What do you get when you cross three fine dining heroes with decades of combined experience that spans pretty much the entire world? Although this sounds a lot like a punchline that would force you to unfollow a close friend, the real answer is Etta, the new home for Hayden McMillan, Hannah Green, and Dominique Fourie McMillan. The trio, who have an insane resume that includes Cutler & Co, The Roving Marrow (which won a hat under Hayden's charge), Attica and Neil Perry's Rosetta, will open up their new joint tonight — Thursday, March 23 — at the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street. With restaurants all over the place trending towards a more healthy-meets-delicious selection of dishes, it's no surprise to see the trio's newest venture taking up the mantle of the balanced yet tasty diet. When we met Hayden back in 2013, when he was killing it in the kitchen at Auckland's TriBeCa, he told us that his dish of choice at home was a "massive bowl of vegetables and sweetcorn with sliced almonds and butter". Whether or not that's still the case, this focus on vegetables is key to the menu at Etta. It's not a case of a strictly vegetarian joint, but he says to expect "a heavy representation of produce over protein". While it's easy to give in to our inner child and assume that everything that is good for you tastes rubbish, Hayden is aiming to blast that notion back into the past — where it belongs. "It's the kind of eating that makes people feel good," he says. "And it's delicious." So expect dishes like mozzarella pasta with peas and broccoli, King George whiting with lentils and lemon, and a rich charcoal lamb dish with goats' cheese. The 80-seat restaurant will be a 'contemporary neighbourhood bistro', and the wine list, curated by Hannah, will share that focus on locality, too, championing small producers and family-owned operations from both at home and abroad. The fit-out has been crafted by IF Architecture (the folks responsible for Gertrude Street's Marion), and will feature a botanical mural by local artist Robert Bowers. As well as lending the bistro her name, blues legend Etta James once said that "the two things you can't fake are good food and good music". With a track record like the one belonging to the trio behind Etta, you'd best believe that they ain't faking. Etta will open on Thursday, March 23 at 60 Lygon Street, Brunswick East. It will open Wednesday to Saturday from 4pm and Sundays from 12pm. For more info, visit ettadining.com.au.
UPDATE, January 18, 2022: MIFF's Hear My Eyes: Two Hands screenings were originally meant to take place in August 2021; however, the festival moved online due to lockdown and these sessions are now being held in January 2022. This article has been updated to reflect that change. Whenever you hear Powderfinger's 'These Days', do you instantly imagine a fresh-faced Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne? If so, congrats — you've seen one of the best Australian films of the 90s, and one of the best Aussie movies in general, too. The song played a significant part in Two Hands, but you mightn't hear it at the Melbourne International Film Festival's big-screen session of the classic flick. It's screening at the fest's regular Hear My Eyes gigs — playing out of season in January 2022 due to 2021's COVID-19 chaos — which pairs must-see features with a reimagined score that's also played live on the night. Doing the honours this time around: The Murlocs. So, you'll be watching them bust out their rhythm and blues sounds as Gregor Jordan's (Dirt Music) exceptional crime film unfurls. They're taking to the stage at The Astor Theatre for four sessions across Saturday, January 29 (at 6pm and 9pm) and Sunday, January 30 (at 3pm and 6pm) and, unsurprisingly, these sessions are set to prove mighty popular ticket-wise. Need a refresher on the movie? Haven't seen it yet, somehow? It follows Jimmy (the one and only Ledger), an ex–street kid and strip-club bouncer who is charged with delivering some cash for his boss (Bryan Brown, Hungry Ghosts). That doesn't turn out as planned, so soon he's on the run — alongside Alex (Byrne, worlds away from her recent role in Physical), the girl of his dreams.
Whoever said an encyclopaedic knowledge of a cartoon about a dysfunctional yellow family would never come in handy was a real narc. So, for its latest edition on Sunday, July 26, Isolation Trivia is pulling the Comic Book Guy out of every Simpsons fanatic. If you don't know squat about Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie — and their escapades over the long-running animated series' first nine seasons in particular — then consider yourself warned. This virtual trivia event is definitely for fans. You should at least know the name of Lionel Hutz's law practice, and the monikers of Lisa and Bart's hockey teams coached by Apu and Chief Wiggum. It'll also help if you know who the two other Sideshows were besides Bob and Mel, and the identity of Lisa's first hook-up. These are elementary questions, and their answers should be written into your brain like it's a chalkboard. Play along from home from 6.25pm — and, if you've ever been to a Simpsons trivia night in-person, you'll understand these can get pretty intense, with some competitors near crazed with cartoon intelligence. So be prepared for the moment you stare at the leaderboard, hypnotised by self-doubt, and repeatedly, self-pityingly mutter to yourself, "I'm not so S-M-R-T". Isolation Trivia's The Simpsons trivia night takes place from 6.25pm at Sunday, July 26.
Not one to miss a party, Gelato Messina is joining this winter's black fungus craze by rolling out a country-wide truffle service. Launching across its Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stores on Monday, July 1, it'll cost just $6 extra. For that six bucks, you can get a full three grams of the fancy fungi freshly grated onto any and all gelato flavours. Choose from classic flavour combinations like dulce de leche, salted caramel, hazelnut and chocolate — or add truffle to one of the more out-there combos. Truffled blood orange, pear and rhubarb gelato? Check. Rum and raisin topped with this decadent fungus? Sure. Fairy bread and truffle gelato? Why not. And, if you missed out on this year's fully sold out truffle degustations, this is a good budget way to still get your fix — the Messina way, of course. The truffle special will be available in limited stores and only while supplies last. Gelato Messina's truffle service will be available from July 1 at Messina in Melbourne's Fitzroy, Brisbane's Fortitude Valley and Circular Quay, Rosebery and Darlinghurst in Sydney. For other places to hunt down decadent treats this winter, check out our truffle guides for Sydney and Melbourne.
Now, a weekday trip to IDES might sound like pure madness to anyone who wants to pay their rent this month. You usually wouldn't get out the door without a hefty bill (fair payment for a very satisfied stomach), unless you're brave. The IDES sample tables are offered on Tuesday and Wednesday, and you'll get a four-course meal for only $70 a head. But there's a catch — the dishes on your menu aren't on the menu. It's a chef's selection of new dishes, so you'll effectively be the guinea pig for a very experimental (and ex-Attica) chef Peter Gunn and, frankly, we can't think of a more exciting way to spend a mid-week evening.
