Yogurtland, CBD, Sydney CLOSED

(This post was written in 2014)

I noticed many frozen yogurt (or ‘froyo’) shops in Sydney, with many shops in the city and suburbs –  Yogurberry, Yogurtland, Moochi and Twisted are four chains that spring to mind and there were other independent places, such as Snow Pink. I’m sure I noticed at least three different shops within a couple of a hundred metres on the CBD part of George Street! One of these was the CBD Yogurtland branch at 501, George Street and this was the first frozen yogurt shop I visited.

Gelato Messina, Surry Hills, Sydney

Type of food: Gelato

A visit to Gelato Messina is usually near the top of list of ‘best places to eat’ in Sydney. It featured highly in my guide book, on Urbanspoon and on Trip Advisor. There are a number of Messina shops dotted around the city and the suburbs – from Darlinghurst to Bondi to Parramatta.

As someone who is rather partial to ice creams and sorbets, I stopped by at Gelato Messina (Surry Hills) regularly during my stay in Sydney. This was hardly surprising as my walk home from work involved walking down Crown Street so it would have been hard to not stop by, especially on a warm day. In fact, it became a little addictive! The popularity of the place means that there are often queues, however, I was lucky enough to not have to queue. Perhaps it was the timing – I often went at around 6pm.

Thanon Khao San, Haymarket, Sydney

Cuisine: Thai

Sydney’s Thai Town is located in Haymarket in the CBD, near Chinatown. The main stretch of Thai Town is on Campbell Street, bordering Pitt Street, Goulburn Street and George Street. Here, you will find a wonderful array of Thai restaurants serving authentic food and grocery shops.

Thanon Khao San is a lively little restaurant in Pitt Street. We loved the vibrant atmosphere in the restaurant. It was busy and some of the tables were a bit cramped, which meant the feeling was more street food cafe rather than formal restaurant. The decor was great too – bare brick walls, bird cage like lampshades and a tuk-tuk – our table was next to the tuk-tuk  and I did very well to not sit in it!

Sushi Train, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Cuisine: Japanese

There are a number of Sushi Train restaurants across Australia and a couple in New Zealand. The restaurants include a sushi bar, conveyor belt where diners can pick little dishes of sushi from the conveyor belt as they whizz past. This is nothing new and is a common feature of the dining experience in Japan. In the UK, we have a chain called YO! Sushi which also features a sushi bar.

I stumbled upon Sushi Train in Darlinghurst (or Oxford as stated on the website) on a very wet and cold Saturday evening – I learnt that when it rains in Sydney, it really rains…! I was looking for shelter from the rain and a quick bite to eat but I didn’t fancy Hungry Jacks (known as Burger King in the UK). Sushi Train appeared to me when I walked into the Oxford Square shopping centre. It was not too busy and I thought I’d give the Australian version of YO! Sushi a go – there weren’t too many places to choose from.

Third Village Coffee, Darlinghurst, Sydney

UPDATE 7th September 2016: The Stanley Street branch of Third Village Coffee has closed. The shop at 150 William Street is still open.

I was told about the wonders of an Australian coffee soon after I arrived in Sydney. Indeed one of my friends who was originally from England before moving to Australia, lamented the lack of a good long black coffee during a return visit to England and was befuddled by Americano coffees! However, this was only because he didn’t go to the right places 🙂

Le Petit Tarte Cafe and Patisserie, Glebe, Sydney

Type of food: Breakfast/brunch and cakes

Le Petit Tarte Cafe and Patisserie is a charming little place on Glebe Point Road that serves great coffee, delicious breakfasts and lunches and (so I’ve heard) fantastic cakes and pastries, hence the name. Sadly, I did not get round to trying their cakes (terrible of me – they looked great) but I did have breakfast and coffee and I loved it! 

Maya Masala, Surry Hills, Sydney

Cuisine: Indian

Maya Masala is now called Maya Vegetarian

I am always on the look out for good vegetarian food and I found a great Indian restaurant in between Bourke Street and Crown Street in Surry Hills. There are quite a few Indian restaurants on Cleveland Street (I went to a few) and Maya Masala stood out for me. It wasn’t just the sweets or the TV screen showing Bollywood movies!