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Discover the magic of Asia with Wee Lyn’s food tours
1. What’s your name (can include nicknames)
Call me “Lynn” or “Wee Lynn”. But please, not “Wee”.
2. What sorts of tours and experiences do you run?
My tours are food tours in authentic food hotspots of Sydney, with a dash of cultural immersion. You’ll learn or taste something new, and you won’t leave hungry…I promise!
You’ll also learn handy tips for easily making delicious food at home. You can have a holiday for your tastebuds without getting on a plane!
3. What lead you to run these experiences?
I love my food! I relish making new food discoveries and sharing them with people.
Sydney is such a diverse place. Many people want to be adventurous and go outside their usual haunts, but it’s daunting. After you’ve decided which eatery to enter, how do you decide which of the 63 menu items the kitchen excels at?
That’s where it’s useful to be taken around by someone who personally frequents these places!
Never feel compelled to order sweet and sour pork for the umpteenth time at the usual takeaway joint again. Come eat with me instead.
4. What’s your idea of a fun night out?
A barbecue with lots of good friends and happy kids, on an autumn evening when the final remnants of warmth still linger. There’ll be an array of meats, like chilli chicken wings, bulgogi sausages, Sichuan lamb skewers in chilli, cumin and beer sauce, Malaysian satay with the proper peanut sauce. Plus an array of salads made with dewy fresh produce from the Sydney Markets at Flemington. Topped off by a gelato scoop cake from my local gelataria, Feed. YUM!
5. What’s the coolest travel experience you’ve ever had?
It’d have to be backpacking in Japan on a skin flint budget. Every single day for 10 days, I encountered something so new that it blew my mind, be it tall Japanese girls dressed like Barbie dolls, or freshly caught tuna so large the fishmonger wielded a samurai-looking sword to cut it.
6. Why do you want to meet people through experiences and activities?
I get a kick out of satisfying the curiosity of adventurous people. It is gratifying to show off the delightful food that Sydney has to offer, and its great exchanging tips on making life in the kitchen tastier and easier.7. Describe your ideal tour participant
Someone even vaguely interested in food is bound to have fun. It’s great taking around a group of people who know each other – they bond and have enjoy themselves. My tours cater to all types of people.
People with dietary or mobility requirements are also very welcome – just let me know in advance so I can make arrangements.
I’ve had guests from both ends of the spectrum when it comes to levels of culinary and cultural knowledge, but luckily the professional chef said he’d learnt something new and had fun too.
8. What do you love about Sydney?
How you can visit a suburb and be transported into a different country, complete with sights, smells and authentic food. And it’s all at our doorstep, waiting to be discovered.
9. If you could go anywhere in the world and do anything, what would it be and why?
Turkey, getting lost in a souk. I’ll be surrounded by ingredients to discover, foods to taste, and rugs and many other things of beauty. Heaven!Like the sound of Wee Lyn and her love of food? You can enjoy it, too! Simply send her a message and book her Asian thrills food tour.
The adventures of iWine: matching wine with your music
An intrepid group of wine loving, music hounds grouped at the Old Growler in Woolloomooloo for the eXpertLocal tour iWine: wine matching with music.
From Aerosmith to Prince and everything in between, our host Jake made the most fun with a group of thirsty, adventurous Sydney siders. You may also know Jake from his wine matching with junk food. Jake is a passionate wine maker with loads of experience and a true showman’s flair. He is one of the brains behind a Bronte favourite, Garrick’s Wine.
In this tour, Jake and his offsider Tom ran a great evening for The Media Madams Scarlett Vespa & Debbie Carr from Eagle Waves Radio, Katie from Wanderlust at Bondi Beach Radio, smooth musician Arrnott Olssen and the gang from Sydney Chic. And of course our own Jervis and Sharon!
Check out the evidence of fun and frivolity.
A great night was had by all.
Check out what Arrnott Olssen had to say:
And we totally agree with Katie’s advice:
Want to join the fun? Book your iWine experience today!
Say no to a boring St Valentine’s Day with eXpertLocal
Oh Sydney, it’s that time of year again when Cupid puts on a funny little outfit and does something super special. And by super special, we mean definitely not the same old, same old. So say no to boring bits and say yes to seriously good loving with the eXpertLocal selection of things to do this St Valentine’s Day.