New season, new you? This month, you can blast away the winter cobwebs with some well-deserved self care, when VicHealth's Wellbeing Village descends on Fed Square for a weekend of nurturing and nourishment. Running from Friday, August 26–Sunday, August 28, the pop-up wellness hub aims to inspire people to kick-start some new healthy habits — which of course is excellent timing as we all clamber reluctantly out of hibernation mode. It's hosting a hefty program of classes, workshops, talks and screenings; all of them free. You can perfect the bend with a yoga class led by Lululemon or Cello Yoga, try guided meditation or a mindfulness walk, bust out your green thumb at CERES' workshop on growing veggies, or experience a sound healing session presented by the Peninsula Hot Springs team. All classes and workshops are free, but you're encouraged to reserve a spot online. There'll be healthy eats galore when food trucks take over the Main Square on Saturday and Sunday, and expert-led chats on everything from urban farming to mental health throughout the weekend. And if you head along to the Bike 'n Blend stall, you can even jump on a bike to whizz up a smoothie using your own pedal power. [caption id="attachment_865779" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bike 'n Blend[/caption]
Each year, come August, there's one thing that Melburnians can't complain about. Say all you like about the frosty weather, the inevitable rain and the feeling that winter will never end, but don't even pretend that there's nothing to watch. The eighth month on the calendar and the Melbourne International Film Festival have long gone hand-in-hand, delivering a feast of flicks to entice you into warm, darkened rooms. In fact, this year's MIFF boasts a huge 375 titles on its jam-packed lineup. The just-announced full program spans many a highlight, including one of the year's most anticipated movies: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. If you fancy seeing Quentin Tarantino's latest before it reaches regular cinemas — and Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie on 35mm film, too — then MIFF has you covered. If you're eager to view much, much more between Thursday, August 1 and Sunday, August 18, the debut bill from first-year Artistic Director Al Cossar won't let you down there either. While opening night documentary The Australian Dream, centrepiece gala pick Little Monsters and family gala selection H Is For Happiness have all already been announced, MIFF will fill out its last high-profile slot with closing night's The Farewell — a hit at this year's Sundance, it stars Crazy Rich Asians' Awkwafina as a Chinese American woman visiting her family to say goodbye to her dying grandmother. Other standouts throughout the fest include a slew of movies from top directors arriving straight from Cannes, such as Xavier Dolan's Matthias & Maxime, Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne's Young Ahmed, and Diao Yi'nan's The Wild Goose Lake, with the latter marking the newest release from the acclaimed Black Coal, Thin Ice filmmaker. https://youtu.be/RofpAjqwMa8 Also worth keeping an eye out for (and then roving your eyes over) are Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum, which sees the Spring Breakers auteur keep the party going with Matthew McConaughey; Chris Morris' The Day Shall Come, his long-awaited next political satire after Four Lions; much-talked-about Chinese epic Long Days Journey Into Night, complete with its 55-minute single take in 3D; and Hong Sang-soo's regular MIFF appearance, thanks to Hotel by the River. On the documentary front, Wu Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men reunites all nine living members of the band to talk about their ups and downs, Memory: The Origins of Alien ponders the basis of one of the best science-fiction films of all time, and Seahorse explores a trans man's complicated pregnancy. And from the local selection, Ryan Corr and Anthony LaPaglia team up for black comedy Below, Hugo Weaving goes Shakespearean in Measure for Measure, and No Time for Quiet heads to a Melbourne band camp for girls with Courtney Barnett and Cable Ties. https://youtu.be/fuKQfEX1Xy4 Acclaimed Aussie flicks The Nightingale, Hearts and Bones, Animals, Dark Place, Emu Runner, Judy & Punch and In My Blood It Runs, which all premiered elsewhere, will also finally make their way to Melbourne. Indeed, if you felt more than a little envy when Sydney Film Festival rolled around back in June, you'll be able to see many of that fest's top picks — including must-sees like Les Miserables, In Fabric, Scheme Birds and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, as well as favourites such as Pain and Glory, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ray & Liz, Bacurau, Come to Daddy, Dirty God and The Dead Don't Die. Need more? How about an all-night Jeff Goldblum movie marathon, complete with The Fly, Independence Day, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Thor: Ragnarok. Retrospective strands focusing on filmmakers Penelope Spheeris, Agnieszka Holland and Peter Strickland help round out the lineup, as does the usual selection of fulldome shorts at the Melbourne Planetarium. Because MIFF has been dropping parts of its 2019 selection for the past few months, all of the above titles join the fest's initial batch of flicks — plus its live movie-and-music performance by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and a screening of fantastic French drama Girlhood with an all-new live score.
There are a few certified methods for keeping the winter blues at bay and one of them involves holing up in a cosy restaurant with some good company, some great eating and a few whisky cocktails to wash it all down. Handily enough, that's the very situation that will soon await you at Victoria by Farmer's Daughters each Saturday. Running from May 13–July 29, the Winter Saturday Sessions promise to warm your cockles with an enticing blend of booze and produce-driven fare. Choose one of two weekly sittings (11.30am–1.30pm, 2.30pm–4.30pm) and you'll sit down to a seasonal brunch feast guided by the kitchen's passion for celebrating top-notch Victorian ingredients. Expect bites like a flaky roasted root vegetable pie, barbecued pork belly skewers, farmhouse-style cheeses and chips made using Spud Sisters' famed potatoes. Meanwhile, a bar takeover by the legends at Starward will sort you out with bottomless sips to match, including reworked classics like a whisky-infused dark and stormy, and the cherry lemon old fashioned. A range of local beers and vino is also on offer. Victoria's Winter Saturday Sessions clock in at $99 per person, which'll get you a hearty spread of food teamed with two hours of free-flowing drinks. Images: Arianna Leggiero
Ring in the Year of the Monkey with a little bit of monkey business at Queen Victoria Market. From February 16 to 20, the market is hosting a series of Chinese New Year food, music and cultural events, along with a pair of artistic installations. See traditional lion and dragon dances, take part in a guided market tasting tour, and celebrate with Yuan Xiao Jie: a lantern festival complete with live entertainment and a variety of Asian food stalls. Whichever event you decide to attend, make sure you walk down Queen Street Parade — where 14 columns have been erected featuring traditional Chinese opera masks — and pay a visit to Shed A which will be lit up with 70 red lanterns.
If jungle vibes while shopping for greenery sounds like your perfect outing, head along to the Jungle Collective's indoor plant sale on Saturday, December 12–Sunday, December 13. It's the latest greenery-filled market from the Melbourne nursery, which stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. And, after hosting plenty of online-only events this year, this sale is a 100-percent in-person affair. Also: it's slinging 30-percent off the usual price of all plants and pots. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Get inspired by greenery aplenty and learn to incorporate plants into your home and living spaces, all while browsing and soaking up some tunes. Jungle Collective is turning this event into a bit of a maze, too, so you'll enter in one spot, wander along a designated path and leave in a completely different area. Best get in quick though — these markets are always popular, with more than 170 different species usually on offer. Due to expected demand, the sale will be held in 30-minute sessions across both days, and attendees will need to register for free tickets in advance.
Australians all let us rejoice, for the public holiday is here and we plan on making the most of it. As happens every year, our calendar is full to bursting, loaded with events and parties that celebrate our multicultural country and our shared exaltation of the humble snag. Whether you’re looking to take in a live performance, satisfy your tastebuds or just want to go for a dip in the sea, this list will make sure you have yourself a cracker of a day. And yes, we've included plenty of places where you can listen to the Hottest 100. Of course, it's a day of great contention in Australia, often called ‘Invasion Day’, ‘Day of Mourning’, ‘Survival Day’ or ‘Aboriginal Sovereignty Day’ (since 2006). There's a huge protest happening on the steps of Parliament House if you're interested.
Sweet tooths, assemble. Pastry chef Pierre Roelofs and his team of wicked enablers have packed up their summer soft serve pop-up and resurrected their legendary Dessert Evenings, shattering our halfhearted plans to cut down on the sweet stuff like the ears on all those chocolate Easter bunnies we devoured over the weekend. Oops. After five years at Cafe Rosamond in Fitzroy and a short stint at Adriano Zumbo's Fancy Nance in South Yarra last year, Roelofs' dessert extravaganzas are making the move to a new home: Milkwood in Brunswick East. Hosted every Thursday night at the cosy Nicholson Street cafe, diners can expect a four-course degustation — the catch being that all four courses are dessert. The menu is top secret and changes every time. We can tell you that previous evenings have involved ridiculous concoctions of mascarpone, strawberry, honey, orange, cardamom and speculaas, as well as a deconstructed bread and butter pudding served in one of Roelofs' famed dessert test tubes. The first dessert evening will kick off next week on Thursday, April 7 with sittings at 7pm, 8.20pm and 9.40pm. You'll need to book in advance — so for the love of the dessert Gods, do so right away.
There's no reason Christmas shopping should be hell. You don't have to stampede into Myer or David Jones at the last minute. No one's making you stuff those stockings with garbage no one wants. This year you have the opportunity to do things right. The QV are opening up their summery little grass oasis once more for a special kind of Christmas market. With 40 stalls on display, the Melbourne Designed Twilight Markets will be offering up the best of our city's independent artists and designers. There'll be mouth-watering fashion from EAT.ME.DO, original art from Neon Pear, and kooky jewels from Vicki Leigh. But that's not all, every Friday night from 5pm-10pm, this relaxed little space will also be served by a pop-up bar, music, and free picnic rugs for ultimate post-work chill sessions. Don't stress if you miss it either — this gift-giver's dream come true will also be open on weekends. Though you'll have to cope without the bar, the markets will be served with a pop-up cafe from 12pm-5pm on both Saturdays and Sundays.
