Sydney Cafe People - Social Pics in Sydney's Best Cafes Restaurants & Bars Australia

NAUTICAL BUT NICE

Helm Bar in Cockle Bay has been recently taken over by new owners, East Coast Hotels. After a fantastic $1M renovation job it’s been designed to be just like the deck of a boat which is enhanced by it being the only free-standing building on the Cockle Bay strip - so that when you’re up there, all you can see is water and other boats. Brilliant! They have a range of signature cocktails, their carafe of Sangria being the one we got stuck into. A deliciously refreshing drink great for these lovely spring days and evenings. You won’t find all the classic cocktails on the menu but they're available on request. There’s a lunch menu available from 11:30am to 3:30pm and evening meals available from 3:30 to 9pm. They even have gourmet pies available from 9pm to close ... and a new Head Chef and exciting summer menu on the way soon. You’ll also be entertained by a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays, with a good ol' retro evening coming on Thursdays. Tuesdays is $10 cocktails, and in a few months: live music on Sunday afternoons. I can see a nice sunny Sunday afternoon at Helm Bar being a place you’ll definitely like to be. Even in the rain it's fun as their outside area can be covered over and you don’t have to put up with any sea sickness. See you at the Helm! To find out more check out their website by clicking here.

FANTASTIC FAIR TRADE EXPO

The Fair Trade Expo at Paddington Town Hall was a fabulous occasion.
Fair Trade, according to Amnesty International, "targets socially conscious
consumers who would be willing to pay a bit extra at the supermarket in exchange
for the assurance that Third World farmers received a reasonable return for their
labour." Organic chef Kylie Kwong (pictured left) lent her considerable
reputation to the event, which was also attended by Jacqueline Arias of
Republica Coffee (pictured right) among many other organic and fair trade
coffee companies. The food was sensational (& free!), the music was great,
and the companionship of a packed house was inspiring to see. Looking forward
to the next one!! For more info on future fair trade momentum check out
their website: http://www.fta.org.au

BARTERING HOSPITALITY

Sometimes the best thing about Monday night events is that since there
was probably likely nothing else on anyway, you can find yourself making the
best of it and having the most fantastic time. So it was at a recent
Bartercard Hospitality Evening, held at the very modern and spacious
VenueVerge Function Centre a.k.a. IL Piemonte Restaurant in Terrey Hills.

We bumped into some old friends such as Wolfgang from Seachange Cafe and
Sion from Gourmet Palette Caterers, but also made some delightful new ones, starting with
Chas from Desperate House Wines (top left pic) who had flown up from Adelaide that day to
have a stall at the event, the very affable Jane & Greg and from Hanging Tree Wines (above left),
Denise from Mamma Hen's Cookies and John & Alex from Caffe Liberta (above right).

Finally we wound up at the tasting table of Roger from Rosenvale Wines (above left),
who shared the secrets of the grape varieties in his stable. Throughout the night the
canapes were exquisite and the service of the Venue Verge staff (above right) flowed
with genuine friendliness and absolute professionalism. If you're a Bartercard member
and you'd like to advertise on Sydneycafes.com.au feel free to email Tanja
Bulatovic via media (at) sydneycafes.com.au

WINE EXPO WANDERINGS

Sydney's foodies and punters couldn't believe their luck. One square mile of
Australia's best wineries giving away their finest for free. This was a day to start
with a couple of HangoverEze pills for breakfast, not because of the night
before, but because of the day to come.

The "Wine Australia International" expo was last held in Melbourne in 2004,
but who cares about that city anyway? This was Sydney, Darling Harbour,
we guess that's why they added the word "international" into the event's title.

While the public and trade attendees had the time of their lives, credit
must go to the people behind the stalls, whose wrists must have been
totally RSI-ed out by the end of the show. Winery-staff-people, we salute
you - you poured out the hearts of our proud viticulturalists with
totally professional flair and aplonk, er, aplomb.

We can hardly remember any of the four days, but thanks to our trusty
lensman Anthony Woods, we have some neat snaps to reflect the
dazzling hospitality of it all. When a Norwegian model is showing you the
latest cutlery polishing product, you know you've arrived at glamour
central. Keep drinkin' your wine, australia!

Bronte Swells

Swell Restaurant located at 465 Bronte Road, Bronte, is open 7days a week from 7am, and for dinner from 6pm Tuesday to Saturday, with an extremely affordable and delightful menu. Daud Kendall , the head chef offers an expansive choice of dishes, which are sure to tantalise your tastebuds. Patrons are offered both indoor and outdoor dining, with a serene view of beautiful Bronte beach. Daud believes in offering patrons simple and sophisticated textures and flavours that complement both the ambient atmosphere and the exquisite interiors of Swell. For more click here.

Going Blue & Orange

Blue Orange Restaurant chef Shane Lurie continues to delight Bondi locals and ring-ins from all over Sydney who hear about his great food. We recently re-visited and re-reviewed his latest Winter menu. Great stuff. To read the latest on it, click here.
Blue Orange Restaurant / Cafe
49 Hall St, Bondi Beach, ph (02) 9300 9885

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Mint Flavoured Magic

When cafe people get creative together, shiny new projects emerge. A little charmer is Cafe Mint in Surry Hills. Ex-Fez Cafe owner Hugh Foster called up old mate Rob Sample, creator of the stunning interiors in Longrain and Jimmy Liks, and then with the recent perfect barista skills of Phil Pak, they attracted the attention of writer Scott Bolles. Instantly, on the appearance of a short piece in the paper about the opening of Cafe Mint, the place was buzzing. To find out more about Cafe Mint, click the pic:

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Pacifico Perfection

East Sydney's Cafe Pacifico continues to be a wonderful party-cafe. Recently Nova Magazine had a staff party there - and the place was going off:

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The Fiery Food Festival is always a great event. Celebrity chef Dorinda Hafner (left) is a regular there, and here she is cuddling up to a chilli-addled Sydneycafes foodie fanatic. To check out Dorinda's unique cheffery, click on www.dorindahafner.com

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Sydney's Thai food is awesome - and is a melting pot for the locals to crawl out of their over-urbanised shells and sing the praises of such colourful, abundant and delicious food. When vibrant young Thai chef Emmy Suwunnakul visited Sydney from Melbourne recently, she tapped into her local Thai friends - and gave the Aussies she'd befriended a night out at Sumalee, one of Newtown's best Thai cafes. The happy faces (below) say it all:

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