A group of mates who've worked at some of Melbourne's top hospitality spots — think: Supernormal, Lilac Wine Bar, The Kettle Black, Bluebonnet Barbecue and Blackhearts and Sparrows — have opened a new bar on Brunswick East's Lygon Street. Unlike the Carlton end of Lygon Street (best known for its slew of Italian restaurants), this stretch of pavement covers a more eclectic group of places to eat and drink. Each spot also caters more to locals rather than uni students and travellers, so you can expect a proper community feel as well. With this in mind, Maggie's Snacks and Liquor seems to be perfectly placed. This small bar is located within a Victorian-era building that's been totally gutted and decked out with mid-century modern furnishings. It has some vintage charm to it, with the fireplace and intimate courtyard out back simply adding to those cosy vibes. Drinks-wise, the new Melbourne bar is focusing on seasonal cocktails that champion local ingredients. For summer, the team has done away with the Aperol and Campari, instead creating their own signature spritz — the rockmelon spritz — made with poached rockmelon, wax flowers, sparkling wine and Aussie-made Okar Tropic amaro. You'll also find a fruity vanilla slice milk punch that's been made with passionfruit, burnt vanilla, brioche, whisky and clarified milk. The ten-page wine list is also a marvel in itself, championing small Australian and French winemakers while also featuring eight different magnum bottles for those celebrating big. A huge range of Aussie spirits, beers and ciders round out the extensive booze offerings. Food at Maggie's is all about a farm-to-table ethos, led by Executive Chef Scott Blomfield, who is deeply passionate about creating produce-led menus that are a bit fun and experimental. The dishes are mostly slanted towards the grazing side of dining, made for those days when a quick drink with a mate eventually rolls into a big night out without you even noticing. Munch on a duck and pickle corn dog, fried bread with pickled mussels and chorizo, or a crispy chicken skin sanga before launching into larger share plates. These include everything from ceviche and lamb ribs to an epic snapper pie topped with scallop mousse and roasted bone cream. These aren't your average bar snacks. And Maggie's doesn't seem like just your average neighbourhood bar, either.
Craft beer, local produce and a chin wag with the producers — sound up your alley? Get yourself down to Flavour Exchange at Federation Square as it kicks off its two day spring showcase. Along with many others, visitors can expect to rub shoulders with Dal Zotto and Pizzini wineries, Bellarine Brewery and Two Birds Brewing, Rustica Sourdough and Green Olive at Red Hill, as well as Golden Axe. The Atrium at Federation Square has never looked this tasty this Wednesday and Thursday.
Farewell, regular old hotel stays. When it comes to choosing somewhere to spend the night, we're now spoiled for choice — think the sharing economy, glamping, and now places with on-site crafting sessions. If you haven't heard of the latter, let the Art Series Hotel group enlighten you at their Etsy x Art Series sessions. Taking place across Art Series' four Melbourne locations — The Olsen, The Blackman, The Larwill Studio and The Cullen — the collaboration will see Etsy sellers and creatives run how-to classes teaching crafty new skills. Learn calligraphy with Chloe Fleming from Month of June Design, embroidery from full-time hand embroiderer Madi Astolfi, weaving with The Unusual Pear's Rainie Owen and macrame with The Middle Aisle's Maggie May. Taking place in late June and early July, each session comes with two options: drop on in just to get creative, or pair your learning with an overnight stay. Prices vary, but you'll take something away with you from every class — and, if you decide to treat yo'self, you'll get a sleepover in art-inspired digs as well.
Looking for your next weekend getaway? There's no need to leave your four-legged fur baby at home anymore: Pullman Melbourne on the Park has just opened a dedicated pet suite dubbed Paws on the Park. One of the hotel's signature suites has been turned into a pet paradise, including doggy room service, a private courtyard, grass mat and kennel. It's designed for guests and the owners of guests. Pullman's Pet Suite is both cat- and dog-friendly, plus, 10% of all bookings will also be going to the Lost Dog's Home, which is a lovely touch. "We are constantly looking for ways to expand our offering to make our guests' experience more enjoyable, and what better way than being able to bring your pet on holiday with you?" Pullman GM Stephan Leroy says. "We have extended our five-star service to cater to the needs of both pets and their owners, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable stay for all." Pullman has even teamed up with pet accessory brand, Gummi, to produce a Paws on the Park capsule collection. The range is free for all guests and includes co-branded tote bags and doggy treats, poo bags and a frisbee to take home. There's also a bunch of Pullman X Gummi gear in the room, which you can borrow during your stay. Food-wise, your pet can settle in with room service items like Unleashed Puparazzi — diced, cooked Australian beef fillet with mixed veggies and braised barley or the Pawfectly Healthy, a mix of poached chicken with oats, olive oil, spinach and egg. They also offer a human room service menu, you'll be relieved to hear. It's fair to say, if you're the sort of person who enjoys pet-related puns of the 'pawfect' variety, Pullan's Pet Suite is right up your alley. You can make Pet Suite bookings directly through the Pullman website from June 25, but there's also a special Open Day on June 24, which anyone can attend for free. Paw-some activities are guaranteed. Images: supplied.
By this point in 2020, the year has served up all manner of challenges and surprises. But in one area at least, it's rolling on as planned. Because the world can't last too long without delivering multiple new film and/or television adaptations of Stephen King's work, viewers are about to score another one — a new miniseries version of the author's 1978 novel The Stand. Hitting Amazon Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand from Friday, January15 — after debuting in America in December — The Stand joins HBO's The Outsider as the two new TV shows bringing King's work to our eyeballs over the past 12 months. Of course, as avid fans will know, this isn't the first time this particular book has made the leap to the screen. Back in 1994, it aired as a big-budget, star-studded, four-part miniseries featuring the likes of Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Rob Lowe, Ruby Dee, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald and Ed Harris. Plenty of well-known names are onboard this time around, too, because there's quite the sprawling story to tell. And, quite the timely one, although that's obviously pure coincidence. The Stand is set in a world devastated by a plague. Here, the devasation is caused by a bioengineered super flu strain, which has wiped out 99 percent of the global population. Among those that survive, a battle between good and evil plays out — with the character of Randall Flagg, a common figure in King's work (see: The Eyes of the Dragon and The Dark Tower series), featuring prominently. Alexander Skarsgård plays Flagg, while the rest of the cast includes James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard and Heather Graham, as well as Watchmen's Jovan Adepo, Paper Towns' Nat Wolff, IT: Chapter Two's Owen Teague, Arrow's Katherine McNamara, and Australian Shirley and The Daughter actor Odessa Young. Behind the lens, The Stand is the latest project from filmmaker Josh Boone — whose latest movie, The New Mutants, hit cinemas in mid-2020 after years of delays. Check out the trailer for The Stand below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytkZJSzeg7A The Stand will start streaming in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, January 15 via Amazon Prime Video, airing new episodes weekly.
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.
We're getting close to Christmas, a time for helping those in dire straits. And if you can do so while devouring copious amounts of gingerbread, then so much the better. Scheduled for this Saturday, the Gingerbread Demolition is your chance to stuff yourself full of sugar while raising money for children in need. Ticketholders will be treated to a night of food, booze, dancing and cookie decorating, plus the chance to bid on a number of custom-built gingerbread houses at auction. And then smash the crap out of them. Proceeds from the event will go to Save the Children, which helps provide aid to vulnerable kids and young people around Australia and the world. Tickets to the Gingerbread Demolition cost $45 per person, and include food, drinks on arrival and a $25 Uber trip. For more information visit gingerbreaddemolition.com
It seemed that Untitled Group (the crew behind Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Ability Fest) were onto another winner when they teamed up with touring agency Crown Ruler, Moon Dog Craft Brewery and PBS 106.7FM to create a brand new boutique street festival back in 2019. But while the inaugural Duke Street Block Party proved a raving hit with music-lovers, it copped the brunt of COVID — despite a whole lot of planning and multiple rescheduled dates, we never got to see Round 2. Until now. Fast forward to 2022 and the Block Party is finally ready for its comeback, descending on a normally quiet pocket of Abbotsford next month for its huge second instalment. On Saturday, March 19, the festivities will take over Bond Street as well as their usual home of Duke Street, promising three stages and a diverse lineup of acts to see you dancing through the day. On this year's bill, catch high-energy sets from British electronic star Floating Points, Detroit's legendary lady of funk DJ Holographic, Jamaican dancehall icon Sister Nancy and Melbourne's own Cassettes For Kids. The much-loved pairing of US DJs Eris Drew and Octo Octa will be taking to the stage, as will emerging UK act Sherelle, and homegrown legends including C.FRIM, Milo Eastwood, Crescendoll, Sophie McAlister, PET$ and Mirasia. The Moon Dog Warehouse is set to be transformed into a giant DJ-fuelled dance floor for the day, while the next door carpark will showcase more dance-worthy tunes selected by party crew Dutty. There'll be plenty of other goodness to explore throughout the precinct, too, including culinary treats from the likes of Brunswick's Vola Foods and Nico's Sandwich Deli, and freshly tapped brews courtesy of Moon Dog. You'll be able to nab presale tickets from Monday, February 14, with general public on sale Tuesday, February 15. Duke Street Block Party Vol 2 takes over Duke and Bond Streets in Abbotsford, on March 19. Register here for presale by 4pm February 14. Presale tickets are available from 6pm on February 14, with general public tickets on sale from 12pm on February 15.
