Overview
This is your annual opportunity to show your ma how much she means to you. And there's no better way to do that than with an unexpected adventure. Ditch your usual local this Sunday, May 12 and take mum somewhere she's never been before — whether that's a decadent lunch and show at the Opera House or a special screening at Golden Age. All kinds of mums — from artists and foodies to feminists and philanthropists — are covered on this list, as is the entire spectrum of budgets. Organising Mother's Day doesn't get any easier.
EAT A MOUNTAIN OF DESSERTS AT KOI
If your mum's a sweet tooth, then this one's for her. For the second year running, Koi Dessert Bar will be hosting a Mother's Day high tea on the Saturday and Sunday at both its Chippo and Ryde locations. Think three tiers of Koi's stunning treats and as much tea and coffee as you can drink, for $75 a head. There'll be two savoury bites and seven desserts all up, including mixed berry and pomegranate macarons, a mango dragon egg and an elderflower-yuzu cake. If you're really keen to impress her, then add the decadent $20 rose lychee cake to your order — it's made up of peach mousse, bergamot ganache, rose gel and matcha sponge.
CATCH A SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOW
All mums deserve a good laugh. Make your job easy by nabbing her a ticket to a Sydney Comedy Festival show. There's a bunch taking place on Mother's Day. Highlights include the UK's Alfie Brown and Australia's own Alex Reynolds, who will both be at Marrickville's Factory Theatre the entire weekend. Can't make up your mind? Go for the Best of the Fest Showcase, which gives you a surprise lineup of the funniest of the funniest for just 20 bucks.
TAKE HER TO A ROOFTOP LUNCH AND HELP A GOOD CAUSE
The Glenmore is hosting a Mother's Day lunch on its rooftop with a difference — this year, it will be raising money for the Women's and Girls Emergency Centre, which helps women and girls at risk of homelessness. If you book, mums will receive a glass of G.H. Mumm champagne on arrival, too, and the panoramic views of the harbour don't hurt, either. The restaurant will be open for both lunch and dinner on the day, and its menu of elevated pub eats has something to make every mum happy — from salads and schnittys to pan roasted barramundi and beef cheek curry. Afterwards you can wander through The Rocks' special Mother's Day Market, which will run until 5pm.
Nikki To
HEAD TO LUNCH AND A SHOW
Treat your mum to dazzling Harbour views and Peter Gilmore's modern Australian marvels with a Mother's Day lunch at Bennelong. You're free to choose from the two- or three-course a la carte menu ($110–145) or try the Cured and Cultured menu, which lets you nibble according to your appetite. All mums score a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival, too. Hang around afterwards and head to a show at the Opera House, most notably for Festival Unwrapped, which celebrates the work of five emerging artists across the various stages.
CONQUER A SUNDAY MORNING JOG TOGETHER
The Mother's Day Classic will return for its 22nd year on Sunday, May 12. The community event raises funds for the the National Breast Cancer Foundation through a series of 4–8 kilometre walks and runs. The morning begins at Macquarie Street at Martin Place and finishes in the Domain around noon. Registration is still open and is a great surprise for all those active and/or philanthropic mums out there. If you don't want to joint the walk or run, there are plenty of ways to help raise funds and awareness at the Royal Botanic Gardens carnival — it features food, jumping castles, roving entertainers, and live music throughout the day.
SEE A MOTHER'S DAY MOVIE AT GOLDEN AGE
Add a dash of Art Deco glam — and a cocktail or two — to Mother's Day with an outing to Golden Age Cinema and Bar. The picture house has organised a couple of special screenings with your mum in mind. At 3pm, catch the Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire classic, Funny Face. At 5.30pm, watch a doco exploring the work of iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Our top pick is the 8pm showing of Women at War, a Cannes award-winning Icelandic film for the environmentalist mums out there. Each screening has the option of adding a Mother's Day bundle, which includes a film ticket, a glass of Moët and a Gelato Messina choc top for $40.
Trent van der Jagt
SEE DRAG OVER DINNER AT THIS RENOVATED PUB
A restaurant fit for a queen, Priscillas in Erskineville is hosting a special Mother's Day lunch and dinner. The vego-friendly restaurant inside the renovated Imperial Hotel is pairing your meal with with performances by the pub's resident queens, Ruby Slippers and Farren Heit. Plus, entertainer Etc Etc will interview her own mum about raising a drag queen. Donations on the day will go toward the local family support organisation Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Sittings are at either 12.30pm or 6pm, and reservations can be made via the website.
INDULGE IN CUBAN HIGH TEA WITH HARBOUR VIEWS
Harbourside bar Hacienda is offering up a Cuban-style high tea this Mother's Day, along with impressive views of the Harbour Bridge and Circular Quay. For $89 per person, you'll get a full menu of Cuban eats and a Limoncello Spritz to boot. For small bites, think choripan sandwiches (grilled chorizo and tomato salsa on crusty bread) and slow-cooked beef empanadas with veggies and sriracha. For desserts there will be coconut and pineapple tarts with hazelnut praline and scones with rose petal and strawberry preserve and clotted cream. You can check out the full menu here and grab a table here while you still can. Mums will also go home with a goody bag by Benefit Cosmetics and Lindt.
HAVE A SUNDAY ROAST IN THE GREENERY OF THE GROUNDS OF ALEXANDRIA
Head to The Grounds of Alexandria's Atrium on the Sunday for a family roast lunch in honour of mum. Starting at 11.30am, all guests will receive a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, along with canapés and a one fine roast lunch to share. Expect a whole-roasted rib sourced from six-week dry-aged Cape Grim grass-fed beef. It'll be served with brioche-crumbed bone marrow, wild harvested mushrooms, horseradish and red wine jus. Accompaniments include sautéed greens with black garlic butter, cauliflower and gruyere gratin, glazed heirloom root vegetables and pan-roasted Lyonnaise potatoes. The table bookings are for four or more, priced at $85 per head. If you'd prefer, you can book in for brunch or high tea instead.
GO OUT FOR A DECADENT GIN AND GELATO DEGUSTATION
If you prefer an event that isn't strictly Mother's Day themed, take mum out the week after to the Gelato Messina and Archie Rose Degustation dinner on May 16, 17 or 18. The Messina Creative Department head chef Remi Talbot has joined forces with the gin, rum and vodka distillery in the form of an eight-course (and eight-drink) gelato degustation. Dishes include foie gras ravioli, beetroot and hibiscus granita, a savoury gelato sandwich served with bouillabaisse and a take on the French dessert Paris-Brest made with choux pastry, almond and burnt vanilla. Drinks are equally extra and include the Peach Cobbler, made with sparkling wine and nitrogen frozen peach, and the Wattle You Make Of It, with wattleseed, finger lime and black walnut. It'll cost a pretty penny at $190 per head — but, if you're willing to break the bank for a night out with mum, we reckon this one will be worth it.