u/L-D-H

Recently started working at the MLC centre on Martin place. Have previously found plenty of good places either down towards circular quay or further towards town hall but I’ve done some laps of the main food court and feeling very uninspired. I’m sure there are lots of sneaky spots around that are “change your life good” for lunch, but I haven’t found them yet. Any recs? Laksa? Great fat sandwiches? Biang Biang? Good banh mi? Banh Xeo? Proper pasta? Would love to receive some recs.

Hi foodies

I’ve just come back from holidays overseas and having one of those lightbulb moments where I’m noticing the cost, the waste and the process of all the cafe brought coffees I purchase (between 1-3 every day). We live about 5 doors down from a cafe so it’s very convenient and the coffee is delicious, but I’m not adverse to the process of making a nice coffee and enjoying it in my own home for at least some of the coffees being consumed.

I’ve been starting to look at setups and tying myself in knots over what’s needed. It’s a big rabbit hole to go down and too many variables so looking to some fellow foodies to help narrow it down. The brief is this:

- As simple and quick a process as possible - too many tedious moving parts and I probably won’t do it.
- Good strong coffee, I usually have a piccolo or macchiato but don’t mind a long black either.
- Not too much bench space or cupboard space absorbed - a big beast of a coffee machine taking up half the bench isn’t an option.

What do you recommend? Maybe a mokkapot or Nespresso or French press? How important is fresh ground beans to overall taste and is the whole thing only worthwhile if I factor in grinding beans each time I make coffee? And is something like a parachute coffee just as good as other options for a good home coffee fix?

Appreciate any words of advice from those who have tried and tested a few options.

Question: We are staying at bravo hotel and can see that patrons that aren’t hotel guests can come in, purchase some drinks, and use the pool for the afternoon, which seems a good set up.
We were wondering, which hotels nearby are similar with a nice pool and a bar that are free for the public to access (free meaning available, whether for a fee to swim or for a minimum spend for a drink etc).
Thanks for any intel.

Hello
I can see there are a bunch of gyms in Siargao and have looked through a bunch of the photos but was wondering if anyone familiar with them could advise which of them is best equipped for weightlifting and powerlifting? I’d like to do 3-4 sessions while I’m holidaying including some deadlifts and bench presses and if there is a gym with some great equipment and good setup with quality weights and bars I’ll head to there first.
Thanks in advance for any local knowledge.

Hello

We will be spending 10 nights in the Philippines between Manila, Siargao and Cebu in August. We finish our trip with 2 nights in Mactan and want to stay somewhere nice. I had in mind somewhere with a great pool and swim up bar but the only one I saw that had that seemed to also have lots of slides. We will be travelling with friends, and they have their 1yo with them, but the last two nights are definitely the grown ups pick rather than slide central.

Can anyone advice which hotel you would stay at for a great time, some nice cocktails by the pool, good food and even better if there are some vibes like live music or even just some tunes playing. We like high end as much as we like somewhere fun and local or somewhere a bit different and trendy. We don’t usually spend any time in the room so while we might choose something above entry level the enjoyment factor comes more from the exterior room facilities.

If anyone has advice or comments or their opinion on which they would choose between crimson and costabella that will really help decision making - thanks in advance!

Hello

We are off to restaurant Hubert tonight and I have heard their steak is excellent but now I’m looking at the menu I can see there are a lot of steak choices!
Maybe familiar enough with this venue to advise which is best?

- Bavette
- Sirloin
- Cote de Boeuf
- (We’ve missed the 48 hour pre order for Fillet Steak au Poivre - have just seen this now 😭)

First world dilemmas.

Hello

We will have a 2 night layover in Cebu on our way to Siargao. I’m excited about some island time when we get to the islands, and usually I don’t go for resort style holidays but it seems that’s what a stay in mactan is going to be like so may as well lean into it properly!

Does anyone know of hotels that have a bar that you can swim up to, with little seats in the water infront of the bar?

I’ve only seen one in the booking.com pictures but know sometimes the facility is there but not photographed. Any local knowledge that can point me towards names of hotels that have this?

Thanks!