Call Me A Cab

It's been an institution since it opened in 1958.

The Taxi Club in Flinders Street, Darlinghurst is a 24 hour club that originally catered for taxi drivers coming off their shifts, at 3pm and 3 am.

It soon became one of the most popular venues in Sydney and the place to end up after a night out to continue the celebrations. By 4am the joint was jumping and it stayed that way until around 10.30 am when it shut it's doors for one hour so the cleaners could give it the once over.

The great fun about the Taxi Club was the sheer variety of clientele : taxi drivers, off duty coppers, high court judges, bank robbers, drag queens, con men and a huge swathe of the gay and lesbian community long before Oxford Street became the gay haven it is now. In fact eventually the club changed it's constitution to state that it's prime objective was to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community.

And you could be sure that any visiting celebrity would end up partying at the Taxi- Tom & Nicole watched a drag show as did Morgan Freeman. 
Bruce Springsteen played the pokies for 2 hours, Liberace called in for a drink as did Sammy Davis Jr and Shirley Bassey while Winifred Atwell often gave a impromptu performance at 2am.
The Shuttle once spotted Hollywood Legend Van Johnson nursing a drink at the bar.

lethal stairs

Around 5am a burly truck driver may discover that a transgender status was no barrier to a night of romance and there were many tales about the noted magistrate who was fond of stilettos and skimpy frocks who often lured heterosexual men to the car park next door in the early hours and never once had anything other than a 'happy ending'.

And if anyone got out of control which was frequent before the club clamped down on drug use, the tales of who was ejected via the narrow staircase to the street below were legendary. Most woke up in hospital with no memory of where they had been the night before.

Sadly with the proliferation of nightclubs around Sydney that are mainly a variation on the last one, the Taxi Club has suffered for the past few years and is no longer financially viable. On April 6th it's doors close forever.

Dramas In Deepest Darling Point

Its home to some of the most desirable real estate in Australia-the harbour side suburb of Darling Point with its tree lined boulevards and grand mansions.

Tom & Nicolle once lived there. So does Edward de Bono when in town,Ita Buttrose, singer Helen Reddy, actress Rachel Griffith and the extended Bushels tea family, the Oxleys who have not only the legendary Carthona ( Tom wanted to buy it a s a wedding present for Nicolle and offered $25M ) but houses on either side to house their extended family.

Slap bang in the middle of the burb is arguably the most expensive private property on the Eastern seaboard, the neo Gothic castle of cream sandstone, Swifts.

Built in 1886 by Robert Tooth, it was once home to the Austrian brewer Edmund Resch, then owned by the Catholic Church (Pope John Paul and Paul IV have stayed there) and for the last 20 years it's been the domicile of the nursing home tsars Doug and Greta Moran.

Putting a price on Swifts is difficult with its acres of manicured gardens but the Morans spent over $20M on just restoring the house. The Morans, worth an estimated $300M have retired and their children Kerry and Shane now oversee Swifts despite the fact they were once estranged from their parents for several years. With 56 rooms to ramble about in avoiding each other possibly wasn't too difficult.

Of late though neighbours have become edgy as Swifts appears to be hosting gatherings every week from the Rolls Royce Club to Melbourne Cup Day parties to Cornucopia Committee charity fundraisers and magazine launches.

 A week ago there was an antiques fair and locals are becoming embittered about the lack of parking and the noise that emanates from the gardens and Moorish ballroom, the only parts of Swifts strangers get to see.

Residents claim a 'commercial' kitchen has been installed and for the past 4 weeks there has been a function there every Friday evening. Siblings Kerry Jones and Shane Moran say they got the appropriate council permission but residents of a block of flats opposite where Lady Walton, scion of the department store family lives say the noise has been deafening and it carries right up to their 24th floor.

Expect fiery council meetings in February 2012 when the chambers are in session again.

Palm Beach shack For Sale

'Kaluha'

Every summer a flock of paparazzi set out for ritzy Palm Beach at the very furthest end of Sydney's northern peninsular where local and international celebrities spend their lazy days in the handful of mansions available in the area.

