Darlinghurst: Food: Wasabi Bar and Bistro

Has the Poos on Sticks curse lifted? Last night, while wandering back from the pub, I discovered the restaurant space next to the Ken Unsworth sculpture had some spanking brand new signage. 

No, not the Run Property sign - they have been renting the upstairs space since Belle Property moved out a couple of years ago. 

The restaurant space on the ground floor has been home to about half a dozen failed food ventures in as many years. The last one was a Chinese restaurant, with beautiful red lanterns hanging by its doors, but one look at the menu and the prices, was enough to deter me.  

This endless series of Poos on Sticks restaurants must spend thousands of dollars on fit-outs. But then after about six months, they close down, never to be seen again. 

I always find it surprising, because the space - and particularly the al fresco eating area - has one of the most marvellous views in the neighbourhood, looking down William Street and across to the CBD and St Mary's Cathedral. 

For a time, the inappropriately named, Bondi Cafe, was threatening to take over the spot, moving over from their space down on Kings Cross Road, in the district's boonies. There was a development application under their name plastered to the window for about a year. But for some reason they never made the move. 

So is the place cursed?

I hope not. The new signage is for Wasabi Bar and Bistro and using my fierce brain power, I suspect this new joint is Japanese. 

Do we really need any new Japanese food places in the neighbourhood? 

Only if they are bloody brilliant. I hope for their sake - no pun intended - they can break the curse.

UPDATE: Wasabi Bar and Bistro is now open from 11am to 10pm, seven days a week.

The well-priced menu (ie. fairly cheap) includes the usual Japanese stuff: tempura, sushi, sashimi, donburi, teriyaki, udon et al. 

I think they once traded from a shop at 423 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. 

*

Wasabi Bar and Bistro

Shop 1, 1-3 Kings Cross Road

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

02 9360 6220

Darlinghurst: Detritus: Happy New Year

 Happy new year from Darlinghurst! I hope 2011 brings you good things. 

I actually took this picture during the 9pm fireworks, which I watched - Champagne in hand - from Poos on Sticks. Quite a little crowd of strangers had gathered and we all ooohed and aaahed together and became friends.

Then as soon as the fireworks were over, the small crowd of new friends dispersed. 

Later, I went to a party in an apartment at the flats at 1 Tewkesbury Avenue, which had the most amazing wrap-around verandas with views across the neighbourhood. Unfortunately the Horizon apartment building completely blocked out any view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is fireworks central, so I missed the ''X Marks the Spot'' theme that the cracker show was based upon. I assume there was a big X on the bridge, which doesn't sound all that exciting anyway.

I have never been in to the 1 Tewkesbury Avenue flats before, so it was interesting to see Darlinghurst from such a different perspective. I especially loved seeing the beautiful spire of St John's Church lit up in the night:

I didn't disgrace myself too badly at the party, so maybe the hostess will invite me back during the day so I can have another glimpse of the neighbourhood from above. 

Darlinghurst: Comics: Postcard

I have just made some cute little pink postcards featuring this illustration, which shows me with the Poos on Sticks sculpture and a rogue Dalek in Darlinghurst. If you would like me to send you a postcard in the mail, please email with your postal address. I will send postcards anywhere in the world, including to my readers in the Ukraine and Pakistan. I have a reader in China too! And, yes, this service is FREE. I will pay for the stamps. Thanks for visiting my blog, and don't forget, My Darling Darlinghurst also now has a Facebook page with special features and exclusive photo albums.

Warmest wishes, Violet xxx
violettingle@gmail.com

Darlinghurst: Plant Life: City of Sydney Council's Potted Colour

Every now and then the City of Sydney Council reveals its truly potted side, by installing unusual flower and leaf planter-box sculptures on the footpaths in a bid to spruce up the neighbourhood.

The latest crop of kooky-shaped, green-sculptures arrived last week and if I had more time on my hands, I would have gone to Reverse Garbage in Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west, to purchase art and craft supplies, off-cuts and other materials, so I could creep out in the middle of the night and turn these:

Into these:

I wouldn't need much, just some old tennis balls, pieces of cardboard, maybe some kind of round-ducted device and a handful of sticks, and in a few crafty minutes the streets of Darlinghurst would be invaded by Daleks:

Perhaps I do have too much time on my hands though, because I also dreamt up an idea for a budget craft attack, whereby I would find some old vacuum-cleaner hoses to transform the planter-boxes into that dinky robot from Lost in Space:

But the Dalek urge is much stronger and the similarity uncanny, so despite the City of Sydney Council's intention to inspire thoughts of Spring-growth and plant lovin', I only think, ''Ex-ter-minate! Ex-ter-minate!''

Since Dr Who's foes were installed, near Poos on Sticks on Victoria Street, I have also started having peculiar day-dreams that a seemingly innocent floral-Dalek such as this . . .

. . . would one day pop open to reveal this:

Argh!

But I'm still trying to work out what to make of this:

Darlinghurst: An Introduction

Located on the eastern edge of the Sydney CBD, Darlinghurst - with a population of just over 10,000 - is bordered by Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Paddington and Surry Hills.

William Street, known for its street prostitution, borders the neighbourhood on the north, while Oxford Street, famous for its gay bars and night life, runs along Darlinghurst's southern end. To the east are the posh suburbs of Woollahra, Darling Point and Double Bay.

Linking William and Oxford Streets, running north to south, are Darlinghurst's main streets - Victoria Street and Darlinghurst Road, which are home to cafes, pubs and boutiques.

I have names for all the different parts of the neighbourhood, such as The Ridge, The Flats, and The Lowlands but I won't go into that now, suffice to say that I live on "Darlinghurst Hill", the highest point of the suburb on Royston Street.

Darlinghurst is home to writers, musicians and artists, including actor Hugo Weaving, filmmaking couple Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin (who live in the suburb's historic mansion, Iona), author Peter Robb and novelist Mandy Sayer, whose husband, playwright Louis Nowra, lives across the border in Kings Cross.

The neighbourhood's prominent sites include St John's Anglican Church (the steeple of which I can always see from the window of a plane):

St Vincent's Hospital:

and the Sydney Jewish Museum (which I used to live across the road from).

Another famous landmark is the Harry Seidler-designed, 43-storey Horizon building, which casts a shadow on the neighbourhood and can also be used to pinpoint Darlinghurst by air.

The suburb also hosts a fire station, a Ken Unsworth sculpture (unaffectionately dubbed "Poos on Sticks"; shown in the photograph at the top of the page), as well as the Stables Theatre, Darlinghurst Courthouse and the National Art School.

Darlinghurst does not have a train station (Kings Cross Station is nearby) but is serviced by the rogue 311 Bus (more on that another day).

For a history of Darlinghurst read Larry Writer's fine book, Razor, and for the suburb's Wikipedia entry click here.