Elder son, Matt. (Whoops, already done Matthew St in Crows Nest! #favouritechild?? LOL)
Such a range of houses around St Ives. Rundown bungalows strewn with rubbish, huge houses with manicured gardens, even old houses with horses in the adjoining paddock (2 horses on a block, probably about $1million per horse!)
The Dudley at Paddington is a busy local between Paddington and Rushcutters Bay.
BUSY on Christmas Eve, but each year we always go a park at Rushcutters Bay right next to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia where we picnic and wander among the boats before they start the Sydney to Hobart.
An internet search suggests The Royal is a Paddington favourite. It’s a heritage pub situated at Five Ways, a fascinating and we imagine a $$$ area of Paddington, just up the hill from Rushcutters Bay.
A great area to go for a walk.
It’s a neighbourhood local where you can grab a drink and a seat in one of the different rooms, balcony or rooftop with views of the harbour.
Shared plates, pub classics and contemporary dishes.
Somewhere to return!
Back to Balmain… again! The Royal Oak is less than 200m from last week”s Sir William Wallace and a pub from much earlier in the year, The Dry Dock, emphasising just how many pubs there are in Balmain! And to think 90% of them are closed from the heady 1800s and early 1900s.
The Royal Oak has been done very nicely. Modern but with a real old world charm about it.
Go there.
The Grand National Hotel at Paddington is in a fascinating residential area among the backstreets of Paddington where there’s a surprising number of bars and pubs. One of these is the iconic Grand National Hotel, which has been kicking around Paddo for ages.
“The Nash” sits outside the Sydney CBD lockout zone so is a pretty busy pub of a weekend evening
The venue is interesting. The walls are painted with faded pastels, and there’s are booths like an old milk bar.
Best of all, your dog is more than welcome. Before we’d even ordered a drink, the bar staff brought over a water bowl for our dog. No pups in the bistro, but that’s understandable.
Paddo’s a great place for a wander… narrow streets, interesting architecture and a few examples of real community like the honesty box for the home made jams and the hoses that have gone waaay over the top with their Christmas decorations!
Annandale. Go for a walk and you easily get the sense of what used to be. On just about every single corner is what could have been a former hotel.
Historically, suburbs like Annandale, before the gentrification, were very working class, and very much like Balmain or Rozelle, hotels proliferated.
The Victoria Hotel in Young St Annandale is a great little local tucked away amongst houses just off the main drag. Cold beer, great food and while the beer garden’s not leafy, it’s a good space to enjoy any time of the year.
I’ve driven and run (City to Surf) countless times past the Sheaf Hotel at Double Bay and in all those 50+ years had no idea it led a double life.
From the front it’s a typical hotel… heavy brick two story art Ecco facade with public and gaming bars at the front, but walk through the breezeway (past some fantastic music memorabilia) and there’s another world out the back.
The beer garden is warm and inviting with Sunday arvo music, heaters and plenty of shelter from rain and sun.
VERY dog friendly. Fab afternoon.
