Down Under Diary

The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur Down Under
October 27 - Sydney

Our first job of the day was to take a cab to Bondi Junction to meet hospitality marketing guru Max Hitchins for lunch and check out his soon-to-be-legendary Billy the Pigs Pub. Mostly I wanted to see Max in action and see what he does and how he does it. The pub itself is a fairly typical operation on its face, but there is a delightful energy in the place and it had developed a strong cadre of loyal patrons.

We had an interesting lunch - his food operation is contracted out to a Malaysian couple who do ethnic items. I was not too familiar with Malaysian cuisine but it seems to be a blend of Indian (with the curries) and Thai (a little spicy but not overly hot). Max broke out a bottle of Two Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon that proved to be a very big, soft wine.

You can't believe the quantity and quality of wines that are produced in Australia! Most of the good stuff isn't produced in sufficient quantity to make it out of the country. In the interests of research, we will do out best to find some of the good ones and keep you informed!

To see the photos of Billy the Pigs, click here.

We had a rather unexpected evening. Alan Chamberlain, GM of the Carlton Crest had graciously given us tickets to The Boy From Oz, a musical based on the life and music of Peter Allen. It was playing around the corner and it sounded like it might be an interesting break in the routine. We were just starting a pre-theater meal in the hotel when in walked Lorraine and Fergus Maclagan, one of the couples we had lunch with at Berowra Waters! The twosome quickly became a foursome and we were off for another Aussie evening. The show was very well done - a skillful mix of biography and musical theater told through Peter's own songs. I understand it is headed to Broadway from here, so we may be able to say "we saw it when . . ."

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