"The things you own end up owning you." With that one memorable line, Fight Club's Tyler Durden became an unexpected forebear to the current trend for minimalism. But we've got news for you, declutterers and ascetics: even with all that absence of stuff in your life, the experts can still tell a lot about you as a person. Meet Sam Gosling, professor of psychology at the University of Texas and self-styled 'snoopologist' (good word, you have to hand it to him). He's the author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, a book that explores how we project our personality in the spaces we create, and also how the spaces we inhabit influence our inner lives. He literally spends his life poking around bedrooms, offices, wardrobes, cars — anything you think is private is Gosling's lab. Ahead of his talk at Wired for Wonder in Sydney, we spoke with Sam about interior decorators, capitalism and our definitely awesome book collections. Can you give me a quick rundown of what you’ll be discussing at Wired for Wonder? I’ll be discussing how people affect space and how spaces affect people — both deliberately and inadvertently. There are things we can do — obvious things — to try and signal something to someone, but there are also things we’re less self-aware of. It’s these things that I pick up on and use to reveal things about the person who lives or works or socialises in that space. Based on what you see in someone’s house, can you tell what someone’s political leaning might be? We did some research in the US a few years ago which produced some surprising results. I think most people think that people interested in the arts tend to be closer to the left. But we found art and books about art have no relation to political orientation. However, we did find that someone who has sports-related decor in their space is likely to be more conservative, politically speaking. That said, it’s not so much what someone's interested in, as the number of things they're interested in. On average, if you have a narrow scope of interests, you’re more likely to be politically conservative. What do you think about professionally designed interiors? They can work ... but only if the client is genuinely able to convey what it is that they really want. Most people are actually pretty clueless about what will make them happy. When it comes to interior design people see things in magazines or on Pinterest and go, “There! That’s exactly what I want!” But the problem with this kind of wish-list making is that it’s impersonal. I work with the architect Christopher Travis – he’s amazing, a real visionary. He doesn’t ask his clients to describe their dream house. He starts by asking things like, “Tell me about a time in your life when you felt protected, loved. Now tell me about the physical space you were in.” And people will say things like, “My best memories are weekends away at my grandparents’ house when I was a kid learning to ride my bike on the gravel side road.” He’ll then somehow incorporate gravel into the design. Then again, trying to replicate an interior someone found on Pinterest might be important to them because they want their space to be on trend. So Christopher will ask other questions like, “What is it you want the space to say to your friends? Who do you want to be to these people?” I saw In the Basement at Sydney Film Festival. It’s an Austrian documentary about what some people get up to in their basements. There was an older, childless woman who kept a collection of dolls in shoes boxes. They were those dolls that looked incredibly life-like. She nursed them like real babies. I felt sad that these people had to hide away their passions, that their home wasn’t really a place they could express themselves. The thing is, the home has both public and private spaces. People put very different things in the living room than in their bedroom or the guest bedroom. That’s obvious enough. People may hide things away in a basement because those things are shameful — they may not be ashamed, but they think others will judge them. The other reason is because most of us want a space of our own even if we live with other people. The garden shed is at the back of the garden because it’s full of clutter, but it’s also out of the way because people go there to disconnect physically and psychically from the people they live with. Book collections can be revealing. Of course, what you own doesn’t always represent what you’ve actually read. I'm always a bit suspect when I see a whole shelf of those orange-covered, new-release Penguin Classics. Right. Apparently there are more Ramones T-shirts in circulation than there are Ramones records! That is, if you signal that you like The Ramones people will think you like a fleet of other stuff and have certain values. Our music and reading materials are increasingly being digitised. What are literary types turning to to flaunt their cultural cred? It might be harder for literary types to flaunt their hard copy libraries, but for researchers, the switch to soft copies of everything makes it much easier to gather data. I don’t just look at homes and workplaces; I’m very interested in how people display themselves on social media, too. Of course, on social media you can signal to your community what you’ve bought or what you’re listening to. In an article about the rise of minimalist living in this month’s New Philosopher, Oliver Burkeman writes, “Minimalism might be little more than the purging phase of consumer capitalism’s cycle of binge and purge.” Do you think it’s a genuine revolt or just a trend? Trend. Sam Gosling is the author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You. He will be speaking at Wired for Wonder, which is on in Sydney on August 26–27 at the NIDA Parade Theatre and Melbourne on August 28 at Central Pier Shed 14. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
The team behind The Grounds of Alexandria has been teasing us with whispers of a new CBD outpost for a while now — the venue, which is to be their second, was announced almost two years ago. Since then it's been in development, but the team behind the wildly popular Alexandria venue has confirmed The Grounds of the City will finally open later this month inside The Galeries on George Street. The new venue will be a 'nod to times past' with throwbacks to 1920s hospitality, and will be a distinct departure from The Grounds' existing vibe. "The Grounds of Alexandria is all about bringing families and the local community together, so we started off thinking about who it is that we want to bring together and connect in the city," says The Grounds co-founder and creative director Ramzey Choker. "We really got inspired by the 1920s, a time when the inner city was a place for real social gathering and connection between professionals." Design studio Acme & Co. have again worked with The Grounds, creating a truly 'spare no details' kind of space, from the antique theatre pendant lighting, up-cycled timber floors and marble details to the hand-crafted stained glass windows and custom-made enamel fridge doors. Even the light fixtures have been carefully curated and the cast iron doors were actually hand-casted by The Grounds team. "The building took a lot of craftsmanship and is going to be really different than what you're used to," says Choker. The Grounds of the City will also aim to bring socialising back to the hustle and bustle of city life. Shoe shines for waiting customers, a cake and tea trolley that circles the room and a top-of-the-line barista's bar with 'coffee sommeliers' on-hand will be just a few services on offer at the new venue. For truly next-level service, the new members app allows customers to let The Grounds get to know them a bit better – from where they work to their favourite coffee order, which will be ready for you on arrival. "When corporate workers come for a morning coffee we want to make their time pleasurable and really get to know them as individuals," says Choker. "We want to give them something a bit extra." "We want to create a place that becomes like a city home away from the office and somewhere you want to go that is just really comfortable. It's going to be really different, really unique and really special." The Grounds of the City will open late May inside The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney. We'll update you with an opening date, but for more information, visit thegroundscity.com.au.
Five generations back, the Hamilton family planted some of the first vineyards in South Australia. It was 1837, a mere year after the arrival of European settlers in the state, and to this day they continue to produce top-quality, award-winning wine under the name Hugh Hamilton Wines. Mary Hamilton, Hugh Hamilton’s daughter, has been the CEO for the last seven years and explains that her father has always been considered the black sheep of the Hamilton flock. “He was a very spirited young boy and got up to a fair bit of mischief," she says. "He was never going to be corralled into anything and has always remained an elusive character.” Hugh’s lively sense of humour and his ability to march to the beat of his own drum has never wavered, so it makes sense then that the wines have names such as The Scallywag Chardonnay and The Scoundrel Tempranillo. Quality, flavoursome wine is the number one priority for Hugh Hamilton Wines and they have ensured this by sourcing grapes from their three vineyards. McLaren Vale hosts perfect conditions for ripening grapes and viticulture, as it’s located between the Adelaide Hills and the coast. “Most people are not aware of this, but McLaren Vale has the most diverse geology of any wine region in the world,” explains Hamilton. Each of the three vineyards have very different soil types which greatly influence the flavour of the grapes, from the black clay at their cellar door vineyard, producing darker-style shiraz (think bitter dark chocolate and black olives) to their next vineyard 500 meters down the road that produces more red-fruit flavours due to a different soil type and climate. Hamilton refers to this as their "big comfortable red velvet chair" with a generous and juicy yield. As part of the FreeWines app, Hugh Hamilton Wines have contributed two of their expert drops; 'The Trickster' Pinot Grigio and 'The Rascal' Shiraz. The Trickster is made from grapes sourced from the Adelaide Hills and came about due to Hugh’s love of freshly shucked oysters and his desire to create a wine that would pair with it perfectly. Described as “racy, upbeat and brisk,” Hamilton would recommend pairing this wine with seafood dishes such as salt and pepper squid, prawns and, of course, fresh oysters. The Rascal, described as “the quintessential McLaren Vale Shiraz, with lots of fruit ripeness but also elegance,” goes beautifully with a scotch fillet or beef casserole. When it comes to selecting a wine for herself, Mary is often influenced by her mood first, rather than having a constant go-to drop. At the moment Hamilton is particularly taken with the medium-bodied 'The Mongrel' Sangiovese, “It’s got lots of lovely, juicy cherry-flavoured fruit, and it tends to be a great partner with the food I cook, which is often Mediterranean or Middle Eastern.”
Woollahra's beloved Buzo has a new name and a new semi-casual identity (as if an ex-Bentley chef could really go casual). If you've eaten there during the past year, you'll have noticed the menu creeping away from its traditional Italian roots towards modern Australian flavours. Now, owners Mark Campbell and Phillip Fikkers (who also own Potts Point's Macleay St. Bistro) are taking the eatery wholeheartedly in this direction. Relaunching as Jersey Rd. Bistro, the restaurant now focuses on more light, casual dishes — with lower price tags to match. Head chef Jason Dean (ex-Bentley, Est. and London's The Greenhouse) isn't going anywhere. Having taken over the kitchen a year ago, he's been responsible for its evolution. And now, he's enlisted the help of mighty sous chef Chris Cho (ex-Oscillate Wildly). One of the most tempting additions is a long Sunday brunch. Served from 10am till 3pm, it's packed with unusual hangover cures, such as fried duck egg with duck jerky, spiced quinoa, pumpkin and shallot, to be matched with a Bloody Mary, Pol Roger or Belgian beer. Starters on the daily menu include red cabbage crackers with parmesan custard and scallop carpaccio with jalapeño, capsicum, saffron and orange. Among the mains are roasted lamb rump with potato, zucchini, macadamia and mint, as well as confit kingfish with black lentils, celery, sour cream and radish. For those who can't make up their minds, there's a seven-course Bistro Banquet for $75 per person (could be a hot new contender for inclusion in our favourite Sydney degustations under $100). Regulars might be relieved to know that Wednesday's BYO night isn't going anywhere. Bring your own bottle for a one-off corkage charge of $14 (not the cheapest corkage in the city, but relatively well-priced). Meanwhile, on the cocktail list, you'll find a handful of Champagne-based concoctions, including bellinis, mimosas, Old Cubans, alongside further reliable classics. Jersey Rd. also has multiple dining spaces. On the rooftop, you'll find the restaurant's urban kitchen garden, crowded with mint, basil and heirloom varieties. If you're not up for a sit-down meal, hit the downstairs bar for tipples and snacks, such as fried kipfler potatoes with white anchovy, black olive and saffron aioli, plus chicken liver parfait with raspberry, fennel and grilled sourdough. Farewell, Buzo. Find Jersey Rd. Bistro at 3 Jersey Road, Woollahra. Opening hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 5pm and Sundays from 10am-3pm. Bookings at (02) 9328 1600 or reservations@jerseyrdbistro.com.au.
French filmmakers are a busy bunch. Every year, the country's cinematic talent pumps out nearly 300 new movies — enough to rank among the top five film-producing nations in 2016, behind only India, the US, China and Japan. It's no wonder, then, that Australia's annual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is always jam-packed with flicks, spoiling viewers for choice when it comes to Gallic cinema's latest and greatest. The fest's team clearly has plenty of picks to choose from, with their 2018 event touring 47 features, two documentaries and one television series around local screens until mid-April. This year's fest kicks off with the laughs of C'est la vie! thanks to The Intouchables duo Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, ends with rom-com 50 Is the New 30, and features everything from multiple Isabelle Huppert appearances to multiple César Award winners among its lineup. In short: there's more than enough on offer to make you think you're on the other side of the world, and not just in your nearest cinema. And if you need some help deciding what to see, that's where we come in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ietLhsUOuQ BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) When last year's Cannes favourite (and award-winner) BPM (Beats Per Minute) didn't make this year's Oscars shortlist for the best foreign-language film category, it was considered quite the shock. Come French cinema's own night of nights, the Césars, and the AIDS activism drama fared much, much better, taking out best film, editing, screenplay, score, male newcomer and supporting actor. It's easy to see why, the latest from Eastern Boys' filmmaker Robin Campillo is both intimate and wide-ranging as it explores the efforts of a passionate group to fight for acceptance and affordable HIV treatment in the early '90s. The writer-director himself was a member of ACT UP, the organisation at the movie's centre, adding an extra layer of authenticity — something the film already oozes courtesy of its naturalistic style, personal approach and exceptional performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-haop2Ini0 LET THE SUNSHINE IN In Let the Sunshine In, Juliette Binoche plays a just-divorced 50-something artist attempting to find love again — and causing audiences to fall for the great French actress's many charms in the process. Take our word for it: if you weren't already a fan before seeing this thoughtful romantic comedy (and if not, why not?), then you will be afterwards. Headlining a distinctive change of pace from acclaimed filmmaker Claire Denis, Binoche glows even as her character struggles with re-entering the dating scene, navigating the ups and downs that go with it, and working out what she actually wants as she flits through a series of varying dates. When we saw and loved the feature at last year's Melbourne International Film Festival, we said it was "a smart, spirited and soulful exploration of affection and intimacy — as driven by Binoche's enigmatic candour — that cuts deep". We still think so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1KzHPDN1JI MRS. HYDE Another year, another Isabelle Huppert film in the AFFFF program. Anything else really is virtually unthinkable. The adored French star actually features in two of this year's festival flicks, but if the prospect of seeing the inimitable actress in a version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde doesn't get you excited, then nothing will. Lighter in tone than Robert Louis Stevenson's literary classic, and filled with commentary about class clashes in contemporary French society as well as laughter, Serge Bozon's effort is set within a Parisian high school. It also features a pivotal lightening strike and sees Huppert's stressed teacher undergo quite the transformation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXSnlxctWLY BARBARA French singer Barbara gets the biopic treatment in the film that shares her name, but it's also much, much more than that. The third feature directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Mathieu Amalric, it's a tale about an actress (Jeanne Balibar) preparing to play Barbara in a biopic, and a director (played by Amalric) who's obsessed with his subject. Yes, there's a film within a film, as well as archival footage of the real figure herself, just to keep things even more ambitious. Adding further layers to the flick, Balibar — who just won the Cesar for best actress for her excellent efforts — was once married to Amalric. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihiS-A8yT2c REDOUBTABLE What's the French Film Festival without a dose of French film history? This year, they're delivering it in biopic form, focusing on one of the country's great directors and pioneers of the French New Wave. In Redoubtable, Louis Garrel steps into Jean-Luc Godard's shoes, following his relationship with his Weekend and La Chinoise muse Anne Wiazemsky (Stacy Martin), his career in the late '60s, and the surrounding French political and social unrest. Plus, for director Michel Hazanavicius, it's a return to making movies about movies after his Oscar-winning The Artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iIkM6OvK78 CUSTODY The heartbreaking drama, anxiety and tension of a hard-fought custody battle sits at the centre of this aptly titled effort, which first premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival and has been garnering praise ever since. Actor-turned-writer/director Xavier Legrand plunges viewers into a social realist look at a divorcing couple and the 12-year-old son stuck in the middle, which might sound like a familiar situation. It is; however the first-timer favours naturalism and observation over heavy sentiment, and has earned many a comparison to the Dardenne brothers (Lorna's Silence; Two Days, One Night) as a result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KK-uzPspoA DOUBLE LOVER Another AFFFF favourite — but behind the lens — François Ozon (Frantz) is back in psychological sexual thriller territory with Double Lover. Yes, as the name gives away, there's duplicity involved. It's rarely a good idea to fall in love with a psychoanalyst in these kinds of films, so when former model Chloé (Marine Vacth) does just that with Paul (Jérémie Renier), there's unexpected consequences. Fans of Swimming Pool, In the House, Young & Beautiful and The New Girlfriend will know just the mood, tone and simmering unease they're in for, as well as the all-round provocative air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgHtE9OzrhU ISMAËL'S GHOSTS Films about filmmakers are a definite trend at this year's AFFFF. And not just that — films starring Mathieu Amalric as a filmmaker, too. The aforementioned Barbara director and star plays the titular Ismaël in Ismaël's Ghosts, who's just about to get immersed in his latest project when the past comes calling. Also featuring Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Redoubtable's Louis Garrel, the movie is the latest from My Golden Days' Arnaud Desplechin, and opened the Cannes Film Festival last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsuPXa9KJA THE WORKSHOP Another effort with a connection to Cannes, The Workshop not only premiered there last year, but was directed by 2008 Palme d'Or winner Laurent Cantet (The Class) and co-written with BPM's Robin Campillo. The drama unfolds at a creative writing workshop, where participants clash over more than just writing, and their novelist teacher (Marina Foïs) doesn't quite know how to react. With Cantent known for his naturalism, like Campillo, a portrait of modern-day France emerges as the feature plays out, delving into fears, fractures and friction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7nw6RhYwgI IF YOU SAW HIS HEART It mightn't be a French Film Festival without Isabelle Huppert, but it's often not a film festival at all without Gael Garcia Bernal. This time, the Mexican favourite stars in this French-language effort from first-time writer/director Joan Chemla. Taking inspiration from the work of Cuban author Guillermo Rosales, If You Saw His Heart follows a man holed up in a hotel and at a loss after the death of his best friend. The result promises a hefty dose of existential malaise, plus South of France scenery, all served up with Bernal's usual charm. The Alliance Française French Film Festival tours Australia from February 27, screening at Sydney's Chauvel Cinema, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace from February 27 to March 27; Melbourne's Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from February 28 to March 27; and Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from March 8 to April 4. For more information, visit the festival website.