Now the most famous house that usually hosts an international star over summer is up for sale-Kalua, the magnificent property owned by businessman Ian Joye can be yours for an asking price of over $25M.

The 1920s Caribbean style beach house is actually three separate houses on about 5,500sqm in the cul-de-sac at the prestigious southern end of the beachfront, nestled among the lush vegetation of historic Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour with filtered views direct across to the beach, bordered by tall Pines.

Only HRH Prince Charles' friend Bob Rose has a better property being right at the end with commanding views over the beach.

Kalua was once owned by the Horden department store family (they all had Palm Beach houses in the 1930s-the Graces, the Lloyd Jones while the Myers opted for Sorrento in Victoria ). Gazing over the azure waters of the Pacific it's secluded amid magnificent sprawling grounds and really hearkens back to a more stylish era when Eastern Suburbs' families would motor down for the week end and jostle over who could host the smartest  garden party.

These days Palm Beach is a bit of a film colony with Oscar winning director Peter Weir, actors Bryan Brown and Racheal Ward and Sam Neil all living in the area while the North Palm Beach Surf Club is used as a set for Home &Away.

Those who have rented Kaluha for $40,000 a week include Mick Jagger, John Cleese, Bono, Nicole Kidman,Tom Cruise, Rupert Murdoch, Paul McCartney and Billy Connolly.

If you are short on cash the vendor is offering 60% finance which means you could look forward to a monthly mortgage of about $120,000.

Justin Under Attack

While the compact Kings Cross club Beach Haus celebrated the opening of their Moet & Chandon bar (above) Australia's most successful night club entrepreneur Justin Hemmes has come under sustained attacks that bear all the hall marks of the infamous Australian "tall poppy syndrome".

Justin Hemmes

No-one has invested as much money as the young mogul in providing chic and luxurious premises for Sydney-siders to party in. To date an estimated $200M. Hemmes employs around 2000 staff and is regarded by those who work for him as a firm but fair and generous boss. There is a waiting list of hundreds of young hopefuls wishing to be employed by Justin's Merivale Group.

Starting with 2 hotels in the city, Hemmes bucked the trend and turned old style pubs into stylish and modern bars aided by his sister Bettina who is responsible for decorating all his premises.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman partied at his Slip Inn while the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederick met his future bride Mary Donaldson there during the 2000 Olympics.

When he opened the elegant Establishment in lower George Street in a beautiful colonial Georgian building he introduced the city to a style not seen before.

Huge marbled floored bars that become packed after office hours, an award winning restaurant Est run by top chef Peter Doyle (picking up '3 Hats' again last week at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launch) and a series of function rooms constantly in use with a nightclub Hemmesphere that became the place to relax for visiting international stars from Beyonce to Bono to actor Simon Callow.

In any other world class city Hemmes would probably be given a gold key to the city having almost solely revived central Sydney' dormant nightlife.

A party at the Ivy pool

Instead he has faced a raft of opposition from local police over exaggerated incidents that pale into insignificance when one considers he hosts tens of thousands of patrons every week.

Hemmes also came under the gaze of  Lord Mayor Clover Moore who donned a new hat as the head of the Anti-Fun Police and attempted to enforce strict drinking hours reminiscent of the dreaded 1950s "six o'clock swill" when pubs slammed their doors shut at 6pm each evening. Fortunately the outcry was deafening particularly as Hemmes had invested his family fortune in his city nightclubs

Hemmisphere

Three months ago Hemmes was held up at gunpoint in his recently purchased Surry Hill's pub . Outside a police car with 2 officers calmly watched as the armed raiders made their get away in a stolen BMW crashing into another car in the process.

A fortnight ago it is alleged his doormen bashed a patron in the cellar at Hemme's Ivy complex and mis-lead police whilst cleaners washed away bloodstains.