Run around in your undies
What could be more romantic than running with thousands of other Sydneysiders who are wearing nothing but their undies, a charitable heart and a very cheeky smile? Now you can with the Cupid Undie Run! Giving you the opportunity to get some exercise, support a children’s tumour prevention charity and not have to go through the pain of deciding what to wear on St Valentine’s Day is what this event is all about! So show some love for fitness, health and err…letting a few things hang out at the Cupid Undie Run on Feb 9th. Register your participation here.
Stretching the limits of love
What do dressing in bright yet comfy clothes, visual displays, neon lighting and yoga got in common? Why St Valentine’s Day at Sukha Mukha Yoga of course! A home for all kinds of yoga classes and monthly community documentaries, Sukha Mukha yoga is holding “Glow with the Flow” on February 14th, where you and your partner can dress in vibrant colours and be immersed in music, lighting, gentle stretching, deep relaxation and a whole lot of fun. Singles are also welcome (great place to meet someone open minded perhaps?). What a great way to get limber for love! Book your spot now.
Four pawed friendship assured
Who says romance has to be all about the people? Here’s an event where it’s well and truly gone to the dogs! The gang from pet friendly App Doggible are holding a doggy love in party for pooches at 10am to 1pm on Sunday 16th February. Meet at Federation Valley Centennial Park (near Loch Avenue and Grand Drive) and you and your four paws can mingle with dogs and people. Games, tricks, prizes and a chance to meet the tallest dog in the world abound. This is a great event for families, couples who want to include their fur babies in St Valentine’s Day celebrations, or singles who would like to meet like minded people while spending time doing something you love. Find out more on the Doggible Facebook page.
Did someone say singing pub minstrels?
Popping to the pub for a decent 3 course meal is a Sydney favourite, but the gang at the Unicorn Hotel in Paddington have included a delightfully devilish twist. You and your beau will be serenaded by roving minstrels at the Unicorn throughout the evening. With a glass of bubbles in hand and a rendition of your favourite cheesy love song, The Unicorn is bound to be a place for awkward blushing and romance giggles this February 14th! More details available here.
I’d like a light red with a dash of Prince, thanks
Have you ever tasted a wine and thought “Hmmm, tastes a little like Madonna with a touch of P!nk?” – Well, now you can with the iWine matching music with wine experience. Jake is a masterful wine maker who loves a good wine tasting – with the tunes pumping of course! Find out if you prefer your Alicante with Aerosmith or your Barolo with Beethoven at this very interesting event held Monday 17th February. Wow your date with your innovative take on the winsome wine and wonder of St Valentine’s Day! Book now.
Honey, how about a pub crawl?
Newtown has a lot of romance. From the street art to the gentle hum of traffic on King st, Newtown is the place to go if you want to meet people of all kinds. That’s why eXpertLocal are running a special edition of the Newtown “Search for the perfect beer” crawl! This February 14th, you and your date (or singles you can be matched with), will be taken on a romantic discovery of Newtown and the beery haunts. Search for love, or search for the meaning of perfect love, as you undertake a Newtown pub crawl that’s all heart. Book now to avoid disappointment!
Mixing business with pleasure and social responsibility
For the thinking man’s bit of crumpet, we have our very own marketing manager Rebekah speaking at WeCo on February 20th on “why social responsibility needs to be a part of business”. Joining her are Brook McCarthy from Yoga Reach, Joel Hauer from WeCo and a bunch of passionate social responsibility and business minded people. So if you want to romance your mind a little, this is the event for you. It’s free and refreshments are supplied. Talk about romance for your career! RSVP here.
See? Not a single long stemmed rose or Hallmark card in sight! So what are you waiting for? Choose your version of a love in this St Valentine ’s Day, Sydney!
What’s on in Sydney in December with eXpertLocal
2013 certainly has flown by, hasn’t it? You can really feel the sea calling out to say hi, the beaches singing their siren song, and of course the sounding of wine and food flowing as we hit the festive season.
Here are our picks for December. Let’s get social!
Music for your ears
Kylie Minogue’s “Confide in Me” gains a beautiful new outlook in the hands of Jep and Dep. You can take in this lovely experience and purchase the single for yourself at the Jep and Dep single launch Brighton Up Bar, December 5th.