UPDATE, Tuesday, June 18, 2024: Priscilla is available to stream via Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Yearning to be one of the women in Sofia Coppola's films is futile, but for a single reason only: whether she's telling of teenage sisters, a wife left to her own devices in Tokyo, France's most-famous queen, the daughter of a Hollywood actor, Los Angeles high schoolers who want to rob, the staff and students at a girls school in the American Civil War, a Manhattanite worried that her husband is being unfaithful or Priscilla Presley, as the writer/director has across eight movies to-date, no one better plunges viewers into her female characters' hearts and heads. To watch the filmmaker's span of features from The Virgin Suicides to Priscilla is to feel as its figures do, and deeply. The second-generation helmer is an impressionistic great, colouring her flicks as much with emotions and mood as actual hues — not that there's any shortage of lush and dreamy shades, as intricately tied to her on-screen women's inner states, swirling through her meticulous frames. Call it the "can't help falling" effect, then: as a quarter-century of Coppola's films have graced screens, audiences can't help falling into them like they're in the middle of each themselves. That's still accurate with Priscilla, which arrives so soon after Elvis that no one could've forgotten that the lives of the king of rock 'n' roll and his bride have flickered through cinemas recently. Baz Luhrmann made his Presley movie in Australia with an American (Austin Butler, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as Elvis and an Aussie (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase) as Priscilla. Coppola crafted hers in North America with a Brisbanite (Jacob Elordi, Saltburn) in blue-suede shoes and a Tennessee-born talent (Cailee Spaeny, Mare of Easttown) adopting the Presley surname. The two features are mirror images in a hunk of burning ways, including their his-and-hers titles; whose viewpoint they align with; and conveying what it was like to adore Elvis among the masses, plus why he sparked that fervour, compared to expressing the experience of being the girl that he fell for, married, sincerely loved but kept in a gilded cage into she strove to fly free. For the leads playing their titular parts, the two Presley portraits of the 2020s far are also star-making pictures. If Spaeny becomes her director's new muse, it's much-deserved based on her turn as an excited and longing teen, then the isolated high-school senior and stuck-at-home girlfriend who's so controlled that she's instructed to dye her hair the same black that Elvis sports (by him), then the wife and mother virtually living a separate life. In fact, she was recommended by Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog), Coppola's muse since her debut feature, aka Spaeny's co-star in 2024's upcoming Civil War. Although finding someone who could take the role across a decade and a half, and be as genuine as a smitten teen, a fed-up woman deciding to claim her own life and everything in-between wouldn't have been easy, Priscilla's Venice International Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actress-winning choice is sublime. Priscilla Beaulieu is just 14 when she's invited to a party at Elvis' home in West Germany, where she's an army brat with a strict dad (Ari Cohen, Fargo) in the service and he's a 24-year-old donning the uniform solely because he's been drafted. Asked if she likes Elvis by one of his pals, her response is: "of course, who doesn't?". She subsequently can't help falling, as is to be expected of a girl being paid attention by one of the biggest stars on the planet. In the giddy aftermath of their first meetings, during their early courtship and when Elvis heads back home, Coppola gets her The Beguiled and On the Rocks cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd roving over fabrics and handwriting, two staple details in her work, to assist in showing the heady passion that pulsates through Priscilla. As her films keep demonstrating, you can glean much about someone by the textures that they surround themselves with, the way they communicate via the written word, and the care they take with each. Here, you can tell how Priscilla's namesake initially feels like she's living in a fantasy come true. As witnessed through Priscilla Presley's eyes — as adapted by Coppola from Priscilla's 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, and boasting an also-brilliant Elordi as the brooding and volatile Elvis — this romance is never a fairy tale, however. She swoons. She pines. She begs her parents (with Succession's Dagmara Dominczyk as her mother) to let her visit Graceland, and then to move there. She does what Elvis says, and shapes herself by his wishes and whims. She acts in the 50s-trained mould, with its firmly defined gender roles, as he also does. Priscilla spies the period, its expectations and demands, but it also spots the imbalance in power that goes beyond social norms. Leaving Elvis' music off the Phoenix-supervised soundtrack wasn't the original plan, after Coppola sought permission from his estate and was denied, yet it has a potent effect: as tunes other than his echo, and not only from the time — a Ramones cover of 'Baby, I Love You' and Dan Deacon's 2007 track 'The Crystal Cat', for instance — the film divorces itself from his perspective, and from what was accepted in the era. From the moment that it starts with red toenails upon shag carpeting, then, until it closes with swinging gates and one of the greatest songs that Dolly Parton has ever written (and a sentiment that never rings false), Priscilla is what many Coppola flicks are: an account of a woman trying to discover herself in restrictive circumstances where her existence is defined by a man. The picture's protagonist is The Virgin Suicides' siblings cooped up in their home, and Lost in Translation's left-behind spouse. She's Marie Antoinette's partner to royalty, complete with an unhappy bedroom life — the Presleys' romance is chaste when Priscilla is younger, then Elvis remains largely uninterested when she's older — and Somewhere's adoring youth in a star's shadow as well. Coppola sees the limits placed upon the women before her camera, the abodes they're trapped in and how they pass the time. In a revelatory fashion, she's well-aware that so much of Priscilla's life with Elvis was filled with just that as he went on tour, made movies in Los Angeles, and had gossip all aflutter about affairs with Speedway's Nancy Sinatra and Viva Las Vegas' Ann-Margret: Priscilla on her lonesome passing the time. While Coppola has never made a feature that's less than excellent, Priscilla is among her most-accomplished. Every inch always means something in the director's oeuvre, and proves immaculate and intimate. Such truths from her filmography resound again here to perfection, with exquisitely ravishing aesthetics — also thanks to costume designer Stacey Battat, who has worked on every one of the helmer's pictures since Somewhere, as well as Nightmare Alley production designer Tamara Deverell — helping to amplify the picture's emotional intensity. Coppola's little-less-conversation approach finds its action in glances and stares, and in being all shook up by what's not uttered. It's absorbing and mesmerising, heartbreaks, hardships and all. Priscilla herself wouldn't want anyone aching for her experience, but she'd surely hope for the crucial feat that Priscilla overwhelmingly achieves: ensuring that viewers feel as if they've lived it.
You're invited to take a rare glimpse into the life of Frida Kahlo, when photographs from the famed Mexican artist's personal collection land at the Bendigo Art Gallery this December. Travelling exhibition Frida Kahlo, Her Photos will be on show in Victoria from December 8, 2018, until February 10, 2019, featuring a sprawling selection of 257 images curated by Mexican photographer and photography historian Pablo Ortiz Monasterio. The collection travels through Kahlo's fascinating life, speaking to the artist's lifelong passion for photography — an art form that regularly influenced her own work. The photos have been pulled from the archives of the Casa Azul (Blue House) — Kahlo's former home, which has been made into a museum celebrating her life and art. You'll spy gems that have only been on public show since 2007, capturing Kahlo's family moments, her love for Mexico and its traditions, her passions, friends and enemies, the era's political struggles, and even the artist's lengthy hospital stay following an accident in 1925. The exhibition also features shots from Frida contemporaries including Fritz Henle, Man Ray, Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, and Lola and Manuel Alvarez. Images: Frida painting a portrait of her father, by Gisele Freund, 1951, courtesy Frida Kahlo Museum; Diego Rivera (in his study at San Angel_, Anonymous, 1940, courtesy Frida Kahlo Museum.
If watching a stage full of people sing and dance their hearts out is your idea of a great night out, then the next 12 months or so are going to be like musical theatre Christmas. With lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne set to end, a heap of big musicals have firmed up their Australian dates or locked in their postponed seasons — big shows such as Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Phantom of the Opera, Jagged Little Pill the Musical, Come From Away and Hamilton — and, in January 2022, they'll be joined by West End and Broadway hit Girl From the North Country. For Bob Dylan fans, that name will be familiar. It's the title of one of the legendary folk singer's 1963 songs — a tune that features in this musical, naturally. Indeed, the entire show uses Dylan's tracks, including everything from 'Like a Rolling Stone' and 'Hurricane' to 'Slow Train' and 'I Want You', all weaved throughout a story of American life during the Great Depression. Making its Australian premiere at the 2022 Sydney Festival, and kicking off from Wednesday, January 5 at Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King Street, Sydney, Girl From the North Country takes place in a guesthouse in the US state of Minnesota in 1934. The story revolves around owner Nick, who is deeply in debt; his wife Elizabeth, whose mind is fraying; and their pregnant daughter Marianne — as well as a bible-slinging preacher and a boxer endeavouring to make a comeback. [caption id="attachment_827941" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tristram Kenton[/caption] Overseas, the musical has enjoyed sell-out seasons since it first debuted in London in 2017 — heading from The Old Vic to West End, next leaping to the US for an off-Broadway run, and then hitting up Toronto, returning to West End and premiering on Broadway before the pandemic in early 2022. Locally, the debut Aussie season will star Lisa McCune (The King and I, South Pacific), Zahra Newman (The Book of Mormon, Wentworth), Terence Crawford (Escape From Pretoria, 1984) and Helen Dallimore (Wicked, Legally Blonde), with more cast members set to be announced closer to the show's dates. Girl From the North Country will open at Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King Street, Sydney from Wednesday, January 5, 2022. For further information or to buy tickets, head to the musical's Australian website.
Catering for both children and children at heart, MTC's latest production sees them set sail with Arena Theatre Company. Following the tale of a grandfather and his granddaughter returning a fish to sea, Marlin is set on a small boat amidst a magical on-stage ocean. Directed by Christian Leavesley, the piece explores some fairly serious and eternal themes with the help of imaginative and captivating puppets. "I wanted to conceive a work in which young people and their elders can share time in the theatre that is energised by them experiencing it side by side," said Leavesley. For those particularly touched by the performance, the experience can be enhanced again by taking part in The Marlin Expedition. An adventure that actually takes you out onto the Yarra, the expedition will make for an interactive and intimate experience with just three people on each boat. Plus some room for the puppets, of course.
