Home of the Small Bar
Surry Hills is fast emerging as the home of the small bar in Sydney, I suspect. As I walked around Surry today I noticed a development application for another, right next to the refurbished Surry Hills library.
It’s what was the Indian restaurant which collapsed in November 2007, which provoked a lot of local attention, as well as media attention. I wrote this at the time.
“How long have you been here for?”, I said to a colleague who is coveing the story for television news. “Since 10 o’clock this morning”, he told me with a wry grin. All of the television stations (except SBS) seem to have crews there. We love a building collapse in Sydney, don’t we?

It’ll be interesting to see what they develop in the space, especially since that part of Surry Hills is now developing a bit of a small bar culture.
Meanwhile, as I waited at the bus stop I noticed a poster for something not terribly “Surry” at all. It’s wrong to generalise, of course, especially since “Surry” is quite a diverse neighbourhood. I just can’t see there being much of a market advertising in a bus shelter in Sydney for a “hits and memories” style of rock musical that’s advertised as “only in Melbourne”.

Have you been into the Double Oxen cafe near the sushi place on Cleveland Street? Always empty. Confused menu. I don’t know how they got the money for the refit, they must take $20 a day max.
Hi Tom, no I haven’t. There’s always a restaurant or cafe opening up in the area. Perhaps the most interesting local development will be Cafe Siccillia, the transformation of a local thai into a mega cafe. I’m wondering what impact its likely to have, if any, on places like Cossies, Mint and so on.