WHAT’S ON THIS VALENTINE’S DAY IN SYDNEY

This Valentine’s Day there is plenty to treat your other half to, or yourself!

Here is a comprehensive list for you to have a glance at, to give you inspiration for the day of love!

Valentine’s Day at Arras

At this stunning restaurant nestled in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, it’s the perfect choice for an inner city splash out. Think amazing food, stunning intimate interior and LOTS of brownie points! There’s a five course menu and an eight course degustation to choose from.

Bucket List Bondi

“Come in to The Bucket List and break bread with your Valentine on February 14!” – The lovely guys at Bucket List: Bondi ‘s beach-front trendy eatery, have baked a special heart shaped loaf.

Top chef Tom has created a platter that he calls -‘Love to Share’. It promises to be amazing and has a bit of an aphrodisiac theme  -rock oysters, tartare of salmon served with avocado crème, fresh figs , almonds, pomegranate and zucchini flowers … which will be sure to get you in the mood! at $40 it is incredible value.

Valentine’s Day with the Keystone Group

GAZEBO WINE GARDEN

The Scoot N Root

Glass of Madam Coco rosé, 1 x red stemmed rose, shared platter of aphrodisiacs to start and a main course – $55 per person

Glass of Taittinger, 1 x red stemmed rose, shared platter of aphrodisiacs to start, a main course and dessert – $99 per person

*Have dinner with us then head then over to Darlinghurst Theatre to see Torch Song Trilogy. If we book for you – we can get you a concession rate to the play for $35!*

THE WINERY

Fall in love at The Winery

Indulge in a desert tasting plate for two for $26 which can be ordered on the night.

MANLY WINE

Surf, Wine and Love at Manly

A delicious dinner, decadent desserts and a wine list to swoon over! We also have a rose, chocolate and glass of bubbles for $15 to make your dinner that little bit extra special.

NEWTOWN HOTEL – THE ANIMAL

Get animalistic this Valentine’s Day

Enjoy bubbles on arrival, a flower for your valentine and a feast for 2 from our Greek Eatery – $55 per person

AND if you are flying solo this Valentine’s day…

 Sweethearts Rooftop BBQ

Who needs boys anyway?

$35 Banquet menu including cocktails on arrival.

MCA Café’s “Sounds on the Terrace”

At the MCA Café in the Rocks, guests can soak up free live music and spectacular views from Circular Quay to the Harbour Bridge at the Café’s Sculpture Terrace where Sounds on the Terrace takes place.  This is the perfect spot to start your Valentine’s evening with pre-dinner drinks before your dinner reservation nearby. Or you can make a night of it in the relaxed ambience, sipping champagne and enjoying shared plates with friends and loved ones. New Sydney-based act, Recall will feature music composed by Daniel OʼLeary on the night.

MCA Cafe & Sculpture Terrace

The MCA Café and Sculpture Terrace is located on Level Four of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The understated but luxurious finishes of the Sculpture Terrace provide a sleek contemporary backdrop to suit any occasion. Open to the public as well as Museum visitors, the café has a contemporary atmosphere in which to enjoy lunch, morning or afternoon tea, or simply to drop in for a coffee. The seasonal and sustainable menu changes daily, to utilise fresh, local produce.

Date: Thursday 14 February 2013
Time: 05.30 PM – 09.00 PM
Location: MCA Sculpture Terrace, Level 4 Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks
Cost: Free
More Info: http://www.mca.com.au/events/sounds-terrace-14-feb/5822/

Vaucluse House Tea Rooms

 

At the Eastern Suburbs’ historic Vaucluse House Tearooms, Fresh Catering will present an exclusive dining event featuring live entertainment for couples celebrating Valentine’s Day, Thursday February 14^th.  The Tearooms are situated within the grounds of the Vaucluse House Estate.

Guests will be treated to a sumptuous three course dinner prepared by award-winning caterer, Fresh Catering, together with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival.  With bookings available after 6pm, the price for each guest is $65. Live harp music will feature throughout the night, filling the room with a touch old school romance.

Celebrate Valentines at The Star Casino

The Darling

This February, The Darling hotel will be running its special ‘Be My Darling’ package including an overnight stay, romantic breakfast for two in your room and two cocktails at Cherry bar.  For those seeking extra relaxation, it’s possible to upgrade your booking to a Jewel Suite for an additional $250 that entitles guests to a couple’s massage to the value of $350.

(Be My Darling $399; Jewel Suite Upgrade $250; to book quote “BEMYDARLING”; available Sunday-Thursday February 2013; 1800 800 830;www.thedarling.com.au)

Spa

In celebration of the month of love, The Spa at The Darling is offering two exclusive pamper sessions for both men and women – The Romeo and The Juliet.  For the guys, what’s not to love about an invigorating sports massage, followed by a relaxing scalp massage and a refreshing beer afterwards as part of the treatment? The Juliet includes an express facial, back, neck and shoulder massage, the short and sweet pedi and an indulgent glass of champagne at the end.

