Good Ol' Paddy's

The Paddy’s Market is the place for cheap anything. Souvenirs, sunglasses, electronics, knockoffs, plants, cosmetics, lingerie, stuffed animals, hardware, jewelry...It’s the place to go for any stupid little thing you need but don’t want to pay much money for. And don’t care whether it breaks the second time you use it.


My favorite reason to go to Paddy’s was the produce. Being the center of Haymarket, which is like Chinatown, Paddy’s is mostly run and frequented by Asian-Australians. The place is a bustle of bodies and shouting, with fruit and cash being exchanged at a dizzying pace. You will get bumped into and not apologized to.


But with a level head and a little practice, you can make Paddy’s work for you. I loved that no matter what I bought, I rarely had to pull out a bill. It’s easy to lose track of how much you spend when you’re paying with coins at each stand, but it never adds up to very much. Usually I was only buying ingredients for one night’s meal so the amounts I needed were so small that sometimes they wouldn’t even charge me.


My most expensive single purchase at Paddy’s came when I was buying for a big party fiesta: 21 limes for $7 (which is just slightly less in U.S. dollars).

Whoever thought to get bowling reservations?

When two friends and I decided to walk to Centennial Park one day, we got sidetracked at the Entertainment Quarter of Moore Park. The EQ branches off Fox Studios like a mini City Walk from Universal Studios in LA. There are restaurants, shops, a movie theatre, a Love Sac store (more on that later) and a Strike bowling alley. It’s also right by the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium.

The three of us visited the EQ at an off-peak time, but we saw great potential for life and atmosphere. I read there are fresh produce markets on Wednesday and Saturday and a bazaar on Sunday, but never got a chance to see for myself.


I would argue the Love Sac store is reason enough to go to Moore Park. What’s a Love Sac? It’s like a huge beanbag chair, but filled with shredded foam stuff that makes it basically the most comfortable thing you’ve ever sat in. Ever. My friends and I sat on the thousand-dollar sac oohing and ahhing for probably half an hour, and no one from the store ever told us to leave. (The pic is actually from the time I got comfortable at the Hollywood store.)


The original purpose of this post was to talk about Strike, which has a Monday night special of $5 games and $4 pizzas. My friends and I returned the following Monday, and despite the slight deadness of the EQ, Strike was fully booked from 7 to 11. We never thought to call a bowling alley ahead of time for just three people. We decided to order a pizza and give evil glares to the people who had the presence of mind to make reservations. Just before we decided to charm our way into a game with three random guys, we noticed a lane that had been empty for a while. Someone didn’t show up, so we were able to get a game in before the next party.

It was a pretty cool bowling alley. Unfortunately we had just started to warm up when the game ended and we had to go, but live and learn. Too bad the Love Sac shop wasn’t open that late.

Food Food Food in Balmain/Rozelle

Most people learn of my food obsession very soon after meeting me. A few dead giveaways would be the hundreds of photos on my iPod of food I’ve cooked, the detail with which I describe things I’ve eaten, the exhaustive list recipes I’ve bookmarked, the number of times a week I mention Smitten Kitchen...

For these reasons, Balmain and Rozelle are almost too much for me to handle. The two neighborhoods partnered for a Food Week toward the end of April, which I’d heard about in the paper, but didn’t make it out for. Since Friday was warm and we were looking for a walk, I convinced two friends to join me on a foodie excursion.

We got off the bus on Darling Street in Rozelle, just a block from The Barn Café and Grocery, which is like a smaller Dean & Deluca plus a corner of Crate & Barrel’s kitchen section. We continued up Darling Street, stopping every few stores to gaze at the pastries. I’d venture to say Balmain/Rozelle has the most pastries per capita in Sydney.


And cafés. We passed so many cafés advertising autumn soups — which is fantastic because I love squash and pumpkin. I prefer spring weather, but I can’t hate on fall food.


As Darling Street became residential, we noticed the harbour to our left. We changed course and found a beautiful park.

We made our way through the side streets back to Darling right in the heart of Balmain. This area is packed with nice restaurants I can’t wait to try when my mom comes to visit and I have an excuse to go.

I imagine a great sunny Saturday would involve a ferry from Circular Quay to Balmain, a look through the Balmain outdoor market, lunch at nearly any of the cafes, a pitstop at the park before walking down Darling to the Rozelle weekend markets, then getting a pastry before heading home.

Harbour Bridge Walk

With this past Saturday being the last in April, I took a quick train north for the monthly Kirribilli Markets. A friend of mine from class, who lives just a few minutes from Kirribilli in North Sydney, met me for a browse through a few hundreds stalls of clothes, crafts and food.


Though she had to leave for soccer practice (she’s on the Sydney Uni team), I hung around and explored Kirribilli, from the main restaurant row to Luna Park and through the residential parts along the water.


It was cool seeing the opposite side of the Opera House.


Then an American friend, Jeff, met me at Milson’s Point so we could walk across the Harbour Bridge back to Circular Quay. The Harbour Bridge Climb, which takes you to the very top, costs up to $300, but a simple walk on the pedestrian path doesn’t cost a thing.


The views are still pretty good.

Uh oh, I had cupcakes and a camera

Two weeks back, I was on a bus back from Bondi Beach when I noticed a cute little sign with a chic pastel design. The Cupcake Bakery.

Stop the bus!

I restrained myself from doing anything more drastic than thrusting my hand into my beach bag to retrieve my handy dandy notebook and scrawling basic coordinates for future reference: The Cupcake Bakery, Oxford St. near busstop before Centennial Park.

I would be back.

Fast forward to this latest Saturday when two friends and I made a leisurely trek to the classy neighborhood of Paddington for the weekend bazaar. We enjoyed the sunny breezy day walking past high-end boutiques and the people who shop at them. The Paddington Market is stocked with fine jewelry, garments and crafts, well above our Uni price range, but wonderful to admire.


By then it was cupcake time, though I wasn’t convinced I’d even order one. I’m picky about cupcakes because, though beautiful, they’re often too sweet for my taste. I mostly wanted to look.


We began to walk, hoping it wasn’t much further since we’d already gone about four miles that day. Just then I noticed a little girl in a stroller burying her face in frosting. She has a cupcake! I said, pointing directly at her. I glanced up and found the sign just a few stores ahead.

Once we entered, it became pretty clear I’d have to get a cupcake for myself. There was a display case full of appetizing options, but I found the one for me. A single chocolate chili cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting waited on a covered tray atop the counter. I had just sampled a bit of chili-cinnamon dark chocolate from a chocolatier at the market so my tastebuds couldn’t be more on board.

We sat in the tea garden and took a few minutes for a photo shoot before diving in.



I wasn’t disappointed. The cake was moist and chocolaty with heat from the chili surfacing after each bite. The frosting was nice, not too sweet. I’d like something dark and richer, but it did the job.



I see another Oxford Street/Paddington Market/Cupcake Bakery day in my future...