25% off Picnic Vibes catering

Catering. We need it for parties, get-to-gethers, events and best of all, Christmas!! Best of all, picnic-style catering, home made from local produce is offering 25% off its menus until the end of the year.

Picnic Vibes offers special picnics on Mondays at Alexandria Park so I decided to have a go and see who would turn up. There were quite a few men and on a warm spring day, it’s lovely to get outside of the office for a little treat!

I got to sample their whole menu. Firstly, Classic European. The wonderful and vibrant rugs really do it here. The chopping board is topped with delicious carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, and even zucchini sticks!! The highlight of the board was the home made hummus. The secret ingredient…? You’ll have to taste it to know!

The salad is simply amazing with the balsamic sauce. Lots of healthy goodness right in mah belleh.  Frittata could be even better!! I’ve worked in a pizzeria, but I haven’t worked in a pizzeria that does watermelon pizza! Topped with yoghurt, muesli and other fresh fruit and nut, the blend of textures makes this the most fabulous dessert ever!! #gimmemore

Next we had the Hola South American. Each of these picnics are inspired by the travel journeys the owner has embarked on. The cheesey nachos with the little avocados presents itself well.

DIY burritos is a winner here. If you’re vegetarian, or gluten free, options are all there! Fussy eaters, this is the best catering for you! The boys demolished the chocolate coated sliced apples even before they got onto their burritos. Who doesn’t like sprinkles?

The last option is Authentic Asian. I still remember the spring rolls we used to make in Vietnam! Delicious!

The assorted fishballs are exciting to eat with bursts of flavour! And the coconut milk peanut satay sauce is very unique. The glass noodle salad is my tip of the day- yum!

The options were very pleasant and when combined, you could making peking duck tacos, burrito sandwiches.. and the list goes on! Awesome fusion right there.

YouChews, a corporate catering platform are giving 25% off Picnic Vibe catering. Don’t miss out on these eats!!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Promotion (25% off Picnic Vibes Catering): 4.5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Value: 5/5

Would I recommend getting catering from Picnic Vibes? Don’t have time and feeling lazy? Don’t want to eat takeaway pizza and prefer something healthier? Picnic Vibes would be perfect for you and your friends and family. Everything is fresh from the markets and home-made too!

Highlight: I’d have to say the amazing watermelon pizza. It’s fresh and I love the blend of amazing fruit with a nutty mix. It’s refreshing and something to go for. The hummus is also amazinggg. Home made is simply the best!

Suggestion of improvement: not sure how the logistics work with the catering. Every

Link: http://www.picnicvibes.com

25% off Picnic Vibes Catering:

https://youchews.com/menus/25-off-authentic-asian

https://youchews.com/menus/25-off-hola-south-american

https://youchews.com/menus/classic-european-package

Angela Bee

Free Pizza Thursdays – Angry Pirate

Update: this special is no longer available 

Angry Pirate is offering free shared pizzas for anyone who purchases a beer, wine or cocktail at 5-8pm on Thursdays…that’s pretty aye-right! “The Angry Pirate’s new Thursday special will have all feeling like they have struck gold, with a cocktail (or beer and wine if that is what you fancy) opening the treasure chest to free pizza slices. Get in between 5-8pm otherwise your dreams of free pizza will walk the plank.” – TimeOut Sydney Since I now get off at Redfern to walk to work in Alexandria, I thought this was the perfect place for after work pizza and drinks- and I was right! It’s opposite to Redfern station on Redfern street although the lady out the front offering free pizza to passerbyers.The sign outside welcomes you aboard their stable ship bar. Ahoy! The tables, chairs and even the bar is made from wood and they’ve polished it well if it was made from a wrecked ship. We sat ourselves at the back of the bar where there were some cushions and wine barrel tables. I must admit, the artwork is pretty amazing on all four walls! Looking through the menu, we go through the beers, wines, cocktails and ‘pizza galley’.Cocktails were on the agenda and here’s what we tried: Angry and Sour is grog, amaretto, pomegranate liqueur, lime, vanilla and egg white and it’s the favourite for the girls! Oh yes, we also got plenty of BBQ popcorn for the table. Coco Melon Margherita has 1880 coconut tequila, fresh pressed watermelon, fresh mint and lime juice. We expected more of a watermelon flavour so that lacked. It came in a martini glass. Pirate’s Tea Party is a mixture of vodka, gin, rum, elderflower, mint, lemon, fruit tea. The flavours were a food combination with a bit more acidity than we liked. I chose the Grog Zombie. There’s grog, zombie mix (what does this even mean?), pineapple, passion fruit, angry pirate bitters  and rum. When it came out, it was oh fiiiiiiirrrreeee. The bartender had to come out and explain the options of how to drink it. He recommended that I blow the flaming passion fruit filled with Bacardi and sugar, drop it into the drink and have it as a cocktail. The other option was to drink the shot straight out ahaha…oh, I mean after blowing out the flame! I absolutely loved it and wouldn’t hesitate to get it 5 times in a row. Sadly it’s 2 max per person. NB: Grog is an alcoholic drink, usually rum diluted with water, but in this context you could use it to refer to any alcoholic beverage other than beer, and they aren’t prepared to be picky about that, either. Call your beer grog if you want. In terms of the free pizza, it’s not ‘buy 1 drink, get 1 whole pizza free’. Pizzas come out in twos throughout the night. Luckily there are vegetarian options but don’t expect gluten free pizzas. One of my friends is allergic to tomato and we managed to get a chipotle pizza instead and even our very own molten pizza- thanks crew! Amazing service. We actually managed to eat a LOT of pizza during the night over many drinks and bottles of wine. Arrrrrrrrrrr! Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional) Event (Angry Pirate free pizza Thursdays): 4.75/5 Ambience: 4.5/5 Service: 5/5 Value: 4.75/5 Would I recommend going to Angry Pirate’s free pizza Thursdays? If you like alcoholic drinks and pizza, then heck yes! Choose the right cocktails and you’ll be having heaps of fun at this funky place. All the pizzas have 4 toppings max, so they’re simple and do the trick! Highlight: My Grog Zombie cocktail. I seem to have a thing for cocktails lit on fire. I mostly liked the fruity flavour of the drink. The staff were amazing and sooo friendly and as mentioned above, they were happy enough to cook a pizza for a friend with food requirements. I also loved the ambience of the place. Tops! Suggestion of improvement: when the pizzas came out, the staff left them on the counters so we had to get up from our seats to get the pizza slices. It would’ve been better if staff came around to make sure everyone had their fair share but I guess it’s more cost effective leaving them there. Link: http://www.theangrypirate.com.au/ Free pizza Thursday via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theangrypirateredfern/photos/a.228725743972138.1073741829.207486262762753/400207316823979/?type=1&theater Angela Bee