If you've been one of those savvy, savvy Opal users, who's been rollerblading between light rail stops, to 'Opal mine' and rack up your weekly cap on the cheap, we're afraid your halcyon days are over. Up until today, Opal (albeit pretty much accidentally) enabled one of the sweetest public transport deals on the planet. Once you'd used your Opal card to take eight paid trips — of any distance and cost, but at least an hour between each 'trip' — you'd then enjoy free travel for the rest of the week. One of the most common methods for taking advantage of this was spending a couple of hours on a Monday, tapping on and off between Pyrmont Bay and The Star light rail stops. They're only 200 metres apart and a one-way journey between the two sets you back only $2.10 (or $1.05 for students). So, for 15 bucks, you could ride trains, buses and ferries to your heart's content until the following Monday. Back in September 2014, then transport minister Gladys Berejiklian acknowledged — and encouraged — such cheeky behaviours. "I want people to beat the system," she told SMH. "I want people to find the savings because they are there to be had." But the NSW Government has now changed its tune. On Monday, March 21, current transport minister Andrew Constance announced that the meaning of a 'journey' or 'trip' on Opal has been redefined — and can now include up to seven transfers. So, where the aforementioned Pyrmont Bay-The Star stunt could be achieved in two hours, it'll now take as many as five. So, theoretically, you could still make it happen, but not without some serious dedication — and plenty of hours to spare. Via The Age. Image: Beau Giles.
Sunburnt settlers didn't build this city by the sea just so you could stay on land and pavement. If you always did that, you'd miss out on the joy of salt spray, the harbour wind in your hair. Whether setting sail (well, boarding a vessel) from Circular Quay, or hopping the plank at Palm Beach in the north or Cronulla in the south, there are plenty of adventures to be had in Sydney where — bar having your own boat — only a ferry can rightly take you. Pack a picnic with your squad, strap your hikers on and explore the wide reaches of this bush-clad city and beyond. [caption id="attachment_653083" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CIRCULAR QUAY TO SHARK ISLAND Shark Island is the 1.5-hectare picnic oasis of your dreams that sits in the Sydney Harbour National Park, close to Rose Bay and Point Piper. Directions: Captain Cook Cruises steers the service, which on weekdays leaves from Circular Quay (Wharf Six) and Barangaroo (Wharf Two) five times daily. It takes between 20–25 minutes, although with this sparkling route you'll be wishing it would slow the hell down. Please note that services will resume on January 4, 2020. Cost: $20 return. Book here. What to do when you get there: There's grass, shade and 360-degree views of sexy seaside Sydney. Get that first ferry and bolt for the one 30-person gazebo if you're throwing a shindig (and book your ferry tickets in advance if you're bringing a squad of pals). Despite the name, few sharks swing their fangs by here these days, but you can spot tide pool critters in the grottos and inlets by the shore. There are toilets, water and picnic tables, but no shops — so bring all your kit in a good 'ol fashioned picnic basket. [caption id="attachment_653084" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CRONULLA TO BUNDEENA Bundeena is a nature-filled waterside suburb with rustic charm that hugs the Royal National Park. The 20-minute route leaves from Cronulla and crosses the Port Hacking River, where you'll go a little nuts with envy over the water-lapping properties. Don't worry though — the nature on the other side will calm you back down. Directions: The ferry departs from Tonkin Wharf in Gunnamutta Bay, a five-minute walk from Cronulla Station. Cost: $6.80 each way. You just pay on-board. Info here. What to do when you get there: Strap on the old hikers and get thee to the Royal National Park. The 26-kilometre Coast Track begins at Jibbon Beach and weaves past small sandy inlets (Little Jibbon Beach is used as a nude beach if you really want to take your trip back to nature), cliffsides and bushland, not to mention a series of rock carvings from the Dharawal people who lived here for thousands of years. Walk as far as your nature-loving heart desires; Wottamolla, Burning Palms, Garie and Wedding Cake Rock are all doable in a day trip if you leave early. Back in Bundeena, grab a coffee and fish and chips on the deck of Passionfruit Cafe, or sink your toes in the sand as you wait for the return ferry to Cronulla. [caption id="attachment_653085" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Rains/Destination NSW[/caption] PALM BEACH TO ETTALONG This stunning half-hour journey takes in four waterways — Pittwater, Broken Bay, the Hawkesbury River and Box Head — and makes a brief pit-stop at Wagstaffe. You may even luck out and see some wildlife like seals, turtles or even penguins along the way. Directions: Catch the Fantasea-run ferry from Palm Beach Wharf on Barrenjoey Road. Cost: $12.20 one way. You can book over the phone or just pay on-board. Info here. What to do when you get there: Only 30 minutes from Palmy and you're suddenly in the Central Coast. At Ettalong Beach you can try your hand at fishing, hire a kayak from beachfront Anderson's kayaks, or lazily park your bum on the sand. Bush wanderers can jump on the Great North Walk path into the Brisbane Waters National Park from Patonga to Pearl Beach, ducking uphill to the Warrah Lookout for some spectacular views. Hungry daytrippers can soak up the sights at The Box on the Water, grab some gourmet grub from their kiosk, or head for the Cinema Paradiso complex where Bar Toto does pizza by the slice as well as charcuterie and cheese. [caption id="attachment_653087" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Rohloff/Destination NSW[/caption] CIRCULAR QUAY TO COCKATOO ISLAND Find Cockatoo Island at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers. The UNESCO World Heritage Site has a pretty hectic past, as an air raid shelter, convict colony, gaol and even graving dock. Directions: From Circular Quay, the ferry swings past Balmain, Greenwich Point and Woolwich, which is why it takes a half hour despite being close to town. There are also services from Darling Harbour and Barangaroo. Cost: $6.12 each way using your Opal or credit card. What to do when you get there: If you're here for the history, take an audio or guided tour, or veer past the vids in the Dog Leg Tunnel. Exercise fiends will be beside themselves over the harbour views of the basketball court. Hell, there's even giant chess. Cockatoo Island also has the right look for Hollywood, having been the setting of a Wolverine escape scene and a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken (of which you can see snippets in the screening room). The Harbour Trust also runs glamping, spooky haunted tours and sometimes live music sessions at sunset. [caption id="attachment_653023" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MickeyMoo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] CHURCH POINT TO SCOTLAND ISLAND In the far northern reaches of Sydney, Scotland Island houses history and spotted gums galore, and is just the ticket for a rustic getaway on the western foreshore of the Pittwater, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Directions: The ferry sets off from Church Point wharf hourly on the half hour and makes multiple stops on Scotland Island, including Morning Bay, Lovett Bay and Elvina Bay. It takes 20–25 minutes depending on where you hop off. Cost: $9.40 one-way or $15 return. What to do when you get there: Scotland Island was made famous by author Susan Duncan's Salvation Creek, in which she shacks up in Tarrangaua House built for poet Dorothea Mackellar in 1925. Author Di Morrissey also grew up here, and bad-arse femme fatale Tilly Devine had a retreat from her city shenanigans as well. Take a trek up Flagstaff Hill for some epic views of the Pittwater, or settle in for a BBQ at the picnic tables by Tennis Court Wharf. If you fancy doing an overnighter, there's a YHA with a big deck that presents tidy vistas over the island. [caption id="attachment_653088" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CIRCULAR QUAY TO CREMORNE If time is of the essence but you still want to bask in the sun-kissed beauty that is Sydney, this short jaunt to Cremorne Point is just the trick. Bring your swimmers. Directions: From Circular Quay Wharf Four, this ten-minute trip across the harbour takes you past Kirribilli and Kurraba Point on to Cremorne Point Wharf. After a short walk, you can return from Mosman Bay Wharf, which will take 20 minutes. Cost: $6.12 each way (whether you return from Cremorne Point Wharf or Mosman Bay Wharf). What to do when you get there: Wander into Cremorne Reserve to gush over the sweetest darn lighthouse in Sydney at Robertson Point. Spin back past the ferry wharf and onto Maccallum Pool, a little picket-fence (free!) swimming oasis with million dollaroonie views. The walk between Cremorne Point to Mosman Bay wharves will take around 45 minutes (plus your dip), and takes in some grande ol' houses, pristine views, and the Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens, planted in the 1950s. [caption id="attachment_653090" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CIRCULAR QUAY TO MANLY Despite being a Sydney icon since 1855, few south of the bridge would dispute that the Manly ferry is transport of choice for reaching sunny Manly. Directions: From Circular Quay (Wharf Three), the Manly Ferry turns east past Kirribilli, heads towards the headlands and through Middle and North harbours, and cruises on to Manly Cove in 30 minutes. If you're in a rush, the private Manly Fast Ferry service shaves off around ten minutes (but costs a tad more). Cost: $7.65 each way with your Opal card, or $9.70 on the Manly Fast Ferry. What to do when you get there: We hope you brought your towel and cossies, because you'll be beckoned by the beaches at every turn. Head straight on down the Corso for a spot of shopping and, when you reach the water, chuck a left along the esplanade until you hit Shelly Beach, a sheltered little oasis. Grab a lazy, seaside lunch at The Boathouse beside the sand, take a tipple on the balcony at Manly institution The Steyne, or dine with a daiquiri at Hemingway's. The more adventurous can take the stairs behind Shelly for a hike to Manly Heads or hire a surfboard and taste some salt water or maybe even catch a wave.
The process of making sourdough is a complex one, and the Swedes talk it as seriously as they take their creamy meatballs and minimalist furniture design. If you're doing it by the book, creating one loaf is a very long and complicated task, and like the art of making whiskey, ramen, craft beer, cold drip and growing a beard, it has amassed a devoted niche following. But in an adorable move, Sweden has opened its own 24-hour hotel, just for sourdough. You'll find this adorable land of loaves in the Arlanda airport in Stockholm, run by the RC Chocolat bakery. You can check in your sourdough any time of day, 24/7, for about 100 Swedish krona [about $17] a week. They'll keep your sourdough, care for it, feed it with an organic flour of your choice and massage water into the dough, then hand it back, all ready for baking. But why the need for a hotel? The process of making sourdough involves ‘refreshing’ or massaging the dough and, depending on a host of factors, may need to happen every 24 hours for two weeks. So if you’re a hip Swede, living in an airy loft apartment in Stockholm, cultivating a batch of pungent sourdoughs but you need to travel to a typography convention, what do you do? Before, you had to stay home with the loaves and tend to them lovingly, like they were your children, and then eat them with jam while sad-drunk because you’ve spent your youth raising loaves of fashionable bread instead of a family. But now you can check your dough-children into a hotel while you jet around the world and know they’re receiving top-class care and attention. Charlotta Soor, the owner of RC Chocolat, told Munchies that the Scandinavian love of food with an acid component (such as sour milk and yoghurt) might explain the nationwide obsession with sourdough. She also added, “One has to remember that a sourdough can live for generations as long as you take good care of it, which is pretty amazing.” You’re not wrong, Charlotta, this is all pretty amazing. Well there you have it folks, a hotel for bread. Now back to the studio. Via Munchies. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
For craft beer lovers, there's no better way to fill up on your favourite brews than with a growler. Equal to a six-pack in volume, it's the most sustainable, cheapest way to drink your craft. Not unlike a first-born child, growlers are much loved by their owners. Even better, when you use a growler, you're helping the entire brew process — from packaging to distributing and buying. As Pete Rose from Balmain Wine Shop says, "It saves time, money, and it's cheaper for local beer lovers. There's a sense of community in the growler refill, and it frees up more time for brewers create your next favourite beer." Whether yours is glass, aluminium or PET, check out these shops that will fill you up. ANNANDALE CELLARS This proudly independent and family-owned bottle shop is also a champion of all things local — from craft beer to organic wines. Their newly installed growler machine will continue to promote local craft — the three keg rotation currently has Willie the Boatman's ESB, golden and dark ale on. It's $20 to purchase their snazzy aluminium growlers, or bring your own for a $20 refill. Supporting the community with great local beer and wine? Now that's a bottle shop we can get behind. 119 Johnston Street, Annandale STEVE'S COOL BOOZE Steve's has been filling growlers for three years, with a four-tap rotation focusing on limited release and seasonal brews. His counter pressure machine is no behemoth, but it does the job right for a perfect quality pour every time. It rotates with local favourites like Lord Nelson as well as international beers from Belgium, the Netherlands and the like. If you're in the market to buy a new growler, Steve has options of PET or glass growlers and squealers ($3 - $16) and even a growler koozie cover ($18.99) to protect your beer from the destructive effects of UV light. Better yet, you'll get a complimentary tasting of the beers before you buy. 686 Anzac Parade, Kingsford WAYWARD BREWING Recently opened down a hidden laneway in Camperdown, Wayward Brewing doesn't just offer up their own award-winning Wayward beers; they have three guest taps of local favourites like Akasha and Shenanigans as well. It's like going to a bottle shop inside a brewery. Buy a Wayward growler or bring your own, filled off the tap. With new Octoberfest-inspired brews now on tap and summer brews out soon, there's more than one reason to visit Sydney's newest brewery. 1 Gehrig Lane, Camperdown NEWTOWN GROWLER DEPOT The famous Rosie, an arcade machine of growler fillers, is not your ordinary tap refill. With separate compartments for sanitising and filling with counter pressure, this machine guarantees you one month of shelf life. At Newtown, they're filling 300 growlers per week, with the option to bring your own glass growler to be filled or use the swap-and-go method. If you're in the market for your first, growlers are only $10 to buy. The bottle-O also hosts 'meet the local brewers' nights on Friday arvos and is now distributing to their sister shops in Balmain and Glebe, which operate strictly on the swap-and-go system. 145 King Street, Newtown; Balmain Wine Shop 292 Darling Street, Balmain; Glebe Wine Shop 345 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. ttp://concreteplayground.com/content/uploads/2014/12/cp-line.jpg" alt="cp-line" width="825" height="3" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-503581" /> MODUS OPERANDI Home of the CANimal machine, this brewery not only offers growlers and squealers but also has their own master sealer for cans to go, poured straight from the tap. With 12 taps and cheeky stories to accompany each beer, you'll have a lot to choose from. Their seasonals brws include a coffee lager and a Russian imperial, with all the fan favourites alongside. A brewery counting four Champion Craft Beer Awards is worth getting to go. 14 Harkeith Street, Mona Vale. Image courtesy of Modus Operandi. BONDI BEACH CELLARS This family-owned operation has been a Bondi institution for 27 years and has just recently added three growler taps to amp up their eastern suburbs craft beer haven. With Rogue Dead Guy Ale and Riverside 777 currently on tap, they'll continue the trend of mixing local and international breweries. This well matches their range of beers, which hits 300 varieties. Going back for more? Their growler refill loyalty program gets you every 10th refill free. 50 Hall Street, Bondi. Image courtesy of Bondi Beach Cellars. BEER CARTEL It's easy to get overwhelmed at Beer Cartel, which boasts the biggest beer selection in Sydney at 1100+ brews. Instead, head in for their two beer taps, housing a lot of Stateside favourites like Rogue, Sierra Nevada and Founders. Filling both squealers and growlers and constantly rotating their taps, this shop continues to live up to its name. 9/87 Reserve Road, Artarmon BATCH BREWING CO The Batch guys are never resting. They constantly pump out new and interesting brews. Your growler fills could look completely different from one week to the next. Right now, they have their core range on, including the signature APA and west coast IPA, along with the German-inspired Das Helles and Das Dunkel. The local hangout is a great place to spend an afternoon, and afterwards, takeaway is a must. 44 Sydenham Road, Marrickville. Image courtesy of Batch Brewing Co. THE OAK BARREL Oak Barrel's undeniably impressive stock doesn't stop, and their rotating, refillable growler taps are the cherry on top. The craft beer corridor that will seal your inevitable doom could take days to navigate and can make even the biggest beer snob's jaw drop, so always good to go for the growler and simplify your beer buying experience. 152 Elizabeth Street, Sydney ROCKS BREWING CO The Rocks Brewing has brought happy hour to growlers. From 3pm–5pm, Monday–Friday, their core range is available for $15, including Hangman Pale Ale, Governor Golden Ale and the Convict Lager. At regular price, you can still get a fresh batch of local craft brew for $20. A brewery involving six generations of Australians and two brewpubs is a very smart place to get your growler filled. 160 Bourke Road (Driveway J), Alexandria. Image courtesy of Rocks Brewing Co. Top image: Young Henrys, available at Newtown Growler Depot and Young Henrys. Annandale, Balmain Wine Shop, Newtown Depot and Steve's Cool Booze images by Marissa Ciampi.
