5 Insider Tips for Sydney

1. CAFÉ NICE

Serving classic Provençal dishes—including a niçoise salad mixed right at your table—this new brasserie brings a sliver of Côte d'Azur cool to Sydney's harbor. (fratellifresh.com.au)

2. BULLETIN PLACE

A den of locally sourced iniquity: fruit-driven cocktails are made with the best of the day's produce. Try the nectarine rickey or white-grape collins. (bulletinplace.com)

Photographed by Petrina Tinslay

3. ROCKPOOL

Chef Neil Perry was a culinary icon of 1990's Sydney. Now he has moved his original Rockpool restaurant to the heart of the financial district—and weekday power lunches are back on the menu. (rockpool.com)

4. ST. GEORGE OPEN AIR CINEMA

No cineplex can compete with the waterfront backdrop at this outdoor theater in the Royal Botanic Gardens, where you can now catch first-run screenings. (stgeorgeopenair.com.au)

5. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART AUSTRALIA

Housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, Sydney's edgiest art museum underwent a massive A$58 million revamp before officially reopening in 2012. The impressive collection includes modern works from around the globe. (mca.com.au)