In a dream world, a new film pairing Emma Stone with Yorgos Lanthimos would hit cinemas approximately every six months. In this realm, that's happening at least once. Oscar-winner Poor Things reached picture palaces Down Under at the end of 2023, and now Kinds of Kindness, the duo's next collaboration, has a date with local big screens in mid-July. The Greek director has reteamed with Stone (The Curse) for their third feature, after The Favourite as well, with the end result first premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. While Lanthimos' current favourite lead actor won an Academy Award for Poor Things, it was Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon) who scored a trophy at the prestigious French fest, collecting the Best Actor gong. As both the first teaser and just-dropped full trailer for Kinds of Kindness show, Lanthimos and Stone have made a triptych this time, with the film featuring three fable-like tales. One is about a man who doesn't have any choice as he attempts to seize control of his existence. Another follows a policeman whose wife goes missing at sea, then returns but doesn't seem like herself. And the last charts a woman trying to find a person with a unique ability that's meant to become a spiritual leader. The initial glimpse at the movie spanned speeding cars, dragged bodies, slaps, dancing, dogs, licking and Stone talking about the moment of truth, all soundtracked by the Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams'. If you're thinking "isn't it wonderful" about this combination of elements, the movie understands — they're Stone's last words in the footage. The new trailer keeps the same soundtrack, and also some of the above details, but also comes with cryptic warnings, declarations of love, fainting, intimate anecdotes and dogs driving a car. On-screen, Stone — who also worked with Lanthimos on short film Bleat — has her Poor Things co-stars Willem Dafoe (Asteroid City) and Margaret Qualley (Drive-Away Dolls) for company. Joining them and Plemons: Hong Chau (The Menu), Joe Alwyn (Stars at Noon), Mamoudou Athie (The Burial) and Hunter Schafer (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Lanthimos helms, co-writing the script with Efthimis Filippou (who penned the filmmaker's Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, too), on a flick that'll release Down Under on Thursday, July 11 — and play Sydney Film Festival before that. Check out the trailer for Kinds of Kindness below: Kinds of Kindness releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Images: Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
First we had beer flavoured like food, and now at long last we've got beer that is food. Yep, move over Nutella, there's a spreadable beer in town by the name of Birra Spalmabile. It hails from Italy's Cittareale, where Emanuela Laurenzi of Alta Quota Brewery and Pietro Napoleone of Napoleone Chocolatiers have combined their expertise in something of a dream team. The duo unveiled their invention at Turin’s Salone de Gusto food fair, where the spreadable beer caused quite a stir, and we're not surprised. Birra Spalmabile (literally translated to 'beer spread') reportedly goes down nicely with a slice of cheese. (And you thought you were weird for combining peanut butter and vegemite on your sandwiches.) Also useable as a filling in cake, the spread comes in two flavours — Omid dark ale and Greta blonde ale, the first being a little more intense than the latter and each made of 40 percent beer. Though not stocked in any Aussie stores, you can order a jar or ten directly from the source by emailing commericiale@birraaltaquota.it. Just expect to pay its weight in gold for delivery. Via NY Post
To celebrate its 21st year, Splendour in the Grass has already announced a packed music roster, starting with Lizzo, and also featuring Flume, Mumford & Sons, Lewis Capaldi, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Noah Cyrus, Hilltop Hoods, Sam Fender, J Balvin, Little Simz, Idles, Tove Lo and more. But a month out from the fest, the Byron Bay event isn't done inviting special guests. This party will also now include Pussy Riot, complete with a live interview with Nadya Tolokonnikova — and the collective performing. Also joining the lineup from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23: everyone's favourite ex-AFL player-turned-sports newsreader Tony Armstrong, The Betoota Advocate, Dr Karl, Brooke Boney, and comedians such as Deadloch star Nina Oyama and Michael Hing. While Pussy Riot will indeed take to the GW McLennan stage in what'll be their only live Australian performance, Splendour's program boost is otherwise all about who'll be gracing the Forum, Science Tent and Comedy Club, plus the new Forum Live Podcasts initiative. [caption id="attachment_906507" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yulia Shur[/caption] In another Aussie exclusive, Tolokonnikova will chat with The Project host Hamish Macdonald about being a globally renowned artist and being included on Russia's most-wanted list. That's part of the Forum's lineup, which also spans Boney, Armstrong, Rachael Cavanagh, Dean Parkin and Carla McGrath chatting about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament; a special directors-cut screening of Australian hip hop documentary Burn Gently; and the first-ever Splendour Town Hall, which'll feature Federal Youth Minister Dr Anne Aly. Dr Karl will do what he does best — break down all things science — in Great Moments in Science; online sex work will be in focus at Social Media x Sex Commerce: The Oldest Profession Meets the Newest Technology; and other sessions will examine new cannabis laws, what it's really like to work in the music industry, pill testing, and why generations Y and Z are doing it tough compared to their parents. Thanks to Forum Live Podcasts, The Betoota Advocate Podcast will record live, as will What the Flux, Where's Your Head At?, Sometimes Funny Always Awkward, Kinky History and Science Vs. The Science Tent will feature everything from body farms and forensics to conservation and the science of wellness, while the Splendour Comedy Club will welcome in Oyama, Hing, Nat Damena, Blake Freeman, Alexandra Hudson, Sashi Perera, Rosie Delaney, Hot Department and more. [caption id="attachment_906505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitch Lowe[/caption] SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2023 MUSIC LINEUP: Lizzo Flume (Australian exclusive: ten years of Flume) Mumford & Sons (Australian exclusive) Lewis Capaldi Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hilltop Hoods J Balvin Sam Fender Idles Little Simz Tove Lo 100 Gecs (Australian exclusive) Arlo Parks Ball Park Music Iann Dior King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 070 Shake Pnau Ruel Loyle Carner Benee Marlon Williams Hooligan Hefs Peach PRC Palace Dune Rats Tkay Maidza Noah Cyrus Skegss Sudan Archives Cub Sport Meg Mac X Club. Claire Rosinkranz Jack River The Smith Street Band Lastlings Jeremy Zucker Young Franco Sly Withers MAY-A The Vanns Telenova Vallis Alps Jamesjamesjames Kaycyy RVG Teenage Dads Balming Tiger Automatic Harvey Sutherland Gali Del Water Gap Royel Otis Shag Rock Big Wett Mia Wray Memphis LK Gold Fang Milku Sumner Forest Claudette Full Flower Moon Band William Crighton Hellcat Speedracer Triple J Unearthed Winners Mix Up DJs: Tseba Crybaby Latifa Tee Foura Caucasianopportunities Luen Mowgli DJ Macaroni Crescendoll Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, 2023 — head to the festival website for further details and tickets. Top image: Dave Kan.
Anything humans can eat, dogs think that they can munch on as well. But as every responsible pet parent knows, that isn't actually the case. So, we've all weathered those adorable, yearning, pleading looks from our beloved pooches as we've tucked into something that they'd like to taste as well. And, we've all felt the heartbreak at letting our cute critters down — even though it's for their health. Does your doggo get a twinkle in their eye whenever there's a doughnut around? It wouldn't be the first — and, until Monday, September 18, it's in luck. For International Dog Day on Saturday, August 26, Krispy Kreme has announced the return of its limited-edition range of "doggie doughnuts". They're doughnut-inspired dog biscuits, actually, but they sure do look like the real thing. First introduced in 2021, the eye-catching bikkies are a collaboration with Sunshine Coast-based pet treats business Huds and Toke, and they come in six different varieties. If you love Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, perhaps your pupper will adore the dog biscuit version as well. Or, you could let then go barking mad over choc iced, choc cookie, choc cheesecake, choc sprinkles and strawberry sprinkles varieties. The biscuits aren't made from doughnuts or from chocolate, of course; instead, they use a hard-baked cookie base, as well as frosting made from ingredients like carob that's been designed specifically for dog jaws. The bikkies are also meant to be good for chewing and for dental cleaning — and they're designed to last longer than your usual dog treat. If these round delights will get your four-legged friend's tail wagging, you can buy them in six-packs (for $14.90) while stocks last at Krispy Kreme stores — including via drive-thru. And, they are just for pets. So, just like how Fido or Rover can't have your doughnut, you can't have their version either. Grab some on the weekend of Saturday, August 26–Sunday, August 27 and you'll also score a complimentary pup cup. Krispy Kreme's doggie doughnuts are now available from the chain's stores in Australia and New Zealand until Monday, September 18. Images: Michael Leckie / PinPep.
It's been part of Brisbane's inner north since 1881. Thanks to its prime location on Lutwyche Road, everyone in the city has driven past it multiple times. But if you haven't ever actually stepped inside Crown Hotel yet, you'll soon have a reason to, with hospitality giant Australian Venue Co giving the 140-year-old pub a hefty makeover. Temporarily closing the heritage-listed venue's bistro and bar for renovations, the company is spending $2.4 million on the revamp, which'll see the pub score a new beer garden and heritage pavilion. The fresh additions to the site will seat 140 people, and the main sports bar is getting a spruce up, too. So is the gaming room, the only part of the venue that'll continue to trade while the makeover takes place. Set to reopen sometime this spring, Crown Hotel will also start serving up a new menu when it starts pouring drinks again, covering both pub-style food and the beverage menu. And, if you're wondering how the place will look, the renovations are designed to keep the site's heritage character, while completely overhauling the interiors. Crown Hotel's revamp marks Australian Venue Co's first big pub renovation in Brisbane, although the company has recently renovated both Kings Beach Tavern at Caloundra and Wallaby Hotel in Mudgeeraba. If you were lucky enough to score one of AVC's 'secret sipper' positions earlier this year — with the hospo group paying folks to eat in and review its venues — then perhaps Crown Hotel the once over might be on your list when it reopens. In Brisbane, AVC also owns a lengthy list of places, including Darling & Co, Riverland, Friday's, The Regatta, Waterloo Hotel and The Wickham. Crown Hotel's bistro and bar are set to reopen at 446 Lutwyche Road, Lutwyche sometime this spring — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced. Images: Google Maps.
If war is hell, then military boot camp is purgatory. So told Full Metal Jacket, with Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece making that observation echo and pierce with the relentlessness of machine-gun fire. Now, The Inspection stresses the same point nearing four decades later, plunging into the story of a gay Black man enlisting, then navigating the nightmare that is basic training. This too is a clear-eyed step inside the United States Marine Corps, but drawn from first-time fictional feature filmmaker Elegance Bratton's own experiences. New Yorker Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, One Night in Miami) is the Pier Kids documentarian's on-screen alter ego — an out queer man who has spent a decade from his teens to his mid-20s homeless after being kicked out by his ashamed mother Inez (Gabrielle Union, Strange World), and pledges his post 9/11 freedom away for a place to fit in, even if that means descending into a world of institutional homophobia and racism. It would've been easy for Bratton to just sear and scorch in The Inspection; his film is set in 2005, "don't ask, don't tell" was still the US military forces' policy and discrimination against anyone who isn't a straight white man is horrendously brutal. Life being moulded into naval-infantry soldiers is savage anyway; "our job is not to make Marines, it's to make monsters," says Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ellis' commanding officer and chief state-sanctioned tormentor. And yet, crafting a film that's as haunting as it is because it's supremely personal, Bratton never shies away from Ellis' embrace of the Marines in his quest to work out how he can be himself. There's nothing simple about someone signing up for such heartbreaking anguish because that's the only option that they can imagine, but this stunning movie is anything but simple. Gulf War veteran Laws is indeed The Inspection's own R Lee Ermey type, seeing Ellis' sexuality as his major malfunction — as do many of the privates training with him, plus Inez. The latter's derision gives agonising context to Ellis' eagerness to don the uniform; being dismissed and denigrated for being gay started at home long before he's at the recruit depot on South Carolina's Parris Island. In fact, Inez's abode, with religious iconography everywhere and her prison-guard hardness festering, is where she unburdens her disappointment during her son's early visit. Unlike for audiences, this isn't the first time he's hearing it. Ellis needs his birth certificate, Inez is as malicious with her words while handing it over as the military's worst, and having a parent who won't accept you for who you are is hell as well. Under the abhorrent Laws, nothing about boot camp in The Inspection comes as a surprise. Played with can't-look-away menace by the ever-reliable Woodbine, he doesn't just set the tone for his charges to follow — he makes punishing any derivation from his perceived norm a cruel and compulsory sport. Accordingly, when Ellis' sexual orientation becomes apparent, it's hazing open season among his peers and superiors. Only drill instructor Rosales (Raúl Castillo, Cha Cha Real Smooth) offers sympathy and kindness. And, in a place where every difference stands out, Muslim enlistee Ismail (Eman Esfandi, King Richard) is largely the only other target. Second-generation Marine Harvey (McCaul Lombardi, Patti Cake$) couldn't relish being a bully more, but it isn't difficult to get the bulk of the cadets sharing his hostility. Writing, directing and also ensuring that cinematographer Lachlan Milne (Minari) shoots with the raw intensity of a memory so unshakeable that it always feels fresh, Bratton stares head-on at his protagonist's distressing ordeal. The physical training is gruelling and grinding, and the abuse fierce and ferocious — but Ellis' determination to stick it out, retain his place and continue asking his mother to attend his graduation is equally as resolute. So is Bratton's, actually, with The Inspection grappling with the contradiction that is shaping one's sense of belonging around an institution that so overtly doesn't want you as you are. His feature is all the better because it refuses to make obvious and unchallenging choices, even when it's at its most arduous and depicting one of cinema's most well-documented routines; IRL, as informs this flick, the filmmaker patently never did either. There's a thick and lingering feeling to The Inspection, too, that peering at this time in Bratton's life was always going to be a thorny process. Based on the details, how could an autobiographical affair like this have proven anything else? His movie depends and thrives on that air, with every move made behind the lens — including whether skewing poetic and dreamlike, or seeping the picture in pain and grimness — letting the knottiness of what he went through, and what Ellis now endures, swish and swirl. Cue those inescapable Full Metal Jacket vibes and the terror that comes with it, but also nods to Moonlight in how The Inspection examines what it means to be Black and gay. Cue, as well, a kindred piece at times to Claire Denis' Beau Travail in visually surveying its military figures and honing in on stolen glances. Bratton was already a talent before The Inspection, and already directing his gaze inwards in a way, earning the Film Independent Spirit Awards' Truer Than Fiction prize in 2021 for Pier Kids and its focus on Black and homeless queer and trans NYC youths. Backing that gong up with a Best First Feature nomination at the same awards in 2023 isn't just his feat alone, however. A contender for two 2019 Tonys for Choir Boy and Ain't Too Proud, and for a 2020 Emmy for Netflix's Hollywood, Pope has also been receiving deserved attention for his debut feature lead portrayal — a simmering, sinewy and soulful turn that nabbed him a Golden Globes nod (albeit losing out to Elvis' Austin Butler) and is as magnetic as performances come. He's powerfully supported by the fear-inducing Woodbine, the subtle work of Castillo and the blistering efforts of Union. Bring It On isn't just the name of a movie she's still well-known for, but a description of how she commits to an emotionally strenuous part in a beautifully complicated film.
