UPDATE Monday, July 19: Pasta Poetry is offering a rotating menu of its freshly-made pasta varieties and other finish-at-home Italian dishes, for home delivery and click & collect. There's also a selection of vino and bottled cocktails available to add onto any order. And you can even set up a regular delivery if you'd like to make pasta night an ongoing thing. For more details on Victoria's current restrictions, see the Department of Health and Human Services website. As Melbourne's frosty winter temperatures kick in, so do the cravings for comfort food. Specifically, big bowls of fresh saucy pasta, cooked just how Nonna would like it. But, if you haven't got the skills (or patience) to hone your own at-home pasta production game, you'll find a new culinary saviour in Fairfield's newly launched Pasta Poetry. The brainchild of Melbourne hospitality veteran Theo Krambias (CH James), Pasta Poetry is a multifaceted homage to the art of pasta-making. The boutique pasta shop is now open, with an adjoining restaurant set to launch later this year. Heading up the kitchen is a dynamic duo — Executive Chef Elena Kavallaris, fresh from a trip spent training in Bologna, Italy, and Head Chef Robin Turner (La Luna Bistro in Carlton, Zsa's Bar and Bistro in Northcote). Together, they're whipping up the store's signature range of fresh handmade pasta and traditional sauces, ready for you to take home and turn into a masterpiece of your own. [caption id="attachment_813368" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Simon Shiff[/caption] On the ever-changing menu, you'll find expertly executed varieties like egg tagliatelle, tortello tondo stuffed with spinach and locally made ricotta, and cappelletti filled with 18-hour braised ox cheek. Gluten-free and vegan options abound, with gnocchi crafted using chickpea and tapioca dough, and a saffron pumpkin ravioli. Sauce options run to the likes of a creamy parmesan zabaglione, a buttery white wine number and the classic Bologna-style slow-cooked ragu. If you get overwhelmed with choices, friendly staff are on hand to help you mix and match your way to new pasta night heights. In-store, you'll also find a couple of ready-to-heat lasagne varieties, house-made garlic bread and a classic two-person tiramisu. Plus, there's a tidy selection of pasta accompaniments including cheeses, herbs and a range of wine. By June, Pasta Poetry's online store will also be up and running, offering the latest lineup of seasonal creations for home delivery. And if you'd like to enjoy the fruits of Kavallaris' and Turner's labour without the kitchen clean-up, stay tuned for the onsite restaurant, opening in late 2021. You'll find Pasta Poetry at 86 Station Street, Fairfield. It's open Sunday to Friday from 10am–7pm, and on Saturdays from 8am–6pm. Images: Simon Shiff
After an extended pandemic-driven hiatus, Prahran's Grand Lafayette shifted gears in a big way, reopening in May 2022 with a brand-new chef and refreshed food direction. Now with chef Jonny Wu (Misschu) at the helm, the 100-seat all-day eatery celebrates classic Japanese flavours reimagined with a modern accent, and even boasts a dedicated tempura station. Embrace the crunch with delicately battered morsels ranging from mixed mushrooms ($26.5), to kingfish ($29.5), to oysters served with yuzu maple ponzu and rose salt (4pc, $25.5). Elsewhere on the new a la carte menu, an expansive lineup of raw bites and sushi features the likes of beef tataki ($26.5), soft shell crab roll elevated with broccolini and sweet corn miso (8 pc, $23.5) and scallop carpaccio with a black wine glaze ($29.5). Deeper in, expect a mix of familiar favourites and new creations — plump salmon bao ($12), chicken or prawn katsu served with an ume and prune sauce ($14.5), and crab croquettes finished with a spicy jalapeño miso (3pc, $22.5). There's also a range of rice bowls, noodles and udon soups, including a tempura-topped number made with chicken dashi soy broth ($22). Meanwhile, fans of Grand Lafayette's earlier days will appreciate the dessert offering, which includes four variations on the oh-so-photogenic signature raindrop cake ($9). [caption id="attachment_854403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Griffin Simm[/caption] Images: Griffin Simm
What will inspire you to spend your Sunday nights busting out your music trivia knowledge, and also playing along with one of the most-beloved Australian TV shows there is? The return of Spicks and Specks for 2024. Back in 2023, the ABC announced that it was bringing the series back for a new season after it took the past year off — and you can now mark Sunday, June 9 in your diary for the big comeback. Among everything that the ABC has ever broadcast — news, entertainment, after-school kids shows, oh-so-much Doctor Who and late-night music videos to keep you occupied after a few drinks all included — the Adam Hills-, Myf Warhurst- and Alan Brough-led Spicks and Specks is up there among the favourites. If you're keen to watch a heap of top Australian talent sit around and talk about tunes again, this season's guests from the music side of things include Anthony Callea, Marlon Williams, Elly-May Barnes, Nooky, Montaigne and Dan Sultan, as well as Mark Seymour, Oli from Lime Cordiale. Among the comedians, Hamish Blake, Tommy Little, Steph Tisdell, Abbie Chatfield, Shane Jacobson and Jenny Tian will feature. Plus, Adrian Eagle, Gut Health and Lime Cordiale will perform. Here's how it works, if you've forgotten: the show's contestants answer questions, compete for points and just generally be funny, too. That's the concept behind the series, which takes more than a few cues from the UK's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, pits Aussie musos and comedians against each other, and has proven a hit several times over. It was a weekly favourite when it first aired between 2005–2011 — and it keeps being resurrected. As fans already know, Spicks and Specks has enjoyed more comebacks than John Farnham, although that has meant different things over the years. When the program was first revived back in 2014, it did so with a new host and team captains, for instance. And when it started to make a return with its original lineup of Hills, Warhurst and Brough, it first did so via a one-off reunion special. That 2018 comeback proved more than a little popular. It became the ABC's most-watched show of that year, in fact. So, the broadcaster then decided to drop four new Spicks and Specks specials across 2019–20 and, for 2021, to bring back Spicks and Specks in its regular format. In 2022, ten new episodes hit. The new season will air at 7.30pm on Sunday evenings via ABC and ABC iView — and new segments will also be part of the fun. T0 tide you over until June, here's a classic clip from past Spicks and Specks runs: Spicks and Specks will return to ABC TV and via ABC iView from 7.30pm on Sunday, June 9, 2024.
SailGP is returning to Auckland's Waitematā Harbour on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15, 2026, bringing world-class racing right to the heart of the city. The global championship features identical high-performance F50 foiling catamarans racing in short, fast fleet races designed for stadium-style spectating. It's the perfect excuse to make a trip to New Zealand and use the vibrant city of Auckland as your North Island base. The Race Stadium, located at Wynyard Quarter on Waitematā Harbour, puts you at the centre of the action. There'll be a front-row view of boats skimming past the shoreline as well as a buzzy festival atmosphere around the harbour precincts and businesses. Both race days kick off when gates open at 1.30pm NZDT, with the race window taking place from 4.00pm to 5.30pm NZDT*. In between, the waterfront comes alive with an official Race Stadium fan village featuring food, drinks, sponsor activations and entertainment. This gives you plenty of time to settle in, explore and enjoy Auckland's exciting atmosphere well into the evening. Tickets range from $110 to $350, with seating options that allow you to tailor the day to your preferences. The Waterfront Grandstand is the go-to for fans who love to be in the heart of the action and enjoy elevated and allocated seating as the F50 catamarans tear past. Looking to level up? The Waterfront Premium Lounge is a new premium grandstand experience that offers prime views, access to exclusive areas, and an all-inclusive food and drinks offering. The Waterfront Platinum is a VIP experience for groups of 10, with reserved seating, a premium menu, an open bar and a dedicated live broadcast of the races. SailGP Auckland also offers official on-water viewing options, including Bring Your Own Boat (BYOB) and licensed spectator boat experiences, so you can feel as close to the action as possible. February is coming up fast, so if you're booking the ITMSailGP tickets, here's where to stay to not miss a moment of the weekend and the best of Auckland's CBD for the ultimate New Zealand North Island shore break. Where to stay in Auckland Mövenpick Hotel Auckland Just minutes from the Viaduct Harbour and Race Stadium, Mövenpick Auckland puts you within easy reach of SailGP, Commercial Bay shopping (Auckland's premium precinct for fashion and beauty), Britomart dining and the city's best waterfront bars and restaurants. On-site, BODA Restaurant serves modern Korean fusion with harbour views, making it a perfect choice for long lunches and post-race-day dinners close to your hotel base. Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour For travellers who love a little taste of luxury, Sofitel's waterfront hotel is hard to beat. Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour is a calm and elevated retreat that's just steps away from the race action. Spend your mornings wandering through cafes and the cove that's inspired by La Rochelle in southern France. Before the race gates open, head to the Sofitel Spa for a restorative wellness pause between races and dine at the gourmet La Marée restaurant. If you're looking for a proper city break alongside SailGP action, book your stay now. Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel Just steps from Auckland's airport terminals, Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport is the perfect accommodation choice for international travellers who want to land, rest, and head into the CBD to soak up the race weekend. And, you don't have to compromise on taste, culture and experience just to be near the airport. Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport is Auckland's premium five-star airport hotel and blends convenience with cultural design. If you're jetting in and out for the weekend or are heading elsewhere on the North Island post-Sail GP, Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport is your go-to. *Please note, start times are subject to change. Discover Auckland Image credit: Supplied
Approaching the mental health of your loved ones, and your own, isn't always the easiest, but two Sydneysiders have produced a novel way to get the public opening up to each other. Intangible Goods is an installation by artists Mark Starmach and Elizabeth Commandeur, who've combined year's worth of involvement in the marketing industry with a shared experience of growing up with family members who struggled with mental health. Presented by Art & About Sydney at three CBD locations from now until April 8, Intangible Goods makes engaging with contemporary psychology accessible and easy to interact with. The former advertising colleagues share the unusual bond of having family members diagnosed with schizophrenia and have found an outlet for these experiences to go alongside their exposure to the negative aspects of consumerism that's a mainstay of their professional careers. "In both our lives, we found that our families were very hidden about it," says Elizabeth. "They felt like they couldn't be open with their friends or family and that it wasn't something they could talk about publically." With Intangible Goods, Mark and Elizabeth hope to give people a way to express their inner feelings with an element of fun and whimsy. [caption id="attachment_661905" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katherine Griffiths. Courtesy of City of Sydney.[/caption] VENDING GOODNESS More than familiar with the typically heavy-handed campaigns marketing agencies produce concerning mental health, Mark and Elizabeth approached the subject with a touch of light-heartedness. Noticing similarities between advertising principals and psychological theories such as Maslow's Hierarchy, the duo wanted to make use of their marketing experience, help people consider their own mental wellbeing and embrace these conversations in a more comfortable way. Their solution? Intangible Goods — a vending machine stocked with ten different 'snacks' that'll feed your wellbeing. Neatly designed, each product line is the result of considerable consultation with mental health professionals and a survey of 550 of their fellow Sydneysiders who were asked what they needed most in their lives right now. Mark explains, "Throughout our survey, several answers bubbled to the top. Something like 41% of people responded that they wanted closer connections with the people in their lives, which was a clear outlier. But, in thinking about what connection to others actually is, it can't clearly be defined to just one single type of connection." That's why each individual 'Connection' package has its own concept inside. Where one reminds you to stay in touch with friends and family, others suggest making new relationships or improving your sense of belonging in the community. The same has been done for other responses, which vary from 'Purpose' to 'Structure', 'Spontaneity' to 'Calm'. Each product can be bought from the vending machine for $2 with all profits going towards beyondblue, the Mental Health Association NSW (WayAhead) and the Schizophrenia Research Institute at NeuRA. CONSUMING LESS, LIVING MORE Mark and Elizabeth are first to admit the world of marketing and advertising can promote unhealthy habits around consumerism. As Elizabeth explains, "For me, I think consumerism is habitual and almost an everyday thing. But I think much of it is mindlessly purchasing goods that help fulfil some sort of empty void in our lives." Intangible Goods aims to turn this concept upside-down by redirecting the energy put into promoting products into something positive. By providing visitors with a conversation starter and something that'll elicit an emotional response, the installation is aimed at encouraging visitors to think critically, as well as providing a way to navigate their own mindset. MAKING BIG, FIRST STATEMENTS While the concept had long been floating around Mark and Elizabeth's heads, the nitty-gritty of Intangible Goods took almost a year to complete. Being the first major art project both Mark and Elizabeth have produced, adjusting from their largely structured professional lives to something more abstract and holistic took some getting used to. This adjustment was only made more difficult with Elizabeth working remotely from Copenhagen for the duration of 2017. But after many midnight phone calls, shared online spreadsheets, discussions with vending machine suppliers, budget lists and safety reports, the pair's hard work has finally been realised. Working alongside Art & About Sydney and the City Of Sydney, Mark says the creative process was made easy with the freedom the duo were granted. "Everyone involved gave us license to run with our vision and helped us stick to it faithfully, which is not something we're super used to from working in the world of agencies." Intangible Goods will be vending across Sydney CBD 24 hours a day from March 26 until April 8, 2018. Find it at Martin Place, between Pitt and George streets from March 26–29, Customs House Square from March 30 to April 3 and Pitt Street Mall from April 4–8. See full details here.
As far as culinary memories go, for many Australians street food evokes holiday recollections of steaming pad Thai precariously balanced on a paper plate at a bustling Bangkok market, ketchup-laden three-for-$1 hot dogs in Times Square or condensed milk and peanut butter waffles relished on a hurried Hong Kong stopover. As part of Ketel One's Modern Craft Project, Brisbane-based architect, designer and social entrepreneur Helen Bird drew inspiration from the success of a recent wave of street food vendors setting up mobile shop in other highly regulated countries to inform the mobile food project she launched earlier this year, which aims to satiate a growing hunger for not only international cuisine but socially and environmentally sound practice. In a bid to bring a little bit of holiday spirit to her urban surrounds in the form of quick, cost-effective and tasty fare, Bird personally designed an artfully constructed and environmentally sustainable spin on the humble bicycle-cart to peddle around the laneways of Brisbane. Not one to be motivated by the pursuit of business success alone, Bird has harnessed the project as a literal vehicle through which to provide assistance for migrants and refugees wishing to enter the local food industry. Working with Street Food Australia (SFA), a social enterprise small business incubator established by Bird last year, participating protegees will take on the running of a bicycle-cart, while receiving the ongoing support and mentorship necessary to successfully establish a functioning business that serves food from their native culture. After raising start-up funds through the crowd sourcing website Pozible late last year, in February SFA launched their first street food vendor bike, a steamed dumpling cart, as part of a pilot designed to test the fundamentals of the project. “Growing up my father was a bank manager who would lend money to migrants to start their first businesses. These families had no money, no business plan and the difficulty of a language barrier, but somehow when Dad would take me to their houses years later, they would be living in big, fancy places, thanks in part to the opportunity he gave them'”, says Bird, reflecting on what initially propelled her to fuse an acute understanding of business principles with her expert knowledge of craftsmanship to benefit the lives of those less fortunate. To describe Bird's career path as unusual is conservative — she’s had a stint making circus equipment, spent time installing massive bamboo art sculptures in Europe and established a successful design studio, Pearler, with her "right-hand man and business partner" Billerwell Daye. Formal architecture training, a lifelong penchant for carpentry, welding, "repairing, rebuilding and picking apart everyday objects" and a commitment to doing things the long, hard way has allowed Bird to develop the formidable skillset necessary to craft the bicycle-carts used in the project, which are modeled on an economic, social, ecological and cultural sustainability quadruple bottom line. "This project draws on diverse and complex processes, collaboration, old and new skills and the understanding that craft, design and society can meld together in exciting possibility to create something that helps other to achieve their full potential," explains Bird. Much as Bird works to provide deserving migrants and refugees the kind of opportunities that hold the potential to completely re-route their futures, the Ketel One legacy, awarded to her this week, has opened up previously impossible avenues for the development and expansion of the project. Bird plans to direct the $100,000 prize money towards establishing an office and workshop away from home to draw, model and test the bicycle-carts and oversee the project, obtain core resources she currently lacks and even donate a bicycle-cart to a new vendor, dramatically reducing their start-up costs. Like a true modern craftswoman, Bird seeks to achieve big changes through small acts carried out slowly and simply. If this starts with a bite of a mini banh-mi, tequila ribs or Mexican elote bought off the back of a travelling trike, that's an initiative we don't need to be asked twice to support. The training wheels are about to come off, thanks to the Ketel One legacy.
