Over the weekend, Brendan Cato of The Farmed Table and Matt Branagan of Work-Shop came together to teach a bunch of our readers how to cook up an outstanding barbecue. In partnership with Heineken 3, we showed you how to create the ultimate last-minute barbecue spread in under an hour. Then we decided that we wanted to take it to the next level, and teach you how to do it IRL. On a beautiful sunny day in Sydney's Prince Alfred Park, steak, vegetables and mussels were all cooked up and eaten, served alongside some cold Heineken 3s. Don't let the sporadic showers fool you — summer is most definitely on its way. It's time to pull your beachwear out from the depths of your cupboard, dust off your tatty straw hat and prepare for three months of good food, good music and stunning sunshine. Take a look at the photos from the day, and get inspired for your next summer afternoon barbecue — you'll be able to implement everything you've learned. Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them. Images: Steven Woodburn.
A preservative-laden candy made with rubbish meat and flavours that read like weather reports. That was the old style of jerky, and Darrell Beveridge, father of the Darling Jerky Co, says it's met its end. He's one of the new breed of dried meat revolutionaries, wrenching jerky away from its image as a cheap convenience store snack. “The old world of jerky doesn't understand," he says. "For them it was something eaten by real rough truck drivers from the service station.” Another comrade-in-arms, Brent Griffin of Griffin Jerky, has a nostalgic connection to jerky from his youth. "It was something we'd all do and feel bad about it,” he says. "I started making my own because a lot of that stuff is garbage.” He tells me this while we gnaw away on a stick of his own product, which I've just bought from behind the bar of Sydney's Arcadia Liquors, the kind of bar that's the 'service station' of new-wave, natural, handcrafted and excitingly flavoured jerky. Both Darrell and Brent want to bring their meat to Sydney's jerky virgins. One part of that is making a product that doesn’t ‘feel’ like jerky, the other part is simply making a bloody good product. DARRELL BEVERIDGE'S GUIDE TO RECOGNISING BLOODY GOOD JERKY First rule: “It has to be pasture-raised, roaming free range cattle”. Second rule: "Contemporary flavours and quality ingredients." Here's how to judge. Appearance: Every piece should look different he says, “If something looks like a Roll-Up, it's probably processed. It should look like a piece of meat shrunken down.” Texture: "You want it to almost chew like a steak. You want it to bend but not break.” It shouldn’t tear like crepe paper, having to fight a little to tear it apart is normal. If you need to gnaw for several minutes just to get a bite sized chunk, it’s too dry or too old. Taste: A good stick of jerky should have three stages of flavour. There’s the initial flavour Darrell calls the seasoning or bite that should come without any chewing. Next is the follow-through, a juicy release of flavour as the jerky softens. Last is the aftertaste. "It’s not like a chip," Darrell says; you should be able to savour it. A NEW WORLD OF FLAVOUR Darrell said when he first started making jerky at home five years ago, all the old companies were selling the same thing. “Flavour wise there was really a lot of boring flavours. It was really just original and hot," he says. "Pepper was the big spice. There was a lot of room to try different types.” Now Darrell’s making a 'pickleburger' flavour, which is as complex and layered as it is accurately burgery. He’s also experimenting with flavours like mee goreng, tobacco and ghost chilli. Brent’s main line includes chipotle adobo and a rich 'Srirachuan' (sriracha + Szechuan) flavour. In October he did a collaboration with Young Henrys where he made a real ale and toasted coriander seed batch. Another collaboration with Kakawa ended up with chocolate coated jerky. “The idea is grosser than what it’s like," he says. "It sold out really quick.” Now he’s working on a vegetarian variety. I asked him about it but it’s top secret until he nuts it out. BAKKWA, MOO DAD DEAW AND OTHER KINDS OF JERKY TO TRY Currently they’re both exclusively using pasture-raised grass fed beef but having tried and enjoyed jerkies from Thailand, China and South Africa, I asked Brent and Darrell whether they have any plans to make other varieties of jerky with different meat. Brent told me he’s experimented with pork and lamb, but nothing’s been put into production. Darrell, on the other hand, is too focused on perfection for any diversification. I decided to explore Sydney to see what else I could find. That’s how I met Jack Zhang. Jack’s the everything behind Singapore Famous BBQ Pork, a time-displaced storefront in Sydney's Chinatown. It would be barely noticeable besides the fact that it hasn’t changed in over 25 years. Jack started there as a jerky apprentice some two decades ago. Now the master makes fresh bakkwa and Singaporean-style jerky. Bakkwa is a sweeter and softer variety of preserved meat that’s air dried and then grilled over a charcoals. Jack dries and grills his bakkwa daily, but that's pretty much all he would tell me about what goes into the process (he thinks others might copy his business model). Then there's moo dad deaw, a Thai-style sun-dried pork. Chinatown's Do Dee Paidang make it in house along with a similar beef style. Unfortunately they’re not allowed to sun-dry it traditionally because some bureaucratic food prudes might complain, but that doesn’t stop it from having a delicious smack of spice. Often confused for jerky is biltong, which Stanley Street Butchery has been making since 1974. Biltong, unlike Jerky is cured in vinegar for several hours before being dried. Stanley Street serve theirs traditionally — fresher, fattier and thicker, all the better. Meanwhile, in good news for pescetarians, new Enmore bar The Gretz is doing a rotating menu of house-made jerky, starting with salmon. In Brisbane, your jerky go-to is Gypsies Wagon, who are known for their legendary Argentinian gaucho jerky. In Melbourne, head up to the bar at fancy Vue de Monde for ocean trout jerky (dine in the restaurant and you'll be treated to emu). For more down-to-earth jerky, there's the Meatball and Wine Bar's $9.50 Wagyu beef servings, which come in flavours such as Samboy (salt and vinegar) and Ninja (teriyaki). BACK TO THE REVOLUTION Despite eating enough jerky to devolve my throat into a desiccated husk, I found myself thinking back to Darrell and Brent’s revolution. How strange the two of them started at almost the same time with such similar ideas. "It's funny that we wound up both doing the same thing," Darrell says. "I mentioned it to a friend and she called it the great jerk off of 2014." You'd think they'd be fierce competitors, but they're not; they both just love jerky too much. "The longer both of us exist the better."
When last year's Dark MOFO program dropped, House of Mirrors immediately rocketed to the top of everyone's must-do list. Created by Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney, it's exactly what it sounds like: a walkthrough space filled with reflective surfaces that will not only strands you in a maze of your own image, but turns your likeness into a kaleidoscope. Since then, the installation has made its way to Brisbane, Sydney and Bendigo. And now, eager Melburnians will soon get the chance to wander through the disorienting, perception-altering, panic-inducing, optical illusion-based labyrinth for themselves. From October 5 for Melbourne Festival, the mirror maze will take over the Arts Centre Melbourne for 18 days of reflective roaming, with the modern, minimalist twist on the fairground classic featuring 40 tonnes of steel and 15 tonnes of mirrors — and no added gimmicks, no special effects, no special lighting, no soundtrack or soundscape. It'll be the first time House of Mirrors has come to Melbourne, and it will be open 4–10pm Monday to Friday and 10am till 10pm Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will be $10 on the door. We suggest going at sunset so you can see it while the sun's still up and when it's lit up after-dark — or, if you have a pet pooch, heading along between 2pm and 4pm on October 15 as part of their special Dog Day. Yep, art-loving canines love kaleidoscopic installations too. UPDATE OCTOBER 24, 2017: Melburnians can't get enough of mirror mazes. So the Arts Centre has extended the House of Mirrors opening date till November 19 and opening hours to 10am – 10pm each day.
The philosophy at Bowltiful is homemade, flavoursome and unpretentious halal food made to celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity of Melbourne and its food heritage. Bowltiful offers up a Chinese Muslim style of beef noodle with halal meat, no soy sauce whatsoever and a light seasoning of salt and herbs. It is a traditional recipe dating way back and is served with a clear soup and hand pulled lamian noodles, garnished with white radishes, red chilli oil, coriander and leeks. And it is absolutely delicious. There are nine varieties of noodles here — all made from scratch — and are organised by their width and thickness. They start off with super thin which weigh in at 0.5mm, while they steadily get thicker until they climax with the whopping 30mm option. We'd suggest starting somewhere smack bang in the middle, with the semi wide being our choice. Then pick your soup with hot and spicy beef and braised beef brisket being standouts. For vegetarians, look no further than the stir fried noodles with mixed vegetables at Bowltiful. Throw in a few extras such as a tea braised egg or a serve of pickles and your soup is complete. There are also a range of sides to compliment your noodle dish, including seaweed salad, shredded tofu, beef tripe and a spicy beef salad. Add copious amounts of chilli oil and get slurping. Wash it all down with some honey tea or an imported soft drink and enjoy a traditional meal unlike anything you've had before.
Drop whatever it is that you're doing: the ticket ballot for the 26th Meredith Music Festival is officially open. Running from December 9-11, the latest edition of the much-loved dickhead-free music festival will take place at its usual digs, Meredith's Supernatural Amphitheatre, which has gone and gotten itself a brand new sound system "tailor-made for the dynamic undulations of the Amphitheatre at all times of Magic O'Clock". Other changes for this year's festival include additional camping space, hundreds of new trees planted as part of Uncle Doug's Native Planting, and – perhaps most importantly – extra dunnies in the campground. Aunty, meanwhile, has been working hard on the lineup, which she promises will be announced "soonish". Standouts from last year included Father John Misty, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ratatat, The Thurston Moore Band, Tkay Maidza, Neon Indian and Big Daddy Kane. The Meredith Ballot will be open from now until 10.26pm on Monday, August 8. Head on over to the festival website to sign up.