Christmas is coming, and so is the anxiety that comes with needing to grab prezzies for partners, mates and the fam. You can always get some hi-fi stuff during Black Friday sales or throw cash at them, but buying one-off or limited-edition wares from local makers has got to be up the top of the list of things to get as a gift. Enter, the Smith Street Studio Christmas Market Pop-Up. For just one day — from 10am–5pm on Saturday, November 23 — the studio is hosting a heap of independent lifestyle, fashion and beauty brands that'll be selling all kinds of merch. [caption id="attachment_979126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elas Crochet[/caption] The community-focused holiday pop-up will feature the recently-launched beauty brand By Katia, scents from Ficifolia, handmade accessories from Elas Crochet, staple wardrobe pieces from Studio Marlene, luxe silk pillowcases from Night Babe, jewellery from Minimum Studios and Smudge, and sensual care from BRUXA. You also don't need to use this as a gift-buying opportunity, simply rocking up to see what you want to get yourself. [caption id="attachment_979125" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Minimum Studios[/caption] Top images: Smudge
How do you find a single missing person in a country of over a billion? That's the terrifying dilemma faced by a desperate father, after his 12-year-old son goes missing. A sobering portrait of a pandemic concern in poverty-affected India, Richie Mehta's film works thanks to his unexaggerated approach to the subject matter. There's not a hint of melodrama here, and the tale is all the more compelling for it. For a film set half a world away, Siddharth hits very close to home. The film takes its title from the name of the missing boy, who in the opening scene we see being loaded onto a bus by his father, Mahendra (Rajesh Tailang). Siddharth is on his way to Ludhiana, hundreds of kilometres away, where he's due to start work in a trolley factory. Child labour is illegal in India, but commonplace nevertheless. And for the family of four, no longer able to survive on Mahendra's meagre wages as a street corner zipper repairman, the second source of income will be crucial. When Siddharth fails to return to Delhi for the Diwali festival a month later, the assumption is that he simply couldn't secure passage home. But as time passes without any word, Mahendra and his wife, Suman (Tannishtha Chatterjee), grow increasingly concerned. When they finally call the owner of the factory, he tells them that the boy ran away more than a fortnight ago. Unable to believe Siddharth wouldn't simply return home, the fear then becomes that he has been kidnapped. Based on a first person anecdote Mehta — a Canadian filmmaker of Indian descent — heard while travelling in Delhi, the story examines multiple social issues facing India. Recent statistics show that nearly 40,000 children disappear in the country each year, many of them sold into slavery or prostitution or forced out onto the streets to beg. Indeed, the problem is so endemic, so normalised, that at one point someone suggests that Mahendra simply have another child. Such callous pragmatism extends to the police force and child protection agencies, overworked and undermanned as they are. But so too does it extend to Mahendra himself, who is soon confronted with the financial cost of continuing the search for his son. It costs him a month's savings just to pay for a train ticket to Mumbai. Suman blames him for sending Siddharth away, and it's easy to agree with her. But then again, did he even have a choice? The grim economic reality of the family's situation is the stark spotlight under which Mehta's film unfolds, and ultimately makes it that much more confronting. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wNMDwpMrxmQ
So this bloke called Bruzzy owns a farm in Tallarook and because he's a bloody legend, every year he hosts the beatnik camping festival Boogie. Basically, Boogie is a three-day buffet of music, arts, booze, food and Boxwars. This year, the organisers have increased its capacity to 1500 people, keeping the music line-up suitably stellar. There's New York City's Endless Boogie with their grizzled riff-rock, Tav Falco's Panther Burns (a bastardisation of Mississippi blues and rockabilly), the hyperactive Money for Rope, dreamy Simone Felice, Mr Phil Jamieson, Don Walker and The Suave Fucks, Lowtide, Wang, Velociraptor and many, many more. Punters will be able to swap hard cash for "Boogie bucks" which can be exchanged for chewy, chocky, drinks and the spare toothbrush you will never remember. The Boogie kitchens and bars will be serving food and alcoholic beverages and one can even have an outdoor shower (but it'll cost ya, at $5). All tickets include free return train travel from Melbourne, good sounds and grand times over the Easter break. Did I mention it's a BYO festival? Boogie begins on Friday, March 29, and ends at noon on Monday, April 1. Image Tim Rogers, Catherine Britt and Bill Chambers via Chrissie Vincent Publicity.
In the early 1970s Patti Smith and Sam Shepard illicitly shacked up in the notorious Chelsea Hotel and co-wrote a play in just two nights, literally shoving a typewriter back and forth across the table until Cowboy Mouth was complete. Forty years on director Emily O'Brien Brown and Exhibit A: Theatre pay homage to the self-destructive lovers' attempt to immortalise their young wild selves through the play’s two characters, Slim and Cavale. Cavale is French for “escape” and Slim is “a rock ‘n’ roll Jesus with a cowboy mouth” — a far cry from Slim Shady. Cavale and Slim fight, drink and wrestle with their own egotistical fantasies of themselves; their unravelling mental states mirrored by the literal deterioration of their decrepit, rundown hotel room. Like a rock royalty version of Vladmir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot, both express a desire to leave but neither follow through. Instead, they play games or musical instruments and survive, barely, on dreams, Cavale’s stories and lobster take-out. Adorned with a baseless mattress, tatty drawings and a drum kit, the stage at GoodTime Studios is cleverly used to show the two characters trapped in their perceived corner. Cavale cuddles a dead bird and tells stories of dead French poets as she avariciously stalks Slim across the stage. He is edgy and practically aquiver with artistic torment: he’s left a wife and child (or she’s left him) for Cavale’s feverish artistic blatherings. Partnered in psychotic torment the two ricochet from happy to wretched, from lustful to fearful, from psychiatrists to podiatrists. Comic relief comes, happily, when they call up the Lobster Man — an inarticulate delivery dude outfitted in full crustacean uniform. The theatre group has breathed new life into this rock ‘n’ roll tale of psychotic infatuation with two impossibly attractive leads, an eclectic soundtrack and even a Rock Lobster. Regardless of whether Cavale and Slim are drunk, demented or simply defiant of spiritual demarcation it's surprisingly easy to relate — we all know what it's like to look around and find ourselves trapped in a corner. Image via Exhibit: A Theatre
After two years of COVID cancellations, Australia's most interestingly named beer festival is finally back. Blobfish makes its much-anticipated return to North Melbourne's Meat Market this month, once again pulling together a lineup that celebrates the sour, the funky and the delightfully different. Founded and helmed by the team at Footscray's own Hop Nation Brewing, the tasting party will run across two sessions on Saturday, July 23, offering punters the chance to sample a whole swag of rare and unusual beers from 19 leading Aussie and New Zealand labels. You'll spend 4.5 hours sipping your way through a diverse range of sours, saisons, barrel-aged brews, fruity concoctions and rare small-batch runs, from the likes of NZ's Garage Project, Sydney's Wildflower, Van Dieman out of Tasmania and Queensland's AWOL. Locals among the lineup include Future Mountain, La Sirène, Collingwood's Molly Rose and regional favourite Bridge Road Brewers, as well as Hop Nation's own funky, barrel-aged spin-off label, Site Fermentation Project. The options don't end there, either, with a 'lager lounge' where you can cleanse the palate between tastings, a range of food vendors and an oyster bar shucking all through the day. Plus, there'll be DJ tunes to soundtrack your sipping. A ticket will cost you $85, which includes entry, a keepsake Blobfish beer glass and tastings from each brewery. Blobfish sessions run from 11.30m–4pm and 5–9.30pm.
Concrete Playground talks to Melbourne street artist Baby Guerilla about her catchy alias, latest work and what art means to her. At the unveiling of her newest commission at Union Dining, Baby Guerilla summed up her take on art in one sentence, "I want more art everywhere". Baby Guerilla works purely for the love of art and the hope that she can inspire others in what she does. Why the name Baby Guerilla? It's the name my dad used to call me, my nickname. It was his running joke that I couldn't be domesticated; couldn't be tamed. It was his way of showing affection. It is exactly who I am. I changed the spelling to reflect the political component of street art. It also keeps my identity hidden. Tell me about how you have come to be the artist you are today. I guess I always wanted to be an artist ever since I was young. I went to the Victorian Collage of the Arts and studied fine arts with a major in painting. I've exhibited pretty widely, had pieces in the National Gallery of NSW had solo shows. Street art started out as a hobby for me, kind of my second life. Then I started to become more experienced, I got bolder. I love art in whatever form. But at the moment I'm obsessed with street art and doing large-scale murals. I still love galleries and I know at some point in my career I'll go back. But for the moment there is still a lot I'd like to do outside. What is your creative process and who's your audience? Ideas often come to me when I'm listening to music, out walking the dog. It feels like the scene in Billy Elliot, when he is jumping on the bed? That's how I feel. I like street art, as it's a great leveler. It comments on the type of society we live in. We are often powerless as we are surrounded by billboards and advertising. I love that you don't need to have money to have a voice with street art. How would you describe your work to someone who had never seen it before? I think it's detailed and probably a bit surreal. I've been told its feminine; which I would probably agree with. What motivates and inspires you? I'm motivated to always try to be better. I want to inspire people. Put something out there in the world to share with other people. I'm always inspired by others and at the moment it's instillation artist Anish Kapoor. The internet has also made it easier to connect with other artists and inspire each other across the world. How does your work fit into the broader context of Melbourne's street art scene? I think there is a renaissance in street art at the moment. It's such a diverse scene. So many different motivations and sub cultures. Anything you say; the opposite is also true. Lots of people love it and follow it and that's exactly what artists want. It's incredible and exciting and encouraging. I don't know exactly how I fit into it. I just do. I think street art is a brilliant way of testing an idea. You do something a couple of times on the street you get better at it. It's a great way to practice. A lot of people say what can you do to help street artists? I think you just have to go out and do it. Your latest work was a site-specific piece commissioned by Union Dining for a space on their terrace wall. What's this work about? It is somewhat of a self-portrait. The eagle represents life and the journey that we go on. The force of nature. It can fuel the best and the worst of life. It can be so beautiful, and cruel at the same time. Where to now for Baby Guerilla? I want to continue doing large-scale public art work and I want to incorporate more colour so I'm working out the logistics for that. My focus has changed a little bit from street art to commissioned large-scale pieces. You can do a better job if it's commissioned. They take time and machinery. Images courtesy of and all rights reserved by artist.