When you buy a bunch of fresh flowers, you're giving someone a gift, whether you've purchased them as a present for someone else or you've picked them up to brighten up your own home. New Melbourne floral delivery service Positive Parcels is not only embracing that idea and running with, but encouraging Melburnians to pass along the cheery feeling that comes with treating someone (or yourself) to a gorgeous bouquet — all while also supporting the local flower industry. Launched by Tori Allen after her events company underwent a sizeable slowdown during Australia's first wave of COVID-19 restrictions, Positive Parcels delivers posies of various sizes and types. Yes, that obviously sounds fairly standard for a flower delivery outfit. The aim here, however, is to help fill a void caused by the closure of florists during pandemic lockdowns, make it easier for folks to send flowers under current stay-at-home conditions and also to share the love in a variety of ways. Firstly, when you buy a bouquet from Positive Parcels — from a range that includes small and large arrangements of seasonal flowers, rose-only and tulip-only displays, plus potted orchids and preserved flowers that are designed to last forever — $5 from every purchase will be donated to charity. Specifically, it'll be given to national youth mental health foundation Headspace Australia, which means that your next posy will help a struggling young Aussie. Also, Positive Parcels is positioning itself as a pass the parcel-type service, too — asking folks who receive their flowers to pass the gift along by purchasing a new bouquet for someone else. As well as a clear tactic to attempt to increase sales, the concept means that Melburnians who can't visit their nearest and dearest at the moment can send their affection in another physical way. Positive Parcels' flowers start at $75, maxing out at $185, with all prices including delivery within 20 kilometres of the Melbourne CBD. Order by 4pm on a Monday or Wednesday, and the bouquet will arrive the next day — with deliveries made on Tuesdays and Thursdays regardless of when you order. If you live beyond metropolitan Melbourne, delivery will cost you $15 extra. And, if sending flowers isn't quite your thing, Positive Parcels will soon add other types of parcels to its range. Think bundles of cocktail staples, wine and cheese packs, and food and flower hampers. For further information about Positive Parcels, or to order a bouquet, visit the service's website.
Everyone knows novelty-sized things are infinitely better than their regular-sized counterparts. Fishbowl margaritas! The teeny tiny toys you get in Kinder Surprise eggs! The only drawback I can think of is 'fun-sized' chocolate bars. There's nothing 'fun' about teasing me with a Mars bar half as big as it should rightfully be. Now the ever-popular novelty trade is turing its sights to the post — can our love of adorably small things save a dying industry? The World's Smallest Post Service is a project run out of California by Leafcutter Designs and its founder Lea Redmond, though Redmond herself can't really tell you why it exists. Since launching a tiny letter transcription service in 2008, Redmond has been channeling her passion for miniature things and finessing the ultimate form of correspondence. Six years and one fully-funded Kickstarter project later, the tiny stationery service has hit the big time (pun unfortunately intended). The entire package — which includes enough materials to create 24 tiny letters, six tiny packages and one 3D mailbox — is only as wide as a regular pen and features a much-needed magnifying glass. Once the kit is purchased you can scribe the cutesiest of cutesy messages to your friends, pass notes in class without ever being caught, and your life will invariably be one step closer to that of a character in a Wes Anderson film. Of course, these novelties aren't wholly impractical. The deluxe kit features translucent regular-sized envelopes so you can send your tiny mail through the real-world post. It may be a little more hassle than the regular route, but at least the person receiving the letter will know that you battled the fiddly ordeal that is tiny envelope origami and microscopic stamp hell. How romantic. The Kickstarter campaign is still in full swing despite having already reached its goal (it seems people really, really want this). Get on board now if you're keen to nab some of the pledgers' perks. Remember: Twitter may be an easier means to sending tiny messages but it's nowhere near as darn cute.
What's better than watching a heap of top Australian talent sit around and talk about music? Watching them do all of the above while answering questions, competing for points and just generally being funny, too. That's the concept behind ABC TV show Spicks and Specks, which took a few cues from the UK's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, pit Aussie musos and comedians against each other, and has proven a hit several times over. It was a weekly favourite when it first aired between 2005–2011 — and it will be again in 2021. As fans will know, Spicks and Specks just keeps coming back; however, that has meant different things over the years. When the program was first revived back in 2014, it did so with a new host and team captains, for instance. And when it started to make a return with its original lineup of Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough, it first did so via a one-off reunion special. That 2018 comeback proved more than a little popular. It became the ABC's most-watched show of that year, in fact. So, the broadcaster then decided to drop four new Spicks and Specks specials across 2019–20, which you've probably been watching your way through over thee past year. When 2021 hits, the Spicks and Specks story will take another turn by bringing back the program in its regular format — and for a full season, too. Just when it'll kick off hasn't been announced, and neither has any of the show's new guests, but you can add playing along from your couch to your plans for next year. https://twitter.com/MyfWarhurst/status/1331444351625433088 In the interim, the program will drop the last of its recent batch of specials on at 7.40pm AEST on Sunday, December 20 — focusing on all the tracks, bangers, one hit wonders and more that released between 2010–2019. Spicks and Specks will return to ABC TV at a yet-to-be-revealed 2021 date, and for a regular full season. The show's 10s Special will air on ABC TV on Sunday, December 20 at 7.40pm — and its Ausmusic Special, 90s Special and 00s Special are all currently available to stream via ABC iView.
Cherry Bar co-owner James Young has been asked to step away from the much-loved live music venue by his business partners, just days after causing a stir with a now-deleted Instagram post. Sharing his frustrations about the ongoing Melbourne CBD protests, Young said "enough is enough," claiming that frequent demonstrations taking over the city streets meant that people couldn't access Cherry Bar. "I just can't understand why our Council and our Government favour the 'rights' of illegal protestors (for a large number of varied causes) over the rights of long-term small business operators to open their doors and trade, trying desperately to reignite the ailing Melbourne hospitality industry and pay our bloody rent!" said the post. [caption id="attachment_705594" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Cherry Bar on AC/DC Lane.[/caption] "Of course, Cherry Bar has a heart and a real passion for freedom of speech," continued the post. "However, Melbourne, after two long years, surely we can sit down and find a better way forward." Yet the backlash was immediate, with hundreds of people quick to point out the rock and roll and punk scenes' connection to protest movements around the globe. While the post was quickly deleted, Young's three business partners have now shared their own statement on Cherry Bar's socials, saying they were "aghast" upon seeing it and demanded it be taken down. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cherry (@cherrybarmelb) "Rock n roll has protest in its DNA. Its tradition platforms outsiders, amplifies rage, and turns noise into community, reminding us all that rebellion can be not just loud and creative, but hopeful too," said the statement. "[Young] has expressed his sincere remorse and understands the harm of his actions. At our request, he has agreed to step away from the company for the time being." Founded in 1999, Cherry Bar remains one of Melbourne's longest-standing rock and punk venues, hosting gigs for big names and emerging acts, as well as being a regular haunt for local musos and touring stars keeping a low profile — most recently Chappell Roan ahead of her performance at Laneway Festival. Head to Facebook for more information.
Watching a Sir David Attenborough documentary means being left with two strong feelings: wanting to see the world exactly the way that the iconic broadcaster does, and wishing to always hear his narration as you walk across the planet. Consider the BBC Earth Experience the closest thing to making both happen. It takes footage from Attenborough's Seven Worlds, One Planet series, turns it into a 360-degree walk-through audiovisual event, and has the natural historian and living treasure echo while you wander. The BBC Earth Experience debuted in London in March 2023, which is excellent news if a UK holiday has been on your agenda. Here's a better development: this spring, it's heading Down Under. Melbourne will become only the second city in the world to host this spectacular sight, kicking off on Friday, October 27 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in what'll be an Australian-exclusive season. The experience uses cutting-edge digital-projection technology to surround attendees in visuals from the earth's seven continents, with everything from fireflies in North America to cassowary fathers and their chicks in Australia on display. In London, the attraction sprawls across more than 1600 square metres, featuring spaces dedicated to the planet seen at microscopic scale, via drone footage and on the ocean floor, too, as part of a self-guided tour that also heroes starfish, elephant seals, snub-nosed monkeys, hamsters and more. If you've already watched Seven Worlds, One Planet, you won't just be greeted by material you've already seen, but larger. The scale of the event's imagery is hefty — epic, even — but BBC Earth Experience also includes extended scenes from the show, plus bespoke narration by Attenborough. The mission is truly to make the audience feel like they've stepped right into the footage, all thanks to multi-angle screens. And, it's designed to cater to existing Seven Worlds, One Planet fans and newcomers alike. [caption id="attachment_916095" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Board, BBC Natural History Unit.[/caption] In Melbourne, offering up an educational experience for young patrons is also a big aim. There'll be a classroom space onsite, plus resources curated for teachers. Given how long that Attenborough has been making nature documentaries, including with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, here's hoping that more of his work gets this kind of experience-focused treatment. Bringing Prehistoric Planet and its sequel series to life? Add that to the wish list. "Melbourne is the only city in Australia that will host the incredible BBC Earth Experience, which will attract thousands of visitors to enjoy everything on offer in our city while supporting jobs across the tourism and events sector," said Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, announcing the event's stint Down Under. "This collaboration with Visit Victoria, BBC Studios and Moon Eye Productions will deliver a spectacular and educational experience unlike any other," added Live Nation Australia Vice President of Touring Luke Hede. "Sir David Attenborough is a global treasure, and the BBC Earth Experience marries his message about the challenges nature faces in today's world alongside the world's most incredible footage. Victorians and visitors to the state are in for a real treat." The BBC Earth Experience will open in Australia at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf, Melbourne on Friday, October 27, 2023 — head to the event website for further details and tickets. BBC Earth Experience images: Philip Volkers / BBC.
Carlton's Argyle Square has recently been graced with a new outdoor eatery, though you may not immediately recognise it as such. Parco's middle-of-the-street courtyard digs better resemble a little kiosk for good reason. Originally built as a power substation, the tiny cottage-like building was most recently used as an information kiosk — though, according to locals, it's been vacant for nearly 20 years. Enter long-time mates Jarrod Balme and Adrian Pagano, who saw an opportunity to reclaim this space. They've turned the site into a cafe surrounded by outdoor park-bench seating — with space for 50 all up. It's uniquely situated in the centre of the street just south of Argyle Square. Fitzroy's Therefore Studios took care of the fit-out — having also been responsible for Richmond's Union House and Vacation cafe in the CBD — along with branding expertise by Australian designer Peter Jay Deering and drawings by Tokyo-based designer Yu Nagaba. "The inspiration behind the fit-out was to do something complementary to the space and not jolting to the surrounding environment," says Balme. "We really wanted to be seen as an extension to the beautiful Argyle Square through our space and our menu." To complement the space, head chef Piers Bielby has created a succinct menu that focuses on 'hand-to-mouth' eating, including all-day brekkie items like the banh mi — a miso-mayo dressed milk bun piled with maple bacon and a fried egg, then topped with pickled carrots, coriander and cucumber. The avo smash is a bit different, too, set on rye bread and topped with vegan cream cheese and a beetroot slaw. For lunch, think confit crispy duck salad with Thai spices or the salty-sweet Scuttlebut vegetarian ciabatta —with a boiled egg, avocado and feta, topped with fresh herbs, pickled veggies, olives and capers. Seasonal fare is sourced from local suppliers, with all meat from Meatsmith and bread from Dench Bakers in Fitzroy North, plus coffee by Coffee Supreme and tea by Love Tea. Fresh smoothies and indulgent milkshakes are also up for grabs, as are daily-baked pastries from the takeaway display (made both in-house and sourced from Dench). Sure, the all-outdoor seating may not be ideal for these winter months, but it does mean the cafe is dog friendly — and they've got plenty of blankets to keep you warm, too. We expect to see the space to really boom in the warmer days ahead. Images: Kate Shanasy
Like the scent of jasmine in the air or the overwhelming urge to Marie Kondo your home, Afloat reopening is a signifier that spring is well and truly here. The Yarra River's floating bar and restaurant has become a Melbourne warm-weather staple, and is now back for its eighth iteration — this time sporting a whole new persona as the newly minted Afloat Viva Mexico. After drawing inspiration from the Balearic Islands in 2022 and Turkey's Turquoise Coast in 2021, the Afloat team has now spun the compass in the direction of Mexico, with nods to Oaxaca, Tulum, Guadalajara and Mexico City blooming to life across its interiors, the food and drinks menus, and its music and entertainment. Design-wise, Afloat Viva Mexico has gone for both colour and natural tones — so, yes, ample contrast. With splashes of lime, apple, teal, aqua, fuchsia, burgundy, musk, citron, sand, tan, moss and jungle green, this year's look takes its cues from the '68 Mexico Olympic Games design by Lance Wyman. You'll see the results featured on everything from the facades to umbrellas — and, of course, in the venue's bars. Two watering holes within the broader spot are all about Tulum vibes, complete with stone bar tops and thatched roofs. On the lower deck, the city's beach bars have influenced a brand-new lounge and dining area that includes cabanas and a DJ booth. Up top, more cabanas await, plus high bar tables, low dining tables, and plenty of greenery — not just the 80-year-old olive tree, but also banana palms, agave, prickly pear and cactus. Food-wise, Executive Chef James Gibson is focusing on spicy bites. "This year's menu celebrates the bold and complex flavours that Mexico is known for. It heroes rustic, produce-driven cooking, executed with simple but skilled everyday techniques," he advises. On offer, featuring seasonal and hard-to-find ingredients: seafood platters stacked with oysters, scallops, prawns, clams and lobster cocktails; raw bites such as prawn aguachile rojo, salmon tiradito and baby snapper ceviche verde; and a tostada range paired with house-made dips that changes daily. Or, go for the tacos from the downstairs hut — braised brisket and crispy pork sausage, barbacoa with lamb shoulder, and pork shoulder with pineapple and chilli are among the options. Love Afloat's woodfired pizzas? They're back — but Mexican-style. Fancy a roast suckling pig torta, flank steak with chilli butter and mole verde, or either a coffee tequila caramel chocolate flan or salted caramel and lemon cream corn cake for dessert? They're on the lineup as well. The drinks by Cocktail Director Tom Younger unsurprisingly favours mezcal and tequila, as designed to match the bites or simply refresh your parched throat in the spring and summer sun. This year's spread features more than 20 cocktails, 12 of which are on tap — plus Mexican beers and 50-plus wines. Of course margaritas are in the spotlight, including spicy, pornstar and with yuzu. Or, opt for the frozen chamoyada mezcalita, or a boozy version of the traditional hibiscus-infused agua de jamaica. And that gin collaboration that Afloat usually sets up with Four Pillars is back, this time distilling the latter's pink gin with Mexican oregano, habanero chilli, bitter orange and agave syrup, as well as pink grapefruit and finger lime and grapefruit — then pouring it into G&Ts and pink gin spritzes. If agave tempts your tastebuds, the new pool area will feature its own bar dedicated to it — so, yes, you know what to sip while relaxing on one of the double day beds — when it opens in the near future. And if you're a fan of Afloat's entertainment, DJs play daily from midday — and Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day events are already on the calendar. Find Afloat at 2 Flinders Walk, Melbourne across spring 2023 and summer 2023–24, open from 11am–late daily — head to the venue's website for further details and bookings. Images: Jake Roden / Griffin Simm.