Taco King at The George Hotel may be no more, with the Waterloo pub recently reopening under the direction of new operators, but the Taco King himself Toby Wilson is pressing on with a new tortilla venture: Ricos Tacos. The Taco King is dead, long live the Taco King. So far, Ricos Tacos has popped up for two days at the Grifter Brewing Co, and set up a (slightly more permanent) shop in the car park of Gelato Messina's Rosebery HQ as well. Now, Wilson is heading over to Rocker in North Bondi for the eatery's next venture — and taking over the menu for a taco Tuesday collaboration. From 4.30pm each Tuesday between November 24–December 15, Wilson will be serving up a bespoke range of dishes, turning Rocker into a once-a-week taqueria. You'll be able to tuck into kingfish ceviche, avocado, citrus, soy and sesame tostadas ($7), or opt for chicken chipotle and tomato tacos ($6). Among other options, there'll also be tempura mushroom tacos and Ensenada-style fish tacos, too. And, for dessert, you can expect churros topped with lemon zest, chamomile sugar and dulce de leche ($9). Rocker will also be pouring frozen margaritas, Arquitecto tequila, Estrella beers and other cocktails, should you need something to wash your tacos down with. Bookings aren't necessary, but they are recommended — and you'll have an hour-long slot to munch away. If you didn't try Wilson's tacos at The George, you may've encountered them at the various guises of Ghostboy Cantina (including at Dixon House and inside Tio's Cerveceria). Missed those, too? We suggest you make a beeline to North Bondi come Tuesday. [caption id="attachment_635514" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Katje Ford[/caption]
Chef Matt Stone wants to you to make a bar out of your own backyard. Really. Melbourne's young gun head chef of Victoria's Oakridge winery, Stone made his industry name as head chef of Joost Bakker's Greenhouse, Silo and Brothl, then as the culinary brains behind IconPark's Sydney pop-up Stanley Street Merchants and a MasterChef regular. At his core, Stone's a stickler for ethical and sustainable cooking, so he's just released his first cookbook The Natural Cook to help fuel some of that philosophy in everyday Aussie kitchens. The (extremely well photographed) cookbook's brimming with recipes meant to make you rethink food, bring you back to basics, try traditional techniques, adopt new sustainable cooking habits and make the best of the bounty of native ingredients Australia's got going on (one of the most sustainable ways Australians can cook). Of course, the book champions Stone's infamous 'zero-waste' philosophy, whether you're making yoghurt, pickling things or making a Bloody Mary. We've taken a couple of recipes out of of Stone's book, to show you how easy it is to incorporate native Australian ingredients into your everyday — well, into your cocktails in particular. Here's a little humdinger of a recipe for an Aussie South Side, topped with, y'know, a small serving of ants. Once you've crafted this gem, try making Stone's Native Spiced Bloody Mary (recipe's over here). MATT STONE'S AUSSIE SOUTH SIDE "A refreshing taste of Australia for a spring afternoon." INGREDIENTS Serves one ice 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) white spirit (gin, vodka or white rum) 30 ml (1 fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice 10 ml (2 teaspoons) basic sugar syrup (see page 209) 7 Australian river mint (or regular mint) leaves small plate of ants and 1 lime wedge (optional) Fill a serving glass with ice and let it stand. Put the spirit, lime juice and sugar syrup, and all but one of the mint leaves, into a shaker, giving the mint a clap between your hands to excite its flavour before throwing it in. Fill the shaker to the top with ice, seal and shake vigorously for around 15 seconds. Discard the ice from the serving glass. If using ants, rub a wedge of lime around the rim of the glass. Gently press the rim onto your ants, twisting the glass so they stick all the way around the circumference. Put three to four cubes of fresh ice in the glass. Double-strain the liquid from the shaker into the glass using your Hawthorne and fine strainers. Stick the reserved mint leaf on top and serve. Note: There are specialist online shops where you can buy ants and other edible insects. Recipe and image from The Natural Cook by Matt Stone (Murdoch Books). Photography by Mark Roper RRP $39.99 available now in all good bookstores and online.
Brisbane's Damian Griffiths is doubling down on his mission to put the entire population of Sydney — and indeed, Australia — into a diabetic coma. A mere six months after giving us our first taste of his insane Doughnut Time creations, the sugar-mad restaurateur is bringing his retro ice cream parlour, Mister Fitz, across the border. The first Mister Fitz opened in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane last December, followed quickly by a second location in South Bank. Speaking to Good Food, Griffiths confirmed that he's already found a location in Glebe and is currently looking for real estate in Surry Hills. "I'd plan to have them both open by the start of summer," he said. Plans for stores in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are also on the horizon. Like the doughnuts at Doughnut Time, the ice cream at Mister Fitz is pretty damn ludicrous — and we mean that in the best possible way. Their homemade creations include pink sea salt and caramel, coffee and oreo, and banana, brown sugar and bacon. You can get it in a waffle cone or build your own ice cream sandwich. A photo posted by @misterfitz_ on Feb 26, 2016 at 9:27pm PST A photo posted by @misterfitz_ on Mar 13, 2016 at 1:32am PST They also offer seriously epic milkshakes, including the Gold Digger, made with banana, brown sugar and bacon ice cream with whipped cream, candied bacon, crushed chips and salted caramel, and the Boom! Shake The Room, made with Nutella ice cream, whipped cream, Nutella drizzle, crushed hazelnuts and feuilletine. The news of Mister Fitz coming to Sydney's streets follows the opening of Nathan Sasi's wildly popular soft serve parlour Good Times in Potts Point and Messina's announcement that they're opening a degustation bar this month. Doesn't look like our love for ice cream is slowing down any time soon. And if it does, these guys will sure be in a spot of trouble. Follow Mister Fitz on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with their Sydney expansion plans. Via Good Food.
Sydney bakeries these days are in hot competition for your dough. There aren't many left just churning out simple loaves of white bread — now it's all about sourdough, fruit loaves, croissants, cronuts and cruffins. But not all of them rise to the occasion, so we're here to sort out which establishments you knead to visit, and which crumby ones you can be gluten-free of. It's the Concrete Playground Crust-See Sydney Bakery list — so use your loaf and follow it. BOURKE STREET BAKERY It's been written about, blogged about, hyped by almost every foodie and has queues out the door every single day — so is Bourke Street Bakery actually all that good? Um yes. Yes it is. One bite of their buttery and crisp ginger brulee tart and you'll be working out how you can schedule in a visit here every day of the week. The loaves of bread for sale are excellent — all the sourdoughs are solid and last for about a week, but the fig and cranberry is our favourite served toasted with butter or with ham and brie for an incredible sandwich. The beef brisket pie and lamb and harissa sausage rolls are so good you won't even need a squeezy packet of tomato sauce. Grab a dark chocolate and sour cherry cookie for later — you won't regret it. Various locations, but the original is 633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills IGGY'S BREAD There's a reason so many cafes around Sydney trumpet the fact that they use Iggy's bread on their menus. It's got an intensity of flavour, a solid crumb and a chewy density that somehow never feels too heavy. The queues spilling down the street will alert you to exactly where this humble shopfront is, though the staff are efficient and the wait is never all that long. The dark rye is our pick — malty and slightly sweet, it's perfect paired with fresh tomato, avocado and just a sprinkle of salt. The cranberry pecan rolls are also amazing warm with a dab of butter. Textbook croissants and legit bagels are perfect morning snacks, as you trot home with the weekend's bread wrapped snugly in your bag. 49 Belgrave Street, Bronte BREADFERN We like puns. We also like the smell of hot, fresh bread spreading through the streets of Redfern. Breadfern's ethical and organic approach to bread making also ticks a lot of boxes, as do their custard tarts and cheesy spinach rolls. In short, there is a whole lot to love at this corner bakery. Run by the legends at Tapeo (literally across the road, and yes they use their own bread in those legendary breakfasts that you've probably inhaled many times), all the loaves are made daily and onsite. Tuck a crusty olive sourdough under your arm to take home, but first grab a chicken pie and chocolate caramel tart to smash in the park that's also literally across the road. 308 Chalmers Street, Redfern OREGANO BAKERY It's like a sweet snowstorm. What seems like three kilos of icing sugar is somehow packed on top of the best cinnamon scroll you've ever tasted, all buttery gnarled layers coated in spicy deliciousness. The scrolls at Oregano Bakery may have made this place famous, but their pizzas are also mindblowingly good — try a 'meat pizza' with lamb, onion, tomato and herbs scattered across a traditional Lebanese-style pizza base. But you'll want to save room for those scrolls, whether you go for the cookies and cream, salted caramel or tahini and sesame you won't be disappointed. Grab a box to take home — they'll disappear in minutes. 56 Connells Point Road, South Hurstville GLENORIE BAKERY There's outdoor seating, a decent breakfast menu and award-winning pies but it's the quality of the bread that keeps us going back to the Glenorie Bakery. The seven-seed sourdough is golden brown, crusty and coated with seeds – hunks of it are perfect with a hearty winter soup. The ciabatta is great to take on a picnic with some sliced meats and cheeses. You may also get distracted here by the pastry counter – dozens of éclairs, tarts, cupcakes and other sweet treats vie for your attention. The quiches are also better than your average bakery, while the beefy meat pie has been voted Sydney's best in past years so try one to see if it makes your list. Shop 4, Old Northern Road, Glenorie GOOSE BAKERY It's the pastries that set this place apart. Croissants that are somehow dense with butter, yet light and flaky. Try one of them spiked on top with toasted coconut for a flavour combo you will want to come back for. The golden danishes and brioche studded with fruit are also worthy partners to the bracing cups of coffee served here. It will come as no surprise that the owners and bakers trained at Bourke Street Bakery — the cake counter and loaves of bread wordlessly attest to that. The only real shock is that this place doesn't yet have massive queues out the door, despite the incredible reasonably priced breakfast menu. 38 Ross Street, Forest Lodge SONOMA Another bread brand that Sydney restaurants and cafes boast on menus about stocking, Sonoma sourdough loaves are dense, chewy and delicious — reflecting the years of work that went into perfecting the recipe in the NSW country town of Bellata. The family-run business now has seven cafes spread across Sydney selling this bread, as well as treats like the signature 'Morning Bun' that's like a cronut on citrusy steroids. The cafes also take coffee super seriously, so make sure you grab a takeaway when you pop in for a morning loaf. Various locations including 32 Birmingham Street, Alexandria BAKEHOUSE ON WENTWORTH Maybe it's the cold mountain air, maybe it's the hike we just finished but the pies at Bakehouse on Wentworth are just totally irresistible. The beef and Guinness has crisp, short pastry and rich gravy as well as recognisable chunks of wonderful quality beef. The almond croissant is also worth a mention — it tastes of actual almond meal rather than artificial almond flavouring. Loaves of bread are also available for takeaway — the garlic loaf has whole cloves of caramelised garlic studded across the top. Keep the winter vibes going and rustle up a casserole to serve it alongside. 105 Wentworth Street, Blackheath ST HONORE Good French-style bread is surprisingly hard to find in Sydney. Finding a baguette with a light, moist crumb and chewy intensity of flavour is rare in this city of sourdough, but St Honore wears its Coeur on its sleeve, serving traditional, excellent loaves and breadsticks. The sourdough here is also excellent, with a starter that's been passed down so long that a baker tells me he's not quite sure exactly how old it is. Add in moist banana bread, creamy and moreish fruit tarts and a large variety of choux pastry treats and you're in for a French flavour explosion. 2/40 Miller Street, North Sydney KNAFEH It's a bakery, but not as you've ever seen it before. This pop-up bakery is inside a shipping crate, and moves locations every couple of days. You won't find loaves of sourdough inside – instead turn your attention to a plate of their namesake 'knafeh' dessert – pronounced ku-nah-feh – which is sort of like a baked cheese pudding with a crunchy coating. It's served piping hot and has a stretchy, oozing quality. You add your own sugar syrup so make it as sweet as you like – and don't even think about sharing because you'll want the plate all to yourself. It moves – check their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for the latest location HONOURABLE MENTIONS Infinity Sourdough Luxe Bakery Wild Cockatoo Black Star Pastry Brickfields Top image: Oregano Bakery. All other images c/o venue except Breadfern (Shannon Connellan).
With his darkly funny scripts, quirky set-pieces and kitsch cinematography, director Taika Waititi is a little like a Kiwi Wes Anderson. Following on from the success of his vampire mockumentary hit What We Do In The Shadows, Waititi's new film Hunt for the Wilderpeople offers up another feel good alternative to just about everything else that's out there. Put simply, it's fantastic. Set in the dense bushland of New Zealand's east coast, the film tells the story of Ricky Baker, a troublesome ten year old orphan who, after years of delinquency, is on his last chance before being institutionalised. That last chance comes in the form of country couple Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hec (Sam Neill). Bella is an unflappably positive soul, the kind of no-nonsense straight talker you can't help but love from the moment you meet her, and her approach to Ricky is enough to quickly convince him to cease his nightly attempts at escape. Hec, by contrast, is the definition of loner. Bearded and bedraggled, he's an old-school bushman whose tolerance for companionship begins and ends with his wife and their scrappy old dog. The story takes a turn, however, when Hec and Ricky find themselves stranded in the bush and unable to return until Hec's fractured leg can heal. Worse still, to the outside world, it's assumed Hec has actually kidnapped Ricky, resulting in both police and rescue teams being brought in to hunt down the perceived paedophile. So begins a touching and terrifically funny odd couple on the run story that lovingly and faithfully harks back to various NZ comedies of the 80s. As Ricky, newcomer Julian Dennison puts in an accomplished and confident performance, imbuing his character with a lovely sensitivity masked by a veneer of wannabe gangsterism. Neill, likewise, is fantastic as the crotchety old Hec, pacing his inevitable softening towards Ricky with just the right amount of snarl and sneer. The other key performance of note comes from Rachel House as Ricky's dedicated child services appointee Paula. Playing it like a hard-edged cop from a film noir, Paula considers herself a relentless pursuer akin to the Terminator, and her verbal battles with Ricky offer up an almost unceasing stream of laugh-out-loud moments. Offbeat, intimate and impressively affecting despite its farcical nature, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is one the year's strongest films to date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Xvsjy57X0
There's a lot to learn about the gin and tonic. The classic combination of bitter and sweet has become a cocktail staple — mixed with a little lime and a lot of ice, it's endlessly refreshing and easy to make. We've all gone into a bar and had a bad G&T, but we've all gone into a bar and had a decent one too. How can the combination of two ingredients have such a different outcome? In partnership with Bombay Sapphire, we investigated. This is how you make the perfect G&T — from the tonic water, all the way to the garnish. OBVIOUSLY, YOUR CHOICE OF GIN IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT We've been treated to a gin resurgence of late. Hundreds of distilleries across the world are now creating their own gin — there are smaller, craft gin companies that have popped up and larger, more established brands that will hopefully stay around and bless us with gin forever. Gin is made with a base spirit, and botanicals (like coriander, orris root and juniper berries) are added during the distillation process in order to produce a certain, sweet flavour. Every gin company uses botanicals in its own way to produce its own unique flavour. "It's what you do with the botanicals that differentiates gin," says Sean Forsyth, Bombay Sapphire ambassador. "Bombay Sapphire is the only London dry gin to infuse the botanicals by steaming them instead of boiling them, which produces a brighter, more vibrant, kind of fresher, uplifting flavour." Gin is an incredibly varied drink, so it's important to figure out what brand (and flavour) suits your palette before you start using it in your G&Ts. Luckily, "never has the consumer had more choice available to them", says Forsyth. Try out a few brands and decide on one that you like. TONIC WATER MAKES UP THREE QUARTERS OF YOUR COCKTAIL Tonic water is not to be underestimated. Like gin, its flavour also varies drastically between brands. Smaller craft producers, according to Forsyth, focus on "natural cane sugars, using high quality, filtered waters, and of course using real botanicals, real quinine and real spices to flavour their mixers." The result is a tonic that isn't overly sweet, syrupy, and is generally more approachable than one you would find on a supermarket shelf. Many bartenders favour the brand Fever Tree in their drinks, because they focus on all of the above factors, as well as making sure their tonic has a decent level of carbonation. "A lot of bubbles is really important to a great gin and tonic," says Forsyth. The fizz tickles your nose and the smell of the gin becomes more apparent." But again, "it all comes down to preference and taste," he says. Don't be too hasty to chuck out the Schweppes if that's what you prefer. GET A LITTLE INVENTIVE WITH YOUR GARNISHES Arguments over the best garnish for the G&T are heated, but the answer arguably lies in the geography. Limes grow in India, and lemons usually don't, so it's most likely that "the original garnish for the gin and tonic was actually lime, not lemon", as Forsyth says. If you choose to garnish with lime, rub the rind around the rim of the glass before dropping it into your drink. Half of what you taste is what you smell first, and this tactic will take the lime flavour to the next, subtle level. But don't get bogged down in tradition — mix up your garnish with something that complements or contrasts with the botanicals. For example, Forsyth recommends you sling a little black pepper and strawberry, or some cassia bark in there to get a "really delicious, almost Christmas inspired gin and tonic". YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE THE CLASSIC G&T, AND THAT'S OKAY Maybe you don't like the combination of gin and tonic water, no matter how hard you try to get involved. That's completely okay. Maybe you prefer your drink a little sweeter. If so, add a touch of sugar syrup, or something like a melon syrup to your drink to jazz up your adventure a little further. Better yet, try out some cocktails that play with the G&T tradition, like a Lemon Collins, a Gin Rickey, or a Gin Basil Tonic, a drink that the guys at PS40 knocked up just for Forsyth that uses gin, lemon, fresh basil, a touch of sugar and a healthy dose of tonic. If you're just not that into tonic water, try mixing your gin with soda, or opting for a stronger Negroni or martini. If you like drinking gin, you have so many options of things to do with it — the cocktail world is your oyster. Images: Kimberley Low and Steven Woodburn (top image).