After 8 years of playing the traps, Found at Sea say goodbye to their drummer, Tim. Check out this last look at the original Found at Sea line up with special guests The Model School and Suzy Connelly at FBi Social, December 7th.
When the likes of the Thieves, the Mountains and the Civilians are on the same bill for only $10, you know you don’t need to ask twice whether you’ve got a good excuse to party on a Thursday. Catch them at the Brighton Up Bar, December 12th.
Friday the 13th of December sees the amazing Hollow Bones strip paint off the walls with their jangled rock that is bound to impress. Take your dancing shoes and make sure you hair is set for gale force blowing away-ness. Head to Spectrum, thank us later.
Prog rock never sounded so good with a bill including Solkyri as headline, pirate, Koranic and Melbourne’s Kalacoma all set to rock the walls right off FBi Social. If you like your music brave, experimental, loud and technically awesome, you have to be there Saturday 14th.
Head to Chinese Laundry for the diggin’est deck the halls from DJ decks around on December 21st. The Christmas Garden Party kicks off at midday and includes all kinds of musical happiness. Get your beat on at Christmas while also raising money for the Bushfire Appeal. Nice one.
Make your brain sparkle
How does sampling lots of different food trucks, a pop up bar and live entertainment sound? Like a fun Friday? It’s happening people- check out Food Trucks United on Friday December 6th.
Check out what you can do at the Arthouse Hotel when you join Doctor Sketchy’s art class. You can choose from BYO art supplies right through to a cool arty setup and dinner.
End the year on equality in IT note when you get your Geek Girl on with the Geek Girl Panel at Atlassian on December 10th.
You can ponder if letter writing and memes really do make a difference at the Amnesty International Panel Debate on ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words’ on December 10th.
Want to make more out of your Christmas without the guilt associate with food waste? Check out this nifty workshop Pocket, Plate and Planet run by Parramatta City Council on December 13th.
Need a little deep thinking over dinner and some business to boot? Hub Sydney’s Deep Dinner sounds like it’s perfect for you. See you there every third Tuesday of the month.
Embrace your inner Spock and check out the latest in short film sci-fi goodness at the WD Project Sci-Fi Awards on December 19th.
Shopping for the good gifts
Soak in the indie art and design that is the Finders Keepers Market at Eveleigh on the eve of Friday 6th and all day Saturday 7th of December.
Take a joyride to the beautiful Avoca Beach and enjoy the Avoca Christmas Fair on December 8th.
Summer is here and now it’s time for the Hornsby Twilight Markets, a perfect place to find a gift for someone special!
Visit the foodie heaven that is a Simon Johnson Pop Up Shop all the way through til December 27th.
Mosey on over to the Entertainment Quarter for their EQ markets every Saturday.
Christmas Day, your way
Looking to party?
Why not join the Collaborative Christmas party?
Get your word nerd on with the Copywriter’s Yuletide Fest.
Celebrate co-working and end of year hubberation at Hub Sydney.
Let your Entrepreneurship shine at The Entrepreneur’s and Self Employed Christmas Party
If you are having a solo Christmas, there are several wonderful places you can go and make new friends.
They include:
Bondi’s Chapel by the Sea as a guest or volunteerThe Christmas Day Picnic for orphans, singles, workers and more.
The Wayside Chapel’s Christmas Day Street Party.
Plus you can also Cole, take a glorious walk around the Rocks Pubs, experience Chinatown at Night, discover beautiful Bronte, or play guitars by the sea.
For all these and more fun activities, head to www.expertlocal.com
November things to do by eXpertLocal
The last month of spring has arrived- you can almost smell the summer loading around the corner!
November is a mix of music, festivals, food of the mind and dangerous ideas. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Things to make you think
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas is on again at the Opera House with a series of scintillating and thought provoking events. Take on inequality, gender, politics, war and more in a tightly packed couple of days. Challenge your ideas and enjoy the thought provoking fun of FODI. November 2nd to 4th
Change Makers Festival takes off November 1st and runs til November 10th. Over 120 events nationally on all different topics, Sydney looks ripe and plump with all kinds of activities. You can enjoy everything from hacking the meaning of true happiness, perfect your social innovation pitch, find out how to crowdfund your social change ideas, be bold and artistic, and connect with other change makers.