Each year in cinema, the big screen delivers plenty of must-sees. Thanks to streaming, the small screen does, too. But there's a truth that lingers whenever you sit down to watch a movie: they can't all be great. That's a fact that the just-announced Razzie nominations for 2021's worst films well and truly recognise, as the Golden Raspberry Awards have for 42 years now. Yes, cinema's award season is upon us again, but that doesn't just mean celebrating the best flicks of the past year, which is what the likes of the Oscars and the Golden Globes aim to do. Also getting some love, albeit of the unwanted kind, are 2021's terrible movies. Leading the pack among the 42nd Razzie nominations is the Netflix version of Diana the Musical — aka the Princess Diana-themed movie of the past year that wasn't the much, much, much better Spencer — which picked up nine nods. It's joined by Karen, a film that matches its name, with five nominations; the needless Space Jam sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy with four nods; and straight-to-streaming Mark Wahlberg vehicle Infinite and abysmal heist flick The Misfits with three apiece. Other movies getting some attention: the Amy Adams-starring The Woman in the Window and Dear Evan Hansen, with the actor also earning a Worst Actress nomination for the former; House of Gucci, with Jared Leto's awful efforts recognised in two different categories; and no fewer than eight Bruce Willis flicks. That's how many titles he starred in last year, and the Razzies have even made their own field for them to compete against each other. Like any awards, the Razzie nominations are subjective, of course. Donning a ridiculous blonde mop while hamming up every scene he's in, Ben Affleck turns in an entertaining performance in The Last Duel, but this year's Razzies' Best Supporting Actor category clearly doesn't agree. The 2021 Razzie Award winners will be announced on Sunday, March 27, Australian and New Zealand time. Check out the full list of nominees below: GOLDEN RASPBERRY NOMINEES 2022: WORST PICTURE Diana the Musical Infinite Karen Space Jam: A New Legacy The Woman in the Window WORST ACTOR Scott Eastwood, Dangerous Roe Hartrampf (as Prince Charles), Diana the Musical LeBron James, Space Jam: A New Legacy Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen Mark Wahlberg, Infinite WORST ACTRESS Amy Adams, The Woman in the Window Jeanna de Waal, Diana the Musical Megan Fox, Midnight in the Switchgrass Taryn Manning, Karen Ruby Rose, Vanquish WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR Ben Affleck, The Last Duel Nick Cannon, The Misfits Mel Gibson, Dangerous Gareth Keegan (as James Hewitt, the muscle-bound horse trainer), Diana the Musical Jared Leto, House of Gucci WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, Dear Evan Hansen Sophie Cookson, Infinite Erin Davie (as Camilla), Diana the Musical Judy Kaye (as both Queen Elizabeth and Barbara Cartland), Diana the Musical Taryn Manning, Every Last One of Them WORST PERFORMANCE BY BRUCE WILLIS IN A 2021 MOVIE Bruce Willis, American Siege Bruce Willis, Apex Bruce Willis, Cosmic Sin Bruce Willis, Deadlock Bruce Willis, Fortress Bruce Willis, Midnight in the Switchgrass Bruce Willis, Out of Death Bruce Willis, Survive the Game WORST SCREEN COMBO Any klutzy cast member and any lamely lyricised (or choreographed) musical number, Diana the Musical LeBron James and any Warner cartoon character (or Time-Warner product) he dribbles on, Space Jam: A New Legacy Jared Leto and either his 17-pound latex face, his geeky clothes or his ridiculous accent, House of Gucci Ben Platt and any other character who acts like Platt singing 24-7 is normal, Dear Evan Hansen Tom and Jerry (aka Itchy and Scratchy), Tom & Jerry WORST DIRECTOR Christopher Ashley, Diana the Musical Stephen Chbosky, Dear Evan Hansen Coke Daniels, Karen Renny Harlin, The Misfits Joe Wright, The Woman in the Window WORST REMAKE, RIPOFF or SEQUEL Karen (inadvertent remake of Cruella deVil) Space Jam: A New Legacy Tom and Jerry Twist (rap remake of Oliver Twist) The Woman in the Window (ripoff of Rear Window) WORST SCREENPLAY Diana the Musical, script by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by DiPietro and David Bryan Karen, written by Coke Daniels The Misfits, screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Robert Henny, screen story by Robert Henny Twist, written by John Wrathall and Sally Collett, additional material by Matthew Parkhill, Michael Lindley, Tom Grass and Kevin Lehane, from an "original idea" by David and Keith Lynch and Simon Thomas The Woman in the Window, screenplay by Tracy Letts, from the novel by AJ Finn
We can't think of a much more fitting way to celebrate 'M8 Day' on Wednesday, May 8, than with a few actual mates and some local craft brews. The crew at Abbotsford brewery Moon Dog couldn't agree more — they're marking the occasion with a beer-filled celebration, complete with friends and freebies galore. Clock off work early and roll in from 4pm to join in the fun, with your number one bestie in tow. The first 100 pairs of mates through the door will score themselves two free six-packs of Moon Dog's legendary Old Mate pale ale. All you'll need to do to collect, is arrive with your mate (you can't collect a six-pack for them) and throw staff a hearty "maaaaaaaaaaaaaate" on arrival. And if you miss out on the first giveaway, you won't be going home empty handed — the bar's giving away a free schooner of Old Mate to everyone else who rocks up on the night. The party will be kicking on late, with games, pizzas and plenty of good times.
It's said there's no such thing as a free lunch, but Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters, Smith & Deli) and Deliveroo are today proving the phrase wrong — in more ways than one. The legendary vegan chef and the food delivery group are teaming up to hand out hundreds of complimentary hot dogs that are both free from animal products and won't cost you a cent. Today's giveaway — going down in both Sydney and Melbourne — are happening in celebration of Martinez's new collaboration with local group The Alternative Meat Co. Together, they've designed not just any old snag-in-bun affair, but, rather, a plant-based creation dubbed the Lasagne Dog. The limited-edition dog features a plant-based sausage in a vegan bun, finished with lashings of garlic butter, a rich plant-based bolognese and vegan cheese sauce by the Alternative Dairy Co. Clocking in at $12, this beaut will be available through Deliveroo from Thursday, October 31, until Sunday, November 3. You'll find it on the app if you're located within 2.5 kilometres of Windsor in Melbourne, or 2.5 kilometres of Potts Point in Sydney. But both cities are in for a free sneak peek today, Wednesday, October 30, with the Deliveroo crew handing out a swag of Lasagne Dogs between 12–2pm at the below locations. Find free Lasagne Dogs at Melbourne's Balaclava (12–1pm) and South Yarra (1–2pm) stations or from Kings Cross Station (12–1pm) or Taylor Square (1–2pm) in Sydney.
Melbourne has scored a major new outdoor performance space, playing host to theatre, comedy, live music and just about everything in between. The courtyard of the iconic Malthouse Theatre — which is also shared by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and dance company Chunky Move — has been transformed into an al fresco cultural hub, known as Malthouse Outdoor Stage. Making its debut on Thursday, January 21, precinct aims to offer a new way to help Melbourne's arts scene embrace the post-COVID-19 era, responding to increased demand for outdoor performance venues. Featuring cabaret-style seating for up to 312 guests, Malthouse Outdoor Stage is being brought to life with support from both the Sidney Myer Fund and the Victorian Government. And it's premiering with a huge bang, kicking off its debut season with a jam-packed calendar of live tunes and performances for all palates. Indie music touring company Penny Drop has jumped on board for a series of gigs, ranging from the soulful jazz sounds of ARIA Award-winner Kaiit, to the critically acclaimed smooth rhythms of Emma Donovan & The Putbacks. Melbourne-based comedy producers Token Events will be delivering the laughs, with a lineup of shows from the likes of Eddie Perfect, stand-up star Anne Edmonds and legendary duo Lano & Woodley. Deeper into the year, expect loads more events held in conjunction with the likes of Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Midsumma and First Nations festival Yirramboi. There'll be regular workshops, talks and other events from organisations like the Wheeler Centre, Chunky Move and ACCA, plus, get set for a program of happenings as part of 2021's inaugural winter arts festival Rising — an expanded hybrid event replacing Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night.
In 2022, The Kid LAROI embarked upon his debut headline Australian tour, selling out arenas across the nation and adding more dates to meet demand. Two years later, the Aussie star otherwise known as Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard is returning to local stages again in November 2024. Initially announced in 2023 and due to happen in February 2024, then postponed to October due to trying to confirm a "really big surprise and special guest" and "a bunch of other logistical stuff", The Kid LAROI's The First Time Australian tour is back on. When he hits Melbourne across Friday, November 29–Saturday, November 30, he'll have Migos frontman Quavo and Sydney's ONEFOUR in support. The Kid LAROI has made some changes to the tour itinerary, which is in support of his debut studio album The First Time. This was meant to be his first-ever Aussie stadium tour; however, in the Victorian capital he's playing Rod Laver Arena. The First Time might've been a new 2023 arrival, but The Kid LAROI has been releasing music since 2018 — solo, and also teaming up with everyone from Juice WRLD and ONEFOUR to Justin Bieber. Accordingly, fans can look forward to hearing 'Stay', 'Without You', 'Thousand Miles', 'Love Again', 'Girls' and more come spring.
On paper, Speakeasy's Once Were Pirates has everything you could want out of a Fringe show. A dark sense of humour, an award-winning writer, an energetic and talented small cast and, of course, pirates. While all these elements work well on their own, the show as a whole is lacking. As the characters fight and gripe about their somewhat confusing circumstances, you're never quite sure whether you're watching a slapstick comedy or a contemplative drama. Because of this, it doesn't quite satisfy as either. Wrangling absurdity into the everyday, Emily Collyer's story follows the new workaday lives of reformed pirates Shane and Gareth (Ben Clements and James Cook). Living amidst a sea of knick knacks and rubbish, the pair spend their time devising get rich quick schemes and wrestling with the difficulties of getting by in the normal modern world. As Gareth accepts the constraints of his new workaday life faster than Shane, the pair develop a great on-stage dynamic as an unconventional odd couple. Tensions between the two are amusing and get a big reaction from the audience with their slapstick physical humour. At times their outlandish style and high-energy performances are reminiscent of the work of gross-out greats Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. If utilised for the entirety of the show, this relationship would have made for a great dark comedy but the story too often delves into philosophical drama. While some reviewers found this to be rewarding, I found it to jar with the absurd nature of the work. It's hard to give genuine empathy to these characters with no discernible backstory or outside context. If we can't muster sympathy for the squabbles between Captain Hook and Smee, how can we offer it to two confusing Aussie counterparts. On a faultless note, the set design by artist Alexandra Hiller is beautifully ornate and well-utilised. Garbage bags pile atop one another to frame the action perfectly, and the grand romance of piracy is subtly recreated onstage with considered props and intriguing shadowplay. Like a grand ol' ship sailing the seven seas, it's a shame the story itself was a little too turbulent for our liking. For more works at the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival, check out our top ten picks.
Glamping, you've had a great run, but another fancy camping alternative might be about to take your mantle. You can't carry a shipping container on your back like a tent, but you can move them around — and this new portable hotel was created with packing it up, transporting it elsewhere and setting it up in a variety of different places in mind. Designed by the Prague-based Artikul Architects, ContainHotel boasts all of the comforts of a hotel in a structure that's both demountable and portable. First and foremost, visitors will find all of the comforts they'd expect from a hotel, namely proper beds, rooms and facilities, plus windows and balconies, and custom-made plywood furniture too. Reaching 40 feet in height thanks to its two-level structure, with two 20-foot high shipping containers supporting a third on top, the space can sleep 13 guests in total. The three containers have been divided into five bedrooms, a bathroom, a technical room and a storeroom. Inside and out, they're decked out with reclaimed wood — and they're also built on railroad sleepers to cause as little impact to the hotel's surroundings as possible. With being eco-friendly and self-sufficient part of its moveable plans, complete with an inbuilt tank that takes care of the site's water needs, that's clearly important. ContainHotel can currently be found in Treboutice in the Czech Republic, but just where it'll pop up next is anyone's guess. Via inhabitat. Image: Michal Hurych.