Summer is coming to an end, whether Sydneysiders and the recent thirty degree days like it or not. As temperatures cool, the second season of the FCxMCA also draws to a close on Sunday, April 10, and they're going out with their biggest show yet. For lucky ticketholders, the "all star lineup" will remain a secret until Sunday, but with the FC roster including the likes of Flume, Little Dragon, Chet Faker and Classixx, it's sure to be one big bang of a show. Held on the MCAs sculpture terrace, each of the monthly series has sold out for the second year running. This season saw kickass acts like Danish duo Kenton Slash Demon, African poet Sampa The Great and NYC's Anthony Naples. The collaboration between music, contemporary art and just an overall fun night out is a much needed cultural comeback in a locked out Sydney.
Those who were mad fans of Bill Cunningham, or watched and loved the 2010 documentary Bill Cunningham: New York (that Venn diagram is probably a single circle), would be unsurprised to hear that the legendary fashion photographer was still shooting less than a month before his death last Saturday. Cunningham's tenacity and single-minded focus, along with his modesty and warmth were just some of the things that made the street style photographer such a joy to watch. As a reporter and historian of fashion he displayed an extraordinary depth of understanding of his subject. It's a little dismaying therefore to discover that finding photos taken by Bill Cunningham is harder than you might expect. Trawl the usual channels (Google, Tumblr, Pinterest) and inevitably nearly every image will contain a telltale flash of blue — the French workman's jacket that Cunningham made his now-iconic uniform. Though I can't blame anyone for wanting to swoon over Cunningham himself, it seems fitting to honour the reluctant celebrity by turning our attention back to his work — if nothing else, there's no doubt that's what he would have preferred. [caption id="attachment_578295" align="alignnone" width="1280"] William J. Cunningham, Facades, Penguin Books, 1978.[/caption] NEW YORK IS ITS OWN STAGE Cunningham's muse, friend and co-star Editta Sherman poses in full Edwardian get-up in this shot from Cunningham's 1978 book Facades. Many of the photographs from the book depict authentic period costumes (which Cunningham himself had collected) placed against a backdrop of iconic New York architecture. The photos are contemplation on a city that, perhaps more than any other, has made progress and modernity into an aesthetic. Though Cunningham is better known for his (generally) unstaged street photography, this photo of the Lady Bracknell-esque Sherman includes elements of the photographer's sense of humour which are familiar. Note the advertisement hanging on the graffitied subway car above Sherman: "A woman of good taste". [caption id="attachment_578296" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, Vogue, (Conde Nast, March 1974).[/caption] AMERICAN FASHION "OOZES VITALITY" If you're interested in 20th century fashion history then don't walk, RUN to watch this 2014 interview in which Cunningham describes "the most exciting fashion show" of his life. Cunningham is momentarily reduced to tears as he recalls details of the 1973 'Battle of Versailles' fashion show, in which French and American designers were pitted against one another. The two nations' designers represented two different fashion ideologies, and Cunningham wasn't shy about naming his victor. In the Chicago Tribune, he wrote that the Yanks "devastated" their French counterparts, with their "uncluttered American taste oozing vitality". Halston was among the American contingent who showed at Versailles, and though this 1974 photograph by Cunningham displays the more overt, embellished glam of the coming decade, one can still recognise in the dress' cut the kind of simplicity of design that Cunningham was still championing 40 years later. [caption id="attachment_578297" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, 'Make Your Own Art: On the Street', New York Times (OCT. 31, 2014)[/caption] FASHION NEEDS EXPERIMENTATION TO AVOID SIMPLY BEING COMMERCE So here's a fun fact: Bill Cunningham literally invented the application of the word 'deconstructionism' to fashion (Bonnie English, Japanese Fashion Designers: The Work and Influence of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, Berg, 15 Aug. 2013 , p.170). It is a rare thing indeed to encounter someone with so fierce, varied and long-lasting an appetite for fashion. In a 1989 video interview, Cunningham described how he first recognised parallels between the early 1980s designs of Rei Kawakubo, and the clothes worn by New York's homeless women. His tone is not uncritical as he makes this extraordinary observation, but you can also detect his exhilaration as he goes on to make a further link to the proportions of medieval European dress. More recently in his 'On The Street' video series for the New York Times, Cunningham showed his continued fascination with the avant-garde by comparing the red of mainstream fashion to Kawakubo's "blood and roses". He concluded: "Fashion as we know it today is absolutely commerce. Very little artistic expression. Lots of it is very beautiful and women look wonderful in it. There's nothing wrong with that! But you have to have this wild experimentation." [caption id="attachment_578300" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, 'Dashing', New York Times (February 24, 2012).[/caption] COLOUR IS POWERFUL AND DEMANDS YOUR RESPECT Many of Cunningham's most enticing collage spreads for the New York Times were based around a colour theme. Cunningham sensitivity to and appreciation of colour was something else. In 1965, the New York Times reported on a presentation given by Cunningham at Carnegie Recital Hall (the same building in which he lived and from which he was evicted in 2010). Cunningham spoke to an audience of fashion designers and students and described the colours he had seen at the recent Paris couture shows. To illustrate the colours he "sliced a pumpkin in half, peeled a banana and held up a raw beefsteak to illustrate the major colours…", documented by Bernadine Morris in her 'Two Views on Fashions: One Scholarly, One Pop' piece. Cunningham never lost his voracious appetite for fashion, and it's hard to imagine that we'll see his like again.
Whether you're heading to the cinema with friends or curling up on the couch with your significant other, a night watching movies remains a fantastic source of entertainment, enjoyment and escapism. Sitting in the dark, switching your mind away from your regular worries and slipping into another world — if you're catching the right flick, few things can top it. Cinema-wise, 2019 has thrown up plenty of films that tick all of the above boxes — and now we're just past the halfway mark, it's time to look back. Maybe you missed one of this year's hits when it was in theatres. Perhaps it's still showing and you haven't made it yet. Or, there could be a few gems that just slipped your attention. Of course, there's always the ace movies you saw, loved and want to see again. Whichever category fits, here's 12 films from 2019 that you you need to catch up on. Head to the cinema and grab a choc top or organise your streaming queue and cook up some popcorn, as we've sorted out your viewing for the near future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoxKy3d7Wno EIGHTH GRADE What our critic said: As effective as every narrative beat, probing shot and well-deployed blast of Enya (yes, Enya) proves, writer/director Bo Burnham's savviest move is also his most straightforward. Actually casting a teenager in a movie about a teenager is much more rare than it should be, and Eighth Grade wouldn't be the success it is without Golden Globe nominee Fisher as its star. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhsuT0xctI FREE SOLO What our critic said: As well as chronicling an awe-inspiring story, every frame of Free Solo offers a palpable, visceral reminder of life's enormous risks and immense rewards — and to the filmmakers' credit, you're all but certain to feel the impact in your constantly sweaty palms. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8qbq6Z6HYk IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK What our critic said: Black lives devastated by discrimination, young lovers braving seemingly insurmountable obstacles: both tales have played out across countless pages and screens before, although not as they do so here. There's a bewitching alchemy to the combination of James Baldwin's words and Barry Jenkins' direction — never shying away from the despairing truth of the situation, but never wallowing in inescapable bleakness either. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMCYE9hKP68 VOX LUX What our critic said: In Vox Lux, the difficulties and complexities of success slash savagely and hack furiously, with Brady Corbet writing and directing a blunt yet brilliant onslaught of a movie. As he did in The Childhood of a Leader, the actor-turned-filmmaker relentlessly charts the ascension of an influential fictional figure who owes their rise to struggle and trauma. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcKinfILGDk DESTROYER What our critic said: Conflicted cop Erin Bell could walk alongside any of noir's dogged investigators and hold her own. Stepping into the character's shoes, Nicole Kidman could do the same among any of the genre's best stars. Destroyer lives and breathes through its complicated protagonist and phenomenal lead performance, with each putting on a stunning show. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bavqDA_3vIo US What our critic said: Us is a creeper in multiple senses of the word. It's disquieting from the outset (even more so when it spends its opening credits staring at caged rabbits), but Jordan Peele knows how to let that unease fester and grow. While the 'master of suspense' label was bestowed decades ago, the comedian-turned-filmmaker is just as devastating at cultivating distress as Hitchcock or any other iconic horror or thriller director. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI9UYcEwUYA BURNING What our critic said: A ruminative mystery, a fine-tuned character study and an intricately observed examination of human relationships all at once, one of the joys of Burning is its wholesale aversion to simplicity. Here, as in reality, nothing is straightforward. Indeed, Lee Chang-dong takes life's enigmas and puzzles, thrusts them into view and forces the audience to ponder along with him. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA6hldpSTF8 AVENGERS: ENDGAME What our critic said: There's very little that's simple about this picture, marking as it does the extraordinary culmination of several dozen intricate and intertwined story arcs that extend all the way back to 2008... Where Infinity War was all bombast, Endgame offers reserve. Where Infinity War wrought intergalactic devastation and destruction, Endgame delivers intimacy and an examination of grief, loss and very private regret. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ5X75F1YJw LONG SHOT What our critic said: After a five-year stretch that's included Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde and Tully, Long Shot is the latest example of its star's chameleonic talents — a political rom-com that's as irreverent (and often inappropriate) as you'd expect of a flick that also features Seth Rogen, and genuinely heartfelt and hilarious as well. Charlize Theron, romantic-comedy standout? You'd better believe it. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BULB0aX4lA JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 — PARABELLUM What our critic said: Cinematic beauty comes in many forms, and the John Wick franchise perfects one of them. The term 'balletic' couldn't better describe the series' hypnotic action sequences, with its array of frenetic fights and carnage-dripping set pieces all meticulously choreographed like complex dance routines. In fact, when ballerinas actually pirouette across the screen in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, they seem bland in comparison. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeIHrx7Oyc HIGH LIFE What our critic said: While shooting into the stratosphere to ponder what it all means has become a genre of its own, High Life proudly stands in its own space boots. Perhaps that's why both the film and Robert Pattinson seem like such a perfect fit, and why the final product both soars high and burrows deep: you won't catch either meekly treading where everyone else has before. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_0KJAzyUJc PARASITE What our critic said: Parasite proves exceptional in every single frame and detail that it flicks onto the screen... Internationally renowned and beloved as the auteur behind The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja, Bong Joon-ho has crafted a bleak, twisty blend of black tragi-comedy, pulsating thrills and socially relevant horror — a movie that's such a phenomenal example of all that cinema can and should be that you'll want to high-five the filmmaker after watching it. Read our full review.
The Lotus Dining group have introduced their latest venture Madame Shanghai to Sydney, showing off executive chef Chris Yan's take on Shanghai-style street food. While the menu at Madame Shanghai delves into the world of Chinese barbecue, the Darlinghurst restaurant still maintains a selection of the tasty dumplings that have defined the Lotus style across their five venues. Yan's goal is to expand on the options for yum cha in the city, and Madame Shanghai intends to open a whole new world of Chinese breakfast foods in Sydney. "The yum cha offering in Sydney can be limited," Yan says. "So if I'm doing yum cha, it's got to be different and fun." Yan also plans to keep the traditional breakfast dish going well into dinner time with a monthly bingo and yum cha night (hosted by drag queen Penny Traiton, nonetheless) to be held on the first Thursday of the month, starting June 1. For their latest venture, owner Michael Jiang has enlisted the help of veteran cocktail slinger Kate McGraw to develop a cocktail list that simultaneously complements the menu and stands out in its own regard. "For bartenders, I feel 2016 was about experimenting with outlandish techniques and flavours," McGraw says. "Whereas 2017 is the year we are finessing and honing those skills and prioritising sensory engagement." Included in the cocktail list is the '76 Negroni, made entirely from ingredients bottled in the 1970s. This fancy drink comes with a fancier price tag, however, clocking in at $130 per beverage. So only order it if you're sure you like Negronis. Taking hefty influence from the post-colonial era of Shanghai, the fit-out of the 60-seat restaurant and 30-seat bar is inspired by both Chinese art and decor, and chinoiserie, the style of European art influenced by Asian design that rose to popularity in Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The theme is an expression of the heritage of Yan (he was born in Shanghai) and so isn't entirely misplaced. However, it does hint at the 'fetishisation' of Asian women from a particularly dark period of Chinese history that has had other venues in hot water of late, mainly through the restaurant's menu design — which pictures an image of an Asian woman with the words 'dare to have a taste' — and its original tagline, 'when the Madame is in, there will be sin'. But in terms of the menu and the drinks list, Lotus Dining is aiming for accuracy and authenticity in the new shop, properly showcasing the possibilities of Chinese cooking. It's good to see a new player pick up the mantle and expand the population's palate. Madame Shanghai is now open at 18 College Street, Darlinghurst. For more information, visit their website. Images: Alana Dimou.
Cafes on the lower north shore often come with lots of greenery, space for dogs, generous dishes and in many cases, Sydney Harbour views. Less crowded and less frazzled than the Eastern Suburbs and the Inner West, this area gives you room to breathe and stretch your legs. Whether you tuck into mushrooms and burrata on the water at Kirribilli Wharf or into colourful plates at Balmoral, leave time afterwards to kick back in a park or explore a bit of the Harbour you haven't visited before. In partnership with luxury property company Aqualand and its new Blue at Lavender Bay development, here's your guide to ten of the lower north shore's finest cafes. THE LANEWAY CAFE, CAMMERAY Eight years ago, brothers James and Will Christopher (Ms Miller, The Public) took over a garage in a back laneway of Cammeray and turned it into a cafe. A peaceful escape from Miller Street's hustle and bustle, The Laneway Cafe offers shelter both inside and outside (there's a hidden courtyard). As at Sotto On West (see below), you'll probably find a dog or two at a neighbouring table, so feel free to bring your own pooch. The brekkie menu has standouts like the Good Morning Burger with bacon, egg, avo, hash brown, tomato, cheese, paprika and aioli, while the lunch menu covers salads, pastas, burgers and fresh ciabatta rolls. CELSIUS COFFEE CO, KIRRIBILLI Cafes don't get any closer to the water than Celsius on Kirribilli Wharf, right next to where the ferry docks. Claim a seat next to the window and you'll feel like you're bobbing on the Harbour. The coffee comes from ONA with two house blends, so whether you're a nutty type, or if you like your coffee a bit fruity, there's an option for you. Dishes on the local produce-driven menu include tasty treats like the sautéed oyster and shiitake mushrooms served with local burrata cheese and chimichurri, and the Super Greens Breakfast with kale, asparagus, lime avocado and poached eggs. BIRDWOOD, LANE COVE This neatly-designed cafe with a lovely, leafy view is from the team behind Marrickville's Double Roasters. Like The Laneway Cafe in Cammeray, this hidden cafe is up a laneway and away from Lane Cove's hectic main drag. If you like variety, you'll be impressed by their brew menu. On top of the famous Flight Path house blend, there's always a few single origins to choose from. For a tasty breakfast fix, go for the three-cheese croque monsieur with ham from local butcher, Black Forest. AVENUE ROAD, MOSMAN Another project by the Double Roasters crew. The coffee is great, but there's a bigger emphasis on food. Pretty much every time you visit you'll find a new temptation on the menu, be it chocolate, marscapone and banana muffins, or coconut waffles with coffee-infused gelato. With design features as comfort-focused as the food, the cafe features an assortment of quirky lamp shades, a teaspoon collection to measure up against your grandma's and chairs you can settle into all arvo long. SPROUT WHOLEFOOD, NAREMBURN Just walking into Sprout Wholefood makes you feel like you've done something good for your body. All the healthy things are here — cashew cream, quinoa, kale, black sesame seeds — and they're all transformed into tasty, tasty bowls and burgers. For coffee, there's Gabriel, but if you're off the caffeine, go for their Golden Milk turmeric latte with cinnamon, honey, black pepper and coconut oil, or one of their smoothies (Choco Bliss with cacao, mesquite, banana and almond milk). [caption id="attachment_616466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Facebook / 67 Union. St Deli[/caption] 67 UNION ST. DELI, MCMAHONS POINT Think lots of white paint, flowers, succulents, colourful throws and suspended teapots, 67 Union St is bright, fresh and beautifully designed. Sit inside around a communal table, or outside on a cushion-covered milk crate, and take your pick from the short, healthy menu. The cafe also offers up a tasty list of baked goods to satisfy your sweet tooth. [caption id="attachment_616894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Instagram / @what_sarah_saw[/caption] SOTTO ON WEST, NORTH SYDNEY Opt to eat outdoors if you can score a seat on Sotto on West's lovely, shady deck. Otherwise, sit inside and check out the funky lighting — upside-down cups and saucers turned into lamp shades. Either in or out, you may be sharing the space with dogs — they're just as welcome as you are. The dogspotting is next level, the Allpress coffee is decent and the dishes are generous and imaginative. Recent creations include berry-coconut muffins with ginger, cacao nibs and turmeric, and roasted pumpkin salad with heirloom tomatoes, walnuts and chargrilled corn. [caption id="attachment_617202" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Domjen Photography[/caption] THE BOATHOUSE, BALMORAL Even if you've never been to The Boathouse, you've probably seen it on Instagram. Balmoral is just one branch of The Boathouse tree, with sister cafes at Palm Beach, Shelly Beach and Whale Beach, and as at the others, here you can expect epic water views, piles of flowers, massive pot plants and dishes born for social media. The lunch menu is big on seafood, so expect to struggle looking past the cold seafood platter and a bottle of Bollinger. THE ROOTS ESPRESSO, NORTH SYDNEY Coffee nerds, this one's for you. Step into this stripped-back coffee laboratory, and go for a standard flat white or cappuccino, or experiment with a pour-over or siphon coffee. Order at the counter, and sip your coffee of choice surrounded by lots of concrete, pylons and glass vessels filled with brews. Start your day the healthy way with the grain and chia bircher with rhubarb, seasonal fruits, nuts and sesame snaps, and at lunch, get stuck into a sanga like the roast pork with crackling, fennel, slaw and apple sauce. BAY TEN ESPRESSO, LAVENDER BAY Hidden beneath the Harbour Bridge's northern approach, the best way to arrive at Bay Ten Espresso is by bike. Not only is that ride over the Bridge stunning, but you'll also want to bike over since the cafe shares its 10-metre high warehouse space with The Body Mechanic, a bunch of elite athletes who can give you a physio session while you wait for your coffee. Beans come from White Horse, with batch brews and cold drips sitting alongside your standard coffees. As for food? Simple, classic and fresh. Surround yourself with everything the lower north shore has to offer at Aqualand's Blue at Lavender Bay development. The best restaurants, cafes, bars and activities are all on your doorstep. Lead image: Jessie Ann.
