Sydney Moderns

What: Sydney Moderns art exhibition.

Tag line: "art for a new world".

Where: Art Gallery of NSW.

When: until 7 October 2013.

Synopsis: a thorough retrospect of modern Australian art capturing the simultaneous growth of Sydney as a major city during industrialisation and the artists it housed as they experimented with new techniques.

Personal Highlights: modern art is my weakness, Picasso and Monet being my two favourite artists. Therefore I was surprised to discover a range of Australian artists I never knew before whose work also captivated me. These include but are not limited to Frank Hinder, Grace Cossington Smith, Olive Cotton, Roy De Maistre and Margaret Preston. They vividly captured what it was like to live in Sydney during the 1920s and 1930s.

Normally I find Australian art depicting the landscape and country scenery  isolating and depressing. It's because they distinctly tap into that sinking feeling I had the moment I stepped foot off the plane in Adelaide when we moved back from Greece, as a child. What I also found surprising  in this exhibition with the (few) landscapes depicted, was the beauty, subtleness and magic captured in the colour; the beautiful rhythmic harshness, contrast and harmony of it all which I have now grown accustomed to love and recognise as exclusively Australian.

Link to more info:

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/sydney-moderns/

Bonus: with this gorgeous Sydney spring weather you could make the most of your visit to the exhibition by also enjoying a walk in The Domain, Art Gallery Road or Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

OPEN STREET ART - Art & About Sydney

"Art in unusual places" indeed. This is the motto of Art & About Sydney.

Earlier this week I walked through Darling Quarter and caught Bill and the team setting up a street art installation in the walkway between the North and South Commonwealth Bank towers.

OPEN STREET ART is yet another collaboration between aMBUSH Gallery and the Darling Quarter precinct. The first one being the playful illumination of the precinct's buildings at night.

Friday 21 September marks the launch of Art & About Sydney for the month long celebrations and events. It is also the day OPEN STREET ART officially opens and that this public walkway will be declared a permanent art exhibition/installation space.

It's a great idea and a long time coming for the Darling Quarter precinct, which opened in June 2011. Bordered by the Chinese Garden of Friendship in the far south corner, it adds another dimension to the fringe of the already vibrant Chinatown area. I've been lucky enough to work in one of the swanky, sleek buildings and see the precinct come alive as each brand spanking new cafe or restaurant opened. There seem to still be some commercial spaces available so eventually additional operators will open up, adding even more diversity to the area.

In the meantime there are plenty of cafes, bars, restaurants, ATM's, ping-pong tables (bring your own bats and balls) and a massive children's playground to enjoy. Some tapas, a tipple and frolicking in the sun. The area can be enjoyed by young and old. During nice weather, deck chairs magically appear on the patches of grass for the pleasure and enjoyment of anyone wanting to soak up some sunshine, or as in some cases I've seen, catch up on some much needed sleep.


I feel like a child entering a fair and discovering all the rides to go on. I can't wait to get out and about in Sydney during September and October to see what other installations are waiting to be discovered. Watch this space, Bill tells me there should be another installation exhibited here before the year is out.

The Grounds of Alexandria

David Chang knows the importance music plays in his Momofuku restaurant empire. So does The Grounds of Alexandria.

All you can hear inside the cafe is the loud clamour of cutlery against plates, the consistent reverberation of the patrons' conversation and the shuffling of the floor staff's hurried feet as they elegantly and flawlessly meander their way around the clusters of tables. If you're hanging around the register you'll also catch random people's names as the barista calls them once their take away coffee is ready. If you're ordering, feel free to use your alter ego's name, no one will ever know. Grab yourself a cup of orange or lemon infused water while you're at it.

Outside in the courtyard it's a different story.

In my opinion you don't come to The Grounds to put your name on the ridiculously long waiting list so you can snag a seat inside.

Instead you come here to lounge around on a communal table outdoors, next to some people you've never met before. You might even make some new friends. You come here to expose your pasty white face to the sunshine.

Look up, you're bound to catch a corner of the endless Australian blue sky or the dark looming heritage brick chimney of Alexandria Creative Park.

What I enjoy about being outside is the fact that I'm not cooped up in our one bedroom apartment staring at four walls. In this highly urbanised area in Sydney, I finally get to see some greenery and chickens. Especially since I've killed most of the plants on our balcony. Inner city Sydney dwellers take what nature they can get. 

The courtyard has strategically placed speakers throughout. Whatever corner you're sitting at the music hits your ears and when you're talking with your friends, it falls away to the background. A sometimes mellow and often funky soundtrack to your dining and social experience. The music varies, I've heard Damien Marley, Angus & Julia Stone, house music, chill out, hip hop, soft rock, alternative and even some golden oldies (the cool retro tracks).