Festival Village Sydney Festival 2015

Festival Village is a mix of free and ticketed events at Hyde Park and the ultimate playground of the annual Sydney Festival from January 8-25 (except Mondays).

It is “an oasis of arts, eats, beats and other treats, it’s the perfect pre-show or post-show hang-out.”

The main entrance is at the Archibald Fountain, so don’t think you could cut through its middle because you’ll walking back..

To the left, they’ll be an information booth/lounge. There’s literally a sofa to sit and read through the numerous activities taking place around Sydney.

Make sure you purchase your tickets from the box office to watch some incredible performances at the Aurora

The Famous Spiegeltent

Since I’ve come during the day, the umbrellas and sun chairs are the perfect way to relax under the sun.

Program is available on the website.

The Lawn Library is back once again with books available for loan- just make sure you return them. Workshops are run throughout the day..

and there’s a play area for the kids and their parents.

The novelty of the festival, in my opinion, is the Porteno and Messina collaboration. Check out their menus and other food stalls there:

Porteno

Messina

Bite Size Delights

Bar Pho

Harvest Trader

Jaffles and a Milk Bar

Ok, I actually love the Jafael Nadal jaffle. tennis x jaffle.

We decided to try Messina’s desserts and the most popular one which everyone seemed to be getting from the lemon meringue pie! The meringue tasted exactly like a pavlova and the lemon custard gelato with lemon curd was amazing!!! Definitely a treat 🙂

We came back for seconds for the Not Chicken and Waffles and oh my geeed- best naughty dessert ever!! The maple and pecan gelato was deep fried with a sweet batter in a shape of a chicken piece.

Even when we cut it into pieces, the gelato looked like a chicken’s flesh!!! It was pretty insane and the waffle with caramel tasted a bit like Max Brennar’s.  I would eat it again without a doubt!

My absolute favourite pick of the festival was the Royale Burger. The milk pattie was solid filled with crunchy balls, the white chocolate ‘cheese’ had a smooth texture with a crunchy bite to it, and the tangy raspberry ‘tomato’ sauce added the right level of acidity to the burger. Oh, and did I mention the brioche bun was to die for?

All this was enjoyed with the lovely background music from the bandstand.

It’s lovely seeing so many people here.

Walking to the opposite end of the village, there was an area for Italian food, the CheeseSmith- omg check out the menu- it is literally like a #cheeseheaven

The bars are on this end of the park too.

Kirin has taken advantage of the night atmosphere.

What a brilliant way to chill with some tunes off the back of a truck.

What I’ve noticed about this year’s festival is that it’s pretty small. Do you remember last year’s post on the Sacrilege or Stone Henge? That was a brilliant hit and this year, there’s a something.. looks like a giant staircase.

Overall I think it’s a great place to chill during the day but is reasonably smaller and less vibrant compared to the years before. Well at least there was no line at Messina, for once!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Festival Village Sydney Festival): 3/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 3/5

Would I recommend going the Festival Village Sydney Festival? If you’re keen on just being surrounded by people, having a drink or two at the park then this would be the place to go. As I mentioned, it is quite small compared to previous years and the range of food and entertainment is low, but then again, there’s Porteno and Messina!

Highlight: During the day, it’s a perfect place to hang around as there are plenty of chairs for everyone. I went during the day on a Saturday and there were heaps of tables and enough space to buy some food and relax. I would much rather enjoy the outdoors than to sit in an enclosed restaurant with air con anytime!

Suggestion of Improvement: Having the food trucks would be a good hit here and perhaps more interactive ways for people to socialise too. The area itself cold be expanded into a larger area with more room. Why not do a ‘borrow the picnic rug’ option and enjoy the sun setting at 8pm every summer evening?

Official hashtag: #SydFest

Link: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2015/festival-village

Angela Bee

Christmas eve grocery sales pt 2 – 2014

From last year, we learnt that shopping at 7-9pm is the best time to go last-minute shopping. TWA goes shopping again in 2014 to discover which deals were the best in the Hills district!

With Macquarie Shopping Centre opening earlier this year, I went to discover what kinds of perishables were reduced at Woolies and Coles. Did you grab the bigger bargains? or did I? Let’s start off with Woolies at Macq Centre.

