Azuma Kushiyaki is a cozy Japanese restaurant in the Sydney central business district. It serves “kushiyaki”: meat, seafood and vegetables grilled on skewers. It is the sister restaurant of the more upscale Azuma on Chifley Square.

Azuma Kushiyaki serves not only grilled dishes; they have an extensive menu that includes sushi, sashimi, otsumami (small dishes that accompany sake, beer and shochu), udon or ramen noodles in soup, rice dishes such as onigiri (rice balls with fillings of salmon, pickled plum, salted kelp and more).

My favorite dishes were indeed the kushiyaki, especially the paradise prawn, wild scallops, baby beef tenderloin with soy and butter, and shiitake mushroom stuffed with minced prawn. The agedashi tofu in a Japanese mushroom sauce was exquisite. The service is very Japanese: efficient but not hurried, discreet and proper.

Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor
Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George Street
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9267 7775
www.azuma.com.au/kushiyaki

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(1) Glass Bar at the Hilton Hotel (downtown Sydney)

The Glass Bar is part of the Glass Brasserie, a stunning restaurant in the Hilton Hotel located in Sydney’s CBD. Airy and filled with natural light, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, with an impressive view of the Queen Victoria Building across the street, the Glass Bar is the perfect place to meet for drinks and small snacks.

If you decide you are hungry after all, the Glass Brasserie is ideal. Unlike many bars and brasseries in the city, you can actually carry on a conversation and hear one another. The wine list is long and varied, so if you feel like a French or Italian red, there are enough choices for you. The scene is very downtown, after-work, and it’s one of the few places in Sydney where you’d feel strange to be wearing flip flops.

Glass Brasserie and Glass Bar
Hilton Hotel (Level 2)
488 George St.
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9265 6068
www.glassbrasserie.com.au

(2) Gazebo Wine Garden (Elizabeth Bay)

Gazebo has a completely different vibe from the Glass Bar. It’s a relaxed neighborhood hangout where flip flops are almost mandatory. The inside-outside seating arrangement demands that you hang around in the early evenings slowly sipping a bottle of fine Australian and New Zealand wine.

Gazebo has pizzas, salads, shared plates such as stuffed roasted mushrooms and crispy calamari. But if you are hungry for a main course, you can order steak and fries, mussels, fish, burgers, tarts and more. Gazebo is close to Kings Cross station.

Gazebo Wine Garden
2 Elizabeth Bay Road
Elizabeth Bay
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9357 5333
http://thegazebos.com.au/gazebo/index.html

(3) Hugo’s Bar Pizza

The main reason I would go back to Hugo’s is the pizza: delicious thin-crust creations topped with fresh ingredients. For a place that is best known for its bar scene, the pizzas are very good indeed.

We went to the Potts Point location which is close to the Kings Cross station and other restaurants and bars in the Potts Point / Kings Cross area. The vibe is neighborhood chic, but it’s still relaxed and fun. They have happy hour with half-price drinks and pizza on Sunday before 6:00 p.m.

Hugo’s Bar Pizza
33 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9332 1227
www.hugos.com.au

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Brekkie – that’s what locals call breakfast and I find Sydney’s breakfasts to be among the best in the world because of the freshness of local ingredients (especially the fruit). Here are my favorites:

(1) Bill’s: I reviewed it yesterday. Bill Granger has outposts on Surry Hills and Woollahra. Read my review of Bills. No Wi-Fi.

(2) Tigerbakers: this cozy, lively cafe on Victoria Street is packed every morning. The ricotta hotcakes, with marscapone, golden syrup and seasonal berries are very delicions as is the porridge with berries. They also have egg dishes, muesli, salmon benedict. For lunch they have sandwiches. No Wi-Fi.

(3) Cafe Bondi: this cafe is located on a hill at the base of a tall apartment building on Kings Cross Road. Good views onto the park below, large outdoor seating, excellent breakfasts including shakshuka, my favorite Israeli breakfast dish (baked tomatoes and red peppers in a rich tomato sauce, topped with eggs). Fast, free Wi-Fi. Cafe Bondi has outposts on Bondi Beach and Rose Bay. The Bondi Beach location also has Israeli salads.

Bill’s
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
+ 61 2 9360 9631
www.bills.com.au

Tigerbakers
292 Victoria St
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
www.tigerbakers.com

Cafe Bondi
3 Kings Cross Road
Kings Cross
Sydney, Australia
www.cafebondi.com

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I went to Bill’s in Darlinghurst for the first time in 2002 and returned last month on my second trip to Sydney. The food is just as good as it was back then, the atmosphere welcoming and relaxing. I went for breakfast and had the ricotta hotcakes with bananas and honeycomb butter, which were as delicious as I remember them.

