A Love Hate Thing

Lobo Plantation.

A little underground Cuban oasis. Dressed as elaborately as the time and setting, this joint is almost like a beautiful badass mirage. Tucked right in the heart of the CBD (and in such close proximity to its neighbouring cousins, Baxter Inn, Grandmas...), this young Havana escape is added into the mix. Just when I thought Clarence street couldn't get any better. 

Love. Cocktails. On Point. Some of my favourites are the Nuclear Daiquiri and Jamaican Julep. This is also the joint where I've had the best Mojito. Although overall, the food isn't impressive enough to hold you breath for, a special shout out is warranted for the three dishes that is just outstanding-- Baked Cheese balls, Tamales and the amazing Black Bean Stew (YES. CHICKEN.) Oh and the Banana Chips (Gadaaymm)! And as we like it, all wrapped up in tropical button up shirts with bow ties and floral ties as finishing touches, the some of the friendliest and finest mixologists are definitely amazing at what they do. 

Here's my cocktails list I'd like to share with y'all : Jamaican Julep, Pre Elixir, Millionaire, Mojito, Meassage In A Bottle, South East Side and my (not on the menu) personally recommended love, The Nuclear Daiquiri. 

However, this place could really amp it up by delivering ace customer service-- specifically to the ones on the floor. I mean, when I ask for 'your recommendation' I'm after a personal answer not a recitation of the menu. This is where we develop a relationship. Don't waste the opportunity. Also, YES, congratulations on the five stars on Timeout Sydney! But a bunch of star rating shouldn't trigger any sort of cockiness so much as to start telling your customers (who most likely spend a couple of hundreds of dollars) to 'get the fuck out' when it's passed the licensed time. I'm pretty sure a simple 'Hey guys, the bars closed. Sorry to see you go but we've passed the licensed time! Hope you all had a great night! Until next time.' To the (not so) gentleman who told everyon to fuck off on Saturday night, you need to educate yourself, take either a Hospitality or People Skills Course or something. Better yet, take some pointers from the bar staff. Prior to this encounter, I've held a little love for Lobo and it has been quite a high personal recommendation of mine to my friends and those who have sought for my advice. Today, I sit here wondering and second guessing myself-- a place I don't like being in. 

Though, besides that little hump, I do love this place. That sexy bathroom, a bar filled with experienced and lovely bar tenders that will create a drink to blow your mind is what makes this world go round. I mean, despite the slightly mismatched choice of music, I come back again and again and again wanting more of those beautiful poison mixes. This is a Cuban rum bar joint. Let it be heard! Change your music (if you need suggestions, hit me up, I've got the perfect playlist), bring Havana to Sydney and get your groove on. This place has so much potential and a little tweak here and there wouldn't hurt.

Oh how I love you and I love you and I hate you and I love you.

Of course, you must check this Carribean pocket out for yourself. (Serious Voice) Thinking of a Friday gig? Unless you love the breath of fresh air and the cry of the city's sirens, get in there early. 5pm early. Let me know what you think!

MARRICKVILLE RITZ HOTEL

Marrickville Ritz Hotel

Fresh off the oven. Who would've thought, Marrickville. 

This place is super new. I've only visited it once so unfortunately I wont be very helpful in giving you an objective recommendation. That being said I wont be attempting to recommend this place, YET. The sweet dimly lit pub, gives off an usually clean vibe. It's interesting to have an ambience of Surry Hills in this part of this city.

The DJ has to go. We came into a blanket of unappealing house music, which led me to ask for some hip-hop vibes. He replied with a confident "Yep, I'm about to put that next." Excited I went back to our party. Then Kendrick Lamar comes on followed by another Kendrick Lamar and the 'hip-hop set ended in Frank Ocean's Super Rich Kids. Now, there are just so many thing I can see how this type of dj-ing is so bad bordering on criminal, but I wont get into it. I'll give him props to putting on Disclosure and yes MJ was thrown in there, but its too late. This place needs a better DJ. SOON.

I hope this hotel take on criticism nicely and work towards bettering it because this is exactly what Sydney needs. Nice little oasis of good food, great drinks and awesome music just to spend the night away.

xx

GINGER

No one besides the awesome Brisbane markets seems to get my fruit juice with Ginger right. WHY? It's always either not gingery enough or ginger juice, that can tear your stomach apart.

THE MOTHER ICED TEA

FOVEUX ST, SURRY HILLS

CHILLIN W TANQUERAY

ACE

I love Foveux St. I seem to be fond of almost everything that pop-up on that street. And now, a new addition - From the badasses that brought us Pocket and Stitch Bar, welcome to Button Bar. Expectations were very high and it delivered. We had a great bartender. A great (expected) selection of cocktails. A very respectable whiskey (and other spirits) selection. Forgive my crap photos, it's all my Samsung Galazy S1 (no flash) could do. Besides you've got to try it for yourself. Let me know what you think. Enjoy

Magicians: AMMMMMAZING SERVICE !

16 y.o. Lagavulin mothrfkrs !