From vending machines lining the streets to combinis (that is, convenience stores) taking up real estate on every corner of Tokyo, it's clear Japan is a nation puts a lot on emphasis on convenience. The Japanese attitude to fast food is no different — except in Japan, convenience doesn't have to mean compromising on quality. From curry houses filled with salarymen, ubiquitous heartwarming hamburgers and contemporary takes on traditional Japanese meals that will set you back less than $5AUD a pop, this is where to get real fast food in Japan. [caption id="attachment_629778" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lucy Dayman[/caption] SUKIYA No matter how long you spend in the country, Sukiya (すき家) is one sight you'll become familiar with fast. With over 1600 stores dotted throughout the nation, the store's red, white and gold logo is a staple on the Japanese urban landscape. The 24-hour restaurant delivers no fuss, classic Japanese dishes, though their most iconic dish is gyudon, which translates to 'beef bowl'. What you'll get is shredded beef served over rice accompanied with topping of your choice. What's great about Sukiya is the chain's dedication to experimentation and perfection, with additions and modifications being made to the menu — so no matter how many times you've visited, there will be something new to try. A meal will set you back about ¥500-800 ($6-10AUD). [caption id="attachment_629781" align="alignnone" width="1920"] cathykid via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] OOTOYA Ootoya might be a little steeper in price than beef bowl outlets like Yoshianoya and the aforementioned Sukiya, but it's worth the extra yen. Plus, with the average price hovering around ¥800 ($9-10AUD) it's still cheaper than anything in Australia. Ootoya specialise in classic Japanese teishoku 'meal sets'. Though a meal set sounds like something you'd get in a retirement village or jail, it's actually the best way to appreciate carefully curated Japanese cuisine. It will usually include rice, miso soup, and a main dish, which might be fish, or soba noodles. At Ootoya the sets are seasonal, so you won't be stuck eating the same thing over and over. [caption id="attachment_629779" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lucy Dayman[/caption] HIDAKAYA RAMEN It's impossible to speak about Japanese fast food — or just Japanese food, for that matter — without giving time to the nation's most internationally loved culinary creation: ramen. In Japan, ramen is as diverse as it is popular; every prefecture, city, restaurant and even chef has a different take on the dish. In Tokyo the ramen options are almost excessive, so, if you do your research, you can definitely find the most perfect bowl for your palate. However, if you're after consistently good, cheap, filling and easy-to-access ramen, you can't miss Hidakaya. This generally 24-hour outlet is the perfect place to rest your weary body and dive into a warm comforting bowl any time of the day or night. Most meals will cost you little more than your pocket change at ¥500 ($6AUD) and, if you want to drink, booze options start at ¥270 ($3AUD). [caption id="attachment_629782" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dick Thomas Johnson via Flickr.[/caption] UOBEI GENKI SUSHI Like ramen, you sushi is incredibly diverse in terms of options, price points and specialties — but as a little local tip, Uobei Genki Sushi is kind of special. Cheap and always delicious, the crew at Genki Sushi have reinvented the concept of conveyor belt sushi. Rather than constantly rotating dishes, the Genki Sushi use the conveyor belt method to deliver specifically ordered dishes right to you. With touch screen menus, all you have to do is select what you feel like and, within moments — like some strange futuristic dream — the sushi will take a ride on a little delivery plate stopping right in front of your face. With dishes costing around ¥100 ($1.20AUD) and simple English ordering, there's really no excuse not to go. [caption id="attachment_629783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hunter Nield via Flickr.[/caption] MOS BURGER It's impossible to speak about fast food in Japan without acknowledging the country's growing love of western cuisine. Like so many things here, Japan has turned appreciation into full-blown obsession and somehow managed to improve the already perfect. Though from the outside it seems like an average burger joint, MOS Burger is a not-so-little takeaway restaurant with a connection to the land: M.O.S stands for 'mountain, ocean, sun'. With over 1700 stores across the country, the store's mission is to "make people happy through delicious food". In a time where other burger chains are constantly unveiling artery clogging Frankenstein-style creations to garner publicity, Mos' humble attitude to producing made-to-order, well-crafted hamburgers is pretty refreshing. Depending on how fancy you want to go a MOS Burger will cost between 200- ¥600 ($2.50-8AUD) [caption id="attachment_629784" align="alignnone" width="1920"] kici via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] COCO ICHIBAN Though the icon status goes to ramen and sushi, curry is actually the most popular dish in the country. With over 1200 locations sprinkled throughout Japan (and more internationally), Curry House Coco Ichibanya are the local curry kings. Traditionally, Japanese curry is a more mild take on the Indian dish and it comes in a variety of forms. From curry with udon noodles, 'curry pan' (that's curry-filled bread) and the classic karē raisu (aka curry rice), this dish is a lot more Japanese than you anticipated. What makes Coco Ichiban so exciting is your freedom to fully customise your order. The amount of rice, spice and all those toppings are so nice that it means you're never going to get a mass-produced run-of-the-mill plate here. Depending on your order you can easily get a serious meal for less than ¥700 ($8AUD).
Grab your wetsuit and hightail it to California, the not-so-secret home to Kelly Slater's game-changing wave pool. Surf fans have been scrambling to uncover the location of the facility since Saturday, when Kelly posted a video on Facebook (below) that showed him surfing what he called "the first truly world class, high performance, human-made waves." The world champion surfer was coy about the pool's precise coordinates, even as the video racked up more than four million views. In the end, it was Sydney-based surf writer Craig Brokensha who channelled his inner Miss Marple and cracked the case. Brokensha, who writes for Swellnet, began his investigation on Reddit, where numerous other amateur detectives had already begun cobbling together clues. Cross-referencing photos from Google with telltale landmarks visible in Kelly's video, Brokensha soon narrowed the location down to an old water ski lake near Leemore, around 50 kilometres south of Fresno. "With all the tools freely available to us in this day and age (Google, Google Earth, Google Streetview) it only took an hour or so to confirm the likely location of the test facility," wrote Brokensha. Well isn't someone a bit of a clever pants? Assuming the new technology is everything Slater claims it to be, its impact on the surf world could be enormous. There have been other attempts to create consistent, cost-effective waves in the past, but success has to this point proved elusive. Slater has promised to reveal more information in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the World Surf League have released a statement declaring that "the ramifications of this reveal are immeasurable at this point, but certainly will change the face of surfing as we know it." Here's hoping Slater opens the pool up to the public... although that's probably still a ways off yet. Now that the world title has been decided and events for the year have finished, I’m excited to show you what I’ve been... Posted by Kelly Slater on Friday, 18 December 2015 Via SMH.
How's this for a way to blow off steam at the end of a working week: Abbotsford is about to become Melbourne's official home of casual and competitive axe throwing, which is exactly what it sounds like. Maniax is the brainchild of Stephen Thomas, who first came across the sport while living in Canada. "My wife and I used to go every week to watch the league," he tells Concrete Playground. "Down this back alley in Toronto there's this small warehouse with a bunch of targets set up, and a fire burning out the front. Everyone was right into it, and it was a really cool atmosphere." Upon returning to Australia, Thomas opened Maniax Sydney, and it soon proved to be a bit of a hit. "Think of it as an alternative to bowling or lawn bowls," he says. "We get birthday parties, hens parties, bucks parties, even family groups. Then midweek, we do corporate team building sessions. Google, Spotify, Australian Navy, Commonwealth Bank, IKEA, Qantas, you name it, they've been in." For Maniax Melbourne, Thomas has secured a warehouse just east of Hoddle Street, around 100 metres from Collingwood Station. "We've got six dedicated throwing areas, so we can take six separate groups at a time," he says. "It's going to have a very rustic, very industrial feel with lots of iron and wood." Thomas also plans to partner up with local bars and restaurants. "In Sydney we've got a guy called the Pig Baron who comes and sets up a pig on a spit," he explains. "Then afterwards we send them round to the local craft brewery for a few refreshing ales after the axe throwing." When we remark that axes and alcohol should probably be kept separate, he laughs. "It's a good combination in the right order," he agrees. "Axe throwing first, then the beer afterwards. Always in that order." Admittedly, not everyone is as keen on the idea of axe throwing as Thomas is. Maniax has already been approved by the City of Yarra, but is facing a battle at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) after a member of the public lodged an appeal. Still, Thomas is confident that the decision will go in their favour, and hopes to be open for business by late October. Once they are up and running, Thomas has big plans, including league nights like the ones they've set up in Sydney. "We hope to eventually have a Melbourne champ and a Sydney champ and be able to fly the Melbourne champ up to Sydney or vice versa and have an Australian champion," he says enthusiastically. "And because we're actually part of the National Axe Throwing Federation in Canada, our league members qualify for the National Championships in Canada. I'd love more than anything to see us find an Aussie champ and then fly them over to Canada to compete." To stay up to date on Maniax Melbourne's progress, visit www.maniax.com.au/melbourne.
It's time to put Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel back on your weekend getaway radar, as it opens the doors to a new fine dining offering, Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel. Taking over a new standalone space on the property, the remote restaurant is accessible by a bush trail the winds down from the hotel. It's been designed by Melbourne-based Byrne Architects to highlight its connection to its natural surroundings, with floor-to-ceiling windows capturing striking views of Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt. Inside it's a luxe fusion of sheepskin leather, sandstone and Australian hardwood. This respect for the land is mirrored in Executive Chef Robin Wickens' hyper-local menu, which'll change up regularly, dictated by the daily haul from the on-site olive groves, orchard and 1.2-hectare organic kitchen garden. The garden-fresh goodies will inspire textural plate additions like soils, foams, purées, petals and vegetable infusions. Diners can enjoy the spoils via an eight-course ($185) or five-course ($165) chef's tasting menu, with a special chef's table in the kitchen available to groups of up to four. Unsurprising, given the Royal Mail's award-winning 28,000-bottle cellar, the booze side of things sure isn't lacking, with three expertly curated wine matches on offer as well. Get a taste of the largest privately-owned collection of Bordeaux and Burgundy in the southern hemisphere with the five-course French match, celebrate locality with the all-Australian wine match, or mix things up with the cellar wine match. The restaurant is a replacement of sorts for the two-hatted Royal Mail Hotel dining room, which closed earlier this year. The hotel's casual diner Parker Street Project — which is a good spot for breakfast if you're staying the night — has now taken over the space, which is connected to the hotel. Find Wickens at The Royal Mail Hotel at 98 Parker Street, Dunkeld.
It was only a decade ago that fledgling market startup, Finders Keepers, launched with 20 stalls and a handful of eager design enthusiasts looking to score an artsy deal. Finders Keepers is now Australia's longest-running arts and design market and is celebrating 10 years of giving the city's artisan producers that much-needed exposure. And this season's going to be huge. The twice-yearly event hosts over 250 stalls for the multitudes of market-goers after a deal, amid a backdrop of live music, bars, coffee carts, food trucks, workshops and a dessert bar. With a friendly entrance fee of just $2 (kids enter free), you'll experience hand-crafted furniture from Huddle&Co, accessories from YippyWhippy, scarfs and sarongs by Mirador and other products from a huge number of local artists and fashion and accessory designers. Keep an eye out also for Sydney-based souvenir designer Megan McKean, of McKean Studio, signing her new book Hello Melbourne!. Finders Keepers runs from October 20-22, opening an hour earlier than previous years from 5pm-10pm on the Friday, staying open later on Saturday from 10am-7pm and 10am to 5pm on the Sunday.
It's time to dig the gumboots out of the back of your closet — Splendour in the Grass is returning to North Byron Parklands for another year. In 2023, Splendour celebrates its 21st year. Maybe your 21st birthday was the best night of your life. Or, perhaps you're still planning for the 21st to end all 21sts. Either way, Splendour's big two-one is serving up a massive lineup to celebrate. Lizzo, Flume, Mumford & Sons and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead the 2023 edition — the latter of which were slated to headline 2022's Splendour in the Grass lineup, but cancelled in the leadup. Flume's set is an Australian exclusive, celebrating ten years since his self-titled album and coming after his recent Australian tour in late 2022. Mumford & Sons are also doing an Aussie-exclusive gig, after last heading our way in 2019. Music lovers hitting Byron Bay can look forward to Hilltop Hoods, Sam Fender, J Balvin, Slowthai, Little Simz, Idles and Tove Lo as well, plus Arlo Parks, Ball Park Music, 100 Gecs doing another Aussie exclusive, Pnau and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — and more. Plus, there's been some late additions to the lineup. Powerhouse Russian punk group Pussy Riot recently joined both the music and Forum programs. Danny Brown, Ocean Alley and Thelma Plum were all added, too, to replace Lewis Capaldi, Slowthai and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Single-day, multi-day and camping tickets are all still available if you want to plan a last-minute trip up to Byron Bay. [caption id="attachment_891057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claudia Ciapocha[/caption] SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2023 LINEUP Lizzo Flume (Australian exclusive: ten years of Flume) Mumford & Sons (Australian exclusive) Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hilltop Hoods J Balvin Danny Brown (Australian Exclusive) Sam Fender Idles Little Simz Tove Lo 100 Gecs (Australian exclusive) Arlo Parks Ocean Alley Ball Park Music Iann Dior King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 070 Shake Thelma Plum Pussy Riot 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 Top image: Stephen Booth.
