Friday Five: Eating and Drinking in Sydney

It was a few weeks ago, but it was memorable, so here are some more highlights of our weekend trip to Sydney, this time of the eating and drinking variety.

1. Arturo's Rooftop/ Woolly Bay Hotel

I love a rooftop bar, and since Cousin Rachael introduced us to Aperol Spritz in Ibizia, we now believe that it's not a holiday until you've had an Aperol Spritz. Arturo's is above the Woolly Bay Hotel and a fine place to sit with an antipasto platter and soak up the atmosphere of Woolloomooloo Bay. Later, we finished another day with a beer in the bar below which was buzzing and had large screens and comfy sofas. We also enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine with duck-fat hand-cut chips around the corner at The Tilbury Hotel, but I didn't take photos. 

2. Encasa
This is a handy stop just round the corner from the Capitol Theatre, where we were going to see a matinee - so we took in lunch and a show. It's a cheerful Spanish taverna which offers tapas, charcuterie and paella. Starting with cocktails while we chose our food, we enjoyed an Agua de Valencia and a Pisco Sour. We felt it was too warm for the rice dish and were concerned that we might nod off after consuming one, although they looked delicious and I'm tempted to return. We shared plates of chorizo a la plancha (grilled spanish sausage), patatas bravas (fired potatoes with spicy tomato and alioli) and croquetas de jamon Iberico (Iberian ham croquettes). The chorizo was a little greasy, the patatas a touch dry and overcooked, but the croquetas were deliciosas; crispy on the outside and gooey creamy goodness on the inside.

3. Burdekin Rooftop

A well-known hang-out on the Sydney Pride route, we stopped here for a refreshment on our way back from the theatre before going out for the evening. It was fairly empty when we visited for our Aperol Spritzes in the Aperitivo Hour, but all the tables were booked for groups later on. The food looks great for sharing, the venue is ideal for feeling part of the party, and the vibe is full-on fun. For example, the Saturday Brunch (1-3pm) offers 'bottomless drinks and delicious food'. What's it called? Spritz or Swallow.

4. Otto Ristorante

At the other end of the spectrum, we treated ourselves to some very fine dining by the water at Finger Wharf at Woolloomooloo Bay. OTTO received One Hat in the 2026 Good Food Guide and is, apparently, one of Sydney's most respected dining institutions. From the website, "The food at OTTO is delicious and unashamedly simple - modern Italian with roots firmly placed in the classics. Head Chef Richard Ptacnik's menu is fresh, seasonal and produce-driven; sourcing the finest ingredients and letting them speak for themselves." 

Naturally, we began with cocktails - Jasmine for me (Campari, Tanqueray gin, Cointreau, lemon, house syrup) - and then chose a bottle of wine to accompany our set menu, Mangia! The cocktails were perfectly dainty but I feel the wine list is a touch on the pretentious and exclusive side, listing all the sommeliers by name, although the Group Sommelier, Amanda Yallop was awarded Sommelier of the Year, so that might just be me. 

The food and the service are exceptional. We chose the three-course sharing menu and were not disappointed - pictures below. It is set in such a perfect location, and I would highly recommend, although maybe save the drinks until afterwards if you don't want to just simply empty your wallet into the bay.

Mortadella, salami, olives, house made grissini

Cannoli, prawn cocktail

Burrata, cherries, pistachio, balsamic, basil

Ricotta gnudi, burnt sage butter, pine nuts, raisins

Conchiglie, smoked Wagyu beef ragù, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Tiramisù

5. Stanley Green, Darlinghurst

Having completed our morning's activity and with an hour or so before our bus returned to Canberra, we stumbled across this place for a glass of wine and a chicken wrap. It presents as a coffee shop by day and moonlights as a wine bar in the evening. With cute little tables outside surrounded by greenery and fairy lights, it is an absolute side-street oasis. The shop is home to an array of indoor plants and all their accessories (such as pots), which can be admired with a cocktail in hand and I'm sure this is a charming place for an after-work tipple in the neighbourhood.

Friday Five: Cultural Activities on Australia Day Weekend in Sydney

We went to Sydney for 48 hours over Australia Day weekend and we packed a lot in. I shall write more about each of these activities, but these are the headlines. 

1. Woolloomooloo Sculpture Walk - ARTPark Australia: This is a free public exhibition of outdoor large-scale sculptures made from materials such as stainless steel, bronze, concrete and wood. The sculptures sit along the Wharf Boardwalk and many contain allusions to environmental and sustainable themes.

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at The Domain: The reason we went to Sydney in the first place, Nick Cave excels again in the Wild God tour. Him Outdoors is a big fan of the Bad Seeds era (he likes The Birthday Party best but it is unlikely they will ever tour that material). We were more than happy to enjoy a two-and-a-half hour set, including new tunes and old favourites as the bats flew overhead in the night sky.

3. Art Gallery of New South Wales: We went to two exhibitions here. The first, Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940, featured celebrated and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. The more than 200 works represent the wave of women artists who prevailed against social constraints and left Australia to pursue international professional careers. Some returned bringing back new ideas - realism; impressionism; post-impressionism; cubism; abstraction - and playing an integral role in modernising Australia. Artists such as Nora Heysen, Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston, Dorrit Black, Frances Hodgkins, Thea Proctor, and Hild Rix Nicholas are represented in all their explorations of colour, light, form and movement. 

The second exhibition, The Patchwork Portal, is a newly-commissioned work by Raquel Caballero. Celebrating craft as a skilled art, she invites visitors to contribute to a collaborative patchwork installation. She takes inspiration from her favourite childhood book, L Frank Baum's The Patchwork Girl of Oz, and the psychadelic fabrics of the 1970s are highlighted throughout her works of sculpture and portraiture.  

4. The Book of Mormon at Capitol Theatre, Sydney: I have wanted to see this musical for a while and, seeing it was on its last weekend in Sydney, I was delighted to secure reasonably-priced tickets for pretty good seats. The theatre itself is beautiful and the show was as irreverent and as entertaining as I could have hoped. Parodying everything from virtue signalling and whitewashing to organised religion and musical theatre itself, the production was high-energy and full-on camp with exceptionally tight vocals and choreography, and even a perfectly pitched musical-within-a-musical.

5. The Australian Museum: Again, we saw two exhibitions here, the first being Relics: A New World Rises in which vintage objects meet miniature Lego brick worlds. The concept is that in the future, the human race has disappeared leaving their detritus behind from fridges and typewriters to ATMs and jetskis. The Lego community has colonised them to make a cryogenic health centre, printing press, credit union and holiday resort. The exhibition aims at being both nostalgic and thought-provoking, but there are far too many children present, who have no concept of stepping back to let others see, and what with all the pushing and shoving, it is difficult to get near the displays.

The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year displays are always excellent and this is no exception (although it is next to the Lego exhibition and there is a spill-over of space-oblivious children). The works showcase the spectacular flora, fauna and landscapes found throughout Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea. "From murky ocean depths, to soaring mountain tops and fiery outback landscapes", they invite us to see nature "in a whole new light".

Glacial Blue by Stuart Chape