$1 pawpaw per kilo is amazing!!! My friend and I bought one each for $1.30! #cheaperthanchips

A Christmas party is one without mince pies- only 99 cents- less than $1 #advertisingatitsbest

Go bananas with $.145 per kilo.. long gone are those $10/kg banana days.

We then headed to Coles at West Pennant Hills and it was there we found our great bargains. Conclusion: Coles does it best. These kiwis were small, not too ripe but totally worth the 50 cents paid #healthykiwis

Our favourite #pickoftheday was the 50 cents salad – a perfect compliment to our beach BBQ the next day!

Of course Christmas eve sales ain’t Christmas eve unless there’s a rack of red and green!

When we got to the deli, there were already pre-packaged cold meats. Everything was marked down to either $2 or $3, with savings from 50-70%. We bought 770g of turkey breast for $3! Normally turkey is $35/kg?

Our final stop for the night is Woolworths again- but at Cherrybrook. The best thing about it was that there was a photo booth outside with free photos! #winning

Like Coles, there were pre-packaged deli meats. There was plenty of variety including bacon, hams, prawns and other seafood. I must say, it wasn’t as much reduced as I thought- probably 30-50% but still great bargains.

In terms of fruit, we had plenty at home and the shelves were becoming empty. Again, what an awesome Christmas eve grocery run!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Christmas eve grocery sales): 4.5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Value: 5/5

Would I recommend going on a grocery run on Christmas eve? If you have no idea what you’ll be making on Christmas day, then this is your best bet. I must say, you have to learn to be flexible and be creative with the food you’ve bought, but treat it as a ‘mystery’ box challenge! I guess it’s what I do best!

Highlight: buying fresh produce at the lowest prices. Remember that shops are closed for two whole days so anything that expires then will have to go. Plus, workers want to go home earlier so it’s a win-win situation.

Suggestion of improvement: Would love for the supermarkets to give the leftover produce to shelters which feed the homeless. There should be pick ups.

Angela Bee

Hunter Valley tour – Sydney Amazing Coach Tours

Fancy drinking samples of wine all day? Sydney’s Amazing Coach Tours offers $59 full day tours to the Hunter Valley every weekend via Groupon.

Sydney Amazing Coach Tours have recently done a lot of deals and discounts on Groupon, Scoopon and DealsExtra sites and are designed not only enjoy a relaxing & fun ride, but you will take away memories that will last a life time.

Depart from Liverpool at 5:30am, Central at 7:20 or Hornsby at 8:10. Since I live around Hornsby, the latter was a better option- SLEEP IN!! Once you get out of Hornsby station! head down the stairs onto George Street and wait at the bus bay opposite Florence Street.

For the day we went, there was a full bus. Seats were comfortable, spacious, clean and standard for a coach. From Hornsby, it’s a two hour drive to the first winery and he bus driver, Matt, was awesome enough to out Back To The Future on the TV!

Our first stop was the Kelman Vineyard, the only residential vineyard, which started in 1999. The bottles here are slightly cheaper than at other wineries but at the same time, everyone who works in this winery has a real passion for wine. Collin, our guide, loves his job because he is the wine taster!

The cottage is really cute and we stop for a toilet break before heading into the shed where we were greeted with wine glasses on top of wine barrels. Collin made sure that it didn’t matter if we were aligned to a wine barrel but it’s the wine glass which is a necessity!

Just a little FYI for the wine noobs (no, I’m not looking at anyone!),  all wine is exceptional at the Hunter. Everyone has different tastes so that’s the reason why we have wine tastings!

We learn to smell and taste Sparkling Chardonnays, Rose, Shiraz, Tempanillo, and most importantly Semillon, the speciality of Hunter Valley! The one drink my friends and I agreed on that was the best was the moscato. I feel that our group has a very sweet taste so apologies if this blog isn’t suited for you.

After the splashes of the six wines, we go onto the olive oils and vinegar tastings. There was a small table where we took out some delightful bread and everyone pretty much scrambled to get it! I wished there were two tables but we were one of the first to get there so it wasn’t too bad.

First vineyard and we’ve already got the wines! The guys here were genuinely passionate, honest and informative. It’s obviously not their full time job but they love what they do!

Apparently coaches are not allowed alcoholic beverages so the amazing coach tours were small enough to have some crates at the bottom of the bus. It’s a bit risky considering you don’t know how honest people are but you’ve sometimes gotta take the risk!

The second place we went to was called Kevin Sobels Wines. They are the sixth generation and your taste testing is done in their wine tasting.

 

It’s fascinating seeing the large silver tanks with thousands of litres of wines, then bottled up without labels, and then the stacks of boxes with wine. You feel like you’re in a factory!

The explanations of wines on this end were minimal. It was great how they kept on pouring their delicious wines but I wished they talked more about which wines matched which kinds of foods etc.

The bottles of wines here were similar to the ones from Kelman in price but hey also had fortified wines. Fortied means the wine barrels are reused from previous wines, making it stronger and sweeter. I do like them a lot.

It’s around 12 so we also have a picnic lunch consisting of cold chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, cheese and crackers and bread rolls. It’s not too fancy and the buffet style setting is actually quite pleasant- I just wished me had some wine with our meal!

We were a bit worried that the markets weren’t going to be on since the weather has been playing up but the tents were up and the happy faces. There were delicious honey varieties including roasted almonds, creamed honey gift packs, little jewellery things, Christmas decorations…there was the usual markets mix.

