Only Four More Sleeps to the Easter Show + More Recommendations!

When I was a young boy I was so excited when the Easter Show rolled around. Back then it was at the ramshackle site in Moore Park, which did have more history but less amenities than the Olympic Park facility.

On top of the Easter Show, I have four other great suggestions for this week for drinks, dining and getting outdoors.

1. Coffee that'll give you the wobbles ☕️ 

Toby’s Estates flagship café and roastery in Chippendale has been crowned 'The World’s Best Coffee Shop' at the inaugural World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops Gala in Madrid, Spain.

Located at 32-36 City Road, Chippendale it is across the road from Victoria Park and a hop skip and jump to Broadway.

Other than the world’s best coffee, the café serves an all day menu including; granola, banana bread, brekky wraps, buttermilk pancakes, sandwiches, bagels and other wrap choices. The turkey bagel is the winner for me 🏆️ 

Scoring a 4.2 Google rating, the customers are strong supporters of Toby’s. Yiting sums it up in her review “…Love Toby! It has become my comfort zone. Great coffee, food and service are provided by the lovely people there. The heartfelt coffee art always makes my day, and the Christmas themed coffee flavour these days taste amazing!.…”

Open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 3:00pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00am to 3:00pm serving breakfast, brunch and lunch.

2. Perched high above the bustling Sydney City streets 🍶 

Shell House on Margaret Street has some of Sydney’s best kept secrets including their Sky Bar.

The open-air Sky Bar centers around the 400-tonne heritage Shell House Clocktower, providing you with wide panoramic views of the city skyline through the floor to ceiling glass windows and doors.

For an establishment of the Sky Bars pedigree it serves caviar, and small snacks to accompany the large range of drinks form cocktails to beer, wines and spirits. If you enjoy whisky then the Japanese Kurayoshi Pure Malt will tickle your taste buds 😉 

“Golden Hours” is 4:00 to 6:00pm everyday when you can get $15 don julio margaritas, $15 prawn katsu sandos and $2 oysters.

Located at Brookfield Place, Level 10, 37 Margaret Street, Sydney and open Tuesday to Saturday from midday to midnight. To avoid disappointment you can make a booking online

3. If it is not Royal then it is not the Royal Easter Show 🐎 🐏 🐄 

The Royal Easter Show comes to town this Friday and runs until 22 April 2025.

First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is one of Australia's largest annual events, attracting over 828,000 guests on average each year. The show is a celebration of Australian culture, from rural traditions to modern day lifestyles, providing unique experiences for all the family.

Every year there are new reasons to go to the show with different exhibitions and entertainment plus of course the show bags, just remember to wait to buy them just before you go home for the day 😄 

The 32 page show guide can be accessed here which is well worth a read as part of your planning to visit the show. You can also plan your visit with the show calendar which provides details of what is on each day. They have assembled itineraries which are available at this link and cover the top 10 animal itinerary, families and primary kids, new in 2025 and the foodie’s itinerary.

Transport is best via train or bus but there is also parking which needs to be pre-booked.

Tickets available online and start at $45 for adults and $118 for a family of four.

4. Explore the most provocative and inspiring projects around Sydney 🚶‍♀️ 

Some of the most interesting walking tours around Sydney are the guided Architecture Walks. All tours are led by practising architects and they have been nominated as one of the world’s top ten architecture tours by The Guardian UK.

There are seven walks and they are all aimed at the expert enthusiast level of architecture knowledge. Each of the seven walks are in small groups and take between 2 and 3 hours.

The options include; The City, Utzon and the Sydney Opera House, Harbourings, The Transformation of Ultimo, Modern Sydney, The Track and The Regeneration of Chippendale.

Ticket prices start at $44 for adults. For further details on each guided tour and to book tickets check out the website

5. The taverna you dream of finding at the heart of any bustling village 🍽️ 

Recently opened, Olympus Dining in Redfern is a roaring success.

As part of the Wunderlich Lane development which includes the Eve Hotel, Bar Julius, Saltbox, Island Radio, Baptist St Rec. Club and others it is the new hot spot to try out in Sydney.

As the restaurant name would suggest this is all about Greek cuisine. Starters cover some beautifully fresh and quality options including white cod roe dip, fried zucchini, lamb sweetbreads, liver and belly. There is also seafood meze and pita pies. Main course includes seafood (calamari, octopus, sardines, prawns, trout and other fish), chicken, pork and of course a few lamb options. And the sweets will never disappoint. If you cannot decide from the a la carte menu then choose one of the three banquet options that start at $77 per person.

The beverage menu runs 40 pages and has a huge variety of choices. I would recommend you try one of the Greek wines 🍷 

With over 350 reviews, Olympus Dining scores a Google 4.4 star rating. Amanda sums up perfectly in her Google review “… Wow what a gorgeous restaurant! Lovely atmosphere, it was very busy but the acoustics worked well! We got the $118 shared menu, we were super full at the end, and struggled to eat the lamb and dessert. Food was great! The wine selection was fabulous, the sommelier recommended some great wines …”

Located at Wunderlich Lane, 2 Baptist Street, Redfern and open Monday and Tuesday 5:00pm to midnight, Wednesday to Sunday from midday until late.

Bookings are essential and can be made via the website or by calling the team on 02 8354 0649

Thanks for reading! Catch you again on Thursday.

Cheers and beers,

Mick

Founder of Mick’s Five