Nevada's epic desert-based arts festival, Burning Man, is currently postponed due to nasty, nasty desert rain. The festival organisers, who have been keeping festivalgoers updated on Twitter, have officially shut down the main entrance after severe rain. With 70,000 'burners' expected to attend this year, holding up traffic much longer could prove a problem for the BM team. Rain continuing. Please do not come to Burning Man until you hear otherwise from official channels. — Burning Man Traffic (@bmantraffic) August 25, 2014 If you're not across it, Black Rock Desert's awaited annual festival hinges around the establishment of a temporary, trade-based community in the desert, sees the building of countless, epic art installations and outdoor live sets over the course of a week — not the ideal itinerary for bucketing rain. A long way from its humble San Francisco beginnings in 1986, founder Larry Harvey's desert bacchanal now has over 50 permanent staff, an army of volunteers and a seriously million-dollar budget, so the team won't be taking any willy nilly chances on this unexpected storm. The standing water has created a muddy mess, Bureau of Land Management dispatcher Mike Wilke told the Reno Gazette-Journal, so countless vehicles are being turned around on State Highway 447. Burning Man's tweets suggest the doors won't open until Tuesday midday at this point: BRC is closed until midday Tuesday due to rain and standing water. At the request of organizers, law enforcement is turning cars back. — Burning Man Traffic (@bmantraffic) August 25, 2014 With a fair bit of backlash this year surrounding the attendance of too many cashed-up techies (read: Sillicon valley billionaires), Burning Man punters are hoping the posers get disheartened by wet feet and Actually Camping. Via San Francisco Chronicle. Image: Reuters/Jim Urquhart.
With the temporary nationwide closure of restaurants, bars and cafes and restrictions set to be in place for at least another few weeks, we're seeing more and more places — from pubs and pizza joints to cocktails bars and some of the country's top fine diners — offering new delivery services. So, there's really no need to go through iso living off cans of tuna and mi goreng. Plus, occasionally treating yourself is a surefire way to break up the daily at-home routine, which less face it, is getting pretty tedious by now. Whether you've had a small WFH win, it's your housemate's birthday or you just need a little luxury in your living room right now, it's worth celebrating them. And what better way to do so with some A-class oysters delivered straight to your door. Mimosa Rock Oysters usually supplies its oysters to a bunch of Australia's top restaurants, including famed Sydney seafood spot Saint Peter. Now, as a means to support its farmers, the family-run distributor is supplying its top-quality molluscs to homes across Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra — at reduced prices, with free delivery. Sourced from Wapengo Lake and Nelson Lagoon, both located in the stunning Mimosa Rocks National Park, these oysters are harvested wild and known for their complex taste, yet smooth, creamy texture. And as soon as tomorrow, you could be slurping them for as less than $2 a pop. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7XsT3LgvxU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Currently, there are two sizes available: the Lil Ripper and The Boxer. The former are smaller in size and a minimum of three years old; The Boxer oysters are larger and aged between three-and-a-half to five years old. The minimum order is three dozen, which will set you back $58 and $72 respectively. If you're really wanting a feast, you can opt for ten dozen, which will save you up to 43 percent per dozen. All oysters will arrive live and unshucked, so if you were in need of a shucking knife, you can also purchase one via its website. If stored properly — kept in the box and stored in a cool, well ventilated area between 10°C and 17°C, the Sydney rocks will keep for up to 14 days from harvest. For more storage tips, check out Mimosa Rock Oysters Instagram post here. Delivery is free and is available across Sydney and Melbourne metro areas, as well as around Canberra. For regional NSW and Vic, you can make enquiry by emailing mimosarockoysters@gmail.com or calling 0408 130 718. Mimosa Rock Oysters new home-delivery service is available across Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. For more information and to place your order here.
Before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Seth Rogen and his regular behind-the-camera collaborator Evan Goldberg had more than a few hands in Sausage Party. Lewd and crude isn't their approach with pop culture's pizza-eating, sewer-dwelling, bandana-wearing heroes in a half shell, however. Instead, the pair is in adoring throwback mode. They co-write and co-produce. Platonic's Rogen also lends his vocals — but to warthog Bebop, not to any of TMNT: MM's fab four. That casting move is telling; this isn't a raunched-up, star voice-driven take on family-friendly fare like Strays and Ted, even when it's gleefully irreverent. Rather, it's a loving reboot spearheaded by a couple of patent fans who were the exact right age when turtle power was the schoolyard's biggest late-80s and early-90s force, and want to do Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo justice. Affection seeps through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem as pivotally as ooze, the reason that there's even any adolescent marine reptiles that aren't at all like most of their species, and are also skilled in Japanese martial arts, within the franchise's narrative. Slime might visibly glow in this new animated TMNT movie, but the love with which the film has been made is equally as luminous. Indeed, the Spider-Verse-esque artwork makes that plain, openly following in the big-screen cartoon Spidey saga's footsteps. As it visually resembles lively high school notebook sketches under director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs the Machines) and Kyler Spears' (Amphibia) guidance, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem feels exactly like the result of Rogen and Goldberg seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, wondering how Leo and company would fare in a picture that aimed for the same visual flair, then making it happen. Computers did the animating, of course, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's appearance may as well have smudgy fingerprints where someone has coloured in heavily with a texta, then accidentally slid a digit over the page before the ink was dry. While the TMNT realm has delivered good entries and bad, plus memorable and bland renderings of its core quartet — fittingly, these turtles have kept mutating — their current iteration is warm, retro and nostalgic while veering in its own aesthetic direction. So, the turtles aren't 80s-era slick like the OG cartoon series splashed across the small screen. They're not costume-wearing men (costumes by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, no less) as seen in the 90s live-action flicks, either. It's for the best that this Leonardo (voiced by Nicolas Cantu, The Fabelmans), Donatello (Micah Abbey, Cousins for Life), Raphael (Brady Noon, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr, The Chi) haven't been spawned in the likeness of 2007 picture TMNT, either, or the motion-capture efforts of 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Fun: that's how TMNT: MM looks with its scribbled-on, graffiti-leaning style, and it's also what Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe (also a co-scribe), Spears, Koala Man's Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (the last of the flick's five screenwriters), and the Bad Neighbours movies' Brendan O'Brien (who gets a story credit) are overtly after. So were comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird when they created the anthropomorphic crew four decades back to parody superhero tales — as are the adopted turtle children of mutant rat Splinter (Jackie Chan, Hidden Strike), too. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's key group just wants to be teens, and the movie wants to hang out with them as they try. In addition to an updated take on their origin story, TMNT: MM sketches Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo into a coming-of-age story. They practice ninjutsu. They bust out their fearsome fighting skills. They sneak out to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the ultimate teens-just-wanna-have-fun film. They also just want to be accepted for who they are, because this is a Frankenstein story as well. Here, living below New York City's neon streets has become a drag for Leonardo who leads, Donatello who does machines, Raphael with the attitude and Michelangelo the party dude. Emotionally scarred from humanity's worst impulses, the protective Splinter forbids the turtles from venturing above ground for anything but supplies — which is where the stealth outdoor cinema trips come in. The ageing rat is certain that the world isn't safe for four slime-transformed humanoid critters. Unlike Ferris, though, his 15-year-olds would like to spend their days in classrooms and hallways, and with teachers and fellow pupils, a wish that they can only dream about. Then they meet April O'Neil (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear) as a high schooler who aspires to be a journalist and is investigating Big Apple crime for the school paper. She becomes a friend when the katana-, sai-, bo- and nunchuck-wielding brothers help her with the thugs who steal her scooter. Like slipping into toxic sludge when they were babies, crossing paths with April is just the beginning of the turtles' latest journey. All of those robberies link back to Superfly (Ice Cube, The High Note) — and soon there's a menagerie of mutants, including Bebop and his rhino pal Rocksteady (John Cena, Barbie), bat Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou, What We Do in the Shadows), alligator Leatherhead (Rose Byrne, Physical), manta ray Ray Fillet (Post Malone, Wrath of Man), and also Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building) and Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress, Spider-Man: No Way Home). Being a teenager is about yearning to fit in, and so is standing out because you're seen as a monster by everyone around you. Those Frankenstein nods are well-deployed, but then so is most of this turtle tale: cowabungas, Beyoncé love, jokes about both Ratatouille and Shrek, and a soundtrack that's catnip to 80s and 90s kids (think: Blackstreet's 'No Diggity', 4 Non Blondes' 'What's Up?' and A Tribe Called Quest's 'Can I Kick It?'). Getting Trent Reznor, the rock-god patron saint of angsty alternative teens of three decades ago, on score duties with his usual composing partner Atticus Ross (Bones and All) is a genius move, and always sounds that way. Who else can craft tunes to fight frenetically in sewers and slink through the street by? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem caters expertly to millennial adults, clearly, but it doesn't forget that it's for today's young viewers as well. Although that mix of audiences requires a balancing act, Rogen and co know how to amuse themselves and still serve up TMNT for the next generations. All those famous names among the voice cast? Crucially, they always come second to Cantu, Abbey, Noon and Brown Jr in a lively, energetic treat of a flick — the franchise's equivalent of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza and, yes a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renaissance.
With summer (and hopefully some hot weather) arriving this weekend, Melbourne's southwest has scored the perfect balmy weather venue. Meet Sebastian, a new Spanish restaurant right on Williamstown beach. After opening the doors to Southbank Argentinian grill Asado in August, co-owner Dave Parker (also one of the names behind San Telmo, Pastuso and Palermo) has launched yet another project. He's teamed up with longtime friend and Williamstown local Alex Brawn to transform the space once home to Shelly's Beach Pavilion into a breezy seaside bar and grill that nods to the Spanish town of San Sebastian. The venue opened late last week and will be open from 10am till late every day of the week. Acclaimed design studio Ewert Leaf has transformed the the heritage-listed space into a Hamptons-style vision of white, blue and oak befitting of the waves lapping at the shore just beyond it. The venue has space for 250, complete with dining room, bistro and a sprawling shaded deck that is literally on the beach. The all-day menu is available from noon, with lots of snacks, small and large dishes cooked over the charcoal grill and cold smoker. Snack in pinxtos like fried mussels and pork croquettes, or dive into some sardines, house-made sausage or a whole flounder. Meats and fish are cured in-house, too, which you can get into with the kitchen's signature charcuterie board. Patatas bravas make an appearance, thankfully, and Spanish wine, vermouth and sangria on tap will really top off your post-swim feast. Sebastian is open daily from 10am till late at 26 Esplanade, Williamstown.
Hotel dining all over Australia is currently having a renaissance. Top chefs are being brought in to shake up less-than-inspirational menus. And architects are creating spaces with their own unique identities, separate from the accommodation. Hotel owners are finally seeing the power that comes with turning these restaurants into proper destinations — not just doing the bare minimum to get hotel guests to book a table. One of the latest hotels to really invest in its new restaurant is Hotel Vera out in Ballarat. At the end of January this year, the team launched Babae with Culinary Director Tim Foster (The Gold Mines Hotel and ex-Source Dining) at the helm. This 26-seat fine-diner has no a la carte offerings, instead plating up a seven-course degustation for dinner and a shorter four-course spread for lunch. Foster has worked with farmers, breeders, and providores in and around the Goldfields region for a long time now, so plenty of hyper-local produce will find its way to the plate and into your wine glass. Stuff grown in the hotel's own garden will also feature when possible. Cuisine-wise, it can best be described as contemporary Australian, but it mostly has European influences. Dishes will change frequently, depending on what's in season, but you can expect to find a selection of snacks to start, followed by a bunch of larger dishes and two desserts when heading in for dinner. Wines are unsurprisingly a mostly Victorian affair, with a few sweet Italians also up for grabs when taking on the suggested wine pairings. You won't have a stack of choices when dining at Babae, but with Foster running the show, there's no need to worry. His previous restaurant Source Dining was hatted for nine years in a row, and Babae might just follow suit. You'll find Babae at 710 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, open for lunch from Friday to Sunday and dinner from Thursday to Saturday. For more details and to book a seat, head to the venue's website. Images Emma Duzhnikov
Wearing a pair of R.M. Williams says 'I'm ready for anything'. You could be going to the pub, walking into a work meeting or heading out to the farm to milk the cows. Sparkly footwear doesn't quite conjure up the same feelings of practicality. Well, until R.M. Williams released a special run of boots in gold metallic. The Aussie bootmaker released a special run of the boots last year to much fanfare — the shoes sold out quicker than most of us could transfer all our money into one bank account to pay for them. So we're sure more than a few people will be happy to hear that R.M.s will release a second lot of the limited edition Adelaide boots in gold and, for the first time, bronze. As with each R.M. boot, these have been crafted out of a single piece of leather and feature the same elegant stitching and tapered heel cuban heel of the regular Adelaide range. R.M.s are arguably Australia's most iconic shoe. From a modest start in the Adelaide outback servicing the stockmen and women of the heartland, 85 years later, a diverse range of people still wear the boots — from farmers in the outback, to corporate businessmen, to the style set at fashion week. Australian designer Dion Lee has used R.M.s regularly in campaign shoots and runway shows, even creating his own for New York Fashion Week in 2014. This latest addition to the women's range is only available online from tomorrow, Thursday, April 19. At $545 a pair, they're not exactly cheap — but if you're looking for an investment piece, a pair of R.M.s is the very definition of the phrase. Continuing to embrace contemporary styles and adapting to modern fashion without sacrificing their DNA has surely guaranteed the longevity of this historic label. R.M. Williams' gold and bronze Adelaide boots will be available to order online from Thursday, April 19 at rmwilliams.com.au.
What makes a great avocado on toast? The answer to that question is subjective, because we all have different tastes when it comes to the breakfast and brunch staple. What makes a serving of avo on toast so spectacular that it's dubbed the best that Australia, nation of avid avo toast worship, has to offer? Avocados Australia, the industry body representing the Aussie avo industry, thinks it knows — and it has just named the country's top version, in fact. Since June, the organisation has been running the first-ever Australia's Best Avo Toast competition, aiming to find the avo on toast that'd make all other avo on toasts envious if the dish had feelings (and turned even greener with envy about better avos on toast). The winner hails from Brisbane, with Balmoral's Little Hideout Cafe getting the nod for a menu item called 'seasonal avocado'. [caption id="attachment_862831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Little Hideout Cafe[/caption] If you're a Brisbanite keen to give it a try — if you haven't already — or you now know where you're headed for an avocado fix next time you're up north, the winning dish goes with slices of avo, rather than smashing it all up. It places them atop a toasted slice of grainy sourdough, then pairs it with roast tomato aioli, whipped feta and beetroot hummus, as well as slices of radish and a sprinkle of homemade dukkah. The cost: $16.90. No, spending that on avo on toast won't rob young Aussies of their chance to buy a house. Yes, visiting the cafe for some avo will help make a dent in Australia's current glut of avocados. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Little Hideout Cafe (@littlehideoutcafe) Little Hideout emerged victorious from a list of ten finalists, with Queensland performing strongly. Nodo in Newstead, Anouk Cafe in Paddington, Cinnamon and Co in West End and Kin and Co Cafe in Teneriffe all hail from Brissie, too, while Guyala Cafe is located in Cairns. In New South Wales, Barbetta Cucina in Paddington and Bolton Street Pantry in Newcastle made the list, while Faraday's Cage in Fitzroy was the sole Victorian finalist, and The Banksia Tree in Port Adelaide the lone South Australian venue. [caption id="attachment_862832" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Barbetta Cucina[/caption] And if you're wondering how the competition worked, it was judged by Avocados Australia, with a focus on the quality of avocados used and how they were heroed in the dish. Little Hideout's avos are supplied by Big Michael's, and grown by Simpson Farms. Little Hideout Cafe is located at 2/185 Riding Road, Balmoral, Queensland. For more information about Avocados Australia's best avo toast competition, head to the organisation's website.