On my own, the music pulls me in and takes my focus away from whatever I'm doing, be it texting, reading a book or surfing my iPad. Instead  I stare aimlessly at people, observing what they're doing and if they are within hearing distance, what they're talking about.

One of the conversations I overheard recently was an American chick telling her friends how much she loves Sydney. The sunshine, the great weather (I wonder, was she here last monsoonal summer?), friendly people and most importantly the great quality and variety of food. She said only when she travels is she able to relax and reflect on how good she has it here in Sydney. 

Hear hear! I raise my cup of freshly ground fragrant coffee and salute her. Here's to a fabulous spring and summer. Enjoy every moment of it.

No Reservations: A Night with Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is real. It's like he stepped out of the TV in my lounge room and on to the stage at the State Theatre.

Tall, casual, beer in hand. He seems more in proportion in real life. He paces back and forth on the stage and only occasionally glimpses his notes on the lectern.

The format of the night is about an hour speech followed by thirty minutes of questions from the crowd. It's like sitting around the dinner table and shooting the shit. Awesome and entertaining. You get what you see, that's what I love about this man.

If you haven't noticed already, it's true. I'm a groupie. I'd say #1 fan but I'm not willing to flash my boobs at him. That would be like flashing my dad. Let's not go there.

I'm not going to give you a blow by blow of the night. I've got better shit to do. If you want the detail, you should have paid to see him like we did.

But I will give you Tony's top travel tips:

1. Observe local custom; consider where you are and remember you're an ambassador for where you come from.
2. Drink. Drink a lot of "whatever the fuck it is" that's the specialty in that location.
3. The breakfast buffets at hotels are a killer. Avoid hotel buffets and hotel food at all costs. If you must order hotel food, go for the least sinister thing on the menu.
4. Never eat where the concierge tells you to eat. The filthier the bathroom, the better the food. Find out where cooks like to eat when they're drunk.
5. Find out what the local specialty is and go where the locals think its best.

Earlier today one of the cooks from Cafe Sopra and I were chatting about how history shapes the food we eat. Tony summed this concept up well: he states that food is the history of the world. People have paid a price for their national cuisine, it's their identity. When someone cooks for you, they're communicating with you, telling you a story: where they come from, what their experiences have been, rituals, traditions and tidbits passed down from one generation to the next. Then it's preserved, copied, bastardised, rehashed, recreated and reinvented. And not necessarily in that particular order.

Food is about sensation. It's about enjoyment and emotion. You can't plan the most perfect or delicious meal; its a process of discovery, it just happens to you.

Tony's life seems to have just happened in this manner. Working a deep fryer at a restaurant one moment, to author and rock 'n' roll chef celebrity the next. I've been thinking about this concept of life a lot lately: that life itself is a process that must be embraced and enjoyed, from moment to moment. Creating, evolving, changing, responding to emotive stimuli. That's the shit that keeps it interesting man, living in the moment and letting it all unfold before your eyes like a beautiful, rich and colourful tapestry.

I can't wait to see the new season of No Reservations, especially the Sydney episode where Tony visits favourites such as Porteño and Bourke St Bakery. I love you Tony! You have the best job ever; I gotta get me some of that.

Sydney Mardi Gras 2012

Happy Mardi Gras Sydney!!!
I could still hear the faint music of an after party in the background when I woke up yesterday. A lot of seedy people not having crawled into (their own) bed yet. We didn't dare venture down Oxford St to see the fall out.

We did brave the weather and crowds to attend the approximately 300K spectator strong parade on Saturday night though.

All the glitz, glitter, glamour and well...tackiness, did not disappoint. There were plenty of Kylie look-a-likes, celebrating the pop princess' 25 year music career and the fact that she was the headliner at the official after party held at the Entertainment Quarter. Oh yeah, plus she's like THE gay icon.

This year's theme was "infinite love". So it was no surprise that the crowd was generally well behaved, happy and insistent on volunteering to pose for photos.

The regular messaging prevailed and rightfully so, as well as this year's focus on marriage equality. I asked my gay couple friends that accompanied us what they think of Mardi Gras. They've been there, done that. What used to be a rally about human rights and equality, has now become a freedom parade, where all walks of life come together to express themselves.

Of course there were lots of pretty (and not so pretty) people to gawk at. These ladies went all out, they were just fabulous!

The following two were my muses. Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later?

