Word of Mouth - Sydney, Australia

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Published: 12:00am, 6 Oct 2006

Who better to guide you round a city than the people who live there? We ask a ballet dancer, a curator, a chef and the most famous design duo in the world to take us around their home towns - San Francisco, Tokyo, Sydney and Milan.

Will Meyrick, the culinary force behind Lotus in Hong Kong, is the head chef and co-owner of Jimmy Liks, one of Sydney's most famous Thai restaurants. He shares his tips on how to live it up down under.

Christmas is the best time to visit. It's warm and sunny, perfect for walking on the beach in a T-shirt and flip-flops. The Kirketon is a good boutique hotel in the city (229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, tel: 61 2 9332 2011; www.kirketon.com.au), but to really get away from it all, head to the Blue Mountains and check in to Hotel Hydro Majestic, a beautiful art deco resort perched on a cliff (Great Western Highway, Medlow Bath, tel: 61 2 4788 1002; www.hydromajestic.com.au). Be sure to have a meal at Vulcan's (33 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath, tel: 61 2 4787 6899), which is owned by the famous Sydney chef Phillip Searle.

Bondi and Tamarama are the best beaches for hanging out. The RSL in North Bondi is also great for comfort food and lazy afternoons by the pool table (118-120 Ramsgate Avenue, tel: 61 2 9130 3152; www.northbondirsl.com.au). For sunset drinks, it's got to be Bondi Icebergs Club (Notts Avenue, tel: 61 2 9130 3120; www.icebergs.com.au). Otherwise, the Zeta Bar (Level 4, Hilton Sydney, 488 George Street, tel: 61 2 9265 6070; www.zetabar.com.au) is great for cocktails before hitting a buzzy restaurant for dinner. Try Jimmy Liks (186-188 Victoria Street, Potts Point, tel: 61 2 8354 1400; www.jimmyliks.com), or Billy Kwong (3/355 Crown Street, Surrey Hills, tel: 61 2 9332 3300). As for nightlife, King's Cross is the place to be for the music and crowd - mostly hip locals from the eastern suburbs. Williams Street has a bunch of great clubs (look out for local DJ crew Bang Gang).

On Sundays, dim sum at Marigold in Chinatown is a must (683-689 George Street, Levels 4 & 5, tel: 61 2 9281 3388; www.marigold.com.au). And finally, Sunday night at Industrie (107 Pitt Street, tel: 61 2 9221 8001; www.industriebar.com.au) is worth a visit for people who don't care about working on Monday morning.