Can a dream ever exist for more than a fleeting moment? That isn't just a question for oneirology, the field of psychology focused on studying the involuntary visions of our slumbers, but also applies whenever tales of motorcycle clubs rev across the screen. Stories of hitting the open road on two wheels, finding camaraderie and community in a group of likeminded outsiders, and perhaps discovering a purpose along the way are stories of chasing dreams — of freedom, of belonging, of mattering, of meaning in a world seemingly so devoid of it if you don't fit in the traditional sense. So it was in TV series Sons of Anarchy and in Australian film 1%, two titles set within the roar and rush of biker gangs in recent years. So it was in The Wild One, 1953's Marlon Brando-starring classic that immortalised the query "what are you rebelling against?" and the reply "whaddaya got?". Now, so it equally proves in The Bikeriders, about a 60s and 70s leather- and denim-wearing, motorbike-riding crew formed after infatuation got motors runnin' when founder Johnny (Tom Hardy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) saw The Wild One on TV. A family man, Johnny has a dream for the Vandals MC out of America's midwest — and so does Benny (Austin Butler, Dune: Part Two), the closest thing that the club has to a spirit animal. The latter is introduced alone at a bar wearing his colours, refusing to take them off even when violence springs at the hands of unwelcoming patrons. He won't be tamed, the sixth feature from writer/director Jeff Nichols after Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special and Loving establishes early. He won't be anyone but his smouldering, swaggering, rebel-without-a-cause self, either. Courtesy of the Vandals, he not only has the space to stand firm, but the assurance. He's a lone wolf-type, but knows that he has the devoted backing of the pack anyway. Johnny has fashioned the gang as a tribe and a place to call home for those who can't locate it elsewhere, and is open about how his fellow bikers need Benny — and how he does as well — to look up to. The Bikeriders is the story of Johnny and Benny, and also of the Illinois-accented Kathy (Jodie Comer, Killing Eve), whose outsider-upon-outsider perspective comprises the movie's narration (and gives it a Martin Scorsese-esque, Goodfellas-style angle). She's wary when on her debut encounter with the Vandals, also at a bar. Still, the way that Nichols and his regular cinematographer Adam Stone (Waco: American Apocalypse) shoot it, Kathy has no choice but to fall for the brooding Benny from the instant that she locks eyes on him at the pool table that night. Moments after she leaves the watering hole, she's clutching him close as they thunder off on his bike. Five weeks later, they're married. As she talks through the tumultuous and absorbing details to Danny (Mike Faist, Challengers) — Lyon, that is, the IRL photojournalist with the 1968 book that shares The Bikeriders' name, inspired the film and provides its basis sometimes on an image-by-image level — what springs from there is a love triangle of sorts, as Johnny and Kathy both see different routes for Benny, and for their respective dreams and futures. Making a much-appreciated return to filmmaking eight years after Loving — in-between, an Alien Nation remake didn't come to fruition, and he dropped out of helming A Quiet Place: Day One — Nichols fictionalises fact with The Bikeriders. Lyon snapped and spent time with Chicago's Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Its name doesn't remain in the feature, but the monikers of plenty of folks in its orbit, including Kathy, Benny and Johnny, plus other Vandals members Cal (Boyd Holbrook, Justified: City Primeval), Cockroach (Emory Cohen, Blue Bayou) and Zipco (Michael Shannon, The Flash), all do. The vibe as The Bikeriders hums is of a picture and the team bringing it to life each stepping into history, into photos that immortalised it and into a mood just as firmly, then spinning the results into a movie. That's a pivotal and purposeful sensation when the line between dreams and reality is being examined. While actuality rarely feels illusory when you're in it, the ultimate that anyone is ever pursuing — rebellion, authenticity and acceptance here, for example — so often proves ephemeral. Little in the way of surprises might fuel The Bikeriders' narrative, especially if you've watched past biker fare — Lyon's book predates Easy Rider by a year — but twists and turns are never the point. Instead, the anticipated cycles keep turning as Nichols prods whether the dream that he's capturing, as his photographer inspiration did before him, was ever destined for more than transience. Johnny's version of the club — and the solace that someone such as the scruffy Zipco, who gives voice to securing a niche he isn't otherwise afforded in a speech about being turned down for Vietnam enlistment, is seeking — withers as the Vandals grows. Rides and hangouts erupt in scuffles and fights over power. Attitudes among newcomers make the OG crew seem positively gentle. Benny struggles, too, caught between two sets of the last thing that he wants from anyone: expectations. As it gets the wind ruffling Butler's hair and the bouffant of Comer's locks defying gravity, Nichols has crafted a film that plays so eagerly like a throwback with such a lived-in atmosphere, but also with probing intentions pumping through every second. It presents. It unpacks. It motors along with the throbbing and the cruisiness alike of an engine letting rip on long Sunday-afternoon drive, digging into this slice of countercultural Americana and the hopes it stands for in the process. As its director did with Shotgun Stories almost two decades ago now, The Bikeriders also has tortured masculinity in its sights, another realm where visions of perfection are fated to crash. And as Nichols constantly returns to in his filmography, how desperately someone — everyone — attempts to hold onto what they love and dream about also slicks this intimate flick like oil. The longer that The Bikeriders goes on, the heartier that the initial Vandals tussle with their expanding roster, as more and more faces and agendas join its ranks. The feature itself has no such regrets, including when Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon), Karl Glusman (Civil War), Toby Wallace (The Royal Hotel) and Damon Herriman (The Artful Dodger) help flesh out the cast. Mirroring the club with Benny, the movie benefits from having Butler at its heart, though. In a strong on-screen year to rival 2022's Elvis whirlwind, which nabbed him a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, plus an Oscar nomination, he follows Dune: Part Two and Masters of the Air with a magnetic, layered, revealing and committed performance while so frequently uttering little aloud. The also-exceptional Comer and ever-commanding Hardy aren't stuck in their co-star's shadow, as their characters happily are with Benny, but this film about the allure of the ideal knows how to make that exact notion its vista. Unlike everything that the Vandals aspires to encapsulate, however, Butler never falters.
Running through Fortitude Valley and New Farm, James Street has long had Brisbanites flocking to the city's inner north for a sip and a bite to eat, adding dining and drinking options aplenty over the two decades since it rebadged its industrial stretch into an urban precinct. The next reason to head by will arrive in July, giving the roadway an 80-seater Mexican restaurant and tequileria — aka Potentia Solutions Leisure's new venue Carmen. Joining a hospitality stable that also features rooftop joints Lina and Soko, this newcomer will combine an eatery, bar and lounge. So, both dinners and kicking back over tequila- and agave-heavy cocktails will be on the menu. Patrons can expect to tuck into poached lobster tacos, Mexican woodfired cauliflower, charred corn rillettes, kingfish ceviche and a Mexican take on haloumi, as well an ice cream-topped dessert that'll also take its cues from the restaurant's country of interest (complete with the venue's own secret crumb). Other dishes will also glean their influences from elsewhere around the world, however, as seen with Sydney rock oysters and beef short rib rendang. Seafood is set to be a big feature, as tends to be the trend no matter what style of cuisine is on offer in Brisbane. Also, sustainability will be a hefty focus across both the food and drinks spread. Carmen is working towards a zero-waste cocktail list, settings itself a goal to achieve waste-free tipples — but launching with a menu that's as close as possible in the interim. As Soko does, Carmen will collaborate with the One Tree Planted program, too, donating a portion of funds from some drinks to support global reforestation. In addition to cocktails, and tequila and agave in general, small-batch mezcals and a premium wine list will be ready for the swilling, including in the lounge area decked out in neutral tones amid white walls and curved archways. Find Carmen Tequileria at 70 James Street, Fortitude Valley from sometime in July — we'll update you with an exact opening date when one is announced. Top image: James Street, Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Entering an Australian supermarket over the past month or so, you can be forgiven for thinking that you're walking onto the set of a post-apocalyptic film. People have been everywhere — until customer limits were put in place in-store — but the shelves are often bare, with shoppers panic-buying everything from toilet paper and hand sanitiser to pasta and milk. As the COVID-19 situation evolved, local supermarket chains were forced to implement item limits — and increase them when the hoarding kept happening, causing everyday staples to keep selling out. But, while some restrictions aren't going anywhere soon, Coles and Woolworths have started to lift caps on a range of items. At Coles, limits have been lifted on both UHT and fresh milk, all types of meat, plus tissues and nappies. The company currently only has one-pack-per-person limits on toilet paper and paper towels, and two-pack-per-person cap on eggs, sugar, frozen vegetables, frozen desserts, canned tomatoes, pasta, all dry rice regardless of size, flour, hand sanitiser, liquid soap and antibacterial wipes — although additional limits may still be placed on other items on a store-by-store basis, so it's best to pay attention to the signage while you're shopping. Over at Woolies, caps have now been removed on tinned tomatoes, canned legumes and all canned vegetables; longlife milk; oats; baby care items excluding wipes; and serviettes. A few weeks back, it was easier to list what wasn't restricted than detail what did have limits, with a two-pack-per-person limit applying in general to most products; however the chain's caps have been changing regularly. Still, before you head in to buy groceries, it's worth checking out the Woolies website for the latest details. Aldi's most recent limits are all still in place, including caps on toilet paper (one pack); dry pasta, dry rice, flour, paper towels, tissues, sanitiser and eggs (two packs); UHT milk, sugar and microwavable rice (six packs); and canned foods (ten packs). At IGA, it's still a store-by-store decision. "In the spirit of helping everyone in our local communities access essential items, stores have placed purchase limits on items that are critically low in stock. These limits are being managed on a store by store basis and are increasing day by day," the chain advised in a statement. For more details on Australian supermarket item limits, keep an eye on Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA's websites. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Vakrieger via Wikimedia Commons.