Join in all the hands on fun of the Sydney Mini Makers Faire at the Powerhouse Museum. Check out stalls and get your maker on with this first ever event to showcase homegrown, handmade and personally produced items and products. Sunday 24th of November is the date- buy your tickets from the PHM website.
3 girls, one agenda- to help people with their blogging for business needs. Join SEO copywriter Kate Toon, social change and health marketer Brook McCarthy and eXpertLocal’s marketing chick Rebekah Lambert for a one day Blogging for Business event to help freelancers, soloists, startups and micro business owners shine on Thursday 28th November.
Get creative
Bored to death with teenie bopper tee shirts and a general lack of creativity in the tee shirt market are RKart. Bringing fashionable threads with an ethical making to people is what they are all about. Join them for the RKart launch party at the Gasoline Pony in Marrickville, Friday November 8th.
Kids, drawing and architecture combine at the ArchiKidz in the City- Draw My City workshop. Kids of all ages are invited to come along and dream up their vision of a liveable city and put pen to paper. A pay what you think it’s worth event, head to Martin Place on Saturday 9th November to participate.
Patonga Blues Across the Bay is held each year on the glorious Patonga Bay, Central Coast. Totally worth the trip in the car, on the train or on the ferry from Palm Beach, the Blues Across the Bay festival is a great family day out of music, picnicking and dancing in the sun. It’s BYO and worth it for the ferry trip to the site of the day’s festival alone. 16th November.
The art of spring in the yearly Prima Vera exhibition at the MCA is about to come to an end. Don’t miss the breath taking beauty of spring captured on canvas. It closes November 17th.
The eXpertLocal sponsored Creatives Uncovered is set to bring creative people of all kinds together for advice, mentoring and mingling. Come prepared to find inspiration, a new person to help you on your projects and to talk all things creative Wednesday 27th November.
Markets and Foodie fun
Pop bao into your mouth and don’t ever look back at Bao Town pop up in Sydney city, November 2nd.
Taste the wonder of all things organic at the Double Bay Organic Food Market on November 6th.
Support the people who need it the most when you hunt for a bargain at the stalls of food, recycled good and more at the Wesley Fair 2013 on Thursday 7th November.
Join the gang from sensationally tasty liqueur Mr Back Spirits for their opening night. Not just any old booze, this is Australian made, coffee liqueur that is hand crafted and paid for by Pozible crowdfunding (well, the first batch anyway). Check out this awesome handmade wonder that is Mr Black at the launch party Friday 8th November.
The most wonderful day of music, stalls, food, happiness and Inner West wonderment is always there for the taking at the Newtown Festival on Sunday 10th November.
Discover a bar with a difference when you enjoy the pop up fun of the Gumtree Garden, a space created entirely from sourcing items off Gumtree. Gumtree Garden opens Thursday 14th of November and runs til November 16th at the Rocks.
Eat, drink and be merry about the fact you are helping vets and vet nurses provide quality care to animal friends to the homeless and disadvantaged via the fundraising Gala Dinner for Pets in the Park on Thursday November 14th.
Do you like music, great coffee, awesome artisan alcohol, yummy food, strolling around the markets and doing the creative thing in a different way? Take in a great view and raise the roof at the Quadrangle Rooftop market in Surry Hills on November 23rd.
Things you should book now for December so you don’t miss out:
The Collaborative Christmas party- for freelancers, soloists and micro business owners to enjoy a proper Christmas party.
Copywriters Yuletide Fest- for word nerds of all kinds to fest and make silly puns.
Plus we have plenty of eXpertLocal tours for you to choose from featuring music, food, bar crawls, art and more. Check out our range of eXpertLocal tours now.
What’s on in Sydney in October
- Fetching Dogs Trivia – photo credit to Ruthless Photos http://www.ruthlessphotos.com
The weather is glorious, the smiles are wide, and October is bringing us fun, frivolity and a seemingly endless parade of amazing things!
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Food Glorious Food
Would you like some bagels, beers and beats? Head on down to the Helm Bar October 5th.
Have a marvellous excuse to drink wine on the Monday of the long weekend and enjoy a love affair with Pinot at Pinotpalooza at Carriageworks on October 7th.
