Moore Park - Sydney, NSW

Moore Park has interesting neighbours - the Sydney Cricket and Sports grounds and is part of the Centennial Park Trust grounds.

It used to house working movie studios, but today remains to attract visitors to its sporting grounds and Entertainment Quarter  which concentrates on its cinema, food, drinking and live performance outlets.  Moore Park shares the Centennial space with Queens and Centennial Parks.

It also hosted for many years the Royal Sydney Easter Show and is the final point (at Hordern Pavilion) for the annual gay and lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Accessible not by train but only by road, it is also familiar to many sports fans in NRL and more.

The south-western corner of Moore Park had a home maker Supa Centre built on the site of the old tram depot.  Anyone driving along Anzac parade and South Dowling Street will note the extensive golf course grounds as well.  The Byron Kennedy Hall hosts warehouse sales and food plus wine events for the public.  Kids can look forward to Skater HQ functions in April.

Moore Park was the site of Sydney's first zoo and named in honour of one of its mayors, Charles Moore, who was in office for three years from 1867.  A light rail system has been planned for construction, passing by Moore Park, on the way to Kensington and Randwick.

I recall visiting the Titanic replica inside a theme park that used to draw the crowds at Fox Studios.  This has disappeared but one can still enjoy the celluloid screen at the Paris Cinema, with easy multi-level vehicle parking under cover.  Moore Park thrives on imagination, the mysterious and the delightful.  I do hope the City Council continue to utilise this centrally located  area to reflect on the spirit of essential Sydney.

Charlie Black - Manuka, Canberra

The bar where it counts - refreshingly different.

Uniquely hidden away in a corner, beside the cinema in Manuka, across the road from apparently where the main action is, lies a lifestyle pub that tries to be different. Sure, there are the wooden tables outdoors that seem to herald another common pub, but once we get inside, the walls are adorned, different types of seating are offered and then there is the bar counter. With a marble top, staffed by twenty something of age staff and decorated in a way that no one can miss, I reckon this counter is meant to be the centre of attention. Are we in South America? The side murals portray sultry dark skinned women, the lighting is low and there are a few sports screens -  was trying hard to appreciate and understand the common thread of a theme going around the various corners of the venue, some lit, others darkened.May be Charlie Black's wants to surprise - and then makes us relax in the unusual.

Lamb cutlets with cous cous and mash.




My eye caught the availability of mango flavoured cider on tap, a delightful option. Canberra is surrounded by diary and farm country and I subconsciously wanted to try some dish from the land. Oh yes, in true blue Aussie tradition, it had to be lamb.  Pub style, the buzzer whizzed loudly on the table and the food went out through a window from the kitchen.  There was laughter and sounds of merriment from the nearby tables.  It was only early evening and it was not that cold for Canberra standards. I found the cous cous well made, with a Moroccan flavour, to accompany the juicy lamb cutlets.  I am told that Charlie Black's specialise in tapas and burgers, with their sweet potato chips a hit any time of day or night.  Finally I connected the wall murals with the food - Mexican, casual and with things like peppers, calamari and pear with walnut salad.  It was easy then to move on to the several types of Margaritas served - passionfruit, pineapple or mango - or the coladas.

Lonsdale Street Roasters - Braddon, Canberra

It is easy to locate in Braddon. If you are driving along Northbourne Avenue, the main thoroughfare in
and out of Canberra, turn into either Elouera or Cooyong Streets and head for Lonsdale Street. The section that also boasts the Elk and the Pea also hosts an unassuming, Melbourne styled cafe that drew in the crowds as early as 8am on a holiday Easter Monday. The relatively nippy air may have enhanced the flavour  and aroma of the brew but I reckon it is the easy and informal atmosphere created here as well that proves irresistible. The bricks remain neglected and  the seats are quickly occupied but nobody is bothered about such things, as all are intent to sip  and enjoy not just coffee, but to soak in the experience.

Cyclists, early morning risers, women's groups, couples, twenty somethings - they all gathered and waited patiently in front of the sole window counter.  The menu is simple enough with not too many choices but it is the coffee packs that stand out calling us to take them home! Staff stand whilst they work, whether the baristas or those handling the food. I could sense this is an institution. The other icon of Canberra coffee I could think of at 11 degrees Celsius this morning was the Ona from Manuka.

The coffee provides different sensations from Campos in Sydney, Ka-Fe in Wollongong or those found along Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne.  My cup is served after I hear my name called out and a smiling and cheerful young lady brings it over. There is no internal seating, everyone is placed  all over the wide pavement area. What happens when it rains?  I chose the panini with leg ham, mozzarella cheese and mustard (photo below), which was sufficiently light to provide a contrast with the thick, creamy and pleasantly presented cuppa in front of me.

