Four days in Sydney

We've just spent four days in Sydney introducing M & R to all our ethnic foodie finds in the villages of Lakemba, Auburn, Granville, Cabramatta and Maroubra Junction.

While they caught up with the Archibald Portrait Prize exhibition at the AG NSW and Schindler's List at the State Library we enjoyed a very long brunch at Glebe's Digi.Kaf on St John's Road with Sydney Clare and 9 month old Zoe.

Zoe seemed to have recovered from her bout of ill health and short hospital stay quicker than her Mummy had. She was full of smiles and new tricks, including clapping hands and waving good bye. I enjoyed my short strolls with her on St John's Road while Rob and Clare lingered over their coffees.

Zoe was in such a good mood she put up with my long chat to the custodians of the beautiful Honey Ant Gallery just opposite Digi.Kaf. They show beautiful work from many of the Western desert Aboriginal communities and seem very ethical and well informed in the way they operate. Zoe focussed on chewing on my Elk necklace while I rabbited on with the gallery owners about the art work. Take a look if you like..... http://www.honeyantgallery.com/index.html

We had another wonderful cultural experience on Sunday morning as we were exploring "Wendy Whiteley's garden" in front of her harbour side home at Lavender Bay. We met the wonderful Wendy herself hosing down after a graffiti clean up on one of Brett Whiteley's sculptures that adorn the garden.

She was in her serious gumboots, and signature head wrap and quite prepared for a bit of a chat. Maxie and I helped her uncoil her bright blue hose while she talked to us about getting her garden ready for the Kirribilli RSL Club Anzac Day commemorations. We didn't ask her anything about life with Brett, but gushed our admiration for her beautiful garden, slowly formed out of the rubbish heap around the old NSW State Rail line on Lavender Bay.

We also found time for lunch at the Jasmin Lebanese Restaurant in Lakemba and a visit to the wonderful Fine Food Nut Roasting Company in Chapel Street. One of the highlights of lunch at the Mado Cafe in Auburn was the chewy Turkish ice cream made with ground orchid root and then wondrous pastries for dinner afterwards from Abla's Pastries at Granville.

We found time for another dinner at our local Moroccan Feast on Avoca St Randwick and the best Yum Cha ever at The Golden Unicorn at Maroubra Junction (only 5 minutes drive from Coogee). The only way we could fit in lunch at our favourite Thanh Binh Vietnamese restaurant on John St Cabramatta was to veer off the M5 for an hour or so on our way into Sydney.

We did the coast walk to Clovelly and to Sth Coogee, even had a Jennifer Hawkins sighting (taking a brisk morning walk before her star turn at the Doncaster Stakes), did over the shops at Bondi Junction and Chatswood Chase and just LOVED our time together in this wonderful city.