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.
There's a new powerhouse partnership hitting Melbourne's hospitality scene, as Nic Coulter and Simon Blacher (Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina) join forces with David and Michael Parker (the brothers behind Pastuso and San Telmo), on an ambitious new Windsor venture. Now open, two-level Neptune is a reimagining of the wine bar concept, sharing its focus between food, wine, and cocktails. With a considered assortment of stylish spaces and intimate nooks, the guys have created a year-round charmer that's seriously dressed to impress. We're foreseeing many a cosy night in the 'fireplace lounge', sophisticated sessions hidden away in the 'cocktail saloon', and evenings camped out downstairs, quaffing vino at the suburb's largest bar. Neptune's menu will have a Mediterranean vibe, with clever share plates backing up a solid grazing selection and a range of cured meats, fresh from the bar's slicer. Dishes like an absinthe bonito tartare and a classic 'fritto misto' will sit alongside an assortment of signature pasta creations, to be teamed with expertly-crafted classic cocktails and sommelier-picked wines. Find Neptune at 212 High Street, Windsor. Images: Steve Murray.
Beyond the freeway, hidden behind that thick shrub, off that back street — that's where a secret garden is waiting. With no shortage of blissful spring days on the horizon, there's no better time to be a little adventurous and explore one of these lesser known gardens. Why wouldn't you want to swap the cement jungle for a green oasis and breathe in the heavenly scent of eucalyptus trees? Sit back, slip off your shoes, feel the grass between your toes and chase a frisbee around one of these top secret spots. MARANOA GARDENS Tucked away off the main strip of Balwyn, this impressive garden of lush green lawns, sweet-smelling wattle, ancient trees and native plants has everything you need to escape the daily grind. Take a stroll and you will discover an Arid Zone, Indigenous Garden, Rainforest and Cottage Gardens. With all plants labelled, it's an educational experience for keen or wannabe botanists. For those searching for peace and quiet, there's ample park benches for book-reading or for quiet reflection, but you'll have to leave your doggies and skateboards at home. Yarrbat Avenue, Balwyn ORGAN PIPES NATIONAL PARK There's a well-kept secret phenomenon just past Airport West, off the Calder Highway. Hidden beyond the electricity poles and the busy road are naturally formed prehistoric basalt columns shaped like (you guessed it) organ pipes. Formed about 400 million years ago by molten lava, the Organ Pipes are now home to wedge-tailed eagles, cockatoos, wrens and shrubs such as the beautiful spring wattle blossom. There are a few walking tracks along the creek, but mostly it's a great place to polish up your high school geography. What are sedimentary rocks again? Calder Highway, Keilor North. Image by Nick Carson via CC licence. GUILFOYLE'S VOLCANO Melbourne's Botanical Gardens are marvellously huge — so huge that Guilfoyle's Volcano can nestle within it as a secret gardens not hugely frequented by tourists. Built in 1876 for water storage, it is now part of a wetlands project, showcasing spectacular water flowers and plants. The boardwalk and viewing platforms make the garden easy to explore and also provide an amazing view of the city's skyline. Guilfoyle's Volcano is in the south-east corner of the gardens and is easily accessible via C Gate (enter via Anderson Street) and D Gate (enter via Birdwood Avenue). CANTERBURY GARDENS Transformed from a snake-infested swampland to English-styled grounds in 1896, this old-school garden is the proud centre of Canterbury. Long-standing majestic trees drape their wide branches across the rolling green slopes. These are perfect hills for some good old-fashioned rolling. For those who don't like being itchy, there is a luxurious amount of picnic space near rose gardens and hedges, or you can take a seat in the 100-year-old rotunda. Canterbury train station is close by, but perhaps a little too close if the sound of trains slicing through metallic tracks isn't your idea of tranquility. Canterbury Road, Canterbury HEIDE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, SCULPTURE PARK It's easy to hide and slip away in the Heide Museum of Modern Art's Sculpture Park. Spread across 15 acres of garden are 30 sculptures to admire. Day-trippers may like to throw a picnic mat down or just meander across the old dairy farm and stop and smell the unusual roses in the garden beds, many of which have heritage status. For those more social types, there's a cafe nearby as well as the art gallery. 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen SCHWERKOLT COTTAGE AND GARDEN How's the serenity? It's pretty good in the outer eastern suburb of Mitcham, where a historic stone cottage sits on beautiful Yarran Dheran bushland park. The fragrance of lilies will greet you as you enter the gardens, and also a sense of stepping back to a simpler and quieter time. There's also an old wine cellar, smoke house and museum to explore as you learn more about the German family who lived on the property in 1884. Take a wander down to the creek and you can watch the tadpoles, spot colourful parrots and perhaps, if you're lucky, even see a koala. Deep Creek Road, Mitcham GEORGE TINDALE MEMORIAL GARDENS If you don't believe in fairies, you'll reconsider after visiting the George Tindale Memorial Garden. Flowers of all colours are thriving in the cool temperature of the Dandenong Ranges. Follow the winding track around and spot magnolias, camellias, fuchsias and more. With no green-thumbed gardeners in sight, you can't help but think that this well-nurtured garden must be the work of some type of magic. 33 Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke. Open 10am – 5pm every day. POP-UP PATCH An unused car park be transformed into a community garden? How perfectly Melbourne. This urban garden located on Russell Court car park rooftop combines 140 veggie crates rented by the public with amazing 360-degree views of the city skyline. Even if you're not looking to rent a little plot, you can still enjoy the green space as a nice, quiet spot to have lunch. For something a little less introverted, attend one of their events; BBQs, movie nights and table tennis comps are all on the program. Russell Court (the continuation of Russell Street after crossing Flinders Street) behind Fed Square CRANBOURNE BOTANICAL GARDENS Rock garden fans (holla!) will appreciate this garden where red earth and desert flowers come alive. In the outer suburbs of Cranbourne, Australian native plants are cultivated over 363 hectares and grown in a contemporary style. Not to be missed is the impressive and award-winning 'Australian Garden', which celebrates the beauty of native plants through sculptures and garden displays. There are 10km of walking trails in the nearby bushland to get lost in and creeks to dip your toes in. Corner of Ballarto Road & Botanic Drive, Cranbourne ALFRED NICHOLAS MEMORIAL GARDENS If you'd prefer to sit under the cool canopies of mountain ash trees than slog over the nearby infamous (and overpopulated) 1000 Steps, this is the spot to sit back and hear the birds chirp. Flowering cherry trees are vibrant and the air is fresh and sweet-tasting. Walk down to the little lake and cute boathouse, where a certain romantic The Notebook scene would be perfectly re-enacted. If that fails, it's still a great spot to have your lunch. 1A Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
Prepare yourself for a serious case of food envy. After months of hype and speculation surrounding the menu, Noma Australia is officially open for business, and it looks totally out of this world. Popping up for a ten-week residency at Sydney Harbour's new Barangaroo precinct, Noma Australia sees head chef Rene Redzepi and his world-renowned team working exclusively with local ingredients. The menu includes Kakadu plum, pepperberry, wattleseed and kangaroo, along with a vast assortment of Australian seafood. "On my many trips around Australia I’ve seen a larder that is so foreign to me," says Redzepi. "Foraging for abalone, eating fresh muntries, nibbling on pepperberries and cracking open a bunya nut — these experiences are so wild compared to what we're used to in Europe." Redzepi has also been influenced by local cooking techniques. "Spending time with indigenous communities in places like Arnhem Land have left the biggest impact on me and the Noma team," he said. "For instance, seeing the use of fire as the main way of cooking ingredients inspired us. Most of what we’re cooking at Noma Australia will be cooked over fire." Standout dishes on the Noma Australia menu include dried scallop and lantana flower pie, abalone schnitzel with bush condiments, a seafood platter of pippies, sea bounty mussels, strawberry clam, flame cockles, oysters and crocodile fat, and — the icing on the cake — a lamington made with rum, dried milk and tamarind. Oof. [caption id="attachment_557122" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Wild seasonal berries flavoured with gubinge[/caption] [caption id="attachment_557123" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Unripe macadamia and spanner crab[/caption] [caption id="attachment_557124" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Rum lamington[/caption] Now for the bad news: bookings for Noma Australia have long been snapped up, despite costing a whopping $485 a head. Still, we can dream. Noma Australia will be serving lunch and dinner at the Barangaroo pop-up until April 2. If you're optimistic, you can put your name on the waiting list at noma.dk/australia. Images: Jason Loucas
You're at a dinner party. Chats are going strong, your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving has been deconstructed, Australia's latest novelty dessert trend raved about. Then someone brings out a new bottle of red. "Pinot noir?" your host casually offers. Sweat beads form, hearts race, eyes shift. Without warning, the pop culture fiends in the room explode. "CAVIAR." "MID-SIZED CAR." "SMOKE A CIGAR." "MYANMAR." The Kimmy Schmidt fans in the house have been unveiled — and if you're one of those, we've got some solid news for you. Ready? Tituss Burgess, well known as Kimmy's roommate Titus Andromedon in the highly popular series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, stole hearts worldwide with his unforgettable masterpiece of an "ode to black penis", 'Peeno Noir'. Now, Burgess is releasing his own pinot noir, an actual wine called Pinot by Tituss. Announced on Instagram this week, Pinot by Tituss will sell for US$24.99 a bottle online. Unfortunately they're only shipping to the US so far, but if you have American mates who could send it over, you can preorder the pinot noir and smoke a cigar right now. The bottles will be shipped after March 14. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt returns on April 15, and if you're drinking anything else, au revoir. Via Refinery29.
Heston Blumenthal’s London restaurant Dinner will soon be losing a head chef to a Melbourne version of the Michelin-starred restaurant. But in an international switcheroo, Blumenthal is taking back quite the culinary talent to the UK to reopen The Fat Duck in Berkshire: a MasterChef from Ballina. Confused? Let's break it down. Last night saw the greatly anticipated MasterChef finale, and after a two-and-a-half hour tension headache, a winner was crowned (spoiler alert: it was Ballina chef, Billie McKay, who beat competition golden girl Georgia Barnes in a shocking twist that took a long, long while to get there). But the real star of the show was (as always) wacky, inflatable arm-flailing Blumenthal who appeared with a dish from another dimension: the Botrytis Cinerea dessert, a dish more art than food. After the winner was crowed, Heston offered McKay a job at The Fat Duck when it reopens in Berkshire, which she graciously accepted. So, Australia is losing its newly crowned MasterChef to the UK, but at the same time Melbourne is gaining a new Blumenthal restaurant, Dinner, complete with ex-Fat Duck head chef, Ashley Palmer-Watts. Dinner will take up residence in the Crown Melbourne in October, taking over from The Fat Duck's now-closed, six-month Melbourne residency. Farewell Fat Duck classics as snail porridge and quail jelly with crayfish cream, and welcome Dinner specialties like the fabled meat fruit. Dinner Melbourne will be modelled on the Blumenthal's Michelin-starred London restaurant which serves a typically jaw-dropping menu — inspired by 15th century manuscripts and 'the fanciful dramatic dishes of the royal courts of King Henry VII'. Expect dishes such as the infamous meat fruit (chicken liver parfait contained within a mandarin jelly skin), and ‘rice and flesh’, which is made of saffron, calf tail and red and hails all the way from 1390AD (where it perhaps should have stayed). It’s an ode to historical British gastronomy, which in Hestonspeak means: be wary of your meal because there’s almost certainly four and twenty blackbirds baked into it and about to sing somehow. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will open in late October at the Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank. Open for lunch Friday and Saturday, and dinner daily. Via Good Food. Images: Alisa Coonan, Ashley Palmer-Watts.
This year's Melbourne Fringe invites you to swap your usual reality for something a little more lighthearted, with its 2018 theme 'Are You Game?' embracing the playtime in everyday life. And you'll have no trouble doing just that — the September arts festival features a whopping 440 events and performances across 150 venues around the city. Whether dipping your toe or diving deep, there's something in this diverse program for every kind of audience. Expect laughs aplenty with Selina Jenkins' dark comedy Thy Neighbour, plenty of bangers at Little Ones Theatre's Whitney Houston tribute party, and plenty of personal space invaded with Field Theory's ICON. In short, there's a lot on — but if you've only got time to see a few shows, make it some of these. Passion Pop will be provided at at least one of them.
