On Sunday I Was

...by the sea.

Well, the harbour to be precise as I dined at Cafe del Mar's rooftop terrace at Darling Harbour. I was kindly invited to sample the food and cocktail menu and enjoy the views over the harbour whilst their new Sunday Sessions vibe played out through the afternoon.

Cafe del Mar is renowned for it's hollistic Mediterranean beats, churning out some of the hottest DJs in Ibiza since 1975. I've sat at Cafe del Mar at the water's edge in Ibiza and experienced this for myself, so the Sydney offering had a lot to live up to.

It's not the easiest location to find but once you've figured it out, you can see why the spot is perfect for the aptly titled cafe. Sitting outside is definitely the way forward - otherwise you're missing all this. 

We began with a cocktail (Cafe del Mar-tini, naturally) and basked in the sunshine while we sipped. With the sun shining on us and the Sunday Sessions DJ spinning relaxed dance music, it was clear that everybody was having a good time. The 'cafe' was busy and the atmosphere buzzing and lively as groups enjoyed wine and cocktails over a variety of Mediterranean nibbles, from chorizo to shellfish. 

We started with the cured meats and tomato bread, padron peppers and charmoula chicken. The chicken especially, served in lettuce leaves with a wedge of lime, was refreshing and sat well with our cocktail. 

We had a small wait for our mains, but considering the amount of food we'd devoured for our first course, we didn't mind. The DJ plays music outside next to the bar at the perfect volume so you can listen to the tunes whilst not having to shout conversations over the bass. 

For our main course, I had artichoke and fennel barigoule (the waiter told me this meant 'sauce'), mascarpone, ligurian olives and polenta. I did feel a tad daunted by the menu when I first flipped it over. Everything sounds a bit fancy but once you get past the long words, the food is really tasty and fresh. We also tried the sauteed spanner crab linguine with zucchini flowers and bottarga (see what I mean?).

A truly relaxed and happy Sunday afternoon.

Sunday Sessions

Cafe del Mar Sydney have partnered up with Pulse Radio Finely Tuned to curate the most enviable of line ups for their Sunday Sessions. From 2-10pm every Sunday this summer, they will bring you the tastiest House and Sexy Deep House tunes in town. Bookings will be essential to guarantee you get a spot and get looked after in true warm Mediterranean style.