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.

12 Days of Christmas

Day 8: Christmas Treats

It's really quite inconsiderate that bikini season falls at the same time as Christmas in Australia. For me, Christmas is a time to over-indulge and gorge on fatty treats until I need to lie down and the health kick starts in January. Not here though. Here, I have already started my healthy eating far too late and there's no time left for gym memberships or boot camps before we have to hit the beach.

But just in case you are in the mood to indulge this Christmas, try one of these tempting treats (and deal with the guilt afterwards)

1. Messina Ice-cream (salted caramel and white chocolate all the way...) 

2. Sparkle Cupcakes 

3. Starbucks Gingerbread Latte

4. Lindor Gala Chocolate Celebration Gift Box

5. Coles Finest Mince Pies 

On Tuesday I Was

...at the Factory.

Soda Factory. Sydney. 

Last Night I Was

...sipping champagne.

Or should that be guzzling? Probably. 

Last night saw the launch of The Carlisle Bar in Kings Cross. A night of drummers, dancers, cocktails and canapes. The decor makes the most of the long shape of the venue, with booths nestled into archways opposite barmen mixing up 1920's inspired tipples. 

We came, we danced, we played in the photo booth. And what a fun night it was. 

Pop by for after work drinks sometime.  

On Wednesday I Was

...underground.

Continuing the cocktail crawl, on Wednesday I ventured to quite possibly one of London's best kept secrets - BYOC. One flight down underneath an inconspicuous-looking juice bar in Covent Garden, BYOC (or Bring Your Own Cocktail) is a grotto of exposed brick work and speak easy decor which doesn't sell any alcohol. The concept is simple: bring your booze of choice, pay £20 on the door for a 2 hour stint and the barman will mix you up a concoction of cocktails using his trolley full of syrups and fruits.

The barman (trolleyman, whatever) was chatty and charasmatic and clearly had a wealth of cocktail knowledge. We were keen to try as many combinations as possible, particularly flavours we would never normally buy in a bar. Our theory was if we don't like it, make us another!

We'd brought rum and vodka so he started us off short and simple with a daquiri. I wasn't convinced I'd enjoy just the rum, lime and sugar combinations but it turns out this guy could do no wrong. Everything he shook turned to tasty gold and we lapped them all up. Throughout the evening, we worked our way through the flavours including cucumber, mint and lemon, espresso martinis and (more imaginatively, chilli and orange marmalade). He explained that he recognises three characteristics of customers - those (like us) who make a reservation and buy alcohol en route, those who come with half empty bottles of whatever they have lying around the house, and those that like to set him a challenge and bring something unusual.

 

BYOC is one of my favourite discoveries in the capital. Seating just 18 people at a time, it's very cosy - a bit of an awkward first date spot, but the experience does provide an excellent topic of conversation. Booking well in advance is essential - you're much more likely to get a spot midweek. It's the absolute perfect environment to try cocktails you'd never normally go for and I am keen to make my way through more of the exotic mixes. I'll be back.

Last Week I (also) Was

...experimenting.

So, in my mission to tick off as many new London hot spots before I go, my friend and I checked out Experimental Cocktail Club hiding in the depths of China Town in London. We walked past it twice trying to locate the mysterious black door amongst all the Chinese restaurants and hanging lanterns - if you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it. The website pretty much sums it up...

Taken from Paris and plonked in China Town, once you stumble across it, Experimental Cocktail Club is a cubby-hole of a bar with dim lighting, booth seating and (most importantly) crazy cocktails. The menu was so ecclectic - I'd never heard of the combinations before so struggled slightly when choosing one. Lashings of alcohol mixed with everything from tea to cucumber to egg whites to ginger to... you get the picture.

The bar is across two cosy floors and sears around 20 people at intimate tables. Unfortunately, the dim lighting played havoc with my camera and so I wasn't able to get any happy snaps of our drinks - but here's some generic images of the bar to give you an idea. Go hunt it down.

Last Week I Was

...cocktail crawling

Did I mention I'm emigrating to Australia? I'm moving for a year as of August and beforehand, am determined to uncover as many of London's hidden gems as I can. With this in mind, my friend and I have taken up 'cocktail crawling' across the capital, sampling cocktails in a variety of bars and ticking them off my list.

Last week we started at Hawksmoor off Seven Dials near Covent Garden, renowned for its juicy steaks and delicious cocktails. We popped in for a cocktail each and some bar snacks (the olives and beef-dripping chips were incredible) and soaked up the atmosphere. I'm not one to visit bars by myself, but I could actually picture myself propped up at the bar solo, sipping a cocktail and reading a classic novel.

My accomplice opted for the house favourite - Shakey Pete's Ginger Brew, a turbo shandy and gingery pick-me-up. I was slightly more elegant with an Air Street Cocktail, topped with champagne. Both were unique and delicious. The barman really knew his stuff and was able to give us recommendations as to which cocktails we might like based on our personal preferences and was always on-hand to top up our water and renew our bar snacks. Whilst we didn't get round to sampling the main menu, the restaurant looked beautiful and we promised ourselves we'd be back to sample their pre-6.30pm three course menu as it's a chance to enjoy their steak delicacies at a fraction of the price. Watch this space...

Last Wednesday I Was

...here to see the Mayor.

As part of belated birthday celebrations, my housemate and I swung by The Breakfast Club in Spitalfields for drinks. The Breakfast Club in itself is a must-do on the list of London visits for a lazy brunch (expect queues, usually down the street) but we weren't there to sample the pancakes. We were there to see the Mayor.

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town is a secret speak easy bar underneath The Breakfast Club. It's possibly London's worst kept secret as since moving here 2 and a half years ago, I've always heard rumours of the place but never made it to explore. Upon entering The Breakfast Club, the waitress asks if you want a 'table for two?'. It's at this point you need to give the code-phrase: I'm here to see the Mayor.

We were escorted through an American Smeg fridge and relayed the 'rules' of the bar. I was wondering what people simply enjoying dinner in the restaurant would think to see people disappearing into a fridge and not returning.

We were led down a dark flight of stairs and into an underground cavern of a bar decorated with quirky, kitsch items. Like a moose head.

The atmosphere is chilled and cool and I couldn't help but feel smug that I had finally made it to this 'secret' hot spot. Definitely worth a visit - yummy and mid-priced cocktails which are beautifully presented, as well as good home-comfort foods (we sampled the skin-on chips and macaroni and cheese).

I felt like a bit of an idiot asking to see the Mayor when I arrived but I needn't have been such a scaredy-cat.  Good fun.

This Week I Was

cocktailing...

London's Light Bar in St Martin's Lane Hotel is a unique and stylish venue with truly exceptional cocktails. My friend and I headed out for casual Tuesday night drinks (...feeling a little under-dressed having come straight from the office) and were really amazed at the menu of choice available.

I opted for the Gingerbread Crumble cocktail and, whilst I'm normally dubious about such sweet-sounding drinks, it really was amazing. It always helps when cocktails look pretty (so us girls can upload photos to Instagram) and Light Bar did not disappoint. 

The atmosphere is chilled and cool and the staff are (sometimes a little too) friendly. We also sampled a few of the appetizers including breaded mushrooms, burgers 2 ways and sweet potato croquettes. For a special treat/fancy something a bit different/pay day date night, it's a an easy choice. 

The Light Bar, St Martin's Hotel, London