G’Day Mates!
I was recently having lunch with my wife downtown when we happened into a new restaurant for a quick lunch. Our server was pleasant as could be. Our lunch was delightful as well. Lo and behold, we were in an Australian Cafe being waited upon by an Australian! All my recent thoughts and memories of our trip to Australia came flooding back, and I realized I was longing for the pleasantries of Australia and wondering why we ever left. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why someone from Australia would want to be here, but I must say I am grateful! In this week’s Find, I gravitate toward Australian establishments killing New York with its niceties!
251 Church St, New York, NY 10013
If you happen to be in Tribeca around lunchtime (possibly at Aire Ancient Baths for an afternoon soak and massage?) you must stop into Two Hands for an incredible lunch. This is the second location of this Australian cafe and includes a full menu served between 8am-4pm, though dinner is coming in early April. The menu includes light, freshly prepared seasonal fare including avocado toast and cauliflower salad, which were amazing. Our servers were Australian and we were reminiscing about our trip there in December with them. If only our perfect latte was followed by a surf at Bondi Beach …
252 Broome St, New York, NY 10002
Now I transported myself back from Bondi Beach to a lower East restaurant oddly reminiscent of Sydney and a little bit Hollywood (BHH)! The Lucky Bee was opened on January 21 by the Australian duo chef Matty Bennett (from Fat Radish) and uber stylish Rupert Noffs. They have created a very casual environment that is welcoming and transporting. The waitstaff is friendly, the owner’s are engaging, and the farm to table southeast Asian food is excellent. They are offering a limited menu because they don’t yet have a gas line from Con-ed, and yet the results are still amazing — just wait for the gas line! The Lucky Bee has some serious cool factor and is certainly already buzzing…
Oreo cookies are to America as Tim Tams are to Australia. While in Australia my family fell in love with Tim Tams. They are the perfect blend of chocolate and wafer, blowing every other processed cookie away! We like the traditional chocolate, but you also can get white chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramel as well. Amazingly there is nothing else like them and they aren’t available in retail stores in the US; however,you can order them on Amazon. Throw them in the freezer (they just taste better) and enjoy, you will feel like you never left Syndey.
The Critical Slide Society (TCSS)
With temperatures in New York City approaching 80 degrees in early March and Spring Break around the corner, my mind is on Summer in Australia! As a reminder, the category of surfwear was mostly created and popularized by Australian companies including Billabong and Quicksilver; I will also note that both have restructured and are owned by US institutional investors. As such, I have been searching for a company that exemplifies the laid back tradition of surfing and life in Australia, whether it is Noosa or Bondi Beach, and I have discovered TCCS.
The reason this brand resonates with me, other than its amazing line, is that it started out as a blog documenting favorite surf and pop culture artists. The blog spawned a small clothing collection which has grown from a small cult following to a slightly larger cult following. The intent is a label that celebrates the simple joy of a deeply engaged surfing life, rather than winning competitions. Maybe Billabong and Quiksilver should have held on to these core Australian principles …
Cheers and consider The Two Hands, The Lucky Bee, Little Collins, Tim-Tams and The Critical Slide Society Found!