{"id":35770,"date":"2014-11-29T07:37:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-29T07:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/blog\/?p=35770"},"modified":"2014-12-15T00:02:53","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T00:02:53","slug":"downtown-dinner-party-at-the-adge-boutique-hotel-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/vc\/blog\/downtown-dinner-party-at-the-adge-boutique-hotel-sydney\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown dinner party at the Adge Boutique Hotel, Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mission: a weekend away in Sydney<\/a>, catching up with friends who’ve moved there to soak up the “big city” vibes.<\/h2>\n

Every time I head down to see them, we inevitably end up at some new restaurant they’ve been waiting to try and move on to a bar in the city. This time, I decide to change it up a bit and hold a dinner party instead (read: copious amounts of wine!).<\/p>\n

Two tiny issues – 1. I have no idea where to get the ingredients to impress my friends; and 2. I have nowhere to cook them in!<\/p>\n

So I scour the web and come across the Adge Boutique Hotel in Surry Hills<\/a> \u2013 not sure whether this is technically downtown, but I won\u2019t let that ruin my title. \ud83d\ude09 The Adge is an awesome, boutique hotel that has fully self-contained apartments overlooking the city.<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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We opt for the two bedroom apartment given the copious wine consumption will likely lead to some vocal sleeping… who am I kidding, I snore. Loudly.<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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Anyway, upon arrival we are very happy with our decision. The lobby is a large, open industrial space consisting of a large pod of seating and Disney inspired street art across the walls.<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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We check in and are escorted up to our room. We\u2019re told that every surface in our room has been sanitised \u2013 complete with individual wrappings for the TV remotes (a clean freak\u2019s dream!), and that a complimentary herbal tonic is on its way with our bags.<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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A few minutes later we receive our bags and are presented with our tonic. Presented is the keyword here: it comes with pre-tonic hot towels, and an explanation that today we are having an \u2018energising\u2019 tonic consisting of Chinese mushrooms, ginseng, and a whole bunch of other goodies. It tastes like vanilla- delish!
\nThe welcome gifts don\u2019t stop there \u2013 waiting in our retro inspired fridge is a cheese platter with olives, which we totally repurpose for our dinner party!
\nExploring the rest of the room, we realise there\u2019s everything we could possibly need; a washing machine and dryer, a four person dining room table (useful!), lounge seating for four, and a very well equipped kitchen. Another reason to like this place, apart from the carpet, is the Meile appliances including a four burner cook top, oven, and microwave \u2013 as well as a full set of knives, stylish cutlery and plates. There’s even enough pots and to pull off the dinner party- Yay!<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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Oh, and the bathrooms. If you\u2019ve read anything else I\u2019ve written<\/a> you\u2019ll know I’m obsessed with bathrooms. We have two \u2013 an en suite to the main bedroom (the biggest of the two), and one adjoining the lounge. Both bathrooms are tiled in white across the walls, with small square grey tiles across the floor. I\u2019d give the shower experience 9\/10 \u2013 water is hot, pressure is really good, and the tiles aren\u2019t\u2019 slippery underfoot.<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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Now I have to take a minute to talk about the toiletries \u2013 Appelles Skincare Black Label Range. This stuff is definitely worth liberating<\/em>, in each<\/strong> bathroom is black pepper soap, Blackseed shampoo, Tamanu Conditioner, and Sea Buckthorn Skin Lotion (which would probably retail in the $50 range per bathroom!).<\/p>\n

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\"Adge<\/a>

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To solve our little problem of finding some gourmet eats, I book my partner and I on a bit of a local food tour with Ultimately Sydney tours<\/a>.
\nRowan, our guide, takes us on their Inner West Gourmet Tour which runs for four hours and takes us to The Coffee Roaster<\/a> where we are schooled on coffee roasting, and sample some of their custom roasts and chocolate covered coffee beans (very yum!). Dan, the owner of The Coffee Roaster, is a bit of a mad scientist about coffee and wow\u2019s us with knowledge and recommendations for coffee blends.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>

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From there we head to the Meat Emporium \u2013 where we secure our protein for the evening\u2019s festivities. We decide on something special and choose lamb back strap and pork loin.
\nOur next stop is Herbie\u2019s Spices<\/a> \u2013 again, the mad scientist theme continues here. Herbie\u2019s Spices is a relatively small shop, packed to the rafters of every imaginable spice and spice blend you can think of. Here we pick up a nice rub for the loin.<\/p>\n

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\"Herbie's<\/a>

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The Ranieri Deli in Five Dock is a family owned Italian deli, bursting at the seams with delicious food. As part of the tour we\u2019re treated with a delicious sampling experience that includes cured meats, cheeses and a four cheese pasta dish cooked for us in store. We end up walking out with a litre of olive oil, half a kilo of cheese and probably another half a kilo of cured meats (entr\u00e9es and nibbles sorted!).<\/p>\n

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\"Ranieri<\/a>

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Our last two stops consist of Rino Saffoti<\/a> \u2013 where we procure some delicious gelato; and Annandale Cellars where we pick up some Pinot.
\nBack at the hotel we begin the cook up. Our menu includes a nice warm lamb backstrap salad, a spiced pork loin with cous cous and seasonal veggies. Not to mention the mass of meat and cheese we bought!<\/p>\n

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\"Ranieri<\/a>

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With our friends fed and a few bottles of wine… each… we call it a night. I have to say, we totally nailed it. Even our friends said it was the best night they\u2019d had in Surry Hills for many months (I assume that\u2019s high praise?).
\nNathan travelled as a guest of Destination NSW<\/em><\/p>\n

Over to you! Any tips for running the best dinner party ever?<\/strong><\/p>\n