If you're of the opinion that the only thing better than a sandwich is a free sandwich, you're in luck. In celebration of National Sandwich Day, Nico's Deli and Toyota Australia have joined forces to give away 200 free sandwiches. Why the collab, you may ask? Because not only is the classic sanga an Aussie staple — it's also the perfect snack to bring on a road trip. But not all sandwiches are made for driving on the road, which is why Nico's has created a limited-edition combo that is packed with flavour and mess-free. Dubbed the Sarni, the sandwich's base is a crusty sourdough that is filled with smoked ham, sweet mustard relish, vine-ripened tomato, butter lettuce, cave-aged cheddar and a soft-boiled egg. And don't worry veggo pals — a meat-free version is available upon request. To claim your Sarni, head over to Nico's Fitzroy location at 10am on Thursday, November 3, where the team will be handing out 100 free sandwiches until they run out. If you miss out, you can quickly make your way to the deli's Brunswick spot at 11.30am, to find the other 100 free sandwiches. If you don't get the chance to get your free Sarni, you can always try the combo throughout the month of November at all three Nico's branches — and nab a cheeky 20 percent off your order by following Toyota Australia on Instagram. Top image: Nico's Deli - Supplied
Belles Hot Chicken is taking to the streets, with the fried chook favourite launching its first food truck. The meals-on-wheels venture is a collaboration between Belles founder Morgan McGlone and co-owners at the 100 Burgers group — who've got no shortage of experience with mobile eats, having also brought you the likes of Mr Burger and northside food truck park Welcome Tto Thornbury. Now, in great news for chicken fans who live too far from the bricks-and-mortar originals, it's Belles' turn to get the four-wheeled treatment. The truck made her debut earlier this week as part of this week's Welcome to Thornbury lineup, rounding out a six-strong stable of Belles Hot Chicken venues across Melbourne and Sydney. It'll feature a selection of Belles smash hits, starring serves of McGlone's famed Nashville-style hot chicken alongside loaded sandwiches and drool-worthy sides. "I'm thrilled to take Belles on the road and put my stamp on the group's already amazing restaurants," sad McGlone. It's the first of four huge 2018 openings for the 100 Burgers group, with its much-hyped eatery Natural History just launching this week as well. For more information about the Belles Hot Chicken Food Truck, keep an eye on their Facebook page.
Any chance to see Yayoi Kusama's work in Australia is huge news, and reason to make a date — including travel plans, if needed — to get immersed in the Japanese icon's infinity rooms, and also be surrounded by pumpkins and dots. So when the National Gallery of Victoria announced that its big summer 2024–25 showcase would be dedicated to the artist, that was enough to make the resulting exhibition a firm must-see. Adding Friday-night parties to the mix is the cherry on top, then. How many ways can Melbourne go dotty for Kusama? It's time to find out from the exhibition's opening on Sunday, December 15, 2024, although answers have been arriving in advance. Kusama's five-metre-tall dot-covered Dancing Pumpkin sculpture has made NGV International's Federation Court its home first. Then came the revelation that the showcase will feature a world record-breaking number of infinity rooms and other immersive installations. And, outside the gallery on St Kilda Road, Kusama's Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees has wrapped the trunks of more than 60 trees in pink-and-white polka-dotted material. NGV Friday Nights often forms part of the venue's high-profile exhibitions, so it should come as no surprise that the event series is back for Yayoi Kusama. The after-hours parties kick off on Friday, December 20, 2024 for some pre-Christmas fun, then run for 18 weeks until Friday, April 18, 2025. Come quittin' time for the week, Melburnians can add spots to their late-night shenanigans. If you're making a visit from interstate, you'll want to ensure you time it to hit one of the soirees on your trip. Seeing art is obviously on the NGV Friday Nights itinerary, but so is music and culinary experiences. The NGV's Great Hall will welcome live DJ sets, including from Dijok, Small FRY, Elle Shimada, Tanzer and more. In the NGV Garden Restaurant, acclaimed chefs Martin Benn is doing a residency for the exhibition's duration, serving up Asian-inspired dishes using Australian produce, Attendees can also look forward to other dining and drinking options, such as the Moët & Chandon champagne bar, Four Pillars gin bar, Yering Station wine bar and Häagen-Dazs ice cream cart — so there's sparkling, G&Ts, wine flights and frozen treats covered — plus a Japanese-inspired menu from the Great Hall and Gallery Kitchen. Gracing NGV International's walls until Monday, April 21, 2025, Yayoi Kusama features over 180 works, in the largest Kusama retrospective that Australia has ever seen — as well as one of the most-comprehensive retrospectives devoted to the artist to be staged globally, not to mention the closest that you'll get to experiencing her Tokyo museum without leaving the country. Images: Michael Pham / Tobias Titz.
Huddled around a fire, the apocalypse still fresh in their memories, a small band of survivors amuse themselves by acting out an episode of The Simpsons. Seven years later, the band are a travelling troupe, performing the episode for each outpost they pass through. A generation later, the episode has achieved almost mythical status, the story — a spoof of Cape Fear — a beacon, an example and a comfort to the people who have fashioned humanity's rubble into a primitive society. Back in the day, it was said that Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov contained the sum of all human experience. Come the 21st century, Matt Groening's pop culture behemoth is the proud usurper of that throne. Anne Washburn's play advances this argument one step further — elevating the show above the role of mass entertainer to that of a vital common language for humanity's devastated survivors. So, there's all that. But, to be honest, it also just sounds really freaking enjoyable. Premiering in Sydney back in early 2017, the play is now heading to fortyfivedownstairs to be performed by independent Melbourne theatre company Lightning Jar. Preview shows (for $30 a ticket) will be help from February 15–17 with the opening night ($40) on Wednesday, February 20.
