Keanu's lunch date

By PHILLIP KOCH
18aug02

MATRIX star Keanu Reeves brought a little bit of Hollywood to Paddington yesterday when he stepped out with a mystery date for lunch.

"I've had a great time," Reeves, 37, told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

"I've met some wonderful people and eaten at some great restaurants. It's been really nice to be in Sydney and experience part of Sydney."

Reeves and his date – a 20-something redhead – turned heads when they rode down Oxford St on his chrome and black Harley-Davidson. The couple were headed straight to Paddington's trendy Bistro Lulu, where they sat at a "goldfish bowl" table looking onto Oxford St.

The star of The Matrix, Speed and Point Break, shared oysters with his date before enjoying a sirloin steak, washed down with a couple of glasses of red wine.

"He kept to himself and seemed to enjoy himself," confirmed Bistro Lulu restaurant manager David Harris. "He has been here a few times. He even stopped for a photograph with a young girl outside when he left."

Dressed in a grungy khaki suit and a scarf, Reeves and his date, who wore black jeans and a black leather jacket, spent two hours at the restaurant.

He said his date was an "artisan" who worked with him on the Matrix series, and complained that often his relationships were misrepresented in the press.

"There have been a few quite serious invasions of privacy," he said.

Reeves said he didn't mind being photographed but thought it was "inappropriate" for the press to speculate on the nature of his relationships.

Matrix dude Keanu Reeves posing for happy snappies with Irish types at Durty Nelly's at Paddington on Saturday. Sensibly, he made a quick exit before the Bledisloe Cup madness began ...

Quest

Actor Keanu Reeves has sought the advice of Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman in his quest to land a hit record for his band Dogstar.

The Matrix star, who played at the Glastonbury festival two years ago to less than great acclaim, is very keen to land a recording deal.

No recording dates yet but the two have had a series of secret meetings with a view to Keanu recording a "rather poppy single in the vein of New Radicals" which Pete will produce. You heard it here first.