Passion is a pivotal part of every cocktail enjoyed at the end of a long week, every glass of wine sipped with dinner and every cold brew cracked open just because. If you've made the choice to drink a particular tipple, you should be passionate about it. Life's just too short to waste it on average drops. Unsurprisingly, passion is also one of the driving forces behind every spirit, vino and beer before it even reaches your lips. No one dedicates their life to making standout beverages if they're not devoted to the field. And that passion has been particularly important in 2020, with drinks brands everywhere forced to adapt to quite the challenging year — as South Australia's Never Never Distilling Co, Paracombe Wines and Little Bang Brewing Company can attest. For the past few months, BWS has tapped into both of the aforementioned sources of passion — into the enthusiasm of Aussie drinkers, and into the excitement of those responsible for the country's favourite bevvies. Via its Local Luvvas initiative, the bottle shop retailer asked the nation to pick its top local drinks, with the three chosen companies receiving an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. That means you now have more excuses to pick up Never Never, Paracombe and Little Bang's wares. To celebrate the news, and the passion behind it, we've chatted to the committed folks behind the scenes at each. [caption id="attachment_789218" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Meaghan Coles[/caption] A PASSION FOR COMPLEXITY When you're pouring yourself some gin, then adding tonic and whichever garnishes you prefer, it all seems so simple and straightforward. But the juniper-based spirit delivers a complicated array of flavours — and it's that complexity, as well as a "huge passion for South Australia's incredible food and beverage industry", that actually sparked Never Never Distilling Co co-founder and managing director George Georgiadis to start the business in the first place. His fellow co-founders Tim Boast and Sean Baxter share that passion, obviously. Boast, who is also Never Never's head distiller, is a staunch believer in tipples made with purpose, too. "Assuming you can get the fundamentals right and build from a strong foundation, a spirit crafted with a purpose in mind for the end product will ultimately deliver a better liquid," he explains. If you need an example, he suggests Never Never's Triple Juniper Gin, which was specifically designed to be the best gin possible for classic cocktails and G&Ts. A drink made with passion — and complexity and purpose — inspires the same in return. Awards bodies have shown that by showering the McLaren Vale-based distillery with accolades, including in this difficult year. In March, Never Never picked up the Best Regular Gin prize at the San Francisco World Spirit Awards, in fact. But it's the passion of the brand's local supporters that has helped immensely in a period where the company has been forced to "quickly take stock of our focuses, and be brave in what our strategies needed to be," says Baxter. "South Australians are probably some of the most discerning drinkers — you look at the history of wine in SA and the producers who put Australian wine on the map. We're seeing it now in SA gin, where local punters have access to so many incredible smaller producers that they'll actively seek out what's new and what's the best". A PASSION FOR HISTORY When Kathy and Paul Drogemuller bought an old dairy farm in the Adelaide Hills more than three decades ago, they were clearly fond of a good drop. Neither had a background in growing grapes or making wine, but they decided to plant a vineyard at their property at Paracombe, which had been burnt out by the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983. They still kept full-time jobs outside of the farm; however, when they did some research on the area, they found a significant source of inspiration for their hobby. "We discovered that Paracombe had a history of wine going back to the mid-1800s," says Kathy. "There was a vineyard and operational winery exporting wine to England, and the first vintages of Penfolds Grange came from Paracombe. All this valuable history had died out, so we made it our mission to revive the district, raise it back from the ashes and put Paracombe back on the map." From there, the Drogemullers infused their passion into making the very best wine — and making the very best of their location in the process. "Great wine happens in the vineyard and should reflect a sense of place," notes Kathy, explaining how Paracombe Wines capitalises upon the area's ironstone, buckshot gravel and quartz-layered soils, as well as its cooler climate. The result, all these years later, is a range of wines across both whites and reds that locals love. "To start something from nothing, be involved in every process — growing, making, bottling, storing and distributing — all from our property and vineyard, and to produce a product that connects and brings people together around a table with food and family: that is a joy," says Kathy. And if anything was going to help Paracombe Wines "rise above adversity", as Kathy describes the company's journey in 2020, it's that local love. "We have seen that in these difficult times, people seek out to support local more than ever," she says. A PASSION FOR DELICIOUS AND CREATIVE BEER Asked how Little Bang Brewing Company came about, cofounder Ryan Davidson gives the most honest answer there is: "making things is fun, beer is delicious, beer costs money and we were unemployed," he says. But that was just the beginning of his beer-making journey with co-founder and head brewer Fil Kemp, with whom he worked in the games industry prior to starting their Adelaide brewery. "It was once we started brewing together that the fervour really kicked in. We're both rather obsessive when it comes to learning something new, and we encouraged each other a lot in those early days, seeking out every little bit of knowledge, history and expertise we could lay our hands on." That passion for learning has played a big part in Little Bang's 2020 journey, too, and in the kind of year that Davidson could never have imagined back when the company launched in 2014. "We've pivoted so much, we're getting dizzy. It's been a lesson in agility, that's for sure — keeping a constant eye on the news and being ready to redefine what we do, in almost every way, and at a moment's notice," he says. To the surprise of no one, Ryan notes that it has been exhausting. Still, he also says 2020 has been "extremely informative". He continues: "we've learned a lot about our customers, our business and ourselves that we wouldn't have had the chance to know otherwise". All those lessons — the early learnings when the brewery was starting out, and the new gleanings over the past ten months — help shape Little Bang's beverages. Davidson is passionate about something else, though. Naturally, he's still keen on free beer, but he's also enthusiastic about the local community that has blossomed around the company's brews. "We don't see Little Bang as just our business," he says. "It's just as much a creation of the day-to-day attitudes and ideas of all the staff here, and the huge variety of people who spend time at the taproom. We're just lucky enough to work here." To find these or other South Australian drinks as part of the BWS Local Luvva's initiative, head to your nearest BWS store.
Have a good hard think at NGV Friday Nights, thanks to a pop-up thoughtography lab courtesy of the brainiacs at La Trobe University. Open to the public every Friday evening from now through to April 22, this sensory experiment is part of the ongoing Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibition. Visitors simply slip on a headset and hey presto — their brainwaves are transformed into vibrant works of art. Okay, so it's a little bit more complicated than that. Thoughtographs are created via electrical impulses in your brain, as measured by a dry electrode electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. As you browse a selection of images from the Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibition, the apparatus reads your reaction and generates different coloured lines. The harder you think, the thicker the lines. The end result is a unique piece of art that you can take home as a permanent souvenir. Pretty rare that you get to walk out of a gallery with a piece of art under your arm — let alone one you technically created yourself.
Spring has officially sprung, and Entrecôte is celebrating with its new long boozy lunch special Stop and Smell the Rosé. The renowned French restaurant has teamed up with Miraval Côtes de Provence (from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's infamous vineyard), Sieur D'Arques, Lyv, and Domaine De La Croix to bring together the ultimate partnership of French wine and cuisine. From Monday, October 21–Friday, November 15, you can enjoy an elegant four-course lunch — curated by Entrecôte's Head Chef Timothy Menger — with each dish paired with a glass of French rosé. The menu begins with bouchée de concombre canapés served alongside the Sieur d'Arques sparkling rosé. This is followed by either the asparagus with mayonnaise mousseline and lemon and macadamia pistou, or the saffron king prawns — both are paired with a delicate and aromatic Lyv rosé. [caption id="attachment_837205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lillie Thompson[/caption] For the mains, guests can choose between petit poulet à la sauce bocuse (a chicken dish with corn puree and mustard and tarragon sauce) or the grilled fish of the day, served with sauce gribiche and pomme frites. Elevate the rich flavours of each main with the aid of a versatile Miraval Côtes de Provence rosé. And to complement the fraise et rosé (a berry-filled rosé ice cream dessert), the Entrecote crew is serving the Domaine de la Croix le cap. Guests can choose between lunch with half-pour (75ml) wine pairings for $90 and $110 for a full pour (150ml). This limited-time offer will be held in the new conservatoire, an ode to glamorous Parisian courtyards and indoor gardens. This luxe partnership offers Melbournians the chance to experience the essence of France right in their own city — sans plane fare to Paris.
That soothing feeling that sweeps over you when you spy a cute canine, spend too much time watching internet cat videos or even just spot a picture of a newborn animal — that's the feeling at the heart of Australia's newest wellness sessions. Sure, you've been to kitten yoga and puppy pilates, and they're both great. But we're guessing that you haven't tried meditating with baby goats or getting mindful with soft, cuddly lambs. Currently held in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, Karmably's cuddly class is coming to Melbourne for the five Saturdays in June. During them, you'll attempt to find inner bliss while surrounded by rescued baby farm animals. In short, it's the best way to de-stress when life's got your goat. After all, who can remain overwhelmed, exhausted or annoyed when they're sharing their chill-out session with actual goats? The classes focus on relaxation techniques, like Breathe In & Bleat Out, which gives you an idea of just what's in store. Those heading along can expect three parts to the session: mindful stretching, meditation and snuggling the four-legged participants. If you're wondering where the concept came from, it was inspired by organiser Berenice Tan's own experiences trying to find something other than the usual mindfulness classes within Australia. Tan began to research animal therapy and, after learning of the benefits (and realising that everyone loves cute critters), her sessions with goats, lambs and even piglets were born. The bliss goes both ways, too — with Karmably not only helping humans to relax in a fun manner, but also assisting animals in need. Tan works with sanctuaries, rescue centres, and organisations such as Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts and ABC Animal Farm. They both raise baby creatures who have either been rejected by their mothers or lost their mums in other ways, and hand-rear them until they can be adopted out as pets to families who live on suitable properties. Tickets to the first few classes have already sold out, so we suggest snapping up tickets ASAP. Updated: May 7, 2019.