Cute shiz: button pirate stamps on the floor and walls.

IVE GOT A LITTLE LOVE FOR THIS PLACE

Small but decent selection. Only the best.

This got a little too messy. The cheese platter was spot on.

An awesome cafe in the daytime and a sick chill out bar at night.

YORK LANE, Wynyard

Check it out :)

the pros of studying

Most of you will beg to differ. There are no pros in studying! Some will say, 'great work comes from pain, love and suffering' and that everything will be worth it at the end. I'm going for both. At times like this, what we choose to pursue as a career seem so far away... unattainable. There are instances where you want to give up, but we shouldn't. Take a step back, breathe and relax but never stop. And know concretely that, if there is anything 'right' you are doing it's this.
Basically, do what you want.

On going to a very different tangent, my purpose is to share you this phrase from my professor. In my eventful cramming study sessions weeks before the exam, it's always so rewarding when you're professor says something awesome. At that moment, everything everyone's been talking about the whole semester, JUST MADE SENSE.

A semester of physiology, basically revolved around reward, values, choices and habits. Here it is:

"Choice hurts... that is the anterior cingulate kicking off desperately working out what it should be doing... It's not really good for you. It's just a painful process. It requires a lot of energy to continually make choices." - Killcross, A. S. 2010

Now we can go on and on about the bad choices we've made in our life. And a list will (hopefully) be longer for our good choices. But really, do you like having to make choices? Do you love everything about it, some of it? Does having no choice mean you lose a sense of freedom? If so, is it then that freedom is the need to make a choice? Did choice come first or freedom? Think about it

love, CrazyA

monkey business

60 cL Sour Monkey
30 cL Whisky
1 lime wedge
top with ginger beer and stir

five days, less than a week

shouldn't be that bad. right?

Tonight, I attended the party of the year. Food was incredible. Tables filled with amazing classic asian food some of which are, honey chicken, salt and pepper calamari, sushi (I know! Have you ever been to a party serving sushi? huh?), turkey, spring rolls, noodles (pansit), ceasar salad and I could go on, but I don't know most of the dishes. This night shall forever stay in the history book for the night I tried out oysters. First time in my life. Verdict? Well let's just say I'm indifferent to it. I am definitely open to alternative forms of preparing it. Maybe a little bit more lemon and 'less leaving it in the mouth- more swallowing' ritual:)

Did my second round of amateur bar tendering. The last time, it was a party I co-hosted so, no one expected anything from me. But this time, my friend managed to make it sound like I was a professional and so his parents thought I was and then it spread throughout 150 people. Most of which are family members. With a medicine cup used as a jigger, this bit of the night, was abit tormenting for me. However, I won't complain, because I got a fair share of drinks and I managed to create some loyal customers who loved my white lady, margarita and cosmopolitans.

In the entertainment arena, there was karaoke, raffle and 'rock band'. Pool was subliminally out of bounds for us 'younger' ones. But overall, amazing party.

Boxing day is my favourite public holiday. Normally, on a public holiday, many shops cease trading, however, on Boxing day, they start/continue trading! So, the city is busy and there's alot of people:) Crap thing about it are the queues! Went to visit Tribe's Side PLATE cafe, but unfortunately, they close on this otherwise the most awesome day. It's on the way to uni, so this will definitely a stop in the future.

This week, I will be on a mission.

mix. hybrid. cocktail.

dear diary,
mixed drinks consumption for monday 4pm- 8pm:
lemon-lime vodka, long island iced tea, vodka lemon lime and bitters, sex on the beach, toblerone, midori sour, lotus chill (or something). This list ranges from fully drunk to just a tiny sip- But you're missing the point. It's Monique's birthday! So after an awesome time at the uni-bar with great and not so great costumed random people, we headed to Newtown. Here, I would like to publicly announce that I definitely got my cherry popped at Kuletos. Speaking of the devil, Kuletos is by far one of the best bars I've been to. They specialise in cocktails. Everytime I got to a restaurant on a special occasion I tend to ask for the drinks menu. This ordeal has always been quite difficult for me due to the lack of variety of cocktail drinks. But this place, is especially for cocktails! They're menu is contained just of cocktails! and Happy Hour (and half) well its buy 1 get one free! what the fart? All I can say, is heaven! R lovely, I will bring you here. Downside to this is they don't serve food. I guess It wouldn't be wise since you will have a mixture of spirits down your throat and minced hot chips and wedges might not be a good sight when the cleaners come by to clean up the place. Not to worry, there are vast arrays of restaurants within a 100m radius catering for both the high rollers and the cheapos. So ho-bloody-ray.

Happy Birthday Monique. My alcohol consumption for today catered for both your birthday and mine's! And will definitely help me through a months indulgence on homework, lab work, assessments, presentations, debates, and kick ass pre-lab exams. Oh yeah.. I'm screwed. Note to self: For future cocktail discovery endeavors, try out the Slow Comfortable Screw

Some of you guys might think I'm still intoxicated, well I'll just have to leave that to your own interpretation

♥