When it comes to Italian food in Melbourne, we're spoilt for choice. Our city has some of the best Italian food outside of the motherland itself — some restaurants are serving classic pasta, others are branching out with regional ingredients (wild boar ragu), and one is serving the best margherita pizza in the world. We've teamed up with Disaronno to celebrate Italian culture and bring you this list of the best Italian dishes in Melbourne. A classic Italian cocktail is the perfect accompaniment to an Italian meal, so toast to Disaronno Sour Hour by mixing 50ml of Disaronno (an amaretto-flavoured, Italian liqueur) with lots of ice, 25ml of lemon juice, 5ml of sugar syrup and an egg white (if desired) before digging in to one of Melbourne's best dishes. Buon appetito. TRATTORIA EMILIA: TAGLIATELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE Trattoria Emilia is the closest thing Melbourne is going to get to a Northern Italian trattoria, a casual eatery that is just a step under a restaurant. A trattoria is not as elaborate as a traditional Italian restaurant, but the food is never compromised and continues to speak volumes. Trattoria Emilia's dishes are made up of ingredients hailing from one of the most food famous regions in Italy – the north-eastern goldmine known as Emilia Romagna. One of the restaurant's most delicious dishes is its glorious ribbons of freshly made tagliatelle, livened by a decadent Bolognese and topped with cheese. TIPO 00: SQUID INK TAGLIOLINI AL NERO WITH SQUID AND BOTTARGA Tipo 00 is a true Melburnian gem that serves up some of the city's best Italian food. The menu depends on season, meaning it rotates regularly. A dish that has withstood the test of time is the squid ink tagliolini (a narrower version of tagliatelle) with squid and bottarga (cured fish roe). Tipo 00 proves the old, Italian culinary philosophy is that all it takes is three or four key ingredients to make an incredible meal. This minimalism is also reflected in the restaurant's physical space; slick chocolate timber furniture, marble counters and cool paint tones that make the dining experiences that much better. BAR DI STASIO: TRE GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA (THREE ROMAN GNOCCHI AND WILD BOAR RAGU) Iconic institution Bar di Stasio (adjacent to Cafe Di Stasio) has been delivering quality Italian dishes since its birth. The restaurant's charismatic, old-school, marble-flushed Italian charm is exactly where you want to be seated while indulging in some Italian classics. One such classic is the restaurant's Roman gnocchi and wild boar ragu. What's the difference between Roman gnocchi and regular gnocchi? Think the Roman Empire — large and powerful, which explains why there are only three pieces in the dish. It tastes just as decadent as it sounds and looks, bursting with flavour thanks to some well-treated boar. TIPO 00: CARAMELISED PEACH, BUTTER BISCUIT AND LIME MOUSSE We told you Tipo 00 was great. Also serving up the sweeter side of life, after your pasta, risotto or fish you should definitely order the restaurant's brilliantly composed caramelised peach butter biscuit and lime mousse dessert. It honours the legendary Italian combination of fruit and nut, is sweet enough for dessert-fiends, yet not too rich for those of us who don't possess a sweet tooth. Even if you don't think you can handle dessert, this is too good to pass up. Believe. [caption id="attachment_510228" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: 400 Gradi.[/caption] 400 GRADI: MARGHERITA PIZZA You know this already, but Johnny Di Francesco of 400 Gradi clutched the title of 'Best Pizza Margherita' at the World Pizza Championships held in Parma, Italy in 2014. Melburnians couldn't believe it at first, that an Australian took out this monstrous award. From there, mamma mia. 400 Gradi's reservations shot through the roof as Melbourne foodies curiously flocked to indulge in Di Francesco's too-good-to-stop-eating Margherita pizza. The pizza base is exactly what you wish it to be — generous in elasticity, a perfect thickness, all while not overbearing the toppings of Napoletana sauce, melted balls of mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil and a touch of salt. All of the ingredients sing as loudly as each other, as a soprano in an Italian opera. Visit Disaronno and mix yourself up a Disaronno Sour — it's the perfect accompaniment to a classic Italian meal. Images: Brook James.
One might say Fitzroy needs not another cafe from the same old mould, that Stagger Lee's doesn't offer anything revolutionary, but still that hasn't stopped the hordes from filling this place every day of the week. Because this is Melbourne; we're fickle with our cafes, and if you throw us something shiny and new, with great coffee, a solid menu and some delicious menu surprises. Truffled cream corn with king mushrooms and asparagus on toast is one of the heroes. We also can't stop thinking about the roasted nectarines served with a big ball of burrata, pickled beets and hazelnuts. From the people responsible for popular Collingwood coffee haunt, Proud Mary, Stagger Lee's sits on a section of Brunswick Street in which stalwart Atomica has held a coffee monopoly for some time. And rivalling its neighbour in the latte stakes, it does. With single origin espresso, filter and cold drip varieties on offer, you're assured a good-tasting brew — just as the Proud Mary faithful would expect from this experienced crew. Situated on a sunny corner, with outdoor seating and large retractable glass walls that open the space up and drench the large communal table with fresh air and sunshine when fully opened, the layout is smart and highly conducive to whiling away a few hours of a warm morning. A brief but appealing menu features muesli, eggs and a couple of gourmet surprises for brunch, along with baguettes, a mammoth fried buttermilk chicken burger and healthier dishes — think seasonal vege and grain bowls and granola — served all day. A short wine, beer and cocktail list for 'those' Friday lunches adds to the well-rounded offering. The baked goods are interesting too: peanut butter and jelly tarts, cold drip and chocolate doughnuts and lavender and passionfruit lamingtons are among the treats you may spy sitting innocently at the counter. While it's all served on of-the-moment turquoise and white ceramics and in an atmosphere of wooden bench seats, exposed brick walls and industrial pendant lights, there is enough of the good stuff here to excuse the trite. Actually, substitute 'good' with 'great' and there's no denying that Stagger Lee's significantly bolsters Fitzroy's impressive dining landscape. Updated May, 2023. Appears in: The 13 Best Cafes in Melbourne for 2023
What a slam dunk of year it's been for Bastille. The British four-piece have spent 2014 touring internationally, and casually celebrated a Brit Award win for British Breakthrough Act off the back of their UK #1 album, Bad Blood. Not too shabby. Singles 'Of The Night' and 'Pompeii' both reached #2 spots on the UK charts, and they’ve been working relentlessly on their second album to be released in 2015. Before we get to wrap our ears around their highly anticipated second effort, Bastille have released their third mixtape VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt. III), featuring latest single 'Torn Apart'. The lads already visited Australia this year in June, and will be returning for Sydney's Field Day on New Year's Day. We managed to get hold of bassist Will Farquarson, and had a chat about the new album, the art of battling your friends and his unrelenting desire to go shark diving. The Second Album is Going to Sound REALLY Different Bastille’s first album, Bad Blood, is certainly going to be a tough act to follow, but the lads have seized the opportunity to do things very differently second time around. Firstly, there will be guitars in the new album. This sounds like an anticlimax, but guitars actually don't feature at all on Bad Blood. "On the first album, we got halfway through and realised we haven't really used any guitars. It became a little bit of a challenge to finish the record without putting any guitar on,” says Farquarson. "On this new one there’s loads of guitar stuff, which is cool because I play guitar, so it felt like a bit of a promotion. I get to stand on things and do solos at gigs which is all I ever really wanted to do." Despite the introduction of lead guitar, Bastille are conscious of not going too far in one direction; instead working to create a sound that mixes many different genres. "We didn’t want to suddenly sound like a guitar band, so we started to more electro, R&B and hip hop influences coming through. I think there will be quite a broad mix of musical styles," explains Farquarson. Any idea when it might be released? "We’re looking at the [European] summer, but these things can often take longer, so probably more like September. If it's not out by the end of the year we've done something horribly wrong, so hopefully it will come out!" We’ll keep our fingers crossed for. Mixtapes, Ryan Gosling and Side Projects Keep Things Fresh While recording original Bastille material, the band also brewed up a cheeky couple of mixtapes: Other People's Heartache and Other People's Heartache, Pt. 2. They've just released VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt. III), but before you can accuse these lads of procrastinating the real album game, Farquarson is quick to point out that the mixtapes are not so much a distraction but more of a creative side project. "It gives us a chance to move away from the Bastille sound and the restrictions of having the band identity. It’s a Bastille project but it’s a collaborative thing. It’s not distracting but it’s a nice break." Another creative side project that they recently took part in was a rescoring of the Ryan Gosling-tastic film Drive, orchestrated by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Zane Lowe. "It was really nice to be asked to do that. It was quite interesting because we've not really set music to a film before, and it's quite different to just writing a song, says Farquarson. "We were in the studio and had the Drive scene playing, and we were trying to get a bit of a mood going. Working within the confines of a preexisting visual was an interesting challenge." Other prominent musicians also featured in the rescoring include Foals, Banks, SBTRKT, Jon Hopkins and CHVRCHES. They Enjoy Sporadically Battling Their Friends VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt. III) will feature much collaboration and head-to-heads with Bastille's buds. "We don’t have any collaborations on Bad Blood or the second album," says Farquarson, explaining the mixtape offered up a great chance to explore new territory and test the waters of other genres. When Farquarson was asked who he particularly enjoyed working with, it was pretty clear he had difficulty choosing a favourite. "I personally was quite excited to work with Skunk Anansie because I'm from a generation that listened to that sort of music. Haim were wicked, we love them a lot. Angel Haze is a crazy rapper chick, and there's also Rag N Bone Man (who's also on the song with Skunk Anansie), who’s going to blow up really big and is a friend of ours. It's nice to get all your friends down." Previous mixtapes have included songs such as 'Of The Night' (a mash up of Corona's 'Rhythm Of The Night' and Snap!'s 'Rhythm Is A Dancer') as well as covers such as City High's ‘What Would You Do?' and reinterpretations ('No Angels' is TLC versus The xx). Interestingly, these songs are not exactly amongst the band's all time favourite tunes. "The idea behind them was to do songs that were not necessarily songs we particularly loved, but were just in our consciousness a lot," says Farquarson. "It's also kind of funny to choose songs that perhaps you wouldn't expect us to cover. Instead of picking a similar genre, we pick something completely different." They've Played Some Pretty Weird (and Somewhat Ancient) Venues Being in an internationally acclaimed indie band, you're bound to perform in some pretty whimsically novelty locations. Around the time their colossal single 'Pompeii' was released, the British Museum were curating an exhibition called Life and Death: Pompeii and Herculaneum. "I made a joke that we should play there because of the collection, and then they actually phoned us up, which was a bit strange, and we got the curator of the exhibition to give us a private viewing of it two days before it opened, which was amazing," says Farquarson. Bastille performed their hit single for the opening of the exhibition in front of an audience of press and leading archaeological figures. "We got to play our song 'Pompeii', we stood in a reconstruction of one of the rooms from the town of Pompeii which was slightly surreal." Funnily enough, the boys were asked to play at a French museum just a short while later. "For a bit it started to become a thing that we were the band that played in museums," chuckles Farquarson. They've Got a Soft Spot for Dangerous Creatures International touring this year saw Bastille performing to massive crowds over the Northern Hemisphere summer, including Glastonbury and huge shows in South Africa. Despite doing three 15,000 capacity shows in South Africa earlier this year, the highlight for Farquarson was going on safari. "We all got to meet baby lions. Holding a baby lion is the highlight of my life,” Farquarson enthuses. When they arrive in Australia for Field Day they also have similar animal adventures in mind. "I want to go shark diving. We went skydiving last time we were in Australia, and it seems like the most Australian thing we can do. Either that or have a barbecue,” he says. Sadly their New Year's resolutions don't include any more baby animal holding. "My New Year's resolution last year was to have more fun and drink more, maybe I should take that one back. I don't really go for New Year's resolutions, but I hope to release the second album, so maybe that can be it. Bastille are playing Sydney's Field Day in the Domain on January 1. More info right this way.
Alert your Santacore mates: Mr Miyagi is really getting into the festive spirit this year, offering free food and drinks to anyone dressed as Santa (or Mrs Claus) on Tuesday, December 17. If you're in full Santa regalia (meaning you have to be fully dressed up in the jacket, beard, pants and hat) and rock up from 5–6pm, you'll get a $69 feed me menu and free-flowing locally sourced wines, SAPPORO beer and specialty cocktails for one and a half hours — totally free. And you must keep it all on throughout your seating to get the freebies. [caption id="attachment_858678" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pete Dillon[/caption] Either drop down alone, with your partner or gather together a big group of mates to get this huge deal. Just note that, if everyone wants a free feed, everyone needs to be dressed up. If only one person dresses up, only they get the free food and drinks. But if you follow these rules, you'll get to get a massive amount of food and bevs at Mr Miyagi without having to reach for your wallet once you're done. It's a Christmas miracle!
The inevitable robot uprising is one step closer to becoming a reality, with the launch of Domino's first ever pizza delivery drone. The store-to-door aerial pizza man was unveiled this week in Auckland, where it will be rolled out across New Zealand in the coming months. According to Domino's, the drones will be used as a delivery method alongside the existing fleet of human couriers (well, until they outlive their usefulness) and will be "fully integrated into online ordering and GPS systems". They've developed the technology with U.S. drone developers Flirtey, who last month helped 7-Eleven deliver their first slurpee by drone. Expect the drones to make short distance deliveries in fine weather, because the last thing we need is pizza falling from the sky. …actually, scratch that. That sounds excellent. Of course, this isn't the first time that Domino's has invested in robotics. In March of this year they gave life to DRU, a robotic delivery unit capable of extinguishing the human race by the time your pizza is cold. Sure, he looks adorable, but we're pretty sure that beneath that Apple store exterior lies the unfeeling cybernetic heart of a Terminator. Then again, maybe we're over-reacting. Maybe all he wants to do is to deliver us a pizza and garlic bread and be done with it.