With a luxurious yet welcoming blue and white interior and boundless natural light flooding in from two walls of uninterrupted windows, Middletown Prahran is a brunch venue designed to relax, inspire and rejuvenate. The space invites you to sit back and chill out as the world roars on outside — as the team of baristas turns out delicious brews by Code Black Coffee. The all-day breakfast menu features light and easy options such as oat granola with maple toasted oats, mixed nuts, vanilla yoghurt and dried and fresh fruits and corn fritters with jalapeños and a harissa-honey pumpkin puree, blistered cherry tomatoes, a poached egg and lemon coconut yoghurt. If you're after something more substantial, its big breakfast is bound to keep you busy for an hour or so. It features chilli scrambled eggs, pork sausages, streaky bacon, hash browns, roasted tomatoes and tomato relish on sourdough toast. If you're vegetarian, there are plenty of options for you, too. But our fave choice is the avocado on toast topped with cherry tomatoes, lemon vinaigrette, hazelnut and almond dukkah. Meanwhile, suppose you're swinging by for a work meeting or catch up over a meal. In that case, the lunch menu offers classics such as a beef burger with American cheese, burger sauce, pickles and tomatoes, while the fish and chips consist of a beer-battered John Dory with smashed peas, fries and tartare. For something leaving you a little lighter, opt for the Japanese pumpkin salad with cauliflower and brown rice or the chicken avo sandwich, which is loaded up with tasty cheese and seeded mustard. Drinks-wise, there's a decent range of teas, smoothies and fresh juices. And as the morning catch-up drags into the afternoon, treat yourself to a cheeky mimosa or espresso martini or a glass of wine from Victoria or South Australia. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Breakfast in Melbourne for 2023
First there was camping, but nature is icky and the hard ground is no Posturepedic. Then there was glamping, which is certainly a step up but still requires you to be outside with only a thin velour track pant and tasteful white canopy between you and the bugs. But now, thankfully, there's a way to get the best parts of camping (good company and fire-cooked food) without having to leave the city or wear ugly hiking shoes and unflattering shorts. Hunter and Barrel is the new dining concept hitting Sydney and Melbourne in late 2015. With a menu focused on coal-roasted meats and seasonal vegetables, big barbecued skewers, sharing boards, stews, soups, pies, and generally hearty fare, H&B will deliver the sensory experience of camping without the inconvenience of actually, y'know, camping. Think warm, hearty dishes such as slow-roasted beef rib, seafood and pork belly cooked over the restaurant's coal grill, washed down with your classic craft beer or barrel-aged wine. Although contemporary horror films have taught us to fear the foreboding idea of a remote cabin (thanks Evil Dead and Cabin in the Woods), the primal part of our psyche still longs to get back to nature. Bradley Michael, the CEO of Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group who own Hunter and Barrel, told Good Food the venue would have a “sexy camping, hunter’s cabin feel.” The décor at Hunter and Barrel, designed by ODO, will feature big rocks and rustic pipes — and your drink will be delivered by a suspended wall covered with barrels (whatever this ends up looking like). Hunter and Barrel is set to open in Cockle Bay, Sydney on October 10 and Ringwood, Melbourne on October 29. Via Good Food.
Part cafe, part greengrocer, Abbotsford's latest eatery is open for business. Located at 197 Vere Street, just a five-minute stroll from Collingwood Station, Mavis the Grocer is the latest venture from the team behind Lazer Pig Pizza and the Grace Darling Hotel, and is promising locally-sourced food in comfy surrounds. The menu at Mavis keeps things close to home, with a commitment to seasonal, local, sustainable and organic produce — and it's not just all talk. Their food scraps are reused as compost, all their packaging is eco-friendly, and they even have a veggie garden in the courtyard out back. Likewise, their suppliers are chosen based on their environmental practices, with the added aim of keeping food mileage to a minimum. All the produce on the menu is also available for purchase, from free range eggs to homemade condiments and freshly-baked bread. If you're planning on eating in, breakfast options range from simple (homemade muesli with vanilla yoghurt and poached quince) to more substantial (omelette with crush potatoes, leek, gruyere, chickpea shoots and chilli oil), while for lunch you can dig into a range of salads and sandwiches (slow-roasted pork belly with fennel, apple and mayo sounds like a winner, although it's hard to pass up a toastie with ham hock and cheddar). Coffee by Seven Seeds comes in a house blend or seasonal single origin. Alternatively, you can opt for a mug of organic tea. Summer seems like the season for their array of cold pressed juices and smoothies, or you can get in on the latest health beverage craze with a March Hare kombucha. They also offer a small selection of beers and wines, because brunch. Mavis the Grocer is open 8am – 8pm daily. For more information visit www.mavisthegrocer.com.au Via Good Food.
How Kevin Hart's never made it to Australia for a stand-up tour before is beyond us (apart from a one-off set at Sydney's Comedy Store), but the celebrated US comedian is about to rectify that. Off the back of an epic US arena tour, Hart will bring his What Now? tour to Australia this February. Hitting Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney from Wednesday February 3, Hart will take over some of our biggest venues for a four-date run of shows. Both a stand-up veteran and a comedy film actor you might have seen Hart in Get Hard opposite Will Farrell, Little Fockers, Death at a Funeral, Fool’s Gold, Soul Plane, the Chris Rock-directed Top Five, or getting coffee in a car with Jerry Seinfeld. He's also starring in Ride Along 2, but Australia hasn't seen that sequel just yet. But Hart's going back to his roots with this tour. The 36-year-old really got his start while sizing men and women for footwear, when he performed at an amateur night in Philadelphia, subsequently quitting his job and ending up as a regular at lauded joints like The Boston Club, Caroline’s, The Laugh Factory, and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. His 2011 Laugh at My Pain tour hit it out of the ballpark — in February 2011 he sold out LA's hallowed Nokia Theater for two nights in a row, breaking the record previously set by the great Eddie Murphy. KEVIN HART WHAT NOW? AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Wednesday, February 3 — Perth Arena, Perth Friday, February 5 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Staurday, February 6 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Sunday, February 7 — Allphones Arena, Sydney Tickets on sale 10am Friday, September 4. My Live Nation and ticket agent presale starts 2pm September 2 until 5pm September 3. For more info, head over here. "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" Kevin Hart from Peter Holmes on Vimeo.
Hey guys, gather round! Something actually good is happening in the world! Let's hang onto it with all our strength. The Art of Banksy exhibition that has been on display in the "dodgy car park behind the good car park behind Fed Square" (according to the exhibition team) for the past few weeks has begun to auction off works of art by Melburnian street artists for charity. In conjunction with the Banksy exhibition, 14 prominent local artists were invited to display their work alongside the exhibition. The lineup includes Bailer, Be Free, Conrad Bizjak, Dvate, George Rose, Heesco, Jack Douglas, Makatron, Mike Eleven, Psalm, Putos, Ruskidd, Sirum and 23rd Key. Their dedicated works are being auctioned off and the proceeds are being donated to STREAT and Melbourne City Mission, two kickass charities who work with local people who are homeless. See? There's good in the world. Simultaneously donating to charity and buying cool art? Yes you can. Check out the auction here. Image: Olga Rozenbajgier.
To get a sense of Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr Stephen Strange, first picture in your mind Hugh Laurie's character from House. Tall and lanky, with a gravelly voice begging to be coughed into clarity and an unyielding arrogance that offends all who meet him, House is the super surgeon whose primary demon is his crippling fear of failure. To get, then, from House to Strange, just add a pinch of traumatic injury, mix in some eastern healing and meditation, and serve it up with a magical cape and the ability to manipulate space and time. Okay, yes, that's quite a leap, but as a departure from the last thirteen superhero flicks from Marvel Studios, Doctor Strange is as refreshing as it is successful. Strange's transformation from surgeon to sorcerer is an altogether conventional one – a Matrix-style 'forget everything you know' sequence comprised of training, studying and martial arts under the guidance of a mystical Tibetan monk named The Ancient One (a fantastic turn by Tilda Swinton). Driven by a solipsistic determination to heal his wounded hands, Strange's focus slowly shifts to larger matters – chiefly, saving the world – as his psychadellic journey of discovery reveals a multiverse of infinite possibilities and supernatural threats that only sorcerers can repel. As one character explains, the Avengers deal with threats on earth, but threats to the earth? That's where these guys come in. Like Ant-Man before it, Doctor Strange offers a more intimate, individual tale compared to the ensemble juggernauts of The Avengers and Captain America. That's not to say it's a small-scale production, however. Visually, this is Inception dialled up to eleven, a world-bending, shape-shifting and time-distorting Escher painting filled with heroes and villains duelling over the possibility of immortality. As always, there are Marvel's well-timed comic touches, as well as a pair of end-credit scenes (so do stay through to the very end for a hint as to Strange's next villain). A solid supporting cast boasts Rachel McAdams as Strange's love interest, Chiwetel Ejiofor as his sparring partner and Mads Mikkelsen sadly under-utilised as something of a two-dimensional villain. Wordier and more offbeat than the standard Marvel fare, Doctor Strange nonetheless rightly and proudly earns its place in the franchise's extraordinary universe, offering a visual feast unlike anything else seen this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSzx-zryEgM
A new rooftop hotel in Melbourne is offering a luxurious alternative to the cramped family camper you would have piled into as a kid. Opening on Friday, August 26 atop a Flinders Lane carpark in the CBD, this boutique venture consists of six vintage airstream caravans transported from the U.S. and completely refitted as "designer urban accommodation", complete with queen size bed, split-system heating and cooling, and a fridge full of complimentary craft beer and wine. Throw in a little laneway graffiti art and this couldn't get any more Melbourne if it tried. In addition to the amenities listed above, each caravan at Notel Melbourne comes with a television, linen and an en suite bathroom with full height shower. Sounds a little cosy, but sometimes that's exactly what you need, especially when you're dealing with chilly Melbourne weather. There's also an 'Airstream with benefits' ultra-luxe option, which includes access to a goddamn spa outside your trailer. The rooftop itself, meanwhile, has recently gotten a new lick of paint courtesy of local artist Ash Keating. A photo posted by Notel Melbourne (@notelmelbourne) on Aug 24, 2016 at 3:03am PDT Guests will have access to tablets loaded with music and movies along with a virtual guide to help them explore the city. The space will also be available for functions, with room for up to 300 people on the roof. Keen to book a night up there? Airstreams are going at $395 a night for two people, and bookings are officially open here. Notel Melbourne is now open on the corner of Flinders and Harper Lanes, Melbourne. For more information and to book visit notelmelbourne.com.au.
Master of all smooth tunes and poster child of Melbourne's enduring obsession with beards, Chet Faker is on his way around the country with a huge arena tour for 2015. And we really do mean huge — this local legend is returning from a string of massively successful European and American shows to play Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, Melbourne's Palais and the freakin' Brisbane Convention Centre. His shows are officially pulling the same numbers as the G20. This is no doubt welcome news for those that missed out on his national tour in 2014. With Hordern Pavilion holding roughly 4,000 more people than the Enmore where he played in June last year, tickets will be much easier to come by. Maybe. In Brisbane that difference will be even more pronounced. The Brisbane Convention Centre can host a whopping 8,000 rampant Chet lovers. All this hype comes after a stellar run of critical acclaim for the Melbourne musician. Faker took out five ARIA Awards last year, including best male artist and best independent release for his debut album Built on Glass (after a casual nine nominations) and his super single 'Talk is Cheap' took out the top spot in triple j's Hottest 100 this January, beating Peking Duk's tipped-to-win 'High'. Faker's arena setting is sure to affect the show itself too. Specialising in croony electronic ballads and music that makes you feel all warm and gooey inside, it's hard to see how Chet will translate well to the big stage. How are we supposed to snug up and get a little intimate around the stage where Barack Obama talked just a few months prior? Melbourne, on the other hand, may get treated to a rare glimpse of this intimacy. His show at the Palais — assuming it's still standing by then — will actually be smaller than when he played the Forum earlier in 2014. Get ready for some hometown lovin'; this will be one of the last tours Faker will likely embark upon in Australia for a while. Chet Faker will play February 25, 26 and 27, as well as March 5 and 7 at the Palais Theatre. To find out more about about Chet Faker and his killer debut album check out our interview a while back.