Chef Matt Stone wants to you to make a bar out of your own backyard. Really. Melbourne's young gun head chef of Victoria's Oakridge winery, Stone made his industry name as head chef of Joost Bakker's Greenhouse, Silo and Brothl, then as the culinary brains behind IconPark's Sydney pop-up Stanley Street Merchants and a MasterChef regular. At his core, Stone's a stickler for ethical and sustainable cooking, so he's just released his first cookbook The Natural Cook to help fuel some of that philosophy in everyday Aussie kitchens. The (extremely well photographed) cookbook's brimming with recipes meant to make you rethink food, bring you back to basics, try traditional techniques, adopt new sustainable cooking habits and make the best of the bounty of native ingredients Australia's got going on (one of the most sustainable ways Australians can cook). Of course, the book champions Stone's infamous 'zero-waste' philosophy, whether you're making yoghurt, pickling things or making a Bloody Mary. We've taken a couple of recipes out of of Stone's book, to show you how easy it is to incorporate native Australian ingredients into your everyday — well, into your cocktails in particular. Here's a little humdinger of a recipe for a Bloody Mary using native Australian spices — a truly homegrown breakfast of champions. Once you've crafted this gem, try making Stone's ant-rimmed Aussie South Side too (recipe over here). NATIVE SPICED BLOODY MARY "For a fresh kick, you can also add finely chopped veggies such as tomato, cucumber, celery and chilli. Hangover be gone!" INGREDIENTS Serves one ice 3 dried bush tomatoes 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) vodka 15 ml (½ fl oz) lemon juice 6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce 5 dashes of Tabasco sauce (or other hot sauce) 2 large pinches of ground pepperberry, plus extra to garnish 2 large pinches of Australian Seven Spice (recipe below) (see page 211), plus extra to garnish 1 pinch of pink salt, plus extra to garnish 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) tomato juice celery stalk or cucumber slice, to garnish Fill a serving glass with ice and let it stand. Muddle the bush tomatoes, and any other vegetables you feel like, in your cocktail shaker. Add all the other ingredients except the garnishes to the shaker and fill with ice. Slowly 'roll' your shaker end over end to mix and chill the ingredients without frothing things. Taste-test with a straw and add additional Tabasco if you'd like it spicier. Discard the ice from the serving glass and replace with fresh ice. Single-strain the liquid into the serving glass. Add the celery stalk or cucumber slice and finish with a pinch of salt, pepperberry and Australian seven spice. Note: Online bush food specialists offer a variety of Aussie fruits, herbs and spices, including bush tomatoes and pepperberries. HOW TO MAKE MATT STONE'S AUSTRALIAN SEVEN SPICE This is my version of Chinese five spice and it's perfect on barbecued meats, vegetables and fried bugs. If you don't feel like eating bugs with your beer then perhaps try it rubbed into barbecued chicken wings or slow-cooked beef ribs. The individual spices can vary due to season, availability and personal taste, so think of this as a rough guide. Use double the amount of mountain pepper if you like your spice mixes hot. 1 tablespoon ground bush tomato 1 tablespoon ground lemon myrtle 1 tablespoon ground wattleseed 1 tablespoon ground pepper leaf 1½ tablespoons ground mountain pepperberries 2 teaspoons ground aniseed myrtle 1 tablespoon ground mangrove myrtle Note: While most of the Australian ingredients used in this book can be substituted with something non-native, this is the one recipe I urge you to stick to (otherwise it will become 'mostly Australian seven spice'). Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container or jar. Recipe and image from The Natural Cook by Matt Stone (Murdoch Books). Photography by Mark Roper RRP $39.99 available now in all good bookstores and online.
No doubt you're pretty busy keeping up with Australia's gangbusters craft beer scene. Whether your go-to is Four Pines, Young Henrys or James Squire, our local brewers are always on-the-go with cracking new ideas — from beer that tastes like Anzac biscuits to a porter that lives up to any chocolate dessert you can throw at it to a drop that doubles-up as breakfast, made from banana bread and coffee beans. As it turns out, our international beer-worshipping brothers and sisters are far from dragging the chain. Here are ten of the best craft brews you'll find outside of Australia right now. FUBAR BY TINY REBEL (WALES) Introducing the 2014 Champion Beer of Wales. This unique brew, first released in February 2012, arrives on your tongue with a floral, hoppy blast and leaves with a satisfying, spicy aftertaste. FUBAR is the flagship for Tiny Rebel, a craft beer company started in 2008 in a Welsh garage, where founders Brad and Gazz would home brew for fun on the weekends. Last year, the duo opened Cardiff's first craft beer dedicated bar and, in August, followed up FUBAR's triumph when their red ale, Cwtch, was named 2015 Champion Beer of Britain. PELICAN NOIR BY PELICAN BREWING CO. (US) Pelican Noir's cinnamon-chocolate flavours and caramel-raisin aromas inspired a Gold Medal win in the Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale category at the 2015 North American Beer Awards. Three sources of hops go into its creation: Aramis, Goldings and Nugget, as does a trio of malts, giving it a delicious, well-rounded taste. Pelican Noir is made by Oregon's Pelican Brewing Company, which has won literally hundreds of national and international awards in its 14-year lifespan. BOURBON COUNTY BRAND STOUT BY GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY (US) Bourbon County Brand Stout offers one of the densest, darkest, foamiest stout experiences on the planet. And you know it from the moment the bottle opens, releasing a heady mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoky goodness. It's made by Chicago's Goose Island Beer Company, which a man by the name of John Hall started 25 years ago after a brew-focused journey through Europe. “America deserves some damn fine beer like this, too,” he thought to himself, and set about making it happen. Bourbon Country Brand Stout won gold at both the 2006 World Beer Cup Awards and the 1995 Great American Beer Festival. BEER GEEK BREAKFAST BY MIKKELLER (DENMARK) This beer single-handedly gave Mikkeller legendary status. Back in 2006, maths teacher-turned-brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergso came up with the ingenious idea of adding French press coffee to oatmeal stout. And Beer Geek Breakfast was born, shooting straight to first position on global beer popularity platform ratebeer.com. Since then, Mikkeller has used the recipe as a base for all manner of craft beer wonders, like Beer Geek Breakfast Brunch Big Blend and Beer Geek Vanilla Shake. THE VANDAL IPA BY PANHEAD (NEW ZEALAND) According to the Society of Beer Advocates, this was the best beer made in New Zealand in 2014. It's a potent 8% Indian Pale Ale (IPA) made with a serious dose of hops from Kohatu, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin that tastes like tropical fruit. The Vandal is made at Panhead Custom Ales, a brewery housed in a former tyre factory in Upper Hutt, Wellington, established in 2013 when brewer Mike Neilson quit his full-time job at Tuatara Brewery to go solo. AMA BIONDA BY AMARCORD (ITALY) Italy might be traditionally known for wine, but microbreweries are on the up. One of the best is Amarcord, located in the medieval village of Apecchio, which is close to both the Adriatic Coast and the Appennini Mountains. Amarcord's AMA Bionda is a Belgian pale ale, made with Sicilian orange blossom honey, spring water and three types of hops. It's complex, floral and fruity. HOMMAGE BY DRIE FONTEINEN (BELGIUM) Made of 30% raspberries and 5% cherries, this sour beer is dark red in colour, big on flavour and heavily carbonated. It's definitely not for drinkers looking for something light. Drie Fonteinen, a brewery in Beersel, near Brussels, has made just two batches — the first in 2007 and the second in 2013 — and released only 5,000 bottles globally. So the only catch is that it's not easy to get your hands on. Image: 3 Fonteinen Hommage 2007 via photopin (license). YUZU WHITE ALE BY MINOH (JAPAN) Most wheat beers (like Hoegaarden, for example) are brewed with orange peel. But a couple of years ago, Minoh, a family-owned and operated microbrewery in Japan's Osaka prefecture, came up with a twist, instead using a local citrus fruit named yuzu and adding a dash of coriander. Their experimentation paid off — in 2012, Yuzu White Ale won gold in the fruit wheat beer category at the World Beer Cup. DOREE BY BOREALE (CANADA) This smooth, easy-to-drink beer is made with tasty Quebec honey and a decent dose of malt. In 2012, Doree topped the specialty honey beer section at the World Beer Cup and won silver in the special honey category at the Canadian Brewing Awards. Its home is Les Brasseurs du Nord, a microbrewery in the Lower Laurentians, where the brewing ethos is all about keeping things natural. OLD FREDDY WALKER BY MOOR BEER CO. (ENGLAND) This old ale has won no fewer than 20 prizes, a run that began back in 2004 when it took out CAMRA supreme champion winter beer of Britain. It's so rich and dense that you can drink it like a vintage wine. It is made at the Moor Beer Company in Bristol by an ex-soldier who hails from California.
If someone hasn't already reminded you that today is the first of March (with a petrified look of a person on the brink of a mid-life crisis, no less), this bit of news should well and truly confirm that summer is over. Vivid Sydney has this morning given us the first tidbit from their 2017 program, announcing indie folk-rock band Fleet Foxes as their first visiting artist. The US band will bring their bright dance-around-the-forest songs to the Sydney Opera House for four exclusive shows on May 26–29 this year. These will be the band's only shows in Australia — and their first here in five years — so tickets will be allocated via a ballot system. Anyone who sat online to get (or miss out on) tickets to the Opera House's Bon Iver show last year will appreciate this method of allocation. Fans of Fleet Foxes will know the band have been extremely quiet of late; they haven't released an album since Helplessness Blues back in 2011. The band is set to release their third album this year — which, according to Consequence of Sound, is called Ylajali — and has already locked in some European tour dates post-Vivid, meaning that we could potentially be the first to hear their new material. The Fleet Foxes gig is the first announcement for Vivid 2017, which will this year run from May 26 until June 17. The full program will be announced later this month. That should get you excited for winter. Fleet Foxes will play four shows at the Sydney Opera House from May 26–29. The ballot is open now until 11.59pm on Sunday, March 5. You can enter here.
Sydney's nightlife is in a bit of a weird spot at the moment, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the amount of bars opening. 2017's newbies have been diverse so far; as well as some top-notch Euro-leaning wine bars, we've had a vinyl-spinning lounge bar open alongside an all-out basement 'Viking luxe' bar mixing sorbet-filled and served-in-horn cocktails with details down to a tee. Yeah, there's just some things you can't recreate at home. With so many openings hitting the city in a six-month period, we whittled it down to our favourite newcomers raising the bar for Sydney's drinking scene. Well, our favourites so far — there's still another six months to go.
Make your way down Locomotive Street in South Eveleigh and you're presented with many interesting spots for a feed or a drink. There's the sustainability-focused, zero-waste bar Re-, there's BrewDog's massive beer bar with its vegan-heavy menu, and there's Coyoacán Social, a Mexican street food eatery from the Plate It Forward team. Plate It Forward has already made an impact on Sydney's culinary scene and beyond with its first two venues: the beloved Enmore Road Sri Lankan restaurant Colombo Social and the 2022 arrival Kabul Social. The hospitality group's inaugural spot is based on the philosophy of providing employment opportunities, training and meals to people seeking asylum, while its Afghan counterpart in the CBD is run by a group of female refugees, and donates a meal to a person in need in both Australia and Afghanistan for each meal sold. [caption id="attachment_896474" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roman Cortes and his mother Maru Navarro[/caption] Coyoacán Social is the third restaurant to join the hospitality group, a walk-in-only spot that's donating a meal to Mexico City for every guest who buys a set of tacos while also working with local charities to create a safe space within the local Redfern and South Eveleigh communities. Plate It Forward founder Shaun Christie-David has put the restaurant in the hands of Head Chef Roman Cortes, a Mexico City native and someone who has previously faced the challenges of overcoming addiction. Cortes shares Christie-David and Plate It Forward's belief in the power of food to create social change, and has pulled together a vibrant menu inspired by his mother Maru Navarro's cooking and dishes from her birthplace Coyoacán. Birria tacos ($19.50) are the star of the menu, made with shredded beef marinated in a traditional adobo, topped with melted cheese and served alongside a side of beef compote cooked overnight for dipping. Outside of tacos, you'll find a customisable nachos menu ($16), crunch tostadas ($18) smothered in toppings, and a range of accompaniments like guacamole ($6-9) and pico de Gallo ($4). For the sweet tooth in attendance, there's horchata or hibiscus flower iced tea ($6) to accompany your savoury mains, and there's some of Sydney's best churros ($10 for four). The crunchy cinnamon sticks are drenched in creamy sweetened caramel for a truly indulgent end to your meal. Images: Rhiannon Hopley.
On September 25, 1981, Sydneysiders got their first look at the revolving restaurants inside Sydney Tower. Exactly 39 years later, the restaurants have reopened after a $12-million renovation, with new looks, A-plus cocktails and a star cast of Sydney hospitality elite. The tower's dining precinct is split into three levels: 70s-inspired Bar 83, opulent fine-diner Infinity and casual buffet restaurant Sky Feast. Each space has a unique design by Loopcreative, pulling inspiration from the likes of space odysseys, Aussie backyard pools and bygone Kings Cross bars. Part-retro, part-futuristic with circular red and white lounges, gold lights and striking mirrors, Bar 83 is officially Sydney's highest bar. Some have suggested the bar looks as if it was pulled straight from an episode of The Jetsons, but Loopcreative director Rod Faucheux says the design is a nod to the building's history and Sydney bars from the 70s and 80s, such as Baron's in the Cross. [caption id="attachment_786071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Walsh[/caption] As the name suggests, it's towering above the city on level 83, with views across to the edges of the suburbs. While there's no denying the bar's main drawcard is the views, the cocktails are equally impressive. Award-winning bartender Jenna Hemsworth (Restaurant Hubert, The Baxter Inn) has stepped in as venue manager, and is stirring up outstanding cocktails including Pain Pleasure Principle (with cognac, cacao and lemon myrtle) and the Ignore All Rules (tequila, sherry, tomato and basil). Snacks don't push the boundaries too much (oysters, bread and olives, roasted nuts) but you're not here for the food — that's all happening on the levels below. That said, it'd be remiss not to order at least one of the lamb and harissa sausage rolls while you're there. Images: Robert Walsh
Australia has been responsible for many important inventions. The black box flight recorder. The ultrasound machine. Even the electric drill. Yet one Aussie contraption towers above the rest. We’re talking, of course, about the goon bag. A simple silver sack in a durable cardboard exoskeleton, for decades this unsung alcohol container been a symbol of our fair country’s greatest attributes: innovation, inclusiveness and fiscal responsibility, as well as our overwhelming desire to get pissed as quickly as humanly possible. In celebration of this national icon, The Lord Gladstone Hotel in Chippendale, Sydney is hosting its very own goon bag festival. Boxfest: A Festival of the Goon Bag kicks off at 2pm on Sunday, July 5, and will feature top vintages from such box wine all-stars as Yalumba, Stanley and Berri Estates. There will also be food available throughout the day, including a killer selection of cheese and cabanossi plates. Classic. This being a classy affair, you’ll obviously want to pair your food and drink appropriately. For brie we recommend a nice chardonnay, while sauvignon blanc goes best with a gruyere. And of course we don't have to tell you that, to guarantee that traditional heady sensation, the goon should be consumed straight from the bag. Music will be handled by Money for Nothing DJs, who’ll make sure that you’ve got something fun to stumble around the dance floor to as the afternoon wears on. And before you assume that this whole event is just one big excuse to get sloshed, we should point out that money raised from tasting tokens throughout the day will be donated to charity. So basically the more goon you inhale, the better you are as a person. If that’s not a philosophy to live your life by, then we don’t know what is. Boxfest: A Festival of the Goon Bag kicks off at 2pm on Sunday, July 5 at the Lord Gladstone Hotel, 115 Regent Street, Chippendale. Via The Brag. Image: 8 Tracks.
