More good coffee around Sydney

Other good places for coffee in Sydney:

Workshop coffee / Toby’s Estate decaf. Shop RG01A, the Galeries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney.

Good coffee opposite the QVB building. There is just about always a queue here.


Picture below of Mecca - As soon as I took my first sip, I was hooked. This is great coffee.

Mecca Espresso 646 Harris St, Ultimo 2009. (02 9280 4204 meccaespresso.com). Mon-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat 7am-3pm

Bourke Street Bakery - Potts Point
26a Macleay Street



Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

More Sydney Shopping

These shops are for nic nacs - cute shopping.

Newish shop - There Zakka

Love the theme for the shop

Zakka (from the Japanese 'zak-ka'（雑貨）or 'many things') is a fashion and design phenomenon that has spread from Japan throughout Asia. The term refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and appearance. It is often based on household items from the West that are regarded as kitsch in their countries of origin, but it can also be Japanese goods, mainly from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. In Japan there are also so-called Asian zakka stores; that usually refers to Southeast Asia. The interest in Nordic design or Scandinavian design, both contemporary and past, is also part of this zakka movement. Zakka can also be contemporary handicraft.

Zakka has also been described as "the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane". The zakka boom could be recognized as merely another in a series of consumer fads, but it also touches issues of self-expression and spirituality. "Cute, corny and kitschy is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, and laden with subtext."

Haymarket, Sydney, Australia

Shop address: Shop 8, 107-121 Quay Street, Haymarket Sydney 2000

Also there are three Morning Glory shops in the Chinatown vicinity

The Stuffed Olive Co

65 Queens Street Berry
An alternate to the busier end of town - this is a great little deli.

Sydney jazz

Some ideas to catch jazz in Sydney of the contemporary variety. In no particular order, they all have their own charms and Idiosyncrasies

Sydney Improvised Music Association
www.sima.org.au
Regular Friday and Saturday night program in the Sound Lounge of the Seymour Centre.
Musicians are now saying they like playing there, good sound and atmosphere, people listen to the music.

Jazzgroove Association
www.jazzgroove.com
Artist led collective that presents double bills at the 505 on Tuesday nights.
A mixture of old and new artists. Jazzgroove also have a summer festival.

505
505 http://venue505.com/
Primarily jazz, but they mix it up with world music and sometimes just great artists that take the fancy of the artist owners.
Springing up from their famous warehouse venue, this is a step up from underground.

Basement
Basement
Established Sydney venue that presents jazz amongst its program. Operates most nights of the week. Best tables come with dinner service.

Notes
Notes
A newer addition to the scene. Varied choice of music, not always jazz, but jazz has a strong influence.

Cockatoo Calling
Cockatoo Calling
Often presenting jazz and improvised artists on the first Saturday of each month on Cockatoo Island. A raw, industrial kind of feel.

Camelot
Camelot
Jazz on some nights, but always an intersting and diverse range of musical performances. Very quirky and has actually arisen from Quirkz. Worth going to, just to check out the decor.

Colbourne Avenue
Colbourne
Mostly jazz on Thursday nights in Glebe. A wonderful lounge room vibe. Its BYO so you can sink into a lounge chair and bliss out.

Hopefully listings will be on the Jazz Australia website over the months to come
Jazz Australia

Darwin

Mindl Markets
Thursdays and Sundays
Watch the sun go down from the beach, cruise around the markets or just pig out from one of the many stalls. A very Darwin experience, there is whip cracking, busking and more.
Shuttle bus from the city on Thursdays.





Underground tunnels from WWII
Lower Level Kitchener Drive
www.darwintours.com.au



Perfect location for outdoor events and a great time to visit the city. Darwin Festival, images from the Lighthouse, outdoor venue, Tubular Bells for Two performing. Venue is great even for those who have no interest in the arts, food stalls, bar and music wafting from the Lighthouse. A great place to hang out.

Darwin Waterfront
Wavepool, small beach, funky looking bar at the Medina. Worth going for a cool dip on a hot day.

Lyons Cottage
Restored cottage with some local art and a little history. Colonial bungalow.
74 The Esplanade

Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Really nice gallery, worth a visit. A mixture, as it says of art and museum exhibits. Its also possible to walk from here to Mindl Markets.

