Pivot - Secret Sydney

Laurence Pike, of new Warp signings Pivot, picks a top selection of places to check in Sydney...

Sushi Bar Rashai
241-243 Parramatta Rd, Annandale, NSW 2038
www.lintaclub.com/rashai/

Sydney is blessed with some of the best Asian food in the world, which suits me fine being a Nipponophile. Strangely located in the somewhat surreal nether world that is Parramatta Road, Annandale, in the inner western suburbs, they have some of the best Japanese food the city has to offer. Complete with their catchphrase 'Delicious! Nutritious! Bit slow but friendly!', Sushi Bar Rashai, although not my favourite place for sashimi, pretty much hits everything out of the park. The gomayogoshi and nasu miso steak are essential. Chef Kazu is also a keen marathon runner - the website usually has his result from the annual city to surf run (I think he came 246th this year - which is pretty heavy duty).

Cafe Giulia
92 Abercrombie St, Chippendale NSW 2008
www.cafegiulia.com

No matter where I go in the world, Cafe Giulia in Chippendale remains the benchmark for what a good cafe should be about. Although I no longer live down the street, I still continue to go there as often as possible for my fix. Pretty much anything on the menu is a safe bet. Generous servings, good food, crazy prices and the nicest owner a cafe has ever had - if you should meet Stef, tell him Laurence recommended his Boscaiola.
They also canvassed the idea of renaming the Hoki (fish) burger after me at one stage - I ate it that many times a week.

Gordons Bay
www.google.com/maps

There's obviously an array of good beaches in Sydney, and I am totally under qualified to recommend surf or anything to do with it (having spent most of youth in darkened rooms hitting things), but my favourite summer destination is Gordons Bay in the eastern suburbs. It's a secluded cove lined with rocks - a seaside retreat rather than a beach, quiet, good for snorkeling, sun bathing and floating, and free of the crowds, madness and pretentiousness that you might associate with somewhere like Bondi. Good place to hang out with roasted chicken, old guys, eat pistachios and read a book.

Mitchell Road Auction Centre
Mitchell Road Auction Centre 76 Mitchell Road, Alexandria, Sydney
http://mitchellroadauctions.com

This long standing antique and collectables auction warehouse in Alexandria recently opened a retail showroom on the top floor, and it's become a regular haunt of mine over the last couple of years. I am into old things, I sometimes wonder if I am cut out for these modern times. I've bought all sorts of things here - ceramic deer, a highly collectable Judy Bailey Quartet LP in mint condition and an art deco cocktail stand, to name just a few. There was this $10,000 chandelier I had my eye on too...I'd give it its own room. Maybe when that big sync comes through, eh?

BJB Studios
Unit 5, 259 Riley St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010
www.bjbstudios.com

Located in Surry Hills, BJB has become sort of an unofficial home of our music making over the last few years. It's rare to have a studio space with so much natural light and that you feel really comfortable in. We tracked much of 'O Soundtrack My Heart' there as well as a bunch of new tracks we're working on. It even has its own German Shepherd named Bear.

Hopetoun Hotel / Rider
416 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
www.myspace.com/hopetounhotel

The Hopetoun, or 'Hoey' as it's known, is one of the last authentic indie pub venues in Sydney, and pretty much any local band worth their weight have graced its stage, as have regular international visitors. Pivot did some of its earliest gigs there, and I think the last time we played a year or two back, the walls were sweating. A happy recent addition to the venue is the Mexican restaurant upstairs, Rider, which does a pretty serious chorizo burrito and the best hot chips and guacamole in Sydney (get the spicy mayo with them too). Matt and Anna who run it are dead set legends, as they say around these parts. An ideal place to relax and have a beer before the gig downstairs.

Ramen Kan
Ramen Kan Level 1, 90 Hay Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
www.eatability.com.au

I had to quickly include another of my regular Japanese joints in this list, although I am hesitant to give away too much about Ramen Kan, as I think it remains one of Chinatown's best kept secrets. I think I have ruined that in part now... You'll catch me there pretty much every Tuesday night, in the corner having the miso ramen and gyouza set with a peach ice tea...not that I'm a creature of habit...

Pivot's brilliant debut album, 'O Soundtrack My Heart', is out now on Warp Records.
www.myspace.com/pivotpivot

Published: 26/08/2008

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