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about Asia Buzz
Culture on Demand: Sydney Sublime
It's amazing anyone gets any work done
By STAN STALNAKER
April 29, 2000
Web posted at 4 a.m. Hong Kong time, 4 p.m. EDT
Sydney is hot, even if it is stuck facing the edge of nothing at the farthest corner of the earth. It's even hot when it's not hot (a slow weekend), which must be a result of good genes and healthy food in a land where even the ugly people are pretty beautiful.
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The next time you jet to the Land Down Under skip the tour package and just bring along a few tips for where to be -- sure there are the sights, but the food, shopping and nightclubs are where the real action is in a city that has become one of the world's premier play spots.
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As for accommodation, Sydney of course has many choices -- but only a few
real options. The new Westin is certainly one of them, but if you're
after that certain eyebrow raising, "Oh, you stayed theeeere" factor, it
must be the Kirketon. (Until next month, when the new W Hotel Sydney
opens). For now, the Kirketon's blue goat hair carpets, big mirrored
beds and array of amenities ranging from surround stereo to fast
Internet access, will suffice nicely, thank you. The staff is friendly
and their smile never faltered as we tested them for restaurant reservations and party tickets sold out the world over. They have such
a nice way of saying "Gatecrasher is sold out but we can get you
tickets to Frisky."
The nicest thing about the Kirketon isn't the Aveda bath products, the
big fluffy towels or the funhouse mirror hallways, but the interesting
shower light: a small touch with a big impact. Well, they do say
lighting is everything.
In house at the Kirketon is one of Sydney's hottest restaurants, Salt. We
didn't eat there so I can't say much about the culture of the food, but
the staff are very dishy, as demonstrated by their late night post-Fix
rabble sessions. (Fix, of course, being the in-house bar.) Other top
venues include International, just up the road and in the same section
of Darlinghurst. The scene at International is total groove and the
food -- as if you're there for the food!
For something a little different, if not a tad cliché, try MG Garage, at
490 Crown Street, Surrey Hills. You dine
alongside the latest MGs in this dealership/restaurant where the only
thing more shiny than the fenders is the lip gloss on the patrons. Try
the Octopus. Skip the pigeon. Devour the lobster.
Cicada, at 29 Challis Ave. Potts Point, serves
up delicious New Australian cuisine with an eye toward simplicity.
Heavy on beef, lamb and seafood (is there anything else?) the food melts
in your mouth. The upstairs bar, though a little on the slow side, does
decent martinis and features a bit of atmosphere, especially when you
are lying upside down on the bed lounge.
Before you spend your daily allowance shuffling truffles, pop over to
Paddington and the northern part of Oxford Street for some shopping.
Good stores include Marcs, with modern Australian clothing, Australian
Pants Co. and Pierucci, which feature Australian made suits of Italian
materials. The prices, due to the relative weakness of the Aussie
dollar, will keep you smiling. Robby Ingham's has a few nice baubles,
but for chic designer stuff head over to Five Way Fusion, off the beaten
track in a cool little burb called Five Ways off the main drag. The
Royal Hotel and Bar in the same area is also very cool and a good place
to start your night.
Naturally, Bondi Beach is overrated, but some fish and chips on the
boardwalk and a few rays in the sun will perk up even the most
discriminating globetrotter -- because the people watching is SO good.
Likewise, harborside at the Sydney Opera House, where the package
tourists come in all shapes and sizes.
For later in the evening, try out Embassy in Double Bay or double back
to Oxford Street for a bit of carousing at Gilligan's and the Pan
Pacific Blue Room, where the music is as sexy as the crowd is hot.
Sydney's just like that -- it's amazing anybody ever gets any work done.
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