Sydney’s Must-See Shows & Weekly Recommendations – Read Now!

Unfortunately for us Melbourne City got the early advantage in the game against Sydney FC and held it until the end of the game to go home winners at 3 to 2. A disappointment but hey “… you can’t win them all …”

As we launch into another week I have some great recommendations including some jazz, a long coastal walk and a famous Italian restaurant at the end of your walk … so you can recover.

1. Baking Love, One Cake at a Time 🍰 

Bakery Café Hazel is all about the cakes 🎂 

Located at 99 Victoria Road, Rozelle is it a delight to walk into and away from the noise of streaming traffic. It is dog friendly too 🐶 😃 

The café serves some great breakfast and lunch options with a small breakfast menu, hot sandwiches, baked goods, signature cakes, acai bowls, frozen yoghurt, coffee, tea, pressed juices, smoothies and milkshakes.

For take away cakes you cannot go past the buttermilk chocolate mudcake or the strawberry chiffon.

Scoring a 4.9 Google rating, the customers just love Hazel. Olivia sums it up in her review “…there are a lot of choices in Rozelle but this was by far my favourite and they sell whole cakes, its very reasonable priced , nice fit out and I will be back.…”

Open Tuesday through Friday from 7:30am to 4:00pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00am to 4:00pm serving breakfast, lunch and take away cakes and pastry masterpieces.

2. Every cocktail is creatively and carefully crafted 🍸️ 

The Different Drummer Bar is a cozy cool bar with a great vibe, excellent service and reasonable prices.

The cocktails vary from $21 to $25 and they have some different spins on the classics plus a range of their home grown creations. There are also options for wines by the glass or bottle plus different beer varieties.

Food choices are plentiful with snacks, small plates, share plates, tacos and large plates. I would recommend the sirloin with red wine jus, salad and house cut chips.

Want to be entertained? Monday to Friday there are plenty of reasons to be at the Different Drummer. Monday is comedy, Tuesday is Jazz, Wednesday is open mic, Thursday is jazz collaborations and Friday is DJ night.

Located at 185 Glebe Point Road, Glebe and open all week at varying hours, check out the website for opening times before you visit.

3. The best in contemporary jazz and jazz-oriented music 🎷 

Since 2013 Foundry616 has been offering up he best in contemporary jazz and jazz-oriented music in Sydney.

The line up for April 2025 includes; “Billie Holiday’s 110th Birthday” featuring Simone Waddell, Noria Letts Presents: The Songs of Édith Piaf, Dom Roche Quartet, “Mountain To Sea” – Cody, Evans, Farrar & Swanton, Dorian Blue, Steve Hunter band and some other great performers.

Dining options include the Bistro and Restaurant. The bistro serves entrée and sharing plates, burgers, pizza, salads and desserts. The restaurant offers a limited number of entree’s and mains and operates on Friday and Saturday.

Located at 616 Harris Street, Ultimo and open Tuesday to Saturday from 6:30 to 11:30pm, checkout the website for “What’s On” and links to purchase tickets via Eventbrite..

4. Enjoy bush, beach and beautiful views on this excellent day walk 🚶‍♂️ 

The Manly to The Spit coastal walk is a grade 3 and one way clocks up 10 kilometres.

As a grade 3 it includes many steps, short steep hills with some obstacles on the track. Time to complete is around four hours for the one way 10 kilometres.

Keep an eye out for the Aboriginal rock engravings. Head to Grotto Point at Dobroyd Head for historic rock art and the scenic views.

A map of the walk is available at this link. Toilet facilities can be found at Clontarf, Reef Beach, Forty Baskets Beach and North Harbour Reserve.

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

5. A buzzy Italian Seafood Restaurant and Cocktail Bar 🍽️ 

Once you have finished the Manly to Spit coastal walk you can drop into Ormeggio at The Spit for a very trendy Italian lunch or dinner. After the 10 kilometre walk, you will need a shower and change of clothes before dining 😆 

The team delivers high quality and sustainable seafood, great cocktails, mouth watering snacks and knockout water views

The menu is amazing. From the set menus “Ormeggio Classics” $149 pp and “Tribute to Australian Produce” $279 pp or the seafood inspired al la carte options. I recommend the charcoal octopus from Fremantle, King Prawns from Mooloolaba and Swordfish with cured tuna loin. There are also a vegetarian set menu, children’s menu and dessert options.

The wine list runs 53 pages and has a huge variety that is sure to suit all palates.

Check out “What’s On” for specials and special events like the The Northern Beaches Rivalry Dinner: North vs South - Alessandro Pavoni versus Giovanni Pilu 😋 

With over 1,200 reviews Ormeggio scores a Google 4.4 star rating. Obed sums up perfectly in his Google review “… The food was exceptional—authentic, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The risotto was a big hit, fresh and cooked to perfection, the sauces were rich and delicious, and the lemon zest sorbet, simply irresistible …”

Located at D’Albora Marinas, Spit Road, Mosman and open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch (11:30am to 3:00pm) and dinner (5:30 to 10:00pm).

Bookings are essential and can be done via the website or by calling the team on 02 9969 4088

Thanks for reading! Catch you again on Thursday.

Cheers and beers,

Mick

Founder of Mick’s Five