Summer may be over, but the sweltering weather is set to keep on rolling in. In any case, any time's a good time to pick up a spoon and dig into a hearty (and perhaps healthy) breakfast bowl. So swap the bacon and thick toast for a bright, light bowl of goodness. Perhaps it's filled with acai, or a Snickers smoothie or chia pudding — whatever your choice of pre-noon poison, these seasonal bowls are always a good, satisfying breakfast open. And they are really pretty. So here are Melbourne's most delicious (and best looking) breakfast bowls. LYCHEE AND PASSIONFRUIT CHAI PUDDING AT MAMMOTH Getting tired of smashed avo? One of the most hyped cafes to open in 2015 features a delightfully creative brunch menu with absolutely none of your traditional lazy morning brunches. Not suitable for patrons averse to change, Armadale's Mammoth dishes out a grilled lychee and passionfruit chia pudding with macadamia, hemp seed crumble and blood orange ($14). [caption id="attachment_562055" align="alignnone" width="1280"] laurafordnutrition via Instagram[/caption] ACAI BOWL AT MONK BODHI DHARMA Gluten free, dairy free and splendidly guilt free, Monk Bodhi Dharma's acai bowl is topped with banana, berries, coconut yoghurt and their Dresden granola. The lack of element don't make Monk Bodhi Dharma's acai bowl any less delicious. And it's just as well — foodies with sensitive tummies are known to eat this breakfast more often than not. [caption id="attachment_562057" align="alignnone" width="1280"] thatfooodie via Instagram[/caption] PASSIONFRUIT PANNACOTTA AT TWO BIRDS ONE STONE Is it a mousse? Is it a custard? Nope — it's a pannacotta. The warm, homely ambience of Two Birds One Stone is created by stained glass tiling and more than a few low-hanging lights, making it the perfect place to enjoy a wonderfully wobbly brunch. Topped with edible flowers, fresh passionfruit, nutty granola and saffron-scented pineapple, this is stuff is delicious ($13). The pannacotta is made with passionfruit and yoghurt, making it the healthy alternative for bright 'n' early sweet tooths. HOUSE-MADE COCONUT YOGHURT AT THE KETTLE BLACK One of Melbourne's best looking cafes also boasts the most photogenic yoghurt ever. With a goodie bowl filled with house-made coconut yoghurt and topped with gluten-free grains, nuts, seeds, chunky fruit and those edible flower petals ($14), this bowl is crammed full of ingredients with absolutely no post-brunch guilt. None. Nada. FIVE GRAIN CACAO PORRIDGE AT BARRY It's a borderline dessert sneakily masquerading as breakfast, but we're certainly not complaining. Barry's five grain cacao porridge with coconut labne, strawberries, goji berries and pistachios ($15) is one sweet — and very healthy — way to start the day. Featuring exposed, industrial-styled ceilings and concrete floors, Barry's cacao porridge is as Instagram-worthy as the cafe's interior. We guarantee you won't regret your choice at Barry – after all, when have they ever led you wrong? [caption id="attachment_562064" align="alignnone" width="1280"] eatmelbs via Instagram[/caption] ACAI BOWL AT LITTLE BIG SUGAR SALT One of Melbourne's favourite cheeky cafes, Little Big Sugar Salt, throws down some of this city's best breakfast bowls. But don't be fooled — this is no ordinary bowl of nuts and grains. Boasting house-made, gluten free, lightly spiced granola paired with creamy coconut yoghurt, pomegranate and a generous serve of fresh fruit ($17), Little Big Sugar Salt's acai bowl is made for summer. PALEO BREKKIE BOWL AT STREET ORGANICS If house-made kombucha, rich nut milks and seasonal, organic produce is part of your non-negotiable weekly grocery shop, Malvern's Street Organics is the mother load. Shelves filled with pantry staples, fresh fruits and a range of organic, biodynamic products are available everyday. Nestled in an alley-like seating area, you can enjoy a well-earned paleo brekkie bowl, post-shopping spree. With frozen banana, blueberries, cashew and almond cream, coconut yoghurt, chia seeds and goji berries ($12), it's packed with enough goodness to keep you going all weekend. [caption id="attachment_562060" align="alignnone" width="1280"] biancabeebs via Instagram[/caption] SNICKERS SMOOTHIE BOWL AT TREI CAFE Glen Waverley might not be Melbourne's biggest food hub, but Trei Cafe's opening on Blackburn Road has got has foodies running southeast. Boasting a clean eating menu options and playful pastel features, order yourself a Snickers smoothie bowl and prepare for the healthiest bowl of chocolate ever. Made with almond mylk, cacao, NuZest protein, peanut butter, banana, rice malt syrup and salted peanuts ($10.50), it's almost certainly the best (and nuttiest) start to the day. BIRCHER MUSELI WITH MACERATED STRAWBERRIES AT MR MISTER From dilapidated brickwork to low-hanging vines, Mr Mister's interior was designed with the intent of blending the cafe's indoor and outdoor spaces. Among their menu of cold drinks, juices and nut milks, you'll find their velvet smooth Bircher with macerated strawberries, vanilla, pomegranate and toasted pistachios ($13). One of Windsor's best low-key brunch spots, Mr Mister is the ideal spot for a big of brekkie bowl action. BLUEBERRY AND RICOTTA HOTCAKE AT TOP PADDOCK One of Melbourne's favourite cafés serves up one of the best breakfast cakes in the city. Their giant blueberry and ricotta hotcake comes with fresh berries, organic maple, seeds and double cream ($19.50). They're fluffy, and the perfect excuse to succumb to sugar cravings this early in the day. And before you ask, yes, it's served in a bowl. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
In the latest show of the Australian hospitality scene's support for marriage equality, the owners of Brisbane bar The End are ramping up production of their Rainbow Beer through a $100,000AUD Pozible campaign, with 50 percent of all profits supporting initiatives run by Australian Marriage Equality. The campaign will enable large-scale production of the brew, which, at its core, aims to bring the conversation of LGBTQI+ rights to the forefront. "We have lots of friends and family that identify in that community and the marriage debate is just a blatant beacon of unfairness, so if we can do anything to help we feel we have the responsibility to do it," says owner Nick Goding. "We want to encourage as many people to get on board as possible and I'm currently on the campaign trail in Melbourne to get more bars involved." The 'pro-love' beer has been on tap in small batch quantities at their West End bar since 2011, but, along with Goding, owners Timothy Lovett and Ben Johnston have been feeling lately that this quiet contribution isn't enough. Their plan is to make the simple, hand-painted brand louder and stronger by expanding it past their local community. "We were having a general chat about the Cooper's boycott controversy and how terrible the marriage equality debate is, then had a look in front of us at our Rainbow Beer and thought we could make it a larger force for positive change," says Goding. The beer itself is a crisp, easy-drinking German-style pilsner. The gents collaborated on the recipe with a Queensland microbrewery to make it a solid craft brew but also a sessionable one. If successful, the Pozible campaign will allow Rainbow Beer to be offered in cartons and wholesale for bars and consumers around Australia. Pledges range from $15 to $4000, with the latter a pledge to become a 'Rainbow Bar', which includes 12 kegs and the option for an ongoing contract. "We hope that having a bunch of bars with Rainbow cans in their fridge will help keep the conversation going," says Goding. ""As great as it is to be able to make the beer and do the donations, the message of equality is by far the most important part of the campaign." Apart from the donated portion, the pledges will cover beer production and canning as well as packaging and distribution. The Pozible campaign is only running through May 12, though, so the time to check it out is now. The debate around marriage equality has been continuously escalating in recent months, with Airbnb's incomplete rings, Skyy Vodka's Cheers to Equality and Smirnoff's We're Open campaigns also recently launched. According to Galaxy Research polls, 64 percent of Australians support marriage equality, so it's likely more brands will herald their support for the cause.
Shanghai Street has been around since 2010, and is Melbourne's foremost specialist in Shanghai cuisine, especially Shanghai xiaolongbao and juicy dumplings. The restaurant itself is elegant and charming, with attentive and friendly waitstaff which a few similar venues could learn from. The focus here is on food however, and with a regular queue out the front, it's hard to miss. The menu kicks off with a focus on homemade traditional xiaolongbao and fried mini buns, with the highlight being the steamed crab and pork option — vegetarians can tuck into the steamed vegetable version. These are as traditional as you'll find in Melbourne, and they are perfectly soft and succulent. There is a strong focus on dumplings, too, with the option to have them boiled or pan-fried. We'd recommend the chicken and prawn boiled, while the pan-fried beef dumplings are also a big hit. If you like them in a broth then the pork, mushroom and prawn wanton soup is for you. For some heartier meals try the Sichuan spicy chicken with peanut serve and a side of boiled rice, or the marinated duck with light sea salt for something more delicate. One of the house specialties here is the signature crispy chicken, that's deep fried and marinated with salt and pepper. Alternatively, the sweet and sour chicken with pineapple is a fun, flavoursome dish that you won't soon forget. There is also a strong seafood focus here, with the salt and pepper soft shell crab tossed in greens a must, while no order is complete without the stir-fried clams in XO sauce.
As if ringing in the new year isn't exciting enough, January, as always, will also bring with it the dazzling, vibrant carnival that is Sydney Festival. Turning the city into a creative playground for a full three weeks, the Festival brings a (very generous) dose of culture to the sizzling days and balmy nights of Sydney summer. The festival has unveiled its 2018 program — and it's an absolute cracker, packed with hundreds of events ranging from mind-boggling circus to cutting-edge theatre and awe-inspiring musical performances. Whatever art experience you're after, you'll find it in Sydney between January 6–28. While this year doesn't have an installation quite as interactive as Snarkitecture's giant ball pit or the House of Mirrors (which is currently on display in Melbourne), Sydney Town Hall will become a shrine to 50,000 of Japan's unwanted plastic toys with Hiroshi Fuji's large-scale work Jurassic Plastic. It looks like a kid's paradise but there will be adults-only nights too. Four Thousand Fish will be an immersive work where participants will help create ice sculptures of fish and then return them to the harbour to commemorate Barangaroo and the Warrane women. On stage, we ecstatic to hear that Tree of Codes will be coming to Sydney after performances at Melbourne Festival; the visually stunning ballet — which we really, really hoped would come to Australia — combines the talents of choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual artist Olafur Eliasson, musician Jamie xx and the Paris Opera Ballet. On the musical side of things, not only are Opera in the Domain and Symphony Under The Stars back for another year of dreamy music performed under the open night skies, there are also a host of gigs, most notably from NZ's Aldous Harding and Argentinian three-piece Fémina plus a tribute to The Go-Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane album and an otherworldly concert performed entirely underwater called Aquasonic. Five iconic Harry Siedler buildings will also host a series of talks and concerts, blending architecture and music on the program. Theatre buffs, meanwhile, should nab tickets for Barber Shop Chronicles. Offering a juicy peek into the vibrant life of barbershops across the world, this delightful show took British audiences by storm. Burlesque aficionado? Don't miss iconic Aussie boylesque troupe — and Syd Fest regulars — Briefs in all its glamorous, saucy glory in sci-fi spectacle Close Encounters. Don't miss My Name Is Jimi, where, Jimi Bani will call up four generations of his family to take you on an evening of music, dance and comedy at Belvoir. Head over to Parramatta's Circus City to catch the always-impressive Circus Oz in top form with Model Citizens, a satire that lampoons the suburban Aussie dream with impressive physicality and a foot-tapping soundtrack. Also in the environs is Highly Sprung, a soaring performance by Legs on the Wall, which tells the story of inner-city residents through the media of trampolines and other physical art forms. Punters will get a chance to have a go on the trampolines and even take part in an aerial workshop in-between shows — all for gratis. You can also sign up for a flying trapeze workshop for $49. In addition to the many ticketed events, there is also a panoply of free offerings, from art exhibitions and thought-provoking talks to interactive installations. As always the Meriton Festival Village will have heaps to offer between shows — dance to your fave song in a transparent, glitter-filled cube, swim in a shipping container pool, go for a spin on a karaoke carousel or join a 10-minute dance party in a shipping container. Whether you're in it for the inspiration, a shock, or just a whole lot of fun, this year's festival is sure to delight. Sydney, you're in for a summer treat. By Yelena Bidé and Lauren Vadnjal. Image: Jamie Williams.
If you think beer is for men only, think again (and FFS welcome to 2015). But the brewing industry itself, that's pretty damn male-dominated. So you should really meet Pink Boots Society. Founded in 2008 by the award-winning craft brewer Teri Fahrendorf, the Portland based not-for-profit supports women in the beer industry through education. Self-proclaimed as the industry's "female movers and shakers", Pink Boots members aren't only brewers but also writers, hospitality staff, designers, and owners of craft beer bars, bottle shops and restaurants. Fahredndorf has 25 years in the industry under her belt and is committed to empowering women who are just starting out in beer world, with donations, sponsorships, fundraisers and seminars. While many of the chapters are based in the States, its 2472 members span the globe, and it's no surprise that the Australian chapter president, Jayne Lewis, is also the co-founder of Australia's first female owned and operated brewery, Two Birds Brewing. Along with business partner Danielle Allen, the duo are paving the way for Australian women in brewing both with their own brewery and with their involvement in Pink Boots Society Australia. TWO BIRDS WALK INTO A BREWERY Allen and Lewis met 16 years ago in Perth. "Jayne's passion for brewing and her excitement around the beers she wants to brew got me onboard, " says Allen. Lewis is an incredibly innovative brewer, with 12 years in the industry and a flare for making creative, accessible brews. The flagship Golden Ale and the Sunset Ale were both gold medal winners at this year's Craft Beer Awards, with the Sunset Ale also winning the title for Best Beer in the 2015 Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival. While Two Birds continues to rake in awards for their core beers, the 'bird' behind the operation know the importance of giving back. In 2015, they brewed a Red Ale for International Women's Day and the Neneh Cherry Saison for SCBW; this beer won Champion French/Belgian Ale at the Craft Beer Awards, and the profits for both beers were used for the Pink Boots scholarship fund which awards a grant for aspiring women in the industry. In November, Two Birds also kicked off a few Sydney events, including donating a keg of their Taco Ale to Lord Raglan and joining the Broads Who Brew night of Dove and Olive's Craft Beer Fight Club. The proceeds for both will also go directly to the Pink Boots' scholarship fund, with more donation events planned for 2016. THESE PINK BOOTS WERE MADE FOR BREWIN' As Allen describes, Pink Boots "is set up to empower women beer workers and their confidence in the beer industry." Lewis and Allen proudly encourage women in brewing, setting their own brewery as an example for other women in the industry. There are quite a few recognisable names in the Australian chapter, including the women involved with the Rocks Brewing and Wayward Brewing Company. The best part? You don't need to be a member to benefit from these scholarships, which include beer-focused courses and workshops. The final scholarship offered for 2015 is the Oregon State University Craft Brewery Start-up Workshop, for women who are planning to open a brewery. Pink Boots has a bucketload of ways for you to get involved, from volunteer work and networking, to sponsorships and scholarships. Check out their website for more information.