A few nights ago Hemmes distinctive black Rolls Royce Phantom was pulled over in Redfern and the driver was charged with drug possession. Yesterday a man claimed he had been assaulted by Hemmes at Ivy. Hemmes denies the charge and says CCTV footage backs him up.

Sydney once had the most corrupt police in the Southern hemisphere, routed out at great personal sacrifice by an imported British police commander who, for his efforts and success was forced from the country by a series of cowardly and false attacks from shock jocks and politicians.

It comes as no surprise Justin Hemmes has been spotted in New York City in recent months checking out premises. His talents would be snapped up in the USA. They would roll out the welcome mat.
It would serve the good burghers of Sydney right if they forced the man who has done more to brighten Sydney life to flee abroad to a city that would appreciate his talents.

Will Shane Warne Succeed where Gordon Ramsay Failed ?

Sad news today and a further blow for embattled restaurateur Gordon Ramsay as he announces that his Melbourne restaurant- maze Grill at the Metropole Hotel-part of James Packer's ritzy Crown Casino, is put into liquidation.

Despite the gleaming new restaurant receiving excellent reviews and a reported turnover of nearly $14M in the one year it was open, it was loosing money and becoming a drain on Ramsay's declining restaurant empire.

Melbourne's maze Grill

The Crown Casino by the Yarra River is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the biggest in the world. With 3 hotel tower blocks including the Metrople, endless fast food outlets and a string of 5 star restaurants , luxury stores,cinemas, theatres, a ballroom and a convention centre it is one of the most opulent gaming establishments on the planet.

Stars like Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Tiger Woods  have called it home while in Melbourne on extended visits.
Fine dining restaurants at Crown that are going gangbusters include the Japanese Nobu part owned by actor Robert de Niro (who officially launched Nobu in 2007) and  Bistro Guillaume owned by French chef Guillaume Brahimi who also owns Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House. In both establishments it often takes weeks to book a table.

Diana at the Commonwealth Day lunch with Samantha Riley

But if Ramsay couldn't make a go of it , will our newly minted Metrosexual Shane Warne do any better?

rough trade?

It's been reported in today's Sydney Morning Herald that Warnie will be attending this year's Melbourne Cup (with Liz Hurley) and will be opening a night club at Crown.
Warnie's new sophisticated image has come some way since the Shuttle sat with him at a Commonwealth Day lunch for Princess Diana in Sydney in 1996.

When we asked if he was a friend of Diana's Shane replied "no, I haven't met her yet" (she was at the next table). Asked if he thought she may be a cricket fan he said "not sure-but I think she likes rough trade !"

Sharon Sargeant Special

A brown paper parcel lands upon the Shuttle's desk and a mid-year (July '11 to July '12) calendar is revealed. But what a calendar!.

It's the latest offering from one of Sydney's most popular party girls Sharon Sargeant and to say it reveals many of Ms Sargeant's charms is an understatement.

Apparently the calendars are selling like hot cakes and each one comes with a personal note signed by Sharon.

Regular readers may recall Ms Sargeant first came to prominence when it was announced that she and the world's most famous private eye Frank Monte had become engaged over a long lunch at the uber smart restaurant Ottos in Woolloomooloo, not so long ago.

Monte & Sargeant (Getty)

Then the paparazzi snapped her having suffered a wardrobe malfunction and partying in Potts Point with pals after attending a Lady Ga Ga gig while Monte was in the USA. Soon she was discovered gate crashing a porn convention in Las Vegas and was photographed dancing with one of America's reining porn queens Claudia-Marie (a strong constitution is needed if you dare visit her website).

Weeks later Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid splashed even more pics across their pages with Ms Sargeant pictured escorting the British Rugby Team (then touring Australia and accompanied by Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips and her fiance Mike Tindall) to a million dollar gin palace and waving them off as they departed for a harbour cruise accompanied by some scantily clad lasses. Rugby bosses scrambled to assure the public it was an innocent outing.

