydney to Tokyo, and information about Narita Airport in Japan

The Japan Airline JAL flight was great. There was some turbulence due to the aftereffects of a nearby typhoon but otherwise uneventful. As I’m allergic to dairy and gluten I requested a non-allergy meal and I wasn’t disappointed. I was able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner without the slightest reaction to anything they gave. Also, people with allergies, religious needs, disabilities or children get served first. This is a great situation as it means that those people get first access to the toilets afterwards and helps reduce the queues. Most people are allergic to dairy and gluten to varying…