With another woolly winter in full swing, red wine season is officially in play. And if you're hunting some new drops to put on rotation, you'll find them in force at Ballarat's regional wine celebration The Red Series. Taking over the Ballarat Mining Exchange on Saturday, July 30, the tasting festival is set to pour the best red drops from across Western Victoria's Grampians and Pyrenees regions. The reds will be flowing across two sessions (11.30am–2.30pm & 3.30–6.30pm) as 22 wineries show off their goods, including names like Mount Langi Ghiran, Blue Pyrenees Estate and Fallen Giants. [caption id="attachment_862984" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Grounded Pleasures & Settler and Sons Ballarat[/caption] While your palate trips between wines ranging from the full-bodied, to the mild and fruity, you'll also get to dig into grazing boxes from Vegas & Rose, a menu of gourmet wintry pies and live, local tunes. Tickets are $45 online ($50 at the door), which includes all your tastings and a souvenir tasting glass, plus a take-home bag with space for six bottles, ready to fill with your favourite picks of the day. [caption id="attachment_862979" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Grounded Pleasures & Settler and Sons Ballarat[/caption] Top Image: Vegas & Rose Photography
Margaret River is a wine tourism hotspot for good reason. It produces 20 percent of Australia's vino, features more than 95 cellar doors and is home to some of the best grapes in the country. And it does all of that amid a scenic trifecta of beautiful white-sand beaches, rugged bushland and sprawling vineyards. Good wine demands good food, and Margs has never been a slouch in that department, boasting many small farms and boutique producers. There are markets and food trucks galore, but to truly experience what can be done with Margaret River's finest produce, you have to head to the region's restaurants. Given the ingredients they're working with, it's hard to find a place that isn't serving up delicious food, whether it's in a theatrical open kitchen, a rustic farm-to-table eatery or a cute cafe. With many wonderful spots to choose from, the tricky bit can be narrowing it down to one holiday itinerary's worth of eating. So we've put our heads together with Virgin Australia to do just that and picked five places that stand at the summit of any Margaret River food adventure. BREW SHACK Tucked away on a small street off Margaret River's main shopping and dining strip, the Brew Shack makes quite possibly the best coffee in town. The cafe's cosy space is well utilised, with rustic wooden decor and bright pops of yellow and blue creating a warm atmosphere that's only improved by the 'no wifi' rule that, via chalkboard, asks customers to "pretend like it's the 90s and talk to each other". When you're not engaging your mouth in conversation, direct it towards one of the cafe's acai bowls for a taste of the region's finest fresh seasonal fruit. 2/124 Bussell Highway, Margaret River BUNKERS BEACH HOUSE There's so much more to Bunkers Beach House than just the pretty beachfront view — although we have to admit that is a pretty big bonus. Scenery aside, the Bunker Bay restaurant offers the perfect opportunity to kick back and relax while you enjoy some sensational modern Australian cuisine. Seafood dishes are the standouts of the menu. Melt-in-your-mouth options like charred Busselton octopus with XO sauce and blood lime or grilled Shark Bay scallops with seaweed and miso butter lure in diners again and again. If you love a long lunch, then this is the place to indulge. Farm Break Lane, Naturaliste BURGER BABY Sometimes all you want is a big juicy burger. If you find yourself feeling that way in Margaret River, the place to go is Burger Baby. Opened at the end of 2017, it's quickly made a name for itself as the best burger joint in town. The menu covers all the bases, offering everything from a vegan spicy lentil burger on buttery brioche to a finger-licking-good Korean-inspired pork belly creation topped with kimchi and slaw. Locals love it as a chilled hang spot, with couches, fireplaces and a range of beers from some of the best breweries in the area. Give the hand-brewed Cheeky West Coast IPA a go. 117 Bussell Highway, Margaret River ARIMIA No visit to Margaret River could possibly be complete without a stopover at Arimia. Set on a sprawling countryside estate that doubles as a working farm, the award-winning restaurant takes sustainable food to a whole new level without compromising on taste. Pigs that are raised on-site are used to make succulent braised pork leg ragout, while olives grown on trees you can spot from your table provide sharp bursts of flavour on the shared plates — pretty incredible, right? We certainly think so. 242 Quininup Road, Wilyabrup MIKI'S OPEN KITCHEN What's in a name? At Miki's Open Kitchen, everything. It's unassumingly located at the back of a small shopping arcade, but inside, this degustation-oriented Japanese restaurant isn't scared of putting on a show. For the best seats in the house, make sure to book ahead so you can sit at the counter. It offers the best vantage point to watch in awe as owner-chef Mikihito Nagai and his team use ingredients like Margaret River Wagyu and Exmouth Rankin cod to take you on a tour across Western Australia without you ever having to leave your seat. 131 Bussell Highway, Margaret River If you're now eagerly planning a visit to Margaret River, check out Virgin Australia's holiday packages — which offer everything from chilled-out cottages to massive resorts.
Before you install that hot tub in your backyard, allow HotTug to welcome you to the future. A wood stove in the front of the boat heats the 2000 litres of water to a toasty temperature. You can rent the HutTug in two different versions, one with integrated electric motor of 2.4 KW and another with outboard engine. The office is located in The Netherlands, but don't panic: international rentals and sales (starting at around 9,000 Euros) are possible. HotTug is available in the standard black but is available in blue and red, too. All you have to do is find some friends, pick a colour and before you know it you'll be hanging out in water submerged in more water.
More than 60 people have been injured and 19 hospitalised after a stampede at Falls Festival's Lorne leg on Friday evening. The incident occurred after DMA's finished their set on the Grand Theatre Stage, when many in the crowd tried to make their way to see London Grammar on the Valley Stage. The Age reports that a number of patrons slipped and lost their footing during the move, resulting in leg, rib, hip, pelvic, head, facial and spinal injuries and fractures, as well as cuts and bruises. "It was quite a chaotic scene and required a major response," said Ambulance Victoria state health commander Paul Holman. Punters took to social media to post about the traumatic and chaotic experience, including reports of broken bones, panic attacks, people passing out, trampling and many fearing for their lives. "This was the most scariest thing ever! I will never forget what I saw last night," wrote one Falls attendee. "It's hectic and she said it was the worst thing she has ever experienced in her life," posted the sister of another. https://twitter.com/kewesting/status/814859083740102656 Festival organisers also took to social media to issue a statement, reflecting the fact that entertainment in the Grand Theatre was suspended for the remainder of the evening, but noting that normal programming will resume on Saturday. Many responses to their post have been rightfully critical of the setup that allowed the incident to occur in the first place — this isn't their first time hosting a popular event of this size, with a mass migration between stages and sets a common occurrence not just at Falls, but at every other music festival. The Lorne crowd crush occurs just days after a 21-year-old woman was struck and killed by a falling tree branch at the Lost Paradise festival on the NSW Central Coast. With plenty of festivals in full swing over New Year's — and the peak festival period upon us during summer — here's hoping for a safe rest of the season. If you're attending a fest, look after each other. Image: Falls Festival.
Whether it's after a hard day at the office, a hard morning of exercise or a hard evening of heavy drinking, there are few sweeter reliefs than an ice cold beer. And thanks to Pat's Backcountry Beverages, you can brew your own beer whenever and wherever you so desire with these tasty, transportable sachets. Simply pour the packet of beer concentrate in a special carbonation bottle, add water and shake, and you have yourself the world's most convenient six-pack. Perfect for campers and hikers, the Alaskan company assures its customers that they haven't sacrificed transportability for taste, claiming that the sachets will give you the "same great taste you're used to in a premium micro beer". To find out more have a look at this demonstration video and get brewing.
When you're a child it seems everyone is older than you: there's the nosey neighbour, the doting pseudo-grandma, the spiteful widow and the grumpy old man who sits on the patio, finger shaking erratically. Whether they like it or not each of them bear witness to your messy childhood: the bloody noses, the scraped knees and the broken windows. All the while your throwing arm gets stronger, your running strides get longer and your teeth, well they aren't really sure what they're doing. Fast-forward 20 years and look who you bump into. It's old Mr Shakes-his-finger: "Oh you haven't changed a bit,” he says. “You're still that scrappy little boy struggling to grow into his frames." You stare blankly, brow furrowed. Minutes later you’re rummaging through the old family albums only to realise the old bleeder is right. You're the spitting image of your former self. Just ask Buenos Aires artist Irina Werning whose ongoing photography series is all about going 'Back to the Future'. Through this modern-day venture Werning indulges her love for photos from the past by asking today's adult to recreate yesterday's child. The side-by-side visuals are an amazing insight into the magic of time, youth and the joys of trying to recapture it. Irina Werner
Built onto the disused Sandridge Rail Bridge, The Immersery is perhaps the most innovative festival hub the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has ever seen. Tying into the theme of water, the multi-level temporary structure features a restaurant, bar and raingarden right on the banks of the Yarra. Open every night of the festival, food will be served by local chefs Florent Gerardin (Silo), Daniel Wilson (Huxtable and Huxtaburger) and Jesse Garner (Añada and Bomba), and the country's best bartenders will converge to create cocktails inspired by the three states of water — solid, liquid and gas. With the likes of Daniel Gregory from The Everleigh and Sydney's Shady Pines, the team from Lily Blacks, Eau de Vie and more, this is one bar you can't miss. This event was one of our top picks for the 2014 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. See the full list here.