You can never have too many rooftop bars — especially effortlessly stylish rooftop bars that soar 24 storeys above street level and boast uninterrupted 270-degree views across the city and beyond. Which is good, because that's exactly the kind of sky-high sipping spot that's just arrived on Chapel Street, with Beverly Rooftop gearing up to make its long-awaited debut this April. You might remember back in mid-2021 the talk of a towering new venue set to eventually grace South Yarra's new Goldfields development. The bar and eatery's name was yet to be chosen, as was the operator selected to bring it to life. Now, we know the score: Cameron Northway (founder of LOTI, Rocker Bondi and drinks company Sweet&Chilli) is teaming up with Goldfields' Marco Gattino and Lachlan Thompson to unveil his impressive all-day spot, Beverly Rooftop, in a matter of weeks. [caption id="attachment_891071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Goldfields[/caption] Taking cues from the cool-kid rooftop haunts of LA, the indoor-outdoor space has been imagined by acclaimed Melbourne studio Mitchell & Eades (Grill Americano, Carlton Wine Room, Rock Sugar). Boasting a retractable glass roof, it's a vision of earthy sunset tones and foliage, set against a backdrop of sweeping panoramas. Seasonality and sustainability drive the menu by chef David Ball's (the UK's Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, The Glass House in Hobart); a lineup that has swagger but that remains approachable. Expect to match after-work vinos with the likes of truffle-infused mac 'n cheese bites with mornay sauce, bluefin tartare tostadas finished with chilli yuzu mayo, and wood-grilled octopus paired with an 'nduja romesco. Deeper in, pasta might hero a pulled pork belly ragu finished with mojo de ají, while a slow-cooked beef rib is served on the bone, sided with onion rings. We're also foreseeing many an afternoon and evening up here, sipping while soaking up the view — and the drinks list is set to offer options for all those occasions. It's packed full of local goodies, including a cocktail lineup that reimagines the classics using Aussie spirits and native botanicals. [caption id="attachment_891069" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cameron, Marco and Lachlan[/caption] Find Beverly Rooftop at Level 24, 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra, from April. It'll open from 4pm–late Tuesday, and from 12pm–late Wednesday to Sunday.
With spring well and truly underway, morning temperatures are getting slightly more bearable and good ol' summer feels like it's inching closer every day. And what better way to celebrate, than with a brand new beachside gelato store? Already a firm neighbourhood favourite in both Hawthorn and Collingwood, Piccolina Gelateria has spawned a third location in St Kilda The new Acland Street store sports a Hecker Guthrie-designed fitout like its siblings — the design a playful nod to the 1950s in Southern Italy — but it'll also has a few key differences tying it into this new locale. A big, open facade embraces St Kilda's streetside buzz, with gelato-hued interiors offset by a glorious serving bench of square-cut Italian tiles. Here, you can get your mitts on 20 of Piccolina's all-natural handmade gelati, as well as four granita varieties. And prepare to go a little bit nuts with the chocolate and hazelnut — Piccolina St Kilda is kitted out with its own liquid chocolate fountain, drizzling signature house-made Nutella-style sauce 24 hours a day. Piccolina St Kilda is now open at 137 Acland Street every day from noon till late. Images: Carly Ravenhall.
If you're the kind of Dark Mofo attendee who slips into a different mindset the very moment that you hit Tasmania each winter, the festival has plenty on its 2023 lineup to get you into that mood and groove. It announced Florentina Holzinger's dance theatre performance A Divine Comedy back in January, and then dropped its full dark, sinister, confronting and boundary-pushing lineup in March. The arts event isn't done with boosting its program yet, however — newly adding TRANCE to its bill, and openly inviting sliding into a reverie in the process. Hailing from Berlin-based Chinese artist Tianzhuo Chen, this three-day performance isn't just something that you watch. You purchase a 'trance pass' to head along, which gives you access to the whole show across its run. Then, you can wander in and out as you like, seeing each day's 12-hour ritual — which is batched up in six two-hour chapters — in what's basically a physical theatre-meets-rave show. [caption id="attachment_897773" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TRANCE by Tianzhuo Chen | Dark Mofo 2023. Photo credit: Camille Blake. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Along the way, you'll notice nods to religious iconography and pop culture alike — and Butoh choreography as well — as things get psychedelic and transcendental. You'll also spot Tinazhuo's cast of characters go all-in on testing the body's corporeal limits. (For that moseying along whenever you're keen, booking Concrete Playground Trips' Dark Mofo accommodation package might come in handy.) [caption id="attachment_897771" align="alignnone" width="1920"] COMMUNITY OF GRIEVING | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] TRANCE isn't the only new addition to the lineup, with Community of Grieving from Zosia Hołubowska and Julia Giertz similarly freshly on the bill. The European sound artists and music activists combine music and storytelling in a piece that's a a bit of sonic meditation and an audio essay, and also features theatrical costumes. As the name makes plain, it's a mourning ritual, specifically focusing on folks lost during the pandemic and since. "The exploration of darkness is key to our identity as a festival, but at the heart of Dark Mofo is powerful ritual, collectivity and transformation," said Art Program Curator and Senior Producer Dexter Rosengrave, announcing this year's latest shows. "We're really excited by these new additions to the program because they elicit an individual response that communally exalts us all." [caption id="attachment_895366" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trentemøller | Dark Mofo 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Run by Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art, and taking place in Hobart between Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22, Dark Mofo already named Trentemøller on its program back in March; however, that gig is one of three shows that were previously sold out but have now been moved to convert venue MAC2, upping their capacity to 2500 people. Accordingly, there's now extra tickets on sale for the electronic music composer, as well as to NYX's electronic drone choir soundscape event DO.OMYOGA: Nada Sound Ceremony (where you'll get yoga mats to sit on) and also Laterne by Berlin Atonal. As for the rest of the already-unveiled bill, it includes The Blue Rose Ball, which does indeed take its cues from the one and only David Lynch; Giant Teddy, EJ Son's towering Korean pop culture-inspired teddy bear that has lasers for eyes; Max Richter's SLEEP, which returns to Australia for an eight-and-a-half-hour overnight stint; and Soda Jerk's latest film Hello Dankness. The list goes on from there, whether you're keen on live tunes, the kind of performance shows you won't see elsewhere or nude solstice swims. [caption id="attachment_897775" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NYX | Dark Mofo 2023. Photo credit: Garry Jones Photography. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Dark Mofo 2023 runs from Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22 in Hobart, Tasmania, with tickets on sale now. Top images: TRANCE by Tianzhuo Chen | Dark Mofo 2023. Photo credit: Camille Blake. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo. // Laterne by Berlin Atonal | Dark Mofo 2023. Pictured: Lee Gamble presents Flush Real Pharynx at Laterne by Berlin Atonal 2019. Photo Credit: Dark Mofo/Rémi Chauvin, 2019. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world — including our Dark Mofo tickets and accommodation package.
"Shaken, not stirred." At Le Martini, those three words are bound to be uttered frequently. Shaken martinis are indeed on the menu. If you prefer your cocktail stirred, that's fine, too. Wet, dry, whatever else takes the watering hole's guest bartenders' fancy: that's what you'll find at the world's first-ever Grey Goose martini bar. James Bond is a fictional character, but if literature and cinema's super-suave spy was real, he'd be interested in this spot — and he'd have to head to Australia to check it out. When Le Martini opens its doors on Friday, May 24, Melbourne will the bar's home, giving the city martini-swilling bragging rights over everywhere else on the planet. Initially announced back in March, this 34-seat watering hole on the ground floor at Crown Melbourne isn't just heroing one kind of tipple. It's also about one variety of vodka. The aforementioned visiting bartenders will whip up their favourites, starting with New York's Dale DeGroff, whose career dates back to the Rainbow Room in the 80s. Accordingly, head by from 5pm–late Thursday–Sunday and DeGroff's Harry's Original, Grey Goose Millennium Dry and Grey Goose Martinié Speciale are your choices. The first takes its cues from the 1888 Harry Johnson martini, which was the first martini recipe with five ingredients to ever make it to print. The second serves up a crisp taste, while the third uses blanc vermouth, sauternes and a Sicilian olive. Don't know which type of martini suits you best? Le Martini's bartenders will assist. And to pair with the martinis, martinis and more martinis, French bites using local Victorian produce are on offer, with Bistro Guillaume at Crown Melbourne responsible for the culinary range. Oysters come with a mignonette, whipped cod roe baguettes and gildas are among the options, and so is a caviar with blinis and creme fraiche. While sitting beneath glass chandeliers, you'll definitely know that this is a Grey Goose bar; a window displaying the brand's bottles will remind you even when you don't have the taste of your martini on your lips. The space also splashes around blue on its walls, as well as its velvet curtains and banquette seats, and includes geese etched into its mirrors. Find Le Martini on the ground floor at Crown Melbourne, Southbank from Friday, May 24, 2024 — open from 5pm–late Thursday–Sunday. Head to the venue's website for more details.
In the realm of cinema, there's rarely such a thing as a simple love story. The latest film from Belle director Amma Asante proves that point more than most. As far as rousing romances based on real-life stories go, A United Kingdom hits the jackpot. A relationship struggling to flourish in the face of race-related divides and widespread international attention, and with the British government wilfully interfering, sits at the heart of this engaging feature, as drawn from a chapter of history many audiences mightn't know. The year is 1948, the place is London, and while the times might be a-changing after World War II, there are still battles to be fought. When typist Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) meets and falls in love with Prince Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) of Bechuanaland, they can ignore the racist taunts directed towards them in the streets, and even her parents' strong disapproval. Alas, when they wed and later settle in the country now known as Botswana, avoiding the diplomatic conflict that follows becomes impossible. Guided by his uncle (Vusi Kunene), most of Seretse's tribe is against their union, as is the government in neighbouring Apartheid South Africa. English officials (including the Harry Potter franchise's Tom Felton) are also far from happy, doing whatever they can to stifle Ruth and Seretse's union in the name of global politics, economics and the Commonwealth. It's a situation teeming with injustice — and while the fact that it has been turned into a handsome drama might give an indication of the outcome, A United Kingdom provides an example of solid emotional storytelling from start to finish. Even as outside forces pull the film's star-crossed lovers in opposite directions, they never lose sight of what's important. Nor, for her part, does Asante. Indeed, while much of A United Kingdom might seem politely generic — filled as it is with honey-coloured sights and unravelling as it does at a measured, straightforward pace — there is far more at play here than just a love story. Demonstrating their ability to not only tell an important tale, but tell it well, Assante and writer Guy Hibbert (Eye in the Sky) are at their best when they're swapping easy sentiment for quiet fortitude — the kind a woman might need to persevere when she's stranded in a foreign country without her beloved, and bullied by those around her, for example. With that in mind, keep your eyes firmly on Pike. She's worlds away from her steely, unsettling performance in 2014's Gone Girl, but her work here proves no less compelling. Thanks to her efforts, audiences will gain an even better idea of the tensions and struggles of marrying someone that most don't approve of, as well as the tenacity required to soldier on in the face of public scorn. Hers is a quiet performance but a physically expressive one, transitioning between confident and tentative, yet never dampening Ruth's sense of resolve. Oyelowo, meanwhile, brings his usual combination of charm and gravitas, adding to an impressive resume that also includes Selma and Queen of Katwe of late. But it's his costar who really stands out in this stirring true story.
His resume includes a racially confused rapper, a Kazakh journalist, an Austrian fashion reporter and a fictional dictator. But Sacha Baron Cohen's cavalcade of colourful characters doesn't stop there. In Grimsby, the man also known as Ali G, Borat and Brüno becomes a welfare-receiving, soccer-mad, booze-guzzling father of nine from England's north, in the first of his films not to bear the name of its protagonist. Taking its title from a place rather than a person doesn't demonstrate the movie's broader range, though. Instead, it indicates the film's mostly muddled nature, with gross-out jokes Cohen's main concern. In the eponymous Lincolnshire town, Nobby Butcher (Baron Cohen) satisfies his sexually voracious girlfriend (Rebel Wilson), oversees his brood of kids, and parties at the local pub, all while pining for his long-lost brother. Discovering that his sibling has been spotted after a 28-year absence, he heads to London, but instead of a happy reunion with secret service agent Sebastian (Mark Strong), he foils a top-secret mission. When Sebastian is branded a rogue operative in the fallout, Nobby pledges to help him. First, they hide out in Grimsby, before hopping from South Africa to Chile to stop a terrorist attack. With Grimsby, Baron Cohen attempts once again to dissect ignorance and prejudice – in this case, his target is class and prevailing attitudes about the less wealthy. Yet the slyness that typically surrounds his silly satire has been dialled several notches down. While he's never laughing at the people he's depicting – even adding a blatant late celebration of so-called scum (his words) into the mix – he's more often focusing his attention on bodily functions and primal urges. Genitals, placing items in places they're not meant to go, fatal illnesses, and fornication of the human and animal kind all ramp up the crudeness, though the humour is hysterical one minute and stretched the next. Indeed, even when the chuckles flow freely, Grimsby struggles with consistency. As an actor, Baron Cohen is clearly committed to his well-meaning clown of a character, as is Strong playing the more serious side of their odd couple double. Sadly, fellow cast members including Wilson, Isla Fisher and Penélope Cruz are given little to do. As one of the film's co-writers, Cohen flits busily between topics, targets and pop culture references with a scattergun approach. The same chaos extends to the feature's action-comedy claims. Spy spoofs just keep coming to screens, making Grimsby's espionage genre parody fall flat in the wake of Spy and Kingsman: The Secret Service. The well-shot first-person-shooter-style segments are effective, but they're awkwardly shoehorned in. Dumped in the middle of the movie's exaggerated absurdity, they're enough to give you whiplash. Yes, you'll laugh during Grimsby, but you'll also spend much of its brief 83-minute running time adjusting to its patchiness.
Añada, the first Melbourne venue we saw from Jesse Gerner (The Aylesbury, St Ali North), is one of those consistently solid venues. Since its opening in 2008, it remains one of those eateries that keeps drawing you back. Tucked into Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, it's known for its intimate atmosphere, beautiful Andalusian (southern Spanish) food and considered wine list. The menu is all about tasting and sharing. It is divided into tapas, charcuteria, raciones and desserts, so there is a lot to take in. Start off with some seared tuna with pickled green tomato and padron pepper sauce, move on to pan-seared market fish with jamon and seaweed butter sauce or hanger steak with pine nut picada and mustard greens. For smaller share plates, go for the guindilla and manchego croquetta, lamb pinchos and house chorizo with roasted grapes and cider. Finish off your meal with a classic Basque cheesecake, a refreshing lemon myrtle and eucalyptus sorbet or a sweet leche merengada parfit with honeycomb and bee pollen. If you can't decide, there's always the option to go for the chef's choice tasting menu. On the drinks list, you'll find an extensive sherry and wine collection with plenty of classic Spanish drops with Rioja tempranillo making frequent appearances. Or opt for signature cocktails like the Auroa Oloroso, made with fig liqueur and sherry Añada is welcoming and warm and makes you feel like you're tucked into a tapas bar off the beaten track in Spain. You might find yourself falling in love with it all over again.
