Nick's Cake Shop
In stark contrast to the conceit and posturing of other beach suburbs stands the enjoyably innocuous Brighton-le-Sands. It continues to be maligned, or forgotten, due to its bayside position - right near the airport. This is fine by me. Popularity and consequent crass demonstration is what ruined some of our more famous beaches.
Passion Flower
For a city so stuck on staying swimwear skinny, Sydney sure has a sweet tooth. Gelaterias abound, and while I'm not here to get into a tizzy over which is the best (Gelatomassi, Pompei or Serendipity?), I must observe a tasty point of difference.
Asian-infused Passion Flower offers flavours you won't find anywhere else; red bean, taro, black sesame, jackfruit, even durian (rose petal and lychee, coconut, and sticky rice are also highly recommended).
The Golden Cobra Coffee
Coffee - the black oil that gets the morning from akimbo to limbo. Along with legal crank, the other thing Izrock likes is independent business and DIY ethic - not waiting for an opportunity to arise but just taking it.
The Golden Cobra combines these two attributes with a healthy dose of community mindedness.
Pigeon Coffee
No longer are Pigeons just rats of the sky, soilers of courtyards and guttering cooers. They now brew a decent flat white, chat to you over breakfast and are seriously dog friendly.
Pigeon Coffee is what you would describe as a ‘hole in the wall' establishment. In a space smaller than a toilet block, the café manages to squish coffees, juices, muffins, meals, three tables, a bench, a dog and a slab of Astroturf.
The Paragon Cafe
The Paragon café, an example of Katoomba's past pandering to the upper class tourist, is the perfect remedy for today's time poor society. The lighting is warm, atmosphere cosy and the early 20th Century music and art deco furnishing make it one of the few remaining places in which you can step back in time with a cup of cocoa.
The Cheese Shop
For over 200 years there has been an annual Cheese Rolling contest held in Gloucestershire, England, which draws crowds of up to 5,000 people. As the name suggests, a giant wheel of cheese is rolled down a hill (it travels at 70 miles per hour!!) followed by a throng of dong dongs. The result is a concussed cousin of camembert, and a bunch of brave but bruised competitors.
La Patisserie
The Rocks...what a strange mix it is of international retail and terribly garish Australian culture. While I find the fluorescent illustrations of koalas and emus beside Kate Moss' worst ambassadorial decision to date (yes, wearing Burberry IS worse than dating deadbeat Dougherty) endlessly amusing, my ultimate thing about Sydney's tourist Mecca is La Renaissance Bakery.
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