From esteemed chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Nobu at Crown in Melbourne brings his esteemed fusion of traditional Japanese food with South American flavours to the city. The Nobu brand is famous all around the world, with restaurants on nearly every continent, and the Melbourne iteration stands out as one of its finest. The interior is sleek and luxurious, with deep red tones, burnished woods and traditional Japanese touches tastefully scattered throughout. The large waterfront windows give exquisite river views, which complement the creative and aesthetically pleasing dishes you'll be presented with. And if you want to escape more, head down to the basement dining room and omakase bar. Nobu is open for lunch and dinner, with slightly different menus for each seating. It also has an a la carte menu or an omakase menu, depending on how you want to eat. The a la carte menu begins with cold offerings such as salmon tartare with caviar, oysters with Nobu sauce, lobster salad with spicy lemon dressing and classic Peruvian seafood ceviche. Meanwhile, hot classics include scallops with spicy garlic pepper, creamy spicy crab, baby tiger prawns and a Peruvian-style Black Opal 500gm wagyu rib-eye. Continuing the Latin American theme, there are tacos, too, with options including spicy tuna, vegetable miso and wagyu beef. Elsewhere, you'll find snacks such as edamame and chicken wings, as well as plenty of tempura, nigiri and sashimi to excite your appetite. The omakase experience at Nobu Melbourne, where you leave it up to the chef to decide your multi-course menu, has two options: the signature seven-course or the Melbourne seven-course, which is unique to this restaurant. The signature includes salmon tartare with caviar, southern rock lobster with spinach salad and black cod miso, among other dishes. The Melbourne option features spanner crab and salmon ikura, beef tenderloin shiitake truffle crust and a chef's sushi selection. When it comes to drinks, Nobu has a huge wine list, which a helpful sommelier will guide you through, as well as plenty of different sakes to compliment your meal.
With classic Chinese furnishings and elegant design, Red Emperor offers rich and authentic Chinese cuisines in a traditional surrounding, which transports one with the flavours of the food. It's been delighting diners for over twenty years, and by combining traditional recipes with modern techniques, it'll deliver a truly unforgettable experience. The chefs here hail from all parts of China, which ensures that whichever dish you order, be it of Cantonese heritage or Sichuan, it'll be prepared with knowledge and authenticity. The menu begins with a range of banquets, designed for two, four, or six or more. The two-person kicks off with sang ahoy bow, crispy prawn spring rolls and steamed dim sum. It continues with a chicken and sweet corn soup before moving on to classics such as golden pork cutlets and beef and black has been. There's also a special fried rice and dessert of banana fritters, ice cream and Chinese tea. The six-person banquet adds classics such as Sichuan prawns, Mandarin chicken and Peking duck. If you decide to go a la carte they've got it all covered, with a selection of soups such as shredded duck soup and wonton soup, while the entrees include calamari and Queensland jumbo prawns. From the tank share a live lobster served with ginger and spring onions, spicy salt and pepper and your own choice of sauce, or go for a live green abalone. Their selection of provincial specialties is a fun addition, with the spicy Sichuan beancurd with minced chicken and capsicum being the standout.
We're all up in cat cafes. We've lined up for cat video film festivals. Now your insatiable need for quality feline time without actually owning one has reached peak internet-happy headline — a new London start-up is planning to open the world's first ever cat cinema. Yep. Cat cinema. Great Kitten — possibly the most puntastic business name since Thai Tanic — is the grand crowdfunding project of mid-20s legends Paula Siedlecka and William Piper. Not only a cinema where you can cuddle up to a cat while taking in a film (really) but also as cafe and cat shelter (slam dunk), Great Kitten is looking for dosh on IndieGoGo to fund the idea you wish you came up with first. The goal is £120,000 (about $235,646), which seems pretty achievable with the amount of crazy cat lovers online. They're looking for a spot in Crouch End in London, hoping to deck it out like a wintry log cabin — fireplaces, hot cuppas and all. "Working in London for 18 months, we saw first hand the demand for constant innovation within London's entertainment scene," say Siedlecka and Piper on their IndieGoGo page. "As animal lovers with a flair for business, seeing the global popularity of Cat Cafes got us thinking — how could we add a twist to an already successful concept? Simple — we add a cinema." Now you won't have to cry all over your date through Infinitely Polar Bear. So what can you expect to be watching with your furry armrest? According to their IGG page, Great Kitten will be screening around ten films every week. While exact titles haven't been confirmed, it's not going to be all cat-themed, but sure, we're hoping some feline-inspired movies first-up — definitely The Aristocats, perhaps Catwoman, probably not Pet Sematary. Ticket prices have been set at $19 to $24 and you'll get to book in a one or two hour-long snuggle with one of the shelter's more people-friendly resident kits. One-hour cat-patting tickets will cost around $9 to $11 , and two-hour slots about $15 to $19. Sure, it sounds a tad brothelly, but these are rescue cats getting much-needed pats. Great Kitten isn't just a novelty trend concept though. The team are planning to invite children and adults who struggle with mental health issues (such as depression and anxiety), physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses, for all-expenses-paid cinematic cat cuddle sessions and cakes and tea and all round loveliness. Very cool. Throw Great Kitten some dosh over here. Image: The Shiznit — Antonio Banderas stages 'special screening' for Puss in Boots at Montreal's 2014 International Cat Film Festival. Hopefully what you can expect from Great Kitten, Banderas included.
It has been a chaotic year for the Oscars, but Maya Rudolph perhaps summed it up best straight out of the gate. One of the first presenters on stage at today's ceremony — alongside none other than Amy Poehler and Tina Fey — she reminded audiences that "there is no host tonight, there will not be a popular film category and Mexico is not paying for the wall". If you've missed the off-screen antics over the past year, there's been plenty, including the introduction and swift axing of a new field, Kevin Hart's short-lived run as host and a similarly brief decision to announce some awards during ad breaks. Thankfully, the show itself delivered a few highlights to almost wipe those mishaps out of everyone's memories. Almost. The aforementioned trio of funny ladies killed it, naturally, as did Melissa McCarthy paying comic tribute to The Favourite. Alfonso Cuarón, a frequent visitor to the winner's podium, wryly noted that he grew up watching "foreign-language films like Citizen Kane and Jaws". Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper belted out 'Shallow' and brought the house to its feet. And Samuel L. Jackson's reaction when announcing Spike Lee's Best Adapted Screenplay win for BlacKkKlansman was one for the ages. Stats-wise, history was made in a variety of ways. Spike 'Spikey Poo' Lee's gong was his first competitive trophy, and came nearly three decades after his first screenwriting nomination for Do the Right Thing. Green Book's Mahershala Ali became the first African-American actor to win two Oscars in the same category. The Marvel Cinematic Universe picked up its first Academy Awards, thanks to Black Panther — and ushered in the first wins by first black women in two fields, Costume Design and Production Design. And, with three-time recipient Roma, Cuarón became the first dual awardee for director and cinematographer in the same year for the same movie. That's the ceremony done and dusted. Now, if you haven't already, it's time to enjoy all the flicks that just received shiny accolades. From more than one music-filled drama, to an acerbic take on royal history, to an eye-popping animation, here are all of the winners you should add to your viewing list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_i7cnOgbQ ROMA Won: Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón), Foreign-Language Film, Cinematography (Alfonso Cuarón) What our critic said: "For all of the highlights on [Alfonso Cuarón's] resume, Roma sees the director enter another realm. Acting as his own cinematographer, he peers so attentively at his hometown, the era of his upbringing, and at [his protagonist] Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), that he could be conjuring memories onto the screen." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: On Netflix. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph9_oITIefE BLACK PANTHER Won: Best Costume Design (Ruth E. Carter), Production Design (Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart), Score (Ludwig Goransson) What our critic said: "In a picture positively teeming with highlights, Black Panther's greatest quality is its all-round embrace of African culture. In every aspect of its look, sound and feel, this chapter is like nothing else in the Marvel universe, and that's clearly by design. Twice during the film, outsiders enter Wakanda and try not to let their jaws drop to the floor — and it's easy to understand their reactions." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: On Stan. Plus, it's available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and DVD. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2G8SetsNM4 THE FAVOURITE Won: Best Actress in a Lead Role (Olivia Colman) What our critic said: "The savage dialogue, each line wittier, bleaker and yet still funnier than the next. The gleeful abandon of polite, ordinary behaviour. The acerbic insights that prove equal parts perceptive and awkward. Thanks to all three — plus an utter disdain for meeting anyone's expectations — being an actor in [Yorgos] Lanthimos' films seems like one of the best jobs in the world." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In cinemas. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkF1lj5wyI A STAR IS BORN Won: Best Original Song ('Shallow' — music and lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt) What our critic said: "With [Lady] Gaga leading the charge this time around, it's easy to see why A Star Is Born keeps glowing. A crash course in the highs and lows of the American dream, it's a fantasy where wishes come true, but where everything has a cost. It's also an underdog story, a star-crossed romance, an account of trying to make it in entertainment, a drama about substance abuse and a warning about fame's many ills." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: It's available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and DVD. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zlBpzdOZg BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Won: Best Actor in a Lead Role (Rami Malek), Film Editing (John Ottman), Sound Editing (John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone), Sound Mixing (Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali) What our critic said: "Bohemian Rhapsody is a greatest hits movie. It's the neat, easily digestible version of Queen's career, and of Mercury's professional and personal ups and downs along with them... You know what you're getting when you listen to a greatest hits album, and it's exactly what's on offer with this formulaic biopic — but it's still largely enjoyable." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In some cinemas. Plus, it's available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and DVD. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8qbq6Z6HYk IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Won: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Regina King) What our critic said: Two years after directing Moonlight to an Oscars Best Picture win, Barry Jenkins' follow-up is another heart-swelling, swoon-inducing, all-round astonishing look at romance and race relations, this time set in Harlem in the 70s. From the emotive use of colour splashed across the screen, to the exceptional performances that say so much even when they're saying little, to Jenkins' piercing handling of James Baldwin's novel of the same name, this is a perfect film. — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In cinemas. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhsuT0xctI FREE SOLO Won: Best Documentary What our critic said: "As well as chronicling an awe-inspiring story, every frame of Free Solo offers a palpable, visceral reminder of life's enormous risks and immense rewards — and to the filmmakers' credit, you're all but certain to feel the impact in your constantly sweaty palms." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In cinemas and on the National Geographic channel on Foxtel on Sunday, March 10. Read our full review — and our interview with climber and Free Solo's subject Alex Honnold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfIIGRfRJg SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Won: Best Animated Feature Film What our critic said: "Who knew that a character who's been seen on screen over and over again for decades — and one who sports a 56-year history on the page as well — could seem so vibrant, thrilling and fresh? That's not a knock on the various live-action iterations, which have each boasted their own appeal, even if some fare better than others. But in embracing the entire big, bustling and diverse spider-world, Into the Spider-Verse genuinely feels new.." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In selected cinemas (but the run is almost over). Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpxJIWz8MNQ BLACKKKLANSMAN Won: Best Adapted Screenplay (Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee) What our critic said: "No one makes a seething big-screen statement about bigotry in the US like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and Chi-Raq director Spike Lee. You could call his latest joint many things, and they all fit: a crusading comedy laced with searing commentary, a tale so enraging and ridiculous that it can only be true, and a savage political polemic, for starters." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: It's available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and DVD. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSoRx87OO6k FIRST MAN Won: Best Visual Effects (Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm) What our critic said: "First Man is, despite its scale and subject matter, an intimate character portrait rather than a history lesson. It eschews the traditional pomp and grandeur of NASA control room scenes for dimly lit kitchens and moonlit walks, yet remains every bit the space odyssey such a tale commands." — Tom Glasson Where to watch it: It's available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and DVD. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18JX_RS-Xo GREEN BOOK Won: Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role (Mahershala Ali), Original Screenplay (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly) What our critic said: "[Viggo] Mortensen and [Mahershala] Ali truly make the best of the material at their disposal. More than that, they exceed it — as you'd expect from both... With likely two-time Best Supporting Actor winner Ali, there's soulful elegance, resounding dignity and quiet vulnerability to his portrayal of Shirley, giving the man what he deserves even if the film around him doesn't." — Sarah Ward Where to watch it: In cinemas. Read our full review. Top image: Black Panther.