Lindeman was our next stop. It was fancy, enough said. When making our way to the huge shed, we passed signs with wedding packages on there…I think it was approx $75 per person for wine only.

We each got a small glass and had a seat where the pouring started! I don’t think I mentioned this earlier but the tasting glasses are designed so you can clearly smell the flavours of each wine. I usually don’t have a sniff before I consume my beverages (lol) but the lady here walked us through the process of wine tastings- sniff, swirl, observe, taste, taste, taste.

By this stage, you could possibly feel a bit tipsy if you have drunk every single drop poured in your glasses. What I would recommend for wineries is to have a bit of food to compliment the drinks. Here, we had some cheese and crackers which made the red wine taste better.

The wine we all agreed on was the moscato. It was a pity that they didn’t give us a sheet with all the wines we tasted so we could mark down the ones we had….their loss I guess. Nevertheless, we got a six pack and were on our way to being the alcoholic group of the bus pack!

We had a little bit of chill time and wandered around the vineyards. Such a gorgeous backdrop!! By the way, don’t try to eat the little grapes on the vines…they will be sour!

The International Winemaker of the Year 2009, 2011, 2012 is McGuigan wines. Their warehouse is huge and here were heaps of people!! I must say, they are pretty advanced with technology and if you download their app or something, they do have some daily specials.

We were led to the wine tasting room where there were barrels and barrels of wine. I hope they don’t tumble over!

The lady who did the explaining and pouring had a good sense of humour and considering it was the end of the day, we were “wine-ing up” here. I really like the setting of the place as the horseshoe arrangement makes it easy to hear.

At the tasting here, we do around 9 samples. What’s unique about this is that you try samples which are only available from the McGuigan Cellar Door. That’s right- you can’t buy it anywhere else!

One of the noteable wines we taste is the “Black Label Red”. At first we’re like… Whiskey…wait what?? Ok, it’s a hilarious name but it didn’t suit my taste buds. Anywho, my favourite was the 2014 Late Picked Traminer. Yes, it’s another dessert wine but it tastes like lychee iced wine! Amazing!

An interesting fact: the Hunter Valley only supplies 2% of Australian wines. Are you kidding? Why are we not supporting our local wineries?

After buying some wine, we go back to the bus and head to our final destination: the Hunter Valley Gardens. It’s a pretty cute marketplace of shops including the cookie shop, British Lolly shop, the Chocolate factory and souvenir shops. Our bus got split into two and my group went to the cookie place first! The super sweet cookies are $2.50 each and you get to try as many samples as you want! And check out the cookie jars!

At the British Lolly Shop, it was pretty much the standard. I mean, there’s one at Darling Harbour so we weren’t too keen.

The Chocolate Factory was absolutely packed to the brim! I had a chocolate covered coffee bean and that was pretty good. I guess this was more for the chocolate lovers but we were sweeted out thanks to the cookies we had previously.

Then it was our turn to go do the wine tasting. The place was like a bottle shop and they packed all of us into a bench to try their platters of chocolate pieces and wine! I think by this stage we weren’t as keen on the wine but the chocolate was like ..amazing. Take note: the caramel one is tops!

We got through semillons, shirazes, chardonnays, the whole lot! I loved the enthusiasm of the lady who took us through it even though she knew it was our last tasting. There were some super savings for the company: spend $30 and you’ll receive a free bottle of wine. That’s almost buy 2 get 1 free!

On the way back to Hornsby, we watched Back To the Future III. We were exhausted but honestly, this was an awesome tour and I can’t believe we drank so much!! Would definitely do this again! (Probably in Mudgee, Barossa or something like that).

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Hunter Valley Wine Tour): 4.5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 4.5/5

Would I recommend going on a full day Hunter Valley tour with Sydney’s Amazing Coach tours? If drinking wine all day tinkles your fancy, then I would recommend going ona. Hunter a Valley wine tour. If you like an incredible saving, a clean bus and friendly driver, then Sydney’s Amazing Coach tours will set you up!

Highlight: I really like how straight-to-the-point the driver was with every destination. I must admit, I’ve been a LOT of day tours when I was travelling abroad and this one was more than better than average, especially in terms of organisation. He was prompt with arriving at Hornsby Station and always giving us the exact time we should get back not yeh bus. Before every destination, he would give us a history and short description of the place, then let us know where the toilets were- pretty dam important!

Suggestion of improvement: If buying bottled of wine, you have to store it underneath the coach. I mean, we are pretty honest people and took our own labelled wines but there could’ve been that possibility. We had a permanent marker which was good but it would’ve been better to have a tagging system where the driver could staple one half of a raffle ticket to a wine bag and give the other half for the buyer to keep, then at the end of the day, the the buy gives back the same number to the driver to collect the goods. Could be good if there was a problem but I won’t be complaining if extra bottles of wine were in the crates!

Link: http://sydneysamazingtours.com.au/ 

Official hashtag: #HunterValley

Angela Bee

Lentil As Anything

Pay-as-you-feel is the creative lingo that Lentils As Anything in Newtown offers. Enjoy a fresh meal made from rescued fruit and veg to support not only the farmers, but the homeless if you wish!

The fundalentils of Lentils As Anything is that it’s a not for profit organisation that relies solely on the generosity of their patrons, partners and volunteers. They believe in the power of humanity to create stupendous changes.

When this restaurant first appeared in Sydney, I was sooooo keen in going! If you know me well, I’m all for social responsibility. In fact, I went through a stage where I wanted to have my own restaurant with a similar concept so that’s why I was keen beans to try it out! So how was it?