UK Sunday Mirror

More shocking news when the Daily Telegraph exposed Sharon as the owner of an escort agency. But there's more than  meets the eye to this gal. Sargeant later on-sold the agency for a tidy sum to an American corporation and was spotted recently tooling around Bondi Beach and Double Bay in a gleaming black Ferrari. a gift to herself from the sale proceeds.

Now Sharon, who has been learning some nifty dance routines along side Lara Bingle ( left with Sharon) has been hailed by no less than the US Army. The US 509th Airborne Infantry have invited Sharon to be their mascot for the year and supply the troops in Afghanistan with a series of patriotic photographs to keep morale boosted on the long and lonely nights.
Our snap above and opposite are censored versions of what our US allies will be feasting their eyes upon and the calendar contains similar.

And after one snap appeared on Facebook, a British army unit has requested the same !. But is it Prince Harry's unit ?. He's partial to blonde's. The mind boggles.


You can order Sharon's calendar here...and you could always send one to our boys in Iraq and Afghanistan .

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Z-Sydney super yachts.com

Read It Here First : it's been 6 months since the Social Shuttle revealed that the luxury floating palace Z-Sydney owned by media mogul and billionaire James Packer would soon be for sale and so it has come to pass as reported in today's Sydney Morning Herald. The shining tub has played host to many Hollywood movie stars when they visit Sydney including Tom Cruise, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. It's your for around $22M.

Boomerang, A Swell Party and the Guantanamo Bay Inmate

"The Worst of The Worst" was how the former Foreign Minster Alexander Downer described him.



Alexander ' worst of the worst' Downer

The  pillar of the Adelaide Establishment who once famously posed on a TV chat show in stilettos and net stockings was speaking of the hapless David Hicks who spent years incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay  after the Northern Alliance pounced upon him in 2001 at a bus stop in Afghanistan and handed him over to the CIA for a $1000 bounty.

 In the hysteria following 9/11 Hicks spent the next 6 years at Gitmo chained to the floor of a cell for 22 hours at a time under fluorescent lights before finally being sent back to Australia after pleading guilty to the trumped up charge of "providing material support for terrorism".

The US chief army prosecutor later claimed Hicks should never have been charged and said the whole case was dominated by political interference from George W.Bush and PM John Howard.

 




David Hicks and wife Aloysia

  Hick's autobiography Guantanamo: My Journey is a harrowing read in which Hicks describes being tortured and beaten while blindfolded and handcuffed, forced to take unidentified medication, regularly forced to run in leg shackles causing ankle injury and being waterboarded by US agents.

Boomerang the amazing Spanish style mansion nestled by the harbour in Elizabeth Bay is far cry from Cuba.

It's owned by the billionaire trucking magnate Lindsay Fox who threw the doors open for a party last night.  Hicks and his wife Aloysia were guests for the launch of the book Stories from the Wayside.

The Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross is a ministry that was begun by the saintly late Reverend Ted Noffs in 1964 and continues to assist the down and outs of the Cross, drug addicts and anyone else in crisis.



Boomerang beauties: Samantha Harris & Jessica Gomes



Current minister Rev Graham Long has gathered together some amazing sucess stories from over the years along with some brilliant photographs by four leading fashion and advertising photographers.

 The concept of Sydney art director Andrew Henderson, Stories from the Wayside celebrates the chapel, the people who work within its walls and the visitors for whom the Wayside is a welcome support system, as well as as a place where all are welcome 'just to be'.



Boomerang



Built in 1928 at a cost of $28000 for music publisher Frank Albert, Lindsay Fox purchased the Hollywood style Boomerang in 2009 for $21M from society hostess Julie Schaeffer who had paid $20M for the house from the Shuttle's favourite former Hong Kong banker Duncan Mount and his wife Sally.

The house featured in Mission Impossible 2 and the film's star Tom Cruise tried to buy the house as an Aussie base for he and then wife Nicole Kidman.

David Hicks is about 5'5", shy and well mannered. He says he met Osama Bin Laden twice but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also fought for the Kosova Liberation Army.