Built on implausible plot twists and steamy lesbian sex, at a glance South Korean thriller The Handmaiden doesn't exactly cry out to be taken seriously. Frankly, it's part of the genius of director Park Chan-wook that the film can be enjoyed as nothing more than a piece of arthouse pulp – albeit an immensely stylish and entertaining one. But look beneath the B-movie trappings and you'll uncover a deceptive intelligence. At its core, this is a film about the unspoken link between seduction and deception, as well as the collective male sexual ego that has been warped and inflated by the consumption of way too much porn. After dipping his toes into the English-language market with the neo-gothic Stoker, Park seems to be much more at home back in South Korea working in his native tongue. Ironically, The Handmaiden is actually based on the novel Fingersmith by UK author Sarah Waters. The location has been changed from Victorian-era England to 1930s Korea, but the story remains more or less the same: a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) becomes the handmaiden of a wealthy heiress (Kim Min-hee) with the aim of helping a con-man (Ha Jung-woo) seduce her and steal her fortune. But loyalties are soon tested, and motivations blurred, when the two women fall in love with each other instead. That's just the first of the film's three distinctive chapters, but to reveal anything more would be to ruin all the fun. Suffice it to say, over the course of a breezily paced two-and-a-half hours, Park leads the audience down a winding road of perspective shifts, flashbacks and preposterous twists – some of which are predictable, some of which are not. Regardless of how much you see coming, you would do well to suspend your disbelief, because The Handmaiden goes to some fairly unlikely places. Yet no matter how silly it gets, the story and the characters are never anything less than enthralling. It's the kind of movie we'd happily watch twice in one sitting – and unlike many films that rely on surprise revelations, we can confirm that it actually gets better the second time around. Repeat viewings will no doubt be aided by the movie's exquisite appearance. The Handmaiden is without question one of the most beautiful looking films of the year, the work of a master in complete control of his craft. The images ooze sensuality long before anybody gets naked, with every camera move and close-up an act of cinematic seduction. The costumes, sets and natural locations are stunning without exception. Park exhibits a similar level of control over the film's fluid tone, which shifts from silly to sexy, from funny to frightening, from depraved to uplifting, without ever missing a beat. By every measure it's his most assured work to date. To compare him to an American contemporary in David Fincher, if the violent cult hit Oldboy was Park's Fight Club, then The Handmaiden is his Gone Girl – less raw, more elegant and all the more subversive for its (comparatively) restrained approach. As restrained as a film with several explicit lesbian sex scenes can be, anyway. Like Fincher's recent masterpiece (come at me), The Handmaiden is a tale of female empowerment masquerading as something much more tawdry. At times, perhaps, it fits the part a little too well, with the aforementioned sex scenes playing an awful lot like heterosexual male fantasy. Then again, at least the film depicts lesbian sex and romance as just that: sexy and romantic. The same certainly cannot be said of the erotic forays made by the movie's various men. Indeed, whether it's a self-described seduction expert mansplaining to a woman what women want in a man, or a group of high society types listening with rapt, sweaty attention to a reading from an erotic novel, The Handmaiden mocks common male attitudes towards women and sex, both of which it posits are at least partially linked to lurid fantasies pedaled by pornographers. Contemporary studies around online porn and its impact on adolescent boys suggest the movie is right on the money. As for those men who seek to exploit or prey upon women? Let's just say that, by the time the story ends, the ladies make sure they get their just desserts. Park's cast is uniformly terrific, but special attention must be given to Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee. In a film that has so much to do with the performative nature of sexual relationships, and how we shape and cultivate our image and behaviour in order to meet (or sometimes hoodwink) the expectations of a potential mate, their marvelous, multi-layered performances are the glue that holds everything else together. Like the puzzle-box plot and immaculate aesthetic, their work is packed with levels of hidden intent that make the second viewing of The Handmaiden even more rewarding than the first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHOmrolJEiY
Ever pondered what the human body might be like a couple more decades into the future? What sort of weird and wonderful things it'll be able to do by the time next century rolls around? Award-winning Aussie-born, Los Angeles-based artist Lucy McRae sure has, and she's offering a peek at her most captivating musings in a new free exhibition at NGV Australia, titled Lucy McRae: Body Architect. As a designer, science fiction artist, filmmaker and 'body architect', McRae's on a constant journey of contemplation, her work reflecting on the future of human existence through collaborations with everyone from scientists, to pop musicians. Kicking off today and running until February 2020, this survey of her work — which has strong The Fifth Element vibes — dives deep into these questions, showcasing a body of work that will not just pique the interest of art lovers, but sci-fi fans and philosophers, too. For Lucy McRae: Body Architect, you'll see the artist's filmmaking skills at play in seminal work Institute of Isolation: an observational documentary exploring the concept of isolation and the impact it might have on people when experienced for decades at a time. It's questioned through the lens of space travel and how human resilience might be tweaked in order to better handle it. Meanwhile, immersive work Future Day Spa will see you hanging out in a vacuum pressure chamber, which mimics the feeling of being hugged tightly, boosting relaxation levels in the process. You can also get your own face up on the gallery's walls — and tweak it — with Biometric Mirror. Elsewhere, you'll spy the series of bold and ethereal digital images McRae created alongside Dutch textile artist Bart Hess. The pair's work imagines high-tech, futuristic body functionalities – like colour-excreting skin – captured in striking lo-fi imagery using things like pantyhose, balloons, grass and bath foam. Then, there are the pieces from McRae's many collaborations with musicians, both local and international. The iconic image created for pop-star Robyn's Body Talk album cover is on show, as are the artist's music videos for bands including Architecture in Helsinki and Reptile Youth. For a quick intro to her work, watch this TED Talk. As one of the youngest ever TED Fellows and having earned a spot on Fast Company's list of people shaping the future, McRae's an exciting pull for the NGV's next season of solo exhibitions, which is set to feature the work of Aussie photographers Polixeni Papapetrou and Petrina Hicks later this year. Images: Installation shots by Tom Ross; Lucy McRae portraits by Eugene Hyland; © Lucy McRae.
Greville Street has itself a dapper meat destination in Angus & Bon, a New York-inspired steakhouse that set up shop in the former Prahran Post Office. The brainchild of Liam Ganley (who brought you Lemon Middle and Orange, Freddie Wimpoles and The Bay Hotel), the offering here is all about heroing the kitchen's woodfire grill. It's used across an unpretentious menu of veggie, fish and meat dishes, though the steak selection is the indisputable star of the show. Alongside plates like fried chicken tenders and wood-grilled octopus, there's a truly hefty array of beef options; choose from quality cuts like a 300g porterhouse, or a grain-fed scotch fillet, teamed with a range of classic sauces and sides. The wine list proves a worthy match, with plenty of choice by the glass and a special focus on local pinot noir varieties. Angus & Bon's space itself is both stylish and comfy, the work of Melbourne studio Bergman & Co. The front bar and streetside areas are primed for summertime sipping sessions, while the back restaurant space tempts long, lazy dinners with its luxe banquettes and moody lighting.
If there's one type of hospitality offering that Melbourne is lacking, it's the all-day venue. You know, somewhere that you can sit with a coffee and read the paper, whether it's 8am or 5pm. Somewhere that you can go to finish off some work and then transition straight into knock-off drinks. But the CBD is getting there, especially when Morgan McGlone opens his new morning-to-night all-rounder on Collins Street in February next year. Natural History will be the Belles Hot Chicken chef's biggest venue to date. That's because it won't just be one venue, but, effectively, it will be two. Up front will be the cafe, which will serve up the more casual fare: coffee, doughnuts, pastries and porchetta rolls. But venture further into the space and you'll find the bar and grill — a huge 350-seat venue in the vein of upmarket bistros you might find in NYC. It doesn't look like fried chicken is on the menu, either. Rather, diners will be able to choose from steak tartare with fried oysters, pork chops and a one-kilo T-bone steak. Desserts will be distinctly American — think key lime pie and peach cobbler. What we're perhaps more excited about is the drinks list. McGlone has been championing natural wines for a while now, and Natural History will give him the chance to stock a full bar with them, along with local craft and non-pasteurised beers. He's teamed up with the 100 Burgers group (Mr Burger etc.) and Michael Delany and Jaimie Wirth (of hospo partnership International Worldwide) to make the space a reality. The design sounds like it's aiming to transport diners far away from Melbourne with vintage 60s tiling, 19th century stained glass and a straw ceiling. There will also be a 15-metre-long taxidermy 'diorama' set up along the dining room wall, which sounds...interesting. Natural History will be open Monday to Saturday from 7am to late from February 2018. We'll keep you updated on an opening date — but until then, we'll anticipate a new space that we can visit any time of the day.