(The Romeo – 1hr 15 $200; The Juliet – 1hr 30 $200; available February 2013; 1800 800 830; www.thedarling.com.au)

Sokyo

The contemporary Japanese restaurant will be serving an indulgent eight course menu, created by renowned chef Chase Kojima, including some of the restaurant’s most famed dishes such as its signature sushi and Abalone Tempura. Chef Kojima brilliantly fuses traditional Japanese culinary craftsmanship with modern Australian flavour.

($120 per person; bookings required; www.star.com.au/sokyo

 

BLACK by ezard

Award winning chef, Teague Ezard, has put together a seven course degustation menu for Valentine’s Day showcasing what makes BLACK by ezard one of Sydney’s top restaurants. From a delicate sashimi through to a luxuriant wagyu rump, the menu features the perfect balance of Australian and Asian flavours.

($130 per person, matching wines $70 per adult; bookings required; www.star.com.au/black)

Balla

Stefano Manfredi brings the best of romantic Italy to your table at Balla this Valentine’s Day with a four course set menu beginning with an antipasti feast, followed by a choice of fresh pasta, a main course of either wood grilled John Dory or veal tenderloin, finishing off with a delicious Italian dessert.

($125 per person; bookings required; www.star.com.au/balla)

 Cherry

With its stunning harbour views, Cherry bar is the perfect setting for a stylish pre-dinner tipple to begin your evening.  Choose from a host of impeccably made cocktails, made with only the finest ingredients, including fruity Bellinis, aromatic Mojitos and robust scotch based drinks.

(www.star.com.au/cherry)

Rock Lily: Thursday 14^th February

It’s rockabilly night at The Star’s live music venue this Valentine’s Day with a dance competition open to everyone! Strut your stuff on the dance floor to Australia’s best live swing acts for the chance to win prizes galore.

7:30pm-9:30pm – Aston Martinis

10:00pm – 11:30pm – Jordan C Thomas

(Entry is complimentary and no bookings are required. With a limited capacity, Rock Lily operates on a first in best dressed basis;www.star.com.au/rocklily)

 24/7 Sports Bar Thursday 14^th February

It’s set to be an unforgettable Valentine’s Day for cricket lovers this year as Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Brad Hadden make an appearance at the 24/7 Sports Bar.  There’ll be a chance to get the players’ autographs, listen to a short Q&A and enter a competition to win a framed signed bat by the Australian Cricket team.

(Entry is complimentary and no bookings are required. With a limited capacity, 24/7 Sports Bar operates on a first in, best dressed basis)

For bookings, more information or enquiries, visit www.star.com.au or call 1800 700 700.

So as you can see there is PLENTY to choose from! Hope you have a simply wonderful day and celebrate it with those that mean the most to you!

Australian Women Are Over Beer Guzzling Men

Men who choose beer are “boring and predictable”

Australian women have spoken. Men who choose beer as their drink of choice are seen as boring, predictable, unoriginal and likely to have a beer belly!

Hot Stuff!

The Newspoll^[1] study of 1,000 Australian women, undertaken by Canadian Club in response to being crowned Australia’s fastest growing spirits & premix trademark for the second year in a row, suggests that not only are Australian women Over Beer, but also over those who prefer it to other alcoholic beverages.

The study found that 57% of all those surveyed believe that beer is the most boring and predictable alcoholic beverage that a man could choose to drink at a bar^[2].

68% of females associate beer bellies with men who drink beer and 77% stated that they dislike it when a man has a beer belly.

53% of females surveyed thought that it would be a refreshing change from the norm for a man to choose an alternative alcoholic beverage to beer, while among those surveyed who had a partner, 27% say they’d prefer that their husband, partner or boyfriend did not drink beer at all!

Men should also take heed when choosing a drink to buy for a woman at a bar or party, as 41% of females said they would be interested in talking to a man who offered to buy them a spirit with a mixer, compared to just 29% who would be interested in talking to a man who bought them a beer.

John Cleese is now weighing in on the debate about beer bellies! In response to the survey results, Cleese said: “I have in fact noticed on recent visits to Oz, a growing proportion of Beer Fairies among the male population. These smelly, overweight vulgarians represent the lumpenproletariat of beer drinkers – sad, dysfunctional creatures. It is therefore, in the interests of all decent Australians, to cull them!

[1] This Newspoll study was conducted online in April among n=1,000 females aged 18-64 nationally

^[2] Respondents could choose from beer, alcoholic cider, spirit with a mixer or wine

Cocktails and charity – What’s not to love?!

