Chippendale is a funny part of town; on one hand there is the uninspiring  Central part of Regent St and on the other hand, there is White Rabbit Gallery, Café Giulia and Freda’s – creative, inviting and awesome. Freda’s is located down an alley off Regent st, inside a 100 year old converted warehouse. The cocktail list is innovative and Oscar the bartender oozes enthusiasm. Make sure you have something to eat, the food is fresh and tasty – especially the Merimbula oysters!

1. Freda’s Photostream Flickr 2. Freda’s Sydney 3. Freda’s Photostream Flickr 4. Concrete Playground 5. Freda’s Photostream Flickr 6. SMH 7. Agenda City

Down another suss laneway off Clarence St, down a fire escape and through an unmarked door is The Baxter Inn. With almost 300 whiskies, a couple of cocktails, rotating beers  on tap and pretzels on every table, this is the place to go. The bartenders almost look like they’re from a time when bow ties, moustaches and hair comber to the side were the norm. The service is great and the boys really know their whiskey. Try the Jura Prophecy – an overwhelmingly smokey peat flavour and scent with an extremely smooth finish – served in a whiskey glass with one huge ice cube!

1. Flickr 2. Flickr 3. Flickr 4. Gourmantic 5. Concrete Playground 6. Gourmantic

KitchenAid 'Rasberry Ice'

KitchenAid Platinum Collection

Images: KitchenAid

Inky Co. Website

Their website reflects their products, and the design is easy to navigate, fresh, young & funky!

Visit them at www.inkyco.com.au

Their products consist largely of brightly coloured graphic patterns and their range includes notebooks, everything you need for beautiful gift wrapping, desk accessories and gift packs.

Inky Co. Products

Inky Co. Gift Pack

Their web site also includes a blog and a how-to guide for gift wrapping (great source of inspiration!)…

Inky Co. "How-To's"

Source: Inky Co.

David Met Nicole - Surry Hills

1. Crown St 2. David Met Nicole 3. 52 Suburbs 4. David Met Nicole 5. David Met Nicole 6. Rustik White

The Society Inc - Paddington

1. Desire To Inspire 2. Design Sponge 3. Vogue Living via Design Sponge 4. Desire To Inspire 5. The Society Inc 6. Design Sponge

Seasonal Concepts - Redfern

1. Precinkt 2. Whole Lotta Lovely 3. Time Out Sydney 4. Precinkt 5. Whole Lotta Lovely

1. Happyroost 2.&3. Design Sponge 4. West Elm 5. Cabein 6. Japanese Trash 7. Graham & Brown via Design Sponge

1. Shareen Joel Design via The Design Files 2.&3. The Cool Hunter 4. The Cool Hunter 5. CCS Architecture via Exterior Design 6. Clarecousins 7. Motiq Online 8. The Cool Hunter

Check out this collection of ottomans (one for every room!):

Images: Elle Decor

 Ottoman sitting pretty in front of a fireplace, and doubling as book storage!

Source: (Ottomans Filling a Space) Elle Decor; (Yellow Ottoman) Elle Decor

Source: Desire to Inspire

Source:  Elle Decor

Source: Elle Decor

Source: Elle Decor

Source:  Nuevo Estilo via Planete Deco

Source: Planete Deco

The week-end started with an enormous breakfast at Fourth Village Providore, a favourite of mine for their pizza’s, but this was my first non-dinner visit. It was crowded, with plenty of people getting a post-workout fuel up still in their workout gear.  That’s probably the way to do it as you need your appetite.  My order of Italian baked beans, came on a chopping board, and consisted of baked beans topped with 2 poaches eggs, generous blobs of mozzarella a rocket salad and toast, I had added a side order of bacon, as the late night on Friday was really calling for bacon.  My friend’s order of eggs, bacon & a side of mushrooms was equally large.  All of it was delicious, including some freshly made juice, and we managed to get about half way through each of our dishes.  A couple sat down at the table next to us were obviously regulars, and ordered one dish to share between the two of them, they’d obviously done this before!

Fourth Village Providore

Images: Fourth Village Providore

The service was efficient, with all requests catered for quickly & accurately, the food was delicious, the only complaint being I felt too full for hours afterwards!

Later that day it was on to a ferry and off to Island Bar, on Sydney’s Cockatoo Island.  Having been meaning to go there since it opened, it was nice to have a reason to make the effort! A couple of friend’s birthday’s were being celebrated in the private space in the ‘upstairs’ area of the bar, so we boarded the ferry at 3:30pm, from Greenwich.  Just a 10min ferry ride and we arrived, the Island Bar itself, is a green oasis in an industrial setting with spectacular views over the harbour.  The upstairs area consisted of a gutted container, with a cut away balcony space, and an airy blue & white themed sitting area.  Below us was the bar, and laid out in front of that, bright green turf, colourful deck chairs & umbrellas and equally colourful guests.  We looked with interest over a number of groups celebrating birthdays, hens days & those just soaking up the sunshine, which has been a rare sighting in Sydney this summer.  Jugs of cocktails, bottles of champagne, and platters of pizza and Italian antipasto’s were shared amongst groups, the only thing missing on a warm Saturday afternoon was a swimming pool! Everything about the Island Bar was very enjoyable, the only let down being the long walk to the toilets, that were reminiscent of a high school toilet block, in which the lights were not working.

Island Bar, Cockatoo Island Sydney

Images: Island Bar

Island Bar - Industrial Setting

Following our departure from Island Bar (the last ferry is 8:40pm roughly), we headed back to Circular Quay for dinner.

After the doorman at Jaime’s Italian said it was too late for us to get a table, we headed round to Felix, at the bottom of the Ivy complex.  I was looking forward to trying Felix, having been to many of Merivale’s restaurants, I find the quality & service is generally very good.  What is amazing about Felix is the atmosphere, they have captured a bustling French Bistro incredibly well, at 9:30 on a Saturday evening groups of 5 or more filled most of the tables.  The seafood bar was impressive, and the oysters that came out of it were equally impressive.  I ordered the lamb shoulder with my partner (it was for 2), having being cooked on the rotisserie, it was lovely and tender, I did feel however, it was not impressive enough for the price tag attached.  Similar thoughts came from other people in the group, with a number of places rolling off tongues of where you can get better quality food for similar of less expensive prices.  Whilst it was sound, it’s not somewhere I will be racing back to, or necessarily recommending to others as I have had better food & experiences elsewhere.

Felix Restaurant Sydney

Images: Felix

To conclude the week-end, cocktails and dinner at the Winery in Surry Hills.  The beautiful warm Sydney day meant it was crowded, however we got a spot at the bar for a few jugs of Pimms and some share food, before moving upstairs for dinner.  Whilst I love the eclecticism of dining room upstairs, it wasn’t the most comfortable way to have a meal, with some people on small ottomans, some squeezed on to a couch and other on giant armchairs, that couldn’t get close to the table.  Given the weather eating outside would have been most perfect, however as always the staff and the service were incredible, which is really the reason you go there!