Art And Soul

Newcastle Herald

Saturday December 20, 2008

writes INGRID BOWN

Our cultural excursion to the Big Smoke

starts on a deserted island.

In the middle of a working day in

the heart of Sydney, a gawky baby plover

entertains us with his antics before we become

absorbed by a nearby boat race. From the

grassy knoll where we have spread out our

picnic, we look out across the harbour at the

citys shiny skyscrapers and its prime pockets of

coastal real estate choc-chipped with houses.

The sea breeze carries nothing but the sounds

of birds and boats.

Shark Island, part of the Sydney Harbour

National Park, is a neat little button of lawn

and trees at the mouth of Rose Bay. It is a

short boat trip from the city, but feels a world

away.

After polishing off our hotel-prepared picnic

of dips, sandwiches and rolls between slurps

of Hunter Valley semillon, we are back on a

water taxi and shooting across the harbour.

On the way home, yacht sails dance on the

afternoon swell, mimicking the white arcs of

their iconic harbour backdrop. This is where

Sydneys magic lies  in the natural beauty of

its water, space and light, so often lost in the

battle against big-city bothers like traffi c jams

and crowds.

We scrub up back at the Sofi tel Wentworth

for a meal in the hotels chic-but-casual Garden

Court restaurant. The menu is Monet-inspired,

as part of the hotels themed promotions

for the Art Gallery of NSWs blockbuster

exhibition, Monet & the Impressionists.

The selection, including stuffed artichoke

hearts, leek and potato soup and banana

ice-cream, is based on classic French countrystyle

recipes and favourites of the French

impressionist, taken from his cooking journals.

His recipes, which are published in the 1990

book Monets Table: The Cooking Journals of

Claude Monet by Claire Joyes include dishes

Monet collected on his travels, came across in

restaurants and borrowed from friends, whom

he liked to entertain at his celebrated home

and gardens at Giverny, north of Paris.

After dinner, the focus stays on our palates,

as we head out to sample some stars of

Sydneys emerging wine-bar scene, and the

host of sensory pleasures they have to offer.

This is the province of the sommelier  where

the traditional emphasis on food and wine

is switched. At Darlinghursts Time to Vino,

self-professed wine geek Clint Hillery offers

an eclectic, evolving range of international

wines at his cosy, buzzing Stanley Street digs,

including French, Spanish, Austrian, Kiwi

and Italian drops, as well as a sprinkling of

aperitif and digestif.

For the down time between sips, we are

treated to a smorgasbord of European-style

snacks, including gravlax, dill pickle and croute

and rabbit and smoked ham rillettes from

the bars whimsically arrranged menu, which

is divided under the headings waiting for

friends (snacks), friends are here (meals)

and who needs friends (dessert).

The wine  Artazuri Garnacha from

Navarra in Spain  is a well-balanced match

for the hearty fare. Wine buffs will not be

disappointed at Time to Vino, and will likely

find something new to try.

For anyone interested in learning more, it is

a fun, laid-back way to get to know what you

like and have some quality time with your pals

while youre at it.

Even if wine isnt your thing, this smart two-storey

terrace is a lively cafe-style bar with the

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warm, familiar vibe of a locals haunt.

From the inner-city burbs to the inner city,

the stylish, neat-as-a-shoe-box Ash St Cellar

spills onto a laneway at the back of Justin

Hemmess mega Ivy complex on George Street.

The global wine list at this bar-cum-bistro is a

spectacular, mouthwatering tome, innovatively

arranged according to nose, palate and

colour. I am afforded the rare treat of having

Burgundy and Rhone Valley reds by the glass.

It is not a cheap way to while away an evening,

but an intensely rewarding one.

Ash St Cellar also serves up a sophisticated

tapas menu, featuring in-vogue gourmet

goodies such as Jamon iberico, wagyu beef

bresaolo and buffalo mozzarella.

In Hemmess dizzying, Willy Wonka-like

precinct of bars, clubs and restaurants, Ash St

Cellar is tucked away, and the decor, like the

mood, is smooth and subdued. Its intimate

laneway setting gives it a European flavour,

which in Sydney is cause for celebration.

