China Town fusion

Located near the entrance to the uber popular 'Patties Markets'/Haymarket sits a small stretch of shops dubbed as China Town. China town is just a short (down hill) walk from central station and sits just above the also popular Darling Harbor. China Town is somewhat famous for it's traditional bilingual sign posts.

Adorning either entrance is a majestic, bright red 'traditional' Chinese archway. It certainly stands out. 

Arches.... Arches everywhere

Walking along the stretch of shops is really a thrill. Every where you go you are being lightly heckled by menu carrying waiters and waitresses tempting you to sit down and sample one of their many Asian delights. The food of course is amazing. Towards the north most end of the arcade is a Chinese cream puff booth. I say booth because it is really just that: a tiny window in a wall where with an impossibly small kitchen behind it. The lines for these cream puff and custard tarts are infamously long but are well worth the wait!

Occasionally, but especially so on Chinese festivals the stretch of shops will be overly decorated and hold celebrations to mark, for example, the 'Year of the Snake'. During this time it's not uncommon to see the traditional Chinese Dragon show, during which a large Dragon like costume is manned by about 6 or so men and woman giving the impression that he large Dragon is hovering along the street. After all to see and do while at China Town you most likely wondering where the best place to eat is! The answer: Golden Harbor Restaurant , of course! This always busy, always popular restaurant specializes in Yum Cha (which is small, traditional Chinese dishes, like dumplings and pork buns). If you do decide to waltz down to China town make sure you pop in and visit, it's well worth it!

The signage for the tempting GHR 

So returning to our question of 'What is Urban Life in Sydney', the answer seems easily evident. Multicultural is one word which springs to mind: the street decorations, the character of the shops and what they sell certainly is modeled after an authentic Chinese strip of shops. Sydney is not just about bland office buildings and endless bodies of gleaming water, it's about cultural flare and being proud to show it.

Post by Will

Best time of day- Coffee time !!

Best time of day- Coffee time !!

For 99% percent of the population ( I have never seen the 1%) the first thing in our minds is how soon can we get coffee in to our mouths. The next logical question is where from. For those confined to the powder stuff i truly send my condolences, for the rest of us i present to you the top coffee establishments in our city of Sydney.

Coffee Brothers 

Post by Thamer

Amazing food scene in Sydney- Explore this weekend 

Sydney's food scene has become vibrant manly through our multicultural heritage. The bringing together of flavours from the east and west has ensured the sydney food culture to become dynamic. Sydney is leading the way to future where the food culture would reflect the diverse cultures that mix within this great city.

With the growing popularity of such television shows such as Masterchef, we can expect the youth of sydney to be excited about food just as much as those who have lived through the expansion of our truly global cuisine.

Trendy sydney Restaurant- asas

Here's one restaurant  you must visit this weekend to excite your senses:

Cafe Paci

A french-Mexican combination will leave you reaching for the stars. Here's link to book your table:
Cafe Paci
Restaurant review by Goodfood.com.au
"The meal kicks off with a Finnish-Mexican hybrid of a rye taco topped with rice porridge, buttery egg and snipped chives, which, even if you've had Karelian pastries at 6am at Helsinki's Kauppatori market, still comes across as damn weird. The flurry of appetisers includes a cute airy-fairy tartlet of potato mousse scattered with crisp shards of chicken skin, and the raw crunch of a baby carrot, taken out of its comfort zone with a discordant, smelly coat of prawn floss. Preferred Dining Companion isn't convinced, wrinkling her nose up at the rank smell. But that's nothing compared with the next course; a single, simple sardine, spray-painted in a shock of acidic and highly perfumed powdered raspberry and liquorice dust. ''Help,'' PDC says. ''I'm being traumatised by fruit.'' " (http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/eat-out/review/restaurant/cafe-paci-20130909-2tg3d.html)

Post by Thamer

The Queen Victoria Building: timeless

Breathtaking... the QVB's Eastern Wing

Located in the heart of the city the Queen Victoria Building (or the QVB as locals call it) combines 19th Century architecture with modern cafes and clothes stores.

Walking into the QVB is refreshing. Though not totally protected from the inner city noise the light flushed interior, the rich carpet and the tile-clad floor it a nice change of pace from the hectic city rush. The most stunning feature of the QVB is it's center - a giant class dome, 4 floors up. At Christmas time the circular hole which from every level onlookers can view the dome is filled with a tall Christmas tree.

A blue tower of Christmas cheer at the heart of QVB

Aside from gazing around at the QVB and it's stunning interiors there is plenty to do. In the Queen Street entrance stands a well patronized boutique chocolate store, which always attracts longing gazers from passer-by's. The most prominent cafe, the Old Vienna Coffee House is bustling with lunch-goers. On the upper levels is a tall grand piano where occasionally a man will come and play some tunes. But the best feature of the QVB is the regal Tea Rooms which offer the traditional devonshire tea.

High Tea anyone?

It's really great to see that Sydney City has not forgotten it's history. Surrounded on all sides by tall office towers, in comparison the QVB is tiny but manages to hold it's own due to it's time-gone-by looks.

Post by Will