Hicks chats to NSW Governor Marie Bashir

 Alexander Downer comes from a wealthy and privileged South Australian political family. His father Sir Alec Downer was High Commissioner to the UK, his grandfather Sir John Downer state premier twice. When he was Opposition Leader Alexander Downer dropped a clunker in a speech when he guffawingly referred to domestic violence as "the things that batter". When he took the Foreign Ministry he declared the UN an "out of date" body although that was forgotten when he beat the war drums for the disastrous Iraq Invasion. He was positive that WMD would be found.

I think we'd rather share a drink with David Hicks.

The Gadaffi's and Nicole Kidman

Sunday's Sun Herald will publish a story about the Qaddafi family links with Australia and in particular some of the adventures in Oz of the Libyan dictator's two sons Saif al-Islam and his younger brother Al-Saadi.

The pair have visited several times and met with both Labor and Liberal politicians including the former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer ( Or Lord Downer of Tikrit as journalist Mike Carlton calls him)

Just as dictators-as long as they are friendly to western interests-are warmly welcomed into the arms of British and American political circles, Australia follows suit.



Saif al-Islam

 The Qaddafi's are reported to have inspected several multi million dollar properties including an office building in Sydney they planned to turn into an embassy after Canberra re-instated diplomatic relations .

 Whilst British and US leaders have been quick to jump on the bandwagon of 'democracy' for the Middle East as repressive regimes seem to be on the slide, Australian diplomats and politicians appear to have been struck dumb offering no support for the Libyan citizens taking their lives in their hands by venturing onto Tripoli streets with one notable exception- former PM Kevin Rudd


According to the Herald Al-Saadi also dined with Nicole Kidman at a Sydney hotel reputedly to discuss film investments (it's one of the downsides of being a movie star-meeting with potential investors ). That information comes from a celebrity security firm. Whether this actually happened remains to be seen but there is an odd link between Kidman and the Qaddafis.



Al-Saadi.

In 2003 Al-Saadi became embroiled in a drama at Port Douglas when a party with several prostitutes went awry. One of his bodyguards pulled a gun and police were called. It was rumoured that two girls were badly beaten and received pay-offs to drop their complaints. Outraged tour operators who went unpaid by the young Qaddafi wrote to then prime Minister John Howard about Qaddafi and his 20 strong entourage . They were ignored. Oil, gas and construction deals in Lybia far outweigh trivial matters like a few bashed working girls.

There is even a claim Al-Saadi walked out of a Kings Cross brothel leaving an unpaid $7000 tab.

Nicole Kidman starred in the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut along with her then husband Tom Cruise. The movie is about sexual experimentation and after it premiered in Sydney a series of monthly Eyes Wide Shut sex parties began where guests wore masks and indulged in sexual encounters with strangers.



The parties were staged in empty exclusive Eastern Suburbs mansions that were for sale.  One tale that swept the East was how the Qaddafi brothers inspected a harbour side mansion with a price tag of twelve million dollars.  The real estate agent, a glamorous blond invited her prospective clients to one of the raunchy parties that was to be held that weekend and they accepted and arrived at the party with 6 minders who all joined in the night's activities.

She is reported to have said after :

 "they were quiet awful. Rough, rude and fairly unsexy. They never paid the $500 a head donation and it was wham bam with no thank you Mam. Quite frankly I was glad when they left. Mind you, one well know society hostess  ****** was sorry to see them go but she loves rough sex !"

Model Mischief

 The drama following the gaff made by host of the show, Sarah Murdoch in the announcement of the winner of the 2010 Australia's Next Top Model has been on-going

Feathers are flying in the modelling world after the top agency Priscilla's was dumped from the up-coming series and replaced by Chic run by the legendary agent Ursula Hufnagl who manages Miranda Kerr.