On the 23^rd February 2011 Dating101Sydney was invited along to an event to celebrate the start of Parched March – ( surely not another event or initiative to stop us drinking – why do they feel the need, why?! ) No, I was wrong! Go on, read on, I know you want to…

YUM!!!

After the great event that was the second birthday of Fat Yak in a bottle, I was dubious about how this next event could possibly even come close. Well my friends, let me just say that it was just as great an event and it was for a good cause. Sydney-based bar, beverage and beer lovers turned out in force to celebrate the official kick start to ‘Parched March’.

The event was arranged by the great guys at Sara Bray PR & Events, flawless from start to finish as always!

The launch event was held in the stunning Argyle Bazar, the lighting was decedent red and the drinks were flowing throughout! (We like this) My lovely friend Jenny and I (along with our fellow guests) sipped on Absolut Pear and Patron Manzanero cocktails, we also mixed it up (classy aren’t we!) with Saint & Sinner wines – delicious!

Tapas were served and we were completely spoiled throughout the event. The menu was of course prepared by resident chef, Miguel. A Spanish cooking fiend, who never fails to deliver a taste explosion. I highly recommend you to go and savour the tapas at Argle Bazar, you won’t be disappointed. To whet your appetite: croquettes, brochette with a twist, prawn and chorizo skewers and the meatiest meatballs you’ve ever tasted. This selection only slightly dents the array of amazing food on offer!

We of course weren’t just there to eat food and drink cocktails, no , no, no! We were of course there for a fantastic cause as we toasted the launch of ‘Parched March’ – an initiative led by Sun-Herald columnist Amy Cooper and bar and drinks writer Simon McGoram.

As they put it: Parched March, Sydney’s only month-long celebration of bar culture.

“If you’re over Ocsober, Fed up with Febfast and want to say goodbye to Dry July, March brings you the perfect antidote to abstinence – and a chance to raise money for charity while enjoying great bars and drinks. Good times for a good cause!

During Parched March you can show your support by

  Sponsoring our teams as they embark on their fun odyssey of 30 Bars in 30 Days

  Visiting our participating venues and contributing to the cause by buying a Parched March special cocktail

  Forming a team of your own and taking up the 30 bars in 30 days challenge – (or do it alone if you dare!)”

Bars that are involved include:

Bavarian Bier Cafe

Eau de Vie (we’ve spoke about here)

Grandma’s Bar (yup we’ve also spoke about here)

Rum Diaries Bar & Restaurant

There is also a host of other bars involved in this great initiative! Log on to parchedmarch.com to get involved!

Parched March is not all about the socialising, there’s actually a worthwhile cause behind it all!

Parched March uses the misadventures of their teams and ambassadors to raise funds for the Sydney Dogs & Cats Home & the Animal Welfare League Queensland.

Get involvedyou know you wanna...You sure you don't want to find out more??

 

Still sure...

You can't still not want to find out how you can help...

 

The event was a great start for what is sure to be an exciting month celebrating Sydney’s unique bar culture. Visit http://www.parchedmarch.com for info.

Get involved people – you know you want to! Drinking and charity – what’s not to love!?

Fat Yak – a somewhat curious name for a beer

The beer that is Fat Yak

 

“Big, hairy and approachable”, the words used to describe this sensational beverage that is Fat Yak (also the reason why the name came about, describing what it does on the tin). Perhaps not surprisingly, it is also how I’d describe a number of my exs (bad dumm, chaaaaa – not sure how you spell that out phonetically, but you catch my drift, ya?)

The lovely guys at Liquid Ideas and Matilda Bay Brewery invited me along to celebrate the two-year birthday of ‘Fat Yak,’ now in the first instance; this is an ideal event for me as I am already a massive Fat Yak fan. In the days when I worked at The Vault Hotel on Pitt Street I used to recommend it to anyone who came in and wasn’t sure what beer to choose. For those of you in the UK the best way I can describe it is as a lighter Hoegaarden or a fruity Asahi. For my Aussie counterparts that haven’t had the pleasure the try Fat Yak, it is in the same area as James Squire – Golden Ale or Little Creatures. Although it tastes similar to all of the above, in my humble opinion it pips all of them to the post.