Chapel Street's Mr Miyagi is well-known for its crowd-favourite tacos. Unfortunately in the past, most of the best ones have traditionally been limited-edition, event-only specials. Tacos pop-up at Melbourne's annual Night Noodle Markets, people eat them by the truckload, then they're gone. Not anymore. After selling over half a million nori tacos, Mr Miyagi has decided to launch Takosu Tuesdays, meaning keen diners will be able to order some of Mr Miyagi's classic taco hits every Tuesday night. Kicking off on June 20, expect the famous Peking Duck Taco and Spider Crab Taco on the menu at this Chapel Street favourite. There's also a new Takosu Tuesday Trio, which includes three mini taco versions for $19.50. That includes Peking Duck, Spider Crab and Salmon Nori. Wash them down with Mr Miyagi's special O-toso: a traditional Japanese sake, spiced with cinnamon, clove, star anise, apple and white chocolate. Takosu Tuesdays kick off on June 20 and you'll probably want to book for this one. Mr Miyagi tends to get busy, even mid-week. Images: supplied.
It's Australia's longest and biggest international film festival, spanning 18 days and 358 titles, and it's quite the cinephile endurance test. Yes, we're talking about the annual Melbourne International Film Festival — the place where scampering rodents, a deadly game of picking family favourites, making fun of Jared Leto and giant faces pasted across historic French buildings all came together. David Lynch waxing lyrical about a tortoise, teenage terrorists roaming around a department store and not your usual type of superhero flick all made an appearance too. They're just some of the standout moments from this year's program, the ones that stuck with our film critics Sarah Ward and Tom Clift after they stepped out of the festival's cinemas (and, most likely, just before they stepped into another one). Thanks to bleak Russian dramas, mind-bending time loop trickery and harrowing real-life retellings, there's more where they came from — including our rundown of the best, strangest and most surprising movies of MIFF 2017. (And if you're wondering why Call Me By Your Name, Good Time, Ali's Wedding, A Fantastic Woman, Brigsby Bear and The Square didn't make our MIFF picks, that's because we saw and loved them at the Sydney Film Festival. These are ten newbies.) BEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQFdGfwChtw THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Greek weird wave pioneer Yorgos Lanthimos follows up his first English-language feature The Lobster with this equally bizarre offering — an uneasy, unpredictable, darkly funny moral thriller that will make viewers laugh and then feel awful for doing so. Colin Farrell stars as a cardiologist with skeletons in his closet, who is forced to make an impossible decision after his family finds itself plagued by a mysterious affliction. Make no mistake: the stilted line delivery, not just from Farrell but also Nicole Kidman as his wife, is very much by design. Lanthimos' films are designed to make you feel unsettled, and none have done it better than this one. — Tom Clift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9chFxUNB7o NOCTURAMA If consumerism and nihilism often sit side by side, then so do anarchy and apathy — in Nocturama's view of the world, at least. Indeed, if writer/director Bertrand Bonello achieves one thing with his mesmerising and provocative film, it's forcing the viewer to question, well, everything. With a simply stunning command of his visceral visuals and unnerving mood, he charts the actions of seemingly ordinary Parisian students who care about everything and nothing, who want to improve the world around them and see it all burn, and who are driven to act in a devastating way and then happily frolic through their department store hideaway. Here, painstaking tracking shots through the streets, the most unexpected use of 'Whip My Hair' you're ever likely to come across and a calculated kick of a final act all come together to make for a movie that won't be forgotten easily. — Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KLLkj84GAo LUCKY As well as being the best thing to reach screens this year, Twin Peaks has gifted viewers with the joys of plenty of Harry Dean Stanton and David Lynch. Don't worry, there's more where that came from, and it's just as wonderful. The veterans — one a 91-year-old actor with 199 credits on his resume, the other the inimitable filmmaker who has directed him five times — join forces again in Lucky, which thrusts the former to the fore as a small-town loner forced to face his mortality. The landscape of Stanton's face pairs perfectly with the arid dessert surroundings, while his specific brand of cantankerous charm finds its match in Lynch (who acts, rather than directs) as his monologue-spouting, tortoise-loving pal. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLegoO4NdD8 LOVELESS Dissecting a society infected by oppressive politics, Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev captures modern life in his homeland in bleak slices, whether exploring brothers reunited with their absent father in The Return, a woman forced to do whatever it takes for family in Elena, or a family taking on a corrupt mayor in Leviathan. Stark and stunning from start to finish, Loveless is no different. Here, a squabbling couple on the brink of divorce discover that their largely neglected 12-year-old son has gone missing — and there's no one like Zvyagintsev at taking an already tense and heartbreaking situation into formally composed, emotionally brutal, absolutely astonishing territory. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFVDyWBBiuA LET THE SUNSHINE IN Love and loneliness are two sides of the same coin in Claire Denis' light but insightful Let the Sunshine In, which finds empathetic comedy in the romantic escapades of Juliette Binoche's newly divorced 50-something artist. A sophisticated and seductive look at the ups and downs of dating and desire it may be, but as the film flits through a series of affairs, it's never afraid to reveal both the disarming delights and devastating lows of putting yourself out there. Laughs follow, and so does a smart, spirited and soulful exploration of affection and intimacy — as driven by Binoche's enigmatic candour — that cuts deep. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvWwnZeUHeI ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL You wouldn't have thought that a film set in the shadow of the global recession would make you root for a bank. And yet, that's exactly what viewers will find themselves doing during Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. The latest film from Hoop Dreams director Steve James, this compelling documentary follows the legal struggles of the only financial institution to be charged by the US Government in the wake of the GFC. But it wasn't a giant multinational. Rather, New York prosecutors went after, a small, family-owned bank with deep connections to the Chinese immigrant community. Abacus interrogates questions of responsibility, scapegoating and prejudice, while doubling as a thrilling courtroom drama. — TC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybwL9tY9qY FACES PLACES If everyone in the world looked at strangers in the same manner as Belgian-born filmmaker and French New Wave icon Agnes Varda, we'd be living in a much, much happier and kinder society. The almost 90-year-old's empathy, enthusiasm and understanding drives Faces Places in two ways: in the photographs that she takes with street artist JR, and in the film that chronicles their snapping — which is then followed by printing out giant versions of their pics, and plastering them on the walls of rustic, historic buildings. In fact, her attitude towers over the film in the same way her artworks loom over villagers below, and the impact is just as enchanting. Accordingly, love, life, creativity, connection, accepting others and acknowledging that nothing is permanent are all a part of this charming documentary. Oh, and goats as well. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw1NwnFXaVk THAT'S NOT ME Some of the best comedies find their laughs from relatable drama. And, while we all haven't watched our twin sister live out our wildest dreams of becoming a successful actor (and date Jared Leto), we have seen hopes and wishes fall by the wayside, taken leaps of faith that haven't paid out, and had to redefine our idea of a happy ending. That's the tale of low-budget Aussie comedy That's Not Me, the first feature from writer/director Gregory Erdstein and writer/star Alice Foulcher, and an earnest, astute, insightful and thoroughly amusing exploration of making it, faking it and the fact that life usually exists somewhere in between. — SW THE WEIRDEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-EMPii8TCQ RAT FILM There are few movies out there like Rat Film. Plenty of other animals have clucked, purred, barked, splashed and scurried their way through cute critter-focused documentaries, but not in this fashion. Trust us. Taking on the creatures humanity usually kills rather than celebrates, director Theo Anthony wanders from filming a rat trapped in his own rubbish bin, to exploring society's ways of dealing with rodents, to stepping from their prevalence on Baltimore's streets to a whole host of class, racial and economic divisions — and throwing more than a few existential musings in as well. It sometimes comes across as disjointed, but it's never less than fascinating and illuminating, complete with Werner Herzog-like observations as narration. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXB0DK3upGY THE ENDLESS On paper, The Endless might sound like the sum of its intriguing but far from unusual parts, with creepy cults, temporal trickery and sibling struggles all fairly common film fodder. On the screen, however, the latest film from director/actor duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead proves anything but standard. In fact, it's the kind of sci-fi/horror flick that will floor you with its ingenuity, make you want to watch it again immediately afterwards, and inspire you to check out the filmmaker's first effort, Resolution. Imaginative, enthralling, astute with its aesthetics and atmosphere, and insightful in contemplating both human and supernatural drama, this account of two brothers returning to the close-knit camp they used to call home is the whole weird and wonderful package. — SW THE MOST UNEXPECTED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc7m7lpSbkE DEATH IN THE TERMINAL On October 18, 2015, a gun-toting terrorist stepped inside a bus terminal in the Southern Israeli city of Beersheba. 18 minutes later, three people were dead as the authorities reacted, people on the ground turned into an angry mob and blood soon smeared white surfaces. Watching these events unfold through security video and mobile phone footage is as unsettling as it sounds, with to-camera chats from people who were there helping to fill in the gaps. Directors Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry immerse viewers in a situation that's both horrifying and harrowing — not to mention confrontingly revealing about human nature in times of extreme crisis, as well as in the current international political climate. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H8AK4FtLQ8 JUPITER'S MOON Religious allegory meets arthouse flick meets action movie meets cry for compassion in Jupiter's Moon, a strange, vaguely satirical, occasionally stunning film about a Syrian refugee who is shot by a twitchy border cop only to discover he can fly. Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó has crafted an incredible-looking piece of work, full of breathtaking long takes that recall Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men (as does some of the subject matter). Not everything about the movie is a success — it's fairly heavy-handed, and runs more than a smidge too long. But went it works, it soars. — TC By Sarah Ward and Tom Clift.
Ah, the tinnie. The refuge of the second-rate beer, right? Wrong. With improved technology obliterating the old argument that cans damage the taste of beer, more and more craft brewers are moving to the once humble can. Sometimes favoured for their retro feel, cans actually boast both a lower carbon footprint and longer shelf life than their bottled counterparts, making it likely their booming popularity will only continue rising. For many craft beer makers, the tinnie is actually an essential part of their craft; the makers of acclaimed Heady Topper urge their customers not to pour their beer into a glass, lest it lose the carefully cultivated hop aromas the can preserves. Here are ten of the best canned wonders. JAMES SQUIRE ONE FIFTY LASHES PALE ALE Named after a convict rapscallion who is believed to have created Australia’s first commercial brewery, Sydney-based James Squire produces a distinctly Australian range which has become synonymous with local craft beers. Newly available in cans, this is an approachable variety which makes an inspired addition to your next beach hang or spring picnic. With a light citrus burst and faint notes of passionfruit hitting the palate first, and the malted wheat giving it a silky smooth finish, it’s an ideal session beer. MOUNTAIN GOAT SUMMER ALE One of the first Australian craft beer makers to stock their product in cans, Victorian microbrewers Mountain Goat initially thought of doing a limited one-off run of these tinnies, but were soon overwhelmed with the response and turned it into a permanent fixture. A gold-hued ale perfect for sneaking into your picnic baskets, this offers inviting citrus and tropical aromas. With no hint of acidity, it’s an easy drinking delight and an ideal choice for the newer craft beer drinker or seasoned hop head alike. BREWDOG PUNK IPA Back in 2007, James Watt and Martin Dickie were two 24-year-olds with “scary bank loans” and a passion project selling their craft beer out of the back of a battered van. Today, they are the kingpins of a Scottish craft beer success story, overseeing more than 350 employees pumping out their abrasively flavoured brews to great acclaim. The Punk Indian Pale Ale is a must, a great introduction to their in-your-face style. Also look out for the mightily bitter Jackhammer, which is about as subtle as its name. HEADY TOPPER Ranked number 2 among all the world’s beers on the encyclopaedic Beer Advocate, Heady Topper is less a beer than a phenomenon. Initially considered unlikely to have widespread appeal, Heady Topper actually became so popular that the Vermont brewery which made it regularly had people cuing for hours and had to limit hordes of customers to one case each. It’s a complex beer with notes ranging from grapefruit to pine and spice and just about the quintessential craft beer tinnie. Image: Carter Brown. SIERRA NEVADA PALE ALE With its instantly recognisable pastoral artwork, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale has long been warmly regarded as one of the classic craft beers. The pioneering brewery now produces over 50 varieties, but the pale ale accounts for more than half their sales. Famously using only whole cone hops, they have a commitment to quality ingredients that has produced a consistently good and almost universally liked beer. Heavy on the hops, it’s a beer that pairs well with some spicy Mexican. YO-HO TOKYO BLACK PORTER Japan is a relatively new player in the world of craft beers, having effectively legislated against microbreweries until the mid '90s. Now some 200 microbreweries have moved into a once stagnant market. One of the first breweries to spring up when the laws changed were Yoho, who have since been named Japan’s best craft beer brewery. Based in the snowy mountains of Nagano, they produce a nice variety of beers, including this rich black number which draws you in with its treacly aroma, roasty character and a head like foamy coffee. YOUNG HENRYS REAL ALE While the range of craft beers available in cans was quite limited just a few years ago, today there’s an abundance of options and this is a great example of a local take on the traditional British bitter. Made with both Australian and British malts, it’s light but flavoursome and took Young Henrys all the way from their inner west base to the International Real Ale Festival, where this bad boy picked up a gold medal. EVIL TWIN HIPSTER ALE An American Pale ale hailing from (where else?) Brooklyn, Evil Twin market this colourfully packaged beer as a homage to anyone who “feel(s) excluded because you’re hip but your city is not”. Even for those in a cutting-edge hip city, this is a very drinkable ale with some complexity to keep you interested. The colour is like a light honey, and you’ll get notes of everything from biscuits, toffee and caramel to more zesty citrus. FERAL BREWING HOP HOG IPA Credit Feral Brewing company with putting beer on the map in the fabled Swan Valley wine district. This is their most famous product, an American-style Indian pale ale with hops added both during the boil and late in the fermenting. It’s proven a hit both with the craft beer-loving public and the critics who raved about its balance and drinkability and made it the number 1 pick in their Australia’s Best Beers annual roundup. SIX STRING DARK RED IPA Like many craft brewers, Six String began as a couple of friends with a love of beer and a desire to make something better than the mass-marketed product. After lengthy battles with bureaucratic red tape, Chris Benson and Adam Klasterka were able to enlist the support of their community and set up a boutique brewery in the Central Coast. Their beers proved worth the wait. Among their staples is a dark red IPA. It’s full-bodied, really dark and really good. Top illustration by Barry Patenaude.