Transport Hotel has likely already caught your eye — it's the bar with the yellow accents in Federation Square. In an ideal central location, it serves up everything you might need: a stellar drinks list, great food and lots of space. Depending on what you're feeling, you can hit the Transport Bar for drinks, or go large and sit down for a proper fancy meal at Taxi Kitchen. Whatever you decide, you're guaranteed to have a good time. Images: Giulia Morlando.
You don't need to be courtside to experience everything that makes the Australian Open special. For instance, the AO Hilltop's Canadian Club Racquet Club (CCRC) offers up a sun-drenched spot to kick back in front of the big screen with a few drinks in hand. What's more, this grassy destination set against the backdrop of Melbourne's soaring skyline also transforms into a thriving live music venue throughout the Grand Slam. And to celebrate the main draw's first day of play, Young Franco is taking over the AO Hilltop with feel-good vibes on Sunday, January 18. One of Australia's most exciting electronic talents, his eclectic blend of electronic, disco, indie and hip-hop has yielded hit tunes like Lose Control, Juice and Lose Control. Meanwhile, he's served up crowd-pleasing sets across sold-out international tours and renowned festivals, from Beyond the Valley to Listen Out. Yet he's not doing it alone: Jake Webb and athlete-turned-DJ Alex Hayes will set the tone from 4pm, while indie duo Nite Theory will close out the night. Free to attend but with limited tickets available, the next release is happening from 4pm on Monday, January 12.
While cliche to say that the heart of Sydney can be found in its patchwork of neighbourhoods, it's true. You see it every morning when you duck out for coffee and in the venues we choose to celebrate birthdays, farewells and everything in between. But its more than just postcodes, it's the people who truly make Sydney. Chef, surfer, and Sydneysider Joel Bennetts (ex-Three Blue Ducks, Fish Shop, Pier) has teamed up with Square to produce a three-part docuseries, Good Neighbours, on the independent hospitality operators who form the backbone of Sydney's 'hoods. In what feels equal measures of Parts Unknown, How I Built This and The Bear, Good Neighbours traverses Sydney from the Mediterranean deli-lined streets of Haberfield to the polished alleyways of Potts Point through the lens of the venues, people and food that make them so unique. Bennetts sets out with a simple question: what does it mean to be a good neighbour? In between bites, he discovers that the answer is pretty simple. Keep It Local For a start, it's about keeping it local. "All of our pastas we get from Peppe's across the road," Chris Theodosi, co-owner of Haberfield's Happyfield, shares with host Joel Bennetts in Good Neighbours. Peppe's has been providing fresh pasta for the neighbourhood since 1993, while the groceries for Happyfield come from Zanetti 5 Star Gourmet Deli, which has been around since 1967. "Businesses that have been here 50 years, they were like, we've never seen a business like this here—ever", Theodosi and co-owner Jesse Orleans shares in the series. Now, the viral pancake spot has become a reason people from all across Sydney make their breakfast pilgrimage to Haberfield. For the team at Pillar—a specialty coffee spot in Burwood—they're all about giving their community "a consistent third space where you always know you're welcome." Co-owner Edwin Lou says his business is about being a pillar (mind the pun) for the community. Whether you're a local photographer who needs an exhibition space or a pastry chef trying to sell your creations, at Pillar, you'll always be welcome. "We really give a damn about the suburb," shared Bennetts' longtime friends, Mike and Lucy Haskas of Bondi's The Shop & Wine Bar. The husband and wife duo even built a community garden so local residents could have access to fresh produce. Honour Your Neighbour Rather than keeping it insular, in Good Neighbours, Bennetts found that it's also about what hospitality brings into the community, too. Take MLK Deli, a cobalt blue deli doing 100% halal sandwiches, for example. Owner Myra's mother is Uzbek, her father is Afghan and her husband is Turkish. That means you'll find innovative, halal-friendly takes on cured meat—like beef mortadella and lamb prosciutto—in their frequently sold-out sandwiches. For Candy and Gaia at Bondi's Lox In A Box, they're not just serving bagels. "Bagels are kind of the centre point of my life, being Jewish," Candy told Bennetts when they catch up in the series. "In our culture, a bagel represents the circle of life, good luck and prosperity." Each bagel is made with Candy's grandmother's recipe, alongside more of her family recipes. [caption id="attachment_763492" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Kimberley Low[/caption] Care About What You Do To get started in the industry, you don't need to be a chef with years spent cutting your teeth in professional kitchens. Bennetts found a love of hospitality and a desire to do something good for the area you love will take you far. "You hear on the street, out surfing with people, what they want and how they're feeling," The Shop & Wine Bar's Mike shared on how they've created a beloved local spot that the community was asking for. For Pillar's Edwin, it was a life-changing cup of coffee. "I didn't know coffee could taste like that!" he told Bennetts. Then, he hired the barista and started his own place in his local Burwood. Pasan Wijesena was drawn to Newtown as Sydney's lockout laws wreaked havoc on nightlife. "I knew I wanted it, so I thought other people might too," he said of his idea for a cocktail meets music bar. He decided to open up Earl's Juke Joint in the Inner West thanks to its reputation as "a safe spot for people of diverse backgrounds." [caption id="attachment_954425" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Postnikova[/caption] For Donato Salomone, one day, he was running the Italian delicatessen he opened to fill a gap he'd been missing since leaving Italy. The next, he was the owner of Sydney's latest viral sandwich spot. Thanks to an 8am Instagram post, he was met with a crowd of hundreds at his teensy laneway joint, Salumerie. In shock, Donato handwrote dockets for a free sandwich for the next day when he sold out of gratitude for his neighbours for showing up. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Sydney's hospitality scene is in direct competition. For Pasan Wijesena, owner of Earl's Juke Joint, it's more like a case of "a rising tide lifts all ships." Likewise, for Mike and Lucy, "We should be in direct competition, but we're not." Rather, "we all look out for each other, it's a beautiful family." It makes you wonder what cafe concept is marinating in someone's head right now, waiting for them to start. Find out how your local favourites use Square at their website. Watch Good Neighbours in full on YouTube.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will likely never end, and Disney shows no signs of wanting it to — but if it ever does, every Marvel character you can think of will get their own Disney+ series first. Already, plenty have; see: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel and She-Hulk. The next one to join them: Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury, aka the Director of SHIELD and creator of the Avengers Initiative who acted as the connective tissue between most of the MCU's early instalments. (If Jackson didn't show up in a Marvel movie back then, was it really a Marvel movie?) Fifteen years after first appearing in the post-credits scene of the original Iron Man, the film that started it all, Fury will placed front and centre in Secret Invasion — a show that was announced back in 2020, but won't hit streaming until autumn 2023 Down Under. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for the six-episode series, a war is looming with the shapeshifting Skrulls, and Fury can't keep ignoring the pleas from Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother) for help. Plenty of other familiar faces pop up, too: Australia's own Ben Mendelsohn (Cyrano) returning as Talos after Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years) as War Machine and Martin Freeman (Breeders) as the CIA's Everett Ross. Will their characters really show up? Or will we really be seeing Skrull impersonators? Obviously, that'll only be answered when Secret Invasion arrives. Because every actor ever has to fit into the MCU at some point, the above cast is joined by a few other huge names as well: Olivia Colman (Mothering Sunday), Emilia Clarke (Last Christmas) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami). The story clearly ties into Captain Marvel, which is proving a launching pad for more than a few recent and upcoming MCU chapters, such as streaming's Ms Marvel and big-screen release The Marvels — which teams up Captain Marvel (Brie Larson, Just Mercy), Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, Candyman), and also arrives in 2023. Fury, and therefore Jackson, did appear in two episodes of the Agents of SHIELD TV show in 2013 and 2014, so this won't be the character's first small-screen outing. Behind the scenes, Kyle Bradstreet (Mr Robot) created Secret Invasion, and writes and executive produces. Check out the trailer for Secret Invasion below: Secret Invasion will stream via Disney+ in autumn 2023 — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Images: Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Sydney burger institution Mary's might be wrapping up its two-month stint at Fancy Free, but it's making sure to go out with a bang. The team will be farewelling its temporary home in the CBD cocktail bar's kitchen with a boozy, food-filled fiesta to remember. On Thursday, April 18, Mary's is getting free rein of the entire venue, taking over everything from the playlist to the fryer. There'll be a stack of its signature fried chicken, plus gravy backs galore — a shot of Jack Daniel's followed by a shot of gravy — with freebies flying fast throughout the night. And true to form, expect Mary's-style heavy tunes on the speakers and JD aplenty from the bar. Once the Mary's crew has left the building, Fancy Free will be heading up its own kitchen offering, with a rotating daytime menu of salads and sandwiches, including New Orleans-signature cult hit muffalettaa — a layered sambo packed with cured meats and cheeses — served by the pound. By night, things will be a little more substantial, and the guys are currently working on a brand-new wine and cocktail list, too. Fancy Free will be open from midday–11pm.
How long has Charles Boyle been dreaming of Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago's wedding? What did Rosa Diaz do before she was a cop? Who keeps swooping in and taking the Nine-Nine crew's cases? Which one is Scully and which is Hitchcock? If you can answer all of the above — and name Captain Holt's dog, Terry's twins, Gina's dance troupe and Jake's favourite movie — then you're set for Supersmall Club's latest trivia night. Yes, it's all about the hit cop sitcom we all know and love. You know, the one that was cancelled and then resurrected in the space of 36 hours. We'd keep asking Brooklyn Nine-Nine questions and dropping tidbits, but we'll save some for the big night. Last time a trivia evening dedicated to B99 hit town, places were snapped up faster than Terry can snap open a tub of yoghurt. So nab a ticket ASAP and it mat be your night to shine (and that can be the title of your sex tape if you'd like). Entry is a slightly steep $40, but it includes unlimited cocktails or beers to sweeten the deal. For two hours you can cop endless cosmos, daiquiris, espresso martinis or Furphy. Just take your enormous bottomless cocktail glass that is given to you upon producing your entry ticket back up to the bar to keep on kicking. Updated: December 2, 2019.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 3, 2020 — Fast and Furious 9 has moved its release date again, and will no longer hit cinemas on April 1, 2021. Instead, it'll release on May 27, 2021. UPDATE, MARCH 13, 2020: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that Fast and Furious 9 will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, May 21, 2020. It will now release worldwide in April 2021 — including Down Under on April 1, 2021. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Given the Fast and Furious franchise's title, you'd think driving speedily and passionately is what this big-budget film series is all about. Over-the-top car antics play a hefty part, as the 2001 original, its seven sequels to-date and its 2019 spin-off have all shown via a constant onslaught of hectic stunts — but if there's one thing that this Vin Diesel-starring and -produced saga loves just as much as vehicular mayhem, it's family. Over the years, Diesel's Dominic Toretto has extended the term 'family' to include not only his girlfriend-turned wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), her husband Brian (the late Paul Walker) and their various offspring, but their extended motley crew of fast-driving pals as well. Dom talks about family rather often, usually over a few Coronas with said friends and family. The gang has even faced off against a family of adversaries, courtesy of brothers Owen and Deckard Shaw (Luke Evans and Jason Statham), and their mother Magdalene (Helen Mirren). So, when it comes to Fast and Furious 9 — or F9 as it's being called — it's unsurprising that the franchise is leaning heavily on one of its favourite concepts. Somehow, the saga hasn't expended all family-related options just yet, as the just-dropped first trailer for the flick reveals. Not only does the sneak peek begin with Diesel growling "I used to live my life a quarter-mile at a time, but things change" as his character dotes on his young son (who is called Brian, naturally), but it introduces John Cena to the series as Dom's younger brother Jakob. Don't expect a happy sibling reunion, however, with Cena playing the film's villain. Via text on-screen, the trailer also tells viewers that "not all blood is family" — which means that all this flick's outlandish action stunts will pit Dom and the crew against Jakob, who has teamed up with returning criminal mastermind Cypher (Charlize Theron). Basically, they could've called this film Fast and Furious: More Stunts and More Family, which is exactly what the trailer serves up. Of course, that's what's made this franchise a huge box-office success for almost two decades now — and those action scenes, while typically defying logic, physics and gravity, are always expertly, astonishingly and entertainingly choreographed. As well as Diesel, Rodriguez, Brewster, Cena, Theron and Mirren, F9 also stars franchise mainstays Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, as well as another returning fan favourite that's revealed in the trailer — plus Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel, who joined the series back in 2015's Furious 7 and is now considered part of Dom's family. And, after a two-film absence, the movie marks the return of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 director Justin Lin. The filmmaker is also signed up to helm the upcoming tenth F&F flick, which was always inevitable, and will release just a year after this one hits. Check out the trailer for F9 below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSiDu3Ywi8E&feature=emb_logo F9 was originally due to open in Australian cinemas on May 21, 2020, and then on April 1, 2021; however it'll now release on May 27, 2021. Image: COPYRIGHT © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved
Frankston has had a major glow up in recent years. Walking around town, you'll now find stacks of busy cafes and restaurants, unique street art at every turn and all kinds of local community events — think film festivals, block parties and monthly markets. The beachside life is also booming. Kids and adults alike head to the famous Frankston Pier to jump into the calm waters, or simply choose to lay on the long stretch of beach with a book in hand. Restaurants and bars also line the shore, perfect for tucking into fish and chips or sipping on sunset spritzes. To celebrate the locale's best bits, we've teamed up with Frankston City Council to create this 48-hour guide that will take you from the sun-soaked seaside to the hidden laneways and rooftop bars. [caption id="attachment_890961" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oliver's Corner[/caption] FRIDAY One great way to spend your first afternoon in Frankston is by hitting up the Beer and Spirits Trail. This self-guided tour takes you to a series of local breweries and distilleries — from Seaford Pier all the way down to Frankston Pier. It's the perfect way to get acquainted with the beachside 'burb. Follow this up with dinner at Oliver's Corner. This waterside restaurant and bar sits within the Frankston Yacht Club and is one of the best places to be when that sun starts setting. Grab some arancini, a hearty pub-style Italian feed and a few cocktails as locals go on their evening stroll along the boardwalk. Alternatively, if you happen to be in Frankston on Friday, March 24, you've got to go to The Block Party. The free event will see food trucks, live bands, street performers and local alcohol vendors descend on Frankston's laneways for one night only. It is all about celebrating the local arts scene – especially the street art. And if you're keen for a kick-on, head to The Deck for live music and DJs on the rooftop. It's the ideal way to spend a balmy evening in Melbourne — dancing through your evening as the wind blows and the cocktails flow. SATURDAY The monthly Little Beauty Market is not to be missed (if you're in Frankston on the right day). Head down in the morning to check out design, art, food and craft stalls selling local wares. It's a standout way to experience, and financially support, Frankston's flourishing community spirit. Once you're done with the market, you'll be in need of a morning brew. Thankfully, you're spoilt for choice in these parts. Two Boys, One Beagle and Mr Frankie are both brilliant laidback brunch spots — with the latter open for live music nights on Fridays and Saturdays, too. A trip to Frankston is not complete without taking a street art walking tour, either guided or solo. You'll find colourful art down laneways, in car parks and etched across multi-level buildings — we think you'll be surprised by just how much there is to see. Frankston City Street Art Tours was even named the Australian Street Art Awards' Best Street Art Tour in 2022, so you're pretty much guaranteed a brilliant experience with them. Once you're done with your afternoon jaunt around Frankston, a refreshing bev is a must. We recommend making your way over to Hotel Lona for rooftop drinks with a side of live music. For dinner, we couldn't decide between two truly great options — so here are both. First, there's Geon Bae, the spot where you'll feast on top-notch Korean barbecue dishes — cooking up your own dinner on a hot plate. But if you're in the mood for seafood and tapas, give Spanish Bar a go. This unassuming beachside restaurant serves up authentic Spanish grub — expect empanadas and croquettes for starters, share-style serves of paella and jugs of sangria for big groups, and the obligatory churros for dessert. Once you're done feasting, sit back and digest while hitting up a show at Frankston Art Centre. Here, you'll find comedy gigs, theatre performances and all other manner of entertainment throughout the year. [caption id="attachment_890963" align="alignnone" width="1920"] G Mckenzie (Unsplash)[/caption] SUNDAY Kick off your Sunday morning in Frankston with a coffee from Common Folk Coffee, or get some hearty and healthy brunch from 6 Nutrition. Next up? Sneak in a late-morning trip to the McClelland Gallery sculpture park, exploring art and nature together. Walk around the 16-hectare property to see large sculptures seamlessly set within wild surrounds or come for one of the temporary exhibitions or special events. Now, we have saved the best for last. Our hot tip is to spend the rest of your Sunday down at Frankston's waterfront. Start at the famous Frankston Pier, jumping into the water with locals who'll spend the whole day waterside — listening to music and paddling about the cool waters. You can also walk along the coast to the Seaford Foreshore for more laidback swimming and relaxing on the beach. Learn more about Frankston by visiting the Frankston City Council website. Images: Frankston City Council
It's getting mighty chilly here in Melbourne, and if you're to believe what the studies suggest, that equates to a dip in serotonin, which can affect your mood. So it's rather timely that the concept for Burnley's newest cafe, Serotonin Eatery, is based on the idea of giving diners a boost of this feel-good brain chemical. To do this, they're serving up a plant-based menu filled with colourful, nutritious and organic fare, and nixing meat products, processed foods and refined sugar completely. The idea was always guaranteed to hit a home run with the clean eating crowd, but the way it's been executed should keep everyone else happy too. Well, perhaps everyone except the most ardent meat-lovers. The fit-out is contemporary and upbeat, with smooth timber features and neutral tones broken up by pops of yellow and black. Tiny hexagon wall tiles are a subtle DNA reference, and there's a range of seating options, from a communal table, to a courtyard, to a row of sunken booths. Food-wise, you'll find half a dozen breakfast options and about the same number on the weekly changing lunch menu. Weekend brunch favourites have been given a healthy makeover, so the bread is wholegrain rye or gluten-free, the eggs-on-toast comes with an alkalising salad and the beans with something called 'powerkraut'. A bite of the 'positive pancakes' will satisfy even the most devoted sweet tooth — they're made with coeliac-friendly banana flour and teamed with berries, house-made banana ice cream and orbs of hung yoghurt ($22). Seasonal lunch offerings might include a gluten-free 'smiling pizza', with eggplant, pumpkin, spinach, feta and cherry tomatoes ($16), or raw zucchini linguine ($18). The 'nutrition bomb' is clearly the serotonin fix of choice: a riotous salad bowl packed with greens, broccoli, house-made hummus, cold roast veggies, sprouts, kraut and pickles, topped with a poached egg ($22). Coffee is from Five Senses, but there are caffeine-free options aplenty. This is your opportunity to try one of those matcha or turmeric lattes (both $6) that have been overtaking your Instagram feed. Staff (also known as the 'Serotonin Dealers') are plentiful, and as happy as you'd expect, given their working environment. Even though it's early days and the crowds are flocking, it's pretty smooth sailing as far as the eye can see, so props to them. Put as much stock as you like in the science behind this feel-good find, but if you nab one of the highly coveted window swing seats and tuck into some colourful breakfast fare, then it's pretty hard not to leave with a smile on your dial and a pep in your step.