Talk about the future of food and discover some awesome foodies and food events in the process when Think Act Change presents ‘The Future of Food’ on October 8th.
And Good Food Month is on in Sydney and it is absolutely unreal. Choose form chef events, family friendly, classes and a whole lot more. It has to be the best way to taste your way around Sydney in spring.
Unmissable creativity
The genius of the Siren Theatre Company is distilled in the amazing tale of Penelope by Enda Walsh. Held at the Tapp Gallery in Darlinghurst, this work by director Kate Gaul gained rave reviews from both fans of theatre and the very hard to impress theatre making public. It’s in its last week. Go now before you miss out.
Climb inside the atmosphere of Sydney post rockers Marosi di Buriana as they draw you into a world made for the darkest cinema of the mind. This 4 piece outfit has an amazing following for the little curious kittens in online worlds such as Stereomood for their haunted dreamscapes, inky violet sounds with over 2000 fans in Europe and USA. Join them for a rare show at the Agincourt Hotel, Broadway, October 23rd.
Love music? Remember sneaking a few drinks in the 90′s? Relive the sound you grew up with when you see Screamfeeder, Smudge and the BREEDERS(!) at the Annandale Hotel! Yep- the bands that everyone had a crush on are back playing with The Majestic Horses and Sounds Like Sunset. We’ve got our gym boots on and ironed our flannies, have you?
Oh, and for creative bar happiness, head to Newtown and check out the Japanese themed Tokyo Sing Song. It’s designed to make you feel like your turning Japanese. Opens mid October on King st.
You can see photo exhibition Boys with Guns at Gallery 2010 and ponder why so much of young male play is tied up in one of the scariest tools in the world.
And if you are a maker, why not register to be in the first ever Sydney Mini Makers Faire in November? Applications close October 18th.
Get your clever clogs on
Need some events and happenings to make your brain sparkle?
Join the gang from the Sustainability Drinks on October 16th for a night of green conversation.
Be inspired by TedX Macquarie Uni on October 19th.
Celebrate, participate and feel great at Australia’s first Better Block kicks off another day of happiness at the Clovelly Better Block event on October 27th.
Lunch and Learn with the gang from Hub Sydney every Tuesday.
Or check out an entire month’s worth of learning, workshops and conversations about living green presented by Sydney Sustainable Markets.
Trick and Trivia
Put your best paw forward and your thinking cap on as Fetching Dogs puts together a night of trivia and fun with Halloween themed ‘Trick and Trivia’ on October 26th in Concord. Fetching Dogs is a not for profit that re-homes and fosters dogs and puppies. Get spooky for a great four paw cause when you book via the main Fetching Dogs site.
eXpertLocal presents:
Our fine range of activities is growing, including a coffee tasting any Wednesday in October with Caffe Migliore, shopping tours in Surry Hills, sampling Asian cuisine with Wee Lynn, touring the pubs in the Historic Rocks district 3 times a week, photographing the beauty of Circular Quay with Time Cole, and fresh air and sunshine as you sing and strum by the sea.
We also have a whole range of fitness, pub crawl and dining experiences waiting for you at eXpertLocal.
Upcoming eXpertLocal events to put in your diary
In November, we’re also running an info night for anyone wanting to find out how to be an eXpertLocal host. You can join the official group and RSVP via the eXpertLocal Meetup. Find out how you can make a little side cash over the summer with us!
And we’re sponsoring the amazing Creatives Uncovered event in November. You can meet other creative people for your projects and ideas in a very cool and friendly environment. We suggest you RSVP ASAP to avoid missing out on your spot.
Ah Spring, you sure are fun, aren’t you!
Come get your Meet Up On!
One thing we’ve found when talking to people about collaborative consumption and eXpertLocal is that being able to put a face to the name is super important. Being able to trust someone in your local neighbourhood to shore you around the highlights and things to do becomes that much easier if you have the chance to get to know someone.
That’s why we’re introducing a series of info nights and seminars to help you get to know other members of the eXpertLocal community.
The first one is a straight up information night at the White Horse Hotel, Surry Hills. Anyone who is interested in eXpertLocal, whether that’s someone who would like to host their own tours, help us host some of our tour ideas, or someone looking to go on a tour who hasn’t taken the plunge yet.