UPDATE, January 29, 2021: 1917 is available to stream via Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. If you didn't already know that 1917's Sam Mendes directed the last two Bond films, then his new First World War drama makes that plain via its high-stakes plot. The premise: in the penultimate year of the conflict, with a generation of young men at battle, two British soldiers are dispatched into enemy territory to deliver a message. If they don't make it through No Man's Land, across lines of barbed wire, out of booby-trapped mines, over collapsed bridges and past ever-determined Germans — and do so by dawn the next day — 1600 men will charge into a battle that'll wipe them all out. Tragic on its own merits, that needless loss of lives would also severely hamper the Allies' overall efforts. In attempting their crucial task, 1917's central pair can't rely on exploding watches, missile-shooting cars or other 007-style gadgets, of course. Still, the film does sport a particularly action-packed idea in a genre — aka war flicks — that's typically filled with fights, gunfire and explosions anyway. Sending its heroes on a tumultuous journey in the most literal of senses, 1917 also spins a classic adventure narrative within its combat-riddled confines. But, co-scripting with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Penny Dreadful) and dedicating the feature to his grandfather, a veteran of the war in question, Mendes can be forgiven for taking a minor leaf out Skyfall and Spectre's books. Charting the experiences of Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay), his film endeavours to show the on-the-ground horrors of war through the duo's gruelling quest. The storytelling gimmickry is obvious, jamming in chaos and peril across a wealth of scenarios, but the overall impact is inescapably immense and heartbreakingly intense. What Dunkirk did for a pivotal World War II event, 1917 does just as commandingly for an entire earlier war. The date is April 6 in the film's eponymous year. First seen stealing a rare moment's rest in a flower-strewn northern France field, Blake and Schofield are soon sent on their not-so-merry way. "Pick a man. Bring your kit", the especially boyish Blake is told, chosen for the mission because his older brother is in the battalion about to chase the seemingly retreating Germans. As weighs heavily in the air during the ensuing trek, the warier, world-wearier Schofield is merely the friend in Blake's closest proximity when the latter receives his orders. Instantly, Thomas Newman's nerve-rattling score kicks into gear. Beginning their walk in the muddy British trenches, Blake and Schofield's hurried footsteps, breaths and snippets of small talk are accompanied by needling beats that echo with tension and urgency. The music sets the appropriate mood, although the movie's second overt piece of gimmickry does that as well — and strikingly. As lensed by Blade Runner 2049's Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (who, like Newman, also worked with Mendes in his Bond years), 1917 is crafted to look like it's shot in two long takes. Constantly roving and roaming, the film's visuals capture the two soldiers' every move, rarely letting either man's face out of sight. Accordingly, youth and eagerness, pain and sorrow, and carnage and death all flicker across the screen as Blake and Schofield try to make their way through a gruelling ordeal — one that plays out without any reprieve for them or for the audience. When a filmmaker leans so heavily upon such a self-imposed technical constraint, it's usually in the service of immediacy and immersion, with both evident in every exquisitely choreographed and staged second of 1917. Son of Saul, the Academy Award-winning 2015 holocaust film, used the same faux single-shot approach to the same emotionally devastating effect. Single-setting survivalist thrillers like All Is Lost deliver a similar emotional onslaught via restrained means as well. Both cast a shadow over 1917, because there's nothing more harrowing than being forced to stare into someone's eyes when they're enduring utter hell. MacKay, a certain future star going from strength to strength, conveys every iota of Schofield's grit and suffering. It's a performance on par with his second film screening in cinemas at present — True History of the Kelly Gang, where he plays Ned Kelly. Here, his character is an everyman, representing the many that went through the real-life ordeal. Indeed, he looks like he could've easily stepped out of Peter Jackson's recent World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. But thanks to MacKay's quietly aching portrayal, the audience needn't know much about Schofield to see him as individual, rather than merely one of many. Amid a cast that also features Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Fleabag's Andrew Scott and Chapman's Game of Thrones co-star Richard Madden in bit parts, he's the face of the so-called 'war to end all wars' — and he's just as effective as Mendes' jam-packed narrative and Deakins' stunning cinematography. And, he helps makes 1917's unshakeable case. Whether scrambling along a Turkish hillside in Gallipoli, sailing into the jungle in Apocalypse Now, or meandering over piles of bodies and past despairing soldiers here, the strongest war movies always function as anti-war movies. As illustrated in visceral detail, this is one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwRL0u87nbc
Get set to jump up, jump up and get down, just go ahead and jump, or get jumpin' jumpin at Samford until April 15. Whichever jump-themed song you now have stuck in your head, it's appropriate. We are talking about a pop-up inflatable theme park, after all. Setting up shop at the Samford Netball Club over the school holidays, The Inflatable Factory is fun for kids and kidults alike, boasting quite the range of blow-up bouncy attractions. On-site you'll find a 12-metre-high slide, a Zorb ball ramp and a 20-metre-long wild west obstacle course — plus a bubble soccer arena, and more. Tickets cost $17 for as much jumping around as you can fit into two hours — which, let's face it, is probably just about the right amount of time. If you do want to stay longer, you can purchase an extra hour for $7. There's also coffee and snacks available as well.
Lightyear wasn't the best Pixar movie, but when it flickered across the big screen halfway through 2022, it did something that the Disney-owned animation studio's films hadn't for a couple of years. Due to the pandemic's early days, the Mouse House skipped cinema releases for Soul, Luca and Turning Red between late 2020 and early 2022. It was the time of lockdowns, restrictions, and picture palaces either temporarily closing or having capacity limits, so all three features went straight to streaming platform Disney+. Wish you'd gotten a silver-screen experience while viewing this trio — or any one of them? Enter the new Pixar Film Fest to give you that chance. From Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, March 13, for a week apiece at various locations around Australia and New Zealand, it's debuting Soul, Luca and Turning Red in cinemas for the first time Down Under. Soul sports a premise that resembles Inside Out, which has a sequel arriving on the big screen in 2024. Instead of emotions having emotions, souls do. Rather than Amy Poehler (Moxie) doing voice work, Tina Fey (Mean Girls) does. And director Peter Docter (Up) helmed them both. But Soul is definitely its own feature — and takes quite the existential trip as it follows aspiring jazz musician-turned-music teacher Joe (Jamie Foxx, The Burial) after an accident where his soul leaves his body. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Killer), plus Jon Batiste (The First Wave), won an Oscar. The movie nabbed the Best Animated Feature accolade as well. It's releasing in cinemas from Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, February 28. Next up is Turning Red, which'll get projectors whirring from Thursday, February 29–Wednesday, March 6. The setup: what'd happen if the Hulk was a teenage girl, but became a super-cute red panda? Or, finding a different riff on the ol' werewolf situation, what if emotions rather than full moons inspired a case of not-quite-lycanthropy? Writer/director Domee Shi puts these queries at the centre of Turning Red, her debut feature after winning an Oscar for gorgeous 2018 short Bao. Set in 2002, the film focuses on 13-year-old Chinese Canadian high-schooler Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang, American Born Chinese), who has strict but caring mum Ming (Sandra Oh, Quiz Lady), loves boy band 4*Town and soon discovers that she's also a red panda in a puberty metaphor. Rounding out the lineup is Luca, which is similarly about transformation. This one takes place in Italy over a gorgeous summer, also spins a coming-of-age tale and nods to Frankenstein as well. Here, teenage sea monsters Luca (Jacob Tremblay, Orion and the Dark) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) just want to fit in, but know that the village they decide to call home wouldn't accept them if they don't take on human form. When they befriend ordinary girl Giulia (Emma Berman, Superkitties) in a quest to win a race to nab a moped, their secret becomes harder to keep — as cinemagoers can see from Thursday, March 7–Wednesday, March 13. Check out the trailers for Soul, Luca and Turning Red below: Pixar Film Fest 2024 Lineup: Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, February 28 — Soul Thursday, February 29–Wednesday, March 6 — Turning Red Thursday, March 7–Wednesday, March 13 — Luca Disney's Pixar Film Fest runs from Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, March 13 at cinemas around Australia and New Zealand, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington — check out your local picture palace for details. Read our reviews of Soul, Luca and Turning Red.
Do you have a whole shrine filled with gin? A shelf? A decent section of your liquor cabinet? If so, it's likely that many of those bottles hail from Australia's own Four Pillars. And, thanks to the gin-making superstars' just-released new tipple, you're probably about to add to them. From now on, your gin cocktails will all taste like yuzu — because that's the ingredient in the spotlight in Four Pillars' latest drop. The brand has played with fruit before, including just last year; however, this newbie is going straight to its core range. Like its past experiments, the Fresh Yuzu Gin uses locally grown yuzu. In fact, the fruit is grown just up the road from Four Pillars' Healesville base. And, while that's what you'll be tasting in a big way, expect other citrus flavours as well — and even green tea. As Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie explains, "yuzu brings amazing aromatics that are a mix of lemon, mandarin, cumquat and grapefruit — all bright and fresh citrus notes — while the addition of finger lime adds some deeper citrus character." "We've also learnt a lot (from the best) in our adventures making gin with Japanese friends, so in our take on yuzu gin, we've used ginger, turmeric and sencha genmaicha, a Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice, for depth of flavour," Mackenzie continues. "[Plus] a canvas of strong pine-needle juniper and a bit of lemon myrtle add a touch of lemon curd." Four Pillars recommends that you drink the Fresh Yuzu Gin in a highball with lots of ice, soda or light tonic, as topped with any kind of citrus garnish (although yuzu would obviously be best). If you're now hankering for a beverage, the new yuzu gin is available from the distillery's website for $80 per bottle, and also from Four Pillars' gin shops at its distillery door in Healesville and its Sydney Laboratory in Surry Hills. It'll start hitting bottle-os throughout April as well. For more information about Fresh Yuzu Gin, or to buy it, head to the distillery's website.
Mall Santa season is long gone but exquisitely cheesy photo ops should not be relegated to just one holiday. If you are in need of another seasonal profile pic captured by a talented professional, you are in luck. This Easter, both you and your four-legged friend can roll up to Orion Springfield Central or Kawana Shoppingworld and get the deed done. From Saturday, April 2 through to Easter Thursday on April 14, the Easter photo booth welcomes families, housemates, pals and pets, and there's no minimum age required to be the star of the shoot. Need a colourful new head shot? Here's your chance! Just don't forget to book. And remember to wear something eggcellent. To book your next family portrait at Orion Springfield Central, head to the website. If you want to strike a pose at Kawana Shoppingworld — and find out more about its packed Easter program — head here.
When Sony phoned the Narrabri Council to ask if Daft Punk could launch their latest album at the Wee Waa Showground, Mayor Conrad Bolton assumed the proposition was a hoax. "I thought a mate was pulling my leg," he told the Narrabri Courier. But the call was very much for real. A fortnight ago, a group of Sony's hard-hitters jetted to the 2000-person town to determine its suitability for a serious party. They liked what they saw, so May 17 will see the launch of Random Access Memories alongside the region's finest livestock at the Wee Waa Annual Show. Only 4000 tickets are going on sale. Several will be reserved exclusively for members of the Show Society and the remainder will be up for grabs from this Friday at Narrabri's Crossing Theatre. The rest of the French electro band's fans, which number in the millions, will be able to attend the celebration remotely, via live stream. Daft Punk will not be appearing live at the show; the launch of Random Access Memories will take place via playback. Last night, Wee Waa Show president Brett Dickinson told triple j, "We're still pinching ourselves. We don't know why, but why not?" According to Bolton, the tiny town's quintessentially Australian ambiance appeals to Daft Punk's maverick tendencies. "We think Wee Waa is so uniquely Australian, so the folks at Sony Music along with Daft Punk thought it fitted the bill perfectly," he explained to the Courier. "Daft Punk is known for breaking down barriers and coming up with new creative, innovative ideas to launch their albums."
A moment on your lips, a lifetime on your Instagram: that's the future we foresee when Japanese soufflé pancake pop-up Kumokumo arrives in Brisbane. After already treating Perth to its wares, the dessert joint is heading to the Sunshine State to serve up super-fluffy, ridiculously photogenic stacks for ten delicious weeks this summer at South Bank. Those thick, velvety pancakes that instantly make your stomach rumble whenever you see a photo of them (like while reading this article)? That's what's on Kumokumo's menu. It'll be slinging its various varieties from Wednesday, November 23, 2022–Sunday, January 29, 2023 on Grey Street, operating from Wednesday–Sunday weekly. While the pancakes look decadent — flavours like black sugar boba, creme brûlée, biscoffee (yes, Biscoff and coffee cream), matcha cream, tiramisu, and whipped butter with Jarrah honey also help — the pop-up keeps its recipe simple. In the pancakes themselves, you'll find eggs, flour, sugar and milk. Those various ingredients are beaten, piped, grilled and flipped, of course, including with a bit of water in the pan to keep in the moisture — and that all-important fluffiness. Kumokumo sources local ingredients at each of its stops, and has its cooking method down to a precise formula — to perfect the best pancake each time. And as for toppings, it varies per flavour. The black sugar boba version is self-explanatory, for instance, while the creme brûlée comes with custard and berry compote, the biscoffee also includes whipped mascarpone, and the matcha is paired with red bean paste. The pop-up's Brisbane setup will be a walk-in-only affair, and it'll do takeaways — but Kumokumo recommends eating its pancakes within 15 minutes. Head along from 4.30–9.30pm Wednesday–Thursday, 12–10pm Friday, and 10am–10pm Saturday–Sunday.
Regina George and the Plastics told us that Wednesdays are for wearing pink. In fact, they've advised us of that more than once. But on Wednesday, February 7, the middle of the week is for eating doughnuts without spending a cent, too, to promote the latest Mean Girls film. All day, Donut King is handing out freebies — and keeping Australians happy with their eponymous blend of sweets and carbs. The chain is known for its hot cinnamon doughnuts, and that's exactly what it'll be giving away at participating stores across Australia. Donut King hasn't advised exactly how many doughnuts are up for grabs, and it is a while-stocks-last affair. The big caveat, other than the first-in-best-dressed rule: there's a limit of one free hot cinnamon doughnut per person. Also, you do have to hit up a Donut King shop in-person, with the giveaway not available for deliveries. The brand's locations include everywhere from Chatswood and Top Ryde to Leichhardt and Hurstville in Sydney; Northcote, Sunshine, The Pines and Southland Westfield in Melbourne; Brisbane's Indooroopilly, Carindale, Chermside and Mt Gravatt; Perth's Ocean Keys and Midland Gate; and Adelaide's Glenelg, Tea Tree Plaza and more. But, you will need to check if your local Donut King outpost is taking part. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Donut King (@donutking_au) The new Mean Girls movie adapts the stage musical based on the OG 2004 movie, stars Australian actor Angourie Rice as Cady Heron and hit cinemas in January. Check out the trailer below — before, during or after tucking into a free doughnut: Donut King is giving away free doughnuts on Wednesday, February 7 at the chain's participating stores around the country. To find your closest shop and check its opening hours, head to the Donut King website.
When Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt got bantering while presenting a tribute to stunt performers at the 2024 Oscars, they weren't just there to playfully riff on the Barbenheimer phenomenon, or ignite a Barbie versus Oppenheimer rivalry. They had a film to spruik, aka the Sydney-shot The Fall Guy — and while that Academy Awards stint might've been the best promotion any movie needs, a new trailer has dropped for the flick anyway. For much of his career, Gosling has perfected on-screen smouldering. He's the kind of actor who can utter few words and still convey everything, as movies such as Drive and Only God Forgives demonstrated so well. But Gosling is also exceptional at comedy, which Barbie reminded the world in 2023 with glorious ballad-crooning, beach-loving Kenergy. Next, cinema's baby goose is getting into action-comedy mode in The Fall Guy. Based on the 80s TV series of the same name, the film follows stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling), whose career isn't what it used to be. After taking time off, he's back at work getting set on fire for a living — but the fact that his ex Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer) is directing brings chaos. That's just the first dose of the movie's mayhem. Also complicating matters: that megastar actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bullet Train), who Seavers is meant to be doubling for in Moreno's flick, has gone missing. So, the stunt professional now has another task: work out what's going on by solving a conspiracy. If you're thinking "wasn't Gosling in the stunt game in Drive?", you're correct; however, The Fall Guy couldn't be in more different territory tonally. That said, when Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham tells Gosling "you're a stuntman — nobody's going to notice you, that's your job", in The Fall Guy's trailers (the first arrived back in late 2023), you'll already know that his casting means that's never going to prove true. As well as finding a missing actor, getting immersed in action intrigue to unravel a criminal plot, saving his latest movie and doing his regular job, Seavers is on a mission to win back Moreno — but IRL stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, who also helmed Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, puts stunts to the fore as much as rom-com banter in the initial sneak peek. Written by Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw scribe Drew Pearce, The Fall Guy co-stars Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu, plus Winston Duke (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Also a big feature in its trailers so far: its Sydney shooting location, including George Street, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Everyone in Australia knows that Gosling was in the country to make the movie — and we all know that any flick shot here will show off that fact in its footage, as seen in the also Sydney-made Anyone But You recently as well. On the small screen, The Fall Guy ran for 113 episodes from 1981–86, starring Lee Majors after his best-known role in The Six Million Dollar Man. Check out the latest trailer for The Fall Guy below: The Fall Guy releases in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
When you enter a darkened room to commune with cinema, you stare at a big screen. That silver surface in front of you is the place where celluloid dreams are made, but it's also a window. Peer into it and you'll see the world — including sights you spy daily, just cast in a whole new light. GOMA's new season of flicks about cities firmly falls into that category, especially given that you can spot the Brisbane CBD from outside the South Brisbane building. City Symphony surveys movies from across an entire century, all featuring depictions of bustling urban spaces. GOMA's Australian Cinematheque doesn't just want you to watch, however, but also to listen. So, it's pairing its chosen flicks with stunning new live soundscapes — or you can catch them with their original soundtracks, the choice is yours. [caption id="attachment_894298" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Production still from Calcutta 1969 / Dir: Louis Malle / Image courtesy: Gaumont.[/caption] Each title shows twice: first with its newly composed accompaniment, then a week later in its OG form. The initial sessions happen on Sundays monthly, then the second the following Saturday. You'll need to pay for the live show, but the followup screening is free to attend. As for what you'll be watching, highlights include 2021's Lines, which roves over Bratislava; four films that explore New York, Tokyo and Stockholm; the Berlin-set People on Sunday from 1930; and 1969's Calcutta. And, the list of talents doing the honours with the tunes spans Timothy Fairless, Johnny Ng, Madeleine Cocolas, Zemzemeh, hazards of swimming naked, Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra and more. [caption id="attachment_894300" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Production still from People on Sunday 1930 / Dir: Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer / Image courtesy: Praesens Film.[/caption] Top image: Timothy Fairless.
We take travelling seriously at Concrete Playground. Whether you're planning luxury getaways abroad, interstate camping trips, weekend jaunts to a city or bathing beachside, our team of avid travellers and destination-obsessives like to think we've got all the necessary tips for where to eat, drink, stay and hang out to get your itineraries in the best possible shape. But it has come to our attention that we've lapsed in our advice when it comes to what to put in your luggage. So, what must-have travel essentials should you be bringing with you on your next trip to make packing for your holiday a simple and stress-free task? In partnership with the folks at Kmart, we're going to share our top tips for packing, depending on what kind of adventure you are about to embark on. Carry-on Connoisseurs If you are attempting to eschew those ever-increasing checked luggage bag fees but aren't quite keen on stuffing a pillowcase with all your belongings, it might be time to assess what you are actually packing. If you've committed to confining yourself to cabin baggage alone, pack items that can do multiple jobs. A simple button-up shirt can be casual with jeans and a tee, a throw-on layer over swimwear, or be dressed up by buttoning it up and tucking it into your pants. Dresses are the ultimate outfit saviour if you favour a single-item outfit. With a simple hairstyle or accessories, a dress can take you from chill brunch to a luxe wine-tasting or fine-dining experience. Don't put yourself out, and ensure you are always looking your best, whether you are sipping on sparkling next to the Riviera or exploring food markets in Japan. Luxury Lovers There's nothing more luxurious than having options for everyday activities on your five-star getaway. But with all your outfit choices, how can you keep tabs on your belongings? Easy, get yourself organised with luggage organisers. Packing cubes are excellent for all kinds of travellers, whether you're hiking the Great Dividing Range or booking yourself into a relaxing retreat. Keep your items organised, from your electronics to your toiletries, your swimwear to your evening wear. With the right travel accessories, you'll never have to worry about where your perfect evening outfit or super luxurious sunhat is. International Explorers If you're that person who is constantly returning from an overseas trip and planning the next one, you probably need new luggage. All that travelling plays havoc on your baggage. From the usual wear and tear of being pulled through the terminals to the stress of being chucked around on baggage chutes, bus racks, taxi boots and more. Before you start planning your next vacation, make sure your bags are in good nick for overseas travel. You don't want to have to be scouring local supermarkets for duct tape. Get yourself sorted with a stylish new set, and you're basically halfway ready for your next adventure. Weekend Warriors Do you keep your eyes peeled for budget-friendly interstate flights or car hire sales for your next weekend escapade? Much like the Carry-on Connoisseurs above, you're only going for the weekend, so make sure you pack lightly (so you can fill your car/suitcase with all the local goodies you can). Whether you're heading for the hills or journeying to a dense metropolis, walking shoes are a must. No matter if you are a guy planning a luxe trip to the south Pacific or a gal heading to the mountains, the ratty trainers you've been rocking to the gym simply won't do (and neither will that stylish new pair you're yet to break in). Get comfy, versatile walking sneakers or boots that match your fave 'fit for city exploring or countryside wandering and wear them on the way to your weekend destination. Adventure Seekers If you love spending your weekends exploring the bush or hiking up mountains, it's important to be prepared and get your camping gear in order. A sturdy shoe, head torch and waterproof pack can make or break a weekend — so be prepared for every kind of weather and dress for the elements to change. Remember: it's cold at night, even during an Aussie summer. If you're a keen camper, stock up on gas fuel for your stove and a first aid pack (with sunscreen and bug spray). It's the times that you need it that you don't have it. Don't put yourself in that position and get prepped for adventure. Foodie Fanatics Do you spend your holidays sampling wines, tasting local produce and snagging the best dinner reservations in town? Dress to impress and pack a skirt that can bring you from the market to the restaurant in an instant. Whether you're more of a mini, midi, or maxi skirt kind of person, a stylish skirt can elevate your outfit for the perfect look for embarking on your epicurean adventure. Discover more of your must-have travel essentials over on Kmart's website.
Acai has to be one of the most mysterious of all the much-hyped superfood clan. What's all the fuss? Where did these things even come from? Why are all your friends ditching coffee to go out for 'a bowl'? In an effort to get answers to these Very Important Questions, we've gone to the masters. Ben Day and Sam Carson are the owners of Redlands' first ever organic superfood bar. Though each one of them cuts a pretty impressive physique, they don't have protein shakes to thank for their healthy glow. These two muscular men rely on a much more natural source — they call themselves the Acai Brothers. So, what is Acai? Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a Brazilian superfood originating in the Amazon rainforest; an antioxidant-packed berry which can be consumed in various forms, but which according to the current trend is most frequently turned into an aesthetically pleasing and highly refreshing dish known as a 'bowl'. In this form, the acai is blended with ice and other clean ingredients to become the base layer of the dish, and is presented in a similar way to a dessert. Just search #acaibowl on Instagram and you'll get the gist (and a fairly strong craving to boot). Who eats acai? Nutrition is often seen as a woman's game, but thankfully that's gradually changing and the Acai Brothers are actively helping to break down that stereotype for their fellow blokes; they're two macho men, passionate about putting the right things into their bodies for continued good health, and even more passionate about practicing what they preach. "How about we open male minds a little bit?" says Sam. He says guys are slowing getting weened off their protein shakes and coming around. But it's not just gym junkies who should get on board. "Right now we've got a specific target market of gym-goers, business people, naturopaths, mums and little kids, but there's a big market of people who have no idea that eating healthily can be cheap, quick and highly beneficial," says Sam. "One of our main goals is to tap into that school market and educate young people about the benefits of eating superfoods ... It’s going to take time, like any movement." It's more than a fashion trend Taking this superfood to the next level means better educating young people. Ben and Sam are trying to cut through the hype and get kids to understand the actual benefits. Their long-term aim is to prove that eating superfoods is more than a passing fashion; it's a dietary choice. "Acai is tremendously beneficial to gut health, it assists the absorption of nutrients and aids the removal of fatty acids," says Sam. This little berry is spectacularly high in antioxidants and vitamins (packed with three times that of blueberries). It improves your immune system and helps prevent common ailments like colds and flu; when taken to the extreme and coupled with supergreens, acai can be a total powerhouse. It gives you energy and improves your mental focus. That's better than some superficial Insta-post. There are a bunch of ways to eat it Brisbane is currently the only location within Australia that boasts acai specialist cafes, so residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to beautifully-presented bowls. Kiss the Berry, Coco Bliss and Raw PawPaw are among the many vendors. But according to the boys, acai is also an easy product to introduce into your diet at home. Australian company Amazonia provides three options for acai consumption: frozen puree (for use in bowls and smoothies), freeze-dried powder (a great ingredient when you're making a batch of bliss balls) and freeze-dried capsules (the pop-in-your-mouth-and-go option). One quick trip to your local health food shop, or a few clicks online, and you're set. According to Ben, if you have a blender it couldn't be easier to put together a tasty bowl yourself. "No matter what you put on top, it tastes great. A guy recently requested avocado on his bowl, which was something different! We've got thousands of recipe ideas that we'll explore over time. We try to present something that looks incredibly appealing, bright and vibrant." First-timers can expect the texture of sorbet (it should never be runny, nor too thick), purple in colour, with a slightly tart, berry flavour. Toppings can include all manner of deliciousness: fruit, muesli, buckini, coconut, cacao, yoghurt or coyo, seeds, nuts and just about anything raw or dehydrated you can get your hands on. You can even add edible essential oils if you're feeling particularly brave and creative. For Sam, the ideal bowl consists of banana, kiwifruit and strawberry. For Ben, it's all about lemon, shredded coconut, goji berries, cacao nibs and gluten-free buckini which forms a great crumb. It's perfect for summer Sam and Ben opened their new superfood bar at just the right time; summer is here and we're all in need of something refreshing. Their drive to educate people about the advantages of acai is also timely, as our city's hunger for all things healthy is at an all-time high. Thankfully this is starting to catch on with guys too. The Acai Brothers claim they've seen a noticeable shift in the balance between male and female customers. It could be that their dude-led acai love is encouraging others to try something new. When all is said and done, it doesn't seem to matter how we consume it; the point is that we should all inject some acai into our diets. So go, explore, experiment and enjoy all the amazing-ness of the Amazon's finest fruit. And, if you happen to visit the Acai Brothers in the Redlands, tuck into a Raw Lemon bowl. It'll seriously rock your world. The Acai Brothers Superfood Bar is located at 683 Old Cleveland Road East, Wellington Point. Images courtesy of Rosie Greenaway, Amazonia, Breno Peck and eliduke and readandrewrite via photopin cc.