Someone else's dream job might just inspire your next dream vacation, after Tourism Australia's Beach Ambassador (how do we apply?) just announced a handy list of the top 20 Australian beaches for 2022. The enviable gig sees beach expert Brad Farmer AM survey the nation's sandy spots and draw upon his almost 40 years of writing about beaches — and this year, he's picked Misery Beach in Albany in Western Australia as his best. There's obviously a lot to consider when anointing one of the country's 11,761 beaches as the cream of the crop — and naming the next-best 19, too. If you were to do it, or even just to try to pick somewhere to hit up over summer, you might wonder which ones aren't too busy or seaweed-y, which have the whitest sand and bluest water, and where's best for beach cricket. But Farmer's 2022 list heroes "nature-based locations, many quirky spots within easy reach of cities, and also celebrates the significant cultural value of the coast to Australia's First Nations people," according to Tourism Australia's announcement. Home of the Menang Noongar First Nations peoples, Misery Beach sits 15 minutes south of Albany and five hours southeast of Perth, and is small — sitting in a bay spanning 200 metres. Farmer describes the picturesque place as coming "straight from the pages of a beachscape artist's sketchbook", and that it provides "a dramatic feast for the senses with the look and feel of a perfectly framed filmset". That includes "crystal clear, turquoise water, virgin white sand, bounded by spectacular granite outcrops," and "only a handful of beachcombers, swimmers or kayakers availing themselves of its sublime surrounds", plus "seals, dolphins and returning migratory whales, seeking its calm shelter". It wasn't always this scenic, however, as the location's moniker makes plain. Farmer explains that Australia's last active whaling station sat nearby until it closed in 1978, "and for decades, this shoreline was often awash with whale offal, staining the beach blood red". Now, thankfully, he says that Misery Beach "belies its grim name". [caption id="attachment_712446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Loch Ard Gorge, Visit Victoria[/caption] Misery Beach claimed top position after Cabarita Beach in New South Wales did the honours in 2020, Nudey Beach on Fitzroy island in Far North Queensland did the same in 2018, and Cossies Beach in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, in the Indian Ocean, earned the title in 2017. Among the 2022 list's highest-ranked spots, Misery Beach is joined by Horseshoe Bay in South West Rocks in New South Wales' mid-north, which took second place; The Spit at the Gold Coast's northern end in third; four-place getter Flaherty's Beach, on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula; and Loch Ard Gorge, in Port Campbell in Victoria, in fifth. The full list of 20 beaches covers every Australian state and territory, including Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean Territories. Other notable inclusions span Lake Wabby on K'Gari (formerly named Fraser Island), Mots Beach at the mouth of the Snowy River, Murrays Beach in Jervis Bay Territory and Jellybean Pool in the Blue Mountains. So pack your togs, round up some mates and start ticking these off. We see many road trips in your future — not that anyone ever needs an excuse to head to the beach. [caption id="attachment_710496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jellybean Pool, Lauren Vadnjal[/caption] THE TOP 20 BEST AUSTRALIAN BEACHES FOR 2022 1. Misery Beach, Albany (Western Australia) 2. Horseshoe Bay, South West Rocks (New South Wales) 3. The Spit, Gold Coast (Queensland) 4. Flaherty's Beach, Yorke Peninsula (South Australia) 5. Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell (Victoria) 6. The Neck, Bruny Island (Tasmania) 7. Blue Pearl Bay, Whitsundays (Queensland) 8. Depot Beach, South Coast (New South Wales) 9. Murrays Beach, Jervis Bay Territory (Australian Capital Territory/New South Wales) 10. Dundee Beach, Darwin (Northern Territory) 11. Dudley Beach, Newcastle (New South Wales) 12. Thompsons Beach, Cobram (Victoria) 13. Coogee Beach, Perth (Western Australia) 14. Mots Beach, Marlo (Victoria) 15. Alexandria Bay, Noosa (Queensland) 16. Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island (South Australia) 17. Lake Wabby, K'Gari (Fraser Island) (Queensland) 18. Congwong Beach, Sydney (New South Wales) 19. Jellybean Pool, Blue Mountains (New South Wales) 20. Ethel Beach, Christmas Island (Indian Ocean Territories) Top image: @merrwatson.
When the Australian Open returns for 2023 with two jam-packed weeks of Grand Slam tennis action, it'll also be serving up a few aces for local music-lovers. Especially as part of the inaugural AO Finals Festival, which is set to treat punters to a program of live acts across the event's final three days, heating up Kia Arena from Friday, January 27–Sunday, January 29. The music fest is dishing up a ripper lineup for its debut run, too, featuring the likes of Vanessa Amorosi, Flight Facilities and Benee. Which doesn't come as too much of a surprise, given it's been curated with help from the respected music-heads at Untitled Group — the brains behind Pitch Music & Arts, For The Love, Grapevine Gathering and more. [caption id="attachment_789706" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Benee[/caption] The festival is kicking off with a bang, its first day coinciding with global LGBTQI+ event The Grand Slam, presented by Ralph Lauren. Legendary singer-songwriter and 'Absolutely Everybody' star Amorosi will help launch the musical offerings, joined by pop darling Montaigne and Melbourne-based DJ Bertie. Chasing that on January 28 (also the AO women's finals day) you'll catch New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee, renowned Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum and party-starting six-piece Winston Surfshirt, along with dance favourite CC:DISCO! And wrapping things up on AO men's finals day you'll have electro duo Flight Facilities, backed by brother-and-sister act Lastlings, Sydney's Willo and emerging Melbourne star Forest Claudette. [caption id="attachment_842049" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flight Facilities[/caption] The gigs will take place in Melbourne's Park Kia Arena, with tickets at $34 for each day. If you're already heading courtside during the AO, you'll just need to drop $5 to upgrade your existing ground pass or Rod Laver Arena stadium ticket to include entry to the AO Finals Festival on any given day. As always, there'll be scores of food and drink pop-ups scattered throughout Melbourne Park, as well as big screens showing all the on-court action. [caption id="attachment_872292" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thelma Plum, by Georgia Wallace[/caption] The AO Finals Festival hits Kia Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne, from January 27–January 29. Tickets are $34 for each day session, available online.
What looks like it takes its design cues from The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shining's Overlook Hotel and Willy Wonka's chocolate factory? What gives the escape-room concept a game-fuelled twist and drips with nostalgia as well? What also combines all of the above with booze for the ultimate in kidulting fun? And, what marks the latest Victorian venue for Funlab, the company behind Strike, Holey Moley and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq? Actually, another question: what's now open in Chadstone's just-launched new dining and entertainment precinct, and wants you to play and sip your way through it from now on? The answer: Hijinx Hotel, Funlab's adult-focused twist on sleuthing your way through various spaces with a beverage or several in your hand. Instead of escaping here, patrons hit up challenges. Making its Victorian debut in Melbourne after first opening in Sydney and then on the Gold Coast in 2022, the new venue spans ten game rooms filled with entertaining things to do. That includes a Big-style piano room with a giant keyboard across the floor, one dedicated to television, another that's all about basketball and yet another that's devoted to Rubik's cubes. Basically, the whole concept is a bar decked out like a hotel, but getting attendees to complete challenges rather than get a-slumbering in its various spaces. It also gleans inspiration from all those supremely Instagrammable pop-up installations that include ball pits, but this one is sticking around Melbourne permanently. And, it boasts plenty of cocktail-drinking opportunities, nods to New York hotels in its facade, and just generally overflows with homages to movies and board games from the 80s and 90s. Shaking off your regular routine is clearly the name of the game here, and partying like you would've before you were old enough to drink alcohol — but with the hard stuff definitely on offer. That all starts when you enter via the faux hotel lobby bar, which is full of colour and surrealist touches. Instead of merely checking in, you'll commence your Hijinx Hotel experience. Afterwards, there's also an outdoor terrace, which is where you'll find cocktails. As for the not-quite-hotel rooms themselves, you gain access by heading to reception t0 pick up a swipe card. As well as the aforementioned activities, interstate faves such as the Adore-a-ball and Scrambled rooms have been replicated in Chadstone. Hijinx Hotel has company as part of a 3611-square-metre precinct with a capacity for 1050 guests, which is Funlab's largest precinct in the country so far. The company's fellow brands Holey Moley, Strike and Archie Brothers have also opened their doors, for tapping around pop culture-themed greens, knocking down pins and getting a sideshow experience. Holey Moley sports four holes exclusively designed for Chadstone, Strike is decked out to look like the inside of a train station and Archie Brothers even includes a 4D XD theatre. In total, the entire space features 62 arcade machines, eight bowling lanes, ten game rooms and 18 holes of golf, so you won't get bored. Also a highlight: those four bars serving up creative cocktails, and breaking up all that kidulting. Find Hijinx Hotel at Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, Victoria. Images: Eugene Hyland / Funlab.
The end of March sees the beginning of cherry blossoms beginning their bloom all over Japan. The cherry blossoms, or sakura, are a fleeting beauty, only revealing the pretty pink petals for a couple of weeks each year — with tourists hailing from all over the world to catch a precious glimpse. With the country's borders reopening to tourists at the end of 2022, there is no better time to head to Japan and soak in all of its wonders than right now. Plus, with the sakura season varying around the country, you can experience that pink sky a bit later in the year if you head further north than Tokyo. If a Japan trip is in your near future, we're jealous! But, you're also probably feeling a tad overwhelmed with the myriad sights to see, activities to do and snacks to snack on. So, it's handy that Klook is up to date with the greatest ways to explore the country. Heading to Tokyo? Osaka? Okinawa? There's parasailing, dedicated cherry blossom experiences, temples aplenty and much more. But, if you're not heading there in the near future, CP's got you covered — don't fret. We've rounded up some standout Japanese experiences in Melbourne that will ease you through your travel bug. [caption id="attachment_893357" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Phattana[/caption] JOIN A CHERRY BLOSSOM-THEMED PAINT AND SIP AT LADDER ART SPACE Heading to Tokyo? Be sure to book a Mount Fuji Classic Route Day Tour to see the cherry blossom trees in flower with the iconic Mt Fuji in the background. You'll have time to explore the picturesque ponds of Oshino Hakkai too, sure to be an experience you'll never forget. Staying in Melbourne? If you can't see the cherry blossoms in the flesh, why not paint them instead? Kew's Ladder Art Space cherry blossom class will provide you with everything you need, all you have to do is show up. Your creative juices will flow (encouraged by some vino) and music, plus expert artists showing you the ropes. Whether you're a tyro or a Picasso, you will take home a hand-painted cherry blossom artwork, with the staggering Mount Fuji as the backdrop — your own slice of Japan to look at every day. [caption id="attachment_889219" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julia Sansone[/caption] HAVE AN OMAKASE DINING EXPERIENCE AT YUGEN If you're feeling sorry for yourself for missing out on cherry blossom season in Japan this year, we suggest you stay local and really treat yourself — and what's more indulgent than an omakase experience? Head to the six-seater chef's table at Yugen, where Alex Yu will guide you through an intimate dining experience showcasing the highest quality produce and his well-honed culinary skills. Yu handcrafts a seasonally driven daily menu and personally works to ensure your experience is something truly special. The omakase will set you back $285 per person — make sure you book in advance as spots book out quickly. [caption id="attachment_717300" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julia Sansone[/caption] GET YOUR BRUNCH ON AT 279 If you won't be in Tokyo to brunch on nori toast or impossibly fluffy pancakes, look no further than West Melbourne for your daily dose of authentic Japanese home cooking at 279. This sleek venue sits on Victoria Street and offers strictly Japanese cuisine, coffee and dessert. This is a fusion-free zone with a menu that is hearty and traditional, centred around onigiri — which you can find on the shelves of Japan's plentiful convenience stores. Right here in Melbourne is the perfect spot to start your day's feasting with authentic Japanese cuisine — you'll soon forget that you're in Melbourne's decorated streets and not those of Harajuku. SIP ON SAKE AND JAPANESE BEERS AT ROBOT BAR If a night on the town in Tokyo, exploring the alleyway bars of Golden Gai, isn't on the cards for spring, check out Robot Bar hidden away off Flinders Lane. This is a little slice of Tokyo in Melbourne, with an extensive range of sake and beer to enjoy. The Japanese "popular culture bar" is guarded by a gang of toy robots hanging from the ceiling and a collection of vintage Japanese movie posters. A fun and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy after work — or a place to nerd out on anime every Tuesday at 8pm. [caption id="attachment_893354" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marco Montalti[/caption] REPAIR YOUR BROKEN CERAMICS AT A KINTSUGI AUSTRALIA WORKSHOP Klook is full of exciting activities you can enjoy in Japan this spring. But, if you're wanting to take up a new hobby while embracing some culture right here in Melbourne, we suggest you check out Kintsugi Australia's workshop. Kintsugi is the traditional Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using lacquer and gold, dating back to the 16th century. This art form embraces the Japanese celebration of the beauty in imperfection, beautifully highlighting a break or flaw instead of disguising it. Kintsugi Australia offers a range of courses, whether you are looking for something modern, traditional, beginner or intensive. Workshops run most days — there's something for everyone to embrace and enjoy. [caption id="attachment_893361" align="alignnone" width="1918"] Mila Naumova[/caption] TRY YOUR HAND AT IKEBANA FLORAL STYLING Have a go at ikebana, a calming and therapeutic petalled way to bring a bit of Japanese culture into your life. Ikebana is a traditional style of floral arrangement, which is a lot more sculptural practice compared to Western techniques. This practice highlights the inner qualities of materials and aims to express balance, harmony and form. If you're interested in learning how to make beautiful ikebana arrangements, By Azumi has you covered with workshops suitable for beginners and more experienced students, in multiple places in Melbourne. You'll learn all the basics, going home with your arrangement and the skills to flex your ikebana muscles forever. [caption id="attachment_893462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Author[/caption] BUY SOME MANGA, FIGURINES AND MODEL KITS AT ONE STOP ANIME If you're interested in more contemporary Japanese culture, One Stop Anime has a pretty impressive collection of figurines that will see you take a little piece of Japan home with you. Hidden away on Bourke Street, this treasure trove is heaven for any anime lover. The staff are all experts and super friendly, so they will be sure to help you with whatever you're searching for — whether you are into Studio Ghibli, Pokemon or Hatsune Miku. HEAD OUT OF THE CITY TO STAY AT JAPANESE MOUNTAIN RETREAT Heading to Japan and Fukuoka's on your list? Be sure to check out Klook's Kumamoto Castle and Kurokawa Onsen day trip. After you explore some majestic historical castles and visit an active volcano you will end the day with a relaxing dip in the hot springs of Kurokawa. Staying in Melbourne? Head to the Japanese Mountain Retreat in Montrose for a romantic weekend away. You might not have a vista that includes volcanoes, but the mountains are just as magical. Plus, you can enjoy your own onsen experience. Here, there are multiple bathing packages that'll have you soaking in natural mineral-rich spring water — we promise you will feel worlds away from home in this Japanese oasis. There are plenty of Japanese experiences you can enjoy right here in Melbourne, but if you can't quite cure your travel bug, it might be a sign that a last-minute trip during cherry blossom season is just what you need. Best place to start planning? Klook. For more information, head to the website. Top images: AXP Photography; Julia Sansone; Jezael Melgoza.
