Herald entertainment reporter Lillie Rohan speaks to Swifties queueing up to get merch ahead of tonight's Eras Tour concert at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Video / Megan Watts
After three show-stopping performances in Melbourne over the weekend, Taylor Swift has taken some time off to eat out at Sydney’s Pellegrino 2000 with friend and singer Sabrina Carpenter. Here’s what we know about the trendy trattoria.
Taylor Swift has stepped out on the streets of Sydney for the first time — in public at least — since landing in Australia for her sold-out Eras Tour, heading out for a casual dinner at an Italian restaurant in Surry Hills with her friend and the tour’s supporting act Sabrina Carpenter.
The stars descended on Italian restaurant and self-described “neighbourhood trattoria” Pellegrino 2000. The restaurant was an immediate hit on opening night last year and has become one of Sydney’s hottest establishments. The acclaimed food is accompanied by an extensive Italian wine list in a cozy European vintage-style setting.
Swift, 34, and Carpenter, 24, were reported to have entered the hip Pellegrino 2000 restaurant at around 7pm last night, much to the surprise of other diners in the restaurant.
The All Too Well megastar reportedly chose to avoid booking out the Italian trattoria-style restaurant, instead sitting down with Carpenter for a casual and intimate dinner while diners sat in disbelief.
While we don’t know what Swift ordered at Pellegrino 2000, the menu includes traditional Italian staples from starters like olives, focaccia and braised artichokes to hearty mains like an indulgent prawn ravioli and quail saltimbocca.
Taylor Swift performs her first show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16. Photo / Getty Images
Once the media and fans caught on to Swift’s outing in the inner-city suburb, many lined up outside the restaurant to catch a glimpse of the stars as they departed.
Swift and Carpenter were later seen exiting the venue, with videos showing crowds cheering the pop stars on and photographers capturing their quick shots.
The megastar is believed to be staying at the Crown Sydney in the hotel’s Presidential Villa, a two-storey penthouse with views across the Sydney Harbour, which could be yours too for the eye-watering price of $40,000 a night.
Many eagle-eyed fans are watching out to see whether Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce from the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, will make the trip to watch her perform. Recent reports have noted that Swift’s private jet left the country yesterday to Honolulu, with many suspecting that it is picking Kelce up before flying back to Australia.
Kelce’s father discussed the possibility of his son embarking Down Under with Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo on the programme Tuesday morning, turning some heads in the process.
“Well, look, we spoke after the Super Bowl, and I asked him, ‘Are you going to take off for Sydney?’ and he seemed keen,” Ed Kelce shared with the morning show hosts.
“He said he’d really like to see Sydney and Singapore, but he wasn’t sure because he has commitments. He is at a celebrity charity gold outing today, which, I think, is in Las Vegas.”
Meanwhile, Swift continues to prepare for her upcoming shows in Sydney, which are already threatened by a severe thunderstorm warning over the weekend. She is expected to draw crowds of about 80,000 for each night of the Sydney shows.
“I am standing here on the stage, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that there are 96,000 people that wanted to hang out with us on a Saturday night.”
Swift reflected on it more: “I’m having a very strange experience in my head. I don’t know if you know how many 96,000 is — like, if we were to start counting, we’d never get there.
“I am so grateful to you for wanting to spend this time with us, and just the passion I’m feeling from you already, I promise you — we are going to give you absolutely everything we have tonight.”
Taylor Swift approved!! Pellegrino 2000 is my favourite Italian restaurant in Sydney and I am so happy that Taylor Swift showed it some love when she went there last night! #pellegrino2000#taylorswift#italianfood