When Brisbanites initially stepped inside Naldham House in the 1800s, they weren't greeted by a brasserie and terrace, then a supper club upstairs. In a building with history across three different centuries, that's firmly a 2024 experience. Behind its white facade on Felix Street, this heritage-listed former shipping office is now all about drinking and dining — and, decor-wise, about strikingly rich colours adorning every surface, with a huge 1110 different hues used. It was back in June that the venue's latest guise was announced. Venturing to the Eagle Street side of Brisbane's CBD has long meant being dwarfed by gleaming skyscrapers, but this is the building that predates them all. Although the year listed above its entrance is from four decades back, the structure was first built 140 years ago. The site began its life as a shipping office, then underwent major renovations in 1988. From there, it became the Brisbane Polo Club from 1994–2015. Now, since mid-July, it's the River City's newest drinking and dining destination — still under the name Naldham House. Thank DAP & Co to transforming this patch of the inner city into a three-venues-in-one hub. The hospitality group co-owned by Andrew Baturo, Denis Sheahan and Paul Piticco, which is also behind The Gresham, Popolo Italian and Walter's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, has launched the first two of those venues together, with the other to come in spring. So, while you wait to hit up the site's third level, you can still be hang out at Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace on the ground floor, plus supper club-style cocktail bar and lounge Club Felix on the second storey. Part of the Waterfront Brisbane project that's revamping this area of town, the new Naldham House is a project four years in the making. DAP & Co can't be accused of holding back, be it on ambition for the site, on multiple experiences at one address or, via that plethora of jewel tones, on colour in the fitout by interior designer Anna Spiro. How do you put so many hues to use? They've been deployed to ensure that each level has its own identity and vibe. Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace takes its cues from both European brasseries and grand hotel lobbies around the globe. If you can't be elsewhere, pretend, basically. The markedly old-school atmosphere extends to the pianist playing the grand, and also the service, whether you're among the 95 people that the venue can cater to inside or the 120 outside on the terrace with its own bar. Meal options in the brasserie include hand-cut beef tartare, chicken liver parfait and a beetroot tart among the snacks, then oxtail ragu pasta, crumbed rock flathead and noisettes of lamb from the mains. You can also share a pork tomahawk, the market fish or rib steak, then finish up with a berry mille-feuille — aka a vanilla slice — plus crème caramel, three cheeses and a chocolate Paris-Brest. Outside, the terrace menu sports the likes of crispy chicken skin with whipped cod roe and caviar, smoked mortadella and potato croquettes, steak frites, a wagyu cheeseburger and a king salmon gravlax sandwich. Whether you choose to get comfortable indoors or out, a 28-page drinks list awaits, filled with European and Australian wines both by the glass and the bottle, beers both local and international, and a hefty array of spirits. The cocktail selection hops from spritzes to signatures, and then from classics to zero-alcohol sips. A mandarin spritz might take your fancy, or a Yuzito made with gin, orange curacao and yuzu soda — or perhaps a negroni or the non-boozy Watermelon Sugar. Head upstairs after 5pm Wednesday–Saturday for Club Felix and you'll be greeted by an oak timber bar that came with the building, a big focus on blue, a French-heavy menu, a covetable champagne list, and capacity for 150 standing and 110 seated. While the aim is for Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace to become an after-work hangout for both dinner and drinks, Club Felix is taking the fun into the night with a 2am closing time — and the space can also be used for weddings and parties. Here, small plates and charcuterie accompany the libations, so snacking on salumi with gnocco fritto, a jamon and comte toastie, fried whiting sandwich fingers, salted cod and potato croquettes, and caramel profiteroles will line your stomach. Then, beverage-wise, expect rich tastes from the cognac- and Madeira-based Brulee Flip with chocolate bitters and grated chocolate, and from the Raspberry Tea Julep with black tea-infused bourbon — among other cocktails. French wines, including dessert tipples, are also a drawcard. As well as Baturo, Sheahan and Piticco, Naldham House boasts Executive Chef Douglas Keyte (ex-Grill Americano in Melbourne), General Manager Christian Green (ex-Rockpool, The Botanical, Aria, Chin Chin, and Longrain) and Restaurant Manager Steven Ham (ex-Soho House Group in London) at its first two venues. Start looking forward to what's to come when the third space launches, with details still scarce — other than that it'll sit atop its siblings and, as they do, possess its own unique look and feel. Find Naldham House at 33 Felix Street, Brisbane City, with Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace and Club Felix now open. Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace's brasserie operates from 11.30am–3pm and 5–10pm Monday–Saturday, and its terrace from 11.30am–11pm Monday–Saturday. Club Felix trades from 5pm–2pm Wednesday–Saturday. Head to the Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace website and Club Felix website for more information. Images: Dexter Kim.
Masters of Aussie-made juniper spirits of the rare and unusual kind, small batch distillery Four Pillars have added another offering to their tasty, boozy range. While their rare dry, spiced Negroni and bloody Shiraz varieties remain favourites for plenty of reasons, they're now serving up their first pre-mixed bottled cocktails. Meet the Improved Hanky Panky, an amber concoction that screams warm weather drinks — that is, the type that go down smooth and easy while you're sitting back in the sun. It's a collaboration between Shaun Byrne of Maidenii and Gin Palace, and Four Pillars' own Sam Ng. After Byrne gave the distillery a few Maidenii vermouth barrels, they used them to age a batch of Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, then aged the results in old chardonnay barrels, and finally added in vermouth, Fernet-Branca and absinthe. Yes, that's quite the alcohol-filled creation, and it's now available for $32 per 200ml bottle — which holds three cocktails — or $90 for a three-pack. Four Pillars suggests serving it neat over ice with a few slices of orange as a garnish. We suggest that it's the excuse to down a few refreshing beverages, not that gin lovers need a reason.
UPDATE, November 20, 2020: Cargo is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. The ravenous undead have been chomping their way across screens for decades. Still, if it seems like their appetite has kicked into higher gear in recent years, that's because it has. Or, perhaps more accurately, the viewing public's hunger for zombie fare has ramped up considerably. Undead thrillers, zombie comedies, long-running TV shows about the brain-eating hordes — we just can't get enough. It's a zombie feast, not a zombie famine, although don't go thinking that you've seen it all before. Australian film Cargo sinks its teeth into the undead basics, and yet still manages to carve out its own territory rather than mindlessly following the masses. With people scarce and zombies shuffling, the movie begins in a standard-enough fashion, plunging into an outbreak that transforms the living into the living dead in 48 hours. Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay's (Susie Porter) solution is to stick to their houseboat and float down an outback river, which is the best thing they can do to keep their infant Rosie safe. Unfortunately, their sense of security is short-lived, leaving Andy scrambling across the dusty landscape to protect his baby. Also trying to cope with the new dystopian status quo is young Indigenous girl Thoomi (Simone Landers), with Cargo examining more than one fraught father-daughter relationship. Updating their 2013 Tropfest short of the same name to feature length, co-directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke know that less is more. A good zombie film doesn't need complicated scenarios or elaborate explanations, so the duo keep things simple. A great example of the genre puts more focus on the humans than the undead, so that's how the filmmakers approach their movie. You won't find heaving throngs of walking corpses here — but you will find a variety of folks handling the life-or-death crisis in different ways. Andy desperately searches for someone to look after Rosie. Ex-fracking worker Vic (Anthony Hayes) plans for the future in a far more insidious manner. And while Thoomi has managed to keep her zombified dad (Bruce R. Carter) around, her elders, lead by their cleverman Daku (David Gulpilil), have their own methods — and their own ideas about the source of the pandemic. If it's rare for a zombie flick to dive so deeply and thoughtfully into its characters, then it is rarer still for such a film to also ponder various kinds of death and destruction. Writing as well as co-helming, Ramke weaves both humanity's impact upon the environment and white settlers' treatment of Australia's aboriginal people into the narrative — and Cargo is all the better for it. While there's plenty that's familiar, especially if you're an undead connoisseur, the movie smartly and astutely plays up the many real-life parallels that come with its premise. These days, contemplating the end of existence as we know it goes hand-in-hand with contemplating our ecological footprint. Similarly, exploring a world where one part of the population terrorises another provides a timely exploration of race relations. Previous zombie stories have also drawn comparable conclusions, but where George A. Romero highlighted racism in Night of the Living Dead half a century ago, Cargo reclaims a space for Indigenous culture in the fight for survival. Amongst all of the above, and amidst the gorgeously shot South Australian backdrop, Freeman and Landers stand front and centre. The former might be a veteran and the latter a newcomer, but the movie wouldn't work quite as well without either. Freeman's recognisable everyman persona comes in handy, even if it makes you remember his trek across greener terrain in The Hobbit trilogy. Landers' naturalism couldn't be more buoyant, even in such a bleak film. One gets more screen time than the other, but together they embody Cargo's distinctive take on its well-worn genre. This involving, moving zombie drama initially ambles along a reliable path, yet isn't afraid to find its own direction — and isn't shy about blending the expected and the fresh in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_SiHPtwQ7s
A few months back, US TV network NBC announced news that definitely wasn't noice, tight or cool cool cool: that Brooklyn Nine-Nine would end after its next (and eighth) season. That revelation sparked plenty of questions, all of varying degrees of importance. How will it all wrap up? What does this last batch of ten episodes have in store for Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct? How many more times will Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) say "title of your sex tape"? Will Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) make a final appearance? And how much more yoghurt can Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) eat? Come August in America, all those queries will be answered. Earlier this month, NBC announced that Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season would launch following the Tokyo Olympics — and, via a just-dropped first teaser trailer, it has revealed that that'll start happening from August 12. Based on the past few seasons, it's hopeful that viewers Down Under will be able to watch the police-focused comedy come to an end at the same time. In Australia, SBS has fast-tracked recent seasons, so fingers crossed that that happens again. The first sneak peek at the new season doesn't reveal much else, though. It's more of a sizzle reel for the show's last hurrah — but it does remind us that there have been seven Halloween heists and 32 sex tape titles so far, information that every B99 devotee needs to know. Something that it doesn't tell us: how many times Die Hard will get a mention before the series says "yippee-ki-yay" for the last time. Whatever else Peralta, Jeffords (Terry Crews), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), and Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) get up to, we're guessing that the final season will direct even more love towards the 80s action flick that Peralta so openly adores. As the season seven finale revealed, the show's latest character is named after the Bruce Willis movie, after all. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFDHqFiYoE&t=3s Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season is set to start in the US on August 12. We'll update you when an air date Down Under is confirmed.
Since opening in mid-2019, Za Za Ta has taken its culinary cues from Israel. Executive chef Roy Ner was born there, after all, and has long enjoyed mixing his heritage into his cooking. A year latter, in a huge revamp of its menu, the Fortitude Valley restaurant is also finding inspiration in another source — in an entirely plant-based menu. Za Za Ta's bar and kitchen is now serving up a Tel Aviv-style vegetarian lineup — so your next meze bites and bigger meals won't feature any meat, but they will be big on wood-smoked charcoal flavours. From the small-plate selection, on offer is a mix of share-friendly dishes, such as hummus made with braised chickpeas and a 63-degree egg ($15), silverbeet and feta börek fingers ($17), whipped feta with spiced beetroot ($14). Or, if you're feeling particularly hungry, you can opt for the shish barak, aka Lebanese-style pumpkin dumplings ($24); or the Turkish-influenced lentil and mushroom manti dumplings ($23), too. The slow-cooked eggplant h'raime ($26) serves up a spicy Moroccan dish alongside a tomato salad, the cauliflower shawarma ($24) also features smoked labneh and quince, while the traditional Israeli date pudding ($9) is just one of the dessert options. And, for those who don't know where to start, there's a $59 chef's choice deal. Drinks are also be a big focus at Za Za Ta, with rum beverages and spice-infused cocktails that use fresh cold-pressed juices, whichever citrus fruit happen to be in season and Middle Eastern botanicals. There's also a wine list that leans Australian, French and Italian, with biodynamic, organic and skin contact vinos, too — plus a selection of craft beers. Updated August 12, 2020.
Fancy teeing off at mini golf over a few drinks — while playing your way through over-the-top, pop culture-themed holes — but don't feel like venturing from the Brisbane CBD to Fortitude Valley? From Friday, November 29, you can now grab a club and start swinging at the city's second Holey Moley, which has opened its doors in the Wintergarden shopping centre. First announced last month, the location is hardly surprising, as it's where Strike Bowling — which is also run by the same company as Holey Moley — has been operating for well over a decade. Lucky for us, Funlab has decided to double the Queen Street Mall fun, meaning that you can now knock down a few pins and then get tap, tap, tapping (or vice versa, if you'd prefer). Inner-city dwellers can work their way around a nine-hole course that features a Ferris Bueller's Day Off-inspired hole, a replica of Vincent van Gogh's bedroom and a room filled with flying cash. Among the other themed holes, there's one paying tribute to Steve Irwin, another featuring King Kong, a Forrest Gump-style hole and yet another ramping up the wizarding antics — it's called Hole 9 & 3/4, naturally. Fancy breaking up your time on the green — not that Holey Moley's holes are typically green — with a stint of singing? Earlier in the year, the chain added karaoke to its Fortitude Valley digs, and it's on offer in the Wintergarden as well. Don't worry, you'll be doing your crooning in private rooms, so only your mini-golf pals will hear your vocal stylings. Booze and food are also part of Holey Moley's lineup, including plenty of cocktails. When you're not downing drinks with names like Austin Sours and The Sugar Caddy, you can sip an alcoholic concoction from a tiny bath tub that even has rubber ducks floating in it — or opt for wine, beer, spirits or a mocktail. As for snacks, choose between pizzas, hot dogs and extravagant burgers (such as The Dirty Birdie, which combines southern fried chicken, lettuce, bacon, slaw, guacamole and chilli mayo). Or, enjoy chicken wings, mac 'n' cheese bites, and five types of potato dishes (spanning normal fries, loaded fries, waffle fries, tater tots and sweet potato fries). If you're vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free, you'll find something on Holey Moley's menu, too. Find Holey Moley Wintergarden on Level 1 in the Wintergarden shopping centre, 171–209 Queen Street, Brisbane — open Sunday–Thursday from 10am–midnight, and Friday–Saturday from 10am–1pm.