There comes a time every year when we must officially commence the sad countdown to the end of hot summery days and start preparing for our inevitable winter hibernation spent under a blanket watching Netflix. But fortunately, 2018 has more than proved it has a few sunny weeks left, even if summer is well and truly over. To help you absorb the maximum amount of vitamin D into your body before the sun officially sets on warmer climes, we've teamed up with the summer aficionados at Magnum to provide some inspo for things you can do to make the most out of the handful of sunny days we have left. This year, Magnum collaborated with three incredible Australian designers to take its creamy delights to the next level. The sartorial brains behind Romance Was Born, Bec and Bridge and By Johnny were all invited to co-create their own limited edition ice cream flavours to encapsulate their labels' unique styles — and most importantly, to help us savour summer in a stylish way. Romance was Born swirled tangy raspberry with rich chocolate truffle sauce to create a vibrant nod to its otherworldly fashion. Johnny Schembri of By Johnny created a homage to his simple silhouettes in the form of a hazelnut, slightly salted vanilla number. And Bec and Bridge upped the ante on the classic caramelly dulce de leche as a nod to effortless European style. Here's how to worship the last of those summery vibes — fashionable Magnum in hand. SPEND A LAZY DAY BY THE WATER When summer is officially over, it's those long lazy days spent by the sea that we miss the most. So, pack your towel, a sensible amount of SPF, a selection of fresh fruits and a sneaky box of dulce de leche Magnums by Bec and Bridge in a cooler bag, and make the most of the warm days where you can justify spending an entire day laying in the sun. Be sure you invite that one responsible adult friend who brings a waterproof speaker and an esky full of cool drinks so you can fully honour the sun gods by listening to some sweet beats. Where? Wylie's Baths in Sydney, St Kilda Beach in Melbourne and Stradbroke Island near Brisbane. INDULGE IN A LITTLE ALFRESCO DINING AND A MOVIE While the weather permits, there are plenty of amazing spots to indulge in some outdoor dining — extra points if you support your local food scene by picking an eatery that's cosy and family-owned. Enjoy a hearty meal, but forgo any decadent dessert. Instead, pick up a box of By Johnny hazelnut salted vanilla Magnums so you can have one while you stroll to the cinema to catch one of the many amazing Oscar-nominated films that are still showing. If there's still stomach room, be the envy of your fellow choc-toppers, when you whip out another secret squirrel Magnum during the previews. Where? Hayden Orpheum in Sydney, The Astor Theatre in Melbourne and New Farm Cinemas in Brisbane. PICNIC AMONG THE FLOWERS Savour the remaining warm afternoons by gathering some close friends, finding a sunny spot in the park and summoning all your foodie powers to create the most exquisite picnic to say goodbye to summer once and for all. Think mismatched picnic blankets, wicker baskets filled with a few bottles of rose and a world of delectable treats. Take your spread to the next level by investing in an array of cheeses (you can never have too many), a selection of cold cuts from a local deli, a few punnets of fresh berries and — for something a little wild — an esky full of raspberry chocolate truffle Magnums by the lords of whimsy at Romance was Born. Where? The Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Savour the last days of warmth outside and with a luxe Magnum in hand.
Instruction manuals are often hard to read while trying to complete a task such as fixing a car or, perhaps, (on a more delicate scale) fixing a human. But multitasking may become much easier for surgeons, and the rest of us, as we'll soon be able to see instructions and displays by just putting on Freaunhofer's new data glasses and looking up. The days of rummaging through the pages of a mechanical handbook while belly-up under your car could be over. For those of you who read M.T. Anderson's, Feed, your worst nightmare is coming true. (Okay, this is a slight exaggeration, seeing as the glasses are not implanted within our brains. Still, our techonology is closer than ever to the power the 'feed'.) OLED microdisplay allows you to see not only the real world but also a wealth of virtual information completely controlled by your eyes. The photodiodes work as a camera, tracking the user's eye movement, while the OLED pixels display the document within the glasses. A simple glance at the back or forward arrow will change the page to the users liking. The page is displayed to the user at about 1 metre in height. Researchers presented the system at the electronica trade fair in Munich in November 2012. Fraunhofer Institue for Optronics developed the device with COMEDD and near-the-eye technologies specialist TRIVISIO.
Over Easter, KFC spread some paschal cheer — and some of its finger lickin' good fried chicken — with free delivery. This weekend mightn't be a special occasion or include any public holidays, but now it's McDonald's turn to share the fast food love. If you're craving a Quarter Pounder or a box of chicken McNuggets and you don't fancy leaving the house, Maccas is offering free home delivery on orders over $25 via UberEats. The limited-time offer is available nationwide and runs until Sunday, April 19. To get your hands on a burg, some fries, a Happy Meal, McFlurry or a hot fudge sundae — or anything else on the chain's regular menu — with no extra delivery cost, head to UberEats' website or use the UberEats app and enter the code MACCASWEEKEND. The entire transaction will be contact-free, including when it hits your doorstep. And, if you're after a few household staples, Maccas is also delivering milk, plus six-packs of English muffins and its gourmet buns. Or, of course, you can ignore whatever time of day it is and go straight for a McMuffin, hash brown and some hot cakes. McDonalds is offering free delivery across Australia on orders over $25 made via UberEats, with the special available until Sunday, April 19. To order, head here and use the code MACCASWEEKEND. Images: McDonalds.
A standard midweek office lunch can sometimes consist of an unholy conglomeration of all the leftover bits and pieces you had in the pantry from the night before. No judgement here; we're down with bulk tuna salad paired with leftover curry and microwave rice, or the off packet of years-old mi goreng. Sometimes meal prep has to take a back seat in between clearing that Netflix backlog and trying to squeeze in some actual fun around work. This is all fine and dandy until you have to sit down for lunch with your colleagues and eat your Frankenstein bento box in front of them. It's times like these that you may be wise to suggest lunch out, and we've partnered with American Express to arm you with some killer venue suggestions that will gain the goodwill of the work fam (which you'll reap, come Secret Santa time). So leave your lunch to go mouldy in the work fridge, whip out your Amex and forget about your inbox at these prime CBD spots. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
The gay marriage plebiscite, otherwise known as the Australian Government's Worst Ever Decision, has been a horrible storm of vileness for most. But the silver lining of this dark cloud is the outpouring of love and support for the LGBTQI community, and it's still going strong. The Yaasss! Marathon is a movie marathon showing an eclectic range of queer films at various cinemas across the city on November 5. You can catch the program at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn or Cameo Cinemas in Belgrave. Running for a full day, from 10am to 11pm, the program for the marathon includes: The Queen of Ireland (2015) Carol (2015) Weekend (2012) Moonlight (2016) The Birdcage (1996) Tangerine (2015) Single film tickets are $15 or $45 for the full marathon. And all profits will be donated to Minus18, Australia's biggest network for LGBTQI youths. So, if exactly nothing good comes out of this plebiscite, at least we can curl up alongside a group of warriors and watch some damn fine cinema.
UPDATE Monday, July 19: During Lockdown 5.0, Kickin' Inn is relocating its messy mixed seafood feasts to your house, with pick-up and delivery available via Menulog. Your food even comes packed with butchers paper, bibs and gloves, so you can recreate the signature Kickin' Inn experience at your own kitchen table. Plus, right now you'll score 25 percent off a range of special items (peeled prawns, baby octopus and mussels, included) when you use the code 'KICKIN25'. For more details on Victoria's current restrictions, see the Department of Health and Human Services website. If you thought seafood was best suited to sultry summer days, Port Melbourne's newest restaurant might change your mind. The Aussie-born chain Kickin' Inn already has eight NSW restaurants under its belt, and now it's adding its first Melbourne venue to the family. Kickin' Inn takes over the former Rose Hotel site this Friday, June 18 and promises to cure those lingering winter blues with a signature offering of seafood tossed through punchy house-made 'Kajun' sauces. For the uninitiated, Kickin' Inn offers an all-in, bibs-and-gloves experience, where diners do away with cutlery and get their hands messy with bags full of prawns, mud crab, pipis and shellfish using only the tools that Jesus gave you. The Cajun-inspired house sauces — here, dubbed 'Kajun' — are more than mere support acts, with the venue boasting five flavour-charged secret recipes. If feasting is on the agenda, you'll find an abundance of snacks to kick things off including battered squid tentacles, jalapeno cheese bites, freshly-shucked Sydney rock oysters and wings. After that, you've got some big decisions to make. Choose your main event from a slew of ocean-fresh goodies including whole crayfish, pounds of peeled prawns, a pile of baby octopus, blue swimmer pieces, or a mess of mussels and pipis. Pick a matching sauce, whack in some additions like corn or chorizo, and dial up the heat level as high as you dare — keeping in mind the 'inferno' option is only halfway up the scale. Meanwhile, a separate lunch menu features more solo-friendly feeds from a prawn spaghetti to a mini mixed bag of seafood served with rice. Kickin' Inn Melbourne is launching with some opening specials this Friday, June 18 — for one day only, enjoy 10 percent off all mixed seafood bags, and a tasty two-for-one offer when you order a half-pound of prawns. Find Kickin' Inn Melbourne at 309 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, from June 18. It's open 11am–9pm Sunday to Thursday, and 11am–11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Winter has landed, the temperatures are icy and you've more than likely got a few Cup NoodleS lunches in your near future. Well, those sad supermarket versions can go take a hike, because Supernormal Canteen has brought back its cult favourite Sup Noodle Cup to see you through the frosty season in style. The solo serves of rich broth and noodles are on offer Wednesdays to Fridays all through winter, rotating through a new flavour each month. For June, the kitchen's dishing up a vegan concoction, July's base is an aromatic bone broth and August will see you slurping down a smoked fish soup. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx1kIt9A4wS/ A basic Sup Noodle Cup will set you back an easy $10, though there are plenty of add-ons to tempt you to get creative with some pimping. Think, charred seasonal vegetables, chicken thigh yakitori, Abrolhos Island scallops, a soy egg and more. If you're thinking you'll be downing a fair few of these this winter, you can grab a Sup Cup loyalty card in-store and enjoy your fifth cup completely free. Find Supernormal Canteen at 157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It's $10 Sup Noodles are available from 5pm Wednesday–Friday throughout winter. Image: Jo McGann.
