6. Hurricane's Grill Ribs

Touted as one of the best ribs in Sydney, Hurricane's Grill is known to serve a pretty mean plate of sleek, marinated ribs, and the carnivorous Evilbean couldn't wait to lay his lips on those meat.





7. Largest Lindor Pick & Mix Range

Located at Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay Wharf, is a Lindt Chocolate Cafe that serves, well, Lindor Chocolates. LOTS of Lindor Chocolates.


This is THE place for you to buy back those souvenirs for your colleagues and friends, because who doesn't love to receive chocolates?
Besides having the newest range of chocolates in store, their Lindt Chocolate Cafe has one of Australia's LARGEST Pick & Mix range!

When I was there, there were 2 ways to pay for the chocolates. The first one is the usual, in which you pay based on the weight.

The second way was slightly more interesting. You can get a gift box from them, and you could try to fit in as many chocolates as you can into the box! You pay based on the box that you chose, and not on the weight. Therefore, it can be quite hilarious (or frustrating) as you strategise the precise placements of the chocolates in the box, all in the hope of just cramming that extra 1 or 2 more chocolates into your gift box. And then experiencing that silly joy when you see that your gift box is all filled up to the brim.

Yeap, we (greedy) humans are weird.

8. Cafe Hopping

Of course, how can you not cafe-hop in Sydney, the city with one of the most vibrant cafe scene?

Here are three cafes which I think are a MUST-GO:

i. BlackStar Pastry

On the list on almost every Sydney travel blogs, Blackstar Pastry is one of the cafes which you HAVE TO VISIT. Widely known for its Strawberry Watermelon cake, every single person I know that has been to Blackstar reminisce about this cake, recounting animatedly the refreshing flavours of the watermelon.

The famed Strawberry Watermelon cake from Blackstar Pastry we took a bus halfway around Sydney to eat. WE WERE SO LUCKY TO GET THEIR LAST SLICE. Lots of flavours and the watermelon taste was refreshing! #4evilbeans #Traevilbean #Sydney #blackstarpastry

A photo posted by Joey Ching How (@evilbean) on Jul 23, 2015 at 11:41pm PDT

Besides their pastries offering, there is also a shop beside that sells quirky toys, fashion books and intricate utensils - a perfect place to spend all your AUD on.



Although the cafe closes at 5:00 PM, try to be there early. I have heard that their cakes are usually sold out by late afternoon!



ii. Cafe Cre Asion

Tucked away in a hidden alley, Cafe Cre Asion is famous for its matcha offerings, especially their signature Green Tea Chocolate Fondant, which is said to sell out literally like hot cakes.


You must be wondering why there is a $1.50 difference between the take away and the eat in fondants. Well, this picture explains it all:


Beautifully plated with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and matcha sauce on the side, this is something you should wake up early for. The lava cake oozes out thick, molten matcha and dark chocolate the moment you slice it open. Pair each mouthful with a little bit of strawberry and a drizzle of the matcha sauce and experience the bitter-sweet combination of matcha and chocolate.


This might look humble, but it was so delicious. The sourdough bread was served warm, which provided a fuzzy feeling in the cold winter morning. The crust was toasted crispy and the bread was soft and fluffy. Sometimes, the simplest food can be the most satisfying.

Except for the fact that the cafe is probably built for Ant-man, with its small chairs and low tables, everything else was wonderful - the food, the drinks and the service. The cafe can probably sit less than 10 people, so do take note if you are travelling in a large group. Do come early!


iii. Aqua S

Perhaps the most popular cafe in Sydney, Aqua S sells "instagram-worthy" soft-serve, which helped them to gain international fame quickly. Take note cafe owners, because this is the power of Instagram.

There was a very long queue outside their shop even though it was near their closing hours.


Ordering is easy, with step-by-step instructions on the screens:


I highly recommend the cone+all toppings combination for the best dreamy effect!

