sydney dust storm

low band

Well-known member
GPR is good for books and a bite to eat (I'm a big fan of Fish on Fire). Glebe Road itself is tucked off GPR opposite the Market.

As for the best thing I would have to say the Bourke Street Bakery at the bottom of Devonshire Road in Surry Hills, that and the coffee (Campos/Toby's Estate).

Although I'm trying to give up both.
 

luka

Well-known member
if there was no one noticed! the latest rumour is that all the uranium mining in the area means the dust was all horribly radioactive! who cares if its true. its a good rumour.
 

luka

Well-known member
low band, if you are ever in bondi junction d*v*d j*n*s come to the espresso bar and i'll make you a coffee. im an alchemist among baristas.
 

low band

Well-known member
Hey Luka, I will most certainly take you up on that offer next time I get over that way, I'm into my Piccolo's at the moment. ;)

There was an interesting article in the Guardian today about dust storms and the diseases they carry, it brought back memories of The Exorcist II I watched a few weeks ago that delves deeper into the story of Pazuzu (Demon of the South West wind).

A short piece by Steven Sennitt on Pazuzu here
 

luka

Well-known member
piccolos are a bit sophisticated for an englishman aren't they?
i like making them. i used to drink them but now i just drink espresso. its like when i was a teenager i used to put coke in my brandy. but then i remembered i don't like coke. you don't often get a good espresso in australia. i went to that place on george st in the galleries building yesterday. they done an aright one. they sort pf got the idea. the ebans here tend to be quite acidic which im not really into
 

low band

Well-known member
I'm new to the world of coffee, I started with Cappuccino's then Flat White's and now Piccolo's, so maybe it's destined to be Espresso.

Have you tried the coffee at Astor on GPR (the old Valhalla cinema)? That's my favorite place for a coffee at the moment, the place next door (gelato place) is best avoided ime.
 

luka

Well-known member
astor is usualy too busy for me to bother with but i've been in there two or three times in the early afternoon when i was the only customer. they seem to know what they are doing although they certainly take their time about it. campos are doing very well for themselves. they've got that all important snob value. a friend of mine works in their shop in newtown. i think its the only one they actually own. its like working on an assembly line.
its good to know i don't have to bother with astors next door neighbour. it didn't look terribly appealing anyway. most of the cafes in glebe are second rate. yuga on st johns road is pretty good but i dont go there anymore because they offered me a job and i didn't bother turning up and now i feel embaressed.
 

low band

Well-known member
It's funny, I put the spare room up on Gumtree a while ago (probably not a good idea..), but one bloke came around within hours of it going online. Anyway, he turns up and we're chatting n'stuff, turns out he has his own coffee company (why he was looking for a cheap room I don't know), I mentioned to him that my favorite place is just up the street at the old Valhalla, his eye's lit up and he asked me the name of the place, I said Astor and his face turned a little sour, turns out he supplies the place next door with his stuff (Golden Cobra..), I was like, oh, not been in there yet.. anyway I popped in a few days later and wasn't down with it at all, obviously it's really down to the barista, but he needs to sort that one out.
I must admit I did stifle a laugh when he told me the name, he reckons he didn't want anything European sounding.

I give Astor a wide berth during peak times (it's gone a bit mad there in the last few months).

I've never succeeded in getting through the door at Campos in Newtown.
 
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withnail

Active member
Cordial on Carillon Ave Newtown does a very nice espresso or milk based coffee. It's not too far from Campos and is it's match coffee wise. Only far less crowded and it has decent food as well. It is the most unprepossessing place to look at though.
 

luka

Well-known member
i don't know why anyone would wait 15 minutes for a coffee. campos is good, but not that good. any idiot can make coffee given a decent machine and a decent bean and some idea of what they're setting out to acheive. its not a hard job.
if you've got an idea of the rhythms of a coffee shop you can get a seat in there though. early afternoon is usually a good bet, or very early in the morning. just think about when people are most likely to be stuck in the office.
i've never seen cordial. i'll have a peek next time i'm in the area.
any other sydney tips you two? not limited to coffee. i make hundreds a day anyway.
boozers, resturaunts, clubs etc....
 

low band

Well-known member
I've been saving my pennies for a while now, but a few places that I've enjoyed so far:

Serial Space for random abstract/noise/drone evenings - Chippendale.
The Australian - boozer that sells pints of James Squire for $5 - Just off Broadway on Bay St.
Fish on Fire - Fish & Chips (I go for the grilled barramundi), pick up a decent bottle of Semillon from the AB bottle shop and bob's yer uncle. - Glebe Point Road.
Pendolino - Very nice Italian food & wine, spent all my pocket money there a while ago- Strand Arcade.
Bourke Street Bakery - You can't say no to the almond & rhubarb tarts - Bourke Street, Surry Hills.

Still looking for a decent French restaurant, Atelier looks alright but I need to save up a bit.

Then again I'm thinking of just buying a barbeque and picking up fresh fish from the fish market.

I checked out Chinese Laundry a few weeks ago but felt a bit old.

The White Rabbit art gallery in Chippendale is also worth checking out if you've not been yet.
 

luka

Well-known member
the australians alright. i've yet to find a sydney pub i feel at home in though to be honest. i usually choose places that are quiet and inconspicuous. either that or that courthouse place in newtown, which is neither.
i like the vegetarian vietnamese places in cabramatta which are all seemingly linked to the supreme master.
http://suprememastertv.com/press-kit/
most thai places in sydney are horrible though.
al mustafa on glebe point rd is quite good i reckon.
 

low band

Well-known member
The only two pubs I really go in are the Australian & The Courthouse (Aus after work for a quick one and Courthouse on a weekend afternoon, but yeah, I've found nothing like the kind of pub I would normally inhabit. (I can't stand all those fucking fruit machines they've got here).

I agree with the Thai situation, there's that place in Newtown down near the station that's alright, if a little pricey, but nothing else has grabbed me.

I'll give that Al Mustafa a go though, it's caught my eye a few times.
 

luka

Well-known member
a lot of people rave about spice i am down by central becuase they think 'authentic' means 'overwhelmingly hot'
its ok but massively overrated.
do go cabra though if you haven't already.
 

withnail

Active member
I've always liked The Courthouse as it's one of those inner city pubs where you can strike up easy conversations with strangers. A couple of weekends ago me and a friend ended up spending the whole afternoon chatting to a group of friendly strangers, one of whom I so wished she weren't in a relationship. Many, but not all, inner city pubs strike me as a bit cliquey. I heartily concur re Cabramatta, or a foodhall in Chinatown - not sure of it's name but it has excellent and cheap food always.
 
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luka

Well-known member
dixon house or the other one where you can perch on a stool in front of the window with a beer and watch the street?
 
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