When the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards descended on Australia earlier in the year, we were lucky enough to not only have the world's best chefs on our shores, but also the world's best sommeliers. Over April, Wine Australia took 50 talented wine professionals on a tour of our best wine bars, restaurants and wine regions — starting in Sydney before moving on to Melbourne and visiting bars including Embla and Bar Liberty, then stopping to experience wine regions in Victoria, Tasmania, Canberra, South Australia and Western Australia. For one of their first stops at Newtown's Continental Deli, established wine writer Mike Bennie took the sommeliers on a wine-tasting journey. We couldn't lose an opportunity to get all patriotic, so we asked them for their thoughts on Australian wine. A pattern appeared in their answers: Australia, once known only to produce bulk, heavy wine varieties like Chardonnay and Shiraz, is going through a renaissance of sorts. A new generation of winemakers are jumping in and producing unique vintages with a true expression of the Australian terroir. All that small-batch, natural wine you've been hearing about is finally garnering the interest it deserves from international sorts. Sitting at the table was Alessandro Perricone of Copenhagen's relaxed, fine dining establishment Relae, Heidi Nam Knudsen, a wine buyer who works closely with Yotam Ottolenghi in the UK, Fahara Zamorano, head sommelier at Curtis Stone's restaurant Gwen in Los Angeles, Ambrose Chiang, of Australia's own Momofuku Seiobo, and Hiroshi Ishida, a multi award-winning sommelier from L'aube (an established restaurant in Tokyo with little online presence). Over the morning, each of them tasted around ten different Australian wines — they remained controlled and professional at all times, but make no mistake, they were drunk. [caption id="attachment_619886" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fahara Zamorano.[/caption] What did you know about the Australian wine industry before coming to Australia? Alessandro Perricone: I knew little. While working in Italy at the beginning of my career, I came across some famous Australian brands which, in my opinion, speak more for themselves rather than talking about a territory. Now in Copenhagen, some of the new-generation winemakers are getting more and more popular, but my knowledge was quite confused before I arrived. Hiroshi Ishida: I know quite a lot about Australian wine as I've visited before. Australian wine is really diverse, it honestly offers the A-to-Z. I am more familiar with established regions such as the Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, Barossa, Clare Valley and Margaret River. These are all sophisticated and sustainable wine growing regions, with well-known large wineries that we are familiar with in Japan. Fahara Zamorano: My knowledge about the Australian wine industry was limited to the wines I had been shown in the US. I do have the privilege to taste some beautiful Aussie wines in California, but the selection is quite limited in comparison to everything that's happening in Australia right now. Heidi Nam Knudsen: To be honest I didn't know a lot. I stopped paying attention a few years back because I felt that all the wines I tried were too big and heavy. It was all about Shiraz and Chardonnay, but without much terroir-driven personality. Only recently did I start taking notice again, when I tried the wines from a new generation of winemakers in the Adelaide Hills. [caption id="attachment_619884" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hiroshi Ishida.[/caption] How has your perception of Australian wine changed? Ambrose Chiang: This program has shown me how physically big Australia is — Portugal to Poland is almost as far as Perth to Sydney. Imagine the different micro and macro-climates! The Australian wine industry has seen tremendous growth in the past decade. From internationally recognised as a single wine region for big, bold, alcoholic Shiraz and cloying, toasted Chardonnay, to establishing a country with a diverse range of terroirs which produce wines not only reflective of place, but good farming, skilled winemaking and dedication toward quality wines. FZ: My perception changed immensely, I was extremely surprised in the best possible way to find a renaissance happening in Australian wine right now. The energy is contagious, the collaboration between winemakers within regions is inspiring, and the unification of the country to elevate the world's perception of Australian wine is just a wonderful thing to witness. AP: Yes! I certainly went deeper regarding some territories. I see a change in style with the last vintages and in general a much better approach to winemaking with less intervention. Different to what my thoughts of Australian wines were. Many of the wines in Australia have a hard time talking about a terroir, as the approach to agriculture and viticulture is wrong, but this new wave of producers makes me hope for a better future. HI: On this trip to Australia I felt dynamism. There is much more diversity in the styles that winemakers are crafting, from conventional to funky. It's obvious there is some great talent within the new generation. There are new, emerging regions and I saw a lot of potential. [caption id="attachment_619905" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alessandro Perricone.[/caption] Describe Australian wine in one sentence. AP: Australian wine is a total lack of rules and pure freedom. It can easily turn into something marvellous, or just as easily, into a mess! FZ: Renaissance. HNK: There's more history to Australian wine than one might think, and judging from what I've seen on this trip there's a big, bright future ahead of it. I guess the biggest difference is that Australia is such a large country and almost every climate and soil type can be found. That means Australia can produce all of the major wine types from red, white, fortified to sparkling wines. AC: I believe that it's almost impossible to describe Australian wine in one sentence. Our freedom of viticulture and vilification and the dedication of so many producers, along with the multiplicity of terroirs, drives us to be one of the most diverse and innovative wine industries in the world. [caption id="attachment_619888" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heidi Nam Knudsen.[/caption] What were you looking forward to seeing the most, and did it live up to your expectations? HI: I wanted to see the potential in new regions and explore the Victorian High Country and Tasmania. Absolutely, this trip lived up to more than I expected. All the sparkling wine from Tasmania was fantastic. We tried sparkling wines from House of Arras, Josef Chromy, Pipers Brook. FZ: I was very excited to visit Tasmania because not much of their wine makes it out of Australia (thanks Melbourne and Sydney). The little exposure I had prior to this trip left me wanting more. Tasmania lived up to and surpassed my expectations. For such a young wine growing region, there's some serious talent that's 'put all their eggs in that one basket' as we say in America. That alone is an indication of the potential of the region. Now they just need to make more juice so we can get some too! HNK: I was really excited about visiting Adelaide Hills and visit some of the vineyards there. On my last day I went to Manon Farm up in Forest Range. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. Spending time with Tim and Monique on their beautiful farm was very special indeed and their approach to farming really inspired me. [caption id="attachment_619907" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ambrose Chiang.[/caption] What was the most notable wine you've tasted, or thing you've seen on the tour? FZ: The wine that left me speechless was Henschke Hill of Grace. There's a lot of high end/expensive wines out there and I've been fortunate enough to taste many, but not many have the soul that wine has. Every vintage I tasted, from 1986 to current vintage was absolutely stunning. That kind of depth is only developed with the wisdom of time and those vines have attained it and pass it along in their fruit. It's hard to describe in technical notes. Like I said, it left me speechless. AC: Out of the 1000-plus wines tasted, the most notable wines were 2014 Si Vintners Halcyon Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Yarra Yerring Chardonnay and 1996 Henschke 'Hill of Grace' Shiraz. They were wines that displayed incredible flavour. One of the best trips in the program was visiting Western Australia. The sunset at the White Elephant Cafe was out of this world. What are you taking back home? AP: The passion of the people, organisers and winemakers who worked so hard and beautifully showed me their jobs, their produce and their land. I'm taking home Australia, as it deeply touched my heart. I will start importing some of the young and small producers I met during my trip. I look forward to coming back to Australia. FZ: Love. HI: I'll be taking a huge amount home. I use Australian wine very often in wine pairings in my restaurant, and I'd really like to showcase more Australian wine so Japanese diners can recognise its diversity. HNK: The energy and excitement of the new generation of winemakers in the Adelaide Hills and Basket Range and the outstanding quality of food on display everywhere we went. Celebrate Australian wine by attending Aussie Wine Month over May — there are events and tasting opportunities happening across the country. Images: Kimberley Low.
Have you ever tried to do yoga with a pet around? They're a bloody nuisance, getting up in your face during Downward Dog, tickling your ankles in Warrior Two, nuzzling in while you're taking some much-needed Child's Pose time. But perhaps you're all for a little fluffball in your grill in Baby Cobra pose. Rest assured, you're not the only one. Joining cat yoga classes around the globe, New York City's only cat cafe (yep, they've surprisingly only got one permanent spot after this pop-up) has introduced kitty yoga classes. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane cat cafes, take note. Lower East Side cat cafe Meow Parlour has launched yoga classes instore, letting humans and Kitty Kind rescue felines find their centre. They're taking cues from an Illinois cat shelter, who started cat-flanked yoga classes as a creative strategy to boost adoption rates. All this extra harmonious time spent with the kitties will hopefully encourage you to adopt one of your zen little friends. Let's be clear here, the cats aren't doing yoga in these classes. That would be genuinely incredible, but no, you're doing the yoga, and the kitties will scurry around your Three-Legged Dog pose. Meow Parlour's hour and a half sessions are structured as 45 minutes of yoga, 15 minutes of cool-down and 30 minutes of kitty snuggles (way more feline time than a usual cat cafe visit). "One of the funny things about cats is that the more you ignore them, the more curious they are about you," Meow Parlour co-owner Christina Ha told Yoga Dork. "Our instructor, Amy, loves getting the students to do animal poses as it feels very appropriate to start off with a cat pose in an environment surrounded by cats. We like to think that visiting Meow Parlour is great for reducing your stress level and reinvigorating your soul, and yoga just seems like an extension of that." If this ever comes to Australian cat cafes, a little tip from the Meow Parlour crew: cats do leave claw marks on the mat. If you're in NYC or planning a trip soon, you can find Meow Parlour at 46 Hester Street, Manhattan. MP's yoga classes are held on Tuesdays at 3pm. Check the website for details or too book a class. Via Yoga Dork. Images: Lisa Cee (Flickr CC), Ethan Covey, Meow Parlour.
Looking for a new hobby? We've got just the thing. A Slovenian company has created the world's first self-inflating stand-up paddleboard, after their runaway crowdfunding campaign rose more than $175,000 USD. The SipaBoard Air is the latest innovation in one of the world's fastest growing sports (and one of our favourite ways to get on the water in Sydney, mind you), and comes with an inbuilt pump capable of fully inflating the board in under five minutes. The initial Kickstarter campaign has closed, but units can still be ordered via Indiegogo, with the most basic model, the SipaBoard NEO, selling for $640 USD plus shipping. Each board comes with a rechargeable battery, a streamlined fin box, a board bag and a carry leash. You can also order a collapsible paddle, although that'll cost you extra. According to the Indiegogo page, production on the boards has already begun, with orders expected to ship sometime in August — perfect timing for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere. But why take our word for anything when you can watch the SipaBoard Air promotional video? Seriously, it might be the most endearingly cheesy thing we've ever seen.
Consider yourself quite the origami expert? Can you assemble an IKEA wardrobe with your eyes closed? Do cardboard boxes flood you with happy memories of making forts as a kid? Get excited, this guy has literally just manufactured a super sturdy bike — made entirely out of cardboard. The kicker? It costs roughly the same as your lunch to make — a minuscule $10 per vehicle. This cycling enthusiast/marketing genius is one Izbar Gafni of Cardboard Technologies, who's really putting the cycling into recycling. He cites his interest in cardboard utility developing as stemming from the invention of a working canoe made from the humble cardboard. After speaking to not one, but three engineers, Gafni was told it was impossible to apply this logic to a useable cardboard bicycle. Ignoring this advice, he pedalled on (sorry) and created the first eco-friendly, operative cardboard bike. How does one essentially craft a functional bike out of cardboard? Quite easily, according to Gafni. Using cardboard of varying degrees of thickness, he folds the cardboard on itself to increase thickness and durability — making it strong enough that it can actually support the average human weight (and then some). After he's fashioned the cardboard to the ideal shape and dimensions, Gafni applies resin to resist rain and other weather conditions and applies a coat of paint. For those who aren't content with mere feet pedaling, there's also the option of purchasing an attachable electric motor. Here's the building process if you don't believe us: It's an idea that avoids the pesky rusting of steel bikes. Riding on this cardboard contraption has taken recycling to the next level — all those discarded shoe boxes, all of those boxes used to move house, transformed into a mode of transport that does not harm the environment. For people who live in areas with high bike thievery rates, despair no more; the bike is so cheap it's probably not worth the energy deployed trying to steal it. The bike is not without its resistors — critics have asked why Gafni doesn't account for the manpower that has contributed to manufacturing process, only advocating the $10 worth of material used to make it. Questions of efficiency have been brought up, as the amount of time and manpower dedicated to the manufacturing of the bike being deemed as unnecessary. Qualified bike experts have also questioned if the single speed setting of the bike would be useful at all in difficult terrain. The bike has featured on the streets of New York as part of the bike sharing implementation. It's not quite on the market yet, but Gafni has indicated that it will retail for around $60 – 90. Via Inhabitat.