If the must-try-or-you-have-never-been-to Singapore is Hainanese Chicken Rice, Sydney is this extremely Instagram-worthy soft serve from Aqua S ! Can I just say: THE QUEUE IS CRAZY ? We had the seasalt+grape and seasalt+earl grey soft serve. The fluffy layer below is actually fairy floss, perched prettily (albeit precariously) around the crispy ice-cream cone and topped with popping candy and a picture-perfect grilled marshmallow! SATISFIED! 😋 #4point5evilbeans #Traevilbean #Sydney #AquaS

A photo posted by Joey Ching How (@evilbean) on Jul 25, 2015 at 4:58am PDT

To keep things fresh for regulars, Aqua S updates their menu with new flavours every 2 weeks. The only constant is their sea salt flavour. Do drop by Aqua S to jazz up your Instagram gallery, that is, if you are an avid Instagram user.



9. Market Hopping

Besides cafe hopping, "market hopping" is also another interesting thing to do in Sydney.  
A quick wikipedia search shows that there are about 52 markets in the city and suburbs! I went to 3 of them on our "Market Hopping Saturday".

- Paddington Market (Saturdays from 10:00 AM)


An initiative of Paddington Uniting Church, Paddington Market is a community based market supporting local people passionate about their craft and the local community. You would find mostly clothes and art work here:


Munch on some of these chocolate covered strawberries while doing your browsing!


Or some croissants and cupcakes:



Hand Crafted Skull Candles - perfect for Halloween or scary movie nights with your girlfriend/boyfriend:




No idea if you would find this cute or creepy:


I loved how Paddington Market is surrounded by gorgeous old buildings. The atmosphere was very relaxing and the people greet you sincerely. It's a great place to get some unique trinkets and at the same time, you are supporting and encouraging budding designers looking to carve a name for themselves. Yeap, your purchases here are for a good cause!

After we were done in Paddington, we hopped into a taxi for our next market destination - Glebe Markets.

- Glebe Markets (Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM)


Glebe Markets is a vibrant and lively market that sells wares like vintage fashion, emerging designers, second-hand clothes, fashion accessories and food. I guarantee that there will be more than two items that will catch your eyes when you are at Glebe.




The atmosphere here is totally different from Paddington Market. Paddington is more leisurely and gives off a laid-back vibe, whereas in Glebe Markets, the atmosphere is very festive and hippy-ish. I mean, just look at these two hilarious superheroes selling gym memberships:




There were also performances at the open field where indie bands performed their own songs or jugglers strutting their stuff.

People stretching out on the grass, soaking up on the sun and music:




We almost went crazy in the second-hand clothes and accessories section. People were selling fairly good condition Roxy beanies at $1! ONE DOLLAR!





If you only have time for one market, I would strongly recommend Glebe Markets for its range of items, it's festive atmosphere and eclectic mix of people (we saw a girl dressed up as sailor moon, had me in tears). I dare say it is one of the best weekend markets in Sydney!


This is the place for you to get all your Australia souvenirs at a fraction of the price. From "I love Sydney" T-shirts to boxing kangaroos and koala bear magnets, these souvenirs are not only cheap but also of good quality. Try to find a shop that is crowded with tourists - that's the cheapest place!

Pro Tip: Do not get your souvenirs at the top floor of the shopping mall. Get them at the basement!



Besides souvenirs, they also carry a range of clothes, accessories and toys that are relatively cheaper than other places. Market city is where you can settle all the gifts and mementos for your friends and families. Do not miss this place!

10. Best Udon at Mappen Noodle Bar

I am not particularly fond of udon, as they are usually too mild for my taste. However, my perception of udon was thrown out of the window when I had my first Bukkake (no, not THAT kind of bukkake )

Located at the George Street, this place is relatively unknown (or less blogged about). However, I was amazed at the constant stream of people that came and queue for their semi-dry udon!