Back in 2001, in the ruins of Changnyeongsa Temple in Yeongwol in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea, more than 300 statues were found. Each stone sculpture depicts an arhat — the name given to followers of Buddha who've achieved the enlightened state of nirvana — and they're all thought to date back 500 years. The collection was dubbed 'The Five Hundred Arhats', in fact, after Buddha's 500 disciples. Also, every figure's face conveys a lifelike emotion. And, Australians will be able to see a selection of them without leaving the country thanks to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. From December 3, 2021, the Five Hundred Arhats exhibition will put a number of the figures on display in Ultimo, incorporating them into an installation created by artist Kim Seung Young. They'll be surrounded by 700 audio speakers, in a piece that's designed to suggest that "the arhats are meditating in an attitude of intimate, reclusive poise amidst a cacophony that evokes the distracting bustle of urban life". The big summer showcase will be presented in collaboration with Chuncheon National Museum and National Museum of Korea — and it's just one of Powerhouse Museum's 2021 highlights. The Sydney venue has unveiled its full program for the year, spanning everything from tiny automobiles and gum trees to Australian ceramics and Persian arts and crafts. [caption id="attachment_799429" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bayram Ali, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Powerhouse Collection[/caption] On display from today, Tuesday, February 9, is Bayram Ali. It features images of Australia's Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from the 50s to the 70s, as taken by the Turkish Cypriot migrant and amateur photographer who gives the exhibition its title. Also skewing local, Clay Dynasty will show more than 300 items from Powerhouse's Aussie ceramics collection, in a showcase that'll celebrate 50 years of Australian studio ceramics. Opening on May 28, it'll feature 20 newly commissioned pieces, too. From June 11, 100 Conversations will focus on climate change via an exhibition and talks program. On the bill: live discussions with leading Australian innovators acting on climate change, as well as an evolving exhibition that documents the public conversations. Also in June, Eucalyptusdom is set to explore stories surrounding gum trees, including their importance to Indigenous Australians. Expect to see pieces from Powerhouse's collection, plus new works by Dean Cross, Luna Mrozik Gawler, Julie Gough, Vera Hong, Anna May Kirk, Nicholas Mangan, Yasmin Smith, Sera Waters and Damien Wright with Bonhula Yunupingu. [caption id="attachment_799430" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Paul and Linda McCartney, Abbey Rd Studios, London, 1982. Photo: Robert Rosen.[/caption] Also on Powerhouse's agenda is Iranzamin, from March 19, which'll mark the first time that Powerhouse has put together an exhibition of Persian arts and crafts from its own range. And, from June 11, Microcars will focus on tiny vehicles — with more than 17 automobiles on display from Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia. Australian portrait and social pages photographer Robert Rosen will be in the spotlight from August 6, thanks to Glitterati: 20 years of Social Photography. From September 14, Powerhouse will highlight 20th century designers such as Douglas Annand, Frances Burke and Arthur Leydin in an exhibition called Graphic Identities. Throughout 2021, Electric Keys will also explore the influence of electric keyboards on soul jazz, blues, rock, progressive rock and pop, and The Invisible Revealed will let visitors see nuclear-beam scans of objects from Powerhouse's collection. There's also Future Fashion, a showcase the work of top graduates from four Sydney-based fashion design schools. Five Hundred Arhats displays at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo from December 3, 2021. For further details — or to find out more about the museum's full 2021 slate — visit its website. Top image: Five Hundred Arhats, Chuncheon National Museum.
Jumping in the shower has always been a reliable jet lag fix for long-haul travellers, but there's only so long cold water can prevent you from awkwardly slumping onto random people's shoulders before waking up with a start and thinking you’re late for something that happened yesterday. That might be a thing of the past if Delta's 'Photon Shower' comes into fruition. This Star Trek-like chamber showers light instead of H2O, so while it won't get that weird cabin odour out of your hair, it will give you a lasting boost of energy. The shower was exhibited at TED Long Beach Conference on Wednesday by Professor Russell Foster of Oxford University. Foster talked guests through his research on how the body responds to light, explaining that our responses can help reset the body clock during periods of exhaustion. This makes the photon shower a saving grace for travellers but also suggests it could provide refreshment to insomniacs, nurses on night shifts and people who have run out of coffee and can't be bothered going to the store. Using the photon shower starts off like using a self check-in counter and finishes with a sensation we imagine to be similar to stepping into warm sunlight after coming out of a movie theatre. Simply input your travel information, get inside and experience a sequence of (hopefully warm and tingly) light patterns designed to meet your individual needs. Just think of all the recent release in-flight movies you'll be able to watch without worrying about catching z's. Via Ad Age.
With a loaded three-night program, this year's White Night Reimagined festivities call for some extra sustenance to fuel those extended late-night wanderings. Luckily, a couple of Sydney legends are more than happy to help. Once Leonardo's Pizza Place wraps up service on Saturday, August 24, it'll be handing over the reins to Sydney favourite Mary's Pizzeria and natural wine shop P&V Merchants, for a one-off session of after-dark revelry. The wine and pizza party kicks off at 10pm and will run all the way through to 2am, thanks to a special extended trading licence. On the menu, you'll catch a range of Mary's signature Detroit-style square pizzas, starring the likes of a classic pepperoni and the Mushroom Fucker, alongside party snacks and sides. Meanwhile, P&V Merchants' wine list will have lots of fun and funky drops, featuring a mix of Italian and Aussie bottles, and even a few cheeky magnums (1.5-litre bottle) and jeroboams (4.5 litres). It's all served with a side of raucous rock 'n' roll tunes to see you happily through until the wee hours. White Night at Leonardo's Pizza Palace runs from 10pm–2am with walk-ins only (no bookings). Image 1-2: Leonardo's Pizza Palace by Kate Shanasy.
If you've always felt like you have a knack for doing creative stuff with your hands, but find yourself stuck in an office job, it's time to start flexing those knuckles, because there's a whole world out there for you and your restless fingers. Winter time in Melbourne comes with a raft of options for you to get involved in, with workshops and classes that you can fit in around your working hours. Work-Shop's branch in Fitzroy, in particular, has a wealth of useful, creative and novelty related sessions that'll have you hawking the most comprehensive LinkedIn skills section around. It's a good excuse to get out into the city and brave the chilly nights, plus with Samsung's new Galaxy S9 and S9+ and its low light camera, you'll be able to show off those newfound skills to all your mates. LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR SMARTPHONE CAMERA PROPERLY Gone are the days of blurry shots, bad lighting and angles that give you a double chin. Work-Shop will show you the fundamentals of using your Samsung Galaxy to take killer pics. Composition, focusing, exposure and using natural light and flash will all be included in your four hour Saturday morning workshop. Bring yourself, your smartphone, and your Instagram account ready to go. Run by fine-art photographer George Poulakis, you don't need to be an Annie Leibovitz to benefit from this course that'll have you snapping away in full sunlight, low light or no light like a pro in no time. $80 for a four-hour workshop. MAKE YOUR OWN PASTA Aside from our doonas, pasta could be the other single most important thing in getting us through the winter time. Forever our comfort carb of choice, why not get down to basics and learn how to make your wheaty friend from scratch. Craft and Co.'s pasta class masterclass will teach you the art of filled pasta, while you'll also learn the history of pasta shapes, regional differences, and sauces to suit different types. You'll get a beverage on arrival and a charcuterie and cheese board to snack on, too. Don't forget your phone — making pasta takes a lot of love and you're going to want to keep tabs on your progress (probably via your Insta story). $95 for a two-hour workshop. DIY DUMPLINGS The food you can eat in any weather (winter or summer), time (breakfast dumplings are fine) or state (you barely have to chew them if you've got a cold), dumplings are the gift that just keeps giving. Learn how to make your own in this three-hour dumpfest led by The Humble Dumpling's Angie Chong. Get a handle on how to prepare the dough, roll, fill and wrap it all up. Bite-sized parcels of love full of locally sourced and sustainable ingredients will line your stomach before the evening is done. It's a BYO event so grab a bottle of plonk and get to warming up those nimble fingers. $90–$95 for a three-hour workshop. Instead of spending your winter nights on the couch, discover all the after-dark happenings in your city here — and don't forget to document it all on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, designed especially for low light so you can capture your best moments no matter what. Images: Cole Bennetts.
