Brewery Yard Markets – The Living Mall

Brewery Yard Markets launched last Sunday under the blue sky and blazing sun, where shops from The Living Mall and beyond came together to showcase their trendy products.

“Held adjacent to Chippendale Green every second Sunday from 10am to 4pm, you will be delighted by street art, quirky crafts, jewellery, local designer threads, acoustic music and live entertainment.

My oh my was it a beautiful day! Couldn’t really ask for better whether, aye? If you haven’t been to The Living Mall, it is a $2 billion urban village in Sydney, designed by the world’s leading architects to the highest standards of sustainable urban living. They’ve bought innovative shopping to Sundays with their newly launched markets and it was fabulous seeing so many people checking it out! So let’s cut to the chase.

Heading the escalators, past Woolies and out into the open area, I noticed that all the outdoor restaurants had white fenced greenery with sun umbrellas for their customers to enjoy the summer sunshine. #winning

There were so many stalls! I only expected a couple but it seems like everyone was willing to contribute!

Say hello to the Museli Man!

I have a feeling I totally agree with this sign..

Since I last came to Central Park, there have been a few more cafes/restaurants that have popped up, one being Autolyse. The name itself doesn’t say much but the display of breads just made my mouth water. Did I mention that there were croissants and danishes to sample? Loved the crunch on the pastries- it was French-quality (and Angela approved) and I’ll definitely going there again!

A good ol Aussie BBQ is an all-time favourite at the markets. You can’t go wrong by having one of the burgers for lunch!

Work-Shop Gallery had a massive display including someone drawing live. I guess I’ve always liked my so it was fabulous seeing it come to life.

Coco Cubano’s stall saw the virgin Mojitos and iced Granitas. Read my previous review of Coco Cubano here. For a sunny day like this, ice granitas are the perfect way to cool down.

I love how Raw Eats aimed to educate passer-byers. They had a sign explaining what it means to eat ‘raw’ and its benefits.

Speakeasy Co. are hand cut, hand brewed and hand poured hand-made candles.

Pigeonhole had their quirky jewelry,  fun polaroids, and other fun stuff displayed.

I love cactus’s. I’m not the best at watering plants and Huddle Co’s potted plants are definitely on my list of things I would love to buy.

Have you tried Marysol’s Haberno and Ghost chilli sauces? I tried it and it aint for the faint-hearted!

Remedia’s soaps were a specialty! How pretty are they? Check out the Orange Blossom and Organic Coconut, or perhaps the Black Forrest?

I was so close to buying one of these Growing Books! Basically its a cactus planted in a book! I would totally put this on my work desk.

After having a look at all the stalls, I settled at the back and joined the small-ish crowd listening to the tunes. #chillaxing

Brewery Yard Markets, it was a pleasure visiting you on your first day! For me, these markets add a bit more fun and it’s really nice to go ‘outdoor shopping’. There were a lot of bits and pieces and this would be the place I would go to get presents for friends and even a bit of deco here and there.

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

Event (Brewery Yard Markets): 4/5

Ambience: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Value: 4/5

Would I recommend going to Brewery Yard Markets? Like the outdoors? Maybe looking for some nice presents to give to a friend? Perhaps you just want a place to chill in the sun… head down to the Brewery Yard Markets and you’ll be delighted to a range of quirky arts and crafts, cool tunes and a diverse range of delicious food!

Highlight: Having a place where you can sit down and have a tan. Often markets are packed and too crowded. There’s no space to move, sit down and enjoy your freshly made lunch. Central Park has a massive open space so after you go around seeing all the stalls, you can sit back, chill, then go around again!

Suggestion of improvement: I loved the variety here and it wasn’t just stalls from The Living Mall but beyond that! It’s actually quite rare that so many shops in one place got involved but what I could suggest is maybe getting the public involved as well. Perhaps the talent from UTS or even USyd students? There are heaps of students around so they can definitely leverage on that.

Link: http://www.centralparksydney.com/shop/brewery-yard-markets

Official hashtag: #breweryyard #bymcomp

Angela Bee

Coco Cubano Student Specials – The Living Mall

Go-go to Coco Cubano at The Living Mall, Central Park before March 31, 2014 to devour yourself with either a haloumi, wagyu or beef burger for only $9.90 and a choice of large ice teas, granitas or smoothies for $5 by showing your student ID card.