It's free, it's a summer staple, and it's a reason to spend two days partying at the St Kilda Foreshore and its surroundings. The event: St Kilda Festival, the bayside fest that notches up 43 years in 2024. As always, it knows how to celebrate — and it's enlisting help from Mallrat, Mo'Ju, Bag Raiders, Budjerah, Mark Seymour and the Undertow, and Northeast Party House. 2024's music lineup isn't short on big names, clearly, as split across two days. On Saturday, February 17, the festival is bringing back the First Peoples First program that heroes Indigenous music and culture, which it launched in 2023. Mo'Ju will be joined by Ziggy Ramo, Richard J Frankland, Wildfire Manwurrk, The Merindas and more on the main stage, while the day's garden stage lineup starts with Charlie Needs Braces, Canisha and Sedriece. Saturday's event will span a sunset ceremony as well. Just like last year again, Sunday, February 18 has been dubbed the Big Festival Sunday, which is where Bag Raiders, Mallrat, Budjerah, Thandi Phoenix, 1300, Mark Seymour and The Undertow, and others come in. There'll be a six-stage setup, with Telenova, RVG, Big Words, Jewel Owusu and The New Monos among the other talents featured. Alongside more than 60 acts hitting the stage across the entire festival, St Kilda Festival's lineup includes dance, sports demonstrations and workshops, plus roving entertainment, markets and stalls for grabbing a bite — so, enough to keep 400,000-plus attendees mighty busy and loving it over a big weekend. St Kilda Festival 2024 Lineup: First Peoples First — Saturday, February 17: Main Stage: Mo'Ju Ziggy Ramo Richard J Frankland Wildfire Manwurrk The Merindas Eleanor Jawurlngali Triad Birren Singing Our Futures presented by the Archie Roach Foundation O'Donnell Garden Stage: Charlie Needs Braces Canisha Sedriece Katie Aspel Pirritu Liv & The Dream Birren Big Festival Sunday — Sunday, February 18 : Main Stage Bag Raiders Mallrat Budjerah Thandi Phoenix 1300 Mark Seymour & The Undertow Singing Our Futures presented by the Archie Roach Foundation Cointreau Summer Stage: Northeast Party House Forest Claudette Gut Health Sunfruits Kinder J-Milla Chela Maya Vice O'Donnell Garden Stage: Telenova Adam Noviello CD Titration Hard No The Heights Lotte Gallagher Goodbye Butterfly For families: NV Dance Studio Riot Baby Woody's World Whistle & Trick Team Dream Triangle Stage: RVG Big Words Wildfire Manwurrk The Slingers Chikchika Cool Sounds Platonic Sex New Music Stage: Jewel Owusu Mudrat Tab Family Lewis Coleman Romanie Mulga Bore Hard Rock Brekky Boy Mathilde Anne Good Pash Winten Locals Stage: The New Monos The Miffs Bernadette Novembre John Wayne Parsons Tanya George Bailey Judd KP Hydes JHM Tristan Heath Louis
It's fair to say everyone's had a challenging year in 2020, and if you run a small business in Melbourne it's been an especially tough time. We don't need to reiterate why, but we are going to remind you of how you can help those independent shops and not-for-profits who are still peddling their handmade, locally grown, lovingly wrapped items, which would all make for perfect stocking fillers come December 25. And, because we know you don't always want to splash out on big-ticket items at Christmas, we've also kept this gift guide to present ideas that come in under $50. In partnership with Square, we've picked out nine affordable pressies — from jumbo scrunchies to handmade ceramics and classic bottled cocktails — that you can purchase online in time for the big day. Not only will you be ticking off your Christmas shopping list, but you'll also be supporting the hardworking and resilient businesses that make Melbourne such a cool place to live. If you are a small business owner, Square has the tools you need to take payments and maximise your sales, including an ebook with tips to help you get started this holiday season. JUMBO SCRUNCHIE, SECOND STITCH ($15) Social enterprise Second Stitch employs refugee and asylum seeker workers in its Coburg studio. During lockdown, it was pumping out cotton face masks, which helped keep all its talented seamstresses busy. Now that we've got drawers full of reusable face masks, add another accessory to your shopping list, this time to give to a friend. We think the jumbo scrunchies, available in six colours, are lots of fun. The 100 percent cotton scrunchies are oversized, machine washable and made to stand out. Add in $8 for shipping, or pick up in store. [caption id="attachment_780486" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Abigail Varney[/caption] COFFEE CLUB SUBSCRIPTION, MARKET LANE (FROM $20) We're sure you're familiar with the Melbourne coffee roaster Market Lane, who came to the rescue of Brunswick East residents earlier this year with its coffee bean vending machine. And perhaps you already have a favourite flavour from its range of espresso and filter beans, available online. Well, have you considered how much your loved ones might also enjoy receiving a bag of fresh coffee on the regular? You can give Market Lane's Coffee Club Subscription as a gift, either as a three-month ($120), six-month ($240) or 12-month ($480) present. Or, start small with a $20 gift card to get them started on their own biweekly deliveries. MILK MADE: A BOOK ABOUT CHEESE, MOULD CHEESE COLLECTIVE ($25) Victorian dairy fiends the Mould Cheese Collective collate and ship boxes of cheesy goods across the country. It sells gift cards from $25, as well as gourmet boxes of Bruny Island's The Saint, Coal River Farm's triple cream brie and Grandvewe's pinot paste, from $85. When you have someone on your gift list who has eyes only for the cheese platter come Christmas party time, buy them something that speaks to their greatest pleasure. Milk Made: A Book About Cheese is written by Bruny Island Cheese's Nick Haddow, and in it the cheesemaker tells of his experiences making, serving and storing cheeses, as well as sharing a few recipes. Add it to your cart with shipping at a flat rate of $10. YUMIKO CUP, LOVE TEA ($45) Just the idea of wrapping our mitts around this handmade ceramic cup gets us in the mood for a cuppa. Each Yumiko Cup is made in Japan and they're designed with simplicity in mind. Love Tea has a variety of colours, from warm brown (above) to spring mint green and winter night grey. As you'll need to spend $65 to be eligible for free shipping across Australia, we suggest going ever so slightly over budget and throwing in some certified organic tea from the Melbourne-based store. There's chai, traditional, herbal and wellness teas available from $13 a box. One for you, one for a friend. [caption id="attachment_701671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gareth Sobery[/caption] BOTTLED COCKTAILS, THE EVERLEIGH ($18–36) Award-winning cocktail bar The Everleigh has kept many of us well sauced through the long nights in lockdown, and no doubt you're already familiar with its bottled cocktail packs — we're here to remind you they make for excellent gifts, too. Take your pick from a negroni, old fashioned, martini or manhattan, which are all $18 for a single-serve, back-pocket, pre-made cocktail. You can level up to $36 for a double serve, or go all-out on the Famous Four gift set for $72. Delivery is $14.99, or $9.99 if you spend over $50. FOCACCIA PACK, MOUNT ZERO OLIVES ($45) Family-owned company Mount Zero Olives has an olive grove three hours' west of Melbourne on the northern edge of the Grampians National Park. You can shop many of its organic olive oils, dressings, salts and gift hampers online, but our pick is the Focaccia Pack, which gives you all the ingredients you need to make your own olive, rosemary and pink salt focaccia at home. The recipe is courtesy of British-born pastry chef Michael James, author of The Tivoli Road Baker. It also comes gift wrapped in a hamper box, making for a ready-made gift for your baking buddies. NOVELTY TOILET PAPER, URBAN FARM COLLECTIVE ($5) Melbourne's Urban Farming Collective helps people grow their own food by offering advice and selling planter kits. It also has a cheeky sense of humour. Alongside white button, swiss brown and oyster mushroom growing kits, it also sells toilet paper with certain political faces printed on each sheet. It's a collaboration with The Real Shit Co, and at the moment you can wipe your arse with Scott Morrison's or Daniel Andrews' faces. You can also order from anywhere in Australia. MELBOURNE CBD TOTE, VICINITY STORE ($25) If you have a mate who couldn't be prouder to live in Melbourne, get them a present that matches their love of the city, like this tote featuring landmarks Eureka Tower, Flinders Street Station and Melbourne Town Hall. It's illustrated by a local designer who sells her hand-printed totes in a store dedicated to all things Melbourne. The lightweight cotton bag measures in at 38 x 42 centimetres, so large enough to carry veggies back from the markets. And, for a flat rate of $6 for shipping across Australia, you could send it to your homesick friends and fam who've made the terrible mistake of moving interstate. MORNING WOOD BEARD OIL, THE GROOMED MAN CO ($35) Melburnian man Daniel Mahony launched The Groomed Man Co in 2014 after spending time in the US discovering the power of essential oils for an itchy bearded face. Four years later, the Australian grooming business is booming, selling organic argan, jojoba and almond oils to beardy folk up and down the country. When you're shopping for a facially hairy friend, consider the lightweight and non-greasy Morning Wood Beard Oil. It's 100 percent Australian made and shipping is free of charge with no minimum order. Find out how Square is supporting small businesses with the tools they need to grow, here. If you are a small business owner, Square has guidance on how best to maximise sales in the run up to the Christmas holiday period in its ebook, found here. Top image: Second Stitch.
Its usual mission is to help optimise your lounging time, by hooking you up with comfy, affordable beds and sofas. But from this week, Aussie online furniture brand Koala wants to see you launching yourself off the couch instead, and into a heart-pumping living room sweat sesh. Yes — that same living room you've been seeing a lot of during lockdown. Koala has teamed up with Retrosweat — masters of the vintage-inspired workout — to bring you an at-home aerobics program doused in plenty of 80s Australiana, fittingly dubbed The Great Australian Workout. Best break out the leotards and leg warmers because this is the time-tripping exercise class your dance floor-deprived iso self has been waiting for. Across 12 fun, high-energy episodes, Retrosweat founder Shannon Dooley guides punters through a series of nostalgic workouts they can smash out in the comfort of their own home. With or without a healthy dose of spandex, of course. Expect plenty of old-school ocker lingo, a heap of 80s Aussie references and a fair dinkum retro workout wardrobe that promises to send you straight back to the days of Scott and Charlene's wedding, and Olivia Newton John's Physical. Clocking in at around three minutes each, the free live workout videos have just dropped over at the Koala website, so you can attack one each day or sweat your way through the whole bunch in one go. Plus, those following along on Tik Tok will have the chance to score some sweet prizes. Share a glimpse of some of your own 80s moves and blast-from-the-past workout threads, and you could win some Ken Done artwork or a Koala sofa for your efforts. Clear out that coffee table and get ready to throw down some moves. You can farewell lockdown boredom and catch The Great Australian Workout here. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Australian spirits are having a serious moment right now. Even so, you won't find many watering holes celebrating them as completely as newly hatched St Kilda bar Land of Plenty. Taking over the site once home to Uncle, this latest venture from Stacy Kewish-Lucas is putting local booze firmly in the spotlight — everything behind the bar and in the kitchen is sourced from inside Australia. The space itself has been transformed into a comfy, moody drinking den, with warm timber and a touch of corrugated iron. Upstairs, a cosy rooftop space is decked out with native Australian bamboo and grass trees, and a mural of bar mascot Wade flying the Whipper Snapper (a Perth whiskey distillery) plane splashed across one wall. Alongside a lineup of local craft brews and wines, native ingredients and Aussie spirits star throughout the cocktail list. Try concoctions like the Sunburnt Country — with house-made macadamia orgeat, dark rum, spiced rum and orange juice — or the vibrant Flamin' Galah, a revamp of the classic Clover Club infused with house-made rosella syrup. A big charcoal grill is put to clever use for the food menu, another all-Aussie lineup that trips from drinking snacks to larger feasting options. Snack on the likes of charred corn on the cob teamed with salted ricotta and chipotle aioli, a saltgrass lamb tartare starring native sea succulents and crispy saltbush, or the kingfish which is cured in Australian breakfast tea. A range of skewers pulls inspiration from across the globe — think, Basque-style chicken thigh, or the lamb souvlaki with sheep's yoghurt tzatziki — and there's a lineup of snags, handful of steaks and a slew of vegan and vegetarian options, too. And for a true-blue dessert, you'll find it hard to pass by the Milo damper paired with a wattleseed cream. The weekly Thursday special is primed for date night, offering a shared starter or dessert, a 500-gram dry-aged rib eye, two sides and a bottle of wine for $80. Find Land Of Plenty at 188 Carlisle Street, St Kilda. It's open Wednesday–Thursday 5–11pm and Friday–Sunday midday–11pm.