There was even a little something something for the plush animal lovers out there.

And when you got hungry? Which was inevitable by the end of the night. You had the aptly delivered "chips on a stick" to satisfy and soak up all that alcohol.

Thank you for a colourful night Sydney, you rock! 

Keep spreading the infinite love and equal rights to every human being on this planet no matter what gender, religion, sexual preference, race, age or choice of shampoo.

Jamie's Italian

Happy Birthday to me!!! The month long birthday celebrations can officially begin! As my friend Claire puts it, "Dirty30". I've finally joined the club. My hubby tells me I'm catching up. I better get some tonight so this birthday lives up to its name. It's in the bag.

I feel like a wiser, heavier, better travelled, ridiculously better looking, more cashed up and overall better balanced version of my 21 year old self. WOW nine years since my last milestone birthday. It feels like I batted my eye lids and several lifetimes flashed past in fast forward. Thank you universe for the life you've gifted me!

Enough of the deep stuff, it wasn't really going anywhere. Let's get down to business.

Today the lunching lady was unleashed again, this time with good reason to celebrate, at Jamie's Italian.

This is definitely one of the places to be seen in Sydney at the moment. Bookings are only permitted for groups of six people and over, so get in early to secure your seat.

We got in approx. 11:45am. Yes early lunch but I was starving and there was no way I was missing out on my birthday. The place was quite empty.

Within 20 mins, the restaurant was full, both downstairs and up. It seats about 200 people.

I loved the "Jaime's" napkins and the well designed easy to ready menu. Really, it's the small details that make me happy.

Also the complimentary Italian bread selection. It's my Greek heritage, I love a freebie!!

Bruschetta topped with oven-dried tomatoes cooked with basil, garlic & creamy ricotta at $12. Tasty but now that I think about it, steep at $6 a slice!


While we waited for our main, I entertained myself by looking in the mirror and taking photos of the wary diners sitting next to us.


Burger Italiano at $19.50 with Wagga Wagga beef with fontina cheese, salami, soft lettuce, tomato salsa, dill pickles, chilli & fried onions.

 Get it in ya! The crispy thin slices of salami added a lovely saltiness to the beef.

I had the slow roasted suckling pig, one of the specials of the day. I forgot to look at the receipt, I think it was approx. $40. I splashed out. Living the dream.

Shhh don't tell anyone, but I've had way better pork in the backstreets of Messinia (South of Greece). Now that shit is finger licking good and a quarter of the price for like a quarter of a pig (as opposed to two small pieces)!

Don't mind the burger bit in the background on the side of my plate. I was greedy and wanted to try all the dishes we ordered.

BTW the crackling was crunchy, but soft enough to not break my teeth, so I was disappointed. I gotta be able to stab the f*ck out of the crackling with my knife otherwise its a no go.

 

Dessert was macchiato at $4.45 each, typical power lunching coffee prices for Sydney CBD. As well as an Italian Bakewell Tart to share at $9. Meh, nothing crazy to write home about. I knew we should have ordered the Tiramisu or Choc Brownie.

The Italian bread and goodie stand as we were exiting.

Overall verdict? Good but not exceptional. I don't think it was ever meant to be exceptional. I get what Jamie's trying to do: nice food/dining made accessible to the masses. The reality is, not many people from the hood (I'm talking Bankstown, Cabramatta, Punchbowl or Campbelltown) i.e. the masses, will venture out to such an establishment.

This is still a place to see and be seen. Even so, I can't help it, I love the geezer. So I guess due to the name behind it, you have to go once.

Jamie's Italian
107 Pitt Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Phone number: +61 (0) 2 8240 9000

Old Faithful - MECCA

One thing I miss about working in the city is the random cafes dotted around the place, waiting to be discovered. A lot don’t necessarily look good, but they dish out serious coffee and/or food. That’s what I love about the competition – makes them work harder. Well, some of them anyway.

Simplicity is king. Do something and do it well. MECCA falls into this category. Their staff retention is crazy too – they must get paid in gold, because the four years I’ve been going there, it’s been the same boys pumping out Sydney’s caffeine fix and smacking down the buttons on the register. These boys know their art and that’s the reason I keep going back. For the holiest of hollies: consistency and quality. Booyah. Great people watching spot too. 

Sit down, relax and watch the world go by. You should go. Do it.

MECCA Espresso

67 King Street, Sydney

(underneath the Grace Hotel), almost corner King and York Streets.

Thin and flat sourdough, exactly how I like it. No lock jaw action here!

Line ups are very common but they move quickly

Ultra creamy froth on my latte, silky goodness.