Our modern obsession with packing into cities means that increasingly massive skyscrapers are inevitable. After all, if we don’t head upwards, well, there’s only so much land. One of the problems with skyscrapers, though, is that their behemoth shadows seriously shorten the day of their surroundings. Even a spacious, sunny city like Sydney can feel cold and dark when you’re wedged between towers (just look at the long shadow Barangaroo's casino is expected to cast). Now imagine how gloomy things can get in densely populated metropolises like London and New York — if you've visited, you'll know how gloomy things can get in the financial districts. But a London-based architecture company by the name of NBBJ has come up with a solution: the 'No Shadow Tower'. The concept involves two twisting skyscrapers, to be built side-by-side, which redirect sunlight to the area around their base — right where dreary shadows are usually found lurking. The idea was developed with London’s North Greenwich in mind, at the request of New London Architecture, and was first published in New London Quarterly. "The algorithm design for the tower is based on the law of reflection," the design team told Dezeen. "Our facade has varying angles of panels that distribute light over a certain area at multiple times during the day." The algorithm works by recording the sunlight's angle every single day for an entire year. With this information, the team can predict how light will play on the building at various points during the day, and then construct the skyscraper’s facade to reflect it accordingly. The use of individual panels allows reflection on a pane-by-pane basis; creating circles of light, rather than a single, extremely hot area. NBBJ was motivated by its passion for the public and their environment-determined happiness. "One of [our] principle concerns is public space and the ways the public use and interact with these spaces," the designers explained. "The No Shadow Tower places public space at the heart of the project, along with human interaction and the impact of skyscrapers at street level... The research that we have undertaken could be applied in many locations in the world, each time creating a different form that would relate to its specific context and solar conditions." Where do we sign up? Via Dezeen. Images: NBBJ.
That annual coming together of all things design, Semi-Permanent Sydney, has announced its first round of speakers for 2015, and the guests are as varied as the discipline. Although best known for his work in film and television, actor Noah Taylor has recently earned acclaim for his artwork and will attend Semi-Permanent to talk about this transition. 2011 Archibald Prize winner Ben Quilty will likewise be on hand to discuss the challenges of working as an artist in an increasingly commercial world. Patrick Clair will take audiences through the evolution of his Emmy Award-winning opening titles for True Detective, which have been haunting our dreams since the show wrapped up in March, while leading surfboard designer Hayden Cox will be joined by LA artist Jason Woodside and pro-surfer Craig Anderson to talk about their collaborations. Semi-Permanent has also announced a retrospective exhibition of the work of English artist and writer Stanley Donwood, who is best known for his frequent collaboration with Radiohead, having designed all of their album artwork since 1994. FBi Radio, meanwhile, has been given the job of organising parties, which if last year is anything to go by, should work out quite nicely. The conference will kick off Vivid Sydney on May 22. First round tickets are on sale now – and while a decent portion of the program is still a mystery, this sprinkling of guests has gotten us pretty damn excited. Two-day passes to Semi-Permanent clock in at $265 for students and $430 for everyone else. That includes entry to the event, plus tickets to the opening and closing night parties. VIP passes are available for $650, while single day tickets will go on sale in 2015. Head to the Semi-Permanent website to book.
Get waxed and grab your flares. GiggedIn has announced a huge week of shows on offer as well as its first-ever members-exclusive show — an indie-surf and psychedelic rock affair. Taking over two rooms at the Oxford Art Factory, Lime Cordiale, Wax Witches, Ocean Alley, Mesa Cosa and more top one slam dunk of lineup. We introduced you to GiggedIn back in January. It’s a new service that gives members unlimited access to gigs, for one neat price — kind of like Spotify for live music. Every day, at midday, new shows appear on the website and you decide which you’re going to attend. What’s more, you get access to special events and festivals, like Mountain Sounds Festival, headlined by Art vs Science and Violent Soho this week. Then there's Raury and JOY at Oxford Art Factory, Illy at the Metro Theatre, Radio Moscow at Newtown Social and more. With GiggedIn’s premiere exclusive shindig coming up, now is a good time to sign up. The show will be happening at on Sunday, February 21. If you’ve been hanging out at any of Sydney’s staple live music venues during the past year, there’s every chance you’ve caught Lime Cordiale. They’ve sold out Newtown Social Club, The Standard, Oxford Art Factory and the Metro Lair, and have shared stages with The Delta Riggs, Ball Park Music, The Griswolds, Dispatch and Cosmo Jarvis. Meanwhile, Wax Witches, fronted by Alex Wall, will be delivering a massive dose of garage punk. If you’re tired of saccharine, smoothed-over pop and rock, you’ll get your antidote here. Mesa Cosa, garage punk legends from Melbourne will be there. Rounding out the night are Ocean Alley, a reggae psych-rock six-piece from the Northern Beaches; The Vanns, indie-poppers from Kiama; and The Ruminaters, who describe their music as “hillbilly-folk-psychedelic-garage-yiddish-rock”, among a slew of other acts. For a full list of more shows this week, see below: Mon Feb 15 — Radio Moscow (USA) at Newtown Social Club Tues Feb 16 — Raury with JOY. at Oxford Art Factory Wed Feb 17 — Waxahatchee at Oxford Art Factory Thurs Feb 18 — Juju Wings at Brighton Up Bar Fri Feb 19 — Black Aces at Brighton Up Bar Sat Feb 20 — Mountain Sounds Festival on the Central Coast Sat Feb 20 — Illy at the Metro Theatre Sat Feb 20 — Lunatics on Pogosticks at Brighton Up Bar Sun Feb 21 — Lime Cordiale, Wax Witches, Mesa Cosa, Ocean Alley + more at Oxford Art Factory And more to be announced. Find out more about GiggedIn here.
For many moons, there’s been a secret passed around the ranks of students and young adults: Aldi sells $5 wine that’s actually not awful. In fact, those who’ve sampled it would know that ‘not awful’ isn’t strong enough. Now an official ruling body has declared what we young bohemians have known for a while now: Aldi’s $5 wine is objectively good wine. The Sydney International Wine Competition has announced its winning wine list for 2015, judging the top 100 wines from an entry pool of nearly 2000 and Aldi’s $5 bottle of 2014 South Point Estate rose has picked up a Blue Gold award in its blend category (just FYI the Blue Gold award is official proof that Aldi wine drinkers actually have good taste and aren’t just peasants). Aldi also won awards for their $12.99 bottle of Tudor Central Victorian shiraz and a $14.99 Blackstone Paddock “The Player” Barossa. So ner. So what do the judges look for in a good wine? Well firstly, the competition acknowledges that not all wines are created equal so they divide the plonk into categories according to palate weight – lighter, medium, fuller bodied dry whites (lol at wine terminology sounding like a sick burn) and dry reds. The wines are judged solo, then judged against other wines in each category. Then they pair each category with appropriate food and score on how well each variation complement the flavours of the meal. Then, and only then, do they aggregate the scores and hand out awards in each category. Check out the website to scope out the rest of the results and figure out the best and cheapest wine for your taste. But how do Aldi manage to sell an award winning wine for only $5? Aldi’s buying director told The Huffington Post that the secret is in the low overheads, a simplified range to cut distribution costs and understanding the young consumer. Oh Aldi, you do understand us. All we want in this life of sin is a $5 bottle of award-winning wine. We're just gonna leave this link to Aldi Liqueur online here, along with the fact that they deliver a case of 12 wines to metro areas for only $7. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. Via The New Daily. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Apparently this Saturday is National Burger Day. We're not sure when that became a thing, exactly, but it is, and here we are. Point is, you've got the green light to make a pig of yourself tomorrow, and we know exactly where you should do it. Turns out Barrio Chino in Kings Cross has some gas left in the grill yet, with the recently shuttered Mexican joint finding new life as a pop-up burger spot. Shortening its name to Barrio, the temporary venue began service a few weeks back, and is set to continue cooking until at least the end of June. The menu includes standard single and double cheeseburgers, along with more extravagant options like this one made with a mac 'n' cheese patty. Also making an appearance is the mushroom burger from Barrio Cellar, along with a fried chicken number that uses the same recipe as they do at Fei Jai. Turns out co-owner Peter Lew has his fingers in quite a few pies. {special} house beef patty, maple bacon, jalapeño cheese sauce, tomato & orange chilli jam and a lot of love You would be a fool to miss this beauty #barriokx #kingscross #iloveburgerssomuch #fbas #burgers #sydneyeats A photo posted by Barrio🍔🍟 (@barriokx) on May 18, 2016 at 1:12am PDT In addition to the burgs, Barrio has retained a number of Mexican options, including tacos, quesadillas and barbecue corn. The aptly named Awesome Fries, meanwhile, come smothered in grated cheese and the same special sauce as you'll find in the cheeseburger. As for beverages, they've got a couple of killer shakes, along with margaritas and sangria by the jug. Barrio is located at 28-30 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross. For more information scope them out on Instagram. Via Good Food.
Handpicking some of the globe's best new artists for yet another glorious year (their seventh, to be exact), Sugar Mountain has one heck of a lineup this year, with UK rapper Joey Bada$$, experimental Berlin-based producer Laurel Halo and Australia's Cut Copy headlining. Returning to Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts on Saturday, January 20, Sugar Mountain has again balanced international drawcards with local talent this year, from Melbourne's all-female five-piece Beaches to UK producer Actress. Other Aussies converging on Mebourne for the fest include Body Type, Stella Donnelly and Indigenous collective Kardajala Kirridarra. As always though, music isn't the only thing on the menu for Sugar Mountain. There'll also be a load artists on the bill, including a collaboration between American artist and dancer Khalif Diouf and Bangarra Dance Theatre's dancer and choreographer Waangenga Blanco and work by Amrita Hepi and Japanese artists Hiroyasu Tsuri and Jun Inoue. The nosh is yet to be announced, but here's hoping Sugar Mountain's immersive on-site restaurant Sensory will be back. Enough chatskies, here's that lineup you're after. SUGAR MOUNTAIN 2018 LINEUP Actress (UK) Ara Koufax Beaches Body Type Cut Copy Dan Shake (UK) Eclair Fifi (UK) Fantastic Man Gerd Janson (GER) Honey Dijon (USA) J Hus (UK) Jamila Woods (USA) Joey Bada$$ (USA) Kardajala Kirridarra Laurel Halo (USA) Love Deluxe Project Pablo (CAN) Sevdaliza (NED) Shanti Celeste (UK) Stella Donnelly ARTISTS VIA ALICE featuring Waangenga Blanco x Khalif Diouf (USA) Amrita Hepi x Pasefika Victoria Choir Justin Shoulder x CORIN x Tristan Jalleh Hiroyasu Tsuri (JPN) x Jun Inoue (JPN) Marcus Whale x Athena Thebus
With a steady string of new live venues opening across the east coast lately, seeing doors opening – rather than closing – has happily become the status quo. Alas, every now and then some bad news reminds us of the opposite extreme that we’d much rather forget. And when it comes to bad news, this could be right up there. The Music is reporting that the company behind The Hi-Fi has been placed into external administration over a dispute with a major creditor. Unable to resolve their differences with The Hi-Fi Group, the creditor has taken over running the business while a new buyer is sought. All three Australian venues have been affected, meaning Brisbane’s West End mainstay, Melbourne’s Swanston Street spot and Sydney’s recently revamped former Forum Theatre location as well. It was due to almost two decades of success in Melbourne that the company branched out into Brisbane in 2009, with Sydney following in 2012. All signs point to the venue remaining open and running — for now. "It's business as usual, see you at the gig," said a post on the venue's Facebook page. Shows are slated from now until June – including The Smith Street Band, Sticky Fingers, Seth Sentry, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, and the only just announced debut album tour by Courtney Barnett, depending on the city, so current ticket holders should be taken care of. As for what happens after then: watch this space. Via The Music.
The National Gallery of Victoria has revealed what will be on its agenda at the tail-end of this year, this evening announcing its summer centrepiece in the world premiere of Between Two Worlds | Escher X Nendo. Much like the NGV's 2016's Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei show, the blockbuster exhibition will celebrate two very different creators: Dutch artist M.C. Escher and Japanese design studio Nendo. It will be the first to unite the two, bringing them together in an assembly of immersive art and design. More than 160 different prints and drawings created by Escher during his career that ran from 1916 to 1969 will be shown, the first time the Dutch artist has had a major exhibition in Australia. Optical illusion being what he is known best for, and the images on display will be drawn from the world's largest collection of his work at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. In tandem, Nendo will create an environment to house the works, taking inspiration from Escher to manipulate geometry and space to warp perception. This'll create a fully immersive experience in which to be boggled by Escher's works. It doesn't stop there for the upcoming season, though — the NGV's spring/summer is bursting with art shaped fruit ready for you to pick.Australian artist Polly Borland will also be celebrated via a display of her works of recent times at the Ian Potter Centre. Borland is a locally born, LA-dwelling photographer notable for her photos of well-known figures like Queen Elizabeth II and Nick Cave. Gravitating lately more towards surrealism in her photography and producing disquieting and abstract images, both recent and new works of Borland's will be shown. This'll run from September 28 until February 3. Also on the lineup is an exclusive showing of British artist Julian Opie's mixed media works. To be set in the NGV's gallery and gardens, the exhibition was created specifically to fill these spaces and will incorporate sculpture, video, and art specifically for the children's gallery. Try Hito Steyeri's landmark video installation Factory of the Sun, about workers in a motion capture studio whose actions are used to create artificial sunshine, becoming a metaphor for the way digital screens use and emit light. Or take a bite out of Willian Wegman's work — a man whose Weimaraner dog became his artistic muse, William Wegman: Being Human highlights the artist's versatility across different artistic methods and mediums. And don't forget Designing Women, a 40 year highlight of the role of female designers in shaping the culture and fabric of the design world. Drawing from the NGV's permanent collection, over 50 significant works will be showcased, icons by name and affect, and united by gender. This summer's Triennial was the most visited exhibition in the NGV's 157 years, and this exhibition is sure to get similar numbers through the St Kilda Road doors. Start planning your art viewing now. Between Two Worlds | Escher X Nendo will run at NGV International, Melbourne from December 2, 2018 until April 7, 2019. For more info, visit ngv.vic.gov.au. Image: 'Day and Night', M.C. Escher, © The M.C. Escher Company, The Netherlands.
Hey there, lonely freelancers working in cafes, on couches and in front of Netflix worldwide. Want some company? We've got a big ol' warm fuzzy home for you. Well, someone else’s home to be specific. Meet Hoffice, the social site dedicated to connecting you with people who've turned their houses into fun, creative workspaces. Whether you've only just quit your nine-to-fiver or you've been cruising solo for quite some time, chances are you're familiar with the challenges that come with the crazy world of freelancing. On one hand, taking charge of your career gives you loads of freedom — you can work in your pyjamas, clock on and off when you want to, and enjoy strictly virtual relationships with your bosses/clients. On the other hand, it's not all strawberries and cream. Unless you became a freelancer mainly because you hated group work at school (and you’re a misanthrope), you might feel a little lonely every now and again. You're productive, sure. But you probably look as relaxed as this: That's where Hoffice steps in. If you’re a freelancer, simply register and start searching your area for a host, who’s set up their home as a place for you to treat as your office. As far as we can see, this new service only has limited Australian/NZ options but we're sure there'll be a few as Hoffice picks up. While some hosts have an open policy, inviting everyone in, others just accept newbies every now and again. If you’d like to offer up your home, find out how right here. On top of mediating between space owners and freelancers, Hoffice also suggests a schedule. Designed to help you get the most out of your workday, it includes time for meeting and greeting, taking breaks, eating and partying. Of course, you don’t have to stick to it if you'd rather not — or you're between projects. Right now, Hoffice is operating in Europe, the States, Brazil, India, China, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia (Melbourne). No network in your area? Start one yourself. Via PSFK.
