James Campbell

James loves to travel always on a plane and hustling to be in the pointy end, he claims he has visited 150 cities all over the world and knows the best bar in each of them but who knows… We are slowly getting him to share his secrets with us, one at a time.

44 articles published

EAT > SYDNEY

EAT > Bar Topa, Sydney (14/20)

"Lets have a quiet night, just a glass of wine and some tapas". Famous last words as we ambled down to Bar Topa which sits in amongst the throng of busy restaurants in the Merrivale owned "Ivy" district off George Street in Sydney's lower CBD towards the rocks. Bar Topa is a smart…

ByJames CampbellJuly 14, 2024

CAFE > MELBOURNE

CAFE > Wall Two 80, Balaclava

Known to most as simply ‘The Wall’ the cafe opened in 1998 as a simple hole in the wall. A place where people largely consumed a latte or flat white sitting on the pavement and eating turkish toast with the always delicious ‘jam lady jams’ and fought over the newspapers. Fast forward twenty…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 6, 2024

CAFE > SYDNEY

CAFE > Room Ten, Potts Point

Llankelly Place runs parallel to Macklay Street and only a few years ago it would have been way too seedy for a fancy coffee or breakfast bar, but after all of the change in Kings Cross you are more likely to be run over by a real estate agent in a Range Rover than you…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 6, 2024

DRINK > SYDNEY

DRINK > Caterpillar Club, Sydney

Editors Note (25/8/24): We are saddened to hear the recent media reports and claims about Swillhouse venues. The accusations are extremely disturbing. As a result we are removing the review rating we gave for the venue. The Caterpillar Club was created as an association of people whose lives had been saved…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 5, 2024

STAY STAY > SYDNEY TRAVEL TRAVEL > AUSTRALIA

STAY > The Morris Hotel, Sydney

The Morris is one of the newest hotels in the Sydney CBD, part of the Accor Groups ‘Handwritten Collection’ this is a boutique hotel with the structure of a big hotel group. Located at the grittier Haymarket end of Pitt Street, close to China Town, Surry Hills and Central Station. The Morris…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 5, 2024

CAFE > TOKYO

CAFE > Parklet Bakery, Tokyo

In the residential streets of Nihonbashi you will find one of Tokyo's nicest cafe's, a great stop for breakfast or lunch. Next to a small park (Horidome) and children's playground this cafe features stunning range of bread and pastries. Run by two Californian's Kate & Jerry Jaksich, (Kate previously managed Tartine in San Francisco) you…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 5, 2024

CAFE > SYDNEY

CAFE > Bills, Sydney

Bills is the cafe that made breakfast something more serious for Sydneysiders, originally it was in Liverpool Street Darlinghurst (it opened in 1993). There was a large communal table and for many people it was the first place that they experienced avocado on toast. It was also home to fluffy ricotta pancakes…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 1, 2024

CAFE > SYDNEY

CAFE > Home Croissanterie, Balmain Sydney

Balmain was once a working class suburb with an early opening pub on each corner of the street but since the early 1980s when the port's were closed down and the land converted to apartments, Balmain has become a super desirable suburb to live. Just a 10 minute ferry across the harbour to…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 1, 2024

CAFE > SYDNEY

CAFE > Tropicana, Sydney

Back in 1980 there were very few places in Sydney that served espresso coffee and cappuccino, but one of those was the Tropicana Cafe, know to most as simply 'the trop'. It is a super casual, laid back place where Sydney learned to fall in love with its number one coffee drink the…

ByJames CampbellFebruary 1, 2024

CAFE CAFE > MELBOURNE

CAFE > Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, Melbourne

Perhaps Melbournes most famous cafe is Pellegrini's in Bourke Street where it has been serving old school Italian food and espresso since 1954. When you enter the long room and sit at the bar or facing the mirrored wall you might think that the decor has not changed much since it opened.…

ByJames CampbellJanuary 31, 2024