A Japanese wagyu chef, an American single malt distiller as well as a Bangkok four seasons director walk into a bar…
It seems like a joke, doesn’t it?
Well, it’s when only the bar itself isn’t true, you realise what a strange, interesting week we’ve had.
With Christina satisfying wagyu chef extraordinaire Hisato Hamada, me lunching with director of Comms as well as Public Relations Daniel Schacter of the recently opened four seasons Bangkok as well as the both of us catching up with Head Distiller, Blender as well as partner at Westward Whiskey in Portland OR, Miles Munroe, it’s felt like the needle’s lastly starting to return to centre.
And this is only the half of it.
We hope you delight in this regular Edition.
Cheers – Jim & Christina xx
This morning, Christina is at the star in Pyrmont with renowned wagyu masterchef Hisato Hamada. Hisato is right here to over-see the develop of his newest wagyu restaurant Mashi no Mashi, implying ‘eat much more as well as more’ Japanese.
Incredibly, humble, Hisato tells Christina about exactly how he never truly had any type of rate of interest in cooking or in wagyu for that matter. His background is in the film industry, however found his like of food around a decade ago.
All of his restaurants—including Wagyumafia in Tokyo—champion family-owned wagyu beef farms that create a few of the finest meat in the world. all of the wagyu Hisato will serve at Mashi no Mashi Sydney will be coming from a single producer in Japan.
After her interview, which you’ll be able to checked out right here soon, Christina’s served a few of Hisato’s gyoza. These are wagyu gyoza as well as Christina confidently reported back they’re quickly the very best beef gyoza she’s ever tasted.
Looking ahead to when Mashi no Mashi opens in Pyrmont in the next month or so.
This evening, just after her hair visit with Stevie English, Christina as well as I are out for a couple of drinks in Balmain. We always like to take her new hair out, as well as tonight, we’re at The Lodge Bar—a excellent bit cocktail bar run by energy sphere as well as mixologist Hemant Samtani.
The drinks come thick as well as fast, as well as the environment tonight is fun as well as lively—exactly as it ought to be in a great area like this.
After a few much more mixed drinks than we were planning, we head to our dinner plans at Cantina Bar just up the street.
We’re all full of gin from The Lodge, so we don’t go mad on the food; just a brisket burger as well as jalapeño poppers… as well as a margarita of course!
The picture of me was Christina’s concept by the way.
Today I’m flying solo while Christina takes care of some Hair romance company elsewhere. I’m at lunch with the outstanding Jane Corbett-Jones at Totti’s in the city. Their signature puffy bread is still impressive, as well as the prosciutto crudo they serve right here is excellent.
We’re right here with a medley of interesting people from the travel media market thanks to director of Comms as well as pr at the recently opened four seasons hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River Daniel Schacter.
This new four seasons has just taken out top area in Thailand for Asia’s 50 finest Bars 2022 with its BKK Social bar. BKK Social is likewise #10 in all of Asia in addition to winning Michter’s Art of Hospitality award 2022.
As lunch winds down (it’s been about three as well as a half hours of solid eating!) dessert of ice cream sandwiches comes out. We likewise get to examine our goodie bags that Dan has gifted us with. inside is a premix cocktail from BKK Social Club as well as even better, the chance to stay at four seasons Bangkok next time we’re in Bangkok.
Christina as well as I are taking a look at a trip back to Europe in August, so now there’s a reason for a stop-over in one of our preferred funding cities on the way!
This morning, Christina is out at the very first Priceline event to run because 2019. Every six months, Priceline runs a type of small seminar for media as well as those in the hair as well as cosmetics industry, where popular figures speak about where Priceline—and the market as a whole—is moving.
There are likewise 50 brands right here to showcase their new products as well as even better, Christina is able to reconnect with good friends as well as colleagues she hasn’t seen for over three years thanks to the pandemic.
You can see much more about what Christina got as much as right here on her Hair romance Instagram feed.
