Staycations are very much in vogue, travel editor Winsor Dobbin reports.
Staycations offer the opportunity to explore your own city at a leisurely pace without worrying about flight delays, baggage allowances, surging Uber prices or whether you are about to miss the last light rail for the night.
For lovers of food and drinks, the Streets of Barangaroo precinct on the waterfront is the perfect location to enjoy a gourmet weekend. Whether you are looking for sophisticated Vietnamese cuisine, seafood, or a Japanese Peruvian fusion experience, you’ll find something to suit just about every palate.
The Streets of Barangaroo recently welcomed four new venues, Vietnamese eatery Annamese, Anita Gelato, Haven Coffee, and Yo-Chi frozen yoghurt. Anita Gelato, Annamese and Haven Coffee are part of the recently completed luxury residential development One Sydney Harbour.
Annamese is an elevated Vietnamese restaurant from the team behind popular venues Phamish and Muum Maam, highlighting sustainable seafood and locally sourced ingredients. Highlights from the menu include roast duck and banana blossom salad with Vietnamese herbs, pickles, smoked chilli, and roasted rice; and Australian king prawns wok tossed with shrimp paste, garlic, and shallot. The flavours are delicious across the board.
We stayed at ibis Barangaroo, which is located between Barangaroo and neighbouring dining precinct King Street Wharf. You can catch a ferry from the inner west to Barangaroo Wharf and you are immediately on holiday.
The hotel is owned by hospitality mogul Dr Jerry Schwartz, who also owns hotels including the Sofitel Darling Harbour – so the staff are top-notch. Zane, who checked us in, was charming and full of local knowledge.
The rooms, as is the case with most ibis properties, are compact but are clean and have everything you’d need for a few nights: a bathroom with plenty of hot water, good fast wifi, blinds to keep the room dark, a comfortable bed, flat-screen TV, small fridge, tea and coffee facilities, hair dryers and effective air con.
The public areas include a funky lounge with free chilled still and sparkling water, and Lot 51, a café serving breakfasts, then daytime toasties, pizzas, snacks, and hot and cold drinks – including beers from Sydney Brewery, which is also owned by Schwartz.
There are 91 guest rooms in total – and reception is manned 24 hours a day, as you’d expect in an Accor property. Staff are happy to store your bags pre- or -post check-in and the property is surprisingly quiet given its location.
For details see https://all.accor.com/hotel/6412/index.en.shtml. Prices are fluid depending on the season.
Just a short stroll away are not only the very chilled Annamese but also Callao and love.fish.
Callao specialises in Nikkei cuisine, a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese flavours.
Opened just over a year ago, the flavours on offer at the 104-seat eatery have clearly hit the target.
There is a hip young crowd on hand: both the customers and the very efficient servers.
And the quality of the food, with the two distinctive cuisines delivering intriguing combinations, is matched by a drinks list peppered with cocktails, Japanese whiskies, and some astutely chosen wines.
Japanese Peruvian cuisine is something of a global trend right now and Nikkei describes immigrants of Japanese origin – of which there are many in Peru. Nikkei food is characterised by its use of the wide variety of ingredients available in Peru, including aji amarillo, an emulsion of the South American chilli pepper.
The Callao menu blends traditional techniques with vibrant ingredients – every dish on the Chef’s Selections tasting menu ($119 per person) offered myriad flavours, but with a real sense of cohesive style. Mainstays include fresh seafood like tiradito, marinated in zesty Peruvian sauces, and baby octopus with tomato, green olives, saffron potatoes, chickpeas and chilli oil.
After some warm edamame beans with smoked salt, our starters were a stunning scampi tartare with crispy rice, truffle mayo, avocado puree, pickled jalapeno and Siberian caviar, and a delightfully tangy salmon ceviche with aji amarillo, leche de tigre (a zesty Peruvian marinade made with lime juice, fish, and spices), toasted corn and sweet potato puree.
Then came Skull Island tiger prawns with aji panca (red pepper) bisque, sea urchin mayo and tabiko (flying fish roe) mayo (below); and Wagyu tri-tip with smoked date teriyaki, aji amarillo mayo and togarishi spices. Both extremely moreish.
Callao is open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday and is at 100 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo. callao.com.au.
More traditional but equally fun is love.fish, and nothing says “Sydney” and “summer” like kicking back and eating fresh seafood while sipping cold wine on the waterfront.
The 175-seater is located directly opposite the Barangaroo ferry wharf, so try to bag a seat on the terrace.
If you love people watching this is your spot: from rollerbladers to joggers, cyclists to posers, the chronically under-dressed to commuters. All the world’s a stage.
And given the huge rents the love. fish team must pay for their prime spot; their prices are extremely reasonable. Think locally sourced oysters, raw fish, whole fish, platters, and crustaceans.
We tried the $69 per person “Feed Me” menu for lunch – and it offered an impressive range of seafood dishes that can be matched to wines for another $29 per person. You still get out for under $100 a head, which seems very fair to me. There is a two-person minimum for this offering.
Love.fish just gets it right. The a la carte menu ranges from sashimi and scallops to a classic old-school king prawn cocktail, with mains from battered fish and chips to a seafood platter for two for $195.
For those needing some greens there is a range of vegetable and salad sides.
From small beginnings in Rozelle, this remains a family business; operated by Michael Milkovic and Michelle Grand-Milkovic, with an offering of affordable, sustainable seafood and casual but attentive hospitality.
See https://www.lovefish.com.au/
# Another newcomer is The Cellar at Barangaroo, a small-scale, premium retail pop-up designed to complement Endeavour Group’s Dan Murphy’s and BWS brands.
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Smart parking deal
You know how expensive parking is at Sydney Airport?
One hotel now has the answer. Stay a night at the Moxy Sydney Airport and you can park your car for five nights for free.
Moxy Sydney Airport’s new Park, Stay & Fly package is perfect for travellers seeking secure, hassle-free airport parking paired with a stylish stay and inclusive return airport shuttle.
The news is all good for locals who need their car at the airport for their return. The car park is covered with 24/7 CCTV surveillance for extra peace of mind. The deal includes a free shuttle ride to the airport and back and after your five free nights, you can choose from daily rates starting at $15, weekly rates from $100, or save up to 20% on extended monthly stays.
The hotel is fun, too, with a relaxed, casual vibe and good grub and cocktails.
Booking Details: The extended parking package is now available.
See more of Winsor’s recommendations at www.gourmetontheroad.com.
