australia :: sydney :: shopping

[mikecch]

^ The Aussie mark-up on Burt's Bees is a little too high though...

Great products - I get a sack full of them when I visit Taipei.

Their lip balm is bomb

[seven.homme]

Not the one I was thinking of...

talking about the kiehl's product.

[dansta]

^^ yeah saw it last week, but if im not mistaken they combine the shampoo and the bath gel into one product, i dont think thats good ..

Hmm, I'm not sure. That does sound a bit odd. I don't actually use anything from the Kiehl's men's line myself... I use their regular moisturiser with SPF, which is pretty good, and another heavy-duty moisturiser at night. They have some decent scrubs, too.

[derek_]

^ The Aussie mark-up on Burt's Bees is a little too high though...

Great products - I get a sack full of them when I visit Taipei.

Their lip balm is bomb

burt's bees lip balm > lucas paw paw ointment as a lip balm.

[Ivans On High]

What's new Sydney? Any new bars worth checking out?

I went to Grandma's on Clarence last week, but it's a little too 'after work' for me.

[seven.homme]

^ i went there as well couple of weeks ago, i think its alrite ..

[homme.homme]

Not much. Sydney seems to be a little more boring than usual at the moment or maybe I'm just getting old... or too obsessed with saving for a trip o/s rather than going out.

Anyone been to Porteno on Cleveland street? Continually hear it is AMAZING. Still yet to go although it's about 2min walk from my place... that and it's continually booked out 4 weeks in advance.

[seven.homme]

always wanna try. tried their other place, bodega, nothing special ..

[Ivans On High]

I'd never heard of it. I rarely make it over to Cleavland street. Maybe I'll try to make a booking. If it takes 4 weeks I'll at least be able to save up enough money...

I have a friend who works for City of Sydney who has told me that there are a few DA's kicking around for some new small bars - particularly around Clarence St which has some great laneways and is turning into an OK part of town with Grandma's, Gaffa etc. The government's grant program is no doubt making this type of business far more attractive. Fingers crossed things in Sydney start looking up.

[jbone]

was really impressed with porteno, definitely recommend this place

it's a no reservation restaurant for parties under 6 if i recall correctly, sso we got there about 5:45 (15mins before opening) to be sure the pork was still there (apparently they run out later on in the night)

there cocktails were insanely good! tried one beer and wasnt that impressed after tasting how good my girls cocktail was so i moved on to these.. had some banana infused jd that's up there with the best things i've ever put in my mouth..

meat was top notch & cooked to perfection.. condiments that come with it made it taht much better!

adam the price all up was 180 i think so its not too bad considering we had a few cocktails (which are around 15-20 eac h)

[seven.homme]

i still love the ribs over cafe ish ..

anyway, selling my common projects and quoddy if anyone interested

[savage science fiction]

Porteno is really good! Went there for a friends bday. Recently went to this pop up restaraunt at circular quay called greenhouse which was nice but kind of overpriced! Nice setting though I forget how nice that end of town can look. Other than haven't really been out much either since I am trying to save for a holiday !

[melvin7]

omg hi josh - its been a while. hope you're well!

thanks for the heads up on Porteno, will def take the missus there next time she's in town... we're running out of places to eat.

visited universal in darlinghurst and ad lib bistro in double bay.. I rate them both quite highly. Universal changes their menu every couple of weeks depending on what is in season. Ad lib Bistro does it better than Bistro Moncur imo. Was really underwhelmed of Moncur last time we went there.. and they used to be my fav restaurant in syd.

[homme.homme]

is universal the one next to phamish? been meaning to check that place out for a while now. they take reservations yes?

[homme.homme]

it's a no reservation restaurant for parties under 6 if i recall correctly, sso we got there about 5:45 (15mins before opening) to be sure the pork was still there (apparently they run out later on in the night)

ahh didn't realize, I was enquiring for a group of 8 at the time so that explains it...

[melvin7]

Yeah that's correct. The menu works like degustation - no entree no main - they break it down from lighter meal to heavier meal and all the portions are the same (on the smaller side). It is recommended by the waiter to order 3 dishes each but we just ordered 2 pp and a dessert to share. Came down to about $150 and we felt just right. Not too full, not too hungry either.

and yes they take reservations

[notsicknorwell]

Porteno was pretty good, went there with a friend, if you're ready to shell out the money - $160 on two mains, two entrees and a side dish to go with the meats + some wine for two = the same amount of food could've easily fed another female.

went to Bar H in Campbell St (across Cafe Ish), great wine selection with a good share-plate-centric menu

[seven.homme]

hm curious about that place (Bar H), walk passed it couple of times. what kinda food they got?

[notsicknorwell]

it's hard for me to put a finger on one type of cuisine that Bar H does, the only thing I can say is that the food more or less falls into "simple yet in vogue" category right now - they make everything in-house including the butter and the ricotta they use for the heirloom tomato salad.

think appetizers like lardo on sourdough toast, 3 different types of oysters, salads like mulloway sashimi with olive oil and soy citrus dressing, mains like spatchcock with raisins etc.

a couple of shared dishes and one main + 8 or so drinks cost us like $180 which is not bad considering the amount of libations

[Ivans On High]

I've been to Spicy Sichuan Restaurant 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Great food and reasonably priced imo. Has anyone else been there?

Also, if anyone is interested in a 1976 Hiwatt Custom 50 head with a road case and a 2x12 Hiwatt cab with Fanes, let me know. It's time to downsize.

[homme.homme]

I've been to the glebe one a bunch of times. so good.

[seven.homme]

^ i heard its really spicy !! i went to the one in chinatown, upstairs, not sure if it the same owner or whatnot but its good ..

[dansta]

Apologies if this has been asked before:

Where in Sydney can I get good designer spectacles? I have decent health insurance so I'm happy to look at high-end places. I wear my glasses 24/7 so it's a major investment for me!

There's a place in the MLC Centre that has some designer stuff... Anywhere else?

[swooc]

the eye scene in double bay. they helped me order a pair of strada del soles.

[Ivans On High]

There is a place in Strand arcade, up one end on ground floor. They have Oliver Peoples, Dita, Hackett that sort of thing. Pretty good selection and the owner is friendly.

[Ivans On High]

Queens of the Stone Age tonight.

[melvin7]

Harrolds Westfield just received their first shipment of Julius SS11 items the other day... leather jackets up to size 4... the jeans are pretty terrible though

[dansta]

^ Thanks for the help with glasses, guys.

[Ivans On High]

OK. I've never seen a crowd beg for an encore more with zero result. The gig was killer and they stuck it to the man by playing their first album cover to cover which was great for the die hard fans, but no encore? Shame shame shame.

[derek_]

on the topic of food in sydney, anybody been to Felix, Selah or Pilu? looking at new restaurants to try!