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Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright has moved beyond the ruby-slippered legend and is turning to opera.
Imperial Panda Festival
An edgy new arts festival fills a creative void left by the closure of Lanfranchi's Memorial Discotheque.
The Jane Austen Book Club
The dilemmas of Jane Austen's heroines echo in these portraits of modern women.
Sunny Harbour Seafood Restaurant
The waitresses are wilting but this bustling venue rises to new levels.
Fisherman's Wharf Seafood Restaurant
You'll shell out for the freshest seafood but be warned, some of it packs quite a sting.
Drift, at Rivesi's
Attention intrepid social anthropologists: this slinky beachside venue is a study in clique culture.
Northbridge Hotel
The cheese platter and good prices redeem this jazzed-up soulless joint, but only just.
This week's highlights
Our critics' picks
Celebration
If your new year hasn't quite had the start you were expecting, you can try again at the Chinese New Year celebrations. The Year of the Rat begins with Chinese performers, lions, dragons and traditional firecrackers, and the party continues all month, with performances, exhibitions and special events organised around the city. This week's highlights include the night markets in Chinatown (from Friday to Sunday); the photographic exhibition that will transform Albion Place into Luckyfish Laneway (Sunday to February 24); and the contemporary artists from China exhibiting in More Yum Cha at Ray Hughes Gallery (until February 13). See www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny.
Stage
Theatre lovers can test their endurance this week. The Imperial Panda Festival, borne out of the ashes of Lanfranchi's, picks up where the cutting-edge and underground performance space left off, with six shows by up-and-coming theatremakers all under the age of 26. For those with shorter attention spans, the Short & Sweet program of less-than-10-minute plays continuing its cracking pace. The season features 150 productions during its five-week run. For more information, see www.myspace.com/imperialpandafestival and www.shortandsweet.org.
Chinatown markets
Belmore Park will become a huge Chinese restaurant this weekend in celebration of Chinese New Year. Dishes will include Chinese dim sum, noodles, satay and Indonesian desserts. There will also be a table tennis competition and karaoke booth. Saturday and Sunday, 11am-10pm, Belmore Park, near Central Station, 9265 9333, www.sydneychinesenewyear.com.au.
Celebrate the struggle
Photographer Juno Gemes will speak about the characters who set Australia on the path to reconciliation, including Pat O'Shane, Ernie Dingo, Charlie Perkins and Lois O'Donoghue. They are all featured in her exhibition, Proof: Portraits From The Movement 1978-2003, celebrating the struggle. Sunday, 2-3pm, Museum of Sydney, free with museum entry of $10, www.hht.net.au.