A new Australian ridesharing service that caters exclusively to female customers and hires only female drivers has officially started operations in Melbourne and Brisbane, with Sydney soon to follow. Created by comedian and single mother Georgina McEnroe, Shebah is designed to provide an alternative to women and parents who feel uncomfortable or unsafe using other ridesharing apps such as Uber. "My daughter and her friends had had some bad experiences with Uber," McEnroe told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The thought of getting in a small space with a guy seemed inherently unsafe." As of this week, Shebah will be operating in Queensland from North Lakes to Brisbane, down to Thornlands and then heading west to Bray Park, Albany Creek, Ferny Hills, Mount Ommaney and Inala, as well as on the Gold Coast from Coomera, Coolangatta, Currumbin Valley and Chinderra. In Victoria, the service will stretch from Bundoora to Essendon, Tarneit and through the western suburbs, as well as out to Doncaster and Ringwood, to Dandenong, Dromana and Blairgowrie. It will also operate within a 20 kilometre radius of the Geelong CBD. As for NSW, the service has assured its followers on Facebook it will be up and running as soon as they have enough drivers to support passenger demand. All Shebah drivers will be required to complete relevant legal checks, and in return will receive 85 percent of each fare. Shebah takes 14 percent, while the remainder goes to women-centric charities including Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia and the Northern Centre Against Sexual Assault's Respectful Relationships Program. The Shebah app is available on the App Store and via Google Play. For more information visit www.shebah.com.au.
What kind of holidaymaker are you? Do you seek sun and sand on your break from the daily grind? Country hopping and sight spotting? Or just comfortable surroundings and a cold brew or two? Those keen on the latter will soon be able to put their feet up at the ultimate accommodation for beer lovers. In fact, The DogHouse is so steeped in yeasty tipples, it's attached to and run by a brewery. Scottish outfit BrewDog has been running a crowdfunding campaign to set up the boozy venture, which it'll build next to its just-launched US facility in Columbus, Ohio. So, what does the world's first craft beer hotel entail? In addition to a sour brewing facility, it includes beverages and lots of them, of course. Visitors will sleep in beer-themed rooms, eat craft beer-infused meals with brews tailored to every course, treat themselves to beer spa treatments (malted barley massages and hop oil pedicures, anyone?) and take brewery tours. In-room beer taps are also on the agenda, plus some suites will feature shower beer fridges and beer-filled jacuzzis. If all of the above sounds like your idea of heaven, here's the even better news: at the time of writing, BrewDog's cash-raising campaign has been funded more than twice over. They're now attempting to rustle up additional support for a rooftop resident's bar that will serve the sour beverages brewed up next door. For those looking to book plane tickets now, the hotel is expected to be operational by the second half of 2018.
When one door closes, another one opens. And, in the case of Melbourne institution Brunetti, that door is bigger and better than ever before. Forced out of its longstanding Collins Street cafe due to works on Melbourne's new Metro Tunnel, the Italian cafe has landed itself new and improved digs, opening a sprawling venue connecting Flinders Lane and Collins Street. It's a fresh look for an old favourite — the 300-seater boasting a smart, contemporary fit-out, as imagined by the team at Technē Architecture + Interior Design. Think, brass accents, sleek marble and a 15.5-metre-high mural of an Italian town square. The food offering has entered a new era too, with executive chef Simon Moss (ex-Entrecote) plating up full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus to complement Brunetti's mind-blowing array of signature cakes and pastries. Dishes like spaghetti carbonara with cured egg yolk, and vitello tonnato bruschetta are served up on tableware crafted by local artist Glen Tebble, while pizzas get the proper Italian treatment, wood-fired in a Marana Forni oven suspended from the ceiling. There's also a Campari bar, dedicated to the classic Italian Spritz, sections for deli goods and takeaway wines, and an espresso bar where waistcoated baristas are working with an exclusive Lavazza coffee blend. Food images: Gareth Sobey.
She might be one of the grand old dames of Brunswick Street, but The Provincial Hotel is certainly keeping things fresh this spring, opening up her doors to a brand new rooftop bar. Launching Friday, September 15, the sky-high space looks set to be hot property as Melbourne's weather starts playing ball, with vintage patio furniture and shabby chic styling mingling to create an al fresco hangout as relaxed as the suburb it calls home. The drinks offering hits all the right notes. Think easygoing, with just enough attitude, starring signature cocktails like the fruity 'You're Punching, Mate' and a new-school riff on the classic Pina Colada. They're backed by a fuss-free, ten-strong tap beer rotation and a globe-spanning wine list that's got a little something for everyone. Meanwhile, the food situation is a hands-on affair that'll see you getting stuck into burgers like The Fitzy (laced with cheese Doritos) and The Sticky Smith Street (featuring a combo of battered sausage, sticky pork and pickles). In an extra win for the wallet, you'll find a whole range of $10 burgers on offer from 4-7pm each Friday. Visit the Northside's newest rooftop bar at The Provincial Hotel, 299 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. For more information check them out on Facebook.
It has been a while coming, but Australia will finally see the opening of a long-awaited Ace Hotel in May 2022 — with the first look inside the Surry Hills-based outpost unveiled at last to reveal gorgeously sleek, modernist lodgings for Sydney-based travellers or staycationers. Melbourne-based architecture and design studio Flack Studio was responsible for creating the spaces, which balance warm minimalist designs, earthy tones that feel lifted straight from the Australian landscape, and the heritage of the site housed in the historic Tyne House brick factory on Commonwealth Street. Says Flack Studio founder, David Flack, "Surry Hills has been home to so many culturally important movements and people, and has always been a home for creatives and migrating cultures. We wanted to preserve the creative, slightly renegade energy of the space since its origins as one of Australia's early brickworks." We do love a renegade energy! This will mark the first Southern Hemisphere address for the American hotel chain - a favourite among the global creative set (and hilariously parodied in the Portlandia episode "Blunderbuss"). And while specific details are being kept on the downlow, we do know that Sydney's Ace will feature a ground floor restaurant, bar and cafe in the lobby and a restaurant and bar on the rooftop. Each of the hotel's 264 rooms are either doubles or twin doubles for four guests. Reservations are now open for booking for when the Ace opens from 1 May 2022. Ace Hotel is located at 47 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. Images: Anson Smart
Ballarat's legendary Sovereign Hill is inviting you to come and celebrate the Year of the Tiger with a food-filled weekend that will transform the goldfield town. Lunar New Year at Sovereign Hill is happening on Saturday, February 5 and Sunday, February 6. Just a short drive from Melbourne, Sovereign Hill is the perfect place to ring in the Year of the Tiger and enjoy the sweet smells and tastes of Chinese cuisine. Explore all that Sovereign Hill has to offer during the day, and head to the Main Street in the evening for LNY @ Night to refuel with dumplings, pork buns and sweet tarts. There will also be a range of noodles and rice to slurp down. Or, if you really want to make it a night to remember, make sure to indulge in the Lunar New Year Banquet at New York Bakery for $59 per person. For more information and to start planning your visit, head to the Sovereign Hill website.
This winter, Abbotsford Convent is showing off its wild side. The historic precinct is set to be reborn as an immersive after-dark art exhibition, as it plays host to Interspecies and Other Others from Friday, August 26–Sunday, October 2. The world-premiere exhibition invites you on a multisensory, nocturnal exploration of the Convent's 16-acre grounds, as its diverse artworks reflect on the complexities of the human condition, our history and habitat. Curated by Kelli Alred, it's set to envelop audiences with a free, otherworldly program of installations, projections, performance, sculpture and sound, reimagining building facades, open spaces, and those countless nooks and crannies. [caption id="attachment_863820" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Interloper (alternative)', 2022, Abdul Abdullah.[/caption] You'll catch site-specific commissioned works from renowned contemporary artists like Megan Cope, Atlanta Eke, Abdul Abdullah and Lyndal Jones, along with existing pieces from the likes of Shan Turner-Carroll, Tony Albert and Geoff Robinson. All of it compelling, with plenty of surprises in store — a plant-based sound art installation, a perception-bending photo series starring a fox-headed man, a Lucha Libre-inspired exploration of Indigenous identity and an otherworldly tennis court-based performance work among them. A collection of short films projected onto the St Euphrasia wall will include works by Yeo Siew Hua, Marianna Simnett and Karrabing Film Collective, while a series of online flicks by award-winning filmmaker Sarah-Jane Woulahan is being created in response to the onsite exhibition. [caption id="attachment_863824" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Interspecies' video still, by Heven Osborne.[/caption] Interspecies and Other Others will be free to explore from sunset till 10pm, Wednesday to Sunday for its duration. Top Image: 'Interspecies' video still, by Heven Osborne.
With two decades under its belt, London's Fabric is an international clubbing icon. Melburnians have usually had to fly across the globe to visit the famed nightclub, but now, it's finally heading our way. Fabric is teaming up with local music agency Novel for its first-ever Australian appearance, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. On Saturday, December 7, Fabric is sailing into The Paddock at Fed Square, with an impressive lineup of its favourite DJs and performers in tow, for a shindig dubbed Fabric XX. This rollicking day party is being headlined by renowned Chilean-born German party-starter and Fabric mainstay, Ricardo Villalobos. He's joined on the bill by a slew of Fabric regulars, including UK tech house DJ Craig Richards; London-based DJ, producer and label owner Bobby; and Canada's Matthew Johnson with a live serve of his distinctive electro sound. A crew of local artists are also coming to the party, with the full lineup set to be announced soon. If all that won't have you dancing into summer in style, we don't know what will. Fabric XX runs from 12–10pm.
When it comes to raising funds for bushfire-affected Aussies, Collingwood music bar FeeFee's is doing what it does best and pulling together a night of live tunes from a bunch of talented locals. This Saturday, January 18, the venue's Bushfire Animal Relief Benefit will see a lineup of live acts and DJ's joining forces to raise much-needed money for Wildlife Victoria, supporting its animal rescue efforts following the state's devastating fires. Artists like Cosmic Kahuna, Ramblin' Gold and Fleetwood Mac tribute band Rumours will be hitting the stage across the day, while DJ's including Speeding Beauty, Tiny Dancer, Tuff Cuff, BLVD and Mermaid throw down some sounds of their own. All artist fees, along with 50 percent of the day's bar profits will be heading straight to Wildlife Victoria. There's also set to be a hefty raffle with a swag of prizes ranging from clothing vouchers to rare music albums, proceeds from which will also be going to support the state's affected wildlife and rescue centres.