Alexandria’s hungry, thirsty workers and visitors are gaining a fun, fresh new haunt. On Thursday, September 17, a new specialty coffee and food bar known as The Grind & Co will open its doors in the Heritage Business Park. Not only is the venue promising excellent coffee and a scrumptious-sounding menu, but it also comes in a custom-made shipping container. So every snack break will feel a bit like a seagoing adventure. “I’ve long wanted to bring something exciting and unique to Sydney,” said Christine Ousman, who owns and runs The Grind & Co in collaboration with her husband, Rani. “I designed the plans twelve months ago and have been looking for the right location. I had such a strong vision for the look, layout and mood of the shipping container. I knew I needed to find a place where I could drop it — and build the place surrounding it — rather than the other way around.” The Ousmans are no newbies to the hospitality game. Rani has been a barista for fifteen years and the duo has run the successful Deluxe & Co Beverage Catering for the past four years. The Grind & Co’s big hook is its majestic, mirrored copper La Marzocco three-group coffee machine, where the coffee-obsessed Rani will be whipping up delicious brews made from Deluxe & Co’s premium, 100 percent Arabica, sustainable blend. You can also expect some innovative specialty coffee experiments, of the hot, cold drop and iced varieties. Meanwhile, on the food front, you’ll be tucking into gourmet sandwiches and wraps, made onsite every day. “There’s a massive focus on freshness and high quality,” says Christine. “One of our signature dishes will be our Middle Eastern-inspired zaatar wrap, with rocket, olives, tomatoes, onions and yoghurt mint dressing.” During summer, special barbecues will be held on Fridays, featuring special dishes, like barbecue burgers and gourmet sausages, accompanied by housemade lemonade and flavoured sparking water. In keeping with The Grind & Co’s emphasis on freshness, Christine has designed the shipping container to house multiple vertical herb gardens, while rustic benches will provide seating for up to 40 guests at a time. “We’re in such a great little spot. I’m really excited about doing something that I’m passionate about, that hasn’t been done in Sydney before.” The Grind & Co will open between 7am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, at Heritage Business Park, 5-9 Ricketty Street, Alexandria. Open from Thursday, September 17,
If you've never heard of Salon - Zur Wilden Renate, you might still have the words 'stay up for days in a Berlin nightclub' on your bucket list. The multi-level, labyrinthine club in the Friedrichshain district takes underground party production to new theatrical levels; attracting regular sets from the likes of Todd Terje, Nicolas Jaar and Soul Clap paired with some seriously avant-garde performances. But the crew are no longer content shaking up the house music scene in Berlin, they're keen to try their hand at hosting a handful of secret parties in Australia. Launching on Thursday, May 28, Number56 is a brand new series of events curated by the Wilden Renate team; attempting to recreate the abstract, underground culture scene that your friends rave about every time they return from the German capital. With no fixed address for the series, each event will pop up at secret locations around Sydney. Once you've registered for free tickets, you'll have to hunt for the party using clues on the @Number.56 Instagram channel (don't worry, you'll nab an email on the day too). To kick the series off German electronic icon and longtime Berghain and Watergate resident Steve Bug will spin a set, alongside Berlin-based Australian expats Deepchild, Claire Morgan, Baron Castle and Christian Vanc — who you'll normally find playing all the beats at Berlin's Stattbad club (an old swimming pool now famous for its Boiler Room parties). Sydney's own Murat Kilic (Spice, FBi Radio) will be spinning too. Plus, there'll be Berlin-style street food and drinks on offer, to round out the whole sensory experience. "We can’t wait to share the essence of Berlin nightlife with the people of Australia," says Wilden Renate's Tom Ettelt, whose actual title is 'Head of Craziness'. "We have some pretty far-fetched ideas for this melting pot of music, creativity, art and self-expression so hopefully they won’t get lost in translation... It’s the people that liven the party so we’re just asking them to bring their A-game and secondly, make sure they find the venue.” Number56's first chapter hits Sydney on Thursday, May 28. Each party runs from 6pm-midnight in a secret Sydney location. Tickets are free but you'll have to register here. NUMBER56 SYDNEY DATES: Thursday, May 28 — with Steve Bug, Deepchild, Murat Kilic. Thursday, June 11 — Claire Morgan & more TBA Thursday June 25 — Christian Vance, Baron Castle & more TBA Thursday, July 9 — Special guests
Because you're reading this, we know you're not someone who received a pet for Christmas, only to decide it wasn't for you. We know you're one of the good folks. You're probably wishing that you did receive a loveable animal as a gift, even if you already have one — or several — that you adore. We understand your yearning, and so does the RSPCA. And, to find permanent homes for pups, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs and ponies surrendered into its care from all over the state, it's lowering the adoption fee to $29 this weekend. The weekend-long initiative is called Clear the Shelters and will run from Friday, February 23 until Sunday, February 25. Although you can't put a price on the happiness a new four-legged friend will bring, it's hoped that the low adoption fee will encourage people who have been thinking about adding a pet to their fam (and have considered it thoroughly) to make the commitment this week. Last year, the RSPCA found new homes for 793 pets in NSW through the campaign. This year, Clear the Shelters will run across Australia in all states except WA and Tasmania. The adoption fees — which usually range from $20–600 — help cover some of the costs of vaccines, training and microchipping for the animals. Whether you're in NSW, Victoria or Queensland, there are hundreds of animals that need a new home full of love and pats. There's more to pet adoption than overdosing on cuteness, of course, with making the commitment to care for an animal is serious business. For further information, read RSPCA's FAQs and head to a shelter this weekend.
Whether he's behind or in front of the camera, making his own version of Nosferatu or documentaries about volcanologists, popping up in Parks and Recreation or playing a villain in a Jack Reacher movie, there's no one in the film industry like Werner Herzog. His voice is famous, including get a use in family-friendly animation not once but twice. His work as a director is thoroughly inimitable. He's one of Germany's cinema greats — and Australia's 2024 German Film Festival is recognising him as such. This year's touring event, which has dates with Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Byron Bay between Tuesday, May 7–Wednesday, June 5, boasts a Werner Herzog retrospective on its just-announced full lineup. A documentary about him is on the bill, so get excited to see Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer on the big screen. Also set to flicker through the projectors: Aguirre, The Wrath of God, about searching for El Dorado; Fitzcarraldo, which focuses on trying to move a steamship over a Peruvian mountain; and Nosferatu the Vampyre, featuring Klaus Kinski, as with the aforementioned two titles, but this time as Dracula. There's also Heart of Glass, which gets experimental in a Bavarian village — and The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024. Clearly, the German Film Festival has the past on its mind with its latest program. That also comes through in a second way, by marking 70 years of German Films, the organisation tasked with promoting the country's movies beyond Germany. As part of that retrospective, the Oscar-nominated Jacob the Liar, Oscar-winning documentary Serengeti Shall Not Die, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's iconic The Marriage of Maria Braun and unforgettable recent standout Toni Erdmann will all play the fest. So will Trace of Stones and Yesterday Girl, both from 1966 — the first from East Germany, the second from West Germany. Looking backwards isn't the only thing on the agenda, however. As it usually does, the event will bring some of the best German and Austrian movies that premiered at this year's Berlin International Film Festival to Australia. 2024's fest spans six such titles, starting with opening night's World War II-set From Hilde, With Love, which follows a young woman in the anti-Nazi resistance movement. From there, centrepiece choice Foreign Language features the always-exceptional Nina Hoss (Tár) in a tale about a friendship playing out through letters, while closing night's Treasure stars Lena Dunham (Sharp Stick) and Stephen Fry (The Morning Show). Plus, Andrea Gets a Divorce brings tragicomedy to the program, Scorched Earth gives the lineup a crime thriller and Every You Every Me is a social-realist drama. Elsewhere, highlights come via One for the Road, complete with a dive into Berlin's nightlife, then a switch to attempting to get sober; the Leipzig-set Dark Satellites, which tells of three love stories; Lubo, the latest must-see starring Franz Rogowski (Passages); Blind at Heart, which takes the leap from the page to the screen; and Not a Word, joining the ranks of recent films — such as Tár — to feature a conductor as a key character. And, as always, the Kino for Kids section returns with movies for younger viewers, making heading to the fest a family affair. A comedy about teen sisters who love skateboarding, an adaptation of the novel The Flying Classroom and Lassie — A New Adventure are all on that part of the bill. German Film Festival 2024 Dates: Tuesday, May 7–Wednesday, May 29 — Palace Electric, Canberra Wednesday, May 8–Wednesday, May 29 — Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Central, Palace Moore Park, Sydney Thursday, May 9–Wednesday, May 29 — Palace James St, Palace Barracks, Brisbane Friday, May 10–Wednesday, May 29 — Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema and Palace Penny Lane, Melbourne Wednesday, May 15–Wednesday, June 5 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Thursday, May 16–Wednesday, June 5 — Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square, Perth Thursday, May 16–Wednesday, June 5 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The 2024 German Film Festival tours Australia from throughout May and June. For more information, visit the festival website.
He's collaborated with everyone from Kylie Minogue to Kendrick Lamar. Even Grumpy Cat wears that hat. Now, Pharrell Williams has teamed up with choreographer Jonah Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham for a unique multidisciplinary dance project — and it's coming to Australia. From September 14 to 17, Brisbane Festival will host the Aussie premiere of Rules of the Game, which brings eight on-stage performers together in a combination of dance, music, video, art and theatrical expression. Williams crafts his first-ever orchestral score for the stage to accompany Bokaer's crisp, elegant dance moves and Arsham's offbeat, architectural environments. Loosely based on Nobel Laureate Pirandello's controversial play Six Characters in Search of an Author, the piece "recasts dance as something close to moving sculpture" as Bris Fest's artistic director David Berthold puts it. For Bokaer, who is as acclaimed and innovative in the field of contemporary dance as Williams is in music, it's a blending not only "of cultures, but a blending of forms, expressions, and of inheritance". Rules Of The Game's four-day, five-show Brisbane run will mark only the second time it will have be seen by an audience, after debuting in May at the SOLUNA International Music and Arts Festival in Dallas. In fact, the production won't premiere in New York until November. And if you're not in Brissie, you'd better book plane tickets fast, because it won't be showing anywhere else in Australia. Catch Rules of the Game at Brisbane Festival from September 14 – 17. Check out the Brisbane Festival website for tickets and further details.
After months of anticipation, the revival of Chippendale's Old Clare Hotel has at long last been completed. Spearheaded by Singapore-based hotel and restaurant entrepreneur Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection, the revamped watering hole as boutique hotel on Kensington Street is finally open for business — and from what we can tell, it looks pretty bloody spectacular. Reborn from the (metaphorical) ashes of the historic (and dearly beloved) Clare Hotel and adjoining Carlton United Brewery Administrative Building, the newly-opened hotel boasts 62 rooms and suites featuring high ceilings, heritage timber panelling and exposed brick walls, furnished with PSLAB pendant lighting, vintage furniture and cushions 'inspired by Australian flora and fauna'. Further hotel amenities include a rooftop pool and bar, private gym and a heritage meeting space, as well as a day spa expected to launch early next year. Guests can also take advantage of custom-made bicycles to explore the surrounding neighbourhood, or simply relax at the indoor bar near reception and enjoy the honest-to-god bespoke scent created by local perfumed candlers Maison Balzac. That being said, the biggest drawcard might be The Old Clare's three new high-end restaurants. Automata, the first solo venture from Momofuku Seiobo sous chef Clayton Wells, opened earlier this week, with a rotating five-course menu laden with such extravagances as storm clam with rosemary dashi, cream and dulse, and partridge with witlof, burnt apple and caper. Noma alumnus Sam Miller, meanwhile, will open Silvereye on September 22, offering short and long seasonal tasting menus featuring young coconut and mud crab, pumpkin with pomello, leeks with pig feet and white beer, and a plum and coffee tart. Last but not least, there's the Kensington Street Social, by Michelin-starred globetrotter Jason Atherton. No word on their launch date or menu as of this writing, although based on the competition, we have to assume they'll be bringing their A-game. The Old Clare Hotel is now open and taking bookings at 1 Kensington Street, Chippendale. For more information visit the website
Zines aren't a new beast. If you've landed here knowing full well what a zine is, sit smugly for a second. For the initiated, what the heck is a zine? According to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, "Zines – short for fanzines or magazines – are dependent or self-published publications informed by the DIY ethos, usually handmade and of a limited run." Essentially, they're one of the most hardy, historically avant-garde, no-holds-barred forms of self-publishing we've got today. But you can't just buy 'em anywhere, you have to know where to look. Often you'll find them sitting in creative, bold local stores happy to stock their favourites, and sometimes you can order them online. But the best place to actually hold and flick through a zine — and meet the person who made it — is at a zine fair. Luckily, there's a big one coming (back) to Sydney. Home to many a colossal zine fair over the years, the MCA is one of Sydney's only major institutions that hosts zine events. Their beloved Zine Fair is back on June 11 and 12 for Vivid, with over 100 independent stallholders for you to peruse. Each zine-maker has their own unique style — you'll find political satire sitting next to squee-inducing animal art. So before you head into the fair, we thought we'd introduce you to five of Australia's best and most unique zine-makers, to find out how they got into such a niche art in a digital world. ALEX LATHAM How did you get into zine making? I got into zine making by applying for the MCA Zine Fair and on being accepted realised that I had to make a zine for the Zine Fair or I would have nothing on my table at the Zine Fair. Describe your zine style in five words. Crap. Really bad. Very good. What's your favourite thing about zine making? Using a hack saw. MIKAELA CAILAO How did you get into zine making? A few of my good friends suggested participating in the MCA Zine Fair as a way of being productive and getting my drawings out there. One of them had a stall at the fair last year and had a lot of fun with it, so I thought I'd try it out this year. Describe your zine style in five words. Haven't figured that out yet... What's your favourite thing about zine making? So far, I'd have to say how broad the spectrum is. It's interesting seeing just how unique people's ideas are and what can be made out of those ideas. JESS CHEN How did you get into zine making? I wanted to expand my art range into something different and find ways to expose myself as an artist (at the time I was only making prints and postcards) and so I experimented by collating bits of my artwork into themed zines. MCA Zine Fair was my gateway, and I took the chance, and loved making zines ever since. Describe your zine style in five words. Cute, whimsical, handmade, watercolour, cats. What's your favourite thing about zine making? Seeing that finished result and flicking through it, and seeing your artwork presented in a different form rather than just a single-sided print. SHU How did you get into zine making? I only got into zines quite recently. All the street artists and urbex photographers I'm friends with were doing it, and I was super keen to give it a go. At the time, I had been working on this little character called Monstery, and had been getting her out (on the streets) loads — that first zine I made was a kind of record of what Monstery had been doing that past year. It was a good excuse to get it all together, edit my own work and figure out where to go next with it. Describe your zine style in five words. Cute, quirky, adventure, illustration and street art. What's your favourite thing about zine making? What I love about zine making is actually the same thing I love about street art — that is, the sentiment that you don't need anyone's approval to show the world your work. I think it is really important for people not to wait for someone else to tell them that their art, photographs or writing is good enough to be published. If you believe in it, put it out there. AKISIEW How did you get into zine making? I can't remember exactly, but my first zine that I bought was actually made by an artist called Mel Kadel who lives in LA. I fell in love with it and the way she had used zine making as a way of experimenting with her work and creating a narrative to her work. I had lots of half made stories in my head and in sketchbooks which I wanted to express both in words and illustrations, and zine-making is the perfect medium to do that. Describe your zine style in five words. Cute, narrative driven, illustrative. What's your favourite thing about zine making? That there are so many topics that you can explore and so many different ways to create a story with paper. They are just so expressive and the fact that each and every one is handmade by the artist makes them so very special. They are made for the love of making them and sharing them over anything else. MCA's Zine Fair is happening June 11 and 12 from 10am-6pm. Entry is free.