We’ll be giving you information about what eXpertLocal is, how you can use it to promote your own ideas, the opportunities available in terms of side income, what we are trying to do and so on. Any questions you may have will also be answered on the night.
So make sure you keep the night of Tuesday 24th September free and meet us for a drink and a chat.
You can also add yourself to the official eXpertLocal meetup group and stay in the loop regarding any other events that may be happening that interest you.
If you have any further questions, feel free to drop us a line via support@expertlocal.com – or we’ll see you on the night!
What’s On- August edition
Brett Winterford
Looking for something super fun to do this August? The gang from eXpertLocal have you covered!
Inspiration and Creativity:
Looking for some design inspiration and a bunch of free and cheap talks? Look no further than Sydney Design 2013.
Check out the first ever Live Design Night held at Salt, Meats, Cheese in Alexandria on the 1st of August.
Spring into some inspiring ideas with Trampoline Sydney on August 3rd.
Maybe find a new place to co-work with the various open house times at Hub Sydney.
Catch up with collaborative consumption and hear from eXpertLocal’s own marketing manager Rebekah Lambert at Social Media Women on August 13th.
Get your collaborative consumption on at the Green Villages ‘Share Sydney’ event, August 24th.
Treats for the ears:
Story telling song goodness
Ex-peregrine frontman Brett Winterford is known for his story telling lyrics. Enjoy the magic of a very tall man singing very delightful songs at Lizottes Dee Why on August 3rd or a secret show courtesy of Sofar Sounds on August 4th.
Sam Buckingham sings like a bird
She’s melted hearts, captured their tears and woven the songs a girl armed with a guitar who wanders the world should. Now she’s bringing her “I’m a Bird” tour all around the country. You can catch Sam Buckingham at the very intimate surrounds of warehouse Hibernian House. Book, else miss out for this 3rd of August show.
Jamtastic jamming festival in Marrickville
The Jamgrass Music Festival “On the Road” is at the Red Rattler in Marrickville on August 3rd. You should pack your dancing shoes, a funny grin and be prepared to hear 8 spunky little bands do their thing. Our pick is the Green Mohair Suits, but whoever you’re going to see, you’re bound to have a great time.
Comedy, original music and jamming
Looking for a mix of music, a lot of joy, a few laughs and a bunch of different kinds of music? Hit the Town Hall hotel in Newtown for a night of music and mayhem as Through a Glass Darkly launches their album. It’ll be a night to remember!
Get your dance on
Put on your blue suede shoes August 16th as retro dance party Twist and Shout pays tribute to Elvis. This cheap and very cheerful event happens once a month, usually at the Brighton Up Bar in Darlinghurst.
Musically, the hardest part of August may very well be who to see August 3rd!
Food and Drink Picks:
Whisky Live
Love your whisky? Then you need to hit Paddington 2nd and 3rd of August for the Whisky Live festival. Various venues for various little tipples, oh yeah!
Beer Baron
The Dove and Olive is doing some very wonderful things with beer, including a 4 course degustation based on beer matching August 9th and a Craft Beer Fight Club the first Wednesday of every month. Brewtastic!
Sutherland is hosting a lovely little community coffee festival in Peace Park, August 25th called “Coffee @ Peace” and sample coffee, food and entertainment with the whole family.
Plus we’ve got a bunch of exciting eXpertLocal activities including:
Aug 2nd taking a coastal walking tour
Aug 5th trying same sex swing dancing
Aug 6th Your own personal chef for Interactive Dining
Aug 7th tasting the wonder of Blue Ducks with the Bronte Diners Club
Aug 7th eating your way through Chinatown
Aug 8th uncovering the Redfern Small Bar Scene
Aug 10th kicking off our search for Sydney’s best watering hole in Newtown
Aug 14th continuing the search for the best iced coffee in Clovelly
Aug 17th searching for the best beer watering hole in Surry Hills
Aug 17th having some puppy time with the Doggy Park Playdate in Waverley
Aug 24th discovering new arty places and exhibitions with The Art Crawl
Aug 24th exploring the seaside village of Bronte
Aug 31st shopping til you drop at the Newtown Shop-a-thon
Is that enough for you? What else would you like to see at eXpertLocal?