Running on some serious Weetbix numbers, cereal-loving Irish twins Alan and Gary Keery want to bring their childhood love of milk and grain to East London's Shoreditch. Stocking 100 cereals, 12 milks and 20 toppings, the puntastically-named Cereal Killer Cafe sounds like the breakfast bar of our dreams, with cereal cocktails, 18 Pop-Tart flavours, toast variations and local London tea and Saturday morning cartoons on tap. Developing the idea after a huge night out, the Keerys craved that cereal fix of yesteryear but found London wanting for participating breakfast spots. Inspired by existing cereal cafes in the US like Cereality (where counter staff are called "cerealogists" and wear pyjamas as a uniform), the brothers saw a niche in the London market to indulge fellow cereal enthusiasts. "Cereal Killer Cafe will re-imagine how we enjoy our cereal... letting you, the customer, tailor a bowl to your exact taste," say the twins on their Indiegogo site. "And because of our extensive range of milks we will cater to vegans, vegetarians and even awkward children." Hooray! Even awkward children! The Keerys have been working on the business plan for eight months, finding inspiration for the interior design in their favourite breakfast friends. "The whole look [is] based on a bowl of Lucky Charms," they said, further detailing their vision for milky cream walls and exposed brick interiors. "Cereal cafés already existed in America so we have put our own twist to it, presenting the cafe with a vintage style and having it decorated wall to wall with old cereal boxes and memorabilia." The Shoreditch cafe will feature old televisions playing cereal's longtime soulmate: cartoons (showing exclusively on Saturday mornings, as things should be). Stocking every last boxed breakfast favourite from Lucky Charms to Special K, Cereal Killer will serve up small, medium and large bowls, as well as 'combo meals' paired with toast, Pop-Tarts, local tea and juice boxes. Adventurous breakfasters might be up for the cereal cocktails like 'Smore Than Words' (golden graham crackers, mini marshmallows and chocolate milk) and 'Crunchy Nutcase' (Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Crunchy Nut Clusters, walnuts, pecans and hazlenut milk). https://youtube.com/watch?v=u_h1pHxfnHA Having scrimped and saved their own small dosh hoard, the twins aren't entirely without funding. But London's cafe market runs on a sword's edge (particularly in Shoreditch) so the pair looked to Indiegogo for the final push. "We have already put together 20k of our own savings, but before approaching the banks we want to let our customers be part of the journey. Because we know there are other people out there as passionate about cereal as we are!" Having only raised £785 of their £60,000, the Keerys are hopeful more early-risers and sugar-craving, Saturday morning cartoon-loving Big Kids will invest. But if Crunchy Nut's Londoncentric campaign (below) is indicative of positive market research results, the Keerys will surely find fellow cereal killers around town happy to throw them a pound or two. Via London24 and Buzzfeed. Top image credits Gary and Alan Keery.
Did someone say public holiday? Mr Wow’s Emporium is taking full advantage of the no-work-Monday after the Queen’s birthday. Upstairs on Smith Street, Mr Wow’s is known for good drinks and better times. On Sunday afternoon they are adding to the fun with, cocktails, moustache painting, bocce, swing dancing and circus performers. Weird and wonderful pairings, but it might just work. There will be scones to eat, the Chingon Taco van kicking around and tea cocktails being poured. They are also launching the Melbourne Bocce League, nice. Grab some friends and try your hand at it, old sport. Looks like a pretty good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Whether you fancy yourself a green thumb or you just like collecting cute things in pots, we found an event that's sure to tickle your leafiest desires. Inspired by the London fest of a similar name, the Melbourne Houseplant Festival makes its debut next month, dishing up a verdant celebration of indoor plants. Taking over The Wool Mill in Brunswick East on Saturday, August 21, this foliage-filled fiesta promises a hefty dose of both inspiration and education, with talks, workshops and of course, a huge array of plant stalls. It'll be held across four sessions — 10am–12pm, 12–2pm, 2–4pm and 4–6pm. In between shopping for leafy new additions, you can load up on tips and tricks from local plant experts including Plant Runner co-founder Dominic Hooghuis, Instagram green thumb Alan (of Plant Jungle), and authors of Leaf Supply and Plantopedia, Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan. Alongside a curation of plants and pots from leading local retailers, you'll find books, planters, equipment, handmade potting mix and even botanical-inspired artwork to browse and buy. And if you're feeling inspired, unleash your creativity at one of the day's workshops, join the Plant Jungle team for a class on mounting staghorn ferns, or learn the secrets of terrarium building from Plant Whisperer. There's a range of ticket options available, depending on how many talks and classes you're in for — all starting from $9. Images: London Houseplant Festival, courtesy of the Garden Museum
Scarf down ribs by the pound with tunes and whisky cocktails to match as a Brunswick East institution serves up the perfect Saturday night. Punters can pick from four different kinds of ribs, which the team in The B.East kitchen will be slinging from bang on midday. Memphis barbecue beef, lamb with maple and thyme, pork with pineapple and a dark rum glaze, and buttermilk fried chicken: no matter your preference, you won't be left feeling hungry (unless you're vegetarian, in which case you can order a mock chicken burger or some vego poutine from their regular menu). As for the bartenders, they'll be working overtime mixing drinks, including whisky-infused mint juleps, rye Negronis and honey sours. On the entertainment front, DJs will be on the deck from 7pm, while the bluesy Devil Electric and noise rockers Sleeper Service will hit the stage at 10pm.
A ten-minute dance session for ten people at a time, held in a caravan. A future-focused art party featuring live performance, projection, visual art and music. A photo exhibition exploring the transformation of Australia's premier drag performers. Now that's how you mark three decades of celebrating Melbourne's LGBTIQA+ community and showering the city in queer arts and culture — and it's only the beginning of Midsumma Festival's 2017 lineup. Hitting the big three-oh is a spectacular affair and then some for the annual fest, complete with more than 130 events in the program. Keeping the impressive numbers going — and growing, as they have since Midsumma first kicked off in 1988 — the forthcoming iteration will also feature the work of over 1200 artists and culture creators in more than 70 venues and outdoor space, including hubs at Arts Centre Melbourne, Gasworks and The Hare Hole at Hares & Hyenas. As always, the annual Pride March through St Kilda proves one of the festival's must-attend highlights, alongside the fellow returning flagship event that is the Midsumma Carnival and T Dance. At the former, everyone will dance, strut, sing, catwalk, vogue, placard, drag and move together in a display of difference, acceptance and equality. At the latter, prepare to party all day and night, watch queer sports and even see a dog show, all at Alexandra Gardens. Other standouts include a showcase of portraits of LBTI women by photographer Lisa White, a new take on Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince by the folks behind Psycho Beach Party, a reimagined version of Fringe favourite dance piece HardQueer DeathPony, and UK drag stars Jonny Woo and Le Gateau Chocolat working their way through musical theatre hits such as Les Mis, The Lion King, Cabaret and Annie. Or, hear marriage equality activist and Queen of Ireland star Panti Bliss share her experiences, catch a comedy cabaret about how to be a wingman, enjoy the Cuddle Puddle (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like), pay tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, show off your interpretative dance skills and participate in the Muddy Gras obstacle course. It's going to be a fun and busy three weeks, that's for sure. Midsumma 2017 runs from January 15 to February 5. For more information about the festival, including the full program guide and ticket sales, visit midsumma.org.au Image: Coal Photography.
Start your week in style — no matter what your budget — with Tokosan's revamped weekly oyster special. Following the success of the $1 oyster frenzy it used to run once a month, Greville Street's lively mod-Jap joint is now dishing up the same mollusc madness every single week. Head in on a Monday and chow down on the morsels for just one buck each, from 5pm until they're all gone. You can choose to have yours natural, with a simple squeeze of lemon, teamed with a fiery kick of Tabasco, or, for something a little more adventurous, with a serve of the house-made tozazu dressing. And if Monday's left you thirsty, you'll find plenty to like about Tokosan's drinks list, featuring a solid lineup of sake, Aussie wines and funky, Asian-inspired cocktails.
The team behind Merrymen cafe in Hampton has launched into the sandwich game with its latest bayside venture: Robin's Deli. Here, only eight stacked sandwiches are up for grabs, plus some chips and hash browns for good measure. But don't let the small menu fool you. Robin's Deli isn't playing it safe — nor is it making things simple and easy for itself. The limited menu and smaller site give Chef Cristina Kelly the opportunity to be super creative, abandoning classic sanga combos and opting for way more fun and brave creations. For the moment, the options are divided into brekkie baps, fresh sandwiches and toasties. For an easy $10, locals can nab the breakfast muffin loaded with pork sausage, a fried egg, American cheese, chilli jam and Robin's secret sauce. Or they can start the day with a souped-up Vegemite toastie made with mozzarella, gruyere, cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The fresh offerings lean more into the healthy side of things, with the salad sandwich chock-full of local veg and a punchy green sauce, while the roasted chicken option is kept more classic with just a herbed aioli, pickled onion and shredded lettuce. Then we get to the four toasties. These are for those wanting a more gluttonous lunch. There's the mortadella toastie that's also filled with stracciatella, sundried tomato pesto, fermented hot honey and pistachios. And the meatball sub consists of a baguette stuffed with pork and beef meatballs, Napoli sauce, honey cumin yoghurt and chimichurri. We could go on with listing the whole menu, or you could just head down to Robin's Deli in Cheltenham yourself — either getting something to take away or planting yourself in a seat out on the small deck out front. If you drop by for lunch, beers will be on offer. But you can also get around classic cafe staples like coffee (from Inglewood Coffee Roasters), chai, hot chocolate, juices and sodas. Bevs are kept simple, so the sangas shine. You'll find Robin's Deli at 123 Keys Road, Cheltenham, open from 6.30am–2.30pm from Monday to Friday and 7am–1pm on Saturdays. For more details, head to the venue's website.
There are a few different ways you could celebrate the start of summer. But if you fancy ringing in the new season with a couple of glasses of something fruity, fizzy and free, then we've got just the thing. On Sunday, December 1, the good folk at Moon Dog are treating fans to the ultimate summer starter: free serves of its Fizzer alcoholic seltzer varieties. Roll into either Moon Dog World or Moon Dog Wild West on the first day of summer with a BYO vessel in tow, and you can have it filled for free with takeaway Fizzer poured fresh from the taps. These two sites will also be hosting DJs throughout the arvo, making both of them damn good Sunday sesh destinations. And again this year, there's a heap of other Melbourne venues participating in the BYO Cup Day. You can also grab your free seltzers from Arcadia Hotel in South Yarra, The Pinnacle in Fitzroy, Railway Club Hotel in Windsor and more. In total, 16 Melbourne venues will join the Brew Dog crew for the giveaway. You can bring any old drinking vessel you fancy to the spots, be it a watering can, water bottle or, heck, even a hollowed-out upside-down pineapple — but keep in mind they'll only fill it up to 1140 millilitres (a standard jug amount). You'll also want to ensure your container is clean and water-tight to avoid any nasty leaks. Check out the venue's website to find all the participating venues where you can score some free seltzer on Moon Dog's Fizzer BYO Cup Day.