Taking over the reins as producer of the show Sarah ditched the production company Granada Media Australia and hired her sister-in-law Elisabeth Murdoch's  new TV production vehicle Shine. It's the sort of thing you can do when dad-in-law Rupert and husband Lachlan own most of the cable network the show features on.
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When gap toothed Victoria's Secret model Jessica Hart  scored the prestige job as top model in the Myer's G'Day Australia USA fashion spectacular in Los Angeles, she was at first reluctant to take the offer having just returned from working in the US.

However a financial offer made  by Myers sealed the deal. It was the kind that she couldn't refuse. Now there are rumblings in the huge Myer Emporium about whether former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins will continue in her role this year as ambassador for the chain store.

Miranda Kerr with a new bub to look after and under contract to the David Jones chain won't be attending this year's summer/spring collections.

Insiders are saying Myers are looking for a knock out blow to take DJ's fashion crown. Step forward Jessica.

The Shuttle's spies in New York report the gap-toothed beauty also has an ulterior motive for the trip back to the States. She has been getting up close and personal with  Stavros Niarchos who has had an on and off affair with Paris Hilton over the past few years and that has turned into a full blown affair with Niarchos begging Jessica to return to the US, according to friends.
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Billionaire James Packer's $45M Vaucluse  mansion ( right) is steaming ahead with massive earth-shifting machines digging deep into sandstone in preparation for an underground garage to house 13 vehicles, staff quarters and a huge swimming pool and presumably a kiddie's pen for children Indigo and Jackson.

James appears to be determined to dispense with all shreds of his father Kerry Packer's empire. Having sold off his dad's beloved Channel Nine network and the ACP magazine publishing titles that filled the Packer coffers, James has now purchased a controlling interest in the Ten TV network.

the Bondi Beach pad

When father Kerry died  James inherited a $6B fortune and lost a billion in just six months. He still lives in the sprawling Packer Bellevue Hill complex-2 mansions surrounded by the grounds of 2 more that were purchased and demolished, and his 3 storey apartment that he built directly opposite Bondi Beach.

The Vaucluse house, which James spent $18M on buying 3 houses to knock down and build the ultimate play pad will be ready in about 18 months time.

Meanwhile there was a rumour being touted at the Hobart to Sydney yacht race in January that the Z-Sydney, the luxury gin palace owned by James Packer that has played host to Hollywood movie stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is for sale with James shopping for a new vessel and in talks with the ship yard that built the world's second biggest 'super' yacht, Al Said for Sultan Qaboos of Oman . In 2007 Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes also joined James and wife Erica aboard their luxury converted minesweeper the  Arctic P on their Mediterranean cruise after their Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc wedding.

read more at 'PS' in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Bigger Than Elton John's Christies Sale

After finally departing the Byron Bay mansion, Cedar Springs (left) in Possum Creek, built by actor Paul Hogan, British born banker Duncan Mount (right) and his horse mad wife Sally are auctioning off their fabulous collection of antiques at Shapiro's Auction gallery in Queen Street Woollahra on October 26th.

Hogan built the house for his 1990 wedding to actress and Crocodile Dundee co-star Linda Kozlowski, However he rarely visited the property and it was on the market for 10 years before the Mounts moved into the 25 room palace.

The Mounts have taken up temporary residence in a $3.5M penthouse in Bellevue Hill, built by would be property developer Gary Baker who has fallen on hard-times with the collapse of his property empire. Baker and his wife Karin Upton Baker, boss of Hermes were neighbours of the Mounts in Sydney.

Last year the Mounts began to sub-divide Possum Creek with it's hundreds of rolling acres of prime land and forests that back onto the uber resort of Byron. Each of the plots sold for $2M as the couple prepared to enter the Sydney social scene again.

The furniture collection was housed in Byron Bay and the couple's equestrian centre on the northern beaches at Ingleside which they sold for $7.3M earlier this year. The remainder of the Possum Creek property with Cedar Springs is priced at $7.9M.

Emigrating from Hong Kong in 1996, Duncan and Sally paid $15M for the Spanish style mansion Boomerang in Elizabeth Bay, selling six years later for $20.5M . The glamorous pair were a regular sight around the Eastern Suburbs as they ferried their kids to school in a Bentley Continental convertible.