UPDATE, March 14, 2022: After a three-week closure due to Brisbane's floods, both the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art will reopen — and the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art as well — on Friday, March 18. Filling your summer with overseas travel mightn't quite be on your agenda yet, but packing it with artworks from around the Asia Pacific can be at the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art. As the two Brisbane galleries do every three years, they're turning their attention to the Asia-Pacific region — to take stock of Brissie's place in this part of the globe, and to celebrate the exceptional work being created by the area's talented artists. Displaying across the two South Bank sites from Saturday, December 4–Monday, April 25, this Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art marks the tenth hosted by either QAG, GOMA or both — and has been its flagship series since first gracing Queensland Art Gallery's walls almost three decades ago. To celebrate, APT10 is showcasing 69 artworks from more than 150 Asia-Pacific creatives, covering more than 30 countries. Among both newly commissioned and recent pieces, one key highlight is participatory shrine installation Shrine of Life/ Benjapakee Shrine by Vipoo Srivilas. It'll feature five hand-crafted ceramic deities decked out with gold and floral embellishments, with the quintet signifying identity, love equality, creativity, security and spirituality. Or, there's also the striking Hairloom by Rocky Cajigan, which does indeed possess a descriptive title. The Filipino artist has made a ten-metre-long loom of human hair, which is designed to comment on the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Also on the bill: a cave-like environment made out of found materials, as crafted by Balinese artist I Made Djirna; huge sculptural vessels fashioned out of fibreglass and synthetic resin by Kuwait City- and San Juan, Puerto Rico-based artist Alia Farid; and Indonesian Australian artist Jumaadi's large-scale painted stories on cloth prepared by Indonesian artisans. Plus, Chong Kim Chiew will provide an installation that paints maps directly onto tarpaulin, and comments on reorientiation — geographically and politically — in Malaysia and throughout southeast Asia. The full roster of APT10 participants also spans artists from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Myanmar, Iran, India, Singapore, China, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and Vietnam — and yes, the list goes on. [caption id="attachment_836711" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT 10)Members PreviewGOMA[/caption] Images: Installation views, Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 10, Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery, J Ruckli and C Callistemon
If you're the kind of restaurant-goer who picks their places to eat based on accolades, acclaim and applause, then you'll be familiar with France's Mirazur. The three Michelin-starred eatery sits in the French Riviera near the Italian border, calls an old 1930s villa home, and is the work of Argentinian-born chef and owner Mauro Colagreco, who takes culinary inspiration from his Italian grandparents. It's also a former winner of the World's Best 50 Restaurants' top spot, and it should be high on everyone's food bucket list. For three weeks in autumn, from Friday, March 10–Friday, March 31, Mirazur is also visiting Australia. Its destination: the hatted The Gantry at Pier One Sydney Harbour, where the coveted restaurant will put on its first-ever Harbour City residency. That'll make ticking off a visit a whole lot easier — no overseas plane ticket required. [caption id="attachment_728308" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mirazur, Nicolas Lobbestael[/caption] Swapping one waterfront locale for another, Colagreco is making the trip Down Under from Menton near Nice on the Cote D'Azur, accompanied by a sizeable portion of his team. That includes Mirazur's Chief Operating Officer Maria Tancredi and Executive Chef Luca Mattioli, as well as front-of-house and kitchen staff, plus sommeliers. Silvina Dayer, its agronome — aka garden scientist — will also head our way with the crew. Heroing Australian ingredients, the Mirazur cohort will serve up a multi-course tasting menu, plus snacks, which won't come cheap — $685 per person, in fact, with wine pairings starting from an extra $210. [caption id="attachment_888022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matteo Carassale[/caption] The specific focus: using the best Aussie wares they can source, working with producers who are respectful and passionate about the land and sea, to whip up an original menu that showcases the restaurant's commitment to sustainability, nature and biodiversity. Taking inspiration from different cultures and cooking environments, and highlighting their ingredients and suppliers, is what the Mirazur Beyond Borders project is all about — which this residency slots into. "Mirazur Beyond Borders is the opportunity for us to enrich our knowledge, philosophy and commitment. I have visited Australia a few times and what excites me is that it is a country where there is a huge diversity of nature, landscapes, and species," said Colagreco, announcing the Sydney jaunt. "It's very important for me and my team to learn from and experiment with the ingredients we find in the country we visit, and to learn from all the people and products we encounter on the way. Although we are coming to Australia for a few weeks, I already know we will leave with something that lasts forever," he continued. "I am thrilled to cook in Sydney, as it's such a diverse Australian city, where many cultures and foods coexist. What I love about Australian gastronomy, and particularly Sydney's, is that it has been influenced by many different cultures, from Asian to European, and a large range of produce to create its own gastronomy, and reinvents itself constantly." [caption id="attachment_650654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gantry, Alana Dimou[/caption] Mirazur will temporarily take up residence in Sydney just a few months before three Michelin-starred English restaurant L'Enclume, from British chef Simon Rogan, does the same in July and August. Mirazur Beyond Borders at The Gantry, Pier One Sydney Harbour, will run from Friday, March 10–Friday, March 31 — operating for lunch and dinner Wednesday–Sunday. Head to the residency's website for bookings from 12pm AEST on Tuesday, February 13, and to register for the priority list in advance.
As we fly head first into the warmer months you're more likely to want to seek out food that is light, refreshing and satisfying. And here in Brisbane, we are lucky to have a strong Vietnamese influence bringing us the delicious and utterly satisfying flavours of south-east Asia. For some brilliant meals to refresh you on a hot day, or some steamy soup to help rid a summer cold, we give you Concrete Playground’s top five Vietnamese restaurants in Brisbane. Trang Hardgrave Road in West End has several Vietnamese restaurants in contention and everyone has their preferred favourite. This one is ours, and probably many other people’s because there is so often a line waiting out the door to be seated. At Trang we like to keep it simple, opting for the roll-your-own rice paper wraps with pork balls. This is either the perfect entrée to share, or is a meal in itself. Simple, fresh and tasty – it will satisfy your hunger without causing an uncomfortable food baby at the end. 2/59 Hardgrave Road, West End; 07 3255 1610 Mints While summertime is usually reserved for wave frolicking and backyard cricket, sometimes we are unlucky to enough to get the dreaded summer cold that comes around. A bowl of Mints’ crispy skin chicken noodle soup will not only cheer you up with its deliciousness, but it will also help you sweat out that cruel cold so that you can get back outside and enjoy life again. Mints is located in the Rosalie precinct and is incredibly popular with the locals, so be prepared to wait in line, or book yourself a table. Shop 4/12 Nash Street, Paddington; 07 3367 8868 The Vietnamese For a debauched evening out on the town, The Vietnamese is the perfect place to kick off your evening. You and your friends can enjoy their incredibly reasonably priced food that does not disappoint. Any meal that starts off with amazing rice paper spring rolls and salt and pepper quail is going to be a people pleaser. Followed up with some Vietnamese chicken salad and Viet-style spare ribs, everyone will be wholly satisfied and food-drunk. 194 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley; 07 3252 4112 AJ’s Vietnamese Whether you work in the city or are popping in for a spot of shopping, AJ’s Vietnamese is the ideal spot for a quick bite to eat. Not only are their meals reasonably-priced, they are also very satisfying. Their vermicelli salads are a winner. If you’re feeling a little bit naughty you can go for the spring roll salad (spring rolls in salad? Genius!) The spicy beef noodle soup is also a little bowl of slurping goodness and great for clearing out the sinuses as well. 70 Charlotte Street, Brisbane; 07 3229 2128 Libertine At the pricier end of the dining scale, Libertine at the Barracks is a great place to do some double dating. The share menu has too many desirable options for just two of you to try, so you need to make up the numbers to ensure that you get a taste of everything. Their pork rice paper rolls with green chilli sauce are a great way to start off your meal, followed by the succulent, chilli-caramel pork belly. The wagyu beef will melt in your mouth and the lime tart and coconut sorbet will cause mouth explosions that will have you walking out on a sugar high. Don’t forget to match your meal with the beautiful Beaujolais or the Vietnamese Bag cocktail, served authentically in a plastic bag! No. 5 The Barracks, 61 Petrie Terrace, Paddington; 07 3367 3353; www.libertine.net.au View all Brisbane Restaurants.
Any weekend is a good weekend to shop for plants at the Brisbane Markets, the old faithful of the Brissie market scene. That said, Saturday, October 5, 2024 will be better than ever thanks to a returning event: Plantapalooza. It's the fifth time that the Rocklea spot has held a plant festival and, running from 6am–1pm, that's something to get excited about. You'll still find the venue's regular 100-stall-plus market array, but it'll be joined by thousands of extra indoor and outdoor plants, as well as plenty of flowers and succulents — and demonstrations from horticulture experts to help you put your green thumb to work. If you usually put off getting into the garden when spring is well and truly in swing, here's your motivation. Or, if you'd like to brighten up your house with a potted piece of nature, here's your chance as well. Remember: there's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a name to your favourite houseplant. Entry costs $2, or $6 with premium parking.
In self-portrait after self-portrait, Frida Kahlo was no stranger to giving the world a window into what made the artist tick. The Mexican painter didn't just create art — she bared her soul, especially in pieces where she stares back at audiences. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image has a similar intimate aim in mind, as aided by some of the icon's depictions of herself, as well as a treasure trove of her personal belongings. This is Australia's latest celebration of Kahlo after the Art Gallery of South Australia's 150-work Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution showcase of Mexican modernism in 2023, and also Sydney Festival's multi-sensory Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon the same year. That's quite the spread of places around the country that've been dedicating walls and halls to the artist, with Bendigo now joining them. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image displays at the Bendigo Art Gallery from Saturday, March 15–Sunday, July 13. Many of the artworks and items that feature have never been seen in Australia before. In fact, some were sealed for 50 years in her family home when Diego Rivera ensured that the site would become a museum after Kahlo passed away in 1954, and that her most-personal items were stored in the bathrooms away from public eyes. Objects such as clothes and makeup have made the journey to regional Victoria, as have mementoes and photographs. Accordingly, attendees can peer at traditional Mexican garments, including a headdress from the Oaxaca region, that were worn by Kahlo; Revlon cosmetics, such as lipstick, nail polish and an eyebrow pencil; and hand-painted medical corsets that she donned following spinal surgeries. Appearances Can Be Deceiving, a self-portrait drawing that provides a view through her clothing to her corset x-ray style, is also a highlight. Arriving direct from the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico, Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image is exclusive to the Bendigo institution, so you'll need to make the trip if you're keen to explore what the artist's belongings and style says about her art. Updated: Monday, March 24, 2025. Images: Bendigo Art Gallery.
Chances are, you've got a fondness for taking the odd selfie snap, but would you consider it a mental condition? A recent study by Nottingham Trent University psychologists Mark D. Griffiths and Janarthanan Balakrishnan has explored the idea of 'selfitis' — that is, a disorder that's diagnosed as obsessive selfie taking. After the term first appeared in a series of hoax news stories back in 2014, the pair decided to put it to the test with some actual empirical research. They interviewed 400 Indian university students about their selfie behaviours, asking questions like 'what compels you to take selfies?', and discussing affecting factors like social competition and mood modification. According to the research, titled An Exploratory Study of Selfitis and the Developmentof the Selfitis Behavior Scale, there are three different levels of the disorder. Borderline sufferers are those snapping at least three selfies a day without posting them on social media, acute sufferers would be taking at least three selfies and sharing them, and those with a chronic level of the disorder have an "uncontrollable urge to take photos of one's self around the clock" and post more than six times a day. Others in the field of psychology are yet to be convinced selfitis is a real thing, though Balakrishnan told Business Insider Australia he hopes their study will pave the way for a deeper look into the disorder. "Now the existence of the condition appears to have been confirmed, it is hoped that further research will be carried out to understand more about how and why people develop this potentially obsessive behaviour, and what can be done to help people who are the most affected," he said. While there's no doubt that body image, anxiety and other issues can be exacerbated by social media, we'll wait to see some corroborating studied before we start slinging the term around. Via Business Insider Australia.
Everyone knows Obama is a bit of a smooth dude. Ever since he slow jammed the news with Jimmy Fallon, he had us all won over. Now, upon his big G20 trip to Brisbane, Alfred and Constance are welcoming him in appropriate style. On Thursday, November 13, A&C will throw open their doors with a huge tiki party to make the Honolulu native feel right at home. It's not yet know if he'll be in attendance. But not to worry, A&C have a back up cardboard cut-out just in case as well as some cheeky Obama masks for those feeling underdressed. Aside from getting your photo taken with the motherflippin' President of the United States you will also be able to lei up and let loose to the tunes of Charlie Hustle, Matt Lapish, Yahn and Bliss. A&C have a few specials to get you in the festive mood too. Chow down on an Obamarama Burder and fries and wash it back with a 'Big O Pina Colada'. Who said the G20 had to be boring?
