Sydney’s Weekend Essentials: Food, Music & Outdoor Escapes

Happy Lunar New Year! 🐍 

How the working week flies past when you start on a Tuesday after a long weekend. I hope you have had a great week and tried out my recommendations over the long weekend.

To keep things exciting here are some more recommendations including a 47 year old festival scheduled to kick off in mid February.

1. Go easy ... or you will end up with chubby cheeks 😆 

Chubby Cheeks, named after a happy buddha, at 437 Oxford Street, Paddington is one of my favourite Thai / Southeast Asian restaurants.

The menu is amazing. There are Cheeky Bites including; seared Hokkaido scallop, salt and pepper squid, crackling pork bao and spicy sticky wings, Cheekier Bites; san choi bao, turmeric rice crepe with prawns and pork, Chubby Bites; crackling pork belly, Bannockburn free range chook and barramundi in lotus leaf plus Chubby’s rice, noodles and sides.

There is also a reasonable range of cocktails, beers, wine and spirits and good pricing.

John’s Google review nails the experience “…Food was out of this world and such good value. The flavours of each dish were amazing and there is nothing I didn’t like about this place. Highly recommend it and I will be a regular diner there from now on…”

Open for lunch Friday through Sunday (12noon to 3:00pm) and dinner Tuesday through Sunday (5:30pm to 10:00pm). The restaurant is very popular so bookings recommended by calling the team on 02 9332 1886 or book via the website

2. If you are in “the village” then get inn 🍻 

There are no “village idiots” @ The Village Inn. Only mature and polished patrons that enjoy the ambience, chilled beers and great pub meals in this Paddington establishment.

To keep the punters coming back they have a great weekly roster including; $36 Sunday Roast special (includes a beer or wine), $18 weekday lunch specials, $25 Monday Night Steaks, $20 Tuesday Night Chicken Schnitzel and $25 Wednesday Night Beer and Burger. If you are a trivia buff then bring along the friends on Thursday from 7:00pm.

Happy hour is 4 - 6pm, Monday to Friday when you can get $10 pints, $8 wines and $5 bar snacks.

The Village Inn is located at 9-11 Glenmore Road, Paddington which is just off Oxford Street. Open from 12noon every day and closing Sunday through Thursday at 10pm, with an additional 2 hours on Friday and Saturday.

3. Titanique - a musical celebration that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into …

Sea it now! All aboard NYC’s must sea musical comedy “Titanique”.

The Grand Electric at Surry Hills is hosting the show (aka “taking passengers” until 30 March 2025. It is Titanic meets Celine Dion meets the greatest gay party you have ever been too. The music and comedy is inspiring and rib tickling.

Get a sneak preview and check out what other “passengers” think of the show on YouTube

Adult prices start at $89 plus booking fee. Don’t miss out on the fun, bookings via the website

4. Bruins, Jets, Senators, Capitals - know what sport these teams play in?

If you like bone crunching physical sport then you are going to love the NHL ice hockey 🏒 season which is in full swing.

Yes the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals are some of the teams that compete in the hugely popular North American National Hockey League. Played on ice, rather than grass, you wont spot the Kookaburras in this league.

Thanks to the wonders of streaming you can catch the action on Kayo, both live and replays.

Still unsure if the NHL is for you then check out this short video … you will love it!

5. Do you know what festival is turning 47 next month?

Yes the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrates 47 years next month.

The “main event” is the Parade which is held on Saturday 1 March 2025. This years festival theme is FREE TO BE and over 200 floats from every corner of our communities will strut, stroll and roll from Hyde Park to Moore Park on Sydney’s night-of-nights. As is tradition, Dykes on Bikes, LGBTQIA+SB First Nations communities and 78ers will lead over 11,000 marchers.

The festival gets underway on 14 February with the First Nations First Light: A Festival Welcome and Progress Pride Flag Raising. For information on all events check out the Mardi Gras website.

Tickets for the Mardi Gras Party, Ultra Violet, Kaftana and Paradiso Pool Parties, Sissy Ball, Hot Tans Summer, Laugh Out Loud and Parade Viewing areas can be purchased via the website

I hope you enjoy the Lunar New Year celebrations and as always I hope you have a cracking good weekend.

Cheers and beers,

Mick

Founder of Mick’s Five