If you can find it, Eau de Vie is one of the best cocktail bars in Melbourne. Down Malthouse Lane, next to a hotel car park, slip through the large wooden door and enter a new world. An intimate space, Eau de Vie is the kind of world where you feel as though you could find yourself sitting next to Jay Gatsby or Mr Fitzgerald himself. Choose a spot at the bar, or perhaps retire to one of the more private booths towards the back. Headed up by Greg Sanderson, the spot is a perfect balance of artistry and fun. Cocktails, made by seriously talented bartenders, can be finished with liquid nitrogen or served up in a giant lady's shoe. Whatever you may be in the mood for, it's likely they've got the perfect tipple. Cocktail drinkers should try the Noble Experiment, an ice-cold martini finished with liquid nitrogen, or perhaps The Aviator, a mix of handmade rhubarb and juniper puree with Tanqueray Gin, lemon juice and a touch of maraschino. For something a little fun, try the Peanut Butter Jelly Time, a combination of peanut butter rum, hazelnut liqueur, lemon, cassis, maraschino and plum bitters. The menu is sure to include something to take your fancy, and the bartenders are keen to whip up a drink to attend to personal taste. [caption id="attachment_700888" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eau de Vie Melbourne[/caption] For the champagne drinkers, bubbles include Moet Brut Imperial N.V. or 2006 Kreglinger Brut Vintage. A good selection of red and white wines is also on the menu, with the 2011 Red Claw pinot gris and the 2009 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone from France being highlights. Beer drinkers are looked after with a small but considered list — go for the Beechworth Pale Ale or, for something heavier, try the Red Duck Porter. Match your drinks to a plate of freshly shucked oysters, tuna tartare, braised beef cheeks, fried cauliflower or crispy potatoes with truffle aioli and comte cheese. Indulge in a luscious creme brulee torched tableside or a traditional almond Santiago cake. Or keep it simple with a stocked charcuterie or cheese board (or a mix of both). If all this decision-making gets too much, there is a chef's choice 'Feed Me' degustation that will take you on a journey through both the cocktail and the food menus. To top it off, they've got a 10-page whisky list that will make the most discerning whisky drinker smile.
There are so many cafes, restaurants and bars in Melbourne that it's easy to be overwhelmed with choice. You put yourself under so much pressure to impress your friends, and yourself, by always choosing the best coffee, the best place for drinks, or the most decadent and delicious fancy dinner in the area. We've decided that we're going to make it extremely easy for you to feel like a local, with the first of our neighbourhood guides we're producing with Adina Apartments. Have a read of our picks for St Kilda, and the next time you're staying in the area consult this list for a reliable, local option for a coffee. We promise that none of these options will disappoint. BEST PLACE FOR A COFFEE Hannah Hannah serves Proud Mary Coffee, which is juicy and full of flavour — just as it should be. The cafe prides itself on a well-considered approach to coffee, food and interior design. Vinyl records provide the soundtrack, while ferns pepper the interior. The all day brunch features porridge with date jam and hazelnuts ($11) and coconut pancakes with pink peppered berries and vanilla mascarpone ($16.50), while lunch is a mouth-watering selection including the likes of smoked trout, cavolo nero, witlof, radicchio, poached egg and samphire salsa ($19) and octopus salad with silverbeet, watercress, purple congos, capers and marjoram salmoriglio ($18.50). BEST PLACE TO GRAB BREAKFAST Matcha Mylkbar St Kilda is home to Melbourne's most popular and Instagrammable vegan eatery, which is fuelled by matcha. The plant-based café comes from the same people that brought you (and basically every cafe in Australia) Matcha Maiden. Dubbed Matcha Mylkbar, the cafe serves the regulars like smashed avocado with heirloom tomatoes and corn fritters, but then there's the coconut bacon and the matcha pancakes with dark chocolate sorbet. There are also the famous mushroom lattes, and beetroot lattes. BEST SPOT FOR FISH & CHIPS Paper Fish A kickass fish and chippery is located right off the St Kilda Beach boardwalk. Paper Fish offers sustainable, healthy(ish) eat-in and takeaway options all throughout summer. Open noon until late seven days a week, now until the end of daylight savings, Paper Fish will serve up sustainable seafood and fresh quality produce in environmentally friendly packaging. Menu items include flathead, blue grenadier, salmon or gummy served grilled or tempura fried, as well as fritto misto (small fried bits of seafood), sweet potato cakes and crinkle-cut chips in a cone. BEST PLACE TO GRAB A BEER Freddie Wimpoles Freddie Wimpoles features 13 taps pouring a rotating lineup of local and international craft brews, as well as additional beers by the bottle and can. They also have a number of wines, plus more than 180 premium spirits and a selection of classic cocktails. The food is inspired by corner delis in NYC – think hot dogs, beef jerky, pickled vegetables and slow-cooked meat subs. BEST PLACE FOR A CHEESEBOARD Milk the Cow You don't just go to Milk the Cow for fresh mozzarella and just-made ricotta — you go for the selection of over 150 cheeses. There is cheese that's been imported from France, Ireland and Norway as well as the Yarra Valley; cheese that's been washed in chai, paprika and cognac; aged in caves and sat ripening out the back until just the right time to eat. There's all sorts of soft, hard and in-between cheese — all curated on a rotating basis by head cheesemonger Laura Lown. This, and Milk the Cow's Carlton location, is the best place for cheese in all of Melbourne, not just St Kilda. BEST ROOFTOP BAR Captain Baxter St Kilda Sea Baths may not be Melbourne's Mecca of fine dining, but in a city convinced they are starved of sun, you can rarely beat a seat at a beachfront venue once the weather warms up. The same could be said about Captain Baxter. Nestled in with Republica at the baths, its large upstairs dining room and looming facade is the perfect place for a beer, a cocktail and a bowl of hand-cut fries. BEST WEEKEND FOOD MARKET Hank Marvin Market Over 40 street food vendors set up shop at Hank Marvin Market, a street food market on every Saturday at Alma Park in St Kilda East, transforming it into a hub of fresh produce, food trucks and street food stalls. Old favourites Overdosa, Hammer & Tong, Happy Camper Pizza and the Little Mushroom Co. are generally there, along with artisan doughnuts from Cobb Lane Bakery and traditional wood-fired bagels from Shtetl Bagels. BEST SPOT FOR A FANCY DINNER Cafe Di Stasio The upper echelons of elegance, service and rich Italian food. If we're talking about institutions, Cafe di Stasio is right at the top of the list. After 26 years on Fitzroy Street, the restaurant and bar still exudes elegance, sophisticated service and decadent Italian food. Here the lunches are long, the wine is expensive and the atmosphere is right on point. There's a place for old-school, classy dining and this is it. BEST SPOT TO PACK A PICNIC Catani Gardens For the discerning picnicker with a preference for a cool sea breeze, St Kilda's Catani Gardens is an idyllic fusion between urban and ocean. One of the only places in Melbourne where it is acceptable to find a palm tree lined avenue, six hectares of brilliantly landscaped gardens hugging both the city and the sea is located right on the St Kilda foreshore. While not as secluded as other options, the boardwalk setting provides the perfect vantage point of ample amounts of people watching, as well as immediate access to a host of fancy fish and chips shops. Extra points will be given for those who rollerblade with basket in hand to picnic point of choice. Book yourself in at an Adina Apartment Hotel and have a St Kilda staycation — it's the easiest way to tick all these off.
Australia has some highly reputable wine regions producing top-notch whites and reds that give their European and American counterparts a run for their money. The Barossa, Hunter Valley, Margaret River — we all know and love these esteemed regions, but what about the lesser-known regions also killing it on the Australian viticulture scene? Unless you're a bona fide wine buff or a local of the region, we're assuming your Australian wine knowledge may not stretch past the ever-popular ones. So, we're here to broaden your knowledge of Australian wine. Here are five alternative wine regions in our fair country — may we suggest you tour them with a juicy red or crisp white (Australian, of course) in hand? From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are some restrictions on where you can go on a holiday. But, you can start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. [caption id="attachment_735941" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Flanagan via VisitCanberra[/caption] IF YOU LIKE THE HUNTER VALLEY: DISCOVER THE CANBERRA DISTRICT Instead of heading three-ish hours north of Sydney to the historic Hunter Valley, why not use that time to head southeast to Canberra to discover a well-kept secret of award-winning wineries? Not just a region of politicians and government types, the Canberra District is also home to 140 vineyards, boasting a tight group of 40 wineries all within 35 minutes of the capital city. While in the Hunter you find savoury shiraz and dry semillon, in Canberra, wineries present their own take on shiraz by adding some spice — best represented by Clonakilla's shiraz viognier — and deliver dry whites in the form of touted crisp rieslings, like those from Helm Wines. Plus, these ACT wineries expand their offering to several other delicious cool-climate reds and whites including viognier, pinot noir and chardonnay. In early 2020, Samuel Leyshon from Mallaluka Wines was named in Young Gun of Wine's top 50 winemakers, so be sure to add his family-run boutique winery to your hit-list. [caption id="attachment_706722" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] IF YOU LIKE THE YARRA VALLEY: DISCOVER THE KING VALLEY The Yarra Valley is known and loved for its cooler-climate wines, celebrated vineyards and attractive sites that lure many visitors to the area. But off the beaten wine trail, northeast of the Yarra and away from the crowds, you'll find the 'Little Italy' of Australian wine production. King Valley is the epicentre of Italian farming and grape growing in Australia, and the resulting wine varieties, along with the surrounding Italian heritage, make the region a top spot to visit. Sangiovese and prosecco are the key players here, thanks to the strong Italian influence. With all this Italian epicurean culture around, it's incredibly easy to find a delicious meal to pair with these local wines. Take a trip down Prosecco Road and discover bubbles (and great eats) from the likes of Chrismont, with its cellar door and restaurant overlooking rolling vineyards, the famed Brown Brothers and its top-rated restaurant Patricia's Table, and Dal Zotto, run by Otto Dal Zotto, who first introduced prosecco to Australia. [caption id="attachment_617800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Delinquente Wines[/caption] IF YOU LIKE THE BAROSSA: DISCOVER THE RIVERLAND With the largest collection of old vines in Australia, there's no doubt the prestigious Barossa is up there with the most impressive wine regions. But for those on the hunt for something edgy and truly different, neighbouring Riverland is one to watch. Think of Riverland as the hipster hub of Australian winemaking — it's known for organic drops and challenging those Aussie wine norms. Riverland growers and producers are working to change opinions on the region — it's long been associated with mediocre wines and bulk commercial sales. There's been a shift from your classic cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz and chardonnay to lesser-known varieties, especially those that thrive in Riverland's warmer climate, like Sardinian vermentino, Sicilian nero d'avola and Abruzzan montepulciano. Along with alternative varieties, growers and producers have increased their organic output, quickly transforming the region into the place for organic viticulture. Leading the charge are wineries like small batch, handmade, vegan-friendly Delinquente (whose winemaker Con-Greg Grigoriou also made the Young Gun of Wine 2020 list), Whistling Kite with its award-winning montepulciano and Ricca Terra, which helped establish the Riverland Alternative Wine Group. It's time to jump on the Riverland bandwagon now, so you can say you were drinking its wines before it was cool. [caption id="attachment_617587" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Forest Hill Winery via Tourism Western Australia[/caption] IF YOU LIKE THE MARGARET RIVER: DISCOVER THE GREAT SOUTHERN Founded in the 70s around the same time as neighbouring Margaret River, the Great Southern region has struggled to gain recognition like that of its celebrated sister region. It doesn't help that the region is pretty remote — and that it's massive — but you'd be a fool not to plan an adventure to the Great Southern, dubbed the most ideal wine-growing region in Western Australia. With many pockets of small, revered wineries producing some of the finest WA wines, not to mention visually stunning surrounds in every direction, the region is worth using up your precious annual leave for a proper visit. The Great Southern is so large that it's divided into sub-regions — Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker and Porongurup — with varied terroir allowing for a spectrum of wines. While its nearby sissy mainly grows bordeaux and chardonnay grapes, the Great Southern's repertoire extends to fantastic shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, riesling and a rare full-bodied sauvignon blanc. There's also a young but rich history in the region with the Great Southern vineyard pioneers still shining bright today, including Plantagenet Wines, Alkoomi, Galafrey and Forest Hill, the winery that planted the very first vineyard in the area. [caption id="attachment_769768" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courabyra Wines via Destination NSW[/caption] IF YOU LIKE TASMANIA: DISCOVER TUMBARUMBA Established only in the early 80s, Tumbarumba's vines are new kids on the block in comparison to Tasmania, a more established and sought-after sparkling wine region. But thanks to its cool climate and pure mountain air, the region produces some standout chardonnays (2016 was a good year) and pinot noirs — the two key grapes for good sparkling wines. Some oenophiles even go as far as drawing comparisons between the NSW region and France's Burgundy and Champagne. So, in case you haven't cottoned on, Tumbarumba is a region for those who love white, and especially those who love bubbles. However, there are still a few reds grabbing some much-deserved attention like Excelsior Peak's pinot noir. And though the fine Tumbarumba grapes are often sold to bigger wineries, there are still some producers keeping things local and opening their own cellar doors at the foot of the Snowy Mountains. Courabyra Wines is a favourite, winning best small cellar door in Gourmet Traveller Wine's 2019 awards. Tumbarumba, with Snowy Mountains peeking in the distance, gurgling streams and picturesque greenery, is a wine lover's fairy tale with crisp days, beautiful sights and remarkable wines. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: Brown Brothers, King Valley
Global ride sharing service Uber have teamed up with the legends at Gelato Messina for a one day only office ice cream delivery service. This Friday July 24, heroic Uber drivers will be dispatched across Australia with ice cold scoops of fudgy, wafery, milk choc chippy goodness. As if you needed another reason to look forward to Friday. Here's how it all works: Step One – Starting at 11am, Uber users can log into the app and enter the promotional code 'IceCreamOz' along with their location. Step Two – There is no step two. Your tub of ice cream is already on its way. The #UberIceCream promotion is being run in Sydney, Parramatta, Wollongong, Byron Bay, Canberra, Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and Bunbury. Existing Uber users will be charged $15 for the transaction, while first time users get their ice cream free of charge. The company has also teased some less conventional delivery methods, including dog sleds and jet skis. This could be very interesting. Messina have even created a new flavour for the occasion, consisting of hazelnut gelato with white chocolate, hazelnut fudge, chocolate chips and cream filled wafers (unfortunately there's no backup option for people with egg or nut allergies.) Uber have actually offered ice cream delivery before, along with a number of other novelty promotions such as gourmet lunches and kittens (the kittens were not for eating, thankfully.) And while their legal status in Australia is still a little murky, as long as they keep pulling clever stunts like this – not to mention just being better than regular cabs in pretty much every way – we get the feeling that they won't be going anywhere.