Tasmania may sit forgotten and ridiculed on the outskirts of our borders, but every January it truly shines. Attracting tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country, MONA's annual Festival of Music and Art is a cultural icon. Now, in its seventh year, it's still bringing in the goods. The 2015 lineup will include legendary post-punk outfit Swans, Dan Deacon, Amanda Palmer, Paul Kelly and — because why not — author Neil Gaiman. And that's not even mentioning the art. Curated by Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes, the musical program is incredibly eclectic — a tasting plate of genres for those not quite so fascinated with predictable summer festivals like Laneway or Future. In their 2015 festival you can relax while Neil Gaiman reads you a story accompanied by the ambient sounds of Jherek Bischoff, go local with Paul Kelly's Soul Sessions featuring Dan Sultan and Kira Puru, or melt your brain with some Dan Deacon goodness. MOFO caters to all. The art on display will be just as strange. UK group Architects of Air will be bringing their giant inflatable sculpture — read: artsy bouncy castle — EXXOPOLIS down south from the Brisbane Festival. Melbourne artist Atticus J. Bastow is acting as maestro to an orchestra of iPhones. Johannes S. Sistermanns will be wrapping thing (and possible people) in cling wrap to create terrifying sound art. Then, Alvin Curran will combine both art and music while mobilising rafts and dinghies to make music on the Derwent River. "We are thrilled that the audience for MOFO has developed to the point where we can present this dazzling array of creativity and know the people are ready, willing and able to come along for the ride," said Ritchie. "It’s a party with brains, heart and soul." For a little look at what you're missing, check out our write-up from last year's Dark Mofo. January's festivities are bound to be about the same with 100 per cent more sunshine. What's not to love? MONA FOMA will run from January 15-18, 2015 in Hobart. Tickets are on sale now via the festival website. Full lineup: Alvin Curran Allan Halyk And Adam Wojcinski Amanda Palmer & The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Amir Farid Anna Von Hausswolff Architects Of Air Ava Mendoza Atticus J. Bastow Ben Frost Brendan Walls Chordwainers Dan Deacon David Francey Trio Debashish Bhattacharya Emma Dean And The Hungry Truth Faux Mo Francesca De Valence Gabriella Smart Genevieve Lacey Jim Moginie Johannes S. Sistermanns Li Binyuan Marduk Martine Corompt And Philip Brophy Melisandre Michael Kieran Harvey MOFI Eastern Sho MOMA (mona Market) Neil Gaiman Omar Souleyman Paul Kelly Presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Featuring Dan Sultan, Clairy Browne, Kira Puru & Vika And Linda Bull Phillip Johnston Rektango Robyn Hitchcock Ruth Roshan And Tango Noir Senyawa & Lucas Abela Shonen Knife Speak Percussion Swans The Clean Tim Hecker Xylouris White Young Wagilak Group & Australian Art Orchestra Zammuto
If we had to come up with a shortlist of sentences that we don't think we'll ever get tired of writing, "Melbourne is getting a brand new burger joint," would definitely be close to the top. Which is lucky, because frankly, it's something we have to write a lot. Case in point: restaurateur Dani Zeini is about to fire up the grill at Royal Stacks, an American-style fast food eatery with locations in Brunswick and the CBD. It's the latter that throws open its doors today at 470 Collins Street, near the southern end of the city. With a resume that includes Dandenong Pavilion, Grand Trailer Park Taverna, Easey's and Truck Stop Deluxe, it's safe to say that when it comes to hamburgers, Zeini is no slouch. At Royal Stacks he's pledged to use high quality Australian ingredients, including beef free from GMO, hormones and antibiotics. "Fast food is a bit of a guilty pleasure for the occasional treat day," says Zeini. "At Royal Stacks we’re taking that guilt away." Which is not to say that Royal Stacks will be serving health food. Burgers and fries aside, there dessert options are insane. Customers can expect stacks of waffles and doughnuts, as well as an honest-to-God frozen custard machine. Ice cream will be provided by St Kilda's Seven Apples Gelato, while on the beverage front they'll offer shakes as well as local beers and wines. The first Royal Stacks will open at 470 Collins Street, Melbourne at 11.30am on Monday, January 18. This will be followed by a second store on Sydney Road, Brunswick sometime in February or March. For more information, visit their Facebook page. Updated: January 18, 2016 Images: Eugene Hyland
If you're a fan of author, comedian and NPR humorist David Sedaris, then you'll know that he's a frequent visitor Down Under. Missed him on his last trip in 2023? 2025 is your next chance to experience his snappy wit, as well as his discerning and astute ability to observe life's moments — both trivial and extraordinary — in both an observational and unique way. This will be Sedaris' seventh trip Down Under, spanning stops in both Australia and New Zealand — in Auckland, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — across January and February. If you haven't seen Sedaris live before, his shows are part of the reason that he's built up such a following. Onstage, he regularly weaves in new and unpublished material, too — and the satirist will throw it over to the crowd for a Q&A as well, and also sign copies of his books. Sedaris has more than a few tomes to his name, so you have options for him to scribble on, including Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso, Theft by Finding, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, Naked and Barrel Fever. [caption id="attachment_862850" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Sedaris is equally celebrated for his constant This American Life appearances and must-read pieces in The New Yorker, and boasts everything from the Terry Southern Prize for Humor and Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor to the Time Humorist of the Year Award among his accolades. If you've been searching for a supportive environment to use the phrase "how very droll", this is it. [caption id="attachment_862851" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] An Evening with David Sedaris 2025 Australia and New Zealand Tour Dates: Friday, January 31 — Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Saturday, February 1 — Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Sunday, February 2 — Regal Theatre, Perth Tuesday, February 4 — Norwood Concert Hall, Adelaide Thursday,February 6–Friday, February 7 — Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Saturday, February 8 — Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle Tuesday, February 11 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Thursday, February 13 — Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane David Sedaris is touring Australia and New Zealand in January and February 2025. For more information, or for general ticket sales from 9am on Thursday, June 27, 2024, head to the tour website. Top image: Anne Fishbein.
Trattoria Emilia is all about that refined rustic Italianate vibe, as if you're putting your feet up at a waterfront cafe in Sorrento. Owners Francesco and Luca have created a restaurant with a special focus on the ambience, allowing the diners imagination to take them back to the sunny shores of Italy. It's all about tradition here, while using modern cooking techniques to create something unique. The menu begins with classic small bites, including marinated olives, gnocco grotto with prosciutto di Parma, and Cantabrian anchovies in whipped butter and crostini. Entrees include Fremantle octopus with potato, celery, chives and olive dust, while vegetarians can enjoy some roasted Jerusalem artichokes with cashew, chestnut and black garlic. The Trattoria Emilia mains include a handful of pasta dishes, with the pork and beef ragu being a highlight, while the roasted lamb rump with eggplant and zucchini is deliciously succulent and full of flavour. A proper Italian restaurant isn't complete without a tiramisu, and the one here was coated in a Frangelico sauce with coffee and cacao. Delicious. Back in the day this joint was BYO on certain nights, but as the restaurant has evolved so has the wine list, so leave your bottles in the cellar. The list is impressive with a heavy focus on Italian bottles, while some stellar Aussie drops get a look in too. [caption id="attachment_608218" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Brook James[/caption] Appears in: Where to Find the Best Pasta in Melbourne for 2023
Gold Leaf has a couple of very important drawcards. One, is there are many around for your convenience — Preston, Burwood, Springvale and Sunshine. It seems likely that whatever far reaches of Melbourne your weekend might lead you to, Gold Leaf has got you, and will feed you up nice and good. Thirty years old and smashing out delish Cantonese food since way back then, Gold Leaf has more dumpling options than you have fingers to count 'em on. You're absolutely spoilt for choice. Make your way here – it's even worth braving going to the Docklands for – when you're really hungry and ready to roll, and expect tasty, fresh fare. Just make sure you save room for a custard tart or six for dessert.
Lygon Street doesn't have any shortage of Italian wine bars, but Agostino is certainly notable — if not due to its food and wine offering, then because of its history. Making its home in the strip's King and Godfree building — that recently reopened after a huge multi-year renovation and relaunch — Agostino was named in a nod to one of the area's original Italian food pioneers. It's a homage to Vincenza-born Carlo Valmorbida, the man who originally opened grocery store Frank Agostino's and whose family has owned (and continues to run) the building since 1955. The space itself boasts a rich riot of textures against clean lines, brought to life under the guidance of award-winning Melbourne architect Chris Connell. You'll spy further collaborative efforts in the commissioned collection of ceramics, featuring exclusive pieces by local artist Shari Lowndes. From the kitchen, comes a food offering that's concise, yet punchy, starring drinking fare with a clear northern Italian lean. You might find plates like grilled octopus teamed with nduja new potatoes and salsa verde; sardine beccafico with bread crumb, pine nuts and parsley; and a calamari fritti with lemon. But it's the wine program that takes centre stage, heroing a diverse spread of drops from across Australia and the homeland, including a rotation of tap wine. A solid retail selection offers bottles to enjoy in-house or at home, while the temperature controlled cellar plays host to a covetable reserve list, filled with rare labels that have been housed here for years. It's all backed by a classic-leaning cocktail lineup and a beer list offering both local brews and Italian craft labels. Drop by Agostino for an after-work drink, then finish off with a scoop of Pidapipo on the way home. Appears in: The Best Wine Bars in Melbourne for 2023
Sydney’s Sepia has won prime position on the Australian Financial Review’s inaugural
Melbourne's NGV International is celebrating the unique designs and lasting legacy of fashion icon Christian Dior, in a world premiere exhibition launching this Sunday, August 27. Running until November 7, The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture will be one of three major surveys of Dior's groundbreaking work, alongside exhibitions in Paris and New York. The Melbourne show will include more than 140 show-stopping garments, stretching the length and breadth of the label's extraordinary history. "Highlights of the NGV's House of Dior exhibition will include one of the few surviving examples of Christian Dior's New Look collection, which revitalised women's fashion in the post-war era," said gallery director Tony Ellwood last year. "And of course it wouldn't be a Dior exhibition without their sculptural tailoring, their signature ball gowns and their glamorous evening dresses which have become synonymous with the fashion house." "Audiences will discover the nuances of Dior's fashion design, and observe the ways in which these have evolved through the decades. The exhibition will also celebrate the milestones of Dior's six successive designers," he added. A key element of the exhibition will be an exploration of Dior's historic 1948 spring fashion parade at David Jones in Sydney, considered to be the first complete Dior collection to be shown outside of Paris. The exhibition will also tie in with the gallery's first ever Gala Ball on Sunday. Images: Installation view of House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture at the National Gallery of Victoria. Shot by Sean Fennessy.
In the middle of a gloomy Melbourne winter, we need all the cheer we can get. If that cheer comes dipped in melted cheese, so much the better. The team at Chandon has risen to the occasion this year. From July 8 to July 19, they're running a 'Fizz & Fondue Feast' at their Yarra Valley Winery. That's a custom Chandon wine flight, matched with a chef-made cheese fondue. An excellent combination for winter. Chandon's fondue is cooked on-site, using local Yarra Valley cheeses mixed with a dash of wine. You'll get your own fondue burner to keep everything hot and gooey, plus an array of gourmet goodies for dipping. Three matched sparkling wines will also be served throughout the session. Tickets for this one are $80 per person, and Chandon will be running two sessions each day. Grab your mates, grab a long fork and tuck in. Images: supplied.
One of the first recorded reports of the Negroni came from Orson Welles in 1947. While working in Rome, he wrote, "The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other." Sixty years later, bartenders and home cocktail enthusiasts are still perfecting the Negroni. And after so long, people get confident. And creative. And they make ridiculous things that we want to inhale with vacuum force. Here are five awesome takes on the Negroni, most of which aren't actually Negronis but have all the right ingredients — gin, Campari and vermouth. Bottoms up. THE GRUMPY NEGRONI Sydney's Grumpy Donuts are getting in on the Negroni Week action, with a special edition doughnut version. 'The Grumpy Negroni' is covered in a freshly squeezed orange and gin glaze, and filled with a Campari spiked creme patissiere. This doughnut creation will be available via the Hey You app on Wednesday, June 8. Orders will open at 10am. The doughnuts will be available in boxes of four, for $20 including delivery within the CBD only — World Square to Circular Quay, including Barangaroo, while stocks last. Grumpy Donuts will be donating $2 per doughnut (or $8 per box) to the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, the only not-for-profit pound in Sydney. Legends. NEGRONI BREWNUT Sydney's Brewtown Newtown is getting in the spirit of Negroni Week this year with their own Negroni Brewnut. This croissant-doughnut hybrid comes coated in a blood orange sugar, topped with a lightly bitter Negroni cream, and finished with blood orange meringue, Campari gelée (gel) and dehydrated citrus. It'll be available to smoosh into your face for $6 for the length of Negroni Week exclusively at Brewtown. [caption id="attachment_573609" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Butter & Scotch.[/caption] NEGRONI PIE You can have your Negroni and eat it too with this adorable dessert version of the cocktail. Brooklyn bakery Butter & Scotch has created the ultimate boozy after-dinner adventure. According to B&S, the pie has "bittersweet custard infused with orange zest and a hefty pour of botanical gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari liqueur, all cradled inside a flaky all-butter crust. Top with a dollop of whipped cream for an unusual, delicious, and boozy treat!" [caption id="attachment_573607" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Pear & Ash.[/caption] NEGRONI ICE CREAM SANDWICH New York City's Pearl & Ash has taken our cocktail hero next-level. Chef Richard Kuo is the brains behind this Negroni-inspired ice cream sandwich, a boozy confection involving Campari-infused ice cream, gin and semi-sweet vermouth rosso, smooshed between thin pieces of orange-vanilla cake. [caption id="attachment_572288" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hawthorn Lounge.[/caption] CHOCOLATE NEGRONI Wellington's Hawthorn Lounge shakes things up, Negroni-wise. Snuggle into a Chesterfield lounge by the fireplace at this cosy little '30s-style speakeasy, and roll the dice on a special edition experiment. Bar wizard Jamie has created a fresh and chocolatey take on the Negroni, with Aperol and Ramazotti taking the place of Campari. It'll set you back $18 and a cheeky airfare. [caption id="attachment_573613" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Craftsman and Wolves.[/caption] NEGRONI MARSHMELLOWS Another way to eat your Negroni! Weeeee! San Fransisco's Craftsman and Wolves is a contemporary patisserie making 'seasonal marshmellows' — and they've done a Negroni version for past Negroni Weeks. Adorable little striped layers of fluffy, sugary handmade glory. Not easily shared. [caption id="attachment_573616" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Humphry Slocombe.[/caption] NEGRONI ICE BLOCKS Freezing your favourite cocktail is the best way to turn your regular dessert cocktail into an actual dessert, which you can pair with an actual cocktail. San Francisco ice cream parlour Humphry Slocombe made these awesome little Negroni Ice Pops for Negroni Week last year. Consider these perpetually in our freezer next summer. Want an actual Negroni? Negroni Week 2016 runs from June 6 – 12. Check out our list of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's best.
