October 23rd, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 18 Comments »
Imagine Sydney remapped as bright, intersecting blocks of reds, blues and yellows – Crown, Foveaux and Riley streets splicing into each other like in a Mondrian painting. This is what you see on entering District Dining in Surry Hills, and it’s a sign of the spectacle that will appear on your table. Like the bird’s-eye […]
September 28th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Attention has been magnified on 358 Cleveland St, Surry Hills, for a long time. We’d all been keeping watch on Porteno, the new venture by the folks behind the beloved Bodega tapas bar. My friend Al proved to be a great deployer of Porteno updates, texting me handy info whenever he came across some. He […]
September 22nd, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Even though the warmer spring weather we’re hoping for seems to be running behind schedule (like a band going through a spectacularly long sound-check), there’s one consolation – the Passionfruit Meringues ($5) at Bourke Street Bakery. These started to appear, about a month or so ago, in the counter displays of the Marrickville branch. The […]
August 30th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
If you’re bored with toast, then head to Bruschetteria 102 in Surry Hills – it will flare up your enthusiasm for grilled bread. As the name suggests, this Italian cafe offers many oil-drizzled variations on bruschetta, with charming and likeable results. If you’re in a breakfast mood, you can get a serve of the Will-approved […]
June 14th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
If you’re a fan of Vini, the wonderful (and squeezy) Italian wine bar in Surry Hills, then you should be excited about Berta. This new joint is also run by Andrew Cibej (who, aside from starting Vini and masterminding Berta, also has a bar-plus-wine-shop scribbled down on his 2010 to-do list). Berta is located on […]
May 18th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 14 Comments »
If you want to max out on breakfast, this is the finest way to do it. Le Monde in Surry Hills has started serving a breakfast degustation. For $25*, you get three inventive courses, two coffees (swappable for tea, if you’re not into ground beans), and multiple amounts of early-morning fun. The fine print though […]
April 19th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Although I live near one of Sydney’s biggest ‘dumpling belts’ – where the supply lines of ingredient-plump Asian parcels of dough never run out – I was excited to learn about the new Bamboo Dumpling Bar in Surry Hills. The original restaurant in Potts Point has been serving up gow gee and won tons for […]
January 26th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
There’s always going to be buzz and build-up when you discover one of your favourite eateries has opened a new joint. Long-time breakfast favourite Cafe Ish in Surry Hills now has a (not-so-identical) twin. The name’s the same, yes, and the location’s only a few blocks away, but this kid has a later curfew, is […]
November 7th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Today I was on Anna Burns’ excellent Weekend Lunch show (on FBI 94.5FM) talking about my favourite Sydney breakfast places. I say ‘favourite’ and not ‘best’, because as soon as you use that word, you end up baiting people into disagreeing. Favourites are a personal thing. Mine are (in no order really):Clipper Cafe, GlebeRuby’s Diner, […]
July 21st, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
It’s easy to miss the kilometre of string above your head as you enter Yulli’s in Surry Hills. Cleverly lit and lined in graphic red rows, the thread looks nothing like a daggy sewing basket staple. This visual trick is by architect Joe Snell, who was asked to create a striking interior effect on a […]