We've got two incredible words for you: waffles and shakes. That's what you'll find on offer from Melbourne's newest food truck, the appropriately named Let's Waffle N' Shake. Rolling around town even as we speak, the bright blue van is the sweet, sugary brainchild of Ben Loke and Ari Tsiokas, two friends who saw a waffle-shaped gap in Melbourne's food-truck convoy and decided to fill it in the most decadent fashion imaginable. Indeed, just because they only serve waffle pops and milkshakes doesn't mean there's anything pedestrian about their operation. Turns out you can do quite a bit with a waffle on a stick, whether that's lathering it with chocolate ganache and nutella before dipping it in a mix of oreo crumbs, coco-pops and milo, or covering it in maple syrup, salted caramel, custard and white chocolate before topping it off with pecans, cinnamon sugar and whipped cream. All in all Let's Waffle N' Shake offer nine different variants at $8 a pop – and trust us, they're all equally as absurd. Alternatively, you're welcome to create your own. As for your milkshake, you can go with a classic option like chocolate, strawberry, banana or blue heaven, or opt for something a little more out there such as salted caramel, cream and popcorn or strawberry, rhubarb, marshmallow and fairy floss. And just in case you want to absolutely guarantee that massive coronary, you can add additional toppings, such as mini M&Ms, crunchy nut cornflakes and a combination of banana lollies and potato chips. Worth it. What a great photo of our Floss the Pink Fairy and Canadian Pie wafflepops @melbournepopups #wafflenshake #wafflepop #dessertporn #foodtruckpark A photo posted by Let's Waffle 'n' Shake (@letswafflenshake) on Mar 13, 2016 at 7:33am PDT Salted Caramel POP! Salted caramel, caramel popcorn, a bit more caramel and cream on top. #WaffleNShake #SaltedCaramelPop #milkshake #foodporn A photo posted by Let's Waffle 'n' Shake (@letswafflenshake) on Feb 24, 2016 at 5:16am PST To find out where Let's Waffle N' Shake will be dolling out their ludicrous treats, follow them on Facebook or check them out on Where The Truck.
Remember the colossal slide that made everyone lose their minds last year? Well it’s back and more powerful than you could ever imagine. Slide Melbourne are bringing back the 400-metre super slide to Lawnsdowne Street in East Melbourne, to once again grace us with slippery, high speed sliding but for two Sundays only (December 6 and February 7). So get in quick because we know from past experience there’s nothing Melburnians like more than giant slippery slides (inside we’re all just whimsical children, aren’t we). Tickets are selling fast for the December/February sliding dates and while the thought of being outside, wet and holding onto a tube for dear life might seem crazy right now in winter, with the fires of global warming being fanned by our illustrious leader Tone, we’re in for a hot one. A $41 ticket will buy two hours of unfettered access to the glorious slide (well, unfettered apart from your co-sliders) and an estimated three to six slides. Slide Melbourne have all the logistics covered for a session of maxtreme sliding, including lockers, changing rooms and yes, you’ll have to sign a waiver (just in case there’s a pile-up part way down – you know, #giantslideproblems). But remember: a leisurely slide down in a tube means a 400-metre slog back to the top carrying said tube. So let this be sufficient motivation to crawl out from under your Pringle-covered doona and start getting strong and healthy to maximise the amount of slides you can cram into your session. Slide Melbourne will careen down Lawnsdowne Street, East Melbourne. Running on Sunday, December 6 from 10am to 8.15pm and Sunday, February 7 from 10am to 8.15pm. Tickets $41, book here.
Love a cheeky G&T? You're probably someone who's noticed gin's undergoing a massive revival in Australia, with new gin bars seemingly popping up every other day, and local distillers pushing boundaries with bold, experimental flavours and colours, and all of it is thanks to those miraculous little things known as 'botanicals'. But what are they exactly? What are you even talking about when you're loftily referring to 'aromatic botanicals' in your nip of Tanqueray No.TEN? This iconic, award-winning gin, launched in 2000 as an evolution of the original Tanqueray, is handcrafted in small batches that combine the four botanicals of juniper, angelica root, coriander and liquorice. It's the only gin to be inducted into the San Francisco Hall of Fame — not too shabby. Every type of gin has a unique blend, but botanicals are the key in every bottle. Let's get to know them. [caption id="attachment_580018" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jonas Tana.[/caption] BOTANICALS By EU law, all gin has to be made using a 96% ABV (alcohol by volume) highly rectified spirit, and must taste predominantly of juniper — the small shrub from the mountain slopes of Italy and Macedonia whose name itself is from where the word 'gin' is derived. Juniper's taste is one of bittersweet pine, lavender, and camphor, but it's from the other botanicals — those select natural additives with which the spirits are distilled — that we get the uplifting, complex and unique aromas of spicy, floral, woody and citrus. SPICE Key amongst the spicy botanicals is coriander, whose seeds are second only to juniper in terms of their importance to the process of gin distillation. Coriander is grown throughout southern Europe, southern Asia and North Africa, and its tiny fruits release spicy sage and lemon flavours that contribute a dry, peppery finish to your gin. The other major spicy botanical is ginger root, one of the earliest spices known in Western Europe. In its pure form, it's capable of raising your body temperature, and when distilled in gin it imparts a dry, spicy character. [caption id="attachment_580016" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] FLORAL Chamomile is perhaps best known to tea drinkers and aromatherapists courtesy of its reputation for reducing stress and assisting with sleep. As a gin botanical, however, this creeping plant found throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America imparts distinctive light apple and faint straw aromas (indeed, its name means 'ground apple') as well as a sensation of dryness. Chamomile's most frequently used floral alternative is the leaf of the bay laurel tree, with its pungent, bitter taste and an aroma most closely resembling thyme. WOODY Amongst the earthy, woody botanicals, there is no greater ingredient than Angelica root. Once rumoured to cure the plague and stave off witchcraft, the angelica root from the subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere is renown for its medicinal purposes. Yet in gin, it's an indispensable component that not only makes it dry, but provides its typically earthy base. Liquorice root, too, is another woody mainstay that hails from southwest Asia, India and some parts of Europe, and whose sweet and bitter compounds produce similarly woody flavours. Liquorice root is responsible for adding length and base to your gin, softening and rounding out its 'mouth feel' or texture. CITRUS NOTES Finally, there are the citrus botanicals, led most famously by bergamot peel. Grown in Italy's southern Calabria region, bergamot orange peel is just as likely to turn up in perfumes and lotions as it is gin, possessing a distinctly bright, citrusy aroma and taste. More broadly, then, comes the conventional orange peel botanical, which — in dried form from both sweet and Seville oranges — is similarly used in gin to offer a light, citrusy note capable of balancing out the more pungent botanicals. Top image: Jez Timms.
They say there are no more original ideas, and never has that felt more true than today. Announced today, Instagram has launched a new feature that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. If it sounds uncannily like Snapchat, that's probably because it is. Rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android devices, Instagram Stories is being sold as a way to relieve fears that you're posting on the app too much. According to a post on the company blog, the new feature "lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story." Users will be able to view the stories of people they follow via a bar at the top of their feed, although they won't be able to like and comment on them (you can still send a private message letting someone know how #dope they look). And if you feel particularly attached to a photo in your story, you can change it to a regular post with the touch of a button. You'll also be able to hide stories from particular followers if you so choose. As for the elephant in the room, Instagram hasn't shied away from the fact that they're copying one of their competitors. Asked by TechCrunch about the obvious similarities between Instagram Stories and Snapchat, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom admitted that Snapchat deserved "all the credit," before going on to point out that tech companies borrow ideas all the time. "When you are an innovator, that's awesome. Just like Instagram deserves all the credit for bringing filters to the forefront. This isn't about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it," said Systrom. "Facebook invented feed, LinkedIn took on feed, Twitter took on feed, Instagram took on feed, and they all feel very different now and they serve very different purposes. But no one looks down at someone for adopting something that is so obviously great for presenting a certain type of information." That may technically be true, but even by Silicon Valley standards, this is pretty bloody blatant. https://vimeo.com/177180549
If you take sashimi seriously, pop this one in the diary. Exceptional Flinders Lane restaurant Kisumé is running an exclusive series of bluefin tuna masterclasses in July and August. The night starts with an entire bluefin tuna. You'll get front row seats as one of Kisumé's master chefs breaks down the behemoth fish, piece by piece. It's a chance to sample the best cuts – akami (red meat, upper back), chu-toro (belly meat, slightly fatty) and o-toro (belly again, full fat) – straight from the chef's knife. Doesn't get much fresher than that. Bluefin tuna is one of the most hallowed ingredients on the planet – some of these fish can fetch up to $3 million at auction. Kisumé's might not reach those prohibitively expensive heights but you'll still get to experience some of the best tuna of your life. Each masterclass also comes with an accompanying five-course feast, including crispy wagyu truffle with truffled miso, king prawn tempura with black garlic and kataifi pastry, and tuna tartare with crispy nori and wasabi. A seat at the table will set you back $225. There are three sessions left: July 9, July 23 and August 6. Bookings essential for this one. Images: Supplied
The Everleigh is so very Melbourne — hidden where only those in the know can find it, up a flight of stairs above a restaurant. This sophisticated speakeasy from the Made in the Shade group is fitted out in marble, leather and mahogany, with a stunning vintage chandelier lighting up the long polished bar. At this highly-awarded bar, cocktails hail from 'the golden age', when fixes, fizzes, old fashioneds, sours and sazeracs were considered as compulsory as a ramrod straight spine. It's the perfect place for a first date — the cocktail list is relatively short and full of winners, though the bartenders will also happily (and skilfully) whip you up a drink according to your particular tastes. [caption id="attachment_719907" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Everleigh, by Pete Dillon[/caption] Cosy up on your anniversary in a plush leather booth while you enjoy The Adderly (rye whiskey with maraschino cherry, lemon and bitters, $25), or — romance be damned — sit at the bar and flirt with the immaculately dressed bartenders. There's plenty to admire about these guys as they go about their business: all ice is hand-cut, courtesy of Made in the Shade's own Navy Strength Ice Co, and all juices are freshly squeezed. In terms of food, the Everleigh offers delectable cheese and charcuterie boards to complement their signature sips, and the extensive wine and spirits lineup. Top images: Gareth Sobey. Appears in: The Best Bars in Melbourne for 2023
The Australian rideshare economy is set to go the way of Asia and Europe, with new company Scooti ready to unleash its fleet of scooter taxis on Melbourne next month. CEO and founder Cameron Nadi boasts the service as a cheaper, faster and more eco-conscious mode of transport. "The main advantage of Scooti is, of course, getting where you want to go sooner," says Nadi. "Two wheels have a distinct advantage in busy traffic. It's [also] more cost-effective than other chauffeur-driven ride sharing options, and creates less emissions than most other public or shared transport options available." It may sound odd, but Scooti is by no means a novel idea. Motorbikes already act as taxis all across Asia, as well as in European cities like Amsterdam and Florence — though this is the first time the concept has been implemented in Australia. The fleet currently consists of around 50 drivers and they're recruiting for more — so if you've got a scooter or motorbike and need some extra cash flow, listen up. As with any rideshare company, drivers can use their own motorbikes as long as they meet Scooti's mechanical, safety, comfort and hygiene standards. Alternatively, drivers will be given the option to invest in one of the company's branded blue electric Fonzarelli scooters. Scooti is also offering up benchmark pay rates and rewards in the transport services/delivery category, which should mean the pay will sit fairly within Australian salary standards. If true-to-word, this could set them apart, as pay continues to be a major issue within the ridesharing and delivering industries. Nadi also claims the company's recruitment standards "go beyond the likes of Uber", assessing for things like scooter skill and an arbitrary marker of "common sense". Riders can request a pickup using the Scooti app, though keep in mind you'll only be able to legally ride solo — so it's a good option when you don't have anyone to split an Uber or Taxify with. The drivers are also required to have an extra helmet for you, with hair nets on hand for those that are skeeved out by the idea of sharing headgear. The company is committed to offering female drivers to women riders upon request too. In addition to more drivers, Scooti is also actively looking for investors to grow the business. If Melbourne proves successful, you'll likely be seeing Scooti up in Sydney and Brisbane in no time, with expansion planned over the next 12 months. In the lead up their launch, you may notice some trial drivers around town. Keep a lookout — some heavily discounted fares will apparently be available for the first riders using the app. Scooti will launch in Melbourne this April, so keep an eye out for blue bikes around town. For more information or to download the app, head to their scooti.com.au.