The toasted coconut bread was divine. My partner had the toasted grain cereal with vanilla-poached fruit and yogurt, which he reported to be just right in sweetness and size.

The Darlinghurst cafe is large and airy, with a large, long community table in the center and piles of magazines. Just the kind of neighborhood place I would visit regularly. Bill’s has expanded to Woollahra, Surry Hills and even Japan.

Bill’s
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
+ 61 2 9360 9631
www.bills.com.au

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If you are staying in the Darlinghurst area of Sydney (or find yourself there), and you are craving sushi, stop at Zushi, a trendy local sushi place on Victoria Street. There are outside tables if you want to watch the unfolding daily street parade. The sush and sashimi dishes are very fresh. We went there for lunch and were quite surprised at the large portions of the lunch specials. There have happy hour on Mondays between 6-7pm plus 30 percent of certain kinds of sashimi, sushi and rolls. They also hold sushi-making classes in case you decide to attempt it yourself in the privacy of your home.

Zushi
239 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
www.zushi.com.au

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We went to Spice I Am for lunch and were impressed. The food is quite spicy, which is how I like it. I had the Prad Prik King with prawns; my partner opted for one of the curry dishes. The portions were more than enough for lunch. The longan and young coconut juices were refreshing for such a hot day. There is outdoor seating if you want to watch the world go by.

Spice I Am
90 Wentworth Ave.
Surry Hills
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 928 00 928
www.spiceiam.com

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We came upon Tastevin, a French bistro and wine bar in Darlinghurst (Sydney) by accident. We had just seen a production of “Tosca” at the Sydney Opera House and were famished at 10:30 p.m. But where to go?  We had already been turned away by a couple of restaurants in Darlinghurst, a district in Sydney where we were staying (this is an early dinner town), so when we showed up at Tastevin and saw only one other couple dining, we were sure we’d end up in a dodgy pizza place off Kings Cross. What we did not know was Tastevin is open till late (so its business card says). The owner, Alex Bourdon, greeted us warmly and informed us that yes, they were still serving. Relief.

Tastevin serves classic French dishes and offers a wide selection of French wines in an elegant dining room on the second floor of a building in the busiest part of Victoria Street. My partner went for the lemon sole with beurre meunière and petits pois, a dish which was delicate and rich at the same time. I had a delicious gnocchi with sauteed mushrooms and truffle oil, which sounds heavy but isn’t. For dessert, what else? The crème caramel – a perfect way to end an evening!

Tastevin has a bar menu for those who prefer to do a bit of wine tasting with small plates: cheese plate with guava paste and muscatels, charcuterie with cornichons and pickles (classic French), Sydney rock oysters, and more.

Tastevin
292 Victoria St.
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9356 3429
www.tastevin.com.au

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If you are going to Sydney, do not even think of leaving without a visit to many of the city’s swimming pools and not just the rock pools at Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach. You must visit the Andrew (Boy) Charlton pool at Mrs. Macquaries Point opposite the Wooloomooloo Wharf. It lies below the Royal Botanical Gardens, at the edge of the water with a stunning view of the wharf and several Australian battleships. The Charlton pool is a salt water pool (no nasty chlorine here) which is 50 meters long and has 8 lanes. There’s a kiddie pool on the side so you can train your future Olympic swimmers. But if you prefer to just sunbathe, you can join the crowd on the right side (see above).

The one thing I must warn you about the Charlton pool is this: there are eight lanes marked slow, medium and fast. Before you jump in, you have to figure out how fast you swim by timing yourself with the huge clock on the wall. To swim in the fast lane, you need to come under a certain time (in seconds). On the day we visited the pool, there were 3 to 4 people swimming in all of the lanes except the fast one, which was dominated by a young guy in perfect shape doing the Butterfly.

In the slow lanes were several older ladies, one of whom seemed to be wearing a bathing cap with flowers, like the ones worn in 1950s Esther Williams synchronized swimming films, pushing through the water at a very leisurely pace. Given that I was too fast for the slow lane and too slow for the fast lane, I sighed and picked one of the “medium” lanes. Unfortunately, I was much slower than all three of my lane companions, one of whom I shall call “Mr. Olympics” who should have been in the fast lane, but was probably too intimidated by Mr. Butterfly.