Now they already had me at ‘Fat Yak’, however the clincher for me was the mention of the venue: Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ on King Street Wharf – cue mouth-watering at the sheer thought…

Back in sunny rainy Manchester, my ex and I used to frequent an establishment of the exact same name about twice a week month. I love the whole concept of how a Mongolian BBQ restaurant works, usually a fixed price, you get your bowl and get to choose from a selection of meats, raw vegetables, spices, noodles, sauces and oils. In the one in Manchester they also had recommended recipes written on the wall (I’ve always been a fan of going against the norm so made up my own – and they were always bl00dy good I might add). You then take the bowl to the chefs who prepare the dish on a large steel hot plate with chop sticks. The end result is a flavoursome stir-fry that you have made yourself – you know exactly what has gone in there and there’s no MSG in sight! I love a good stir-fry with nooooodles…

Stir-fry with nooooooodles

 

The concept is exactly the same at the host venue of the Fat Yak birthday celebration; did I mention beer makes me happy? Upon arrival we were greeted with a cold Fat Yak and finger food from Genghis Khan Staff. We were then directed to our tables, we had props a plenty with musical instruments and quite randomly, Viking hats (we were told they were the nearest they had the Mongolian… hilarious).

We were treated to a great introduction by comical genius Stuart Gregor who is the MD for Liquid Ideas (sporting a brilliant Mongolian British accent. Too funny!) Me and Julie (my lovely plus one for the event – I’m all about sharing the blogger love) could not stop laughing! We were invited to view the upcoming TVCs for Fat Yak – true Mongolian style and v funny!

It was so refreshing to attend a laid back event where the host didn’t take themselves too seriously; true of all the events I have attended so far whilst representing Dating101Sydney.

A musical challenge followed, with a crate of Fat Yak up for grabs – the game was on! We had the editor of FHM on our table who was quite the flute player – we fared quite well… that was until Glen Wheeler (of Sham WOW fame and 2GB host) serenaded us all with an opera outburst supported by his team – wiped us clean out of the water!

Who knew – Glen Wheeler – Opera…

After we dined, Julie and I decided to attend the photo booth – a great concept by ‘Polite in Public’ where they photograph you on a background that transports you to wherever you want – our location being a Mongolian landscape. Oh how we had fun with the props – we were like kids in a candy shop – only they had to keep telling Julie to step back into the pod as she got carried away, ha!

I can’t believe that it’s only two years since the launch of Matilda Bay Brewery Co’s Fat Yak, in fact it’s been around the whole time  I’ve been in Australia near-enough, so it really is hard for me to imagine the craft beer landscape without this North American style pale ale.

At the event they explained to us, somewhat tongue in cheek, that now that Fat Yak is one of the most popular craft beers in Australia, the Matilda Bay team thought it time Fat Yak started sponsoring major events and slapping its logo on high profile athletes known the world over…

Or Mongolian racing yaks.

You see, while Matilda Bay might be big in the little world of craft brewing they remain extremely small in the world of big beer bucks. So in 2011 Matilda Bay is investing its ENTIRE GLOBAL SPONSORSHIP BUDGET into Mongolian yak racing and sending one lucky Fat Yak drinker to Mongolia to race a yak and meet the superstars of yak racing like Naransteg, also known as ‘the hoof master’. HILARIOUS and a great marketing campaign!

If you’re reading this and thinking Matilda Bay is taking the piss, you’re wrong. Matilda Bay is DEAD SERIOUS about this promotion, as serious as they are about brewing great tasting beer and they’ve been scrimping and saving every penny to put toward some ads and promotional packaging to get as many Fat Yak drinkers to enter as possible.

The entry mechanic is simple so it’s easy for anyone to get in on the ‘YAKTION’! When you buy a case of Fat Yak from the bottle-o or grab a Fat Yak at your local, you get a unique code to enter online at http://www.fatyak.com.au or via SMS.

As they say in Mongolian yak racing circles – ‘Gentlemen (and ladies), start your yaks.’

Engineered in the Garage Brewery with premium malts, American Cascade hops and a hint of New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops, Fat Yak is a beer for any time of the year.

Fat Yak pairs well with any food, but we reckon you should try it with spicy wedges, chorizo and tomato pizza or an antipasto platter with friends.

Matilda Bay is one of Australia’s leading craft breweries producing some of Australia’s favourite specialty beers like Fat Yak and also including the full-flavoured and award-winning Alpha Pale Ale, the quirky Beez Neez, the wheat beer that started it all Redback and the salute to Oktoberfest lagers, Big Helga. Traditionally Matilda Bay also launches a limited edition seasonal release for summer and winter. These have included Crema, Barking Duck, Barking Flamingo and most recently Longshot.

To become a fan of Matilda Bay visit http://www.facebook.com and search for Matilda Bay Brewing Company or follow Matilda Bay on Twitter – @MatildaBayBeer.

All in all I had a truly great night and took home with me a lovely six-pack of Fat Yak, courtesy of the guys at Liquid Ideas to share the love… I’m now v popular with my housemates as they fight it out to see who prevails to get a bottle.

Stay tuned as I attend the launch of Parched March tonight, review to follow tomorrow.