Eating and Drinking in Manly, Australia 

A few years back my Sister left the hustle and hype of North London and eventually found her self living in the uber cool beachside suburb of Manly, Australia.


What a place!!


In my early twenties I had toyed with the idea of moving from sleepy old Canberra to Manly - a place that effortlessly managed to capture the atmostphere of any Australian beach side town while maintaining the excitment and manic nature of a big city. I never quite got there... somehow moving to Sydney seemed like too big a jump .. and then I ended up in London... Go Figure!!


On my recent sojourn, my sis showed me around her town and introduced me to her life as a Sydney-sider. Some of the highlights were High Tea at Gunners Barracks, Macroons at Adriano Zumbo and Cocktails at Miss Marley's!


The Tea Room at Gunners Barracks was worth a visit for the view alone:

While you stare out at the above - you get to indulge in the below!!

The Perfect spot to wow visitors to Australia... and for Lunching Ladies!!

Adriano Zumbo's Macroons were unbelievable!! I can honestly say I have never eaten anything like them. Some of my favorite flavours were Salted butter caramel, Passionfruit, Rosewater - and some of the flavours I would love to try are Kaffir Lime and Ginger, and Strawberries and Cream. You can even buy a box called White chocolate roulette that features 4 white chocolate Macroons and the fifth (which looks just like the rest) is Mega Death Chilli!!! Amazing and TOTALLY worth the visit!

The perfect end to an evening in Manly is to take a visit to Miss Marley's. We had a couple of wonderful evenings at this little spot: its small, intimate with great lighting (something International Foodie rates VERY highly!) and the drinks... oh the drinks!!

In fact to call them drinks is a bit cheeky as Miss Marley's introduces you to a sophisticated world that exists in the martini glass, reaching beyond the standard rum and coke or vodka and cranberry. 

We tried the bartenders homemade Lemoncello cream, the Mexi'cant cocktail (an amazing concoction featuring Kumquat marmalade and smashed lemon grass) a fantastic banquet of Spanish style tapas that complimented our drinks perfectly... and the headliner - sangrita!!!


The sangrita is a cocktail served in two glasses and designed to be enjoyed by sipping from both glasses. The first glass features a delicious, herbaceous tomato juice that is made fresh every day. Its is unlike any tomato juice I have ever tasted and is a complete pleasure to drink all on its own... however when you couple it with the second glass, cold, high quality tequila, the results are amazing!!    

Just before we left Sydney to return to ole' Blighty, we had the pleasure of attending a friend's wedding. Once part of our London Family, the bride had also relocated to Manly and and it was there that she  found her Italian Prince. The reception was held at a wonderful Italian restaurant in Terry Hills and the menu was a celebration of simple Italian fare that was exceptionally well done...Even the MC couldn't help comment on the Mushroom Risotto in his speech - Perfezione!


To the exceptionally exquisite bride and Lo Spose... congratulazioni!!!!

So, after reading all about the above, you'll forgive me if my next post is devoted to Detoxing..... and my habitual course of deprivation following the excesses of holidays!!