Rare but awesome: comments by two adventurous friends

As my dear friend Ash and I were sitting in Cumberland State Forest gazing at the canopy, we thought we should get to know our beautiful city a little bit better. So every time we’ve been on adventure since then, we’ve made some notes about the cool things we’ve seen and good places we’ve visited. Our hope is that by sharing our experiences, you’ll have a chance to get to know places in Sydney a bit better, find some spots with great atmosphere/ambience and cherish some of the cute, quiet spots where we’ve enjoyed sitting, reading and chatting.

Burnt Orange, Mosman // On this particular day we ventured to the end of the peninsula to this cute coffee shop to see the view, try the food and check out the atmos. We had scones and chai (Ash) and coffee and banana bread (Steph). The coffee was alright, but not amazing. The food was nice but you definitely pay for the view… The service was a little brusque and their welcoming strategies need revising. On a more positive note, the decor and atmos – full of antiquey gifts upstairs and down – was lovely. Good to get away to!

Fish and Chips, Kirribilli // After a wander and some bible reading in the secret garden, we had fish and chips under the Harbour Bridge and watched the world go by. Apart from the fact that the fish and chip man accused me of opening a can of lemonade and then putting it back in the fridge (I didn’t), our food experience was good! For the reader’s information, this was on the same day as our coffee at Burnt Orange. A scenic day for sure!

Opium Den Thai, Darlinghurst // This place was sensational. Quick, yummy, reasonably priced and beautifully decorated. We were on our way to see a theatre production so didn’t have long. The food came promptly, served on a cool banana leaf. It light, had a heckful of flavour and looked great! Added bonus: we saw semi-celebrity actor/producer Damien Ryan there. This was doubly exciting considering we were seeing one of his Sport for Jove productions around the corner at The Darlo (also a cultural experience well worth pursuing). The atmosphere of this little Thai place is unlike anywhere else I’ve been yet: heaps of mirrors and curtains and flowers and sparkly things on the wall make it like an enchanted little corner of Asia. We’ll defs go here again!

Thai n a Box, Parramatta // One of those groovy places where you design your own noodle dish. Cool big round tables and an open kitchen so you can see the food being made. Friendly staff too. But their choice of music was very disappointing: nobody needs rave/trance beats over a quiet box of noodles. Then we had Cold Rock and went for a walk by the slightly scary river. Classic ice cream experience. A fun night. Especially cos if you order takeaway from Thai n a Box, you get it in a box. Wicked!

Several places in Darlinghurst // So the place I wanted to go was absolutely packed. Thanks to Claire’s research abilities we found a yummy albeit kinda strange meal at the Water Moon Japanese restaurant. Anyway, everything was cool again cos we went to… Gelato Messina! Only the best place EVER. What a dessert location. Then, just for fun, we went back past Ms. G’s and because it wasn’t so crowded anymore we popped in for a cocktail upstairs and to our delight found that they had a machine to serve the cocktails in EasyWay-esque cups!!!

Jazzveh Pizza, Bella Vista // We had calamari for entree. The batter was, um, unexpected. Usually calamari is crumbed. Not the case here. The two pizzas we ordered were small but tasty. They were called “Wild Fungo” (awkward to order) and “Santorini.” Points off for over-cooked crust and hard cheese. Points also off for slow, not-heaps-friendly service and lack of common greeting courtesy. Points on for ambience – nice decor and close to the water. Even if the water was kinda brown. But groovy pizza holders make everything better.

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