Dark and debaucherous banquets from Bompas and Parr, immersive art sleepovers at Cradle Mountain and all the demon purging and ceremonial death dances you could want in a festival. Dark Mofo has announced its 2015 program. Centred around the winter solstice and running June 12-22, MONA's annual June festival celebrates the Neolithic-started tradition over ten days of weird and wonderful art, performance, music and happenings around Hobart. Last year's festival attracted more than 130,000 Mofos, and with this year's lineup, they're looking at a lot more pilgrims. Coinciding with MONA's huge Marina Abramovic retrospective Private Archaeology, this year's Dark Mofo is deeper, creepier and darker than ever before — with art, food, music and performance pioneered by 250 artists from around the world. For one of the biggest events of the festival, the brave and adventurous at heart will want to lock in June 15-17 for a two-night immersive art experience sleepover within Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. That's right. Immersive art sleepover. It's called Wild At Heart and is curated by the Unconscious Collective (Motel Dreaming). British jellymongers and universally applauded food artists Bompas and Parr are hosting a full-on, debaucherous banquet. Huge. And Melbourne contemporary artist Ash Keating will open an exhibition called Remote Nature Response as part of the whole WAH shebang. Music-wise, Dark Mofo is as brooding and gloomy as ever at Hobart's historic Odeon Theatre, with already-leaked, heartbreaking headliners Antony and the Johnsons leading the charge with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. British art-pop collective The Irrepressibles are also locked in, alongside Arkansas experts in doom metal Pallbearer. Seattle's 'horror-country' rocker King Dude will be there, as well as German industrial dance outfit Oake. There's plenty of Australians in the bunch too, from The Drones' brooding folkster Gareth Liddiard to Melbourne's '60s-inspired crooner Brous and performance vocalist Kusum Normoyle, modern day Divinyls-like Sydneysiders The Preatures, Hobart's eclectic pop group Tiger Choir and Melburnian chillwave must-see Klo. Also hailing from Melbourne, gloomy electronica artist Jake Blood and frenetic rock outfit My Disco. Then there’s Japan's electro-conducting EYE, who will be premiering new work CIRCOM, especially for Dark Mofo, presented by Red Bull Music Academy. Immersive art and experimental theatre fans, you'rve got plenty to look forward to. Dark Mofo set to unveil a brand new festival precinct dubbed 'Dark Park' at Hobart's Macquarie Point. Huge public artworks will invade the park, from a high-octane Fire Organ by German chemo-acoustic engineer Bastiaan Maris with producer Duckpond, to a Night Ship cruising around the river, and a full-body sonic massage immersion of Bass Bath by Melbourne’s Byron J. Scullin in collaboration with Supple Fox. Virginia Woolf’s Orlando will be performed by Victoria’s THE RABBLE theatre company at the Theatre Royal (Australia’s oldest theatre) and you'll find a dark take on Roald Dahl's The Witches at Salamanca Arts Centre’s Peacock Theatre. Plus, you won't want to miss Dark Mofo's new late-night ceremonial death dance Blacklist curated by Supple Fox. We don't even know what that means. Those keen to lose themself in a dark, dark cinema have plenty of Nordic dark folkloric films to sink their teeth into. North Hobart’s century-old State Cinema is presenting a super niche series featuring A Second Chance, A Spell to Ward off the Darkness, Down Terrace, A Field in England, Partisan, Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America, Valhalla Rising and more, curated Nick Batzias and James Hewison. Dark Mofo Films will also see the red carpet world premiere of Tasmanian-filmed Foxtel adult drama series The Kettering Incident at the Odeon. Last but not least, we feast. Dark Mofo's annual bacchinalian food festival returns to Princes Wharf Shed 1 — the ever-anticipated Winter Feast. Guest chefs Jake Kellie, Martin Boetz, Sean Moran, Mike McEnearney and O Tama Carey and the Mona Source restaurant team head five nights of feasting and performance, culminating in a Balinese ogoh-ogoh parade to purge all those demons and burn all those fears. Really. Then there's the annual Nude Solstice Swim — nothing like an early morning swim in Tasmanian water to cure your Mofo hangover. Dark Mofo runs June 12-22 in various locations across Hobart, Tasmania. Tickets are on sale from 10am Monday, April 20 from here. Registration for tickets for Antony and the Johnsons with the TSO over here. Images: Beth Evans, Matt Glastonbury.
UPDATE: DECEMBER 12, 2019 — If you've been umming and ahhing about getting tickets to this show, you now have an additional reason to buy them: the MSO has just announced another magical Ghibli night under the stars. The second show will take place the following night, on Sunday, March 1. Tickets are on sale now over here. For more than three decades, Hayao Miyazaki has been hailed as the shining star of Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, spinning gorgeous on-screen stories about magical worlds, buses shaped like cats, moving houses, friendly fish and more. No one can tell an enchanting tale like the masterful filmmaker — but, no one can make melodic music to match like Joe Hisaishi. First collaborating with Miyazaki on 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the composer has provided the score to every one of the director's features since then, spanning everything from My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away to Ponyo and The Wind Rises. That's quite the collection of moving movie music, and it's coming to Melbourne for two nights with Hisaishi himself at the podium. After taking over Hamer Hall for four sold-out shows in 2018, Hisaishi and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are heading to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 for Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki. The sounds of Ghibli will echo through Kings Domain while Hisaishi conducts the full orchestra and the MSO Chorus, and a montage of clips from the likes of Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke — and the rest of Miyazaki and Hisaishi's shared filmography — plays on the huge screen.
This sushi bar/supermarket is the mysterious Japanese food repository you never knew you needed. If you're looking to make something yourself, the shelves are your friend. Find anything from koroke to katsu, gyoza to green tea Kit Kats, and a mammoth amount of bottled sauces and everything you need to make ramen. Oh, and sake and shochu. Over at the sushi counter, a range of 89 options will be available. There are more traditional varieties like your sashimi and nigiri platters, and then more unique creations like the salmon aioli with squid and egg salad. Th packs include a maki mix of hoso maki, cucumber shake, ebi, tekka and avocado while the deka maki packs include a California vegetarian option with avocado, takuan, kanpya, shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, mayonnaise and seaweed salad. From the a la carte menu try the stunning inari DX prawn with white salad or the lightly seared mackerel. The platers are large and designed to be shared with the sixty piece hoso maki platter the perfect option for a group booking. From the pantry enjoy hard to find treats such as yuzu jam, buckwheat soba noodles, Japanese craft gin and handcrafted chilli oil.
“People are realising that they’ve become pretty disconnected from their food — where it comes from, who grows it and what goes into it,” says Indira Naidoo. “And that’s why a lot of people are growing their own. They’re learning to grow organically, without pesticides, and discovering the taste is so much better because the food is grown fresh and picked as you need it, without storage or refrigeration or transportation.” Since transforming her inner-city balcony into a fresh feast, Indira has been promoting Australia's urban farming revolution. In her new book, The Edible City, she visits some of the nation’s most productive community gardens, including a rooftop retreat for Sydney's homeless, a bush-tucker patch connecting Indigenous school students with their heritage and a worm farm helping a Melbourne restaurant to reduce food waste. In the process, Indira gives readers inspiration and tips for starting their own projects, as well as 40 urban garden recipes. The Edible City follows her popular growers guide for beginners, The Edible Balcony. “More and more, our cities are becoming about concrete and steel,” she says. “There aren’t too many green spaces around. So starting a community garden is a beautiful way to connect with nature. And it’s also a place where you can make social connections. With iPhones, and travelling in cars, we are really isolated from our communities and disconnected from our neighbours. But gardens allow us to work towards something together.” Indira shared with us five of her top tips for starting an urban garden — be it your own project or a community venture. YOU’VE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO POT BEFORE YOU LEARN HOW TO FARM “I think the first mistake that new gardeners make is that they can get a bit too enthusiastic. They go to their garden centre or hardware store and pick up lots and lots of seedlings and things – tomatoes and capsicums and chillis – and head back and plant a lot of stuff. And it gets overwhelming and a bit out of control. So, I recommend starting small. “Start with some woody herbs, like oregano, rosemary and thyme. They’re hardy. They don’t need as much water and they can take higher heat or higher cold. Then move onto soft-leafed, green herbs, like basil and parsley, and then lettuce. After that, try tomatoes and fruit, and then root vegetables.” FIND THE RIGHT SPACE — AND SIZE DOESN’T MATTER “The key thing is to find the right space to grow in. Make sure that it gets at least six to seven hours of sunlight per day. Vegetables love sunlight. You need a water source as well, whether that’s a watering can or hose. “If you don’t have much space, grow in pots and choose plants that you eat a lot of. I eat plenty of salads and greens and herbs. So, on my window sill, I have one long, thin, pot that fits nicely, and sits on a little tray, so it catches the water. I put all my lettuces in and just give them a bit of water every morning. It’s so easy. I pick the outer leaves and the plant keeps growing, so one can last me three or four months. It’s perfect. If you have more space, for a bigger pot on the ground, put in a tomato seedling – a cherry variety. They’re fun and delicious. Nothing tastes better than a home-grown tomato.” ONLY GROW WHAT YOU HAVE TIME FOR – AND STAY REGULAR “Think about how much time you have. I set aside about ten minutes a day for my plants. I’ve got about thirty pots and they keep me busy enough. Don’t put in too many if you don’t have much time. “Once you start planting, make sure you do things systematically. A garden needs regular attention. You can’t just look after things on a Wednesday and then ignore them for two weeks. You don’t need a lot of time, but you do have to be noticing changes daily or every second day, doing some watering, doing some weeding and checking for bugs or pests. It’s about putting in a little care over a period of time.” PROMOTE PLANT HEALTH TO KEEP THE BUGS AT BAY “Plants are just like humans. When you get run down, that’s when you get sick. So, if you keep your plants healthy – if you feed them well, make sure they’re in nutritious soil, fertilise them every two weeks – they’re less likely to get a bug problem. “I like using organic sprays, like Neem. They don’t harm the environment, so you still have good bugs in your pots, but they do put off an odour that moths and butterflies don’t like, so they don’t lay their eggs. And I also do a lot of companion planting. Bugs don’t like the smell of marigolds, so I put them around my basil. Sage and rosemary are good like that, too. “But you can always get bug problems, even if you’re the best gardener in the world. Insects are amazing colonisers and they find a way to get into everything. So, don’t get too despondent. I just say to myself, ‘Oh well I’m giving food to other creatures on the planet.’” GET THE TIMING RIGHT “As I explain in [Edible Balcony and Edible City], most vegetables are season-sensitive, so there’s only a few you could plant all through the year without any problem. It’s important to look at the seed packet or the little label on the seedling. “The beginning of spring is a really good time for planting across most of Australia. It’s perfect for greens, tomatoes, capsicum, chilli, eggplant ... You can put your seeds or seedlings directly into your beds or pots. I’ve a got a sunny windowsill, where I have a seed-growing tray, with a seed-growing mix which is lighter and sandier than normal potting mix. So I just pop in a few seeds and wait for them to germinate.” Tour Europe's urban gardens with Indira Naidoo in 2016 In 2016, Indira will travel to Europe to visit urban gardens in four cities – London, Amsterdam, Vienna and Berlin. And you’re invited. “It’s a way to show people that there are cities (unlike in Australia, sadly), where urban growing is taken very seriously. As the UN says, 20 percent of our food now comes from urban farms around the world, and there are lots of spaces we don’t think of that work – like underground tunnels for growing mushrooms and aquaponics systems. It’s just extraordinary, all the ways that we can grow food in cities, close to where we live.” Indira's book, The Edible City, is out now through Penguin Books.