Suh-guuuud! I love how there are seats outdoors and inside and the best thing it’s that you could be seated with anyone-yep! The whole idea of this place is that you meet with other people in your community. Funnily enough, we bumped into a friend of ours from uni and was seated with them- shows oh popular this place is!

The first things I notice when we pop in the restaurant is it’s simplicity and craftiness. The paintings, the little jars on the table… there’s an authentic and welcoming feel.

You wouldn’t think at it is a place where people from all walks of life can drop by. Everyone is served equally and treated the same no matter what.

When we got seated, we were handed some delicious spiced chai! Because it came in small glasses, it almost reminded me of India! (Except Indian chai is super sweet).

The best aspect with Lentils As Anything is that they don’t have a menu. Everything is made from season so dishes change on a daily basis. The waitress read out the four choices and they sounded delicious!

I am quite indecisive at times so I like a good and small menu. What I love about the food is that it’s all vegan- #winning – I can take any of my friends here (maybe except if they have certain allergies).

First came the Chandwas Curry Platter. It consisted of spicy eggplant, cabbage dahl, creamy carrot and rice. The portion was huge and a stunner to the eye. Mix it up and you have a perfectly spiced meal.

My Malaysian peanut and broccoli soup with salad and fry bread was equally as excellent! Although the consistency of the soup was quite thick, the flavours were a hit. Now I’m starting to think that I should’ve opened up a cafe…

For dessert, the Bolivian spiced cake with caramel sauce was very heavy. I don’t think I’ve had spiced cake in Bolivia? Not that I recall. I remember having delicious fruit smoothies and beer for breakfast for an amazing cheap price though? #throwbacks
Anyways, it was fantastic that they offered a two course meal! Wished there was another option but definitely very filling!

As you walk out of the door, there’s a wooden box where you slot in as much as you want. The recommended price is $12 which will cover the meal and other costs but please please put more in as it is a great cause 🙂

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Lentil As Anything): 4.5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 4.75/5

Would I recommend going to Lentils As Anything? YES!!! It’s not a fancy dining place, nor a place to go out on a date but a warm and friendly place to meet your neighbours, have a delicious meal made from food that would’ve otherwise been wasted, and potential great conversations.

Highlight: the food! I cannot express how impressed I am with the quality and quantity. The cuisine spans internationally and it’s all vegan. The flavours certainly pack a punch and I’m keen to try it all!

Suggestion of improvement: I’m quite aware that I knew how this place works, what they do, how they operate, etc. but I’m not sure if I would’ve known if I accidentally stumbled across it. There was a sign explaining the fundalentils and I think it would br even better if there was a little book explaining where he food comes from, where the proceeds go to etc. I guess this place really attracts those who are ‘active finders’ but who knows!

Ends: never, open daily 12-3pm, 6-9pm

Link: http://lentilasanything.com/sydney/

Official hashtag: #StayLentil

Angela Bee

Village Bizarre – The Rocks 2014

A splash of mystery, a dash of magic, a spray of music and an array of markets – every Friday, Village Bizarre showcases a unique combination of entertainment at The Rocks from 6:30pm between 7 November to 19 December 2014.

“Catch a glimpse of a colossal white rabbit over rooftops, encounter captivating characters around every corner, satisfy your foodie side and meander through night markets of handmade treasures.”

I must confess that my true intentions to come to a Village Bizarre is to see one of my best friends from school perform. The pop up Kpop performances were amazing but the highlights were the bizarre performances and behind the window live acts which made the night truly bizarre.

Walking from Circular Quay station, the first touch of bizarreness was seeing the live dancers  bring window displays to life. The Star Wars Queen lookalike is actually a Hindu Goddess.

The most popular shopfront performer would be Peter Baecker. His hyptonic movements as the Village Bizarre Clubhouse’s official DJ dancer is contagious!

Superman made an appearance too.. and with a balaclava.

We officially started the night at the information booth where the personable clowns got us in the mood for a fun night.

Walking up the strand, there were the usual foodie markets. Nothing too special and nothing too bizarre.

To get a feel for what kinds of food were there (if you’re not a regular), Hero Sushi’s famous dumplings…

Roast Pulled Pork Roll with slaw, apple sauce and gravy was $10 and is was amaaaaaaazing! The combination of sauces was unique and the flavours were top notch.

Skewers and fresh pasta was also on the agenda with other varieties such as hot dogs and kebabs.

On the other side, Smoke and Mirrors, Part 2 was on display. There’s a line to have a look but it doesn’t take long as everyone just peers through the curtains. I’m glad I don’t live in a haunted house.. it would scare the daylights out of me.

Turning right, there was The Argyle Oracle. Take a seat for a psychic reading of your (possible) future using palm and taro card readings. There was a long line for this, but I’m not sure if I’m a believer in foreseeing what’s ahead.

Every year, I tell myself to sign up for one of the activities at the Parlour Bizarre. It’s a place where you will be transformed into a piece of art!! If you ever arrive early, head here first. Sign up before everyone else to avoid disappointment! People who were there included: Barbarer Supreme – choose between a wet shave, scissor cut or clipper cut and enjoy the experience!

Glitta Supernova – a 20 minute makeover where you’ll be transformed by a team of talented artists into a living artwork! They’ll put stickers, glitter, flowers, laces, and paint onto your face – think Day of the Dead style.