People in New Zealand's South Island are generally an active bunch. There is so much adventuring to do that your visit to the Christchurch region will most likely be packed with hikes, fishing trips, seal swims and mountain biking trips. After all of that, you're going to want to wind down, soothe your nerves and relax a little. Luckily the Christchurch region has just as much to offer to those who want to take life a little slower, and enjoy the creature comforts. Whether you're soaking in the warmth of the region's natural hot springs, glamping in luxurious nature at Lavericks Bay or sampling a couple of cheeky vinos at Black Estate, it's easy to kick back and relax in Christchurch. We've shouldered the heavy burden and picked five of the region's most relaxing activities — so you can take it easy. RIDE THE SCENIC TRANZALPINE TRAIN If you're looking to relax and explore at the same time, board the TranzAlpine train at Christchurch and wind your way through towering beech forests, over the Southern Alps and across the sweeping Canterbury Plains. You'll feel at ease in the comfort of the on-board cafe and cabins which are fitted with wide wall and ceiling windows, through which you can enjoy the views of majestic snow-capped mountains. Take the day trip returning from picturesque Arthur's Pass to Christchurch, or ride the whole way and several hours later you'll arrive at unspoiled Greymouth on New Zealand's West Coast, the ideal base from which to explore the world-renowned Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, or perhaps hide away and relax somewhere beautiful and isolated. TASTE TEST LOCAL WINE AT BLACK ESTATE Black Estate has rustic, locally-sourced food, wine made on-site and good times guaranteed, all in a picturesque vineyard setting. Less than an hour drive from Christchurch's city centre, you'll know you've arrived when you see Black Estate's minimalist, black barn cellar door. It's set at the foot of a burnt orange hill covered in dry grass and bordered by acres of lush vines. All wine is made on-site by a fella named Nicholas, who believes in simple winemaking using organic locally sourced ingredients free of unnecessary additives. Nicholas's wife Penelope takes care of the business and restaurant, where they serve rustic country cuisine like Canter Valley duck and organic greens, or Akaroa salmon caught just down the road. Pop in, stay a while and indulge in the best cuisine, wine and hospitality that the Canterbury region has to offer. WARM UP AT THE HANMER SPRINGS THERMAL POOLS A quick 90-minute drive from Christchurch you'll find Hanmer, a small alpine town rich with character. This little region is like the setting of an adventure film, with old Victorian cottages set against a backdrop of rugged mountains and towering pine trees. The town's main attraction is Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa — the ultimate in slow paced, remote relaxation. Dip your tired body into naturally heated water and soothing rock pools, or perhaps treat yourself to a day of pampering at the premium on-site spa. SPEND THE NIGHT IN A PRIVATE GLASSHOUSE If you fancy spending a night stargazing and surrounded by nature in your own private glasshouse, then the completely isolated, sustainable PurePods that are scattered around New Zealand are perfect for you. Each PurePod has walls, a floor and ceiling made of heavy-duty glass, so you can see everything from the stars above you to the nature beneath your feet. The PurePod in Little River (just over an hour out of Christchurch) is a ten to 15 minute bush walk away from reception, so you're sure to get some peace and quiet for a night. Food packages can be ordered when you book, so you won't need to leave for a whole 24 hours — you'll only need to sit back and immerse yourself in the 360-degree views of the beautiful New Zealand landscape. CANOPY CAMP IN LAVERICKS BAY Under the clean white folds of a spacious tent, look out over the lush farmland and rolling waves of Lavericks Bay. This is glamping how it should be, with your own private black sand cove to relax in that's only an hour and 40 minute drive from Christchurch. Bathe and sunbathe at the same time in the outdoor bath on the campsite, or relax with a book on your own private deck. There are exposed rockpools at low tide and the appearance of Hector's dolphins and seals is not uncommon around your 'campsite'. Maybe you've been to New Zealand's North Island, but have you ever ventured down South? Christchurch, and New Zealand's surrounding Canterbury region, is the perfect place for a quick holiday. Use our planning guide to book your trip, then sort out your itinerary with our food, adventure and nature guides. Top image: Black Estate.
Melbourne's purveyors of fine stadium-ready electropop Client Liaison, have finally dropped their long-awaited video for newest single 'Off White Limousine' and it stars a pretty damn slick-looking Melbourne CBD. Directed by Zachary Bradtke (BANALARAMA) and Tobias Willis (KEWL), this little piece of storytelling gold is more akin to a short film, brimming with excess as it follows your favourite pair of pastel-loving hotshots through the streets of Melbourne. Expect six and a half lush minutes of sweeping Melbourne skyline shots, Collins Street motorcades, Flinders Street Station glimmers, St Kilda trams, extravagant suits, free-flowing Champagne labelled as Fosters, and assassination attempts, with none other than Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones' Hodor) acting as limo driver. Have a watch: Not shy of dabbling in a few different projects (Client Liaison followed the success of their debut record Diplomatic Immunity with the launch of a fashion range, Designer Line), the duo's also announced a foray into the limo biz. Yep, you'll soon be able to hire that soon-to-be-iconic, off-white chariot for affordably stylish jaunts in Victoria. They're taking expressions for A Limousine Service Courtesy of Client Liaison here. Client Liaison's Diplomatic Immunity Australian tour is selling fast. See the Client Liaison website for dates and venues.
Mr Ryu prides itself on drawing people together through a food and cultural connection, which has lead to a strong focus on sharing plates and small dishes which encourage conversation and communal dining. Its take is a modern twist on Japanese cuisine while focusing on traditional cooking methods. Opened by head chef Seung Yeop Ryu, this is a beautifully designed, small and elegant eatery with a comfortable atmosphere that complements the delicious food. The menu kicks off with a selection of snacks including edamame in Murray River pink salt, spicy tuna sashimi taco with avruga caviar, saltbush and lemongrass mayo and a grilled wagyu bao with kimchi, pickled daikon and mayo. The sashimi selection is extensive with the most popular being the sashimi trio of salmon, kingfish and tuna, while the panic prawn roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, jalapeños and sweet soy sauce and lemon as well as the spicy mentai yaki udon with charred prawn, spring onions and roasted nori. The list for vegetarians is long with highlights including the lightly-battered eggplant with den-miso, sesame and pine nuts or the ramen gnocchi with reggiano, cheddar crisps and spicy cream. For dessert, it's kept simple and delicious with a selection of ice cream flavours including green tea and black sesame. One thing that sets Mr Ryu apart is the drinks list, with a selection of beers including its own unfiltered lager and a huge wine list by the glass or bottle with a strong focus on local producers. The sake list is long, and the team will be happy to guide you through it while the cocktails include wild concoctions such as the 'Blue Ocean' with vodka, yuzu sake and blue curacao. Top image: Tran Nguyen
In botany, an axil is the point of new life. Stepping into Hawthorn's Axil Coffee Roasters, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd left Melbourne altogether — such is the pace of the place. It's a heady atmosphere for the uninitiated. Behind the sleek and unassuming facade, you'll find what can only be described as a quintessential 'coffee barn' for the city that lives and breathes caffeine. A sizeable seating space for 75 is replete with an intriguing cupping room and a well-stocked retail selection of both beans and foodie equipment. Theatrical and buzzing but large enough to be personable and original, Axil has managed to build a thriving reputation in only a few short years. As expected, the selection of coffee on offer is expansive, considered and consistently good. A changing list of single-origins, filter selections and a great house blend will keep everyone from the dowdiest drinker to the ultimate enthusiast pleased. [caption id="attachment_918797" align="alignnone" width="1911"] Maegan Brown[/caption] The industrial ambience spreads to the menu, which is a nicely balanced selection of breakfast and lunch favourites. With the middle meal of the day too often overlooked, Axil provides a welcome change. The Caesar salad with cos, parmesan, anchovies, croutons, boiled eggs, and chorizo crumb is textural and satisfying, while the smashed avocado with feta, mint, parsley and Murray River pink salt on grain toast is one of the more successful executions seen across Melbourne. Serves are hearty but manage to steer clear of typically overbearing sizes. Don't miss the orange juice either — you know you're on a winner when even the simplest things are stunning. The staff are sharp and very well-practised. Commitment levels at Axil Coffee Roasters are high. You're assured an impressive experience that looks like the easiest thing in the world, with character to boot. Even if you aren't a local, it's worth visiting the other side, just so you can see, eat and experience the well-earned fuss. [caption id="attachment_888448" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Butler[/caption] Appears in: Where to Find the Best Coffee in Melbourne
Listen up: Listen Out is back for its 11th year and, after first announcing its dates and venues, it isn't slouching on the lineup front. The just-dropped bill for the touring festival boasts 21 Savage, Skepta, Tyla and Flo Milli among its hip hop and R&B names. On the electronic side, John Summit and Sub Focus feature. Yes, the list goes on from there. Fans of 21 Savage, Tyla and Flo Milli — and of Teezo Touchdown, Jessie Reyez and Jazzy, too — should be especially excited. When they each take to Listen Out's stages this spring for the fest's 2024 trip around Australia, they'll be hitting the country for the first time. Among their company, Lil Tjay, Lithe, Folamour, The Blessed Madonna, Cassian and Disco Lines are just some of the fellow acts that'll have festivalgoers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth dancing. With Groovin the Moo announcing its dates then cancelling, and Splendour in the Grass sadly doing the same, everyone's plans for 2024 have been missing a few music festivals. But Listen Out is aiming to buck the trend, locking in its return for September and October. Adelaide's Listen In is also taking place this year, and has similarly just unveiled its lineup. 2023's fest was Listen Out's most successful in terms of ticket sales ever, and the crew behind it are hoping to continue that trajectory. Something that might help: turning the fest into a 16-plus event, age-wise, which is a first for 2024. As the roster of names on the lineup demonstrates, the festival's focus is staying true to its niche, filling its stages on electronic and hip hop artists — both international and local talents, too. Four stops are on the Listen Out agenda: Caribbean Gardens in Melbourne, HBF Arena in Perth, RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane and Centennial Park in Sydney. If you've been worried about missing the NRL final in Sydney and the AFL final in Perth thanks to Listen Out's dates, the fest has news there: at both legs, there'll be screens showing the football. Listen In, the condensed version of the fest with a smaller lineup, is headed to Ellis Park in Adelaide. It'll feature 21 Savage, Folamour, Jessie Reyez, John Summit, Lil Tjay, A Little Sound, Skepta and Theodore Kittens. Listen Out and Listen In 2024 Lineups: Listen Out: 21 Savage Skepta Lil Tjay Tyla Flo Milli Jessie Reyez Teezo Touchdown Lithe John Summit Sub Focus Folamour The Blessed Madonna Cassian Disco Lines Jazzy Koven Conducta A Little Sound Ben Gerrans AK Sports Foura B2B Tom Santa Miss Kaninna Djanaba Soju Gang Melbourne: Yo! Mafia Sixten Kelly T J-OK Perth: Sammythesinner Janeethevirgin Dr Pepper Bodie Brisbane: Trance Mums Jacob Tompkins Mikalah Watego Melanin Mami Sydney: Dayzzi Malfunkt x Banno Bodego Collective Bella Backe Listen In: 21 Savage Folamour Jessie Reyez John Summit Lil Tjay A Little Sound Skepta Theodore Kittens Triple J Unearthed winners + more [caption id="attachment_957218" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] Listen Out and Listen In Australian 2024 Dates: Friday, September 27 — Listen Out Melbourne, Caribbean Gardens, Wurundjeri Land / Melbourne Saturday, September 28 — Listen Out Perth, HBF Arena, Mooro Country / Joondalup Sunday, September 29 — Listen In Adelaide, Ellis Park / Tampawardli (Park 24), Kaurna Country / Adelaide Saturday, October 5 — Listen Out Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds, Meanjin / Brisbane Sunday, October 6 — Listen Out Sydney, Centennial Park, Gadigal Country [caption id="attachment_957226" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] [caption id="attachment_957221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Venn[/caption] [caption id="attachment_957224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitch Lowe[/caption] [caption id="attachment_957228" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Warr[/caption] Listen Out and Listen In's 2024 season tours Australia in spring 2024. For more information — and for tickets from midday local time in each city on Thursday, June 6 — head to the festival website. Top image: Sam Venn.
The Central Club Hotel, a 150-year-old pub across the road from Queen Victoria Market, underwent some mighty big renovations lately. The small Melbourne pub was totally gutted to make way for a fresh sleek curved bar that you can drink and dine at as well as a modest dining room sectioned off by the kitchen pass. But you don't have to hide away in the corner to eat. If want to be a part of the buzz, you can hang at some of the tables in the main bar space — equipped with a telly silently playing the footy on game days. And you will want to eat here. The menu has been given heaps of love, focusing on refined pub classics and Italian fare with some Asian influences. You can head to the Central Club Hotel for a great parma or fish and chips — and be very happy — but it's the creative dishes that make this North Melbourne pub stand out. You might find kingfish sashimi on menus all over the city these days, but this locale's version has been jazzed up with a yuzu kosho oil and pearls of radishes and pears to bring it to the next level. The umami kick, paired with kingfish — purchased from suppliers at the market across the road — makes for a fab combo. Prefer something of the deep-fried variety? Be sure to nab a big bowl of karaage chicken or cauliflower served with a punchy wasabi mayo. The light batter gives you all that greasy goodness without being too heavy — or feeling like your pores have been clogged with oil. But if you're going to order anything at this new haunt, it best be one of the fresh homemade pasta dishes. Our favourite? The blue swimmer crab linguine. This bad boy rises above all other seafood pasta thanks to the use of a super-rich prawn bisque that's used as the base of its sauce. The team doesn't skimp on the crab either. Red meat lovers also have plenty to enjoy. There are steaks aplenty sourced from across the road. But as it is with most steaks in Melbourne, these can cost a small fortune. That's why we love to see cheaper cuts of meat on the menu, like Central Club Hotel's 300-gram hangar steak. This tender piece of meat is the perfect poor man's steak — coming with all the usual trimmings including thick-cut chips, salad and your choice of housemade sauces. Then come the Italian desserts. Now, profiteroles can be boring. They tend to be unremarkable. But these might just be the best we've had. The choux pastry is perfect — buttery and soft yet with a good crunch — and the vanilla mascarpone custard filling with a topping of chocolate mousse is heaven. Add some brightly flavoured strawberry coulis to the plate and the dessert is perfection. You can really tell the chefs are having fun in the kitchen. Wines are also given stacks of love from the drinks team. Independent Aussie producers shine the brightest (with stacks available by the glass) while lesser-known European varieties feature throughout the menu. This isn't a stock standard cab sav and pinot gris offering, we're talking gamay, nero d'avola, durif, and fiano to name a few. This newly renovated spot is all about elevating the usual pub experience, bringing North Melbourne a much-needed posh (yet still fairly casual) pub six days a week.
More than 1500 silver bicycle frames have been installed in the foyer of the National Gallery of Victoria, in the lead up to the feverishly anticipated Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei exhibition, which is set to open next week. It's the latest iteration of Ai's Forever Bicycles, an ongoing project that dates back to 2003, and offers a towering visual metaphor for social and political change in the artist's native China. 'Forever' bicycles are a popular brand of mass produced Chinese bicycles that Ai himself desired as a child. Now, he has more than a thousand. Connected together, the frames create a giant, three-dimensional arch more than nine metres high, which the outspoken artist has called "a moving abstract shape that symbolises the way in which the social environment in China is changing." The enormous installation is one of 300 works that will make up the exhibition, which opens to the public on Friday December 11. Among them will be a number of new commissions by Ai, including a work that consists of hundreds of delicate porcelain flowers, as well as a room-scale installation featuring portraits of Australian human rights activists. He will also be creating a large scale work out of Lego, using bricks donated from all around the world after Lego turned down a bulk order by the artist on the grounds that it "cannot approve the use of Legos for political works." Ai is expected to visit Australia this week for the opening of the exhibition. The artist, who has long been critical of the Chinese government, had been barred from travelling abroad since being imprisoned by the authorities in 2011, but had his passport returned to him earlier this year. The Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei exhibition runs from December 11 until April 24. For more information, visit the NGV website.
Facebook and SBS are about to give Netflix, Stan and Presto and run for their money. For the first time ever, an Aussie TV show will premiere exclusively via Mark Zuckerberg’s communications empire — yep, on Facebook. And it’s not just any old show, it’s The Family Law — a six-part series based on Benjamin Law’s smash hit memoir. When the first episode hits screens from 5pm on Friday, January 8, you’ll be watching it on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, rather than your TV. And nowhere else. It’ll be available only on Facebook until midnight, Sunday, January 10, before screening on SBS on Thursday, January 14 at 8.30pm. “Facebook is fast becoming the place where people discover new video content,” says Jason Juma-Ross, Facebook's head of technology, entertainment and communications in Australia. “11 million Australians visit Facebook each day, 91 percent of these via a mobile phone. We are excited to be partnering with SBS on this first look event and to enable The Family Law to be shown on demand to the broad Facebook audience.” Marshall Heald, director of TV and online content at SBS agrees. “As audiences move more freely between platforms and devices, we as a broadcaster have to move with them," he says. "We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to bring SBS content to all Australians, and Facebook offers such a unique one-to-one viewing experience. The Family Law is one of SBS’s most hotly anticipated programs for 2016, and we’re thrilled to be able to surprise our audience by inviting them to meet The Laws early with this Australian-first Facebook premiere.” The Family Law is screening on Facebook from 5pm on Friday, January 8. To let SBS know you’re joining the party, head to The Family Law event page. Image: SBS.