Melbourne isn't short on Mexican joints — we've got a heap of good 'uns already on high rotation. But, still, it's just received another one in the form of unapologetically neon-lit Tex-Mex joint El Camino Cantina. El Camino comes from Sydney where is has two outposts, along with another in Brisbane, and is part of Rockpool Dining Group, which also owns Sake, Rosetta, Munich Brauhaus, Burger Project and, of course, Rockpool Bar & Grill. This loud venue — which is in the old Fitzroy Social (and Little Creatures) space on Brunswick Street — is made for casual dining, but it's also and over-the-top with giant cocktails, rock 'n' roll jukeboxes, lively Tex-Mex fare and sprawling 400-seat dining room and bar. Slushie machines signal big nights and brain freezes. El Camino's margaritas come in many renditions, including a tropical Red Bull flavour, which really says it all. Other options include a host of beers from near and far, and a collection of over 100 mezcals and tequilas. The food lineup is as fun and casual as the drinks. Think fiery buffalo wings, sizzling fajitas, plump burritos, soft shell tacos loaded with punchy flavour combinations and unlimited complimentary corn chips and salsas. It'll all rounded out with a solid selection of daily specials, including 10-cent chicken wings on Wednesdays (when you buy a drink), $2 tacos on Tuesdays, brunch on weekends and a weekday happy hour from 4–6pm.
When Netflix added DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story to its catalogue in 2022, complete with WandaVision, Mare of Easttown and American Horror Story actor Evan Peters playing the titular IRL murderer, it popped another true-crime effort on its ever-growing pile. Whether Zac Efron is playing Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the sadly finished Mindhunter is tussling with real-life killers, or The Serpent, The Stranger and The Good Nurse are also dramatising reality, the streaming platform isn't short on movies and shows that bring grisly slices of history to its queue. Next up: the Menéndez brothers. When DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story proved a hit, as it was predictably going to, Netflix made the next least-surprising move it could: it renewed Monster as an anthology series. At the time, the service revealed there'd be at least two more seasons— "two more instalments that will focus on other monstrous figures who have impacted society", in fact — but exactly who would be in the spotlight wasn't announced. Now, the platform has named Lyle and Erik Menendez as Monster's next subjects, and advised that Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story will arrive in 2024. There's still a shortage of details otherwise, including exactly when next year viewers will be streaming the show and who'll be starring in it — but this too is a well-known true-crime story that's earned plenty of media attention before now. In a teaser to announce the series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story plays the infamous 911 call featuring Lyle sobbing on the night that his parents died. For those new to the story, Lyle and his younger brother Erik were investigated, tried and convicted for the 1989 shootings of their parents José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menéndez, who were killed in their Beverly Hills home. Monster creator and prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy remains behind the series, adding another anthology effort to his resume after American Horror Story and American Crime Story. And whoever he gets to play the brothers, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story isn't the only new dive into their tale that's heading to Netflix. The platform also announced that it's making a documentary feature about the case as well, aided by exclusive access to Lyle and Erik. Check out the teaser announcement video for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story below: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story will stream via Netflix in 2024. We'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available to stream now via Netflix. Images: Netflix.
Roadtripping combines a show pony portion of adult responsibility with the type of wind-in-your-hair freedom you just don't get in every day life. Ipso facto, it's the perfect way to travel. And if the Great Ocean Road isn't really your scene — or all those Instagram-famed pastures of the UK are sure to break bank — then Central Europe is where to start. Not only are car rental prices blasphemously affordable, but this part of the world is filled with hundreds of untouched marvels of Natural Wonder calibre. You can see the snow-capped mountain ranges of Slovenia, Europe's largest lake in Hungary, that infamous Croatian coastline and every wonder from Brno to Budapest all in under two weeks and for less than half a grand. Here's how. [caption id="attachment_570201" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Benjamin Combs[/caption] WHERE TO HIRE A CAR If you want to conquer a good deal of Central Europe on wheels, and have some time up your sleeve, do a no brainer and fly into the country that has a) the cheapest flights, and b) the cheapest car rental. Your best best is either Prague, Slovenia's capital Ljubljana or Bratislava in Slovakia — they all have a history of offering some pretty great deals on car rental (we're talking a few hundred dollars a week here). Their locations are also perfect for doing a circular route of the region without having to back-track. Most car hire companies cap their young drivers fee at seven to ten days, so if you hire for longer than a week, you're probably not going to pay more than $100 extra for being under 25 (compared that to the UK where you'll pay upwards of double). Check out rentalcars.com and skyscanner's car rental search for the best deals. [caption id="attachment_570192" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Guillaume Speurt via Flickr[/caption] WHERE TO TRAVEL Your rule of thumb should be get to the countries beginning with S, and stop at places with B. Slovenia, Slovakia and Serbia not only the hold the most insane nightlife in Europe, but each city is home the crème da le crème of Europe's castles, cathedrals and mountains. Lake Bled in Slovenia is beyond words — just look at the above photo. It's worth finding someone to elope with just for an excuse to get hitched at Spiš Castle in Slovakia, and when you get to Serbia, you'll find the remains of some kind of ruined, history-laden castle at most major turn offs. What's that? Oh, just King Stephen's timeshare that was ruined by a Mongolian invasion in the 14th century. Cool. If you're a confident driver, give the Austrian Alps a shot — and if you're driving between Slovenia and Austria or Slovakia you'll have to give them a go anyway as there's no getting around them. You'll have to be careful (ice is slippery, duh) but it's a resume-worthy feat getting over them alive/without crying at least a few times. Hungarian and Slovakian backroads are filled with some pretty eery, Deliverance-esque sights, like old women selling fruit and veggies from old school desks and men leading pigs along the road. But, on the upside, there's plenty of cows and sheep and the aforementioned pigs to pat. Inner-Croatia is hilly, which makes for brilliant en-route sightseeing, and you need to check out at least one of its national parks. Plitvice Lakes is outrageous. Little tip: If you're at the point where Slovenia and Croatia meet at the coast, duck into Trieste, Italy for lunch. It's only an hour or so detour. [caption id="attachment_570210" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jean-Frederic Fortier[/caption] WHAT TO PACK IN THE BOOT You're not Bear Grylls-ing it so don't worry about gallons of water, flint or flare guns. First off, double check with your rental company that your car contains a Green Card — this proves you have the minimum car insurance needed as an international driver. You'll also need a multi-city European sim card for on-the-go internet (Vodafone offers a goody, as does giffgaff), some Euro (regardless of the country you're in) and a paper map or two wouldn't go astray. You can pretend to be a real adventurer and do this trip without GPS; the highway signs throughout Central Europe are easy enough to follow, but at the same time English isn't widely spoken in smaller towns and villages, so doing the trusty Amazing Race tactic of pulling into a servo and asking which way to Phil Keoghan may prove a little fruitless. Also, make sure you also have an ice scraper, a good board game (we recommend Uno or Bananagrams), so many dry socks and an iPod chockers with podcasts. [caption id="attachment_570196" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Marijana Petrovic[/caption] WHERE TO STOP FOR CHEAP EATS The most underwhelming part of your roadtrip will be the amount of McDonalds you see. Globalisation, eh? At the same time, go to at least one in Austria because they do a super yummy banana milkshake. In the major cities, pay a visit to food markets — we can recommend the Great Market Hall in Budapest, Viktualienmarkt in Munich, Open Kitchen in Ljubljana and Havel Market in Prague). Remember, you have a car and can therefore can grab something quick from the supermarket, and drive anywhere you want and picnic on Lake Balaton or under the shadow of some Yugoslav-era castle. TOLLS In every country you're going to have to buy a different vignette, or prepaid road toll — it's a little sticker you put on your windscreen. You can buy them from most servos, though Shell is your safest bet. Bank the word vignette and use it when asking for one because most service stations sell cards at the counter that look like vignettes, but are actually tokens for car washes. So even though you'll have the cleanest car this side of Austria, you'll also obtain the status of most wanted toll evader. Learn from our mistakes. Anyway, this website gives a great overview on where you'll need them and at what cost. [caption id="attachment_570208" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dominic Lange[/caption] KEEP IN MIND... If you're travelling in winter, you're going to be equipped with snow wheels. They don't feel drastically different from normal wheels, but they create more friction with the road, which is occasionally noticeable. If you're driving in snow, be careful! Drive gently, avoid harsh acceleration, hard breaking, abrupt downward gear changes or steering movements. Houses are very close to major roads so watch out for ducks, chickens and children. Be wary driving in the dark, and always check what time the sun is setting in order to make realistic deadlines to get to your next location. Straight highways aren't forever, and ripping around, up and down mountains at 150 kilometres an hour in the dark is petrifying. Parking isn't so bad in most of Central Europe, and most underground car parks are about a quarter of the price of major city parking in Australia. If you attempt street parking in cities like Budapest, Vienna or Prague you risk morphing into an angry roadtrip dad and saying things you don't mean and losing your friends/wife/respect of your children. Risk it if you dare. If you conquer around 200 kilometers every couple of days (about three to four hours driving), you can easily do the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria in two weeks. Good luck, friends. Top image: Genie Austin.
When December 2023 hits, it will have been four decades since David Byrne walked out onto a Hollywood stage with a tape deck, pressed play and, while standing there solo, began to sing 'Psycho Killer'. It'll also be 40 years since then-future The Silence of the Lambs Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme directed cameras towards the legendary Talking Heads' frontman, recording the results for concert film Stop Making Sense. What's the best way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the event behind the greatest concert film ever made? By watching it, as A24 is here to help with. As well as releasing Close, Beau Is Afraid, You Hurt My Feelings, Past Lives, Beef and smash-hit Australian horror movie Talk to Me in 2023, the cult-favourite independent film and TV company is bringing a completely restored version of Stop Making Sense back to the big screen where it belongs. Madman is distributing the concert flick Down Under, where it'll get everyone wanting to wear big suits from Thursday, November 9. When it starts burning down select picture palaces around Australia, all 88 glorious minutes of Stop Making Sense will screen in 4K, as premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival — and also has a date with SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival in October. So, no it isn't the same as it ever was: Stop Making Sense is now even better. Stop Making Sense isn't just iconic for how it starts, which definitely isn't how concerts usually kick off. From there, as captured at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre in December 1983, David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison put on one helluva show in support of their previous year's album Speaking in Tongues. Expect a lineup of hits, a playful approach, Byrne's famous oversized attire and even heftier stage presence, and the feeling that you're virtually in the room. Indeed, everything about this energetic and precisely executed documentary, which records the set from start to finish, couldn't be further from the standard concert flick. As 'Once in a Lifetime', 'Heaven', 'Burning Down the House', Life During Wartime', 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)', 'Genius of Love' and more get a whirl, each element of the film is that fine-tuned, and every aspect of the band's performance, too. And if it feels like Byrne was on-screen not that long ago, that's because his Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods)-directed solo concert movie American Utopia did the rounds of Aussie cinemas back in 2020 — and proved one of that year's absolute best films. Check out the trailer for Stop Making Sense's 4K restoration below: Stop Making Sense will screen in Australian cinemas from Thursday, November 9. Images: Jordan Cronenweth, Courtesy of A24.
When Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker's 'No Return' starts playing over Yellowjackets' opening credits, it couldn't be more perfect for a variety of reasons. With its 90s-style sound, the tune fits the show's mood exactly. Its title sums up one of its biggest themes, too. And, those two words also ring true for viewers — because when you watch this immediately intriguing, excellent and addictive series, which follows the fallout from plane crash, there's no turning back to a time when you weren't obsessed with it. Hungry for more? After proving one of 2021's best new series and quickly getting picked up for a second season, Yellowjackets has locked in a return date. Bust out your best 90s-appropriate threads and start learning survival skills again, because the series will start unfurling its next batch of episodes from Friday, March 24, 2023 via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. In just-as-exciting news, that season-two date was accompanied by very brief sneak that's filled with snow, the show's creepy symbol, knives and blood. It doesn't drop any narrative details or provide any glimpses at the show's stacked – and growing — cast, but it's filled with classic Yellowjackets eeriness, as a series about a New Jersey high school's girls soccer team after they crash in the forest and possibly turn to cannibalism should be. If you're new to the series, it jumps between that 90s tragedy and the survivors 25 years later. In their high-school prime, Shauna (Don't Look Up's Melanie Lynskey as an adult, and also The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse as a teenager), Natalie (Welcome to Chippendales' Juliette Lewis, plus The Book of Boba Fett's Sophie Thatcher) and Taissa (Billions' Tawny Cypress, and also Scream's Jasmin Savoy Brown) were key players on the titular high-achieving squad, while Misty (Wednesday's Christina Ricci, as well as Shameless' Samantha Hanratty) was the squad's frequently bullied student manager. Then, en route to a big match in Seattle on a private plane in 1996, they entered Lost territory. That accident saw everyone who walked away from the accident stranded in the wilderness — and those who then made it through that ordeal stuck out there for 19 months, living their worst Alive-meets-Lord of the Flies lives. Season two will pick up after plenty of chaos in both timeframes, and with new faces among the cast. Introducing more of the team in their adult guise is very much on the agenda, including Simone Kessell (Muru) playing the older Lottie and Lauren Ambrose (Servant) as the older Van. In their younger years, both characters are played by Australian actors, with Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Lottie and and Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet) as Van. Also joining the show: Elijah Wood, who is no stranger to leafy surroundings thanks to his time in the Lord of the Rings franchise. He'll play Walter, a citizen detective who is set to challenge Misty — the adult version, presumably. Check out Yellowjackets' first teaser for season two below: Season two of Yellowjackets will start streaming from Friday, March 24, 2023 via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of season one.
