Surry Hills

Don't be deceived by this relative old-school looking and serene neighbourhood. Surry Hills is considered to be an affluent eastern suburb of NSW and easily accessible from central Sydney centre via buses. 

1. Eat @ Bills

Spot Adina Hotel and right underneath is where Bills is located, usually marked by queues of patrons outside, Bills is a popular breakfast/brunch place with locals and tourists alike.

How it goes: You have to leave your name with the waiter on the reservation list and when your turn comes, your name will be called.

The wait? Near 30 minutes for a table.

When you spot the long queue, you know you have nailed the right place.
Located within the 'Adina Apartment Hotel and Conference Centre'

When the queue gets too long and your patience runs out, choose the alfresco dining option instead of the air-conditioned indoors.

Sunrise

Sweetcorn fritters, roast tomatoes, spinach and bacon
AU $21.50
This has got to be the best out of all the dishes we ordered, at least for us.
Sweetcorn fritters were an interesting concept and was well presented in a bright mix of red, green and yellow. The pile of fresh veggies together with savory bacon makes a delightful tasting experience. 

Burst the poach egg for a flowy slurp. 

Ricotta Hotcake

AU $18.50.
3 pieces of pancakes with honeycomb butter and maple syrup, hidden underneath banana splits.
The pancakes are unlike the typical ones we are used to having. These warm hotcakes were rather thick and dense but still pillowy and not overly sweet. Makes quite a good combi with the butter and syrup

Bills

For a local dining experience, that's not over-touristy in pricing, try Bills I say.

2. Gelato Messina 

Strolling along Surry Hills neighbourhood, you can be on your way in the search for some desserts after brunch at Bills. Messina is a local brand and prides themselves in making happy, quality gelato free from colourings, flavourings or preservatives. Besides gelato, look out for their sorbets completely dairy-free, fat-free and full of fruits. Every product in Messina, as they promised to use the best and most natural ingredients available.

Messina's other branches in Sydney are in Darlinghurst, but I guess it's easier to locate the store in the  Surry Hill area as it's not as huge a boundary. For me, I have researched the other 2 outlets in Darlinghurst but don't find them near to any attractions to make a purposeful visit just to locate them. Recommended for you to drop by when in Surry Hill! 

Here are some random views along the street.

Grocer looks cool with a tabletop for dining.

3. Bourke Street Bakery

When you see long queues, Singaporeans got to do what we need to do right? Check it out and get in the queue as well!
 Locating this bakery was totally unintentional but since there's a queue means it has got to be good somehow right? So I queued and it was not fast, took me 20 minutes thereabout. Despite seeing many pieces of bread were on display.  =)

Perhaps as the pieces of bread and pastries were churned out, they were sold out and thus the wait for new batches? 

Buttery Croissant
less than AU $5
We were really full by then, but these pastries if not eaten on the spot while hot, would defeat the purpose. Hence, there we only ordered. Flaky and fluffy on the inside, this was great eaten on the spot. However, I believe we can easily obtain such croissants from bakeries- be it local or overseas franchise- in Singapore now as well.


Lemon curt tart
AU $5
It's really a very basic tart. You have the zesty and sweet elements there, that's it.




Thoughts
I wouldn't recommend all the way to search for this bakery, rather it's a hit-and-miss kind of feeling. Try if you see them but otherwise no fear of missing out. Perhaps there are other more tasty treats in Bourke Bakery? Share with me if you know of any.

So this about sums up my day in Surry Hills, stay tuned for more updates on my blog.
Thanks for reading!


Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills
http://bourkestreetbakery.com.au/

Address in map below~

Festival of The Winds

This joyous occasion celebrates the oncoming of Spring in Sydney which sees a conglomerate of kites in various shapes, forms, sizes and colours dancing with or against the wind amongst the clouds in the ocean-blue sky. We were lucky to have bumped into the festival when we visited last year in September. In 2015, the festival took place on 13 September, and on 2014 it took place on the 14th. Remember, the festive happens for just 1 day, on the 2nd Sunday of September! Just so happened we were there at Bondi Beach on that day!
Lucky us!

Mark Down Your Calendar 

As a result, we saw another side of Bondi Beach amidst the kites, crowd, festivals, carnivals and celebration! It was awesome and added another colorful side to the beach.

2016 would be the 38th year Festival of the Winds would be running. A celebration of Spring and togetherness, this festival sees the coming together of families and friends reunited by a common goal- to fly and display their master creations high up in the sky. That crowning glory.

Regardless of age, you will be in awe amidst the sea of kites high up in the blue blue sky. Pretty much from anywhere along the beach will enable you to catch a good view of the mass kite displays. From what I read, huge kites are mostly owned by kite enthusiast groups and gigantic ones can cost up to 10 over thousands of dollars in making.

Festival Info: http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-east/bondi/events/festival-winds

Prams have no place on the white fine sandy beach and have to be parked first. 

Such Excitement!

With estimated crowd of over hundred thousand at the festival annually, there were many other activities happening away from the beach. 

Be entertained by street performances such as stilt walkers, musical bands and dances. Such a jovial, cherry festival that will leave you smiling happily and leave with a hearty stomach. 

    

 Hungry?

 There were tonnes of food stalls selling all sorts of international snacks. It was awesome!

Bratwurst and Kransky Hotdog 

Bratwurst-German traditional mild pork and herb sausages. Ranges from 7- 9.5 AUD and as usual, really humongous, stuffed with lots of ingredients.
 How could anyone finish this by oneself. Or was it just us?

Bratwurst — -German traditional mild pork and herb sausage and FrankDog — lean chicken sausage and what have you in 'Bacon and Cheese' and 'Crispy Onions' flavour. So sinfully tasty and satisfying!

 The point is- are you drooling already? 

Even camels don't shy away

This pancake was filled with spinach and beef. 

Stilt Performers... stunning! 

Just a short distance away, head over to the Bondi Beach Public School for the Bondi Market. Only opens every Sunday from 10am- 4pm ( yes, they close early)

A market of everything from vintage, coffee, plants, crafts, take your pick! And yes it is held within the premises of a school and that explains why it is around only on Sundays. 

https://www.facebook.com/bondimarkets/

Thanks for reading and enjoy Bondi!