A genius design studio has made it so you'll never have to worry about being that weirdo jumping around in a bouncing castle full of children ever again. At the behest of the Federation of Swiss Architects, the Geneva and Lisbon-based Bureau A have created an inflatable nightclub, complete with dance floor, bar and inflatable furniture and DJ booth. The blow-up nightclub was commissioned by the Federation to host their annual summer party. Known as Shelter, the entire venue is made from lightweight PVC membrane, making it easy to deflate and transport from place to place. "For one night, the black hole of a neat and well-organised society is revealed as a potential for distortion," reads a description of the nightclub on the Bureau A website. "The mysterious black vessel lands in the modern space of a highly engendered concrete vault; a great spatial condition to explore the corners of what is hidden." As far as we can tell, that's just a very fancy way of saying it's a place where you can drink a bit too much and it doesn't really matter since you'll just bounce safely off the walls. In any case, it sure beats rocking up to your nephew's birthday party with a sack of goon. Via Dezeen. Image: Dylan Perrenoud.
We're only just now wrapping things up for this summer, but already the NGV has us anticipating the next one with its most ambitious exhibition yet. Descending on the gallery this December, and then every three years after that, the NGV Triennial series will present a smorgasbord of art and design, plucked from all corners of the globe and representing established artists, emerging talent, and plenty else in between. Each blockbuster lineup will highlight the ever-blurring lines between art, fashion, architecture, design, and performance. Kicking off with a bang, plans for this year's inaugural event are nothing short of grand, with the NGV announcing the free exhibition will take over all four levels of the gallery and host exciting works by over 60 artists and designers. But where it's really upping the ante is in the audience experience, with visitors invited to present their own ideas through cross-platform content, and the exhibition's participatory works designed to engage like never before. Legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, best known for her obsessive patterning and vibrant representations of the infinite, will invite glimpses into the artist's mind with a work titled Flower obsession. Created especially for the NGV Triennial, the interactive exhibition will have visitors unleashing some creativity of their own, as they help plaster a furnished space with an array of colourful flower stickers and three-dimensional blooms. Kusuma joins other international names like Germany's Timo Nasseri and Canada's Sascha Braunig, alongside an Aussie billing that includes the likes of Ben Quilty, Louisa Bufardeci, and Tom Crago. There'll be an installation from Chinese haute couture fashion guru Guo Pei, designer of Rihanna's canary-yellow Met Ball gown, and an epic display of 100 oversized human skulls created by Australian artist Ron Mueck. Chemist and odour theorist Sissel Tolaas will create the 'scent of Melbourne' exclusively for the Triennial. And Alexandra Kehayoglou will be creating one of her monumentally-sized, lushly illustrated carpets, spanning over eight-metres-long. UPDATE JANUARY 19, 2018: From January 19–28, the gallery will stay open from 6pm till midnight with DJs, dance tours, talks and a pop-up Japanese restaurant as part of its ten-day Triennial Extra program. Image: NGV/Sean Fennessey.
Since Tinder took the dating world by storm, its interface has been adopted for increasingly weird and wonderful reasons. If it's fluffy company you're after, Twindog lets you swipe right to find pups – and their owners – in your vicinity. If you're looking for a new job, jump on Switchapp and get chatting with hiring managers in seconds. Meanwhile, Tender has worked out that food is often a way more satisfactory remedy for loneliness than a date. Now the swipe right generation has an app for falling in love with art: wydr. With just a few quick motions and a little bit of disposable income, you can fill your house with paintings. Searches are available according to price categories and, so far, about four hundred artists have signed up. It's also a way for artists to receive community feedback on their work, with users able to submit likes, which are added up to produce a rating of between one and five hearts. The app is the creation of Swedish duo Matthias Dörner and Timo Hahn, and started as an assignment for their MBAs. But things got more serious after they won Startup Weekend in Zurich. "Why does it have to be so difficult to be original and to find affordable but still unique art for our homes?" asks the wydr site. "Most people are tired of generic posters from furniture stores and the intimidating way that you are treated in classic galleries with only little money in your pockets. At the same time artists have problems with getting exposure for their work. The question art lovers and artists are confronted with is why does it need to be so hard to find each other? The answer is wydr – the open art-trading platform, and your easy access to the art world." The app isn't aiming to compete with expensive galleries, but to get more affordable, original art to more people. After all, the average transaction at this point is a (relatively) scant US$430. "Wydr isn't for the art collector, but for the casual art lover," Dörner told artnet. "Art galleries are for the 1%, wydr for the 99%."
Last year, Jungle’s unique brand of modern soul exploded worldwide, landing them prime positions at international music festivals and a Mercury Prize-nominated debut album to boot. Earworms such as 'Time', 'The Heat', and the triple j Hottest 100 shoe-in 'Busy Earnin' (it reached number #67) made everyone wake up and pay attention. But they're no mere studio cats — Jungle's live set is one of the best excuses to bust out your dancing shoes we've seen in a while. Not content with playing around with their laptops on stage, Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson — more commonly known as J and T — will be joined by Jungle's live band, recreating their music in all its harmonic splendour. Opening the show will be Melbourne’s golden boy Oscar Key Sung, so arriving early to this gig has more advantages than just a prime position. If you're not content seeing Jungle in their set at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, get along to their sideshow while they're in town.
A much-loved winter wine festival is back for 2024, with The Shortest Lunch kicking off on the winter solstice across Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23. If you haven't heard of this one before, it's basically two jam-packed days of wine tasting, live music, incredible food and beautiful scenery, spread across nine family-owned wineries in the Yarra Valley. We're talking smaller, boutique names like Billanook Estate, Steels Gate Boat O'Craigo and Sutherland Estate. You can grab tickets for $35 for a single day, or $50 for the weekend, for access to tastings and small plates at any of the wineries on the lineup. Most of the venues are also dog-friendly too, so fur babies are more than welcome. In terms of food, there's plenty to choose from. With a backdrop of crackling wood fires and rolling Yarra Valley views, you can tuck into freshly baked calzones, ploughman's platters, hot apple pies, hearty pastas, and plenty of kid-friendly dishes. As with the wine, the food is a showcase of the best of the region, and no dish is priced over $25. To make things a little more fun for the kids (and competitive adults), the Shortest Lunch crew has created three wine-themed quests (with the help of an escape-room architect), so you can hunt for clues at the different wineries and potentially win a special prize. On top of that, Tokar Estate has even got a free petting zoo for the little ones.
Just around the corner from Richmond station, Ms Frankie allows diners to get up close and personal with a glass-enclosed pasta-making room. Take a seat at one of the bar stools and watch them make your order from scratch — whether you've picked the pumpkin and ricotta stuffed tortellini topped with amaretti crumb, slow cooked beef ragu with gnocchi or Giorgio's signature spaghetti marinara. Gluten-free options are also available which is a big win for those in need. Drinks-wise at Ms Frankie, there are two beers on tap and a selection in the fridge, including everyone's favourite Peroni Red. By the glass, the wine selection isn't huge but is well thought out, with a nice selection of each colour. Cocktails include all the classics as well as a healthy selection of spritzes, while the Frankie's Sour with Montenegro, rosemary honey and mandarin juice is an instant classic. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Pasta in Melbourne for 2023
Well now, if this isn't the sweetest thing we've seen all week. CineFix have transformed Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away into an adorable 8-bit 'video game'. You can't pop a quarter in to play it, but you can see the entire film summarised in five minutes with a delightful video game version of Joe Hisaishi's score. Follow Chihiro, Haku, No-Face and Yubaba through the 'levels' (No-Face's bathhouse fight scene is particularly great) below: Via Geekologie.
Get ready to chow down on mouthwatering Neil Perry hamburgers. Since opening in Sydney's World Square last October, the celebrity chef's high-end fast food joint Burger Project has become a favourite with local foodies, serving up a variation of his iconic Rockpool wagyu beef burger at a fraction of the price. Now, less than two weeks after announcing a second Burger Project location in Parramatta, Perry has revealed the details for not one, not two, but five additional restaurants, including three across the border in Melbourne. According to Good Food, Perry will open the first Melbourne Burger Project in March next year in the St Collins Lane development (formerly Australia on Collins), near the corners of Collins and Elizabeth Streets in the CBD. The licensed restaurant will operate between 11am and 10pm, and will seat around 100 people. Two additional locations will follow — one at Chadstone shopping centre in August, and another at Crown Casino at the end of 2016. He's also reportedly considering spots in the inner suburbs, including Richmond and Carlton. In Sydney, meanwhile, Perry is hoping to open a store in the MLC Centre in Martin Place by November, along with a Chatswood location in mid-2016. That's in addition to the Parramatta restaurant, although still no word on when we can expect that site to start cooking. He's previously expressed his desire to have as many as 50 stores nationwide, and told Good Food that he's also looking overseas — earmarking New Zealand, Singapore and the United States as possible areas for expansion. So, what exactly do they serve at The Burger Project, anyway? Well, assuming Perry sticks closely to the winning World Square formula, you can expect a variety of tasty burger including the Magic Mushroom burger, the Spicy Fried Chicken burger and of course the classic American cheeseburger. You can also get a bun-free burger served in a lettuce bowl, at no additional cost. Side options include chips with salt or chipotle chilli, and crispy hot wings with Sichuan pepper. And for dessert, dive into one of their decadent ice cream creations such as the Marsh-Cara-Mallow (salted caramel ice cream with hazelnut praline, burnt marshmallow and chocolate sauce) or The Bounty Hunter (vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce, toasted coconut and crushed meringue). Don't act like you're not impressed. Via Good Food.
It's getting to that time of year when the idea of putting some original thought into gifts can start to seem too noble a cause — especially when a Myer giftcard is just in arm's reach. But it doesn't have to be so difficult. Whether you've made a dent on your gift shopping list or not (because let's face it, you probably haven't), take note of these online stores perfect for uncommon and sure-to-delight Christmas gifts. SORRY THANKS I LOVE YOU Sorry Thanks I Love You is making gift-giving less torturous and more fun again with a quiz that helps you track down the ultimate gift. By asking a few questions ('What were they like a kid?' or 'What would they do with 24 hours in NYC?'), Sorry Thanks I Love You actually tailors their gift list to your loved one. It does help if your gift recipient is a fan of artisanal creature comforts as gourmet food and beverages, flowers and accessories are what Sorry Thanks I Love You does best. www.sorrythanksiloveyou.com OXFAM SHOP Regret purchases are virtually nonexistent at Oxfam's online shop, which features handmade, Fair Trade gifts crafted by skilled people from 136 producer groups in 38 different countries. Boasting a wide variety of homewares, fashion accessories and gourmet food and drink, Oxfam Shop has answered your Christmas gift shopping prayers with presents for your 96-year-old grandmother down to your two-year-old niece all neatly taken care of. And let's not forget how delicious fair trade chocolate can be. www.oxfamshop.org.au THIS IS WHY I'M BROKE Collating the wackiest gifts from all corners of the internet, This Is Why I'm Broke will perplex and amaze you, or at least, make you laugh audibly at some of the downright ridiculous things on sale. With edge-only brownie pans, suit pajamas, crystal-clear canoes and countless other brilliant inventions, it does take a bit of trawling to find just the right gift, but once you start, there's no knowing when you'll stop. Don't blame us if you forget you're not shopping for yourself. www.thisiswhyimbroke.com HUNTING FOR GEORGE Hunting for George is the project of Melbourne-based sisters Jo Harris and Lucy Glade-Wright who hand-pick local and international pieces which accord with their own brand's emphasis on quality and originality. Featuring creatively curated gift guides and product descriptions that feel less like manufacturer dribble and more like a friend's recommendation, Hunting For George is gift hunting without the headache. It's the place to go for indoor/outdoor Milk & Sugar stools, pastel-splashed Pop & Scott plant pots and Iris Hantverk's old-school birchwood house essentials. www.huntingforgeorge.com SIX THINGS Following an Alice in Wonderland guiding light — "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast" — Six Things is the prime place to shop for gifts for the friend who can quote entire movies backwards. Founded by the Queensland-based designers at j6 design, Six Things allows you to shop by theme or by type and discover people-pleasing gifts like Tea-Rex mugs, ghetto car fresheners or Pulp Fiction/Sesame Street fusion cushion covers. Alternatively, slip into the rabbit hole and treat your friend (or even yourself) to a mystery blind date… with a book. www.sixthings.com.au SOCIETY6 Founded by Justin Cooper, Lucas Tirigall-Caste and Justin Wills, Society6 is breathing new life into printed clothes, wall art and homewares. Shop for your gifts on Society6 if you think your partner's shower curtains need some refreshing, or if your best friend's wall clock is looking a bit drab. Society6 sources artwork from thousands of artists worldwide and allows artists to actually profit from sales without giving up their creative rights. A printed iPhone case never felt so morally good. www.society6.com MOMA DESIGN STORE The MoMA Design Store is a special place. One of New York City's most exciting galleries, it has a number of retail spaces where you can purchase all of the designy gifts you have ever wanted. And if you can't just fly over to New York for a shopping weekend anytime soon, they've got you covered with their comprehensive online store, which provides modest international shipping rates to Australia. www.momastore.org ETSY Cutesy might be the first thing you think of when someone says Etsy, but there's no denying that Etsy is queen of the online boutique, hosting over 1 million online handcraft and vintage stores from all across the globe. If searching for the perfect gift among Etsy's online treasure trove is a bit daunting, we recommend eyeing the Etsy Design Award Nominees, a handpicked bunch of designers that stand a little taller than the rest. www.etsy.com THE DOWNTIME AGENDA Keeping true to this website's policy of absolute zen, your Christmas shopping for those who do their downtime right — from curling up with a scented candle to finding inner peace with earthy incense — is right here at the click of a button. With selections of gift packs for mothers, gardeners and blanket enthusiasts, the Downtime Agenda has all your 'chilling' needs covered. If your zen friend is not so much the materialistic type, you can also buy 'experiences' such as yoga classes and 'blend your own gin' workshops. www.thedowntimeagenda.com HARD TO FIND This hidden Australian gem brings together all the best elements of gift shopping and makes them super easy to find, putting presents for Christmas, birthdays, friends, dads, grandmas and girlfriends together for a beautifully designed stroll through the online market. Hard To Find offers an array of treasures sourced from across Australia and around the world, with gifts from France, England and beyond sure to satisfy even the pickiest family member on Christmas morning. www.hardtofind.com.au UNCOMMON GOODS From a water bottle for your dog to personalised whiskey barrels, Uncommon Goods definitely delivers what it promises, alongside a host of more sophisticated, grandmother-approved gifts for the whole family Christmas. This website has a particular section for more fun and quirky gifts, along with a section entirely for all your festive needs, allowing you to choose personalised wares that suit everybody's individual style. www.uncommongoods.com JAPAN TREND SHOP Have you ever woken up in the morning, looked in the mirror, and realised you absolutely can't go without a Panasonic Beauty Ion Effector? Neither have we, but you can buy one at the Japan Trend Shop — if you can believe it. With a range of beauty wears including USB-heated leggings and boiled egg-shaped headbands, this kitsch online emporium really does stock whatever you can imagine. www.japantrendshop.com HIM & 1 Specialising in all that is fine and functional across household goods, art and body care products, Him & I is a wholesome Australian online store that houses the current obsessions of site creators Kara and Josh. From boldly coloured bedding by Kip & Co and sophisticated watches by The Horse to simple tableware by Made in Japan and earthy art designs by Kristina Krogh, Him&I is a feast of gift ideas by brands definitely not seen at your nearest Westfield. www.himandi.com.au By Katie Davern, Eden Faithfull and Matthew Abotomey. Top image: Basil Bangs, available at Hunting for George.