There's nothing like the freedom of the wide open road, and there's never been a better time to spread your vehicular wings and explore. The best part? If you're keen on top nosh, you can basically eat your way from Melbourne to Sydney — and eat well. Cities don't have a monopoly on amazing food. In fact, road trip eats are perfect for hardcore locavores, since travelling through rural and regional areas gives you the opportunity to sample ingredients directly from the source. Just imagine hitting the coast for fresh-off-the-boat seafood, discovering hidden gems of farmside fine dining or tucking into a rough-and-ready American-style barbecue. Helping to make your food-filled dreams a reality in 2021, we've plotted a Melbourne-to-Sydney journey worthy of the finest diners. Strap on your seatbelt and your bib — you're in for a treat. Please stay up to date with the latest NSW Government health advice regarding COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_802765" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Banksia[/caption] BANKSIA, PAMBULA You might not expect a pedigree of upscale dining in this wee heritage-listed cottage just outside of a tiny seaside town, but here we are. Within the walls of Pambula's Old Bank building, Head Chef Huw Jones, formerly of Zanzibar in Merimbula, marries his fine-dining credentials with home comforts. Banksia offers a three-course set menu with matching wines, served in a homey space with an open fire. The menu is ever-changing but leans Italian, tapping into the ethos of selecting high-quality ingredients and letting them shine. Expect some fried polenta here, prosciutto there, and perhaps a roasted pork collar with potato gnocchi or zucchini flowers with romesco sauce. Finishing on desserts like hazelnut ice cream with fresh fruit and a brandy snap, a meal at Banksia manages to be delightfully old-school but not old-fashioned. [caption id="attachment_795571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dulcie's Cottage, Claudine Thornton, Destination NSW[/caption] DULCIE'S COTTAGE, MERIMBULA Dulcie's Cottage is filled with old-world charm, but keeps a youthful edge — think vintage heritage meets fresh-as local produce and craft brews. The walls of this chilled-out craft beer and cocktail bar are decked out in taxidermy and photos from its nearly hundred-year history. The food is served from a genuine 1950s kitchen caravan in the light-festooned beer garden. It keeps things simple: either hit fresh oysters with lemon and nuoc cham or grab one of the hefty burgers. While it's hard to go past the classic Dulcie Burger, fussy (or ambitious) diners can select the build-your-own option instead and load on extra patties, bacon, slaw and jalapeños. Would you like fries with that? Choose between A Few Fries ($4) or A Lot Of Fries ($8) — finally, sizing that makes sense. Dulcie's is also a buzzing live music venue, making it the perfect wind-down pit-stop for some road trip R&R. [caption id="attachment_804034" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Poacher's Pantry, Destination NSW[/caption] POACHER'S PANTRY, SPRINGRANGE A restaurant with its own vineyard and artisanal smokehouse? This is your ultimate charcuterie stop. Poacher's Pantry offers an award-winning range of handcrafted, smoked smallgoods, from classic bresaola and bacon to kangaroo prosciutto. You can sit in at the Smokehouse Restaurant for multi-course brunches and lunches seven days a week, enjoying unique specialties like vodka and lavender cured salmon, labneh, charred citrus, bottarga and chives, or hot smoked ocean trout and herb crepe with lemon ricotta, asparagus, green apple and mustard cress. The vegetarian dishes are no less impressive, putting the Poacher's organic kitchen garden produce front and centre — like heirloom garden vegetables with whipped feta and pea shoots. Don't have time for a long lunch? Pick up a picnic hamper instead, complete with the venue's Wily Trout Vineyard wine. [caption id="attachment_802695" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rick Stein at Bannisters, Jesse Smith, Destination NSW[/caption] RICK STEIN AT BANNISTERS, MOLLYMOOK Rick Stein became a household name for putting coastal produce at the forefront of his dining, and his restaurant in Mollymook, Rick Stein at Bannisters, is no exception. Naturally, the menu changes daily depending on the catch, but that's the way you want it. Survey the ocean from on high as you tuck into freshly shucked oysters, or salmon, swordfish and tuna sashimi. The menu is peppered with Southeast Asian elements, such as Cambodian-dressed Eden mussels, or fusion-style Hervey Bay scallops with toasted hazelnut and coriander butter. For a more casual affair, The Rooftop Bar and Grill at Bannisters Pavilion offers the likes of salt and pepper calamari, fried cauliflower, prawn linguine and chargrilled chicken. [caption id="attachment_792595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Three Blue Ducks, Kitti Gould[/caption] THREE BLUE DUCKS, NIMBO Three Blue Ducks has taken its traditional farm-to-table style and set it in the Snowy Mountains. In the light, airy lodge of Nimbo Fork, the restaurant's menu celebrates the produce of the Riverina district with an ethos of simplicity, honesty and sustainability. From hefty tomahawk lamb chops and duck fat-roasted potatoes to smoked Nimbo trout with dill and crème fraîche, the simple approach lets the quality of the ingredients do the heavy lifting. It extends the same care to vegetables as it does to meat, with satisfying, meatless main events like oven-roasted potato gnocchi with pea and ricotta sauce or harissa-spiced roasted cauliflower. Finish with sea salt meringue with lemon curd and chantilly cream or a special house cocktail, like the Smoky Spritz. [caption id="attachment_795568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Argyle Inn[/caption] THE ARGYLE INN, TARALGA If you're as much a fan of historic restorations as you are fine dining, you'll want to stay the night after your dinner at The Argyle Inn. The warm lighting on the dark wood walls of the main dining room sets the tone for cosy country hospitality in this recently restored 19th-century inn. Being co-owned by two sustainable farmers means the menu skews seasonal and as local as possible, even down to the wine list. The contemporary Australian menu is hearty in winter and light and fresh in summer. The dishes are genteel but unpretentious: fresh pasta, local beef, house-made pickles, terrines, rillettes and some of the best sourdough you'll find in the Southern Tablelands. [caption id="attachment_795564" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paste[/caption] PASTE, MITTAGONG Prepare for a memorable Thai-style dining experience at Paste. Chef Bee Satongun's menu is centred on the rediscovery of old recipes, traditions and forgotten culinary techniques of Thailand. Using fresh Australian produce, Paste offers refined Thai cuisine in an ever-changing seasonal menu — think roasted duck with lychee, hot mint, banana flower and blood lime; Moreton Bay bug with chu chee curry; 'crying tiger' aged T-bone with phaya rum, ghee, sticky rice, lemongrass and tamarind jaew; and, of course, special crab fried rice. Robust flavours don't end at the main course, with show-stopping desserts like fermented rice sorbet with passionfruit and mango encased in a delicate chocolate dome. [caption id="attachment_795575" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Two Smoking Barrels[/caption] TWO SMOKING BARRELS, WOLLONGONG You'll find this Carolina-style low-and-slow barbecue joint smack-bang between two car yards. It's an impressive set-up at Two Smoking Barrels with a grill rig used to smoke and season meats with native ironbark. It has everything from melt-in-your-mouth pit-smoked brisket to pork rolls, house sausages and short ribs on offer. There's a feed for every appetite, whether you need a quick, smashable burger or you want to settle in for a big ol' meat platter before you hit the road again. The sides are classic barbecue soul food: potato gems, slaw, cornbread, mac 'n' cheese and speciality burnt-end beans (the crispy, well-seasoned end bits of smoked meats). Warning: this is not food for the faint of heart, so wear your loosest pair of jeans. Start planning your great escape to New South Wales this season by visiting the Visit NSW website. Top image: Poacher's Pantry, Destination NSW
The residents of Box Hill should be very pleased with themselves. Not only do they have some of Melbourne's best Cantonese food (among other cuisines) on their doorstop, but they've also just landed a brand new, insanely cute café — and we're already planning a pilgrimage to try it out. After operating as a takeaway coffee pop-up in the area, The Penny Drop has opened a permanent 100-seat cafe-restaurant in the newly refurbished ATO building on Whitehorse Road. And hot damn is it good looking. We can't decide which part we like more — the experimental menu or the Pinterest-worthy interior, which has been seriously decked out by interior designers We Are Huntly. It manages to find a balance between minimalism and warmth (with the help of some pastel pink tones) and has a large circle feature that reminds us of The Kettle Black. But let's talk about the menu. At first glance it may look like your standard offering, but that's the charm — the menu puts an Asian-inspired take on your favourite staples. Breakfast dishes like plain old pancakes sound like heaven (buttermilk pancakes with coconut foam, black sesame and pistachio dukkah, raspberry compote and palm sugar caramel), and don't even get us started on the potato and garlic chive waffle with poached eggs, ham, hollandaise and wakame. Some dishes don't fit any breakfast stereotype but still make our mouths water, like the tea-smoked salmon with spring onion pancake, bean shoot salad, avocado and son-in-law eggs. The lunch menu (available from 11.30am till 3pm) is sparser, but burgers are prominent — the soft shell crab burger with Kewpie tartare, coriander, cucumber and lime takes our fancy — but the dinner menu (available after 5.30pm) really sparkles. Try the fried chicken wings with mandarin sauce and sesame ($13) or the coconut beef short rib with sweet fish sauce, pomelo and soft herbs ($39) and drift away to dream land. The Penny Drop is open for brekkie, lunch and dinner all week as well as servicing all your takeaway coffee needs. Another cute, tasty reason to spend more time in the 'burbs.
Melburnians living in the inner north know CERES as a local institution, with this Brunswick East social enterprise pushing for social and environmental change for the past 40 years. Whether you visited with school or on your own time, you've probably taken part in a gardening workshop or educational program that levelled up your green thumb. Now the organisation is stepping things up with a revamped fortnightly Saturday market, stacked with local creativity, quality vintage goods and handcrafted wares. Running from 9am–2pm, local makers, artisans and designers will take over the parkland on November 8, November 22 and December 6. Plus, there's a special Christmas market planned for December 20, perfect for any last-minute gifting needs. Tucked in between CERES' thriving green spaces, on-site cafe, bustling nursery and more, visitors can expect a curated mix of stallholders, from handmade ceramics and sustainable fashion to preserves, toys and art. And with the organisers mixing things up for every edition, you'll discover different creative goods every time you swing through. "This market brings together everything people already love about CERES: community, creativity and care for the Earth," says Sam Hulls, Market Coordinator at CERES. "We're building a space that reflects the community's values while supporting local artists and small producers."
Fried chicken lovers: start drooling. KFC is set to unveil a brand new burger inspired by the flavours in Peking duck, but there's a catch: the only place you can get your hands on it will be at their new music festival on Cockatoo Island. The Colonel will throw the music festival in the iconic Sydney Harbour spot with an all-star local lineup on Sunday, March 13, and yes, all tickets include free KFC Peking Cluk burgers. You lucky ducks. The Peking Cluk burger has been created in collaboration with local TikTok sensation Dimsimlim and is made from Original Recipe fried chicken coated in a hoisin glaze sauce with a healthy topping of dry spring onions, cucumber and cabbage slaw. As for the headliners at the festival — it's Peking Duk, of course. The rowdy DJ duo are stepping up to help the Colonel as KFC's official burger spokespeople, and will be performing at the festival alongside beloved Yolngu rapper Baker Boy and Sydney favourite Thandi Phoenix. Attendees will be treated to Peking Duk's brand-new live show that they created over the last two years. The show has only been seen a few times at the likes of Field Day and features big party energy, remixes of previous material and plenty of synthesisers. "We've been in the bunker making the live set totally different, totally unique. It's going to be fun and it's going to be an experience that nobody's had before," Peking Duk's Reuben Styles told Concrete Playground. Adam Hyde of the duo put it more succinctly: "Get clucked, go cluck yourself, cluck off and have a clucking great time on Cockatoo Island with the boys." [caption id="attachment_753774" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cockatoo Island[/caption] Cockatoo Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has hosted iconic musicians including The Wailers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Skrillex and Lorde. "We've never done Cockatoo Island and that's such an iconic spot for gigs. So many epic artists have come through and done shows there," said Styles. "We didn't expect our first time playing there to be a KFC collab, but god damn it's going to be so fun." The festival will mark one of very few gigs the pair have been able to play since the start of the pandemic. "Anytime a gig goes ahead now it feels like a huge relief that we actually get to put on a party and play a set for people," Styles continued. "It's so hard to pump people up about a gig when you know there's such a high chance it won't go ahead. Doing more intimate shows like the KFC one is so great for the interim because you can say, 'Hey, here's a show, it's going to go ahead, let's all get excited.'" Style and Hyde, alongside festival buddy Thandi Phoenix and a heap of Aussie musicians took a stand last month against the NSW Government's restrictions on live music and religious gatherings. The group of musicians labelled themselves Thrillsong after it was revealed that Hillsong hosted a large youth event with many similarities to a music festival during a time when festivals were unable to go ahead. "I think it was a great thing," Styles proclaims about Hillsong's gathering. "It shined a light on how stupid the government's rules were to allow religious events to go down but no any other form of musical events." If you want to catch Peking Duk's new set and get your hands on the Peking Cluk burger, tickets to KFC's Cockatoo Island music festival are available via Moshtix now for $50, but be quick as they're sure to be snatched up quickly. There's no word yet whether the Peking Cluk burger will be on offer more widely in KFC stores. [caption id="attachment_636228" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Baker Boy by Bec Taylor.[/caption] KFC's Cockatoo Island music festival will be on Sunday, March 13 featuring Peking Duk, Bakery Boy, Thandi Phoenix and plenty of burgers. Tickets are on sale now. Top image: Peking Duk at Sunset Piazza, DNSW
Finding the perfect balance in a cafe can be tough — some are just too big, others too small — but if Goldilocks could visit Northcote's Poke the Bear, we'd bet she would think it's just right. It's the latest venue from hospitality guru Ryan Cassidy (ex-Truman, Galleon, Veruca Salt) and it boasts a menu of breakfast and lunch options, all of which come with a healthy side of pun. If mornings aren't your thing order a Grizzly Bowl of acai, banana and coconut water, topped with chia seeds, goji berries and toasted coconut, or channel you inner caveman with the Bear Hands: a brekky taco packed with scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato relish and pico de gallo. Lunch options include a selection of toasties, soups, nachos and poke bowls, while sides come under the banner of Bear Essentials. Coffee is provided by the experts just down the street at Wide Open Road, while non-coffee drinkers can choose from a freshly squeezed red, yellow or green juice from the Se-Juiced menu. Located in what was once Radio Mexico North, the cafe's design remains largely the same: it's bright, open and filled with leafy greens. While the puns might make your eyes roll, Poke the Bear has all the makings of a northside hotspot.
