Hungry for adventure, I left Sydney 7 years ago — I was stunned when I returned
Hungry for adventure, I left Sydney 7 years ago — I was stunned when I returned
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Seven years ago I left Sydney. Hungry. Hungry for opportunity. For adventure. For better food. Sure, the city has always had a decent breakfast offering, but when it came to nosh and drinks, unless you were flushed with cash or minimal expectations, Melbourne always took the cake — literally and figuratively.
![[A blonde woman holding a champagne flute in a white shirt and SYD cap sits on the edge of a yacht in Sydney Harbour, with the Harbour Bridge behind her]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233670027-e1737369510740.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
And when I was met with the inevitable ‘why did you leave Sydney to move to the UK?’ I had a roll call of reasons, most of which started with the lack of buzz compared to London. But I can tell you, dear reader, the place is well and truly buzzing now.
![[Glory Days Bondi]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234174184-6ea2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
After returning Down Under on a whirlwind trip last February, I found a city transformed. I’m not afraid to admit I was both shaken and stirred by its explosive new culinary scene. From world-class cocktails to quirky cultural delicacies, smashed avocado with the best view in the city, tantalising tartare teamed with tequila, whimsical cocktails that boggle the senses and more salty oysters I knew existed, it’s a far cry from the Sydney I remembered after the Lockout Laws snuffed the flame of fun from the city in 2014.
![[Dean and Nancy on 22]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233671011-c789.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
This will feed your belly. But there’s a soulful edge to the ‘Emerald City’ that I’d shrugged off until now. While it’s come leaps and glitzy bounds in recent years, there are the postcard tourist ‘musts’ you’ve got to do, even if you were once a local.
![[Couple enjoying drinks at the Aster Bar at The InterContinental hotel in Sydney]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234174183-7a80.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