Having fed countless cronut cravings out of their Richmond, CBD, and Fitzroy outposts, the Rustica crew is at it again, with owners Brenton Lang, Matt Vero, and Tristan White closing up operations on Swan Street and adding a Hawthorn store to their popular stable of bakery cafes. Launching next Monday, May 8, the new project makes its home within a light-filled space at the base of Maple's Power Street residential development, following in the footsteps of other food-focused apartment dwellers like South Yarra's Two Birds One Stone and Collingwood's Project 49. Out of the kitchen, head chef and co-owner White will plate up tried-and-true Rustica favourites alongside a handful of exclusive additions, with the bakery's artisan breads starring throughout. Newcomers include a baguette of slow-roasted lamb shoulder, red onion, cumin yoghurt, and iceberg lettuce; and a house-made baba ganoush, teamed with grilled haloumi, greens, and poached eggs. Of course, as with the other stores, Rumble Coffee Roasters will fuel the coffee list, while a covetable assortment of Rustica croissants, cronuts, and other sweet treats will hold court in the pastry cabinets. There's plenty more Rustica goodness on the horizon, too, with another store slated to open below The Rialto Towers in the coming months. Find Rustica's new digs at 121 Power St, Hawthorn, from May 8. Open Monday to Saturday 7am till 4pm, Sunday 8am till 4pm.
Giving back and scoring some sweet new threads sound too good to be true? Naysayers, HoMie is here to dispel your doubt. A pop-up store with a heart of gold, HoMie is an initiative of Homeless of Melbourne, who put a creative spin on social justice. Boasting both up-and-coming as well as established local designers, the store will donate a piece of clothing to a member of the homeless community for each item purchased. For co-founder Nick Pearce, this 'one for one' policy "is a new way of trying to reinvigorate that whole outdated op-shop scenario and bring in something new and diverse, and hopefully have a bit of an impact in the homeless sector". With its first-hand clothes, new fit-out and mix of paying and non-paying clientele, HoMie aims to create a dignified shopping experience for Melbourne's homeless. Their crew of dedicated suppliers will be going that extra mile too, donating their time and expertise to running workshops that focus on increasing employability and life skills for Melbourne's most vulnerable. If their inventive project hasn't hooked you in already, a scroll through their Facebook page is sure to fix that. The charity has been collecting the stories of the city's battlers for the past eight months and sharing them online to debunk misconceptions about homelessness. They've garnered close to 15,000 followers. "We wanted to make people stop and think about where these people come from, so we're not just walking past, making judgements," says Marcus Crook, the other half of HoM. Marcus and Nick devised this latest three-month concept store following the success of HoM's Street Store in Federation Square in December last year. Armed with stacks of paper coat hangers and a budding team of eager volunteers, HoM gave Melburnians in need a chance to snag some pre-loved garments. "The response we got was unbelievable," says Nick, "we found that a lot of people on our page really wanted to help and donate stuff, but they just didn't know how to do it or where to go." That led them to look for a more permanent guise for the Street Store, and so shopfront HoMie was born. Speaking of dedication to the cause, Nick and Marcus are finding out just what it's like to live on the streets, spending two nights this week camping out in Melbourne's CBD for a humbling insight into the realities of life without a secure home. "We don't think its anything special because obviously people do it every night of their lives," says Marcus, "but we're going to be going out there with a sleeping bag and a phone in case of an emergency and just seeing what happens." Great intentions aside, these grand visions don't come cheap. As a grassroots organisation, HoMie is all too aware of the costs of CBD rent. They've turned to Pozible to raise $10,000 towards the rent and associated start-up costs, vowing to employ homeless labourers and designers as much as possible in the process. At time of writing, they're over halfway to their goal, with 17 days to go. Along with the Many Hands online art gallery and the Youth Food Movement Melbourne, the organisation is also in line for additional funds if they meet their target, thanks to burger chain Grill'd's Local Matters donation program. HoMie is vying for $2,000 that goes to the winner of the in-store customer vote at Grill'd restaurants. There's also $500 in it for each project that reaches its Pozible target. With goals of turning this three-month appearance into a long-term venture, HoMie hopes to open its arms to Melbourne this May. To help make it happen, grab a bite to eat at one of Grill'd Melbourne CBD locations or contribute directly to the Pozible campaign, which includes rewards like art prints and T-shirts.
Louis Vuitton's stamp of luxury (that popular LV) and Supreme's iconic red and white boxed logo are joining forced for their first collaborated pop-up shop — and they've picked Sydney to launch. From Friday, June 30 until Friday, July 13, the Bondi beach pop-up will feature coveted LV-stamped apparel paired with the Supreme logo accessories as seen in the men's autumn/winter 2017 line, which was announced at Paris Men's Fashion Week in January. Count yourself lucky, Sydney, this pop-up shop request was denied in New York City. The pop-up will stock the duo's new collaborative baseball caps, t-shirts and backpacks. And if you're feeling bold, the collection also features denim baseball jerseys, leather jackets, cross-body bags and much more. The store will also offer exclusive pop-up shop pieces that you'll have to check out for yourself. While the two brands were established 140 years apart, their collision of high fashion and New York City streetwear is a world-first — and a huge coup for Australia. Louis Vuitton x Supreme will pop up at 95 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach from June 30 to July 13. Open Monday to Sunday 10am–6pm, Thursday 10am–7pm.
Sandra Oh taking on co-hosting duties with Andy Samberg and taking home a trophy of her own. Maya Rudolph proposing to Amy Poehler. Olivia Colman proving a worldwide treasure yet again. Christian Bale not only reminding everyone that he's British, but thanking Satan in his acceptance speech. They're just some of the highlights of this year's Golden Globes, and the list only continues. Carol Burnett and Jeff Bridges picked up lifetime achievement awards, and Regina King vowed to only work on productions that achieve gender parity for the next two years. Elsewhere, Willem Dafoe got a flu shot, and Jim Carrey was forced to move from the film to the TV section now that he's made the leap to the small screen in Kidding. That's the ceremony side of proceedings. When it comes to the Globes' winners, plenty of 2018's blockbusters took home awards — Bohemian Rhapsody snagged the big one, Best Motion Picture — Drama, beating out A Star Is Born (which was nonetheless awarded Best Original Song — Motion Picture for the banger 'Shallow'). The forthcoming Green Book also got a movie accolade, and comedies The Marvellous Mrs Maisel and The Kominsky Method won out in the television realm. But now that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have made anointed their best flicks and shows productions of 2018, we've chosen our top picks of their picks. Some you'll find at the cinema or on your streaming platform of choice right now. Some are coming soon. All of them should be added to your must-watch list. MOVIE MUST-SEES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_i7cnOgbQ ROMA With Roma, Gravity's Alfonso Cuarón makes his most personal effort yet, with this tale of a Mexican housekeeper partly drawn from his own upbringing. That said, the filmmaker's gorgeously shot black-and-white feature doesn't just feel like a window into the 70s neighbourhood where he grew up, or an intimate account of the political reality of the time. Rather, it feels like a personal story for everyone that the world doesn't usually see. One of the best efforts of 2018, this stunner also benefits from a quietly expressive lead performance from Yalitza Aparicio, who puts in her first ever on-screen performance. The empathetic star deserves the same kind of free-flowing acclaim that writer/director/cinematographer Cuarón has been getting — although Cuarón thoroughly deserves his accolades as well. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language, Best Director — Motion Picture (Alfonso Cuarón). Nominated: Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Alfonso Cuarón). Now streaming on Netflix — read our review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfIIGRfRJg SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE "We're in an alternate universe," said writer/producer Phil Lord as he accepted Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's award. Whichever world we're in, thankfully it includes this enthralling animated feature. Into the Spider-Verse is the perfect antidote for anyone suffering from spider-fatigue — aka a condition we've all been experiencing after seeing three different actors become the web-slinger over the past two decades. With kaleidoscopic visuals that look strikingly cinematic while nodding to Spidey's comic book days, the film doesn't just focus on the antics of Brooklyn high-schooler Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) after he's bitten by a radioactive arachnid. This smart, heartfelt coming-of-age effort lets audiences enjoy many, many spider-folk, including Peter Porker, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, and Peni Parker and her mechanical offsider SP//dr. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Animated. In cinemas now — read our review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g THE FAVOURITE An awards season favourite, this period drama might've only picked up one gong at the Globes, but it's certain to keep featuring as the BAFTAs and Oscars roll around. It's such a delicious, comedic take on genre that's often anything but those two things — although when The Lobster's Yorgos Lanthimos tries his hand at British regal history, that's probably to be expected. Best actress in a drama recipient Olivia Colman steps into the shoes of real-life English monarch Queen Anne, while Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone also dazzle as the women vying for her attention and affection. In her acceptance speech, Colman made it clear just how much fun she had making the movie, and it shows in every frame of the finished product. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Olivia Colman). Nominated: Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone), Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara). In cinemas now — read our review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfxerpiKGsk THE WIFE It happens every year. Sometimes it's an actor, sometimes it's someone working behind the lens — but whoever it is, they're not only earning acclaim for their latest great effort, but for their great career in general. Consider it a body of work award or a catch-up trophy, rewarding a talent who hasn't perhaps received the recognition that they've always deserved. In 2019, Glenn Close fits the bill with The Wife, where she plays the woman who's always stood behind her successful author husband. Still, hers truly a fantastic performance and one deserving of glistening accolades, all in a movie that couldn't be more timely thematically. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama (Glenn Close). Now available on DVD and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8qbq6Z6HYk IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Two years after Moonlight's Oscar win over La La Land, Barry Jenkins returns with another intimate and affecting film. This time around, the supremely talented writer/director adapts James Baldwin's novel If Beale Street Could Talk — and if you've seen the documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which also found its basis in Baldwin's work, then you know you're in for a complex and passionate effort. Narrative-wise, the romantic drama follows couple Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James). It's the 70s, and they're expecting their first child when Fonny is falsely accused of rape. As he did with Moonlight, Baldwin excels not only in his emotional and visual storytelling, but in bringing together an exceptional cast, including Globe winner Regina King as Tish's mother. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Regina King). Nominated: Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Barry Jenkins). In Australian cinemas February 14, New Zealand cinemas March 7. SMALL SCREEN BINGES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLfLU6-9lxY BODYGUARD There's no shortage of British TV shows about cops, politics and both, but that doesn't mean that they're all alike. In fact, there's nothing standard or routine about this recent addition to the fold. In Bodyguard, Game of Thrones' Richard Madden is a post traumatic stress-afflicted ex-soldier turned police protection officer — and one who's assigned to guard a controversial politician (Keeley Hawes) that he strong disagrees with. As well as proving gripping and tense from start to finish, this six-part psychological thriller shows that newly-minted Globe winner Madden boasts talents far, far beyond attending GoT's infamous Red Wedding. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama (Richard Madden). Nominated: Best Television Series — Drama. Now streaming on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MBjBavIC9U KILLING EVE This year's ceremony belonged to Sandra Oh, and that really shouldn't come as a surprise. Three decades after her first screen appearances, the hard-working actor has turned in the standout performance of her incredibly consistent career in Killing Eve, and she has been duly rewarded for it. Playing the titular MI5 officer, Oh immerses herself in a role that segues from bored spy to determined obsessive as she tracks the path of an alluring international assassin (Jodie Comer). Developed by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge based on the Codename Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings, the end result is a thrillingly twisty espionage effort that never does what you expect. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Sandra Oh). Nominated: Best Television Series — Drama. Now streaming on ABC iView in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggDTJc470Co A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL Last time that Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw worked on the same project, it was in one of the most delightful films of this decade — and in a heartwarming family affair too. Now, the duo have leapt from Paddington 2's charms to a political controversy, or from one extreme to another. The pair take on the roles of British Member of Parliament Jeremy Thorpe and his ex-lover Norman Scott, and if you're unaware of the very English real-life scandal that arose in the late 70s, the details are best discovered by watching. Based on a true-crime novel of the same name, the three-part effort also benefits from excellent writing and direction, the former from Queer as Folk and Doctor Who's Russell T Davies and the latter from High Fidelity and The Queen's Stephen Frears. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Ben Whishaw). Nominated: Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Hugh Grant). Screening on Foxtel in Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8T__5EjhYs ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA If you've missed seeing Ben Stiller on your screens of late, that's because he's been busy stepping behind the camera. The actor's directorial credits already include Reality Bites, Tropic Thunder and the Zoolander flicks, but now he's added TV show Escape at Dannemora to his resume. Starring Golden Globe-winner Patricia Arquette alongside Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano, the limited series does what so many crime-focused efforts do, finding its basis in a tale that can only be true. Back in 2015 in upstate New York, two convicted murderers made a daring escape from prison, as assisted by a female employee — and how and why the whole situation came about fuels the program's seven episodes. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Patricia Arquette). Nominated: Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Now streaming on Stan in Australia, and screening on SOHO in New Zealand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s64PUUHD6UQ SHARP OBJECTS When it comes to big names, Sharp Objects has plenty. Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson star, Big Little Lies' Jean-Marc Vallée directs and the whole project is based on a book by Gone Girl's Gillian Flynn. When it comes to big-impact thrills, this four-part series also ticks all of the boxes. Indeed, the show's main performers are as exceptional as they've both always been — which is no easy feat given both Adams and Clarkson's careers. The former plays a troubled crime reporter chasing a story that takes her back to her home town, while the latter plays her socialite mother. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Patricia Clarkson). Nominated: Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Amy Adams). Now streaming on Foxtel Now in Australia, and NEON in New Zealand.
Say what you will about American eating habits, but they sure know a thing or two about barbecue. When it comes to Kevin Bludso, it's practically in his blood. A third-generation pit master originally from Compton, Texas, Bludso is one of the most renowned barbecue chefs the United States has to offer, with his restaurant Bludso's BBQ declared the best in America by CNN, Fox News and The New York Times. Now, he's bringing that Southern-style cooking to Melbourne's Crown Casino. We're already drooling. According to Good Food, scouts from the casino complex tried barbecue from all over Texas, before convincing Bludso, who operates restaurants in Compton and Hollywood, to bring his talents to Australia. Set to open on Tuesday November 10, San Antone by Bludso's BBQ will seat 187 people and serve genuine Texas-style barbecue, slow cooked over handpicked woods and natural charcoal in enormous Ole Hickory smokers. The smoke pit section of the menu includes pulled pork, beef brisket and whole BBQ chickens, as well as a share plate that combines all of the above plus beef hot links, mac and cheese, coleslaw and Southern greens. We're pretty sure the greens make it healthy. There's also a bit of a Mexican influence, with tacos, nachos, quesadilla and ceviche, plus sides like ranch baked beans and fried green tomatoes. Assuming you haven't sunk into an irreversible meat coma, your dessert options include traditional American favourites such as peach cobbler and sweet potato pie. The drinks list, meanwhile, features a number of American beers including Budweiser, Miller Draft and Pabst Blue Ribbon, as well as signature cocktails such as the Jalapeno Margarita (jalapeno infused tequila, cucumber, lime juice, agave nectar and ciltrano salt) and the Rusty Boots (bourbon, bitters and burnt orange and vanilla syrup). They've also got a healthy selection of tequila, bourbon, whiskey and moonshine (yes, moonshine). Hell, even their non-alcoholic options, including the lime spider and the root beer float, come with the option of a vodka or rye whiskey spike. San Antone by Bludso's BBQ is located on Level One of Crown Casino. For more information, visit their website. Via Good Food. Image via Bludso's Bar-&-Que.