The Mounts threw some memorable parties at Boomerang including one for Jennifer Lopez.
The house was also featured in the film Mission Impossible 2 and Tom Cruise offered to buy the house from the Mounts as his Sydney base for he and then wife Nicole Kidman.

Duncan mentioned over drinks to the Shuttle one night that he was slightly miffed that Cruise's film crew clambered through Boomerang for 2 weeks and although Tom promised him an invite to the movie's premiere-the invitation never arrived.

Auctioneer Andrew Shapiro says : ''This is the biggest collection that has ever come on the market, and it is all museum-quality,'' ''It's even bigger than the Elton John collection which sold at Christies in 2003.''

Amongst the 250 lots there are designs by modern artists like Andre Dubreuil, Mark Brazier-Jones and Scott Cunningham with works cast in bronze, finished in ornamental glass plus paintings and a range of traditional antiques, mainly French, Italian and English from the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection is estimated to sell for about $500,000.

You can view and drool over the pieces at the Shapiro's on-line catalogue here.

Meanwhile the woes of the Mount's close former neighbours, Gary and Karin Upton Baker continue as around the same time as the Mount Collection sale, their beautiful Elizabeth Bay duplex which is directly opposite Boomerang goes up for auction.

The scene for parties for the likes of Giorgio Armani and
Elle McPherson, the property has a 3 car garage with a turn table-now empty. The Upton Baker's Bentley and Rolls Royce Phantom having been sold to satisfy creditors.


Boomerang which featured in Mission Impossible 2

Foodies at Ten Paces !

It's brewing up to be a scandal of major proportions and has been reported in the New York Times.

Acclaimed Australian chef David Thompson has had the temerity to open a restaurant in Bangkok and fellow foodies are not happy.

Thompson has been visiting Thailand for 25 years and has finally sealed his love affair with the country by opening a local branch of his hugely successful Nahm Restaurant.
This year his London eatery of the same name was the first ever Thai food outlet to receive a much coveted Michelin star.

Thai food writer Suthon Sukphasit reckons Thompson is "slapping the face of Thai people"-an odd comment that somewhat goes against the grain of the Land of Smiles legendary hospitality towards visitors and 'farangs' who settle in the country.

US born writer, the corpulent Bob Halliday who has lived in Thailand for a few decades sniffs
“When someone comes along and presents himself as the spokesman of Thai cuisine it’s like Osama Bin Laden going to the Vatican and saying he is the high authority on Catholicism".

Nahm in London
Another bizarre comment from a writer who err...presents himself as a spokesman on Thai food with his internet site Aw Taw aw Market (don't click the link-it takes you to a Thai betting site).

tSS thinks they protest too much and can't handle the competition.

Thompson has now published two well received books Thai Food and Thai Street Food which is regarded as the definitive recipe book on Siam eating. His second book was sold out within 2 weeks of being released.

Sydneysiders will remember Thompson's superb Darley Street Thai restaurant in Kings Cross in the 90's. It was Tom Cruise and Nicolle Kidman's home away from home.

However according to Pongtawat Chalermkittichai, the first Thai national to become Executive Chef at the 5 star Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok-Thompson is a master of Asian cooking and he says his '"mouth salivates at the thought of David's dishes".

Bob Halliday(right)

Pongtawat Chalermkittichai who is a world-wide consultant for Asian food and has opened the successful Kittichai Restaurant in Manhattan reckons he can learn much from Thompson. He plans to open a new eatery in Bangkok early next year and he hopes Nahm and his establishment "complement each other".

Perhaps the last word should go to someone who knows.
In a country that reveres it's Royal Family, not only is David Thompson a consultant for the Thailand's premier food cooking school, the prestigious Suan Dusit College in Bangkok on the preservation of Thai culinary heritage, he also oversees state banquets for the longest reigning monarch in the world, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX of Thailand.