Daily Detours for the Week of May 29
Featuring throwing spoons at the cinema screen without getting any dirty looks.
Daily Detours for the Week of May 29
in partnership with
Featuring throwing spoons at the cinema screen without getting any dirty looks.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Sydney is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule.
We've teamed up with Mazda3 to celebrate the landmark 40th anniversary of their iconic small cars, and in turn, help you celebrate the little things that bring that sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Sydney. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine.
This week, take a lunchtime nap class (yes, it's actually a thing), try Bennelong's Opera House-inspired dessert pre-Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker) and take that special someone on a Sundate in Newtown. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here.
All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
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7
This is a good activity to keep in mind at all times, but especially when you’re feeling a little adventurous. Shake up your Monday night and drop by Ester in Chippendale for a treat. You can act like a hardcore foodie and order the “blood sausage sanga”, straight up, without even looking at the menu. What you’ll get is a sausage made from minced pork belly, rice, nuts and pig’s blood, set on a simple piece of white bread. It’s arguably a much better version of the humble sausage sandwich — delicious, rich and indulgent. If you’re in the mood, and have some extra money to spend, buckle down and tuck in to Ester’s set menu — ten inventive courses (dried kanagaroo and crispy saltbush is another option) for $82.
Image: @ahazelton_ via Instagram.
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6
Sleeping on the job is a big no-no in Western culture — despite the fact that it’s been proven to increase concentration, improve alertness and be a great help in dealing with accidental work hangovers. Surry Hills mindfulness studio The Indigo Project knows that napping is the key to being generally better at everything, so they gifted Sydney with lunchtime nap classes. Built around research that shows a 20- to 30-minute nap is the optimum length for a siesta, classes run for 30 minutes from 1pm. If you’re feeling a little off at work, and like you just can’t get your brain to kick into gear, head down to Surry Hills for a boost of energy to help get you through the day.
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5
Some people get over hump day by going to the gym. Others are more partial to a touch of yoga. We, however, love nothing more than an eighties dance aerobics class — complete with extremely colourful, costume-worthy aerobics gear and eighties-inspired leg warmers. And Shannon Dooley’s Retrosweat classes fit that exact niche. The party goes down every Wednesday night at 7.15pm at The Yoga Bar in Bondi Beach with a whole hour of sweating to moves inspired by the eighties workout videos from your early memories (and from a thousand memes). The playlist features nothing but the best bangers of the day, and you’re encouraged to dig through your mum’s old Spandex and costume up.
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4
We Sydneysiders clock an eyeful of the Sydney Opera House nearly every day. For that reason, we sometimes forget how iconic it is, and how much it defines our city. Pay tribute to the old girl by heading to Bennelong on Thursday night to taste Peter Gilmore’s Opera House-inspired dessert. Influenced by pavlova, the dish is made up of fluffy meringue filled with fresh, seasonal fruits, and decorated with cream and a few shards of meringue on top to beautifully mimic those white sails. Once that wonderful sugar rush kicks in, pop down to the Concert Hall to check out a stunning performance from Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker) — he’s playing a few Opera House shows for Vivid Live.
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3
When you were a kid, your biggest demonstration of self-control was not throwing Jaffas at the heads of people sitting in front of you at the cinema, right? Well, here’s your chance to let loose and make up for lost time. Once a month, at Cremorne’s decadent Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, there’s a screening of The Room — an American independent romantic-drama film. Tommy Wiseau not only starred in the feature, he also wrote, directed and produced it. The film quickly developed a cult following, after everyone realised it was terrible and unintentionally hilarious. The best bit of this screening is that you and everyone else are 100% permitted to throw spoons at the screen. Making as much noise as you like is most definitely on the agenda, too.
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2
The traditional Sydney weekend — a practice honed after many years of dedication — includes heading to the market for flowers, fruit and veg (with coffee in hand, of course), and then finding a way to squeeze a touch of culture into your morning. And Carriageworks has you covered for both, with the extraordinary double whammy of their famous farmers’ market and The National 2017 exhibition only a few steps away. Grab some of the freshest produce the state has to offer, then head over to a mixed-media exhibition that showcases the latest ideas and forms in contemporary Australian art.
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Don’t let Monday morning scare you away from a Sundate. This Sunday, impress them over tasty treats from a delicatessen that’s quickly becoming a Sydney institution, then hit the Dendy in Newtown for a two-for-one movie. First stop: feel those old timey vibes at Continental Deli, and try something new like the succulent octopus with sobrasada, stracciatella, radicchio and salsa verde, or play it safe (but well) with one of their cheese and charcuterie plates. Second stop: head down to the Dendy on King Street, and grab two movie tickets for $22 after 5pm — there’s also usually some sort of deal at the snack bar should your tum still be a-rumblin’. Nothing rounds out the week like a good feed and a night at the movies. Newtown’s certainly the spot for a Sunday night done right.
Image: Kimberly Low.
Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
By James Whitton and Jasmine Crittenden.