Called Menya Noodle Bar/Washouku, I was amazed by the constant stream of people queuing for their slurp-ilicious semi-dry udon in this little known Japanese Noodle bar ! We ordered the Bukkake Ontama Mentaiko Soba Udon and it was just OISHII! The Mentaiko gives the bouncy udon a flavourful seafood taste and the egg is just a delightful egg-porn to the eyes. 🍳❤️🍳 #4point5evilbeans #Traevilbean #Sydney #Washoukulovers

A photo posted by Joey Ching How (@evilbean) on Jul 25, 2015 at 1:29am PDT

11. Sydney Festivals - The Rocks Aroma Festival 2015

We were extremely lucky to have caught the The Rocks Aroma Festival on our very last few hours in Sydney, because it is my most memorable experience in Sydney.

In its 18th year, the festival is an annual celebration of the coffee culture in Sydney. As an avid coffee lover myself, I couldn't believe my luck when we chance upon the brochure and saw that the event day was on July 26th, which was my last day in Sydney!


Held at The Rocks, the streets were filled with more than 50 coffee and gourmet food stallholders and food trucks.






Besides food, The Rocks also had a section that sells handicrafts and original artworks. It is always enchanting to watch talented people do their thing, crafting and molding nothing into something.





We stopped by a dainty little cafe to rest our legs. Famous for its freshly baked scones, The Tea Cosy has a manual clock outside their cafe that tells you when their next batch of scones would be ready!
The decorations that decorated the cafe were all very cute and somewhat fairy-tale like. It was as if I stepped into that little cottage hut that is made out of candies and chocolates!

The problem with scones is that sometimes, it can taste a little too bland if the jam that accompanies them are sub-standard. Well, you do not have to worry about that at The Tea Cosy because they have quite a few selections of sweet and savoury jams to go along with your just-out-of-the-oven scones!

If you love freshly baked pastries, you HAVE TO drop by this cafe.
As luck would have it, after our little scones break, we stepped outside only to witness my very first skywriting (an advertising medium in which airplanes spell out names and slogans in the sky by means of the controlled emission of thick smoke) at the festival, which I thought was pretty cool for the first 60 seconds:


And then it got pretty boring, because the process was way too slow, and tiring, because your neck starts to hurt:



Eventually, we decided to look up to the sky after 5 minutes and this was what we saw:


I presume it's gonna spell out <3 Stella?

And then, it was finally time for the "main event" of the Aroma Festival - DRINK ALL THE COFFEES!


Can you imagine the smell of freshly grounded coffee wafting through the air, while the cool winter air breezes by your neck? Simply invigorating!

Throngs of people queued up under the hot sun, in hope of grabbing a few cups of their favourite blends at a fraction of the normal price. SOME LATTES WERE GOING AT ONLY $2! In Singapore, I have to pay almost $6 - 7 dollars for a cup!




With this rare opportunity to try out as many coffee as I could at half the price, it would be insane to order just a cup of coffee. Therefore, we ordered not 1,


not 2,


not 3,





but FIVE cups of coffee

Out of all the five, I thoroughly enjoyed the last 2 that we got from Black Drum Roasters: The Coffee Mojito and New Orleans. Dubbed the "Summer Coffee", these 2 were so, so good!

The Coffee Mojito was very refreshing, made even more so with that squeeze of lime and mint leaves. The New Orleans, which was a cold brew with chicory, raw sugar syrup and topped with pouring cream, was aromatic, refreshing and creamy. PLEASE, SOMEONE BRING THEM TO SINGAPORE?

Still, I have to count my blessings for being able to witness and to participate in such an event in Sydney. It was an eye-opening experience, and being able to indulge in the festive and carnival mood with thousands of other coffee-fanatics would be something I will remember for life.

Overall, I enjoyed myself in Sydney. If you are used to living in a metropolitan city, you would enjoy the sights and lifestyle in Sydney as well......

As long as you get used to Australians calling you "mate".
Oh, just in case it's clawing at your brain, the capital of Australia is Canberra. (You have gained +1 intelligence )