If you've always dreamed of owning a brewery, you're about to get your big shot. Initially Sydney-based, Hopsters Co-op Brewery is the first Australian brewhouse made by the people, for the people. Craft beer entrepreneur Marco Vargas is the man behind the plan and he's collaborating with mates Ross Hynard and Louie Jahjah to get this big dream off the ground — a cooperative brewery that's funded by membership. "This is our passion project," says Vargas. "We've met a lot of home brewers who are really passionate but don't have the capacity to do it themselves, so we realised that the best way is together." Co-op breweries have seen considerable success in US, with five currently in operation, but Hopsters is the first of its kind in Australia. "I believe it will be a strong business because everyone in the community has a stake in it," says Vargas. The Hopsters motto "drink like you own the place" sums up the concept well. Member benefits will include access to brewing equipment, community collaboration brews, exclusive events and discounts at the brewery's taproom. Anyone from the community can join — from craft beer industry leaders to home brewers and beer geeks. "We plan to hold a monthly social where members can meet and talk beer," says Vargas. The team's goal is to open five breweries with 5000 members Australia-wide, the first of which is set to open in Leichhardt by the end of 2016. They dream big — as in expecting 2000 members by the end of the year big. The building they're currently locked onto is owned by the same landlord as the Wayward Brewing Co., a good sign for the brewing liberties to come. A lifetime membership costs $250 per person, which, all things considered, is quite the bargain. While they aren't taking payments until the brewery is set to go, you can register your interest to get in at ground level. Check out Hopsters' website for more details on how to become a member.
Your Christmas lunch will soon be soundtracked by Bill Murray. We squealed about it back in October 2014 — Hollywood's quirkiest legend has teamed up with Sofia Coppola for a festive TV special involving him singing a variety of Christmas carols and decking the halls with one heck of a cast. Murray and Coppola's new project will be undoubtedly somewhat different to their last collaboration, Lost in Translation. The synopsis? The trailer came with a little peek: "This winter, Bill Murray brings an extra-special dose of holiday cheer to Netflix with the premiere of an all-star musically-driven holiday special, A Very Murray Christmas. Set inside New York City’s iconic Carlyle hotel, A Very Murray Christmas opens with Murray preparing to host a live, international holiday broadcast. After a blizzard shuts down the production, he makes the best of the situation by singing and celebrating with friends, hotel employees and anyone else who drops by." Dropped this morning, the trailer's a pretty quick look at a pretty damn big cast. Set to Murray's 'Let It Snow' duet with Miley Cyrus, the trailer revealed one heck of a lineup: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, George Clooney, Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Maya Rudolph, Chris Rock and Paul Shaffer. Watch it here and try not to squeal: 'A Very Murray Christmas' is coming to Netflix on December 4. By Meg Watson and Shannon Connellan.
Uber's international developments are going gangbusters of late, after launching free breathalyzers in Canada, possibly slashing UberX prices in Western Australia, and launching its first ever cash-only service — a brand new auto-rickshaw option available in Delhi. Uber users in Delhi can book a rickshaw through the mobile app — you just don't have to punch in your destination — before paying in cash without extra commission charges. Drivers are apparently being trained not to refuse bookings. For regular Uber cabs, it's still electronic payment as usual. And as always, Uber users can rate their auto driver on the app, and vice versa. Sure, there's already an auto-rickshaw booking service called Ola in Delhi, and sure, it's a PR attempt to steer Uber Delhi's recently less-than-great reputation back into clear waters, but it's one that will hopefully boost job security and facilitate generally more organised and safe auto-rickshaw service in the capital for both drivers and passengers. Can't argue with that. There's just over 100,000 auto-rickshaws in Delhi (actually one of the lowest rickshaw populations in the country, something the Delhi government is trying to up), so this could really shake up the local transport industry for the Indian capital. Via Economic Times.
Misschu is back. Well, almost. Queen of rice paper rolls Nahji Chu, with a big leg-up from the Mawson Group, has rescued misschu from administration. "I've got a small equity share, which is better than nothing," Ms Chu told Good Food. Dealing as MissChu Holdings, Chu and the Mawson Group plan to open fifty misschu stores across Australia over the next five years. Yep, fifty. Meanwhile, all six eateries currently operating in New South Wales will stay on track, meaning 110 employees will hang onto their jobs. Win. While Mawson will provide expertise in business admin and expansion, Chu will take care of creative direction and continue to work full-time as catering manager. According to Good Food, there have also been initial chats about expanding beyond tuck shops. For a start, Sydney might be gaining a misschu Vietnamese restaurant that caters to the mid-range market. "Relieved and exhausted are two understatements running through my veins as I deliver this news," Chu announced on the MissChu Facebook page. "Quality control of the products and getting back to the heart of the business is my main focus. It's important to me that misschu has consistency across the brand. "I will continue misschu as a platform for public discussion about the real issues that confront our collective future; the plight of the world’s dispossessed, the delivery of affordable nutritious food, creativity and innovation — because without it we will not socially, economically or politically evolve in a progressive way. I stride, a little wiser, into the second chapter of the misschu story with honest and professional help in tow." MissChu, which, at its most profitable, turned over $20 million a year, went into voluntary administration in December 2014, with Rahul Goyal and Janna Robertson of Korda Mentha taking charge of the books. In January 2015, the London tuck shop closed and sixty workers lost their jobs. "In hindsight, I wouldn’t have opened in London," MissChu told Good Food. Ms Chu fought passionately to save her business, gaining traction with a #weneedchu campaign across social media. More than sixty expressions of interest were received. Looks like Chu's out of the woods. Via Good Food and Smart Company.
Cue the fireworks: the New Year is almost upon us. And no, we don't mean those few hours of public drunkenness and poor decision-making that fall between sundown on December 31 and your hangover the following morning. We're talking about Chinese New Year, a celebration that, quite frankly, makes our piddly little Gregorian thing look about as exciting as your grandmother's birthday. The Chinese Lunar Calendar officially ticks over on Thursday, February 19, but that's only a fraction of the fun. With markets, concerts, exhibits, parades, film screenings, parties and more, Melbourne's Chinese community are sparing no expense. Here's our list of eight cool events to help you ring in the Year of the Goat in style. HAWKER BAZAAR FESTIVAL With money to burn, the folks at Crown Casino are hosting one seriously lavish party. Set up along Crown Riverwalk by the Yarra, this three-day festival includes tons of great food and cooking demonstrations, as well as fortune telling, karaoke, martial arts and more. Dancers and circus performers will be roaming the crowd during daylight hours, while a fireworks display on the Saturday evening should guarantee you a happy and prosperous New Year. Friday, February 13 – Sunday, February 15 BOX HILL NEW YEAR FESTIVAL One of Melbourne's largest Chinese neighbourhoods, Box Hill will celebrate the turn of the season with a festival that stretches into the night. Local vendors will serve tasty Chinese cuisine, while traditional lion and dragon dancers entertain the masses. The highlight will be the Parade of Choi Sun, the Chinese God of Fortune. Saturday, February 14, from 1pm LUMEN LANEWAYS Curated by RMIT University, this after-dark art project will see four laneways in Chinatown transformed into spectacular works of art. Elaborate projections will turn Croft Alley into Shanghai, even as electric graffiti illuminates nearby Liverpool Street. Punch Lane's feature, meanwhile, combines the legend of Ned Kelly with the classic Chinese novel Tale of the Water Margin. But the standout is in Tattersalls Lane, where pedestrians will be able to play the classic arcade game Kung Fu Master projected on the laneway wall. Monday, February 16 – Sunday, March 1, from sundown PRAHRAN MARKET CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Prahran's iconic market will take on a distinctly Asian flavour, with pop-up yum cha and dumpling stalls plus a bunch of free entertainment. Learn how to make spring rolls or participate in a little Tai Chi. There will also be a performance by the Chao Feng Orchestra, plus Chinese drumming and a lion dance. When: Saturday February 21, from 11am. Image credit: Photo Credit: Ruocaled HIDDEN DRAGON OUTDOOR CINEMA Part of this year's White Night, this 12-hour movie marathon, hosted in Cohen Place, is all about kung fu. After starting things off early with the kid-friendly Kung Fu Panda, the night kicks into gear with Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. Wuxia epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon comes next, followed by Rush Hour and then Kung Fu Panda again. There'll also be live martial arts demonstrations ahead of the first three films. Saturday, February 21, from 6.30pm ELECTRIC DRAGON AT FEDERATION SQUARE Fed Square is home to cultural festivals all year round, so it's hardly surprising they've got something planned for Chinese New Year. Created by multimedia artist Georgie Pinn, The Electric Dragon is an interactive performance that combines motion graphics and shadow puppetry to tell the story of a dragon named Feng. Federation Square will also host a variety of other activities over the weekend, including Mahjong Lessons, fan dancing and a children's lantern parade. Thursday, February 26 – Sunday, March 1, from 7pm CHINATOWN LONG LUNCH Two of Chinatown's most beloved restaurants are celebrating the New Year with a feast. Choose between the menus of Locanda and the Shark Fin Inn — one boasts roast duck spring roles, stir fried prawn scallops and steak in Szechuan chill sauce, while the other includes panko crab cakes and slow cooked pork belly with buk choi. The good news is that both options includes tea, wine, beer, gin and vodka tastings throughout. Be warned though: at $88 minimum, it's not a cheap lunch. If you want to get your money's worth, be prepared to eat a lot. Friday, February 27, noon to 3pm MSO CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT Rounding out our list is this concert by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Tan Dun. The performance will combine classical music from both east and west, including Dun's latest work Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, as well as a rendition of a Puccini aria by Chinese soprano Bing Bing Wang. Saturday, February 28, 6.30pm
Electronica megastar Omar Souleyman is on his way to engulf you in Arabic techno beats with a national tour this January. Souleyman has reached cult status internationally for his patented sound of insanely fast synths adapted to Syrian folk music and his "epitome-of-cool" persona, with Bjork herself labelling him as one of her favourites. Never seen without a pair of aviators and his red and white kaffiyeh, Souleyman has long been famous in his homeland of Syria, with, believe it or not, a rumoured 500 separate bootleg cassette releases recorded straight from his many performances at weddings around the country. His 2013 album, Wenu Wenu, was his first recorded outside Syria, and its blending of Western electronica beats and traditional dabke music (an Arabic form of folk dancing) promises live performances filled with electric sax solos, super high-tempo synths and vocals given alternatively in the tone of commanding pronouncements and trance-inducing chants. Supported by Fabulous Diamonds.
When most people think of Father Christmas, a very particular image comes to mind. We're talking about a jolly, roly poly man with a red and white suit and a twinkle in his eye. He's got a whole fleet of reindeer, a workshop full of elves, and brings joy and yuletide spirit to children around the world. He's been described as a lot of things, but chic has never been one of them. That is, until now. Presenting Fashion Santa: Dayummmm. We suddenly know what we want for Christmas. Setting up shop in Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Fashion Santa is part of the mall's annual holiday campaign. Decked out in only the finest of menswear, this stylish Saint Nick, played by model Paul Mason, has been hanging at the centre snapping selfies with shoppers, offering beard primping tips and generally looking fabulous. The best thing about Fashion Santa, aside from his steely blue eyes, perfectly manicured whiskers and strong, strong arms... ...sorry, lost our train of thought there for a moment. Let's try that again. The best thing about Fashion Santa is that he's out raising money for sick kids. For every selfie with Fashion Santa posted online using the hashtag #YorkdaleFashionSanta, the shopping centre will donate $1 to Canada's Sick Kids Foundation. It's a pretty awesome initiative, one that more countries should get on board with. And we're not just saying that because we want to sit on Santa's lap. Via QZ.
