A perfect summer's weekend in Sydney

FRIDAY

6pm: There aren’t many better places to be than an open-air bar after work on a balmy Friday evening. Henry Deane, the swish rooftop level of Hotel Palisade (35 Bettington St, Millers Point), offers just about 360-degree views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and glittering coastline. Sink into one of the blush-coloured leather couches, order a Spritz and revel in the Sydney-ness of it all.

Cocktails at Henry Deane.

8pm: Once the sun goes down things can get a little dishevelled at the Palisade, so hightail it to dinner at Cirrus (10/23 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo), just a short stroll away. A highlight of the flashy new Barangaroo development, Cirrus was opened by Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage – who also operate Bentley, Yellow and Monopole. It’s all about seafood here, so dive into grilled plump West Australian marron with sea bananas, grilled cos with whipped mullet roe and cured egg yolk or a whole Northern Territory mud crab with green garlic and tarragon sauce.

Grillled WA marron with sea bananas, Cirrus.

10.30pm: Thanks to Sydney’s now-infamous lockout laws you only have a few hours left to find a late-night drink in this part of town, so hop a cab to Bulletin Place (10-14 Bulletin Pl, Sydney). A niche little cocktail bar set upstairs from the busy CBD below, the bar’s menu lists just a handful of fresh fruit-infused cocktails that change with the seasons. You might find blackberries muddled into your Negroni, or fresh rhubarb syrup in your Clover Club – served by some of the friendliest ‘tenders in town.

Midnight: Nightcap? One of the most significant openings of 2016, Restaurant Hubert (15 Bligh St, Sydney) is open until 1am and houses two packed bars to choose from. Slip into one of the booths at Bar Pincer for a final Martini, a pastis-infused Ramos Gin Fizz, or a Malakoff – chef Dan Pepperell’s deep-fried Gruyère croquette served with Dijon mustard and a dill pickle.

Restaurant Hubert’s chicken fricass ée.

SATURDAY

9am:Sean’s (270 Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach) should be a staple on any Sydney agenda. Set just across the road from the sands of Bondi Beach, weekend breakfasts have just launched with a menu of simple classics done exceptionally well. House-made crumpets with blueberry compote, cultured cream and honey, and gougères with scrambled eggs and spanner crab would pair very well with a weekend Bellini.

10.30am: A visit to Sydney isn’t a visit to Sydney without a dip in the water. Lap it up at the Icebergs ocean pool, or lounge on the grass alongside trendy types on the North Bondi knoll.

Icebergs.

1.30pm: By now you’ve worked up an appetite, and restaurant group Merivale’s newest and shiniest venue, Fred’s (380 Oxford St, Paddington), should be your next port of call. Chef Danielle Alvarez pulls from her time at California’s Chez Panisse to create a menu of simple, produce-led dishes, most cooked in the wood-fired oven or over the coals. Pasta, such as casarecce with rabbit, is a highlight.

Fred’s asparagus triangoli; casarecce with rabbit; wood-oven squid with celery and preserved lemon.

3pm: What better to follow a hearty lunch than a little nudity? The Art Gallery of New South Wales presents Nude: art from the Tate collection this summer which includes over 100 representations of the human form. Spot work by Picasso and Matisse and whirl through the movements of romanticism, cubism, expressionism, realism, surrealism and feminism in a mere afternoon.

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5pm: Check out Golden Age Cinema & Bar (80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills)’s summer programme. Old classics as well as independent, quirky flicks are screened every day in the gorgeous Deco cinema in the old Paramount Pictures building. Grab a Blood and Sand and a cheese plate at the bar beforehand and order a second round of drinks to take to your seat.

8pm: Bookings are essential at Ester (46-52 Meagher St, Chippendale), a polished, innovative (and very popular) restaurant in Chippendale run by chef Mat Lindsay. Nab a table for the second sitting. Order a dozen oysters which have been given a quick run through the wood-fired oven to pop their lids before being dressed with a piquant mignonette. Don’t miss the Pyengana cheddar pie or the king prawns, which are grilled and dressed with brown butter, tamari and capers.

Oysters at Ester.

10pm: It’s not too far to travel into the Inner West to hit Earl’s Juke Joint (407 King St, Newtown), a saloon-style cocktail bar hidden behind the façade of an old butcher shop. In the style of New Orleans, the vibe here spells good times ahoy.

SUNDAY

9am: Things get out of hand last night? Wake up with a well-made flat white or filter brew at Artificer (547 Bourke St, Surry Hills). Take a seat on the windowsill in the sun to stalk all the cute dogs passing by.

11am: Sunday is an ideal day to take your time and stroll around, so meander back up through Surry Hills to Paddington for brunch at Saint Peter (362 Oxford St, Paddington), taking in the shops along the way. This isn’t your average brunch. Forgo your preconceived ideas of eggs and bacon for house-made crumpets with sea urchin and chives instead, or a fried fish sandwich, John Dory livers on toast, or marron scrambled eggs. It’s all about seafood here, and lots of it.

Rilettes, Saint Peter.

1pm: Spend a little time browsing the shops on William Street, such as Just William Chocolates, surfwear brand Venroy, Belancé for sharp menswear and Banjo & Matilda for soft cashmere. From there it’s a downhill slope to Rushcutters Bay – the harbour-side park is the perfect spot to lay a while enjoying the sunshine.

3pm: Nearby Potts Point is packed with quirk and great eats. Make a beeline for Bourke Street Bakery (46A Macleay St, Potts Point) for a mid-afternoon croissant or lamb and harissa sausage roll, and flip through Potts Point Bookshop (14 MacLeay St, Potts Point), Poho Flowers (2/117 MacLeay St, Potts Point) and Fratelli Fresh (81 MacLeay St, Potts Point) for imported Italian goods.

6pm: Cap off the weekend with an early dinner at The Apollo (44 Macleay St, Potts Point), Jonathan Barthelmess’s sharply designed modern-Greek restaurant that has remained full to the hilt ever since it opened in 2012 (hint: get there early). Order fried saganaki cheese oozy with honey and oregano, taramasalata with wedges of soft warm pita, grilled sardines with lemon and parsley and a bottle of pale French rosé to go with it. If there’s one rule to abide by while swnging by Sydney, go all out, this isn’t the city for holding back.