When every new year starts, we all have our favourite ongoing shows. They're the series that have already earned both a place in our hearts and a permanent spot on our viewing schedules — and, each time they come back with new episodes, we eagerly look forward to spending time with again. In 2019, think Game of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies, plus Stranger Things, Mindhunter, Wellington Paranormal and Rick and Morty too. They're the known quantities and the established heavy hitters; however each and every year also serves up a whole heap of new programs to enjoy as well. This year's slate of newcomers didn't disappoint, whether you're a fan of absurdist comedies, quirky Australian dramas or US spin-offs of existing favourites. Grim recreations of real-life events, thought-provoking police procedurals and mind-bending animation also made an appearance. They're the new favourites — the shows that, now you know that they exist, you'll either be awaiting new episodes (if they're ongoing) or revisiting again (if they're a one-off affair). With 2019 coming to a close, here's our rundown of the new TV series that top the pile for the year. An added bonus: they're all available to stream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uWCNHQgfnc UNDONE It's co-created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, tells its tale through vivid animation, grapples with mental illness and saddles its protagonist with an existential crisis; however, Undone is worlds away from BoJack Horseman. That's not a criticism of the talking horse comedy, but a reflection of how firmly Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy's series charts it own path and makes its own imprint. Rendered using exceptionally fluid and expressive rotoscoped animation that often flows into surreal territory, and anchored by impressive voice work by Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel) and Bob Odenkirk, the series spends its time with the struggling Alma — who, after a near-fatal car accident, starts experiencing time and her memories differently. Inventive, smart, funny, tender, gorgeous to look at and always devastatingly astute, it's a worthy addition to the growing canon of great shows pondering the meaning of life of late, such as The Good Place, Russian Doll, Forever and Maniac. The first season of Undone is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9APLXM9Ei8 CHERNOBYL When it comes to sheer horror of the bone-chilling kind, not to mention the kind of soul-crushing dismay that can only stem from the bleakest of tales, nothing compares to Chernobyl. The five-part show explores the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster, which saw the reactor inside the Ukrainian facility explode. The fallout, unsurprisingly, was catastrophic, with the incident considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history as well one of the worst man-made events ever. While the dramatisation begins with the fiery explosion, it's what happens next that earns the show's focus — the initial salvage attempts by workers condemned to suffer and die just for doing their jobs; the arrogant cover-ups, including by stubborn plant supervisors who refuse to believe what's happened; the clean-up and rescue missions, sacrificing more lives to the incident; and the inevitable investigation. Every aspect of the series is detailed, thorough, and even more relentless and unnerving than you'd expect given the real-life situation, with creator and writer Craig Mazin drawing upon meticulous research, interviews with nuclear scientists, chats with former Soviet residents and first-person accounts from those who were there. All five episodes of Chernobyl are available to stream on Foxtel. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTIkUzkbzQk UNBELIEVABLE Content warning: sexual assault Based on real-life crimes, and instantly becoming one of the most talked-about shows of the year, Unbelievable steps inside a series of rape cases between 2008–11. When Washington teenager Marie Adler (Booksmart's Kaitlyn Dever) reports her sexual assault to the police, authority figures begin to question her story almost from the outset — not just law enforcement, but two of her ex-foster mothers. She's forced to sign a statement saying that she made a false report; however, over in Colorado, detectives Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever) and Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) are on the trail of similar attacks. More than just the latest true-crime tale to hit the screen, the series explores the mistrust experienced by female victims of violent crimes, serving up a powerful account of weathering, surviving and investigating multiple horrors. It also features exceptional performances from its three leads, with Dever in heartbreaking form as a girl shattered by her ordeal, Wever in empathetic and thoughtful mode, and Collette proving a force to be reckoned with. All eight episodes of Unbelievable are available to stream on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrZkGgoVSFk I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE WITH TIM ROBINSON You don't even need two hours to get through all six episodes of this sketch comedy show but, once you're done, you'll wish that it went for at least twice as long. Social awkwardness is satirised with absurd precision in I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and the results are as offbeat and hilarious as a house completely filled with Garfield items and furniture (trust us). If he seems familiar, Robinson was the star of Detroiters and also spent a couple of seasons on Saturday Night Live. He has plenty of recognisable co-stars on his new show, which he also wrote and produced — talents such as Will Forte, Steven Yeun, Tim Heidecker and Vanessa Bayer. And, like fellow ace new 2019 comedy PEN15, the series boasts some big names off-screen too, with The Lonely Island (aka Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) its executive producers. It's also another of this year's big debutants that's coming back for a second season. The entire first season I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is available to stream on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUeDkU7HyTs THE OTHER TWO You're in your 20s, trying to make it in New York and struggling to chase your dreams. The only thing that's making you feel better is the knowledge that your sibling is doing the exact same thing. Then your kid brother comes up with a throwaway pop hit, adopts the stage name ChaseDreams and becomes a YouTube sensation — and the world's next Justin Bieber. That's the premise of sitcom The Other Two, which follows struggling actor Cary (Drew Tarver) and his ex-dancer sister Brooke (Helene York) as they come to terms with their new situation. Also starring Molly Shannon, Ken Marino and Wanda Sykes, the show's ten-episode first season is constantly hilarious and acerbically perceptive, especially when it comes to today's celebrity-obsessed, influencer-heavy society. An instant classic, thankfully it's due to come back for a second season. The first season of The Other Two is available to stream on iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHcKoAMGGvY RUSSIAN DOLL Netflix and smart existential laughs continued to go hand-in-hand with Russian Doll, with the streaming platform once again tasking one its protagonists with wondering what this whole life business is all about. Here, however, New Yorker Nadia (Natasha Lyonne, Orange Is the New Black) is forced to relive her 36th birthday shindig over and over again. And while getting stuck at a celebration in your own honour will sound like a literal party to most folks, that's not Nadia's path. Co-created and co-written by Lyonne, Amy Poehler and filmmaker Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, Sleeping with Other People), this eight-episode show takes its misanthropic lead character through all kinds of twists and turns, examining fate, logic, life's loops and wading through limbo in a clever and compelling way. This is a dark, heartfelt, uproariously humorous and inventive series all at once, and, although the do-over premise has become a well-established trope on both the big and small screens, Russian Doll never feels like it's relying on a gimmick. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has renewed it for a second season. The entire first season of Russian Doll is available to stream on Netflix. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfBbSwX6kEk WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS A bunch of vampires. One share house. Ample undead hijinks. It worked swimmingly in 2005 short film What We Do In the Shadows. Next, it worked hilariously in 2014 mockumentary movie What We Do In the Shadows. And it works mighty fine in TV spinoff that's also called What We Do In the Shadows, too. Adapted for television by original creators and stars Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (with the first episode written by the former and directed by the latter), this Staten Island-set version focuses on a new set of vamps and new supernatural problems, and the laughs keep coming. Unsurprisingly, Matt Berry's English bloodsucker Laszlo is a highlight, but this is a great ensemble effort, complete with ace turns from Kayvan Novak as Ottoman Empire-era soldier Nandor the Relentless, Natasia Demetriou as Romani vamp Nadja, Mark Proksch as 'energy vampire' Colin Robinson and Lady Bird's Beanie Feldstein as a live-action role-play fan who falls in with the undead crowd. Also keep an eye out for some absolutely killer high-profile cameos — and for more episodes next year. The entire first season of What We Do In the Shadows is available to stream on Foxtel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU9SVg5i0WA ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA The American Dream — aka the idea that any US citizen can achieve all the success they've ever hoped for if they just toil hard enough — gets a very darkly funny spin in On Becoming a God in Central Florida. Anchored by a fantastic Kirsten Dunst, the show focuses on Krystal Stubbs, who works at a water park, earns minimum wage and has a baby that she often takes to her job. She's also immersed in a cult-like pyramid scheme. Founders American Merchandise sells household products, pushes its sales people beyond their limits and wraps up its mania in patriotism, with Krystal becoming involved through her husband Travis (Alexander Skarsgård). He's as devoted to the multi-level marketing cause as anyone can get, so the series charts the Stubbs' path after their fortunes take a turn. Set in the early 90s and sporting pitch-perfect costuming and production design, the show was originally planned as a TV project for The Lobster and The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos — and while the Greek filmmaker is no longer involved, it's easy to see how this savvy satirical comedy would fit into his wheelhouse. The first five episodes of On Becoming a God in Central Florida are available to stream on SBS On Demand. Episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays afterwards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_0_fG9-CQ LAMBS OF GOD On a remote island that's difficult to access, in a dilapidated convent that time seems to have forgotten, three women (Essie Davis, Ann Dowd and Jessica Barden) remain true to their faith by adhering to their routines and rituals. Then, an uncaring priest (Sam Reid) arrives with a message: their home is due to be sold off by the Catholic Church, for profit, and turned into a luxury hotel for the wealthy. More than just a fight against gentrification and corruption, the plight of Lambs of God's three nuns spans mysteries, murder, divine beliefs and otherworldly deeds, all based on the novel of the same name by Australian author Marele Day. Directed by Ali's Wedding's Jeffrey Walker and lensed by acclaimed Australian cinematographer Don McAlpine, the four-part mini-series proves a lush and twisty gothic drama — aka the best kind — that takes aim at both gender and class inequality. All four episodes of Lambs of God is available to stream on Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSOo4_7Pccg YEARS AND YEARS If Black Mirror weaved its dystopian visions of the future into an ongoing narrative, rather than doled out its horror stories in standalone instalments, it might look like Years and Years. Focusing on the Lyons family — which spans Muriel (Anne Reid), her grandchildren Edith (Jessica Hynes), Stephen (Rory Kinnear), Daniel (Russell Tovey) and Rosie (Ruth Madeley), plus their partners and children — the six-part British drama ponders their lives from 2019 onwards. So, all of the usual events happen, such as births, deaths and marriages. Here, they're all filtered through the possible political and technological landscape that could await us all, with wars, embeddable technology, climate change, the gig economy and nationalist politics (with Emma Thompson playing an increasingly popular Pauline Hanson-style politician) all part of the story. Created by Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk and Doctor Who), Years and Years isn't just a must-watch portrait of what may come, but a smartly written, engagingly performed and absolutely fascinating series that's purposefully designed to intrigue, and to stress viewers out about the current and future state of the world. All six episodes of Years and Years are available to stream on SBS On Demand. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
Settling in for The Martian, you could be forgiven for feeling a little deja vu. Interstellar might be flooding your memory, given that Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon grapple with space again. Alien and Prometheus could also pop into your head, seeing that director Ridley Scott seemingly heads into familiar territory too. Thankfully, their resumes aside, the rehash largely stops there. That’s not to say that The Martian doesn’t recall many other intergalactic efforts such as Gravity, Moon, Sunshine, Contact and Apollo 13, nor that it doesn’t work with themes and narrative components recognisable to anyone who has seen a survivalist film like Castaway or All Is Lost. What this adaptation of Andy Weir's 2011 novel of the same name does do, though, is soar forward with two things in mind: optimism and practicality. Botanist Mark Watney (Damon) is the key. He's residing among a group of astronauts manning the latest mission on Mars — until a storm strikes, he gets knocked out and blown away from his colleagues, and they head back home. When he wakes up to discover he's now the only human left on the planet, he focuses on attempting to remedy his predicament. Finding a way to grow food in the inhospitable environment is his first priority, followed by trying to communicate to NASA that he's alive and ready to return to Earth. Solving problems rather than wallowing in sentiment is the approach Watney takes, as does Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods). As the repercussions of the Watney's situation ripple through those trying to rescue him — be they space agency head (Jeff Daniels), other members of the ground-based team (including Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Donald Glover), or Watney's departed crewmates (Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan and Aksel Hennie) — action rather than emotion sits at the film's fore. Accordingly, The Martian favours procedure and process over psychology. It traces the steps needed to bring the stranded man home. It springs from a position of simply believing that resolution is possible. It presents characters using science (or sciencing the shit out of things, as the MacGyver-like Watney puts it in the video logs that comprise much of the storytelling) to make things happen. People, teamwork and ingenuity reign supreme, even over the capably rendered 3D spectacle. Anyone fearing a lack of wonder or feeling in the film can rest assured; they are there, and they spring from the way the cast subtly handle their roles (particularly an empathetic Damon) rather than the script hitting audiences over the head with horror or sappiness. A keen sense of humour is also evident in perhaps the most upbeat survivalist offering for some time, with Lord of the Rings fans likely to have the biggest laugh. There's also the endearing soundtrack, which includes moments of dancing along to disco hits or letting a classic, perfectly chosen David Bowie track (though not the one you think) play out in full. That it all adds up to one of the most enjoyably pragmatic sci-fi stints seen in the cinema is refreshing and perhaps surprising, even given its pedigree. In fact, The Martian doesn't just solidly engage from start to finish — it entertainingly and convincingly colonises its own patch of space movie territory.
If you love surrounding yourself completely in Zara, you'll now be able to extend the Zara-love to your bedroom. Zara Home has opened its first Australian store at Melbourne's Highpoint Shopping Centre, with a flagship store set to open in Sydney in just a few months. The home decor arm of the Zara-owning Inditex Group, the Australian stores is home to Zara's gorgeous printed bedding lines, table and bath linens, decorative furniture (we're talking seriously cute lamps and rugs), tablewear worth investing in, cutlery and ornamental items, all based on seasonal fashion trends — so you might be able to match your handbag to your bedspread for an undeniably strong look. The brand new 310-sqm Melbourne store embodies the Zara brand in interior design — think elegant chestnut wood and marble floors, neutral paints and mother-of-pearl details, not to forget that epic gold logo. Coinciding with international Zara Home stores (now operating in 60 countries with 437 stores), the Australian stores will unveil two collections per year, with new items delivered every week. Along with the slick furnishings and oaky utensils you'll be visualising in your rich mahogany-smelling apartments, you can pick up the Zara loungewear/pyjama line and bath and body collection instore. With 13 Zara stores currently operating across Australia, it's safe to say we're pretty dedicated Zarans. The stores mark some of the first international brand openings this year, following hugely hyped openings H&M and Uniqlo last year. Zara Home opens in Melbourne's Highpoint Shopping Centre on February 12, head for 120 - 200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong. Sydney flagship date still to be confirmed.
Heading to Byron Bay this July to flail around to The Cure, be obliterated by sound of The Avalanches and burl the words to The Strokes? You can't do all that without a little pre-game with your mates, preferably at a stunning beach house right on the ocean, with some of Australia's best upcoming artists playing sets just for you. Luckily for you, Concrete Playground has teamed up with Sonos to throw one heck of a beach party — and you could be on the guest list. We're putting on an intimate pre-festival gathering at one of Byron Bay's most iconic locations. It's called Beach Break (because you need one, we need one, everyone needs one). You could be joining mates CP and Sonos for a big ol' warm-up on Saturday, July 23, to be held at a secret location which only the guest list will know. You'll be kicking back at our Byron beach house with a cocktail, catching sets from Australia's one-to-watch artists Kllo and Banoffee, and listening to Sonos-curated party playlists. Register your interest and we could be seeing you at our pretty little beach house. ENTER HERE. This event is independently presented by Concrete Playground and Sonos, and is not associated with Splendour in the Grass or Secret Sounds.