Stuff

Food
Cheap and cheerful Asian foodcourt at lunchtime in Anderson Mall off Smith Street Mall, things like roast duck, lakhsa

Hanuman
Holiday Inn Esplanade, 93 Mitchell Street
Delicious restaurant serving Nonya and Tandoori dishes. Great wine list.

Hotel Mantra Pandanas - great staff at this hotel, very comfy, good location.

Bus transfers - airport shuttle easy to do or taxis are around $25

Sydney eating and drinking

New place for Sushi, $3 for just about all the plates. You can also order from the computerised menu. Huge selection and of course they make fresh orders.
High turnover, so fresh and not bad for the price.
Sushi Hotaru
Shop $P1.01
500 George Street
Galeries Victoria
Sydney
www.yesfoodservicecom.au


We didn't eat in the restaurant, but had a nice malt whiskey and glass of wine in the bar section. Food was great, pizza with anchovies and a terrine. Definitely worth a visit for a pre show bite to eat, or a place to drink and snack.

Glass Brasserie, Hilton Hotel
488 George Street,
Sydney 2000
Tel: 61-2-9266-2000
www.glassbrasserie.com.au.

Sadly not open in the winter months, but from November to April, this is such a fun place to have a drink and enjoy Sydney harbour. Cocktail bar on Cockatoo Island.



A fantastic little cubby hole of a coffee shop. Coffee beans, coffee, food in the back streets of Annandale. Yes good coffee.

Little Marionette
18 Trafalgar Street
Annandale 2038
www.lilm.com.au

Joanne
Twitter

Sydney shopping

So I am thinking why not Sydney for hot tips.

These are great places for shopping.

Childrens toys, gorgeous clothes and furniture
Little Voice
Queen Victoria Building
Shop 34-36
www.littlevoice.com.au

Just across the corridor is

Just White
Shop 45
More children's toys, posh bunnies, dolls house furniture, collectible teddies and more

Lots of gorgeous places for stationery can also be found on this floor

Joanne Kee
www.placesandspaces.com.au

More Melbourne finds

Catch great wine bar Cabinet in Swanston Street, if you can find the entrance. Must have are the eggplant fries, great big melt in the mouth eggplant with crunchy skin and yummy sauce. Pizza is also good.

Entrance is in the laneway just at the back of Swanston.
11 rainbow alley
melbourne, victoria.
03 9654 0915

Mekong says on the sign, that Bill Clinton ate here. It is busy, you share tables and sauces. It is cheap as chips, well actually good cheap Pho in Sydney is about the same price. This one is on Swanston street as well.
Ground 241 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Mekong

Also a good place to catch for a coffee is Sensory Lab in David Jones. Photo to come, but what struck me is the single coffee tables or booths, is that for loners who want to savour their coffee?


And one of my favourites is Journal in the library. Good coffee and good food in a cosy cafe.
Journal
253 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
9650 4399

Just remember not all coffee is good in Melbourne. I had apalling coffee in Degraves Lane. They didn't even use the machine and just poured me a latte from the dregs. bah, humbug Melbourne coffee.

Gerroa, Shoalhaven and Berry

Some places we have just been to in the Gerroa, Shoalhaven, Berry, Nowra area.

Discovered a gem of a pub on the river.

the Heads Hotel
Shoalhaven Heads

Pub food, family friendly, uses fresh produce and its true, not packaged frozen veg. Very yummy. Definitely will be a return visit by me. They also hold farmers markets on weekends.

New owners at Seahaven at Gerroa, near the beach
Good coffee
Up market, Sydney type menu
things like roast peaches, mozzarella & prosciutto

Sourdough Bakery
23 Alfred Street, Berry
of course is always good for a coffee, meal and you can take away bread or pastries


The Emporium Food Co
1b 27B Queen Street
Berry
Lots of yummy food here, some made on the premises like the spinach, ricotto, sweet potato pie.
Large rolls, gourmet pies, desserts also looked good

Red Raven
55 Junction Street
Nowra
Up market lunch and dinner. Didn't quite live up to expectations ie confit on pan fried gnocchi, had gnocchi which was a little tough. Salmon special, I am afraid I cook better myself and I do a crunchy skin. However food is OK and service is very friendly and restaurant is nice.

Joanne
www.ceressolutions.com.au