Thank goodness it's any day of the week you like at southeast Queensland's newest eatery: the latest local outpost for TGI Fridays. Three years after launching its first venue in the region on the Gold Coast, the American brand has opened another venue in the city, and notched up another first. Now serving up its bar and grill-style fare in Surfers Paradise, this latest addition to the chain is its debut beachside spot. As initially announced back in August, you'll find TGI Fridays Surfers Paradise — the third in the Sunshine State, following Sunshine Plaza on the Sunshine Coast as well — in the new $40-million Paradise Centre dining precinct above Cavill Avenue. The brand's new home has been packing in tenants, so it has plenty of company, including Queensland's first Wahlburgers, axe-throwing bar Maniax, and fresh digs for both El Camino Cantina and Gelato Messina. If you're familiar with the TGI Fridays name, you'll know what's on offer: tucking into the chain's array of steaks, ribs, wings and burgers while sipping a hefty array of cocktails, just this time with ocean views. Those waves will be visible from the eatery's level-one location — and this isn't just the first beachside TGI Fridays in Queensland or Australia, but worldwide. The venue is also the chain's Australasian flagship store, so it's clearly a big deal. If it's TGI Fridays menu rather than the location that's piqued your interest, it falls in line with the company's other Aussie eateries. The general range includes wraps, salads, starters such as mozzarella sticks and mac 'n' cheese-loaded potato twisters, and mains that span chicken tenders, salt and pepper calamari with fries, whisky-glazed salmon and bruschetta pasta. The dessert selection goes heavy on American favourites; think brownies, sundaes and strawberry cheesecakes. As for drinks, TGI Fridays takes its beverages seriously, with its standard menu serving up over 30 types of cocktails and 11 kinds of low- and no-alcohol concoctions. Wine, plus beer by the bottle and on tap, is also on offer. And, TGI Friday's famed daily happy hour runs from 4–6pm daily, with $6 bites, $6 house wines and schooners, and cocktails for between $7—15. Seating 180 in timber booths, at stools at the central island bar and at high tables, the Surfers Paradise store also features neon lighting — including a sign stating 'Paradise is only one cocktail away' when you walk in — plus huge windows to make the most of that seaside vista. And, it combines the signature TGI Fridays look, which includes timber accents and industrial-style lighting installations, with coastal furniture and a heap of greenery. When it comes to the venue's vibe, TGI Fridays pitches itself as part-way between a restaurant and a hangout spot. Back when the brand launched in the 60s, it was actually a singles bar; but these days it's focused on casual, novelty-based American dining. Find TGI Fridays Surfers Paradise on level one in the Paradise Centre, 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise — open 10.30am–11pm Monday–Thursday, 10.30am–12am Friday–Saturday and 10.30am–10pm Sunday.
It's the source of many a childhood argument, and plenty more between adults as well. Thanks to its ever-growing range of themed versions, it has let players buy everything from Game of Thrones' King's Landing to AFC Richmond's Nelson Road Stadium from Ted Lasso. And, it's now rolling into its own IRL bricks-and-mortar space Down Under, letting everyone pass go and soak in all things Monopoly at a brand-new Melbourne theme park called Monopoly Dreams. Monopoly Dreams already exists in Hong Kong, but now it's Australia's turn. The Monopoly-loving space will unfurl its pieces at Melbourne Central, located across 1700 square metres in the CBD shopping centre's lower ground level, and opening in September to kick off spring with board-game love. If you're wondering what a Monopoly theme park entails, that's hardly surprising — and the answer isn't just a life-sized version of the game that everyone has played more than once. Rather, the venue is taking a chance on bringing Monopoly elements beyond the board, building a Monopoly city that includes water works, the electric company, the bank and Mr Monopoly's mansion. And yes, there's a jail. Presumably you don't go directly there upon entering, but you can get your mugshot taken within its walls. When you walk through the doors, you'll also find carnival games. It wouldn't be a theme park based on a board game if playing games wasn't a big part of the attraction, of course. Expect challenges as well — and, in the mansion, there'll also be a vault and gallery, alongside a 4D cinema screening a movie about Mr Monopoly and his dog Scottie touring Melbourne locations — as well as the opportunity to create your own customised Monopoly title deed. For bites to eat, patrons can hit up the Monopoly cafe. And if all this Monopoly talk has you wanting to play Monopoly or buy Monopoly merchandise, Monopoly Dreams will also feature Australia's first and only dedicated Monopoly store, too. Catering for audiences of all ages — so, you'll have kids for company, but it's open for adults without children in tow — Monopoly Dreams will take visitors around 60–90 minutes to enjoy the full experience. Monopoly Dreams will open in September at Melbourne Central, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Head to the venue's website for further details.
You've heard of sky-high restaurants and rooftop bars; however if the latest proposed addition to New York goes ahead, it could put every other elevated eating and drinking spot to shame. As the name suggests, The Floating Restaurant won't just take over the top floor of a building. Instead, it'll be suspended by steel cables 60 metres above a historic landmark. And, not content with literally lifting diners up to another level, the eatery will also give patrons one mighty fine view. Hovering above the century-old former Glenwood power plant in Yonkers, The Floating Restaurant will boast all-glass walls that look out over the Hudson River thirty minutes north of Manhattan, and spy the city skyline as well. Blending the old with the new is the project's aim, and blending architecture with nature too. The design includes three floors including the kitchen, which is encased in greenery that further brings the outside in. Given all that, the fact that the cube is small — measuring little more than 13 metres long, and housing 11 tables — is hardly surprising. Yep, this place is going to be mighty exclusive. If it comes to fruition, expect a lengthy waiting list for a reservation. The idea comes from NY-based outfit Big Foot Developers, and while it's just in the planning stage, The Floating Restaurant is still a breathtaking concept. Of course, you're certain to inhale sharply if you ever get to dine inside the space. In fact, it's already being called a new future icon of the city. Via AWOL / Inhabitat. Image: Big Foot Developers.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo has unveiled its 2020 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on Friday, April 24 in South Australia and travel through Canberra, Bunbury, Bendigo and Townsville before finishing up in Maitland on Saturday, May 9. This year sees local talent new and established taking the stage, with the lineup spanning recent Hottest 100 favourites San Cisco, Dope Lemon, E^ST, Slowly Slowly, Tones and I and Mallrat to up-and-comers like Kira Puru, Ruby Fields and WAAX. International talent like Bhad Bhabie, Kelis, Clairo, recently reformed 90s rock band Supergrass and Darude — who'll you'll most likely recognise from his hit track 'Sandstorm' — will take to the stage alongside Aussie legends Gang of Youths, The Cat Empire and The Veronicas. After hosting Australia's first (and second) ever pill-testing trial in Canberra, Groovin the Moo's ACT festival will take place in Exhibition Park for a second year. Despite many protests and petitions supporting it, pill testing is still a much-debated topic around the country. Here's the full lineup: GROOVIN THE MOO 2020 LINEUP AJ Tracey Bhad Bhabie Blanco Brown The Cat Empire Channel Tres Clairo Darude Dope Lemon E^ST Gang of Youths Hayden James Kelis Kira Puru Mallrat Manu Crooks Maxo Kream Ruby Fields San Cisco Slowly Slowly Sugarhill Gang Supergrass Tones and I The Veronicas WAAX YBN Cordae GROOVIN THE MOO 2020 DATES & VENUES Friday, April 24 — Adelaide Showground, Wayville (SA) Saturday, April 25 – Exhibition Park, Canberra (ACT) Sunday, April 26 — Hay Park, Bunbury (WA) Saturday, May 2 — Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Bendigo (VIC) Sunday, May 3 — Murray Sports Complex, Townsville (QLD) Saturday, May 9 — Maitland Showground, Maitland (NSW) Tickets for GTM in Bendigo, Bunbury and Canberra will go on sale at 8am on Tuesday, February 11, and Maitland, Wayville and Townsville will be released the day after at 8am on Wednesday, February 12. For more info, go to gtm.net.au. Image: Mackenzie Sweetnam
Mt Coot-tha isn't Brisbane's only lofty peak. D'Aguilar Range's Mount Nebo and Mount Glorious may be a 45-minute to an hour venture by car, but you'll still be in Brissie. Make a full day of the trek, because there's plenty to keep you occupied. Take a bushwalk on your first stop at Mount Nebo, wander through the tiny township and visit the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre for a coffee and a glimpse of some local wildlife. Then, set your sights up, and make the climb through Mount Glorious' Rainforest Circuit walk. While Mount Nebo is 550 metres above sea level, this mount reaches 680 metres — but never fear, the walk through the rainforest is scenic but a low-intensity affair. Post hike, drop by the Elm Haus café for a much-deserved German bite and a Devonshire tea. Image: @explore.with.hannah / Instagram.
If you've ever spent a day on your towel at the beach, wished you had something comfier to sit on and dreamed of getting a drink from a bar right there on the shore, you definitely aren't alone — and, on the Gold Coast this summer, your fantasy has just become a reality. Meet Kurrawa Beach Club, which has set up shop on Kurrawa Terrace in Broadbeach until Sunday, January 30. First announced back in November, and now open and welcoming in beach-lovers, it's serving up all the things that its moniker promises. Think: cabanas, daybeds, volleyball nets, cocktails, live tunes, seafood and salads, and just generally having a cruisy yet still luxe trip to the seaside, all while surrounded by oh-so-much sand, Queensland's dazzling sun and plenty of blue salty water. The venue is the latest venture by Australian Venue Co, who've been awarded the opportunity to host a trial beach club run over the summer. At this stage, it has settled in for a two-month stretch — and whether it could lead to a permanent beach club hasn't yet been revealed. Across its test stint, Broadbeach's European-style stint of lounging, sipping and relaxing by the ocean is pairing cocktails and brews — including margarita slushies, plus sips from Black Hops Brewing, Wheel & Spoon and Hard Fizz — with a food menu from its container kitchen. So, you'll be tucking into prawn and Moreton Bay bug rolls, fried haloumi with watermelon, seafood skewers, salads, burgers, and other summer-friendly snacks made using local and seasonal produce. Grab one of those prawn and bug rolls on a Sunday, and you'll also be helping Albatross Nippers, a Gold Coast-based nipper program for children with special needs — with a dollar from each sale going to the initiative. Also on the agenda: live tunes from Gold Coast locals, pilates brunches and beach volleyball games, as well as hanging out on those aforementioned daybeds and in the VIP cabanas. The space is family-friendly, too, so you might have pint-sized company while you're getting comfy and getting drinks from the bar. Kurrawa Beach Club's opening dates and hours varying each week, so head to its website for further details.
After turning last year's celebration of Brisbane's inner west into a 21st birthday shindig, the Caxton Street Festival has big shoes to fill with its 2016 event. Of course, if there's any street party that's up to the task, it's this annual Paddington party. Think food, music and a good time all round. On the culinary side of things, the festival has come a long way since it also included the words "seafood" and "wine" in its name, as those with long memories might recall. There's still plenty of fresh ocean bounty to feast on, as well as vino to wash it down with; however, street eats and pop-up bars will also showcase Caxton Street's numerous purveyors of food and beverages. When it comes to tunes, there's something for everyone, regardless of what style of music is your thing. The Last Dinosaurs, Urthboy, The Creases, Cub Sport, Stonefield, Pocket Love, The Mad Marachi, Brad Butcher, Nicky Nightime from Van She, Tim Fuchs, Pat Sweeney, Alex Millington, DJ Mumbles and DJ Jagwoh will blast their sounds from multiple stages. Yep, you'll be rockin' the CBD-adjacent suburbs.
Some things change, others stay the same: that's the Yonder Festival story for 2022. This year's event is making a big move, with the three-day music, arts and camping fest relocating from the Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim. The usual jam-packed lineup? That's well and truly accounted for as normal, though, with everyone from Kenta Hayashi, Haiku Hands and Miles Brown to Yirinda, Girl and Girl and Tjaka taking over four stages among luscious greenery from Thursday, November 24–Saturday, November 26. Expect a varied roster of acts to hit the Spiegeltent and Hill Stage, including of Full Flower Moon Band, Safety Club, Life on Earth and Accomplice Collective as well. Dance space Yonderland will feature DJs aplenty, such as Bad Taste House Collective, David Versace, Theyphex Twins, Echo and Bounce, and Jen-E — and the ambient stage The Space Between Notes will be dedicated to two-hour-long sets by Mekema, Imitation Therapy, HHAARRPP and more. Roving and onstage performances will come courtesy of The Cassettes Flash Mob, Highline Australia and Manko the Macaw, turning just walking around the fest into a show. Also, artists as Tori-Jay Mordey, Scott Nagy, Krimsone, Aurora Campbell and Gus Eagleton will paint murals throughout the fest, turning every space into a canvas. [caption id="attachment_871552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hill, Yonder Festival 2021[/caption] Fancy putting your own talents to work? There'll be a paper wildflower-making workshop, plus meditation sessions. Keen to browse and buy? There'll be artisan market stalls. Food-wise, expect boutique stalls, with a focus on local businesses. Wunderbar, the fest's licensed bar, will also be pouring homegrown wares — including cocktails and beers supplied by Felons Brewing Co. If you're new to Yonder, it first started in the Mary Valley on the Sunshine Coast, and is known for its laidback atmosphere, hefty lineup of stellar tunes and performances, camping in scenic surrounds, and swims (including water aerobics) — this time in the Albert River. Also a drawcard: being able to BYO alcohol. Those drinks do need to be in plastic containers, and you can also only show up with a reasonable amount of booze. [caption id="attachment_871551" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arifug, Yonderland, Yonder Festival 2021[/caption] YONDER 2022 LINEUP: MUSIC: Accomplice Collective Bad Taste House Collective Become a Moth Big Dead Blue Screen of Death Boom Boom Bean Selecta Buttercats Chocolate Strings Das Druid David Versace Deceased Estates Deejay Local Support Dentallplan Dorian Echo and Bounce Echowave Eren Fascinator Fatshaudi felix.dance Full Flower Moon Band Girl and Girl Gute Zeit Gal HHAARRPP Haiku Hands Imitation Therapy Jamison Jazz House Jen-E Jungaji Kalopsia Kenta Hayashi Kitch Life on Earth Lithe Lord Fascinator Lucy Francesca Dron Mekema Miles Brown Mumbles Nigel Stephens Phil Smart takeover Platonic Sex Ralfalpha Safety Club SAMMM. Sellma Soul Sleeping SMXG Sonny O'Brien Spirit Lights Stocks Strictly Disco Swiss Mountain Transport Systems Taylah J Theyphex Twins Tjaka The Abstract Human Radio Timothy Fairless Trace Decay TULLIO Update Prayer Yirinda VISUAL ART: Artdosis Aurora Campbell Esquidy Gus Eagleton JB Diz Brown Jordache Kat Han Krimsone Naycha Raw Ink Reuben Zachary Scott Nagy Taneal Theresa Tori-Jay Mordey Trashbinn Art Zaide PERFORMANCE: The Buttery Cowboys UQ Taiko Zen Zen Zo Theatre of Thunder iLiminal Butoh The Cassettes The Feather Collector Highline Australia Manko the Macaw Wild Lotus Project Wild Lotus Project Tez & Tezza VOiiiD Collective Filthy Aliens Images: Ned Martin / Mellumae / Cinderpixx / Mika.