Coco Cubano takes the best of Cuba, mixing hedonistic espresso, chocolate, cocktails and food to bring the experience to life. The café and bar takes the creation of pleasurable and comfortable environments seriously and blends with the best in customer service and delivery.

Yes, I’m one of those lame people who sign up to useless newsletters from shopping malls. But let me tell you that they aren’t useless until you grab a massive saving. Then all those hours checking your email is worth it.

Those handy e-newsletters from The Living Mall informed me of a nice handy deal for students. Yes, that’s $9.90 burgers, usually costing up to $16.90.

I absolutely love the interior. It is very modern yet funky at the same time. I never really knew how that worked but I guess this place does it!

Loving the funky chairs and lights.

And also the walls filled with frames of random pictures you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Please note the elderly women with a Santa hat and Cuban cigar.

The display cabinet was filled with fun things our parents used to use in the days.

The bar has a real vintage vibe to it with frames of Cuban? men and such from the days.

The gentleman that serviced us was really nice and we were seated inside and given menus with water. I feel like these days service doesn’t consist of much, particularly in student-populated places.

We didn’t have any idea what a granita was, but apparently it’s a whole fruit blended. If it was an orange, it would include the peel as well. 100% fruit = my tick of approval. I got the citrus berry and my friend got the mango lime. The citrus and lime take he limelight in the drinks. It kind of reminded me of a caprioska in Brazil. Loved those delicious cocktails! Very refreshing, especially on a Friday! I think we were both really exhausted from the week.

The large size on the student special saved us $2.

I ordered the chicken burger and my friend ordered the wagyu but when it arrived, I think the waiter got them mixed up so we ended up sharing. There was a reasonable sized chicken breast in the chicken one. Not as much salad except for the rocket and the jalapeños were slightly spicy. It had bacon too, adding a tasty touch. The bun tasted a bit burnt on the top but was good overall.

The wagyu burger was amazing. My friend hadn’t had bacon in years and could not stop raving about how good it was. There was lettuce, tomato and peppers and was therefore much juicier. Bun was very similar but we both agreed that this was the winner.

On the side, it was a choice between thick cut chips and salad. I’ve had the chips here before and it’s pretty good and crunchy. We were trying to be healthy so we ordered the salad. Honestly, is rocket salad that much cheaper than lettuce? A lot of people don’t like its bitterness. I commend them for adding some cherry tomatoes, cucumber and parmesan cheese though. 45 degree angled thumbs up for those who like rocket.

Normally the burgers are $16.90 for the Wagyu, $15.90 for the chicken, and $14.90 for the haloumi. I wouldn’t mind trying the haloumi next time!

Drop by for their Sunset Sessions from 5-7pm if you want a casual break if you’re not a student.

Review Rating: =D  =)  =|  =(

Product (student specials at Coco Cubano): =)

Ambience: =D

Service: =D

Value: =)

Would I go and get a student special from Coco Cubano again? Yes. Normally I would never buy a burger for $16.90, even if there is a side of chips or salad because I’ll be too full! $9.90 is a standard price for a student meal and $5 huge iced drinks is not bad either. Wouldn’t mind trying the ice teas and smoothies though.

Would I donate the money I saved to a charity? This is a tricky one because I wouldn’t pay more than I did for the burgers and salad. The salad wasn’t really up to my standards but if they were the fabulous chips we had last time, then I wouldn’t mind paying an extra $2- plus it’ll be tax deductible.

Highlight: I love layout, the deco, the ambience, the vibe..! Very welcoming and friendly staff. I love old and quirky bits and pieces around the place. Can I also sit in a big comfy chair everyday at work? So royal. Could do with some occasional bands here.

Suggestion of Improvement: The salad. Adding either some pine nuts or walnuts would’ve been better, or even settling for a fresh garden salad could be another option. The buns on the burgers could’ve been not as toasted but I guess I’m being a bit picky here.. Let me know if anything changes!

Ends: March 31, 2014

Link: http://www.centralparksydney.com/shop/dining-and-food/coco-cubano

Angela Bee