Sydneys wine bars are the foodies answer

to a night on the booze. They are a classy,

grown-up alternative to the rowdy, crowded

pub and club scene, where the emphasis is not

on what you drink, but how much, and where

a trip to the dentist could be more conducive

to conversation.

Next morning, a touch dusty, we are ferried

to the Art Gallery of NSW for the headline act

in our two-day Sydney taste test.

Ushered in with a swarm of media, we have

the first chance to see what the fuss is about

with the Monet & the Impressionists exhibition

 hailed as one of the fi nest collections of

Impressionist paintings ever to come to

Australia.

The exhibition  comprising 29 works by

Claude Monet alongside paintings by his

contemporaries, such as Renoir, Pissarro,

Cezanne, Degas and Sisley  is drawn from

the permanent collection of the Museum of

Fine Arts in Boston, home to one of the best

collections of his paintings in the world. It is a

rare chance to see in Australia some of his most

famous works, including Water Lilies, Haystacks

and Rouen Cathedral.

The exhibition is relatively small but it packs

a punch. Monets uncanny ability to capture

and generate sublime light  the aura of early

morning, a summers afternoon; the play

of light on grass, the changing moods of a

building  can only be appreciated when you

stand in front of his paintings. As I take pictures

of his work, it strikes me that I have never seen

a photograph with the same luminosity, nor a

photograph of his work that conjures any of

this magic.

The exhibition traces the evolution of his

style. It is fascinating to walk from start to

fi nish and back to the start to appreciate his

mastery of this style and the genius of its form

when it reaches its fullest, freest expression. For

nostalgic Francophiles, Monets paintings also

evoke the pretty, distinctive villages of France.

From the gallery we mosey to Walsh Bay

for a stickybeak at art in an utterly different

guise. The Walsh Bay sculpture walk, a work

in progress, is a series of sculptures enhancing

the urban environment around the Walsh Bay

development. The most eye-catching among

them is Jimmie Durhams Still Life with Stone

and Car. The artwork has been repeatedly

vandalised since its installation, and local

teenagers use it as a skateboarding ramp at

weekends, but, our host tells us, the artist

embraces this evolution and the communitys

reworking of his original.

The walk takes us from the road to the

waterfront, where a lively village has sprung

up in the past five years among the converted

wharf warehouses. The promenade along

the water, which is now lined mostly with

apartments, is home to a hip array of cafes,

bars and shops.

Like Newcastles Honeysuckle precinct, Walsh

Bay merges industry, history and modern

design to reinvent a former blue-collar working

wharf to a waterfront eating and living area

with an emphasis on sophistication and luxury.

Its historical and industrial background is

what gives the place atmosphere, character

and soul, unlike so many new waterside

lifestyle developments.

Nicole Kidmans luxury cruiser, moored at the

end of one of the piers, is all the reminding you

need that this harbourside hot spot is a long,

long way from its blue-collar roots. But it costs

next to nothing to stroll up and down, prop for

a coffee and soak up the scene.

It proves that magic, at an affordable price,

abounds in Sydney  you just have to know

where to look.

From the gallery we

mosey to Walsh Bay for

a stickybeak at art in an

utterly different guise.

IF YOU GO

* Monet & the Impressionists runs until

January 26 at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Opening hours 10am to 5pm daily,

Wednesdays until 9pm (closed Christmas

Day). Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for

concessions/members and $48 for a family

(two adults and up to three children).

* Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is offering a

special accommodation package during

the exhibition. The Monet Chic Picnic

Package is priced from $760 and includes

two nights accommodation for two with

daily breakfast, parking and two tickets to

the exhibition, plus a picnic at an outdoor

setting of your choice.

* Yellow Water Taxis to Shark Island are

$107 for up to four people and $10 for each

person thereafter. The company offer better

rates for larger groups.

Visit www.yellowwatertaxis.com.au

* For more information on Time to Vino,

visit www.timetovino.com. For more

information on Ash St Cellar,

visit www.merivale.com/ivy/ashstreetcellar

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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