Already one of the best streets to eat on in Melbourne, Flinders Lane is adding another culinary notch to its belt. Opening next month just a few doors down from Chin Chin, Woody P. will serve up simple, tasty Mediterranean cuisine in a relaxed and sophisticated setting from May. So what Mediterranean nosh can we expect to be nibbling this autumn? Highlights on the Woody P. menu will include kingfish crudo with beetroot, fennel and horseradish, pork cheek croquettes with apple aioli and chorizo crumb, corn-fed duck with blood plum, and 48-hour beef ribs with roast onions and gremolata. If you’re wondering what some of those dishes might look like, have a bit of a perve on the delicious-looking Woody P. trailer: [embed]https://vimeo.com/123688387[/embed] The menu is the brainchild of Head Chef Clinton Camilleri, who has spent the better part of a decade working in kitchens across rural Victoria. His tenure as Head Chef at the Healesville Hotel helped earn the venue the 2014 Age Good Food Guide Regional Restaurant of the Year award. At Woody P. he’ll be assisted by Venue Manager Brent Scales, previously of Stokehouse Cafe and the Stokehouse City Bar. The interior of the restaurant was designed by Eades and Bergman, who can already lay claim to a number of Melbourne eating institutions including Kong, Mr. Miyagi and Flinders Lane’s own Meatball and Wine Bar. Expect exposed brick walls, textured glass and contemporary pendant lighting, as well as a large outdoor dining area with lanterns and bluestone floors. It'll be like summer never left. Woody P. is currently expected to open in May at 121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. You can stay up to date via their Facebook. Image by Simon Shiff.
After spending so much time indoors in 2020, we're all keen to be outdoors as much as possible (while the good weather lasts). And one spot you can soak up the good vibes is Federation Square, which is transforming into a garden oasis this season. On January 15, the CBD space will unveil new grass zones, deck chairs, colourful beanbags and a jam-packed program of free happenings to keep you entertained (and comfy) for those lazy summer afternoons and evenings ahead. The roster of events includes live music, wellbeing classes — think yoga, cooking demos and life drawing — plus screenings of major sports events and an outdoor cinema screening classics like Muriel's Wedding, The Great Gatsby and Red Dog. In collaboration with ACMI, Fed Square will screen a silent film on the digital facade with a live score accompaniment on selected evenings, too. And, when you get hungry, you can get food delivered from any of the surrounding Fed Square restaurants and bars, including Riverland, Mama's Canteen and Atiyah Lebanese Kitchen. Image: Liam Neal
Honestly, how does this not officially exist already? Tokyo's seen its fair share of Hello Kitty pop-up restaurants in the past, but now China's making things permanent with Sanrio's feline monarch. The world's first Hello Kitty dim sum restaurant is about to open in Hong Kong, bringing with it possibly the most Instagrammable menu this side of a Pikachu pop-up. Set to swing open its adorable doors on June 1, Sanrio's first Hello Kitty restaurant would have presumably opened in Japan, Ms Kitty's birthplace. But restaurant owner Man Kwong told TIME that Hello Kitty was much more popular in Hong Kong. Kwong spent a year negotiating with Sanrio developing each adorable dish — that individually had to be given the thumbs up by Sanrio executives. So what's going to be filling Instagram feeds and HelloKitty-loving bellies? The menu includes 37squealworthy dim sum items, from Hello Kitty-shaped noodle dishes to shrimp buns, made from all-natural ingredients (Kwong is the founder of a Chinese health magazine, so he's practicing what he preaches). Just look at these outrageously cute buns (that have 17 steps each to make, including making the beetroot-coloured bow and dotting squid ink for the eyes): Kitty's first restaurant will open in the traditional Yau Ma Tei neighborhood on the Kowloon peninsula. Though we predicted a garish, cartoon-like interior, Kwongs' chosen a more modern, tasteful approach in theming. The pink-bowed mogul is splashed everywhere, from the teapots and chopstick holders to the restaurant mirrors and window panes — featuring Kitty as the Four Beauties of ancient China. Even Kitty's taken a modern revamp for the menu and website design, happy to serve her own face in a dumpling steamer, what a champ. The world's first Hello Kitty restaurant will open on June 1. Charge your phones and book that flight, Kitty fans. Via TIME. Images: TIME/Man Kwong.
Craft beer has come of age in Australia. Even in the darkest, dingiest drinkatoriums where metal troughs still adorn the base of the bar, you'll likely find a boutique beer or two for the more discerning drinker. But with new options on the market every day, how best to find the perfect one for you? Here are some handy smartphone apps that help take the guesswork out of choosing your brew. UNTAPPD Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android, Windows and yes, even Blackberry. Untappd is like the Facebook of beer apps: a vast social hub of drinkers all eagerly posting reviews, checking in at pubs and breweries and uploading photos of their thirst-inducing beverages. It easily boasts the largest user base and is helpfully available on every platform. Flip on your location services and Untappd will alert you to both new beers and bars in your vicinity, as well as let you know who else is drinking there. Over time, it even learns your tastes based on your own drinking habits and reviews, then makes tailored recommendations for what to try next. BEER BUDDY (iOS) / APK TICKET Cost: $4.99 Platform: iOS, Android What Untappd is to the social side of drinking, Beer Buddy is to straight-up information. With more than 300,000 beers in its database, Beer Buddy lets your scan a drink's barcode and access a storehouse of information, including its alcohol and calorie content, brewery history and user reviews. It also features a wide-ranging search function that allows you to seek out your favourite (or soon-to-be tasted) beers according to bars, brewery, type of beer, season, the top beers in whichever country you find yourself and, of course, simply by what's nearby. NOW TAPPED Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android Combining the official drinks lists of around 300 partnered pubs and bars in Australia with the reported lists by other Now Tapped users, this app offers a comprehensive database of craft beers around the country. Search by venue and you'll see everything they've got for sale, as well as drink info and a brief review for each. Search by brewery and you'll find all the places that manufacturer's products are available. Otherwise there's always map view, where you can see all the places nearby where craft beers are for sale. NEXT GLASS Cost: Free (but US only for now) Platforms: iOS, Android Imagine being able to just look at a drink and know (down to a percentage) whether you'll like it or not. Next Glass does exactly that by bringing science into the equation. Using a mass spectrometer to analyse the chemical composition of thousands of different beverages, Next Glass developed a detailed criteria against which your own preferences are then matched. Basically, once you've told it your favourite drinks, all you need to do is point your phone at a label and Next Glass tells you precisely how likely you are to enjoy it, as well as how much your friends like it and even how many calories it contains. iBREWMASTER 2 Cost: $12.99 Platform: iOS (Android version in development) This is the app for the serious craft beer brewers. Add your own recipes, try out the 250+ preinstalled ones or purchase more from the in-app store. Featuring a powerful scheduling tool, iBrewMaster lets you stay on top of every stage of the fermentation process, complete with notifications and info about nearby suppliers. Highly customisable and packed with details, it's a pricey but invaluable app for anyone who lists their favourite beer as the one from their own basement.
Hotels aren't often associated with the world of conceptual art and curated design — and it's even rarer that they pull the connection off. But QT Melbourne — the new hotel that just opened on the historic site of Russell Street's Greater Union Cinema — manages to merge specially commissioned video art, European furnishings and well-designed public spaces with a premium hotel experience pretty seamlessly. Developed over the past three years, the hotel's high-end design slots perfectly into the city's 'Paris end' and directly interacts with the site's distinctive arts and culture heritage. The hotel's opening is a big one for Melbourne; while QT has hotels in Sydney, Canberra, Falls Creek and the Queensland coast, this is their first foray into Melbourne's boutique accommodation scene. As such, they had a mark to make. Here's how they did it. BY CREATING ARTISTICALLY AUTHENTIC DESIGN QT is known for its interior design, and their 188-room Melbourne hotel is no different. The commitment to create an authentic arts experience was clear from the outset, with award-winning art advisor Amanda Love bringing together an eclectic array of visual delights. The director of New York- and Sydney-based art advisory LoveART, Love was voted Best Art Advisor 2010 at Sydney's inaugural Art Month Awards and has worked with a number of successful benefaction groups associated with both Sydney's Art Gallery of New South Wales and Museum of Contemporary Art. QT Melbourne and Love have brought together a collection of acclaimed local and international artists whose work is showcased throughout the hotel's guest rooms, restaurants, bars and public spaces. Artists include Melbourne-born twin sisters and video art duo Gabriella and Silvana Mangano, renowned American installation artist Jennifer Steinkamp, Sydney-based site-specific artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, video artist Grant Stevens, and conceptual installation pairing Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley. BY BRINGING THE MELBOURNE'S OUTSIDE, INSIDE Taking advantage of this world class mix of artistic talent, QT Melbourne's public spaces designer Nic Graham explains that "using a local story or sense of place" is essential to creating an appealing and modern hotel experience. Born and raised in Melbourne, Graham has enjoyed a multifaceted career working across architecture, furniture and product design. Following a number of internationally recognised projects, Graham moved to Sydney and founded design firm G+A in 1999. Inspired by Melbourne's iconic idiosyncrasies, Graham carefully considered the broader urban landscape of the city to instil guests with a unique sense of Melbourne life. "For QT Melbourne, we used the story of the Paris-end of town, mixed with the inner-city laneways and rag trade culture," says Graham. "We also like to include a lot of local contemporary art, curious graphics and accessories – mix vintage with modern." With more than 15 years experience in hotel design to call-on, Graham believes that what makes a hotel a truly enriching encounter is its attention to detail. Whether it is the delicate gold-studded metalwork detailing in the hotel's restaurant, Pascale Bar & Grill, or the ornamental French toile wallpaper seen throughout the restaurant, the contrast of materials used throughout the numerous spaces contributes to an overall feeling of warmth and familiarity. BY CONTINUING THE BUILDING'S ARTISTIC LEGACY INTO A NEW ERA Graham collaborated with guest rooms architect and design expert Shelley Indyk, and together they shaped several engaging public spaces inside QT Melbourne. Endeavouring to capture the features of Melbourne that make it one of the world's most creatively influential cities, they've pulled together an interior where exposed concrete and black steel sits alongside provocative graffiti-like graphics, and eye-catching LED digital art hangs from the ceiling reflecting the winding backstreets and alleyways throughout Melbourne's built environment. This "industrial chic" style carries through into the hotel's 188 guest rooms, with Indyk describing the design as an "investigation of Melbourne city's character". Indyk and her design practice, Indyk Architects, were responsible for the conception and creation of each room's furniture. Collaboration with award-winning lighting designer Electrolight sees black powder-coated brass and metal light fittings, which is finished with oak timber floors. While the brutalist façade of the Greater Union cinema is gone, its legacy is carried on through QT Melbourne's artistically considered design. QT Melbourne is located at 133 Russell Street, Melbourne. For more information, visit their website. Images: Alexandra Anderson.
If you have reservations about eating non-traditional breakfast food before midday, Easey's may not be your scene. Or maybe it is. After all, if there was ever a good place to turn those preconceived Western ideas about what defines 'breakfast food' on their heads, it's a place that takes Frosties and Pop Tarts and pairs them with fried chicken. Having just opened for business on Friday night after many months of hype, Easey's is now flipping burgers and frying chicken at 48 Easey Street in Melbourne's heaving hospo suburb of Collingwood. The five-storey venue — where you can eat in the disused train carriages that sit on the roof — comes from Jeremy Gaschk and Jimmy Hurlston, the guy behind the legendary burger-reviewing blog, Jimmy’s Burgers. But it's not just the burgers that's got us intrigued — it's the breakfast menu, too. They're not the first to offer fried chicken in the early slot — Belle's Hot Chicken does theirs with waffles and a dusting of icing sugar for brunch on weekends, as do Bowery to Williamsburg — but they're certainly the the first to pair it with two of America's most celebrated sugary breakfast foods. The fried chicken is covered in finely crushed, crunchy bits of sugar-coated corn flakes (otherwise known as Frosties), and comes with a serve of deep-fried Pop Tarts. It's a double whammy in all senses of the word. But take note: this is strictly breakfast food, and it's only available from 8–11am. For all other times, you'll just have to be satisfied with Jimmy's all-day Easey Cheesy beef burger. And for the health conscious, Fare, a wholefoods cafe, will open on the ground floor of the venue shortly. Easey's is located at 48 Easey Street, Collingwood and is open Mon–Thurs 7am–11pm, Fri–Sat 7am–1am, and Sunday 7am–11pm.
Ever wanted to try your hand at those insane Gelato Messina laboratory cakes but haven't really know where the hell to start? Want to make your own Messina cake right at home, to create your own personal cake filled with the creamy goo of the gods? Well, gird thy loins Messina fans, your favourite iced confection wizards have just released a gelato cake cookbook. Founder Nick Palumbo and head chef Donato Toce have knocked up a sexy little creation named Gelato Messina: The Creative Department which features recipes for a collection of their gelato cakes. Messina have built a reputation for their cakes, not only because they’re crammed full of that quality gelato we know and love, but also because they look incredible and a little unreal. The Dr Evil’s Magic Mushroom cake, Hazelnut Zucotto or the Black Forest are our picks for the ‘Cakes most like to make us cry with delight and not share with anyone’ category. And yes, we know ours will probably end up looking like an inside-out duck when it’s done but heck, we’ve simply got to try it. If you’re looking for the recipe for the standard gelato, you can also check out the 2014 cookbook Gelato Messina: The Recipes which details instructions on how to make those beloved foundation flavours, such as dulce de leche, pear and rhubarb, poached figs in marsala and salted caramel and white chocolate. For your own personal information, we’ll add some advice on how to best consume the resultant gelato: tape a serving spoon to each hand and don’t stop them whirring until you’ve hoovered up all the gelato in range. Grab your copy of Gelato Messina: The Creative Department from today, at all bookstores who know what's what or from the Book Depository.