Founded in 2018, Pink Ember is a queer-run, not-for-profit co-op that provides local artists a space to create and sell works. The space encompasses a retail shop selling a range of affordable art (from prints and zines to sculpture and clothing), workshops and classrooms to encourage creatives to share their skills, open-plan studio spaces for artists to create works, and a multimedia gallery space. Pink Ember opens their doors to all creatives wanting to explore new mediums, with artist-run workshops including printmaking, basket weaving and ceramics. Images: Tatanja Ross
Life became wildly unpredictable and messy for a moment there, but Collingwood's newly opened massage and mindfulness studio might be just what you need to give stress the flick and start the year off strong. In the top levels of a converted Easey Street warehouse, Mary Minas and Freya Berwick have opened the first stage of their wellness hub Sense of Self, with its much-anticipated bathhouse set to launch downstairs in the coming months. The duo is out to flip the script on the usual wellness concept, with an unpretentious offering that's focused on connection, inclusivity and restoration. As Minas says, they're here to "offer a more approachable, no-BS approach to self-care as a practice, rather than a performance". So, put the phone away, get off the 'Gram and give yourself some much-needed attention. Within the new massage and mindfulness studio, this ethos translates to a careful spread of body treatments for relaxation, remediation and pregnancy, backed by a soothing lounge area where naps are not just welcomed, but encouraged. [caption id="attachment_799061" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oli Sansom[/caption] There's a pared back menu of elevated massage treatments, featuring customisable options for the feet, scalp, arms and body. You can treat your post-iso bod to a mix of Swedish massage, aromatherapy and meditation — this service fittingly dubbed The Hiatus — or maybe a deep remedial massage finished with a dry body brush or foot treatment. Outside of face mask restrictions, you can settle into a stimulating gua sha facial, too. The space itself has been transformed into a haven of calm and tranquility, thanks to abundance of creamy hues, lots of soft textiles and massage rooms decked out in natural timbers. Guests are encouraged to take time out and really relax for as long as they need before and after treatments, emerging back into reality at their own pace. And, while there's a tidy retail selection on offer featuring plenty of high-quality Sans Ceuticals products, the owners are adamant to avoid any pushy sales element that might interfere with that relaxation and self-care time. Once the bathhouse opens, Sense of Self's offering will expand to include a Finnish-style sauna, large mineral bath and cold plunge pool. Find Sense of Self at 30–32 Easey Street, Collingwood from 4.30–9pm Wednesday–Friday and 10am–6pm Saturday–Sunday. Images: Oli Sansom
What do Gertrude Stein, J.K. Rowling, Jack Kerouac, Rudyard Kipling, Sylvia Plath and Colonel Sanders have in common? On top of collectively penning a notable portion of the most memorable and well-known literature ever (the king of KFC came up with that song about Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut, right?) they are all familiar with the harsh sting of rejection, each having had their unpublished manuscripts rejected by people whose names no one remembers now. If only these seminal thinkers had been familiar with premier print-on-demand publishing company Blurb they could have cut out the middleman and saved themselves the heartache. The creative platform allows anyone with a computer (aka anyone with a pulse) to create, promote and flog his or her own seriously schmick looking book, photo book, magazine or e-book. This weekend Blurb hosts a series of free master classes and workshops run by photographers Daniel Milnor and Garry Trinh, who wax lyrical on the bookmaking process, the future of print and advancements in modern storytelling. Book now to avoid the kind of disappointment experienced by Stein, Rowling, Kerouac and co. Image Garry Trinh via Blurb
Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes' latest outing, Tabu, is a beguiling slow burn of love, melancholia and crocodiles. Shot in nostalgic black and white and bisected, Tabu tells the tale of a woman's life filled with romance, longing and a great deal of hand-wringing. Part one: Paradise Lost is preceded by an introduction, a film within a film that sets up the motifs that will reappear throughout. The kind-hearted Pilar (Teresa Madruga) is watching in modern-day Lisbon and despite keeping busy with her human rights work and unwanted advances from a friend, she is becoming increasingly worried about her neighbour, Aurora (Laura Soveral). Frail but bolshy, Aurora has gambled away her life at the casino, suffering from the same curse as her father. Convinced that her maid Santa (Isabel Cardoso) is not just working for her but for the devil, too, she turns to Pilar for help. The disconsolate Aurora asks to be put in touch with a man named Gian-Luca. Part two: Paradise is the story of Aurora and the enigmatic Gian-Luca in their African youth. Aurora’s father has done well for himself in this new landscape, exporting exotic ostrich feather cushions, while the young Aurora (Ana Moreira) has made a name for herself as a rifle-slinging big game hunter, both thriving from colonialism. Described by her tea plantation husband as having a slight "bipolarity", Aurora enters a new state of entitled listlessness when she becomes pregnant. Her langour is soon soothed by noted heartbreaker Gian-Luca, summoned to catch her as-yet-unnamed pet crocodile. Their illicit affair is set against a backdrop of both the fateful Mount Tabu and the burgeoning Portuguese Colonial War. As the white interlopers relax into their own distractions, their African workers tend to their every whim. Paradise is told only through narration, a conceit that unfolds beautifully. Memories, myths and truths all melding together. For a film set in two parts, Tabu sits as a cohesive object, as if a semicolon is dangling between the two, despite the switch from dialogue to monologue. It's funny, melancholic, dark and romantic and its beauty is only ever a stone's throw from the realities of invasion, ownership and war. There are deft anachronistic touches throughout — Gian-Luca's band play a cover of 'Baby I Love You' at a party but it’s the Ramones version — which nicely sets the film apart from being a mere biopic of the time. A rare, dreamy, cinematic excursion, Tabu is a must see while it's still on the big screen. Image credit TABU.
Melbourne's CBD is packed full of burger joints. It's pretty much the epitome of good fast-food dining in Australia. But Royal Stacks' new two-storey flagship store has got to be one of the biggest burger spots in Melbourne. Set to open on Monday, March 11, the 280-square-foot space set within a heritage-listed building on Bourke Street (towards the Spencer Street side of town) will be home to some Royal Stacks signature burgers as well as plenty of new and exclusive creations. Being the flagship store, the crew kind of has to do something a little different here. The huge space has been designed to fit the brand's signature contemporary design and aesthetic, with plenty of exposed brickwork, graffiti and neon lights spread out among both floors. But at the end of the day, you're not going for the interior design. You're here to grab some burgers to take away or eat in, potentially nabbing a comfy spot in one of the booths. Expect crispy chicken and beef burgers, onion rings, potato gems, mac and cheese croquettes, shakes, sodas, beers and cocktails. Basically all the delicious sometimes-foods. To hoax customers in during the first month of opening, Royal Stacks also promises to run some special offers — we have our fingers crossed for free burgers — but it's yet to announce exact details. Be sure to check its socials for the most up-to-date information. The new Royal Stacks CBD site is set to open on Monday, March 11, at 670 Bourke Street. For more details, head to the venue's website.
Adapted from a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories by Instagram-age Renaissance man James Franco, Palo Alto marks the directorial debut of 26-year-old Gia Coppola, the granddaughter and niece of filmmakers Francis Ford and Sofia, respectively. A portrait of teenage disaffection, it's a film that attempts to capture the aimlessness, the angst and the self-aggrandised melancholy of youth. Emma Robert and newcomer Jack Kilmer play April and Teddy, a pair of brooding high schoolers absorbed by personal drama. He's a delinquent skater who's actually an unappreciated artist; she's the neglected daughter of self-absorbed parents who begins an affair with her creepy soccer coach (Franco). Meanwhile, Teddy's best bud Fred (Nate Wolff) finds himself drawn to increasingly anti-social behaviour to hide his insecurities, while another classmate Emily (Zoe Levine) turns to sex in order to hide her own. Palo Alto is in cinemas on August 14, and thanks to Vendetta Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=sTqMUu1iTIo