Since opening in 2016, Sydney Road's Very Good Falafel has become a firm neighbourhood favourite. The Brunswick spot more than lives up to its moniker, serving up some of the best falafel in town. It's a simple, relaxed space borne of an incredibly successful food truck that demanded a permanent site. The menu is straightforward and very inclusive — all bar one of the menu items are suitable for vegans. The falafel is, obviously, the star of the show here, and is served in either a pita or a plate with dips, salads and sides. There's definitely a veggie focus here, with a daily rotating selection of salads showcasing fresh, seasonal produce. It has a cookbook too, which features over 52 recipes gained from ten experience, including salads, falafels, chips and dips. Images: Madz Rehorek
This Easter weekend marked the end of an era for one of Melbourne’s most beloved institutions. After 75 years of constant operation, the iconic Astor Theatre posted a sad "That's all folks," and finally closed its doors. But luckily, they won't stay closed for long. After much speculation, the Palace Cinemas group have confirmed they've bought the Astor. Palace Cinemas are the knight in shining celluloid cinephiles have hoped for. The Melbourne-based national chain is leasing the cinema, and continuing The Astor’s operations largely untouched. Palace’s custodianship would see The Astor to continue operating as a single-screen, 1150 seat auditoria, with programming of both new release and classic films to continue and showing on 35 and 70 millimetre prints — many bought from longtime operator George Florence. Palace Cinema's CEO, Benjamin Zeccola, is determined to keep the identity of the Palace intact for nostalgic reasons. "I am in love with the ambience and unique sense of cinema at the Astor, it reminds me of the Metro Malvern Cinema where I grew up and the loss of which still saddens me," he told The Age just a few months ago. "Palace Cinemas are keenly aware of the importance in preserving The Astor experience and, to that end, we see the business operating very much as it does today: one cinema, the continuation of the brilliant programming and maintaining the building in the art deco style in direct consultation with Heritage Victoria." Such a prospect is welcomed by everyone that has enjoyed the magic of movie-going at The Astor over the past 32 years. Whether catching a double feature of films missed upon their first release; dressing up and singing along to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grease or The Blues Brothers; or watching one of the many retrospective seasons focused on great directors or undersung masterpieces — all while devouring one of the venue’s famous choctops — The Astor has offered audiences a cinema experience unparalleled not just in Melbourne, but in Australia. Stay tuned to the Astor's Facebook page for more developments.
For a big three days — from Friday, November 29–Sunday, December 1 — the latest iteration of Melbourne's The Big Design Market will feature 250 stalls showcasing homewares, fashion, jewellery, stationery and more by local independent designers at the Royal Exhibition Building. It's tailor-made for early Christmas shopping. There'll also be a slew of tastemakers serving up exceptional food and wine experiences, including coffee from ST ALi, hot chocolates from Mork, pasta from That's Amore Cheese, tacos from CDMX, sweet treats from Gelato Messina and innovative cocktails from Sydney's Archie Rose, among others. The event will also see the return of the popular showbags and art installations, as well as great visitor prizes and a colourful play space for kids created by Claire Mosley. Images: Blake Walshe.
It's mid-August, so you should probably start getting your New Year's Eve plans in order. Victorian NYE festival Beyond the Valley has revealed the lineup for its celebrated four-day festival in Lardner Park, Victoria and it's pretty bloody good, so could be a solid option. At five festivals old, starting out in 2014, Beyond the Valley has become a regular fixture on the Victorian New Year's circuit. And, once again, it has managed to secure a rather colossal lineup. Chart-topping American rapper Tyler, The Creator, will heading to Australia — for the first time since releasing his highly lauded album IGOR — as will the ARIA Award-winning three piece, Rüfüs Du Sol. Joining them will be techno and house legend Green Velvet, gold masked German DJ duo Claptone, British rapper Skepta and genre-blending producer Honey Dijon. From the local contingent are Hayden James — fresh off the back of dropping his latest album Between Us — alt-pop group Cub Sport, dance floor regulars Bag Raiders and soulful singer Meg Mac. Beyond the Valley will once again take over Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria from December 28 to January 1. Anyway, here's what you came for: BEYOND THE VALLEY 2019 LINEUP Tyler, The Creator Rüfüs Du Sol 16BL Bag Raiders CC:Disco! Chris Lake Claptone Confidence Man Cub Sport Dena Amy Denis Suita DJ Seinfeld Dom Dolla Floating Points Green Velvet Hayden James Heidi Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers Honey Dijon I Know Leopard Jordan Brando Kettama Lastlings Late Nite Tuff Guy Lion Babe London Topaz Made in Paris Mallrat Matt Corby Meg Mac Methyl Ethel Motez Noir Owl Eyes Patrice Bäumel Rebuke Sama Set Mo Shoreline Mafia Skepta Snakehips The Veronicas
Sip whisky and indulge your sweet tooth at The Singleton Whisky & Sugar Bar when it springs up in Sydney and Melbourne as part of Good Food Month 2015. The result of a partnership between whisky label Singleton Whisky and Momofuku dessert spinoff Momofuku Milk Bar, this pop-up bar and baked goods dispensary probably won't do your teeth or liver any favours — although if that's enough to keep you away, then you've got a hell of a lot more self control than we do. Booze and sweet treat enthusiasts will find the New York-inspired whisky and sugar shed smack bang in the middle of Good Food Month's Noodle Night Markets, located in Sydney's Hyde Park between October 8-25 and Melbourne's Birrarung Marr between November 12-29. Headlining the menu will be a whisky-infused maple cookie crafted by Momofuku Milk Bar's chef, owner and founder Christina Tosi. Should go down quite nicely with an array of whisky cocktails and neat tastings — although we can't help but hope they'll also be serving Momofuku's famed cereal milk. We wouldn't say no to a slice of their crack pie, either. Tosi, who spearheaded the dessert program at David Chang's Momofuku restaurant group, and who has also served as a judge on MasterChef US, said that the whisky maple cookie recipe "plays on two of the biggest culinary trends currently sweeping the globe — the whisky renaissance and the classic dessert redefined with a twist — the result is an absolute delight." Tosi will travel to Australia on October 8 to help launch the Sydney pop-up. Sorry Melbourne. Have another cookie to cheer you up. Want more Good Food Month shenanigans? Check out the whole program for Sydney here and Melbourne here.
It's finally happened. London's latest and greatest pop-up bar lets you literally inhale alcohol, a project that could only be the work of wildly ambitious, gastronomic artists Bompas and Parr. Built on the site of an ancient monastery in Borough and opened on July 30, the wonderfully-named Alcohol Architecture bar lets you walk into an actual cloud of cocktail. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have used big ol' humidifiers to saturate the air with a cocktail of spirits and mixer, so you can simply breathe in the drink and let that sweet, sweet alcohol make its way to your bloodstream via lungs and eyes. Of course, visitors to the pop-up are advised to "breathe responsibly" — and the hour session of inhalation isn't quite enough to get you drunk, apparently. You're given a robe to protect your clothes from reeking of cocktail afterwards, and you'll be surrounded by atmospheric sounds to intensify the inhaling experience. #breatheresponsibly at @alcoholicarchitecture regram from @soniashahx A photo posted by Bompas & Parr (@bompasandparr) on Aug 6, 2015 at 8:59am PDT "Inside, the sound is modulated, so that it is like you are right inside the glass," Parr told Bloomberg. "It's a dense atmosphere that builds into a thunderstorm with lightning. It's a new way of experiencing drink, and it's social because it's an immersive shared environment. You all have the same flavor sensation. "It's like going to the seaside and finding that fish and chips taste better. Part of that is that in a human environment, your ability to perceive taste is heightened. It's the opposite of being in an aeroplane. Alcohol tastes better, with more nuances: You can detect more subtle flavors when it is humidified." We're on! Launch night of the bar tonight! A photo posted by Alcoholic Architecture (@alcoholicarchitecture) on Jul 29, 2015 at 12:37pm PDT This isn't the first jaw-dropping foodie installation Bompas and Parr have dazzled us with in recent memory. After opening a pop-up which tailored cocktails to your DNA, hosting anatomical whisky tastings allowing you to taste different aged whiskies from their same-aged human body, and creating lava-powered barbecues, the pair brought one hell of a banquet to this year's Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania — which involved much nudity and the eating of an actually beating pig's heart. If you're headed for London anytime soon, Alcoholic Architecture will be open until early 2016 at One Cathedral Street, Borough Market, London. Tickets and more info over here. We chatted to Sam Bompas recently, head over here to delve into pagan feasts, Vegemite chocolate and Australian food trends. Via Bloomberg.
The 62nd Sydney Film Festival closed on Sunday, June 14, having unleashed a number of great and good films upon the city. But 'great' isn't all we go to the festival for — we come looking for the stuff that challenges us, for the weirdest concoctions that will never get a cinema release, for the wild artistic risks that might not even work as a motion picture and, yes, for the failures that went down swinging. So with that appetite guiding our cinematic feast, here are our critics' highlights of the festival. THE BEST THE CLUB If there's one club no one wants to be a member of, it's the one at the centre of Pablo Larrain's latest film. The director of 2012's No keeps his voice political and his eyes focused on his Chilean homeland, with the injustices committed by the Catholic Church his new point of focus. That his chilling and complex tale takes place within a coastal retirement home for disgraced priests should give an indication of the dark psychological territory he traverses, though Larrain spares his judgment for the system rather than his subjects. There, he's scathing about the culture of covering up scandals, as demonstrated by a final act that just might render viewers speechless. He's also likely to cause another club to form: those of avid fans of the atmospheric feature, and of his continued contemplation of corruption. -Sarah Ward TEHRAN TAXI Road movies often take characters on a literal and emotional journey from point A to B. You know the ones. Jafar Panahi interprets driving, talking, growing and learning a bit differently; the director turns on-screen cabbie in Tehran in an effort that merges art and life on several levels. Panahi is currently banned from filmmaking, yet once again uses his limitations as inspiration — including in setting and staging his latest feature in a taxi, and in combining fact and fiction. In this year's Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner, he makes a statement about his own predicament while drawing attention to the restrictions prevalent in modern-day Iran. Forget heading off on holiday; his road trip takes audiences through his and his nation's everyday existence. -SW THE HUNTING GROUND It was a fantastic festival for documentary filmmaking, with titles like Going Clear and Sherpa taking on pressing real world issues with empathy and determination. But of all the docos in the program, Kirby Dick’s The Hunting Ground stands out as perhaps the most important. Over 103 devastating minutes, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker exposes the endemic rates of rape on American college campuses — crimes that administrators at many of the country’s leading universities have a shameful history of trying to sweep under the rug. It’s a grim and confronting story, but one that needs all the attention that it can get. -Tom Clift VICTORIA If you thought the long takes in Gravity and Birdman were impressive, then have we got a recommendation for you. Filmed in a single real-time take, Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria follows a young Spanish expat living in Berlin, who after a big night out finds herself the unlikely participant in an early morning bank heist. Schipper’s audacious shooting style adds a sense of immediacy to the tale, taking viewers through the city’s famous club scene and into its seedy criminal underworld on the same emotional rollercoaster as Victoria herself. Gripping and empathetic, this is experiential cinema at its finest. -TC THE WORST SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY Screwball comedies can be a love 'em or hate 'em affair. Sometimes their fast-talking banter charms. Sometimes their reliance upon too many conveniences grates. Sometimes, like in She's Funny That Way, the latter outweighs the former. In his first film in more than a decade, writer/director Peter Bogdanovich brings together a likeable cast of Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Rhys Ifans, Will Forte and Kathryn Hahn, yet pushes them past the point of farce and into tiring territory. There are a few giggles to be had, alongside obvious love for genre, but it's the late-stage cameo that most will remember this movie for, and that's never a good thing. -SW AMONG THE BELIEVERS Among the Believers isn’t so much a bad film as it is a disappointing one. Documentarians Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi were allowed unprecedented access to Abdul Aziz Ghazi, the leader of the notorious Red Mosque network which is widely viewed as a breeding ground of religious extremism in Pakistan. Yet we can’t help feel that they squandered the opportunity, with the resulting documentary offering little real insight into the minds of the would-be terrorists or the social and political factors that create them. With so much media attention given to the threat of Islamic terrorism, Among the Believers needed to bring a lot more to the table to rise above the noise. -TC THE BOLDEST EXPERIMENTS ARABIAN NIGHTS Making a three-volume, 383-minute feature is a bold choice, but the length of Miguel Gomes' Sydney Film Festival competition-winning effort is actually one of the least bold things about it. Yes, he's made his movie an endurance test; however, it's his choice of content and the way he splices it together that's audacious. Often involving trials and other forms of judgment, frequently featuring animals (bees, a talking cockerel, the canine winner of Cannes' coveted Palm Dog Award, and too many chaffinches), and flitting between surreal segments and documentary-style observation, the thematically connected chapters try to achieve a feat the director himself acknowledges as impossible. That'd be seducing in narrative while acknowledging the misery of Portugal's harsh economic reality — and if it sounds like courageous, challenging work, that's because it is. -SW TANGERINE Loud, gaudy and unapologetically crass, Sean Baker’s Tangerine is a far cry from a stereotypical festival film, and honestly, that’s a big part of why we loved it. Shot on the streets of Los Angeles using tricked-out iPhone 5s, the film follows a transgender prostitute named Sin-Dee as she blazes through the city with her best friend Alexandra in tow, on the hunt for her pimp boyfriend who she’s learnt has been unfaithful. The hyper-raw cinematography suits the plot and characters to perfection: tacky and stylish and outrageously funny all at once. And beneath all the humour lies surprising emotional depth. -TC THE MOST WTF THE FORBIDDEN ROOM Guy Maddin's latest effort, as co-directed with Evan Johnson, is the kind of movies cinephiles dream of. No, it's not your usual, stereotypical serious movie fare — this really is something that feels it has been ripped out of someone's head mid-slumber, or perhaps mid-hallucination. Think tripping through cinema history, complete with mind-altering substances, and you're still nowhere close to the ride this takes through layers of stories, colours, genres, tropes and film stocks. The Forbidden Room is a movie that teaches you how to take a bath, has a wolf hunter as its hero, and relays the thoughts of a volcano and a moustache. We're not kidding. Yes, it really is that offbeat and glorious. -SW A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE The title of this film is probably the least strange thing about it, hence its place in our coveted WTF section. The third part of a thematic trilogy by Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson 15 years in the making, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence consists of a series of deadpan tragicomic vignettes ostensibly ‘about being a human being’. Sexually aggressive dance instructors, a pair of morose travelling salesman and the long dead King Charles XII are just a few of the bizarre characters who inhabit this esoteric comedy, one that had us scratching our head in bafflement as often as it had us laughing. -TC
If you've long felt you missed out on a decent childhood because you weren't bunking in with the Swiss Family Robinson, you can now make up for lost time. Treehouses for grown-ups are one of the latest fads sweeping global architecture, and a new apartment block in Turin, Italy is among the wildest. Named 25 Verde (25 Green) and designed by architect Luciano Pia, the five-storey apartment block doubles up as an urban forest. There are 190 trees snuggled within the structure, with 40 of them creating a tranquil courtyard garden, and the rest providing greenery for 63 uniquely luscious apartments. While the lower floor offers leafy garden-facing arrangements, apartments on the upper floor come with spacious, sunny terraces. Both, however, come with ample opportunities for making your own secret password security precautions and 'no boys/girls allowed' signs. Apart from their obviously eco-friendly presence, the trees also help to moderate temperature in the apartments — filtering sunlight on hot days and providing insulation when the weather cools. Total bosses. To pay 'em back, the trees are kept alive by an irrigation system that uses harvested rainwater. Meanwhile, heating is provided by ground water pumps and ventilated walls enable additional 'breathing'. Vertical gardening might have met its match. Via Huffington Post.
