Dining under the Moon

It's starts under the sun. The inaugural Moveable Feast on the sands of Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. From the entrepreneurs who gave us the acclaimed Diner en Blanc Sydney, A Moveable Feast was the first of four in a new series of dining experiences set to take place in 2016.

 In attendance were a number of A-list Sydney and international personalities such as Natasha Oakley, Devin Brugman, Kris Smith, Maddy King, Natalie Roser, Laura Csortan, Tim Holmes a Court, Daimon Downey and of course the Bondi Rescue boys.

Lauren Murdoch of Sydney Opera House Concourse venues designed the  menu, presented in the form of a picnic hamper for two with picked Alaskan crab salad with potato, pea, celery heart and tarragon, poached chicken with roasted eggplant, du puy lentils, eggplant caviar, sesame yoghurt hazelnuts and pastel meringue kisses among other culinary delights.  Yum ! Washed down by Piper-Heidsieck. What more could a mere mortal desire?

Party Rivals see in the New Year

Catalina in Rose Bay                                                                Bondi Icebergs

Paris Hilton at Icebergs in 2007

Ever since Paris Hilton and then boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III attended the first New Year's Day charity bash at Bondi  Icebergs in 2007 it's been the recovery party for January 1st but a new competitor looks like stealing Iceberg's thunder. 

Damion Downey

Catalina in Rose Bay threw an almost identical party hosted by musician Damion Downey formerly of Sneaky Sound System . With his party partner Tim Holmes a'Court they pulled in around 300 guests, about the same number that attended the Bondi Bash.

Catalina's was slightly marred by the discovery of a body floating beneath the pier the previous day, the result of  tragic boating accident but with it's expansive view and large dining room it's certainly a comfortable venue.

Chris Brown

Chris Joannou * Laura Csortan

At the Icebergs and sipping on Veuve Clicquot: Dan Single and girlfriend Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Kings Cross nightclub mogul John Ibrahim, Charlotte Dawson and Brian McFadden with Vogue Williams.
At Catalina swilling Pommery and lunching on pancakes and duck sauce-the newly trimmed billionaire James Packer taking a series of intense looking phone calls and wife Erica, Laura Csortan and boyfriend Chris Joannou from Silverchair and Southeby's Justin Miller with designer Danielle Wallace-she flew in from Lake Como.
Missing in action : Kylie Minogue and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Pearly Kings & Queens

If you don't have your own set of pearls to twirl then it's time you got yourself a string of these timeless and stylish classics.

And where better than Paspaley Pearls, the leaders in the industry who have been producing South Sea Pearls since 1935 and are the largest suppliers in Australia and are highly regarded in the fashion houses of Paris, London and Milan.

Caroline Laws & Anna Lisa Klettenberg

Paspaley excel in choosing unique locations for their season launches and last Thursday was no exception. In downtown Redfern - once a no go area but now decidedly up market- in the magnificent antique centre The Residence owned by Martyn Cook and Thomas Hamel which not only had plenty of space but some precious antiques perfect for use as display cases, plus a few gorgeous models.

The Residence is just a few doors from the premises once known as the Geebung Polo Club which was years ahead of it's time but crashed and burned putting paid to Wilton Morley's (the son of actor Robert Morley) plans to open a stable of Sydney bars (It's now a gay leather club called Mrs Marys).

Jenny Sweeney & Tim Holmes a Court

Deborah Knight & Kathryn Robinson

Social heavyweights like Anna Lisa Klettenberg and Isolde Tornya, chef Michael Moore, Glen Marie Frost and Carla Zampatti joined a younger set including a brace of Holmes a Courts and designer Bowie Wong to marvel at the beautiful pearls on display.

A late arrival- Princess Caroline Laws' chauffered Rolls Royce tentivelly inched it's way down the narrow lane before depositing her at the front door.

Photo Finish !



Gai & Robbie Waterhouse, Hoda Vakili and Tom Waterhouse



Too many parties, too much champagne !.

Our discovery of the week : a travelling cocktail cabinet filled with Pommery Champagne. This we like.



The gorgeous Racheal Finch



It was at the  hot young bookmaker Tom Waterhouse's launch of his betting website at the Beach Haus nightclub in Kings Cross : http://www.tomwaterhouse.com/ : online betting.

Tom's family has been in the horse racing game for over 100 years. His mum Gai Waterhouse is Australia's (and one of the world's) top trainers who has trained so many winners she has billionaires and Middle East potentates battering down her door to have her train their stallions at her stud.



Terri Biviano & Tim Holmes a` Court

His dad is Robbie Waterhouse who had a slight mis-hap with a nag named Fine Cotton. Something about daubing it with paint and a substitution  horse. A few million bucks was won on the betting tote. The whole scheme came crashing down and Robbie was 'warned off' the course for awhile but he's back in business.



a Pommery cabinet !



But it's young Tom who has taken over the family mantle and he gave me a few tips for the track :

"it's always easier to back winners in the first half of a race meeting"-"if the track is heavy and the favourite is odds on, get on"- "if you like a horse and you are surprised the odds are longer than you expected, don't alter your bet, bet the amount you intended. Value is king"

So there it is, straight from the horse's mouth as they say.

                                             

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OK, enough already !. We've had a few dozen emails demanding to see our snaps of gal about town Sharon Sargeant who took the ritzy Black and White Ball crowd by storm in her glittering red outfit.



Here are 2 to go on with.  Sharon is launching her own website soon so check back for the address. She promises us you won't be disappointed.



The Parliamentarian who makes grown men tremble-Bronwyn Bishop MP & B&W president Sue Diver

# A special mention must go to Tamburlaine Organic Wines (alcoholic !) from the Hunter Valley who supplied their superb tipple at the Black & White Ball. Visit their website :  http://www.mywinery.com/. Not only  a very nice drop, healthy to boot !
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The Quay Restaurant is world famous. This year it was voted Number 27 on the coveted S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant’s list, to become the highest ranked Australian restaurant in the world, as well as rewriting Australian restaurant award history by scoring a “double double” win, having been named Restaurant of The Year for the second consecutive year in the industry’s two top awards, the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2010 and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010.



Leon & Margaret Fink



Chef Peter Gilmore & John Fink



So of course you would be stark raving mad to miss a book launch there especially when it's a recipe book by the famed head chef at the Quay, Peter Gilmore.

You know the nibbles will be superb, the Bollinger chilled to perfection and the crowd friendly. The only thing missing were some of the restaurant's regular clients when in town-David Bowie, Gordon Ramsay, Mick Jagger and King Constantine II of Greece.



our favourite Murdoch family member-Matt Handbury and partner Clare



The Quay is owned by Leon Fink and run by his son John. John's mum is the film producer Margaret Fink who produced Candy with Heath Ledger and My Brilliant Career (for which she won an Academy Award )and which launched the careers of Judy Davis and Sam Neil.



The view from The Quay Restaurant