Photobooth – KABOOM! Be a fun comic character and take a picture and instagram it #villagebizarre

Mohs Hair and Beauty – An electrik 1980s-inspired hair makeover . My friend and I signed up for this and daym it looked amazing! My friend had these beautiful braids that curled at the back of her head which was accompanied by some fancy curls – it looked like she was ready to be at a wedding! I got a rough curl in my hair and it was up in a rowdy bun – funky!

After our treatment, we walked into The Gin Mill Social.

Duh there was Gin and duh there were live performances!

The Rocks Brewing Company supplied the onlookers with drinks and it was pretty packed with not enough tables or seats. It was quite entertaining but not really during the 10 minutes we spent there.

Opposite was the entrance to the UTS exhibition. There is no doubt that this was one of the highlights and almost every person I’ve talked to that has been to the Rocks Village Bizarre has said this was a favourite! The colourful strings strung by the audience on what they thought about Sydney was stunning.

We did a made our way into  an alley where there were Crossover’s Kpop dancers performing in front of the huge white rabbits from this year’s Vivid.

We also got really lucky as it was just in time for a Full Fathom Five performance at the Discovery Museum. This was perhaps my favourite performance because it kept the audience moving. We were lead into different rooms by the security guard (who would’ve known he was part of the show too!) and characters from different rooms told a tale.

Moving forward, we stumbled upon a fly..bird?  He was lingering around the official hashtag sign.

Love TV was kinda awkward lol. I mean the setting was fabulous and wonderfully displayed.. I guess it’s just the concept.

I think one of the main reasons why some people came to the Village Bizarre was because of Etzy. Etzy is an online marketplace for with vintage and hand made products. It’s amazing and if you have spare time, it’s definitely worth more than a scroll. You could even get a photo taken at their photobooth!

We also saw a ghost puppet show at around 8pm. It was interesting! I didn’t really get what the whole concept was really about but there were some good laughs.

I feel like we saw a lot of things- we went to a few shows, looked at the markets, stared at the shopfront performances and had a good laugh, ate some delicious food, and even got our hair done! It was a packed night and we did really well in terms of getting involved. Fun!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Village Bizarre): 4.25/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 4.5/5

Would I recommend going to The Rocks Village Bizarre this year? You may probably need a good game plan so head to the information booth to sort out your night filled with performances! If you’re a person who is up for a few tales, a couple of drinks, likes art and loves interactivity, then this one would be for you!

Highlight: I feel like there weren’t as many people on its first night compared to previous years. However, I felt like we did sooooooooo many more things compared to last year. Maybe it was just perfect timing but I really loved going to the shows and seeing the performances. I actually can’t believe that we were there from around 5:30 til 10pm? Time went by so quickly!

Suggestion of improvement: The amount of pop up performances was amazing and there were always people crowded in those areas – maybe they should have more next year! Also, probably more seats at the food markets because it was a bit awkward not knowing where to sit- everyone else seemed to be standing.

Link: http://www.therocks.com/whats-on/the-rocks-village-bizarre.aspx

Official hashtag: #VillageBizarre

Angela Bee

Sculptures by the Sea 2014

The two and a half hour ride to Sculptures By The Sea is definitely worth the trip and you should be going this weekend as it finishes on Sunday November  9, 2014.

“Sculpture by the Sea returns to the Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach coastal walk. See the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk transformed into a 2km long temporary sculpture park featuring over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.”

Catching a bus to Tamarama beach from Bondi Junction station is the secret tip I would recommend doing. Avoid the human traffic jam and walk peacefully up the beach and soak in the not-as-crowded beach. Yes, I did go on a Saturday at around 11 and yes, there were a lot if people. Either go really early in the morning to watch the sunrise or go late at night to watch the sunset. Below are some of he highlights. You’ll have go to yourselves to see the amazingness!

Once getting off the bus, you’ll arrive with this amazing view. I must say, Sydney weather at its summer peak is the best.

Heading towards Bondi, we could look down to have a birds eye view of a massive construction of thread.

The contrast of the bright colours stood out from the deep blue sky.

The giant pan is hilarious! You could crawl in and literally become a sunshine egg 🙂 #happytimes #sunburn

Walking down onto the grassy area, there was a laddered arch with snake like figures.

Honestly, you cannot not take a bad photo.

My favourite sculpture was this thing. It probably needs some explaining. The pole is a mirror of the picture beneath it. You might think its a swirl of swish at first sight but it’s actually a clever picture when you look at its reflection.

I think the most iconic photo I’ve seen on Instagram is this circular object with a piece of granite sticking out. Sorry, I couldn’t help but not know what the meaning of the art it?  I really like how it can frame a picture and at every angle it is a wonderful pose.

In terms of the artwork that is most easily understood, this musical instrument could be a band in itself! Loving the bright red there!

The sculpture that confused me the most was this cage of mirrors. What is it made from? Where does the selection of the mirrors come from? It’s an interesting piece and I quite like it (except all the people/kids who were peeping through and ruining the picture perfect moments).

Ok, let’s have a little break and glance over to the sea! #stunningsydney

I think these beautiful glass sculptures reminded me of some exotic country, even exotic Christmas trees for those who have white Christmases.

Made out of recyclable rubbish, this chair is made for the Queen of the Sea! The colourful aspect and the crown you can put on is a genius concept!

I quite liked this figure. It reminds me of peace and tranquility.

Some describe is as a pineapple, others as a Christmas Tree, even as a nonna’s knitting needle.

It’s spikey and it has a hole through it!

By the time you reach this point, you’re probably half way FYI. Conveniently enough, The Grounds of Alexandria brings you The Grounds By The Sea.