Well, it’s official: animal-themed cafes have reached critical levels of absurdity. After cats, owls and even teacup pigs, an impending eatery in East London will pay tribute to the humble blobfish, the gelatinous sea dweller that was recently voted the ugliest animal in the world. Set to open in summer 2016, the Blobfish Cafe will be home to three blobfish specimen named Barry, Lorcan and Lady Swift. No word on how the aquatic trio are handling their newfound celebrity, although Lorcan already has his own twitter account, where he mostly tweets about Tom Cruise. Of course, running a blobfish cafe isn’t as simple a proposition as just rounding up a few stray cats. The fish reside on the ocean floor off the east coast of Australia (booyah!) at depths of around 1000 metres, where the pressure is several dozen times that of the surface. As a result, the owners of the cafe have had to construct a special tank capable of replicating the deep sea environment, a mammoth undertaking described on their website as 'not cheap'. Still, the trade-off for the blobfish community may well be worth the cost. The 2013 public ballot by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society threw the species into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with the fleshy pink fish beat out the axolotl, the proboscis monkey and the kakapo, aka the New Zealand owl parrot, to claim the title of God’s most hideous mistake. To make matters worse, a rise in deep sea trawling is threatening blobfish populations. Do you really want to live in a world without this guy? The cafe is yet to reveal their food and drinks menu, although they’ve promised a mix of light lunches and more substantial evening meals, along with weekly gourmet nights consisting of an eight course deep sea themed tasting menu. Presumably that doesn’t include eating blobfish. A number of online retailers also sell plush blobfish toys. That piece of information doesn’t really have anything to do with the cafe, but we still thought it was worth mentioning. We’re also not entirely convinced this whole story isn’t an elaborate hoax, although if it is it’s a pretty amazing one. Via London Evening Standard.
The Vegie Bar has been kicking around for almost thirty years. The all-vegetarian restaurant was ahead of its time when it opened three decades ago, and is all the more in-vogue now. Monday through Sunday, lines of people will put their name down and wait for a table — sometimes a pokey communal one — just to get a feed. The open plan warehouse-style room is filled with exposed brick, wooden tables and a whole lot of history. With a pinboard listing rooms for rent on one wall and a separate room with a liquor licence, this venue is a Brunswick Street institution. As you weave your way through the menu, you'll find everything is vegetarian, a lot is vegan, and gluten free options are plentiful. More recently, raw dishes have been added to the already vast lineup. Start with the classic veggie spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce or the vegan chicken bao with crispy chilli oil and Asian herbs. Mains are broken down into wraps and burgers, salads, pizzas and other main dishes. The vegan beef rendang serves up succulent vegan beef with onion, capsicum, carrot and potato, while the Mexican burrito is packed full of beans, baby spinach and Spanish onions. This bad boy has been on the Vegie Bar menu for almost the entire 30 years, too. Desserts are rather impressive. There is a rotating assortment of cakes from a gluten and dairy free chocolate mud cake, to baked berry cheesecake to raw macaroons. How they make it all taste so damn good is a mystery, but we're happy to just enjoy the goods. When it comes to the drink list, Vegie Bar has anything from the super juice of beetroot, spinach, carrot and cucumber and smoothies, to a bottle of organic German Riesling from Gunderloch. Vegie Bar is the kind of place where any lifestyle can be catered for, but no one will impose one on you. You don't have to be vegan or be a champion of the raw food movement to enjoy your dhal or a big fat piece of vegan chocolate cake. Appears in: The Best Vegan Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023
If you can't stop eating curry, here's one for you: Welcome to Brunswick is hosting a festival dedicated to curry on Saturday, August 12. The Cold Ones & Bold Ones fest will see all your favourite curry vendors assembled to deliver a day of flavour-filled dedication to curry. Expect a vast array of iterations too, with curries promised to start at just $10. On the cards: a 100-spice curry, Japanese chicken katsu curry, beef massaman, spicy red pumpkin and more. The festival announcement follows the reopening of Welcome to Brunswick's next door hall venue, aptly named 'The Hall'. Of course, a wide range of spice-quenching beers will be available to accompany your curry throughout the day, including a coconut curry lager from 4 Pines Brewery. Live music with a live DJ set featuring retro tunes round out the day's lineup. The festival kicks off at midday, bookings are available online — and kids and dogs are welcome. Images: supplied.
In a food-obsessed city like ours where there's a quality feed to be discovered around just about every corner, why put a limit on your eating abilities? Melbourne's got a plethora of excellent all-you-can-eat options to rival even your fondest childhood memories from the Pizza Hut buffet and Sizzler salad bar (RIP). Break out the stretchy pants in preparation for some proper feasting with these great all-you-can-eat offers. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT YUM CHA AT DAVID'S Delivering that authentic yum cha experience within smartly revamped designer digs, iconic David's Prahran offers the kind of all-you-can-eat experience even your mum would approve of. What's more, at $38 per person on Saturdays (and $40 per person on Sundays), your bank account will be pretty chuffed as well. Choose the 11.30am or 1.30pm sitting, and settle in against crisp, white interiors for an upscale take on unlimited yum cha. How many of those plump dumplings can your stomach handle? How much? $38-40 per person. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT TEMAKI AT TOKOSAN The closure of Toko in Prahan has seen Tokosan take its place, with a focus on cocktails, karaoke and a casual Japanese snack menu. On Tuesdays they're honing in on temaki — which, for the uninitiated, is basically a cone-shaped hand roll — with endless supplies for just $20. There will options for vegetarians too. If you haven't tried temaki before, Tokosan's outdoor lounge courtyard is a pretty good place to make your debut. How much? $20 per person. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT MEAT AT POLEPOLE Carnivores in search of some serious midweek indulgence will find a whole lot to love about African-inspired Polepole, especially during Tuesday night's weekly all-you-can-meat extravaganza. From 5pm, punters can rock their taste buds and stuff their bellies with a smorgasbord of slow-cooked, African-style meat dishes and sides for the budget-friendly price of $39 per person. We're talking an endless array of melt-in-your-mouth ribs, vibrant salads and addictive harissa grilled corn cobs. Get in before 7pm to save even more coin with a few cheeky happy hour drinks. How much? $39 per person. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SUSHI AT OKAMI JAPANESE One of the greatest things about Japanese food is that it rarely leaves you feeling horrendously full, even after scoffing an insane amount of it. Which means that an unlimited feasting situation at somewhere like Okami packs a serious punch in the value department. This spot has seven outposts across Melbourne (including Brunswick, Caulfield, Footscray and Camberwell), each one offering an all-you-can-eat menu for about $30, if you've got at least two diners. Go to town on sushi and sashimi, tempura and teriyaki, knowing you'll probably even have belly room left over for some green tea ice cream for dessert. How much? $30 per person. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT WINGS AT SAN ANTONE BY BLUDSO'S BBQ Mondays at San Antone can get pretty darn messy. But when you're elbow-deep in fried chicken, it's pretty likely you won't mind that much. The Crown restaurant is renowned for its American-style smoked meats and to kickstart each week, it offers two hours of endless chicken wings for just $25 per person. These finger lickin' goodies are smoked for two hours and then served by the bucket, teamed with your choice of sauce and a pile of golden fries. Settle in and keep that chook coming until those Monday blues are a distant memory. How much? $25 per person. ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BRAZILIAN MEATS AT B'CHURRASCO If you're good mates with meat, the ultimate feasting situation awaits at this buzzing CBD spot. Modelled on Brazil's rodízios, or all-you-can-eat, BBQ restaurants, B'Churrasco is famed for its unlimited meat feasts, where a parade of marinated morsels are served on skewers and carved right there at your table. Get acquainted with one of the city's best examples of Brazilian dining, across a seasonal pick of 12 quality, roasted meat cuts, and a whole bunch of authentic sides. Visit on a Wednesday or Thursday, and you can load up on the likes of beef ribs, chicken wings, and house made chorizo, along with a bellyful of accompaniments, for $45 per head. On other nights the spread will cost you $56 each. How much? $45–56 per person. CROSSWAYS VEGETARIAN, CBD For all-you-can-eat, minus the meat and any kind of pretension or style, it's hard to beat this longstanding Hare Krishna haunt. Perched above Swanston Street, Crossways plates up a different plant-based feed each day of the week, and you can eat your fill of the tasty, wholesome fare for just $7.95 (or $5.95 if you're a concession card holder). Feast up big on the likes of South Indian coconut curry, satay veggies, and lentil pasta, and even sate your sweet tooth with a house-made dessert — you'll still roll out with change from a tenner. How much? $5.95–7.95 per person.
Shane Delia’s newest venture is going to delight the ever living crap out of fans of old school hip hop. Aptly named Biggie Smalls, the joint blends '90s hip hop with a classic New York diner setting and is built around an ethos of authenticity. You might remember Delia from his recent SBS series Shane Delia’s Spice Journey or one of his top drawer, fine dining venues, which makes his urban diner eatery in Collingwood seem like an odd choice. Being a massive Notorious B.I.G. fan as a kid, he's finally realised a lifelong love of hip hop and food in one establishment. That’s not to say it’ll be like any old kebab joint. We can’t forget that Maha, Delia’s most well-known enterprise, has received a chef's hat for the last six years, so Biggie Smalls is definitely in capable hands. Delia says the restaurant will be a 'KBab joint' and the offerings will be simple, non-traditional but will stay loyal to his Middle Eastern heritage. Delia's years of expertise really shine through in the menu, which features kebabs as mains with a basic list of sides, desserts and drinks to accompany. You can take your pick of some of the tastiest kebab options we've ever heard: there's the C. Wallace (flaxseed falafel, herbs, pickles, onions and smoked hummus). Yep, enjoy obliterating one of those. Then there's the West Coast (fried shrimps, harissa and almond mayo, herbs and pickled onion), the East Coast (maple glazed pork belly, crackling, (peanut butter hummus, herbs and pickles) and the Dirty South (fried chicken, pumpkin pie hummus, herbs, pickles and onion) to name a few. Did we mention there's a peanut butter caramel injected pretzel for dessert? Because there is. That's a real thing. That you can soon eat. Oh and the official venue hashtag? #readytodine. Classic. Biggie Smalls, located at 86 Smith Street, Collingwood, will open at 11am on Thursday, December 10. Find out more on their website.
