Dress up and experience Sydney this summer
If you, like us, appreciate how good dressing up feels, then you might be on the lookout for opportunities to don your elegant, bespoke ensembles this summer in Sydney. After the year that was, I think we could all do with some time spend in elegant places and excellent company.
Research shows the clothes we wear can be the source of dopamine (aka the feel-good neurotransmitter) hit. There’s only so much dopamine we can get from dressing casual. We're thinking bright linings, luxurious textures, elegant combinations. Dressing well feels good and can impact on your happiness levels.
If you're back in the office, don't think twice about bringing the elegant suits back. But if you're still working from home, or if you simply want some places that encourage elegance, especially after a few rounds of movement restrictions, we got your back.
It’s summertime in Sydney, a season to get out and about, to explore, to enjoy what our city has to offer. We’ve shortlisted this summer’s best places to get dressed up for. Spoiler alert, most of them include fine dining, so your dopamine reward is bound to be multifold.
Mimi’s – Coogee Pavilion
You can be sure that Mimi’s is going to be a perfect match for your elegant attire. Three years in the making, the space is as handsome as you can get, designed by the award-winning team at ACME&Co. You could go to Mimi’s just to immerse yourself in a beautiful, sophisticated space. But you’ll find the food and drinks menus more than rewarding as well. The cuisine is an ode to the Australian coastline, focusing on seafood, meat and farm-fresh vegetables. And served with an accent on your experience. Think black caviar wheeled to your table on a cart. The views you'll enjoy here are not to be discounted either.
The only question is: which suit or suit combination to choose for the occasion?
Catalina – Rose Bay
If you want panoramic views with your indulgent dinner and elegant attire (we’re partial to all of that), then this is the place that has it all. Catalina’s been around for a little while (26 years to be exact), and there’s a reason it maintains its position at the top of Sydney fine dining. The service is as you would expect: attentive, polite, bespoke. And the food matches the views, in that it serves exquisite dishes, with an emphasis on seafood.
A quarter of a century in its existence, this place still sparkles with elegance: the perfect place to get dressed up for an afternoon or evening this summer? We think so.
Benelong – Sydney Opera House
Benelong is another veteran on the Sydney fine dining scene, but really, if you’ve been meaning to go and are putting it off, or if you’ve already been and consider it done, do yourself a treat and book a table. Benelong is conveniently housed within the Opera House’s shells - another reason you might want to visit. It’s one thing to wonder at Jørn Utzon's craftsmanship from the distance, and another to dine inside its folds. Of course, the breathtaking views of the harbour and bridge, as well as the multi-award winning food, are a given. Another sumptuous (if not iconic) experience to indulge in this summer.
We love this city and all it has to offer. Maybe this summer we’re all even more appreciative that we can have unique experiences centered around food, views, elegance, and great company. What about you? Do you have any favourite places you’ve discovered or reacquainted yourself this summer? Places where elegance is at home? Where you can dress up and experience Sydney?