There was a long line but it was ‘fast food’ style so it wasn’t a too long of a wait.

I ordered the Latitude 34 Lamb Salad which included Moroccan spiced lamb, couscous, mint, yoghurt and almonds. It was huge and there was a lot of meat in there. I would’ve loved a bit more couscous but the flavours were there.

The chips were soft inside and soooo light and crunchy. My friend ordered the Bondi to Bronte Beef burger and it was pretty average- nothing to brag about, really. Menu below.

It’s actually pretty cool having this pop up store and The Grounds is always open to new things!

As expected, there were a lot of people and not many chairs or tables. Thankfully there was a lot of greenery around and some shady spots. Continuing on, there were lots of funky installations. I wished I had this truck for my roadtrips! #art

This makes a cage look beautiful.

Every year there’s also a miniature version of each of the sculptures. I love it because you get to see more of a description of what you’ve seen outside and also have the chance to purchase them! Unfortunately I cannot afford any of this but hey, it doesn’t hurt to have a look.

These pipes with plants growing out was one that stood out to me. It’s like sustainability mixed into a boring set of pipes.

The most photogenic one was this cherry made from lipsticks. So creative and can be so easily done!

Stepping back outside, the sun hit us and we were back to the fun works! This picture is hilarious..

The bottle tops in this installation made it seem like they were sparkles on a massive diamond. Loved the effect.

Cute-scary-cute ants popping evilly from the rocks was the best!! I love the facial expressions on their faces. Watch out!

It’s lovely ending up at Bondi beach and what a great way to relax on the weekend. I must say, my recommendation is definitely to go at the end of the day but whenever you go, it will always be the best. Also, a reminder that this blog post is not everything.. there were a million more things!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Sculptures by the Sea): 5/5

Ambience: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 5/5

Would I recommend going to Sculptures by the Sea this year? YESSSSSS! I was super impressed by not only the sculptures but by how many people there are. I feel like you like summer, hot weather, art and walking, then this would be good. I’ve ticked all the boxes!

Highlight: Sitting by the grassy area overlooking the beach and being lazy observing all the beautiful sculptures. It’s so relaxing and there are plenty of photo opportunities here. I think I took approximately 100 photos… I have a feeling a lot of people take a lot more!

Suggestion of improvement: Having the numbers and information booths (which you had to pay for?). Anyways, it would’ve been nice to have a description beside each sculpture because I always love to know what insights the artists had in mind! I love perspectives and reading about what other people think.

Link: http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/

Official hashtag: #SculpturesbytheSea

Angela Bee

Parramasala Masala Markets 2014

Parramasala’s Masala markets on Saturday October 18, 2014 was a colourful masala, or “mix”, of the treasures of India.

“Now in its fifth year, Parramasala is a free, public celebration of the diverse and rich cultures which contribute to Sydney’s rich social fabric – a heady and colourful mix of music, dance, parade, theatre, food, film and heritage.”

It’s quite exciting that there’s so much construction going on in Parramatta and made it slightly easier to find where the festival was with the marked paths! When we got there, I was amazed at how many people there were waiting at the stalls for food. Luckily here, there was a one-line system and surprisingly, it looked quite orderly!

Heading to up into the grassy area, the vibrant colours began popping up! I actually miss India and the beautiful scarves, jewellery and souvenirs I used to love to bargain for!

Seems like this was a special tree!

What I really liked about this festival was that there wasn’t an explosion of typical souvenirs making it too repetitive. Maggie’s collection was one of the few stalls with the traditional props. #throwback

There isn’t an Indian festival without chai! We used to get this was like 3-5 rupees in a shot cup. Chai literally means tea in Hindi, so for me, when I came back, it was weird ordering a chai latte. Latte means milk in Italian so your literally saying tea milk? Milk tea? #randomthoughts

The majority of the crowd were standing near centre stage to watch the dancers show off their energetic moves. What I loved about the location was that the stage was at the bottom of a slight hill so no matter where you stood, you had a good chance of seeing what was on the stage!

The guys on stage were extremely talented and showing off their talents. I wouldn’t say that this was typical Bollywood dancing…but it was still fun to watch 🙂 They even had the audience come up and show off their groovy moves (me not included).

Some other stalls included Cappadocia Dream House with their exotic range if materials and pottery.

If I had a house I would decorate it with antiques from around the world!

Of course there were the traditional dresses..

Although there were some colourfully lit up shirts matched with necklaces by Wendy McLean.

The patterns here are gorgeous. Would make really nice bed quilts or even curtains!

And the line for henna was as long as I expected.

If only I had these necklace racks! Makes everything more organised and displayed nicely.

So time to go in the food arena. There was one massive line of tents and the queues were well populated – even at 9pm! Below are the guys at Honest making butter chicken on a huge hot plate!

Check out the this typical Indian menu. The ones on the left are ‘chaat’ which are small eats/snacks. The ones on the right are main meals. At the bottom, the ‘lassi’ is a yoghurt type drink. I kinda fell in love with drinking it lol.

Loving the prep here! Daym everything smelt so good. #currylovers

I remember having curry for breakfast in India and it wasn’t the most ideal…but I eventually got used to it! Doesn’t hurt for some curry dessert, right?

We bought a mango lassi…which was quite average and dahi puri. I had to show my parents how to eat it and it was quite hilarious because you literally take one whole shell and shove it in your mouth. It’s basically a hollow shell and they shove veg in there. They top it off with yoghurt and sweet sauce with a sprinkle of that packed crispy stuff. It’s amazing and definitely a favourite.