The choc topping over my cappuccino takes my breath away - and then I await for more.  I forget about the cares of the world and realise that this is one moment I work for. I am not going to be distracted about this brew creation. My first impressions are that this is a heavy blend and yet so tasty on the palate.  There is little bitterness and more full gulps of a nutty undertone.  Just what I prefer! A good looking woman in the queue has a toy dog and boyfriend accompanying her.  The customers are all dressed up against the morning cold but the cafe staff seem to be geared for perpetual summer.

Queen Victoria Markets, Melbourne

The Vic markets have been in operation since 1878.   There are covered halls, open air stalls and old fashioned market alleys. Fast food and more can also be found in the series of shops adjacent to the markets proper.  It forms a unique suburban shopping town in its own right, although it is easily walkable to the site after alighting from one of the complimentary City Circle trams on the northern side of Melbourne CBD.

Open every day, except for Wednesdays, the stallholders are there mostly from 6am to 2pm, although there is a later start on lazy Sunday mornings from 9am.   The Dairy Hall is a particular attraction although I recommend walking around with an open mind and you never know what delights and surprises you may find in store.  For us on a March afternoon, we found delicious figs, touristy souvenirs like the trams and even the Sydney Harbour ferry plus a whole host of nutty produce at better prices than in Sydney.

There are the expected encounters with clothes, jewellery, breads, fruits, buskers, farm fresh eggs, China made stuff, Aussie originals, fast food and organic produce. The floors are relatively dry and  clean and not difficult to navigate.   You can also source gourmet and deli supplies apart from the well known tradition of trying jam donuts.

These are the largest markets of its kind south of the Equator.  Pirated goods used  to be the controversial profile of the Vic Markets in the first half of the nineties.  Solar panels were set up to provide renewable and cleaner energy arrangements for the markets in 2003.  There was even a significant attempt to close these markets in the seventies. The site of such markets overlapped with pre-existing burial grounds and  there had to be re-interment of buried human remains to accommodate the expansion of the markets.

For those who prefer more of agricultural produce and displays, there are farmers' markets in Echuca, Mytrleford, Mulgrave, Flemington, Torquay, Inverloch , Boorondara and Hume Murray outside Melbourne CBD.  Also worthy to check out in Melbourne city centre are the Prahran and South Melbourne markets.

York Lane Cafe, Wynyard - Sydney CBD

I first came upon York Lane as part of an exercise in a trial building fire drill. The literal lane was clean, quiet and unassuming, providing a break between high rises near the Sydney's Harbour Bridge and slotted neatly between York and Clarence Streets. I noticed Made In Italy along this lane then, with a counter facing the roadway and egg tray cubes making do as tables for lunchers. Tucked away slightly a few metres up north along York Lane is this cafe with an apparently simple entrance but with a much more colourful interior inside.

When you walk in, you cannot help but noticing the mirrors at the furthest end of the joint.  The square shaped tables are necessarily small and low, with stools offered for customers. The decor does set the tone, with a colourful mural on one wall and the bar on the other. There was a portable electric fan sitting inauspiciously during a sultry warm afternoon on the day of visit. I was told of the hanging bicycle before hand - and there it was placed snugly above, reminding me of the Clipper Cafe in Glebe, Sydney CBD. The cafe does not have a level floor but more interesting, it provides various platform and down step corners. You can have takeaway, but more delightful is to spend an hour or so soaking in the innovative interiors.

I am reminded of Melbourne lifestyles sitting inside the York Lane Cafe.  Coffee, carefully thought of snacks, wines, liquorsrs, juices and beers.  The menu comes on parched paper placed on small wooden clipboards. Service is fast despite being informal and friendly.  The house wine costs $6.50 when accompanied by a meal and there is happy hours between 2 and 4pm. Did I mention the bar? Yes, this unusual place is open till late on six out of the seven days (only closed on Sundays). Now there is at least a place to unwind after the late performance at the nearby Sydney Opera House or after a post work hours convention on a weeknight. Lamps look down at you from the ceiling.

I could not resist one of their signature menu items, the roast pork served with chili jam and a side serve of salad in creamy dressing. The crispy skin of the pork was well accompanied by the textured and juicy bite of the meat underneath.  The layer of fat was more than I expected but I thought it blended well.  Hey it was not that fat!  They did not have the Chinese styled duck slices with wraps that day. Later we topped up the visit with trying out the coffee - it was strong but had well chosen bean flavour and made with a creamy intensity, at least for my cuppacino!