As Brisbane's annual LGBTQIA+ celebration, Melt Festival has seen Sophie Ellis-Bextor grace its stage, and Chappell Roan as well. It has also hosted Spencer Tunick's nude photography works, including shutting down the Story Bridge for one installation. They're just some of the event's highlights from recent years, but it's adding another in 2025: a Brisbane-only show by Broadway icon Bernadette Peters. In New York's famous theatre district, she originated the role of The Witch in Into the Woods, and of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George. She has two Tonys, for Song and Dance and Annie Get Your Gun. She won a Golden Globe for Pennies From Heaven on the big screen, and featured in The Jerk and Annie as well. On TV, she boasts Smash, Mozart in the Jungle, The Good Fight, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and High Desert on her resume. Now, Peters is doing an Australian-exclusive performance in the Queensland capital — and it's her first Aussie gig in more than a decade. [caption id="attachment_998041" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Drama League via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] An Evening with Bernadette Peters has a date with the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday, October 24 — falling within Melt Festival's Wednesday, October 22–Sunday, November 9 run for 2025. The star kickstarts the lineup not just as a Broadway legend, but as an icon of the LGBTQIA+ community, including thanks to her work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to raise funds for AIDS patients and research. How will a talent with six decades of performing to draw upon — including the current Broadway season of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends — whittle that down into one Brisbane show? You'll need to head along to find out. In her Brisbane performance, Peters boasts support by Camerata — Queensland's Chamber Orchestra. Top image: Drama League via Wikimedia Commons.
The oldest floral festival in Australia, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival focuses on the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees that line the town's streets. First held in 1935, the festival brings together art exhibitions, live music, markets and parades for a week-long celebration from October 25 through November 3. While the jacaranda blooms are of course the main attraction, it's by no means the only event you'll have to look forward to during the festival — think hot air ballooning, and a carnival sideshow, along with buskers, fireworks and stallholders aplenty. Grafton takes its tree heritage seriously and currently holds the title for biggest jacaranda on the National Tree Register of Big Trees (yes, it is a real registry). While in town, visit 'The Gorge', a tree which measures at a massive 30 metres high with a six-metre circumference. It deserves a nice big hug, we reckon. For the full event program for Grafton's Jacaranda Festival visit their website.
For the past decade, South Brisbane's Wandering Cooks has been one of the city's culinary go-tos — initially boasting a bar, restaurant and markets in Fish Lane, as well as acting as an incubator for local food and beverage businesses, then moving to a new home in Vulture Street in 2021. But Brisbanites will now no longer be able to drop by to tuck into its wares, have a meal or browse for farm-fresh produce, with the beloved spot shutting its doors. In a Facebook post, Wandering Cooks owner Angela Hirst announced that the site "is closed for good", after a chaotic few years weathering lockdowns, closed borders, the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry, and also moving premises. "It is time to accept that the market has made this decision an obvious, if not extremely difficult, one," Hirst continued, also noting that after the move, Wandering Cooks had "a full-blown commercial kitchen serving up to hundreds a night". But the situation has changed drastically in 2022, with Hirst advising that "borders open. New year, new world. A ghost town, again." During its decade-long run, Wandering Cooks has been an inner-city go-to if you're looking for a bite to eat, something to drink or a tasty dish to take home — and it also helped plenty of local culinary businesses get their starts. "We were, at first, an idea about good food and how it might be innovated. Food trucks in an illegally bonfire-warmed carpark. Little kitchens for great food ideas to germinate and (hopefully) blosssom. A bar. Countless community events and gatherings. Ideas shared, both good and very crap," explains Hirst in the site's farewell post. The West End spot shut its doors on Thursday, May 19. Wandering Cooks has now closed permanently at 63 Vulture Street, West End. For further details, head to its website and Facebook page.
Round the Twist isn't the only favourite from 90s childhoods and beyond that's following the path from page to screen to the stage of late. Back in 2022, Looking for Alibrandi took the same route, adapting the Melina Marchetta book that's been devoured by teenagers for three decades, and then received the movie treatment in 2000. Melbourne and Sydney audiences saw the results at the time — and come 2025, it's southeast Queensland's turn. Playing HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast from Thursday, June 19–Saturday, June 21, 2025, Looking for Alibrandi will still chart the same multi-generational story that it has always told no matter the format, with 17-year-old Sydney student Josie at its centre. She's in her last year of school, dreaming of a bright future and trying to navigate the clash of cultures that comes with being Italian Australian. She also gets to know her dad, and falls in love for the first time. In cinemas, Pia Miranda (Windcatcher) played Josephine Alibrandi. When the tale first hit the stage, Chanella Macri (Australian Realness) followed in her footsteps, with Looking for Alibrandi also starring Lucia Mastrantone and Jennifer Vuletic (Because The Night) as the show's fellow Alibrandi women. Director Stephen Nicolazzo (Loaded, Merciless Gods) has been guiding this stage version of the best-selling book to theatres, as adapted by Vidya Rajan — based on Marchetta's novel, of course. Expect passata made live, both Italian classics and Aussie pop on the soundtrack, and a show full of heart. Images: Daniel Boud.
Back in 2018, South Bank's Stanley Street became home to a two-level German joint that served up steins, schnitzels and pretzels. Now, however, that sprawling site will take your tastebuds to another part of the globe. It's a case of goodbye Munich Brauhaus, hello El Camino Cantina — with the Stanley Street spot getting a huge makeover and transforming into the latter chain's newest southeast Queensland location. Brisbane isn't lacking in Mexican eateries. El Camino already operates two — in Bowen Hills and Chermside — and also opened an outpost in Robina earlier in 2020. But, as first announced back in October, the brand's Tex-Mex cuisine has definitely landed in the inner city, along with its colourful decor and unapologetically over-the-top vibe. Both Munich Brauhaus and El Camino are part of Rockpool Dining Group, which also owns Sake, Beerhaus, The Bavarian and WingHaus, so this is really a case of a hospitality company rebranding one of its locations. Of course, if you've been to an El Camino casual dining joint before, you'll know that the revamp is quite noticeable. Think loud, bright and filled with giant cocktails, rock 'n' roll jukeboxes, free sombreros and other lively Tex-Mex fare. The new El Camino holds 510 patrons, including in a 140-seat outdoor dining area filled with colourful umbrellas, a ground-floor diner area that can sit 120 people and an upstairs bar that can host 250 patrons. That top-level space is called Hotel Diablo, and it's where you'll find the site's dance floor. While the rest of the venue launched back on Friday, November 20, the club-style upper storey kicks into gear on Friday, November 27 — and will host DJs each weekend. Slushie machines, a big feature at the chain's other venues, are part of the fitout as well. Cue big nights and brain freezes. El Camino's margaritas come in multiple sizes and renditions — such as a tropical Red Bull flavour, which really says it all. Other options include a host of beers from near and far, and a sizeable collection of mezcals and tequilas. The food lineup is as fun and casual as the drinks, spanning fiery buffalo wings, sizzling fajitas, plump burritos, soft shell tacos loaded with punchy flavour combinations, and unlimited complimentary corn chips and salsas. The South Bank joint also boasts El Camino's signature specials, including $2 tacos on Tuesdays and ten-cent wings on Wednesdays. And, until Sunday, January 3, the new spot is also hosting a margarita festival. Called Ritapalooza, it's serving up those frosty, boozy beverages in 15 different flavours. El Camino Cantina is now open at 153 Stanley Street, South Brisbane. Top image: Jared Vethaak.
If there's one thing that Ben & Jerry's loves above all else, it's the obvious: ice cream in a huge array of ridiculously named flavours. It's the brand behind Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, Phish Food and The Tonight Dough — and has been responsible for Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yoghurt, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream and Schweddy Balls, too. And, once a year to the delight of your sweet treat-loving tastebuds, it loves giving away free scoops just as much. Indeed, to share its wares with the masses for nix, these frozen confection masterminds gave the world Free Cone Day, which is exactly what it sounds like — a day where your ice cream is on the house. It ran annually until the pandemic, then took a break for obvious reasons. And on Monday, April 3, it's finally back for the first time since 2019. Here's how it works: if you adore ice cream as much as Ben & Jerry's adores ice cream, then you just need to hit up your local participating store between 12–8pm AEST. You can choose whichever flavour you like, and you can also line up for a free cone as many times as you like within that eight-hour period. Free Cone Day is happening Australia-wide — worldwide, too, in more than 35 countries — at both Ben & Jerry's Scoop Stores and its Hoyts outlets. In New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, that means hitting up Manly, Bondi Beach, Newtown and Parramatta, plus cinemas in Blacktown, Wetherill Park, Penrith, Broadway, Phillip and Belconnen. Victorians have St Kilda and Burwood East stores, and Hoyts venues in Melbourne Central, Docklands, Ringwood, Chadstone, Greensborough, Maribyrnong and Ringwood to choose from. If you're in Queensland, head to South Brisbane, Broadbeach Waters, Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Mooloolaba, Noosa Heads and Cairns, or Hoyts Sunnybank. In Western Australia, Fremantle, Hillarys and Northbridge Scoop Shops are taking part, plus Karrinyup and Cannington cinemas. And in South Australia, Hoyts Norwood is your destination. Free Cone Day runs from 12–8pm on Monday, April 3, 2023 at Ben & Jerry's Australian stores. Head to the brand's website for further details.
When you're sitting underneath a ceiling garden, you're probably going to want to tuck into a salad. Looking up at greenery is sure to inspire thoughts of filling your stomach with something similar, after all — such as a maple sweet potato and haloumi option, perhaps? Okay, so that's two highlights of West End's new Duo Bar & Restaurant covered: the decor and the menu. There's more to both, of course. Fancy reclining on patio furniture with a cup of tea in your hand? Or tucking into a burger with sweet potato fries? Yep, you'll find all that here. Food-wise, the Browning Street spot does boast options without sweet potato, lest you think they're obsessed with the tasty vegetable. Maybe a stacked cob platter takes your fancy? Or a cup of Bear Bones coffee? Or a heap of all-day breakfast choices? At the moment, Duo's trading hours don't quite let hungry dinners eat brekkie any time they want to; however that's due to change, with dinner and drinks coming in the future.
Australia's hospitality scene has endured a tough couple of years, cycling through lockdowns, restrictions and stints where almost everyone in town seemed to be in isolation. But for diners keen for restaurant dishes without heading out, Providoor arrived with some sweet relief: an innovative new meal delivery platform that hit Sydney and Melbourne in 2020, and Brisbane earlier in 2022. Even now that being mandated to stay at home is a thing of the past, the service can still give you an eating-out level meal without leaving the house — and, as of Monday, October 17, on the same day that you order. Don't like planning too far ahead? As long as you place an order by 1pm daily, you'll be tucking into restaurant dishes in your own dining room that very evening. You do need to live within 15–20 kilometres of the city centre; however, if that's you, you can now enjoy a same-day feast from spots such as Manta, Gourmet Life and Lotus in Sydney; The Everleigh, Lona Misa and Maha in Melbourne; and Phoenix, Naim and Siffredi's in Brisbane. Providoor works with some of each city's best dining institutions, stepping up the takeout game by dropping high-end dishes to customers' doorsteps. The brainchild of Maha Chef-Owner Shane Delia, it drops off its chef-prepared meals via cold-freight within its service area. Then, once the dish is in your kitchen, you'll follow the supplied instructions to add the finishing touches: heating up a red pepper sauce, perhaps, popping some brisket in the oven for its final minutes of cooking or getting crafty with the plating up process. After that, voila! — the end result is a pretty close replica of what might arrive at your restaurant table, hot off the pass. No soggy dumplings or lukewarm potato in sight. "We are delighted to be able to expand the remit of Providoor's mission by offering same-day delivery to our customers. Our aim has always been to help the hospitality industry by opening new avenues of sales, and same-day delivery does just that by increasing consumer convenience," said Delia. "With this update, diners can take meal planning out of consideration, and simply decide what they feel like on the day, straight from the menus of their favourite restaurants." The lineup of venues taking part is impressive — and broader delivery areas include Sydney Metro, regional New South Wales including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Wollongong, and Byron Bay and Tweed Heads in NSW; Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine Peninsula, Gippsland, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and greater Geelong in Victoria; and Brisbane Metro, Gold Coast, Noosa, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba in Queensland. Providoor has also updated its website so that you can only see restaurants relevant to where you are, and also filter dishes according to dietary requirements, allergens and preparation time. For more information about Providoor, or to order via the service, head to its website.