If I could describe it, it would be a ‘sweet’ version of our typical curry. It isn’t spicy, but a crunchy sensation and a lingering sweet aftertaste. Yes, this was our dessert for the night.

Oh oh! These packed goodies are similar to your typical chips and crackers! Obviously a bit spicy but they were the addictive snacks I took on my long train trips. They’re like a spicy version of muesli..

Watch dem butter chicken go on the BBQ. #charcoalsmell #yumo

There were fireworks at 8 but we saw them from a distance coming into Paramatta from the car. It was a neat bunch of markets here and a great reminder of the fun things I used to do when I was backpacking in India #goodtimes

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Parramasala Masala Markets): 3.5/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 4/5

Would I recommend going to the Parramasala night markets? I was scrolling through the program for this year and it was pages and pages. If you’re a fan of Indian cuisine, a sucker for markets and a lover of anything colourful then this is an event for you.

Highlight: I must say, the stage performance was quite enjoyable! I’m not really too exposed to the Indian community so seeing that there was a stall that was, let’s say, ‘Indian Vinnes’, where used traditional clothes are donated and sold was an eye opener. SikhToGive  aims to organise and run charitable events to assist underprivileged and disadvantaged women in Sydney.

Suggestion of improvement: Having arrived quite late, I must say I didn’t have the ‘whole’ experience. Having said this, it was a really fun walk around the park and to sample a few bits here and there. What I would’ve loved to see was more decorations to set the atmosphere. Having realised that the Bollywood dance party was at Harris Park, it could’ve been more ideal to have them together so we didn’t need to drive to one place to the other!

Link: http://www.parramasala.com/event/festival-program-2014/

Official hashtag: #Parramasala @Parramasala_

Angela Bee

Wednesdays at The Cuban Place

You can never go wrong with having a $1 burrito in one hand and a glass of $12 classic mojito in the other- only available at The Cuban Place every Wednesday!

“Since The Cuban Place opened in Sydney, on the 26th of April 2011, it has developed a reputation as a destination restaurant and bar for live music, great food and the best mojitos in Australia. We have taken inspiration from the vibrant heydays in Cuba’s1950’s and have put a little slice of Havana in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.”

Situated next to the QVB on the same street as Abbeys Bookshop is The Cuban Place: a quirky and fun bar and restaurant with a quite a hipster vibe.

Walking inside and up the stairs, you’ll notice that the walls are plastered with messages from all over the world- I miss travelling and read random messages!

There are two sections: the restaurant and the bar. When we approached the friendly staff, they offered us to sit at a table at the restaurant and voluntarily told us that there were $1 burritos on the menu if you order at the bar! Talk about supportive and caring staff! #winning

Dim lights, framed pictures, sofa pods and the casual paintings on the wall sets a comfy ambience. I absolutely love it!

Next to the toilets is el salle de miembros = hall for members..and one of the staff members politely told us that it has a rude meaning too..whoops!

The bar section is gorgeous! It’s like a whole array of lights came together and had a disco party. The writing on the glass and walls really set a scene.

The arrangement of photos in clusters was pretty cool. I’m not sure what the typical ‘Cuban’ vibe is but to me, this made it quite vintage and trendy. I think it’s quite similar at Coco Cubano?

Sitting down, we ordered an original mojito $12 and a mai tai $18. The classic mojito was yes, a classic although I would’ve liked a bit more mint muddled in the cocktail. The mai tai was soooooo tasty with its hint of orange liqueur. The service was fast!

The burritos came a bit later. Ummm… so this counts as two burritos! I must say I was expecting a whole burrito but you know what? It’s only $1 -so whatevs. There was only one choice so if you’re vegetarian and have any dietary requirements, it’s a bit unfortunately in this case.

Nevertheless, the burrito was very carb-y with a massive deal of rice, beans, cheese and chicken. It wasn’t ah-amazing but it was still satisfying for its price. My favourite was the crispy tortilla that wrapped it all together. It was toasted and crunchy!

To be honest, I would’ve expected more people to be here on a Wednesday night. There were the regular office workers but compared to The Soda Factory, which offers $1 hotdogs on Tuesdays, this place was not busy at all! We arrived there at 6:30 and there were at least half a dozen tables available. There was music and I loved how we could enjoy the atmosphere.

So if you’re looking for a nice cocktail bar with cheap as chips food, head to a The Cuban Place- you won’t be disappointed!

Rating Review: (1-5, with 5 being exceptional)

Event (Wednesdays at The Cuban Place): 4.5/5

Ambience: 4.5/5

Service: 4.75/5

Value: 4/5

Would I recommend going to The Cuban Place? If you’re up for a cocktail for a mid week drink, this is the place to go. My original mojito was $12 but you could add a Cuban touch to it for $15 or more.

Highlight: Totally didn’t expect the waiters come I and accommodate us. I was thinking that perhaps they’ll just serve us the burritos but they exceeded our expectations. Water In our glasses were filled, they gave us menus, served us, answered our questions…restaurant service quality. The other favourite was the display of the whole bar. The lights worked really well and I loved the deco around us!

Suggestion of improvement: Thumbs up for the $1 burrito that was served. Crispy outside and very filling insides. Having a bit more vege could’ve been better instead of the jam-packed rice and beans. It would be even better if there were a couple of options, but I’m still not complaining!

Occurs: every Wednesday from 5pm. This deal is not displayed on their website but on Facebook only.

Link: http://www.thecubanplace.com.au/

Angela Bee