Today, we’re back in town for a lunch with some good friends as well as fellow digital travel writers—in specific Paula Morgan from Sydney professional as well as Marianne Rogerson from mum on the Move—at Cabana Bar in Martin Place.
It’s a quite great area for lunch, two floor above the street as well as overlooking the MLC Centre.
Food as well as drinks right here at Cabana are quite sensible as well as well-made. My cheeseburger is surprisingly good—though I do end up with a bit of food envy seeing some other tables with their orders of schnitzel.
Christina’s barramundi tacos are significant as well as delicious (though she’s wisely purchased a side of potato wedges with sour cream as well as chilli sauce that take us back to the early 2000s.
After lunch however before we all go our separate ways, a few of us choose to inspect out a bar we’ve all been speaking about over lunch—not that we weren’t pleased at Cabana Bar!
But sky Bar at shell home on Margaret street near Wynyard is in one more league.
The design right here is so beautiful—a mix of lounge, art deco as well as contemporary tropical—and as the name suggests, the views are just as good.
Pretty much 360º vistas all around the city bring in so much light to this somewhat undiscovered rooftop bar. This is an Instagrammer’s playground, yet thankfully it’s still clearly off numerous of their radars. To the point where drinks costs right here are rather sensible as well as truly well-made.
A new preferred for us I think—plus there’s a big smoking area that I may be going to with a cigar at some point soon.
Our next stop this evening is to the Doss home in the Rocks. We’ve tried to find right here before however ended getting side-tracked by a martini bar along the way.
This is precisely what an underground speakeasy in the Rocks ought to be: vintage styling, bare timber floors, subjected sandstone walls, low ceilings as well as small doorways. It’s like stepping with a time portal here. It’s excellent.
But we’re right here for much more than just the decor: our old pal Miles Munroe is back in town.
Miles is the head distiller, head blender as well as partner of Westward Whiskey, a single malt distillers in Portland Oregon. We satisfied Miles years ago, where we did a unusual interview with him. It’s excellent to see Miles once again as well as discover much more about this distinct single malt.
Because Westward Distillery as well as numerous of its staff—including Miles as well as its creator Thomas Mooney—comes from brewing, the whiskey is made utilizing brewer’s yeast instead of routine distilling yeast. The difference this makes is extraordinary.
There’s most likely no much better example of this than in Westward’s restricted release Belgian Ardennes single Malt, which is made with Belgian beer yeast. totally modifications its flavour profile.
Our final stop for the night is best on the waterfront between two of Sydney’s—if not the whole country’s—most recognisable icons: the Opera home as well as Sydney Harbour Bridge.
We’re having dinner right here at Ploós—Greek fine-dining in one of the most amazing places in Sydney best on Campbells Cove in amongst the row of renowned heritage noted sandstone warehouses looking out over million-dollar views.
Grilled halloumi, slow-cooked lamb cigars, octopus with taramasalata, roast potatoes as well as twice-cooked duck
Ploós implies ‘a voyage’ in Greek. as well as this restaurant, its menus as well as its chef Peter Conistis, who pioneered Grecian cuisine in Australia, definitely takes you on a journey to the South Aegean.
The seafood right here is, of course, delicious. The octopus as well as taramasalata are delicate as well as completely crafted as you’d expect from a menu influenced by the islands of Santorini as well as Crete. however the roast potatoes as well as twice-cooked duck with its poached quince as well as dittany are genuine highlights too.
And as for the sardines with labne as well as salmon roe, it’s a meal that takes us directly back to Greece—and even has me hiding behind my cutlery!
If you’re searching for a extremely special location for a charming meal, a event dinner or household gathering, Ploós is an amazing option.
This is one of those parts of the city that’s for some reason commonly overlooked even though it’s got such outstanding views, is so close to whatever as well as is house to one of the very best locations to dine in the city.
We hope you delighted in this regular Edition.
Cheers – Jim & Christina xx