New Bars, Secret Events & More – This Week in Mick’s Five!

From the inner west to the northern beaches I have you traversing the city for your adventures this week. Weather permitting a trip to Narrabeen for an 8+ kilometre walk will be your stress relief for this week. A laugh on Wednesday in Newtown may also help to decompress things.

1. Its not a bromance, it’s a brewmance ☕️ 

At 56 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest you will find the hugely successful Brewmance cafe.

Hoky and Davide opened Brewmance in 2022 and within a year it became known as the best thing to hit the lower north shore, taking it by storm—one brew at a time 😆 

Scoring a 4.9 Google rating they are awesome. Ave sums it up in her review “…My absolute favourite breakfast place ever since they opened. Still going back there after having moved away. Great service, super friendly staff (Vica also bakes the best banana bread), great coffee and personalised coffee art…”

The menu is breakfast, brunch and lunch. The chicken donburi ($18) and poke bowls ($20 to $22) are fantastic choices and served for lunch from midday.

Open from 6:30 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday and 7:30 am to 3:00 pm on the weekends.

2. Inner West: Sake & Sounds 🎵 

Up the ante at Ante in Newtown!

Self described, ANTE is a sake bar offering a unique experience for sake enthusiasts and newcomers alike. With a supercool dark vibe it oozes must visit bar for sake, food and sounds.

There are 65 sakes on offer from over 21 different breweries across Japan. When it comes to drinks they also have a good range of cocktails (King Tubby is a must try), beers, aperitifs, Amari, “apple & grape”, gins, whiskies, rums and rye.

The limited but brilliant food menu changes regularly, but expect modern Japanese creations to keep you humming to the sounds.

No reservations, walk-ins only, located at 146 King Street, Newtown. Open Thursday and Friday from 5:00pm to late and midday to late on Saturday and Sunday.

3. Looking for a laugh ? 🤣 

The Newtown Hotel is a hive of entertainment. They run comedy nights Wednesday to Saturday at their Laugh Inn Comedy Club.

Wednesday is new comics night and Thursday is “longer laugh sessions” with no host.

Riv Narak will appear on Friday 28 February and Jacob Perry on Saturday 1 March 2025.

Grab dinner before the shows. The menu is a hearty choice of pub grub favourites and shared meals including buffalo wings, arancini and mezze plates. Pizza’s available from 5:00 pm.

Tickets purchased online are $5 cheaper than at the door. Wednesday $15, Thursday $20 and Friday and Saturdays $25. To purchase them click here - online.

4. How about an 8+ kms walk along a lagoon trail?

As one of the shining jewels of the northern beaches, the journey around Narrabeen Lagoon will take you through beautiful ecosystems, an abundance of wildlife, cultural heritage and historical icons.

It is an easy walk of 8.6 kilometres one way which takes around 2.5 hours. Arrange for a pick up on the other end or double up the distance doing the return leg.

Parking is available at: Middle Creek Reserve off the Wakehurst Parkway; Berry Reserve off Pittwater Road; Jamieson Park off The Esplanade.

Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen and some water.

5. Soulful Sri Lankan in Enmore 🍽️ 

Colombo Social, yes the essence of Colombo Sri Lanka!

Colombo Social is more than a gastronomic delight. The restaurant provides employment and training opportunities to asylum seekers and other vulnerable groups, it is done with them in mind to share their strength, stories and culture with funky cocktails and high-quality food as their common ground.

The A La Carte menu has the classics and new twists including; goat pan rolls, Colombo corn ribs, mud crab kottu, Amma’s Dahl, Katta Sambol and Mango Pannacotta for desert. Amma’s Favorites set menu for $80 takes all of the stress out of the making a choice, other than you have to pick a dessert 😀 

Located at 159 Enmore Road, Enmore. Closed on a Monday. Open for dinner on Tuesday to Friday 5:30pm to 10:00pm and for lunch 12:00pm and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Bookings are recommended which can be done via the website or by calling the team on 0423 177 067

Thanks for reading!

Cheers and beers,

Mick

Founder of Mick’s Five