Enjoying a glass of wine might come with plenty of medical benefits, but having a tipple isn't typically an exercise-heavy pastime. You sit. You drink. You get up, top up your beverage and repeat. You usually don't walk particularly far, let alone run. Then came the Grapest 5K run, a new series of wine-tasting fun runs that kicked off around Australia earlier this year. Asking participants to put in the hard yards before getting some boozy rewards, it was such a hit that it's coming back for another round in 2018. How does it work? Grapest consists of two sections. First, you sprint, jog or set forth at whatever pace suits you best, making your way through scenic vineyard surroundings. Then, you walk another kilometre — yes, in addition to the first five, or ten if you're feeling extra energetic — while stopping at tasting stations along the way and sampling the good stuff. The latter part, they're calling a "wine waddle". Don't worry, if you're not up to the active stuff and you're simply keen on wandering and sipping, that's an option (although it does defeat the idea of combining fitness with throwing back drinks). 2018's events are scheduled for March 10 at Bendigo's Balgownie Estate, May 5 at Domaine de Binet in the Hunter Valley, May 19 at Ocean View Estates near Brisbane, September 8 at Pipers Brook in Tasmania and October 6 at Leura Park Estate in Geelong. For more information, visit the Grapest 5k run website.
Like Netflix, but for actually going to the movies. That's the premise of CinemaClub Australia, a new subscription service offering punters access to bucketloads of movie tickets for a monthly fee. Due to launch in late 2017, CinemaClub aims to cut the cost of going to the pictures. Rather than paying $20 or more every time they head to the cinema, film buffs will instead be able to sign up for a CinemaClub membership that gets them access to a movie ticket every weekday of the month. Concrete Playground reached out to co-founder James Farrell, who said that CinemaClub would be partnering with a number of major cinema chains — as well as various independent cinemas — right around the country. Memberships are expected to cost between $40 and $60 a month — so if you're the kind of person who sees three or more movies a month, you could be about to save yourself a whole heap of money. "Millennials today are avoiding the cinema for cheaper alternatives due to high prices and inflexible offerings," said Farrell. "What we do is make cinema an easy-to-reach and regular activity again. Our members get incredible value and we hope this is something that can really propel the Australian cinema industry." CinemaClub isn't the first start-up attempting to alter the rigid cinema industry, either. It's extremely similar to US subscription service MoviePass, which has come under fire from the States' largest cinema chain AMC for their insanely low fee of just $9.95 USD per month. While this isn't profitable for MoviePass at the moment, it seems the company — of which data firm Helios and Matheson Analytics have majority ownership — will look to swap consumer data for discounts with AMC down the track. Earlier this year, Melbourne couple Sonya Stephen and Shane Thatcher launched Choovie, an on-demand movie ticket app that offers fluid ticket price based on the time of the screening and the popularity of the film. While the success of the membership will rely on participating cinemas, stakeholders and the confirmed monthly fee, we're still interested to see where this goes. You can register your interest via the CinemaClub website to receive more information about when memberships go on sale.
Belles Hot Chicken has flirted with all sorts of chook-centric creations over the years, but, this time round, it's teaming up with Shin Ramyun for a spicy limited-edition take home pack. And, yes, it includes fried chicken ramen. For the collab with the Korean instant noodle brand, Belles Head Chef and Co-Founder Morgan McGlone has created an easy-to-finish-at-home fried chicken ramen that you can pick up from the Fitzroy and Elizabeth Street stores in Melbourne Available to order for $14 via Bopple, the limited-edition pack comes with Nongshim Shin Red Ramyun, an ultimate chicken thigh fillet (pre-cooked), braised greens with Spam, fried garlic and nori powder. McGlone has also posted a video (below) on how you can easily create the ramen at home. If you have an egg at home, he suggests you add one of those, too, but it's not essential. Melburnians can only venture up to five kilometres from their phone to pick up takeaway food, so if you're not near Fitzroy or Elizabeth Street, you may need to try and recreate your own twist on the fried chicken ramen at home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-8-UxELMJQ&fbclid=IwAR0jf6mckKVZbtII8_1iQS7McP3OSbTFP2DhZAU60MrI4UXh6P7k0un-c4E Belles x Shin Ramyun take home packs are available to order via Bopple and pick up from the Fitzroy and Elizabeth Street stores.
General tickets for the Australian leg of Kylie Minogue's 2025 Tension world tour haven't yet gone on sale, but fans have been spinning around over presales, so much so that more gigs have already been announced. When 'Padam Padam' summer happens all over again, it'll do so with an extra show in each of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on what'll be the singer's biggest global tour in 14 years. Of course Kylie is starting her latest live performances Down Under. And of course the reaction has been huge. Headlining Splendour in the Grass 2024 mightn't have worked out after the Byron Bay music festival was cancelled mere weeks after revealing its lineup, but there's plenty of demand to see the Aussie pop superstar on home soil and to catch this tour before anyone else on the planet. [caption id="attachment_973694" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Melvin[/caption] Minogue is kicking off her latest shows in February 2025, still beginning with a one-night gig in Perth. From there, she also has a single date locked in for Adelaide. She's now doing two concerts in Brisbane, however, plus three shows apiece in Melbourne and Sydney. The last time that Minogue embarked on a tour this big was back in 2011. The last time that she hit the stage Down Under was in 2023 to open Sydney WorldPride. So far, the Tension tour also spans stops in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila in Asia after her Aussie concerts, and then hits up Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, London, Nottingham and Birmingham in the UK. In what's proven a massive career since her Neighbours-starring, 'I Should Be So Lucky'- and 'Locomotion'-singing 80s era, it's been a big last few years for Minogue thanks to the huge success of the Grammy-winning 'Padam Padam', a brief return to Neighbours and a Las Vegas residency — and now the Tension tour keeps that streak running. Kylie Minogue Tension Tour 2025 Australian Dates Saturday, February 15 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, February 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Thursday, February 20–Saturday, February 22 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, February 26–Thursday, February 27 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, March 1–Monday, March 3 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Kylie Minogue's Tension tour kicks off in Australia in February and March 2025. Ticket presales for the new Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane shows start from Thursday, September 26, with general sales from Wednesday, October 2 — both at staggered times. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Darenoted Ltd.
When you chat with your friends, family and co-workers about your latest streaming obsession, do you tell them where you've been watching? Not which platform, but where you're sat while your eyes are glued to the screen? If you're one of the approximately 2.8-million Australians who've apparently watched Netflix on the toilet, you likely haven't mentioned that — but you might if you hit up loos based on Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris. Rarely one to miss the opportunity to take its shows off the screen and into real life, especially in Sydney — see: its Stranger Things rift on Bondi Beach, the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll by Sydney Harbour and a pop-up Heartbreak High uniform shop in Newtown, all in the past few years — Netflix has taken the research about dunny viewing and run with it. For one day only, aka today, Thursday, February 22, the streamer has set up pop-up toilets that take their theming from some of its hit series. The toilets — or the "tudunnies", as Netflix likes to call them — are indeed functional. That said, the main aim of this installation at Hickson Road Reserve in The Rocks in Sydney is to get everyone snapping while they're on the sets. So, if your social media feeds are filled with toilet pics today, this is why. If you're in the Harbour City, you can drop by between 9am–5pm for the ultimate pop culture-inspired bathroom break. If you're making a detour from work, you might need more than a bathroom break's worth of time if the installation proves popular. And that research? It hails from YouGov, as commissioned by Netflix, and found that 21-percent of folks who responded to the survey about their viewing habits had watched the platform's shows while on the throne. As for the choice of shows for the service's pop-up tudunnies, all three of Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris will drop their latest seasons in 2024. Find the Netflix toilets pop-up at Hickson Road Reserve, The Rocks, Sydney from 9am–5pm on Thursday, February 22. Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris are available to stream via Netflix — read our review of Squid Game season one and review of Heartbreak high season one.
While so many hospo businesses are playing it safe right now, Mamas Dining Group (Hochi Mama, Straight Outta Saigon, Kiss and Tell) is executing its growth plans at a rapid rate. Just last month, the crew opened Windsor Wine Room on Chapel Street, bringing a contemporary sip and snack wine bar to the strip. And on Thursday, July 18, Mamas opened two-storey Chinese restaurant Suzie Q on the Prahran stretch of Chapel Street. The 150-seat site is the team's biggest venture to date, and it includes not only a large main dining room and bar, but also a private mezzanine level and karaoke room. Suzie Q takes its cues from an underground Chinese restaurant in San Francisco in the 1980s that went by the same name — and everything here is inspired by that very diner. Mitchell and Eades (Beverly, Grill Americano, Hawker Hall) was tasked with designing the space, which the team says embodies "the hedonism and rebellion of the underground nightlife scene in the 80s, re-imagined through a modern lens". Expect plenty of red accents, exposed brickwork, plush booths and a striking black marble-topped bar with green leather stools that you can park yourself on for a long boozy feed. Within these retro surrounds, punters will dine on nostalgic Chinese eats inspired by the food served at the original Suzie Q. Head Chef Michael Stolley (ex-Ish Restaurant, Eazy Peazy) is executing this all with playful contemporary flair, just as he has done with Windsor Wine Room's new menu. At Suzie Q, this kicks off with a bunch of yum cha bites, including candied pork buns, prawn toast and a selection of dumplings. With 12 options available on this side of the menu, you can easily build a sharing feast just out of these. But it would be a shame to miss larger dishes like Suzie Q's mapo tofu, roast duck, crispy egg noodles with mixed seafood and fried rice packed with sausages, prawns and spring onions. A few different set menus are also up for grabs, making group dining a whole lot easier. On the drinks side, you'll find signature cocktails, beers on tap, an Australian-leaning wine program and a sizeable back bar that includes a solid selection of sake. It's clear that the Mamas crew is having plenty of fun with Suzie Q, bringing the San Francisco diner back to life, but this time on Melbourne's own Chapel Street. You'll find Suzie Q at 247 Chapel Street, Prahran, open 5–10pm from Sunday–Thursday, and 5–11pm from Friday–Saturday. For more details and to book a table, head to the venue's website.