Feeling the need to keep up with Mr. Olympics and his speedy companions, I pushed myself very hard to swim very fast. Since I am used to swimming in a 25-meter pool in San Francisco, at a fairly leisurely pace, I ran out of breath so often that I was forced to take short breaks after every three laps. Meanwhile, my lane companions continued to chase one another down the pool, barely managing to avoid hitting me as they did their flips at the end. Seeing that my efforts to keep up had not been successful, I decided to try one last thing: I imagined a giant barramundi chasing after me. Although the imaginary barramundi did force me to swim faster, after half an hour, I felt utterly exhausted, demoralized (for failing to keep up with my lane companions), guilty (for not keeping in better shape), and out of energy. I got out of the pool and headed for the cafe on the second level, leaving the barramundi, Mr. Olympics and his competitors to enjoy the rest of the afternoon without me.

Although the Charlton Pool is more crowded than the rock pools at Bondi and Coogee, it is more modern and has cleaner facilities than the one at Bondi. The Charlton Pool is also heated (unlike the rock pools), has dressing rooms, massage facilities, and hot showers.

The cafe on the second level serves delicious food including fruit shakes and smoothies, and it’s open for breakfast and lunch. Sitting up there, sipping a smoothie, enjoying the view after an exhausting swim is a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Sydney.

Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool and Cafe
1C Mrs. Macquaries Road
The Domain
Sydney 2000
Australia
www.abcpool.org

When you go to Sydney for holiday or business, the first thing you need to decide is in which district to stay. Sydney is a very large city and spread out, like Los Angeles. I had been to Sydney before so on my most recent trip, I knew I wanted to stay in or near Darlinghurst, which is home to many cool cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. I don’t like the central business district (CBD) because it’s dead at night and has an impersonal feel. Neither do I like The Rocks which is next to the bridge because it’s too touristy, though the views onto Sydney Harbour and the Opera House are spectacular. Bondi Beach is too difficult to reach via public transport and hotels there charge too much money for what you get.

On my recent trip to Sydney in February 2010 I stayed at the Diamant Hotel located on Kings Cross Road, a block from the Kings Cross underground metro station, and a few steps away from Victoria and Darlinghurst Streets, which form the main thoroughfares of Darlinghurst. Victoria Street is packed with good restaurants and cafes; Kings Cross Road has many cafes, bars and a lively nightlife.

Our room at the Diamant was located in a corner unit with views across the city. There was a lot of light and because we were on the fourth floor, it was quiet. The Diamant’s decor can be described as contemporary with a lot of dark wood and neutral colors to give it enough warmth. The staff are very helpful and friendly. They suggested several places for lunch and dinner, all of which were excellent. The only negative remark I can make about the Diamant is its Internet policy: there is no Wi-Fi in the rooms. There is only wired access in guest rooms and you pay AU$20 per day to use it. The good thing is that Wi-Fi in the lobby is free of charge (but very slow). The Diamant does not serve breakfast, but Cafe Bondi is just up the hill on the same road and they have free, fast Wi-Fi, plus good healthy breakfasts.

I would stay again at the Diamant because it’s reasonably priced (we paid AU$175 per day) and the location is fantastic (only minutes from the best dining in Darlinghurst and a block from the Kings Cross metro station). You can walk to Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Wooloomooloo and the Botanical Gardens. The Diamant belongs to Eight Hotels group, of which the Kirketon – a boutique hotel in Darlinghurst – is a member.

Diamant Hotel
14 Kings Cross Road
Potts Point
Sydney, Australia
Phone: +61 2 9295 8888
www.diamant.com.au

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Whenever I visit a city, I look for the neighborhood gems, the restaurants and cafes where locals hang out. Onde, a tiny bistro in the Darlinghurst district of Sydney, is one of those places. Its modern, space-age decor, bohemian chic clientele and delicious starters, main courses and desserts, make this restaurant one of my top 5 in Sydney.

On the evening that I dined there, we had roasted a salad with succulent pieces of roasted pork belly, linguine with caramelized onions and tomatoes (very garlicky and piquant), superb grilled fish, and two unbelievably delicious desserts: a buttermilk pudding with lots of cherries and a meringue with strawberries. The wine list is reasonably priced, and contains a selection of Australian and French wines. The chef changes the menu daily and sometimes they run out of certain dishes. They do not take reservations but on the night we dined there, we did not have to wait (it was a weeknight).

The restaurant is located on Liverpool Street, very close to Victoria Street, in Darlinghurst.

Onde
346 Liverpool St.
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9331 8749
www.onderestaurant.com

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