If you don't own a ute, find a mate who does and get your hands on as many eskys you can find. Because the Moon Dog brewery crew are inviting punters to fill up their ute trays and eskys with as many beers and seltzers they can fit on Saturday, October 21. A small esky will set you back $25, a medium $50 and a large $100. What determines these sizes? That's up to the staff working at the sale. Be nice, and they'll likely do you good. And if you bring a ute, you can fill up the tray for a bargain $500. Depending on how finely honed your Tetris skills are, you can potentially fit a huge amount of beer and seltzers into one of those bad boys. [caption id="attachment_844719" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Samantha Schultz[/caption] The Spring Warehouse Sale is running at Moon Dog World in Preston from 12pm–4pm (or until stock sells out), so you might want to get down early and wait in line. It's a first come, first served kind of sale. And even though Moon Dog's only slinging older drinks (to make space for new summer stock) everything is up to code. Expect a stack of favourites, including seltzers, a huge range of beers and a few barrel-aged specialty releases. If you're keen to stock up on drinks ahead of summer, this ain't a bad way to do it. And if the thought of a ute full of beer is too daunting, just team up with a group of mates and share the spoils among you. The Moon Dog Warehouse Sale is running on Saturday, October 21, from 12pm–4pm (or until stock runs out) at Moon Dog World in Preston. Cash payments only.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Melbourne is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to celebrate the landmark 40th anniversary of their iconic small cars, and in turn, help you celebrate the little things that bring that sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Melbourne. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, play mini-golf inside a pop culture-themed bar, break a sweat dancing it out like Beyoncé and stock up on crafty presents at the Finders Keepers markets. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the next few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
Attention all: it's the season of not having to sit huddled around one of those tall but ineffective heaters. The season of beer gardens has arrived once more, so throw off your woollies, uncross your arms, and start sticking to your seat because you're all sweaty. There's no shortage of beautiful beer gardens in Melbourne. From those with dog-friendly picnic tables to ones with fairy lights in the lawn, these Melbourne bars sport seriously applaudable backyards. We've rounded up the best beer gardens in Melbourne. PARADISE ALLEY Paradise Alley is the latest addition to Collingwood's multi-faceted dining warehouse on Easey Street. Hospo vet and owner Laura Twomey (ex-City Wine Shop) maintains the warehouse's roots in this massive open space but — perhaps best of all — the laneway doubles as a 35-seater beer garden, complete with potted plants and large-scale street art across every wall. The bar is serving up a rotating tap list of Australian craft beer, along with a small specialty cocktail menu and natural wines. For food, they're collaborating with neighbour Little Latin Lucy, who also resides in the warehouse and serves up Latin American street food with a Californian twist. Dishes can be ordered from the bar and include chipotle pork or smoked duck tacos topped with charred pineapple, lamb ribs and grilled whole fish. BRUNSWICK GREEN The Brunswick Green is true to its name in that it has a flurry of green fleshing out its beer garden, and feels like an oasis of nature in the middle of car/tram/bike heavy Sydney Road. They have a decent menu selection of beers, so head along for a few cold ones and a nice sit amongst the trees — there are large tables which are great for big groups or parties should you need them. The Brunswick Green is closed Mondays and cash only, so come Tuesday onwards post-ATM visit. BRIDGE HOTEL One of Richmond's many drinking institutions, the Bridge Hotel brings the outside in with a unique design and its great outdoor space. Split in two by a 50-metre-long cobblestone path, it's a traditional Victorian pub combined with individual spaces that have been themed as the types of bars and venues you might find in a typical CBD laneway. It's the best place to sip a cold bev on Bridge Road. Happy hours happen every Friday night from 5–7pm, with $4 pots, $7 pints and $7 house spirits. THE WESLEY ANNE It's worth heading out Northcote way for a trip to The Wesley Anne, and not just for the $15 jugs (though that is a solid effort on their behalf). The venue plays home to live music, trivia, and everyone's favourite night of the week — pie night. The beer garden is warm, cosy and a nice place to rest and digest after your pie. Sit outside near their retro caravan and quirky décor. STOMPING GROUND Melbourne's craft beer scene is a global contender, well deserving of a craft brewery dedicated to its culture. Stomping Ground Brewing Co.'s brewery and beer hall is just that. The massive brewery houses a 24-tap bar, a 2000-litre brewhouse and a beer garden with retractable roof. FITZROY BEER GARDEN The famous Fitzroy Beer Garden isn't exactly suited for a quiet beer — it's more of a happening hub where you can sit out in the sun and eat delicious food, watch live music and grab a beverage. The beer garden is roomy with many seating options, and they have a $15 steak and wine special on Thursdays. In terms of beer gardens, they do know exactly what they're doing. LE BON TON The menu at Le Bon Ton is a veritable smorgasbord of meat, burgers and fried cheese. The food menu isn't all that suitable for vegetarians, but the bar menu more than makes up for it. The beer garden is perfect for a schooner on a Sunday afternoon. Candles, fairy lights and greenery over dinner — it's a piece of the American South down here in the Australian South, so let the good times keep rollin'. WINDSOR CASTLE The Windsor Castle, or "that green pub on the corner", still has its famous neon pink elephants on the roof as its calling card — but more so is just a bloody good pub. As well as some "I really want to touch that" fancy wallpaper on the inside, there's also a ripper beer garden outside with heaps of canopy shelter thanks to an enormous tree. They do a free-range parma and some A+ eggplant chips for the less meat-inclined — but the best bit is it's out of the main drag of Chapel Street, so you can have a relaxing night in the garden. COLLEGE LAWN HOTEL Nestled in the terrace-lined backstreets of Prahran, this southside pub and bistro is a dependable local that no doubt gives its neighbours some grief over the weekend. In addition to a main bar, dining area, public bar and bottle shop, the large astro-turf beer garden can house hundreds on hot summer days. While it can be pretty hard to get a table during their infamous Sunday Sessions, during the week this place is a relaxed little hideaway to grab a beer away from the hustle and bustle of Chapel Street. If you're hungry, there's some great specials on pub grub including a $12 locals' night on Mondays. PALLINO BAR AND BOCCE Forget about pool. Your new favourite bar game is bocce, and Pallino in High Street, Thornbury is the perfect place to show off your skills. A variant on lawn bowls, bocce is a relaxed, fun game to play accompanied with a beer. Just try not to clobber any of the spectators, because those balls are heavy. When it's not doubling as a bocce court, the large astro-turf beer garden hosts DJs, outdoor movie nights and Pallino's regular Sunday Sessions. THE REVERENCE HOTEL Footscray is no longer up-and-coming in Melbourne — it's already there. Venues like The Reverence helped, it's one of the best joints west of the city for live music, particularly of the punk and metal varieties. This massive watering hole boasts two separate band rooms with gigs on most nights a week along with a large and comfortable beer garden out the back. The outdoor space also doubles as a haunting ground for Jack, the Rev's resident Labrador who's always up for a pat. $3 Taco Tuesdays are the icing on the cake. HOWLER It's a bar, it's a hawker food joint, it's an exhibition space, it's a cinema. Frankly, Howler in Brunswick has got so much going on that it'd be surprising if they didn't have an awesome beer garden on top of everything else. With custom furniture, elaborate steel sculptures and illuminated cubes hanging in the air — not to mention its own bar and DJ booth — the huge, heated outdoor space at Howler is sort of what we imagine beer gardens of the future might look like. The menu skews towards Asian street food, the drinks list is plentiful, and you can even play some table tennis indoors. THE STANDARD Even Fitzroy locals would be forgiven for not knowing this place exists. Strategically tucked away on a one-way road off Brunswick Street, The Standard seems to punch well above its weight. Inside lies a labyrinthine, tree-shrouded beer garden that's up there with the best of 'em. The bar offers a comforting retro vibe with accumulated clutter covering the walls and faithful old bar staff that seem equal parts dependable and intimidating. But outside is where you'll be spending most of your time — a breezy little oasis that's well worth the search. (NB: If this were a feature about parmas we'd be raving about their offering, but for now just trust us — it's good).
Earlier this year, over a frosty July weekend, Spencer Tunick staged his latest mass nude photography work. After months of controversy, the New York artist snapped 860 naked Melburnians on Chapel Street, as well as in the rooftop car park of the Prahran Woolworths — with a brightly coloured series of images entitled Return of the Nude the end result. If you've been wondering what the finished product looked like, Tunick has now revealed the final four photographs. The Return of the Nude installations feature participants donning pink and red sheer sheets for separate shots — and, in another, wearing a vibrant palette of body paint. That's not all that Tunick has in store. Art fans will also be able to experience the installation via virtual reality, thanks to the release of a location-triggered VR app. Available from this weekend from the Apple and Google stores, it'll enable anyone visiting Artists Lane in Windsor — aka where some of the photos were taken — to not only feel like they're in the image, but like they're surrounded by 550 nude people covered in paint. Explaining Return of the Nude, Tunick notes that "my work has long brought out the common themes of community, individual identity, and the challenges of making the arts an inclusive experience rather than an exclusive experience. Working within the Chapel Street Precinct provides an amazing opportunity to let the citizens of Melbourne become the artist themselves. I believe these final images have captured an extraordinary moment in the timeline of Melbourne." The images and app come after after Tunick experienced quite the tumultuous journey in his efforts to stage the piece. First he was given permission to hold a mass nude photoshoot on top of the Prahran Woolworths car park as part of Chapel Street Precinct's Provocaré Festival of the Arts. But then the store said that it wouldn't like to participate. The supermarket then reversed its decision a week later after a petition spearheaded by the Chapel Street Precinct Association (CSPA), the festival's host organisation, gained some momentum in the community. Return of the Nude arrives 17 years after Tunick assembled 4500 naked volunteers for a snap near Federation Square as part of the 2001 Fringe Festival. It also comes eight years after he photographed around 5000 nude people in front of the Sydney Opera House during the 2010 Mardi Gras. Images: Return of the Nude by Spencer Tunick.
Melbourne boasts a George Costanza-themed hangout, Ipswich recently welcomed a German restaurant with a Breaking Bad twist, and now Brisbane has a bar and eatery inspired by a '70s television sitcom. That'd be Ginger's Diner — and don't be concerned if you haven't picked the reference yet. The new addition to Petrie Terrace is more than a little fond of M*A*S*H, but it is being rather subtle about it. Think of Caxton Street's latest hotspot as the kind of place the classic TV show's characters would frequent if they were on a break from their mobile army surgical army hospital. Yes, Ginger's has styled itself after a Korean hole-in-the wall joint — and yes, if you can't remember from stumbling countless reruns, M*A*S*H is set during the Korean War. Cocktails such as Klinger's Closet and Seoul Sojourn keep the theme going, while the snack-heavy menu surveys the best of the country's cuisine. If wasabi peas and nuts, kimchi pancakes with sesame and soy dressing, fried chicken with hot-sweet sauce and and bibimbap get your tastebuds tingling, then you're going to love Ginger's food lineup. And, it's available until midnight daily. Other than its TV ties and Asian dishes, there's another reason that Brisbanites should get excited about the 65-seat venue: its pedigree. There's a reason Ginger's is located right next door to Lefty's Old Time Music Hall, after all. They're both owned by Jamie Webb, the man behind Sonny's House of Blues, Gordita, Peasant and Los Villanos — aka some of the city's favourite restaurants and hangouts. For more information on Ginger's Diner, keep an eye on their website. Via Good Food.
First, the bad news. The Hi-Fi, as patrons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane currently know and love, is no more. The saga that started with the company behind all three locations going into administration back in February will see the familiar name disappear. But the good news? You don't need to mourn the loss of another music venue. Boasting new owners as well as new management, the Hi-Fi is changing its name. Fans of live bands and casually excellent nights out can now head to Max Watt's. The new moniker comes from Max Watt's Operating Pty Ltd, the knight in shining armour that swooped in to stop the three music-scene mainstays from permanently closing their doors. In a new business model, bookings for future gigs and all online marketing activities will be handled by The Venue Collective. The experienced team already manages the music lineups for Melbourne's the Corner, 170 Russell, Northcote Social Club, and Shebeen, Sydney's Newtown Social Club and Brisbane's Woolly Mammoth. It might take some time to get used to calling the Hi-Fi something different, but it's a better outcome than looked likely just over a month ago. Rebranding will take place on site over the next few weeks, and in terms of shows, it's business as usual. Now, music lovers can breathe a sigh of relief. Via The Music.
If you, like us, plan your holidays entirely around food, you're in luck. We've teamed up with Zantac and we're giving away three mini holidays in Melbourne, Hobart and the Barossa Valley in South Australia. You'll wine, dine, sleep and adventure in luxe surroundings until you simply no longer can — how does that sound? Choose Melbourne and you and a guest will spend two nights at QT Melbourne in the CBD, have lunch and attend a coffee cupping course at Collingwood's famous specialty coffee house Proud Mary, and have dinner (and dessert) at Andrew McConnell's pan-Asian restaurant Supernormal on Flinders Lane. In the Barossa, you'll stay at The Louise (an incredible hotel that's side-by-side with a vineyard), head to St Hugo for a wine tasting and delicious winery lunch, then wind up at Fino at Seppeltsfield for dinner. Head to Hobart, and you'll stay at the Henry Jones Art Hotel, visit Bruny Island for a day of food, sightseeing and lighthouses thanks to Experience Oz and then feast on a South American-style dinner at Frank. Each prize includes return flights from any Australian capital city, two nights of accommodation and two foodie experiences (lunch and dinner). All you need to do is tell us your details and where you want to go — Hobart, Melbourne or the Barossa. It breaks our heart to tell you that you can only pick one destination, and you can only enter this competition once, so think long and hard about where you really want to go. If you're available to go on your adventure between Friday, July 28 and Sunday, September 10, head here to enter. To find out more about Zantac and how it tames heartburn fast, head to the website.
In case you were lacking in things to furiously rant about at the pub later, let's fill you in on the newest, stupidest, frankly concerning health fad skulking into reality. Are you ready? It's called Fat Water. Yep, fat-infused water. Created by founder of Bulletproof Coffee (yep, the coffee that uses butter instead of milk) Dave Asprey, Fat Water isn't just adding a scoop o' lard to your Mount Franklin. According to Grub Street, Asprey is assuring us all that the bottles function instead as an energy booster without a sugar crash, mixing two grams of coconut oil (which is apparently about a tenth of your daily saturated fat) with regular water. So, you guessed it, it's basically oily water. Taste testers likened it to liquid soap. So how the heck is this healthy? Apparently the coconut oil enhances what's known as thermogenesis — a big ol' scientific word for the process of burning fat. The water apparently burns energy and also has an appetite-suppression effect, which quite honestly rings a few warning bells. Sounds like your one-way ticket to intensifying an eating disorder, frankly. Whether or not Fat Water takes off remains to be seen — but with the cheeky $9 million Silicon Valley bandwagon-jumpers poured into Bulletproof Coffee, and the desperate measures people will take to get some form of unattainable 'bikini body', this could be a scarily popular item. Fat Water is now available in the US only, exclusive to Dave Asprey's Bulletproof cafes and a few LA health stores. And stay there. Via Grub Street.
Team Zissou, pack your vintage suitcase and meet us in Italy. Wes Anderson has designed a bar/cafe in Milan. Snuggled inside Prada's new art and culture complex, Fondazione Prada, set to open this weekend, Bar Luce has been designed by the baron of twee himself — and it predictably looks straight out of one of his films. As if planning a theme park with Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh wasn't enough work. Resembling some kind of Grand Budapest Hotel lobby cafe, Anderson's cafe is filled with pastel Formica furniture, faux-cornice patterned wallpaper, veneered wood wall panels and terrazzo flooring — an attempt to recreate the vibe of a typical Milanese cafe. The aesthetic, according to Fondazione Prada, is reminiscent of '50s and '60s Italian popular culture; something Anderson actually employed for his Prada short film Castello Cavalcanti, starring (as always) the excellent Jason Schwartzman. Anderson's also given aesthetic nods to Italian neorealist cinema classics like 1951's Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan) and 1960's Rocco e i suoi fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers), both set in Milan. But for modern Anderson fans, there's even a Zissou pinball machine. One to usually keep things symmetrical, Anderson told Fondazione Prada, "There is no ideal angle for this space. It is for real life, and ought to have numerous good spots for eating, drinking, talking, reading, etc. While I do think it would make a pretty good movie set, I think it would be an even better place to write a movie. I tried to make it a bar I would want to spend my own non-fictional afternoons in." The Bar Luce menu is yet to be revealed, but we're going to hope there's a few Anderson references in there; perhaps sweet lime drinks, Mendl's Courtesan au Chocolats, or Red Remarkable winter apples. If you're stopping Milan, Bar Luce is open to the public and can be accessed from Via Orobia, Prada. It's open from May 9, from 9am to 10pm. Via Wired. Images: Candy, Prada and Fondazione Prada.
