Plan Your Weekend: Top 5 Sydney Spots for Food, Fun & Outdoors!

Well we have finally made it to my last newsletter of the year. We close up for two weeks but rest assured we will return in the week of 6th January 2025 for a new year and lots of new recommendations to keep the Sydney adventures flowing.

As New Years Eve 🎆 is almost upon us I give you a cracking recommendation of how to see in the new year if you haven’t yet locked in plans.

1. Forget TexMex! This is one of the best Mexican eateries in Sydney 🌮 

The first challenge with this amazing Mexican restaurant is locate it. Esteban is at 1 Temperance Lane, Sydney. Have fun with your Google Maps App 😆 

Esteban is a Good Food Guide one hat restaurant with an amazing menu inclusive of steak tartare, tune ceviche, calamari, twice-cooked pork belly, lamb, chicken and various steaks. If you are a fan of tequila you will not be disappointed with there extensive range form which to choose.

Ryan sums up the Esteban experience in his Google review “… The service was flawless; nothing could have been done better. The grilled King George whiting was cooked to perfection—we were so tempted to order a second serving! The pork and prawn tacos were bursting with flavor, while the tuna ceviche was light, refreshing, and the ideal appetizer to start the meal…”

It is a cozy restaurant with limited seats so bookings are absolutely essential. Book via the website or 02 9290 7022.

2. No flipper 🐬 at this fine Surry Hills public bar 🍺 

The Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills I found back in 1998, the week that Frank Sinatra passed away. Yes it has had a spruce up since then but the history still be felt when you walk through this long established hotel.

There is always something happening at the Dolphin including AFL GF celebrations, Melbourne Cup, Mother and Fathers Day, ANZAC Day, Mardi Gras, Easter, Christmas and NYE.

If you are looking for a place to host a party then check out the events spaces including; the Pool Room (40), The Lounge (50) or combine the two for up to 90 people. If you have a big event, up to 500 guests, then you can have exclusive hire of the whole hotel with 5 bars over 3 levels.

3. Tired of Christmas shopping? Pop into the Art Gallery NSW for cyber futurism 👨‍🚀 

As they say, you learn something new everyday. The Art Gallery of NSW has various exhibitions but the most unique has to be the surreal humour and cyber futurism of Cao Fei’s art My City is Yours

Designed by Cao Fei and Beau Architects of Hong Kong, the exhibition takes the form of a cityscape. It’s a space of play and self-reinvention, where cosplayers and hip-hop dancers take over sidewalks in Fukuoka and New York. It’s a city of screens and pixels, mediated by gaming technologies, VR and the metaverse. It’s a city under construction, where neighbourhoods are razed overnight and workers compete for jobs with robots. You wont be disappointed.

Tickets can be purchased via the Art Gallery of NSW website. Adult tickets are $35 and there are discounts for youth, members and concession holders. Children under 12 are free.

4. Settle down in your favourite armchair this Boxing Day 🏏 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the Boxing Day tickets are all sold out. Well think about the money you will save on airfares by staying home and watching it on the big screen Telly 😃 

This is Test 4 of Australia V India and the action will be will covered by Channel 7 Free to Air and Online. If you have a Kayo account you can get all the action through that subscription.

Thing get underway at 10:30am so plan ahead and have a few frosties in the back fridge to avoid disappointment 🍻 

5. New Years Celebrations - bring on 2025 🎆 🎇 

NYE celebrations in Sydney can stack up to allot of dough 💰️ The City of Sydney has listed an extensive number of options and they range from hundred to thousands of dollars.

As Molly would say, do yourself a favour, stay at home and break the back of the cost of living crises by hosting friends at your place. Drop into Dan’s to stock up the fridge and check out Delicious Magazine online with their 17 Ultimate BBQ Recipes to ring in the New Year.

And here is a tip, don’t forget to get a back up gas bottle for the BBQ !

Thanks for all your support this year and I look forward to delivering the goods again to you in 2025.

Cheers and beers,

Mick

Founder of Mick’s Five