Between an immersive dinner experience in a historic house, performances by The Flaming Lips and Kamasi Washington and a swag of captivating theatre experiences inviting audiences into parallel worlds, this year's Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF) will be tough to ignore. The festival's 2019 program is set to deliver a diverse, vibrant celebration of dance, music, theatre, visual arts and architecture from October 2–20, with the entire city as its stage. For one of 12 Australian premieres, famous illusionist Scott Silven will host multi-sensory dinners for 24 people inside Chapter House, combining magic and storytelling (and, hopefully, some food). Another Australian premiere that'll be equally captivating is Yang Liping's contemporary dance masterpiece Rite of Spring. Tokyo-based art collective teamLab — made up of mathematicians, architects, animators and engineers — will take over Tolarno Galleries with sculptures of light and "cascades of shimmering luminescence", which will make you feel as though you're standing on a floating wave of light. If you've been lucky enough to visit Tokyo's Digital Art Museum or Shanghai's pop-up digital waterfall you'll know what to expect — they're both works by teamLab. Over at the Arts Centre, Black Mirror actor Maxine Peake will lead 15 musicians in a captivating exploration of enigmatic artist Nico and her 1968 masterpiece The Marble Index, in an Australian exclusive. In terms of music, there are some big names heading Down Under for the two-week festival. Psychedelic rock legends The Flaming Lips will perform their ninth, and most celebrated, record The Soft Bulletin in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The band's performances are never run-of-the-mill either — so, expect confetti cannons, elaborate costumes and neon unicorns. Jazz king Kamasi Washington — who has collaborated with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Kendrick Lamar and St Vincent — will be performing his latest album Heaven and Earth, as well as other top hits. Grammy Award-winning string quartet Kronos Quartet will be heading to Melbourne, too, and if the name doesn't immediately sound familiar, you'll most definitely recognise their Requiem for a Dream soundtrack. Elsewhere on the program — which, yes, continues – will see the return of Melbourne's beloved art trams, Nakkiah Lui's new show Black is the New White, a thought-provoking look at (and questioning of) 2019 Melbourne in Anthem and a world premiere of Chunky Move's new contemporary show Token Armies. This will be the last MIAF in its current format, too. Starting from 2020, MIAF will also form part of a new and bigger winter festival, in conjunction with White Night. Image: Borderless Tokyo Digital Art Museum by Sarah Ward.
Put your popcorn and choc top down for a sec and switch to tea, scones and a cheeky Pimm's Cup — it's British Film Festival time. Every year, the annual cinema showcase gathers up the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer, bringing them to Palace Cinemas for our antipodean viewing pleasure. From October 24 to November 15, the fest is back for its 2017 run. As always, BFF is a positively jam-packed affair, spanning true romances, hard-hitting dramas, music documentaries, literary origin stories and a retrospective feast of mystery flicks — and they're just some of the highlights from what promises to be a busy few weeks of British movie-watching. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed with options, stick with our five picks of the festival below. MARY SHELLEY On a rainy summer night just over two centuries ago, a teenager, her future husband and their friends sat around a Swiss log fire and gave themselves the challenge of writing a ghost story. The competitors included English poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley — but it was the latter's girlfriend, young Mary Wollstonecraft, who easily won their contest. Pondering the concept of a reanimated corpse, she started penning Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus — aka the greatest horror novel ever written). Starring Elle Fanning as the author, and directed by Wadjda's Haifaa Al-Mansour, Mary Shelley relays her efforts, telling the intriguing tale behind her famous creature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5dMYx2no THE DEATH OF STALIN He has turned British bureaucracy and US politics into a smart, hilarious farce across two stellar TV comedies, but The Thick of It and Veep's Armando Iannucci isn't done satirising the powers that be — or, that once were in The Death of Stalin's case — just yet. Given its title, there are no prizes for guessing what his second big screen directorial effort is about. With a cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor, Paddy Considine and Michael Palin, Iannucci adapts the graphic novel of the same name into an amusing and irreverent look at the aftermath of the USSR dictator's passing in 1953. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yurPcX4xrqI HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES Trust Neil Gaiman to write a short story about a shy '70s punk teenager crossing paths with a curious visiting alien. Trust Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell to turn the tale into an interesting and engaging sci-fi rom-com. As offbeat as its sounds, How to Talk to Girls at Parties corrals ever-busy The Beguiled co-stars Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman into its account of love, rebellion, taking risks and fighting for what you want in life. That might sound like your average teen romance, but this zesty, imaginative and thoroughly likeable effort is anything but. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQmBd5-ITyA ENGLAND IS MINE "Stop being a mardarse," Steven Patrick Morrissey is told early in England Is Mine. Of course he is. But, if he'd taken that advice, everything from The Smiths to this film wouldn't exist. Yes, this biopic of British singer and songwriter's early years in Manchester plays out just as you'd expect — the moody brooding, the lines like "life is too short for cliches", and the distinctive appeal of its central figure (played by Dunkirk's Jack Lowden) included. It won't convert anyone new to the Morrissey cause and you won't hear any of his hits, but the end result certainly is as melancholy as an unauthorised flick about 'the pope of mope' should be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppBlSpdVlEA JAWBONE A knockout boxing film that demonstrates how a familiar, frequently seen genre can still pack a considerable punch, Jawbone also marks a landmark effort for British actor Johnny Harris. Previously best known for the likes of Snow White and the Huntsman and various incarnations of the This Is England TV series, Harris stars, writes, produces and loosely bases the feature's narrative on his own teenage fighting experiences. Ray Winstone, Michael Smiley and Ian McShane also pop up on screen in this social realist boxing offering, but there's no doubting that this compelling and convincing underdog story belongs to Harris from start to finish. The 2017 British Film Festival screens in Sydney from October 24 to November 15, Melbourne from October 26 to November 15, and Brisbane from October 25 to November 15. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Just a cheeky heads up for local legends like Liquorun, Jimmy Brings, Friday Beers, LiquorDrop, Dial-A-Drink, QuickBottle and WineRun — the big guns have jumped on the booze delivery bandwagon. Online shopping behemoth Amazon is trialling one-hour alcohol delivery, starting in Seattle. Announced by Amazon this week, Prime Now will take human laziness and demand for things now to the next level, dropping wine and beer at your doorstep within 60 minutes. From burger delivery by drone to ordering pizza with one emoji, humans just want things faster, faster, faster now. The Prime Now service, which is Amazon's fastest yet, will be exclusively available to members of Amazon Prime — and it's not just for booze. Tens of thousands of items will be available for one-hour delivery, from wine and beer to milk and ice cream, televisions, Kindles, paper towels, you name it. Throwing a last minute party or treating yourself to one heck of a night in just got pathetically easier. Local startup booze delivery crews, don't freak out just yet. Prime Now is currently only available Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland in the States, but the company has plans to expand the service to localities across the country and worldwide, eventually. Via CNET. Images: Dollar Photo Club and Walnut Studio.
Ever been gettin' loose out on the town and thought, “I could destroy a round of mini-golf right now.” Procure an Argyle-patterned vest and beige slacks immediately, because the good folk at Howler are bringing back their custom-made nighttime mini golf course to conquer. One heck of a drawcard launched in July, the triumphantly returning Howler Mini-Golf-O-Rama features nine holes each complete with a classic theme (think windmills, volcanos and jungles, classic mini-golf). It'll be back at Howler from Sunday December 27 to Wednesday, January 6, from 3pm on weekends and 6pm on weekdays. And it's FREE if you buy a bev. To use the course, all you have to do is turn up to Howler, buy yourself and/or your golfing buddies a drink and choose your putter. The course will be set up in what was once Howler’s bandroom, and to keep the good times flowing, guest DJs will pump up the jams (and hopefully play a non-stop dubstep remix of Lee Carvallo’s putting challenge. In fact, consider this an official request). Check out Elliphant and MØ carving up the course in July, to give you an idea. Now, let's all dig out our Happy Gilmore VHS's and prepare to just taaaap it in. Find Howler Mini-Golf-O-Rama at 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick from Sunday December 27 to Wednesday, January 6, from 3pm on weekends and 6pm on weekdays. Golfing is free if you buy a drink from the bar. Image via. Marcus Hansson.
A brand new outdoor eatery along the banks of the Yarra River is giving new meaning to the idea of taking a 'long lunch'. Stretching 150m down the south side of Flinders Street Station, the newly opened Arbory Bar and Eatery is laying claim to the title of Melbourne's longest bar. The brainchild of Metro Trains in partnership with HQ Hospitality, The Arbory sits in the space previously occupied by the terminus of the Sandridge railway line, which was decommissioned back in 1987. With a pair of makeshift bars operating out of multiple illuminated shipping containers, the eatery was designed by renowned Melbourne architects Jackson Clements Burrows and Associates, and is inspired by the urban renewal of New York’s Highline. A peek at the Arbory drinks list reveals a handpicked selection of local wines, plus up to a dozen beers on tap. Chef Nicholas Bennett from Fatto across the river handles the menu, which includes options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We're already eyeing off the rare roast salmon with fennel, orange and hazelnuts, possibly (probably) followed by a salted caramel sundae. Although it's hard to say no to a double cheeseburger. Or a chorizo corndog with jalapeno mayonnaise. Point is you've got options. Still no word on whether Metro plans to do anything about train delays. But hey, at least now you can grab a bite to eat while you wait. Find the Arbory Bar and Eatery at Flinders Walk, Melbourne, behind Flinders Street Station.
You like gin. You drink G&Ts on a regular basis. But how well do you know the botanicals you're drinking? Bombay Sapphire has teamed up with a group of artists, chefs and bartenders to take you on a sensory adventure of where its botanicals are sourced. During the two-hour experience, aptly named Project Botanicals, guests will be given the global botanical tour — just pretend you're sampling coriander in Morocco and picking cubeb berries in Java. An important part of the sensory experience is the food and drink. Four dishes, cooked by Studio Neon chef Aaron Teece, will be paired with four cocktails created by some of Sydney's favourite bars. It's not just a standard food and drink pairing, though — the tasting experience will be interactive. You'll pick lemons, which are actually lemon cheesecakes, under a grove of trees in Spain while sipping on a drink created by Sydney's Mjolner. Next, wander down backstreets in China drinking Bar Moncur's liquorice-laced Jasmine Bloom and eating duck pancakes. You'll then travel across the globe some more before ending in Morocco with a lamb tagine and a vibrant cocktail from Union Electric. Throughout the immersive journey a 360-degree audio-visual artwork, created by Australian musician and producer Ta-ku together with award-winning animator Sam Price, will be playing around you. The multi-dimensional artwork, composed of music made exclusively for the event and a vivid light installation, will shift with each jump to a new location and hopes to alter perceptions of taste. Each session will run for two hours at the following times: 8.30pm on Thursday, 6pm and 8.30pm on Friday, 2.30pm, 5.30pm and 8.30pm on Saturday and 1.30pm, 4.30pm and 7.30pm on Sunday.