Parts of a Lady, Gronk, Day Planner and Ali G Goes to Chicago aren't going to win any shiny trophies this year, because none of them exist. But, after getting a shoutout in Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's very amusing opening monologue at the 2021 Golden Globes, you'll wish these fictional flicks were either showing at a cinema near you or streaming on your platform of choice. They might be an improvement on some of the movies and TV shows that were nominated this year, after all. Poehler and Fey noted that "a lot of flashy garbage" was vying for a gong and, well, they're not wrong. It's always best to remember two things whenever entertainment awards roll around. Firstly, great movies and television shows, and the talents behind them, always remain that way whether they have the silverware to go with it or not. Secondly, finally valuing the exceptional work of women and people of colour in the entertainment industry after so long spent focusing on white men will always remain important. And, while the Golden Globes ceremony this year looked a little different to usual — it was held across both Los Angeles and New York, with Poehler and Fey split across the two cities; nominees called in via video from home in all their finery, rather than attending in person; and winners didn't physically put their hands on a statuette — it did give a heap of recognition to some very deserving folks. Seeing three women contending for Best Director, with Chloe Zhao emerging victorious for Nomadland, really was something special. So was the fact that the first two gongs of the night went to Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega, two of the best actors working today. Chadwick Boseman's posthumous award was always going to be an emotional moment and, winning special accolades, both Norman Lear and Jane Fonda made moving speeches about their careers and the current state of the industry. Plenty of top-notch talents missed out as well, though, because that's the way these congratulatory proceedings always go — but from everything that emerged victorious, we've picked 12 films and TV shows for you to feast your eyes on as soon as possible. MOVIE MUST-SEES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0&feature=youtu.be NOMADLAND Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's the case in Nomadland, which will earn her another Oscar nomination and could even see her win a third shiny statuette just three years after she nabbed her last for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Here, leading a cast that also includes real people experiencing the existence that's fictionalised within the narrative, she plays the widowed, van-dwelling Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot she spent her married life in turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. Following her travels over the course of more than a year, this humanist drama serves up an observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks. It's both deeply intimate and almost disarmingly empathetic in the process, as every movie made by Chloe Zhao is. This is only the writer/director's third, slotting in after 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider but before 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, but it's a feature of contemplative and authentic insights into the concepts of home, identity and community. Meticulously crafted, shot and performed, it's also Zhao's best work yet, and the best film of 2020 as well. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director — Motion Picture (Chloe Zhao) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama (Frances McDormand), Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Chloe Zhao) Nomadland returns to cinemas from March 4, after a sneak preview season in late December and early January. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbE96sCJEjo MINARI Remember the name Lee Isaac Chung. Minari isn't the writer/director's first feature — with 2007's Munyurangabo, 2010's Lucky Life and 2012's Abigail Harm already on his resume — but it's the kind of intimate, heartfelt and resonant movie that cements its filmmaker as a top cinematic talent to watch. Remember the name Alan S Kim, too. The child actor makes his film debut here, but he steals every scene he's in. Considering that he's acting opposite Steven Yeun (Burning), who turns in his latest excellent performance and will hopefully nab an Oscar nomination for his efforts, that's no minor feat. Remembering Minari in general is a given, actually. It's so detailed, vivid and honest, and yet also so universal at the same time. Based on Chung's own upbringing, this tender drama follows the Yi family (which also includes My Unfamiliar Family's Yeri Han and first-timer Noel Cho) as they move to Arkansas to start their own farm. It's a movie about chasing the American Dream, but don't go thinking that you've seen this tale before, or seen any similar story told with such feeling either. The film's overall story can be summarised neatly, but Minari's many deep and thoughtful charms and triumphs aren't ever simplistic. Indeed, as features influenced by personal real-life tales can be at their best, this is a gorgeously and thoughtfully detailed picture, with Chung realising that trading in specific minutiae is far more compelling and relatable than opting for sweeping generalisations. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language Minari is currently screening in cinemas. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjtGqRXQ9Y JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH The last time that Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield appeared in the same film, Get Out was the end result. Their shared scene in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning horror movie isn't easily forgotten — if you've seen the feature, it will have instantly popped into your head while you're reading this — and neither is Judas and the Black Messiah, their next collaboration. With Kaluuya starring as the Black Panther Party's Illinois Chairman Fred Hampton and Stanfield playing William O'Neal, the man who infiltrated his inner circle as an informer for the FBI, the pair is still tackling race relations. Here, though, the duo does so in a ferocious historical drama set in the late 60s. The fact that O'Neal betrays Hampton definitely isn't a spoiler here; it's a matter of fact, and the lens through which writer/director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) and his co-scribes Kenneth Lucas, Keith Lucas (actors on Lady Dynamite) and Will Berson (Scrubs) view the last period of Hampton's life. Anchored by two fierce performances that stand out in their own ways — with Kaluuya commanding the screen during every single one of his real-life character's speeches, and Stanfield playing conflicted with a raw, nervy air — Judas and the Black Messiah does what only the best movies that look back at the past and its many problems manage. It roves its eyes over events gone by, shines a spotlight the rampant oppression and the struggle against it, and condenses a wealth of information into a gripping feature. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Daniel Kaluuya) Nominated: Best Original Song — Motion Picture (Tiara Thomas, HER and D'Mile, 'Fight for You') Judas and the Black Messiah opens in cinemas on March 11 — check back for our full review then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ord7gP151vk MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Chadwick Boseman, Oscar-winner. That combination of words is very likely to become a posthumous reality for the late, great actor, thanks to his last screen role. Boseman is just that phenomenal in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He has earned that term before in Get on Up, Black Panther and Da 5 Bloods, but his performance in this stage-to-screen production is such a powerhouse effort that it's like watching a cascading waterfall drown out almost everything around it. He plays trumpeter Levee Green, who is part of the eponymous Ma Rainey's (Viola Davis, Widows) band. On a 1920s day, the always-nattering, big-dreaming musician joins Ma — who isn't just a fictional character, and was known as the Mother of Blues — and the rest of his colleagues for a recording session. Temperatures and tempers rise in tandem in the Chicago studio, with Levee and Ma rarely seeing eye to eye on any topic. Davis is in thundering, hot-blooded form, while Colman Domingo (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Glynn Turman (Fargo) also leave a firm impression. It's impossible take your eyes off of the slinkily magnetic Boseman though, as would prove the case even if he was still alive to see the film's release. Adapting the play of the same name by August Wilson (Fences), director George C Wolfe (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) lets Boseman farewell the screen with one helluva bang. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama (Chadwick Boseman) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama (Viola Davis) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs--6c7Hn_A SOUL Released early in 2020, Onward definitely wasn't Pixar's best film — but Soul, its straight-to-streaming latest movie that capped off the past year, instantly contends for the title. The beloved animation studio has always excelled when it takes big leaps. Especially now, a quarter-century into its filmmaking tenure, its features prove particularly enchanting when they're filled with surprises (viewers have become accustomed to seeing toys, fish, rats and robots have feelings, after all). On paper, Soul initially seems similar to Inside Out, but switching in souls for emotions. It swaps in voice work by Tina Fey for Amy Poehler, too, and both movies are helmed by director Peter Docter, so there's more than one reason for the comparison. But to the delight of viewers of all ages, Soul is a smart, tender and contemplative piece of stunning filmmaking all on its own terms. It's Pixar at its most existential, and with a strikingly percussive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to further help it stand out. At its centre sits aspiring jazz musician-turned-music teacher Joe (Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy). Just as he's about to get his big break, he falls down a manhole, his soul leaves his body, and he's desperate to get back to chase his dreams. Alas, that's not how things work, and he's saddled with mentoring apathetic and cynical soul 22 (the always hilarious Fey) in his quest to reclaim his life. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Animated, Best Original Score — Motion Picture (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste) Soul is available to stream via Disney+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lkCCo63nhM I CARE A LOT Last month, we said that Rosamund Pike may not end up with many shiny statuettes for her efforts in I Care a Lot. We also said that her Golden Globe nomination was thoroughly well-deserved. The Radioactive and Gone Girl star is stellar in a tricky part in a thorny film — because this dark comic-thriller isn't here to play nice. Pike plays Marla Grayson, a legal guardian to as many elderly Americans as she can convince the courts to send her way. She's more interested in the cash that comes with the job, however, rather than actually looking after her charges. Indeed, with her girlfriend and business partner Fran (Eiza González, Bloodshot), plus an unscrupulous doctor on her payroll, she specifically targets wealthy senior citizens with no family, gets them committed to her care, packs them off to retirement facilities and plunders their bank accounts. Then one such ploy catches the attention of gangster Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones), who dispatches his minions to nudge Marla in a different direction. She isn't willing to acquiesce, though, sparking both a game of cat and mouse and a showdown. Dinklage makes the most of his role, too, but I Care a Lot is always the icy Pike's movie. Well, hers and writer/director J Blakeson's (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), with the latter crafting a takedown of capitalism that's savagely blunt but also viciously entertaining. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Rosamund Pike) I Care a Lot is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rsa4U8mqkw BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM Of all the twists and turns that 2020 delivered, the arrival of a new Borat movie ranked among the most unexpected. Watching Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, however, it's obvious why the famed fictional Kazakh journalist made a comeback at that very moment — that is, just before the US election. Once again, Borat travels to America. Once again, he traverses the country, interviewing everyday people and exposing the abhorrent views that have become engrained in US society. Where its 2006 predecessor had everyone laughing along with it, though, there's also an uneasy and even angry undercurrent to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm that's reflective of these especially polarised times. It's worth noting that Sacha Baron Cohen's last project, 2018 TV series Who Is America?, also used the comedian's usual interview technique to paint a picture of the US today, and the results were as astute as they were horrifying. There are plenty of jokes in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which bases its narrative around Borat's attempt to gift his 15-year-old daughter (instant scene-stealer Maria Bakalova) to Vice President Mike Pence and then ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to help get Kazakhstan's own leader into President Donald Trump's good graces, but this is the unflinching work of a star passionate about making a statement. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Sacha Baron Cohen) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Maria Bakalova) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is available to stream now via Amazon Prime Video. SMALL SCREEN BINGES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcqItifbNUA SMALL AXE British filmmaker Steve McQueen hasn't directed a bad movie — and, even after dropping five new features as part of the Small Axe anthology, that hasn't changed. The director of Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave and Widows gifts viewers a quintet of films that are as exceptional as anything he's ever made, with every entry in this new series taking place in England, in the 60s, 70s and 80s, with London's West Indian community at its centre. The first, Mangrove, tells an infuriating true tale about a police campaign to target a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill. From there, Lovers Rock spends time at a house party as two attendees dance into each other's orbits, and Red, White and Blue follows a young forensic scientist who decides to join the force to change from the inside. Next, Alex Wheatle explores the life of the award-winning writer of the same name, while Education unpacks unofficial moves to segregate children of colour in schools. There's no weak link here — only stunning, stirring, standout cinema that tells blistering tales about Black London residents doing everything it takes to resist their racist treatment. Every film is sumptuously shot, too, thanks to cinematographer Shabier Kirchner (Bull), and the cast spans everyone from Lost in Space's Shaun Parkes and Black Panther's Letitia Wright to Star Wars' John Boyega. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role (John Boyega) Nominated: Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television All five Small Axe films are available to stream via Binge. It's streaming soon in NZ. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u7EIiohs6U TED LASSO What do Parks and Recreation, Wellington Paranormal and Ted Lasso all have in common? They're all stellar examples of kind-hearted TV sitcoms that are an absolute delight to watch. By now, the first two aforementioned shows have already established a legion of fans, but the third series listed above — a 2020 newcomer — definitely belongs in the same company even just based on its ten episodes so far. Starring a gloriously optimistic Jason Sudeikis as the titular character, the comedy follows its main figure during a period of transition. A college-level American football coach, he's just been hired by struggling English Premier League team AFC Richmond, despite having zero knowledge of soccer. He's actually been recruited for the role by the club's new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Game of Thrones), who received the organisation as part of her divorce settlement and is determined to tank it to spite her slimy ex (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head). For much of his career, Sudeikis has excelled at playing thorny, jerkish characters (see: the terrific Colossal) who initially seem likeable. And yet, he's pitch-perfect here, and Ted Lasso as a whole proves just as spot-on. Also featuring excellent work from Brett Goldstein (Doctor Who) and Juno Temple (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as an ageing player and a young hotshot's girlfriend, this is a smart, funny and warm gem. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Jason Sudeikis) Nominated: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy Ted Lasso is available to stream via Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uWS6CnC2o SCHITT'S CREEK The idea behind Schitt's Creek is immensely straightforward, and also incredibly obvious. If one of the obscenely wealthy families that monopolises all those trashy reality TV shows was suddenly forced to live without their money, like the rest of us, how would they cope? If you're thinking "not well", you're right. If you're certain that seeing the results would be amusing, you're on the money again. As envisaged by father-son duo — and the program's stars — Eugene and Daniel Levy, that's the scenario the Rose crew finds itself in, including moving to the titular town that it happens to own as a last resort. Yes, as the name gives away, they're in a sticky situation. The adjustment process isn't easy, but it is very, very funny, and remained that way for the show's entire six-season run before wrapping up in 2020. And, although plenty of other credits on her resume have made this plain (such as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration, all also with Eugene Levy), the great Catherine O'Hara is an absolute comedy powerhouse as the Rose family matriarch. She now has both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance here, too. GLOBES Won: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Catherine O'Hara) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Eugene Levy), Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role (Dan Levy), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Annie Murphy) Schitt's Creek is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiXEpminPms THE CROWN When we say that fans of The Crown had been particularly looking forward to the show's fourth season, that isn't meant as a criticism of anything that preceded it. No disrespect is directed towards the regal drama's previous episodes, or to the past cast that took on the program's main roles before an age-appropriate switch was made at the beginning of season three. But, now more than halfway through the program's planned six-season run, this latest chapter focuses on two big showdowns that changed the shape of the royal family in the 80s. Firstly, Queen Elizabeth II (Oscar-winner Olivia Colman) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (The X-Files icon Gillian Anderson) don't quite see eye to eye, to put it mildly. Also, with Prince Charles' (God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor) marriage to Lady Diana Spencer (Pennyworth's Emma Corrin) a big plot point, the latter clashes with the entire royal establishment. Among a cast that also includes Helena Bonham Carter (Enola Holmes) and Tobias Menzies (Outlander), Colman, Anderson, O'Connor and Corrin are all exceptional — and in a show that's always been buoyed by its performances, that's saying something. GLOBES Won: Best Television Series — Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Emma Corrin), Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama (Josh O'Connor), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Gillian Anderson) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Olivia Colman), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Helena Bonham Carter) The Crown is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDrieqwSdgI THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT In much of The Queen's Gambit, Beth Harmon sits at a chessboard. As a child (Isla Johnston), she demands that orphanage janitor Mr Shaibel (Bill Camp, The Outsider) teach her the game. As a teenager (Anya Taylor-Joy, Radioactive), she earns a reputation as a chess prodigy. As her confidence and fame grows, she demonstrates her prowess at tournaments around America and the globe, while also spending her spare time hunched over knights, rooks, bishops and pawns studying moves and tactics. None of the above sounds like innately thrilling television unless you're a chess grandmaster, but this seven-part miniseries proves that you should never judge a show by its brief description. Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, written and directed by Oscar-nominee Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Logan), and dripping with lavish 50s and 60s decor and costuming to reflect its period setting, The Queen's Gambit doesn't expect that all its viewers will be chess aficionados; however, it's made with a canny awareness that anything can be tense, suspenseful and involving — and that every different type of game there is says much about its players and devotees. The series doesn't lack in creative and inventive ways to depict chess on-screen. It knows when to hang on every single move of a pivotal game, and when to focus on the bigger story surrounding a particular match or Beth path through the chess world in general. And it's especially astute at illustrating how a pastime based on precision and strategy offers an orphaned girl a way to control one lone aspect of her tumultuous and constantly changing life. GLOBES Won: Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Anya Taylor-Joy) The Queen's Gambit is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review.
Death and vengeance are the common threads in Damián Szifron’s Wild Tales, one of the most deliriously savage black comedies to hit cinemas in years. Argentina’s nomination to the most recent Foreign Language Oscar race, the film consists of six separate vignettes, following six everyday people driven to the point of no return. The ensuing mayhem resembles the spawn of the Coen Brothers, Almodovar, Tarantino and Bunuel; a wicked tour de force as sharp as a corkscrew and every bit as twisted. Anthology films can be a risky proposition, particularly when one or more segments falls short. Thankfully, that’s not the case here. Yes, every viewer will have their favourite (personally, I loved the opener), but even the ‘weaker’ episodes are catapulted along by an almost maniacal sense of escalation. Whether it’s a wealthy couple trying to cover up their son’s indiscretions, a lowly waitress taking revenge on the man who ruined her family or just two drivers struck down by a serious case of road rage, every chapter in the film is propelled by a wonderful inevitability: eventually, everything will be thrown horribly, hysterically and often violently out of control. And believe it or not, there’s actually method to Szifron’s madness — an intelligence lurking beneath all that wonderful chaos. The cathartic pleasure we feel watching his characters rebel against what’s socially (and ethically) acceptable comes directly from our own frustrations with the everyday world. Bureaucracy, class inequality and male impotence are but a few of the film’s more pointed areas of exploration, and while we’re hesitant to suggest that the people in the film get what’s coming to them, poetic justice certainly tends to prevail. Many of the shorts also offer a thinly veiled criticism of the country’s endemic political corruption, although you certainly don’t need to live in Argentina for that to strike a chord. The script is matched by top-notch technical specs, with crisp cinematography and eye-catching production design along with some extremely memorable music choices. The cast is likewise terrific across the board, although particular praise must go to Rita Cortese as a burly cook and Erica Rivas as a seriously pissed-off bride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTXKTj4XCs8
In Italy, rather than having a national dish (spaghetti and pizza hold the title to those outside of Italy), each region has a speciality. You'll find an abundance of the particular product served in the osterias and tavola caldas of the region (only the locals know where to find the very best) and it would be a crime not to order the dish. For obvious reasons, this concept doesn't really exist in Sydney; instead we have a wonderful diversity of cuisines. However, the Italians certainly know what they are doing – eating only the most simple, fresh ingredients, served in a fairly untouched way. The Buffalo Dining Club is doing exactly this; it is a little piece of Campania (a region in southern Italy) dropped into the backstreets of Darlinghurst. As you can probably guess, buffalo mozzarella and buscata (a mozzarella that is mixed with cream in the middle, tied up like a money bag and much softer than the buffalo variety). For $17, you order one of the cheeses and two vegetable sides (each one is $5 after that). With options like Balsamic Carrots, Portobello Mushrooms, Chargrilled Broccolini and Marinated Fennel it is a seriously tough choice. Order it with the Prosciutto or San Daniele (bought by the gram) and you have, in my eyes, a perfect meal. With crunchy little breadsticks, I could eat this meal three times over, every night of the week. If you're not quite full yet, there is pasta of the day, a burger or salad. Wash it down with a Trumer pils or a glass of wine (stick with the Trumer, apparently the wine list is a work-in-progress but it is expensive and not very inventive, or Italian for that matter) and you'll be patting your belly and whispering 'mamma mia.' It would have been one of the best food experiences I'd had in a long time but unfortunately the acoustics upstairs aren't great and the service is a little lacking. The good news is, these things are ironed out over time so don't hesitate, get in there before everyone finds out about and the lines stretch around the corner to Una's. If you're not a huge fan of Italian food, this may not be the restaurant for you, as the menu is small and simple. If the above appeals, be wiping away tears of joy when you visit this ingenious new venture by the Sticky boys. Images: Kimberley Low.
New South Wales' Three Blue Ducks is crossing state borders and laying down roots along the Brisbane River. The eatery has just been announced as the signature restaurant at the soon-to-launch W Brisbane this April. Set in the luxury hotel, the design will hone in on Queensland's laidback vibe and complement the brand's paddock-to-plate ethos by featuring earthy tones, hanging greenery and the use of raw materials. The restaurant is part of the lush new Brisbane Quarter development, which is slated to include an office tower, apartments and two levels of retail. Famed chefs Darren Robertson, Andy Allen and Mark LaBrooy will be serving up their signature menu of sustainably and ethically sourced eats all day, with the seasonal menu featuring local produce from both Queensland and northern New South Wales. The kitchen features a woodfired oven, a rotisserie and charcoal pit, along with a cold seafood section with Moreton Bay bugs, spanner crab and oysters on offer. Many of the venue's much loved dishes will also make an appearance, including the coal-roasted lamb with parsnip puree, burnt shallots and fresh peas; the crab scramble with green mango, bean shoot salad, house-made Sriracha and cashews; and the corn fritters with guacamole, fermented cabbage, herb salad, labneh and poached eggs. For drinks, they're slinging original cocktails, local craft beers and top-notch coffees, just like they do down south. "When approached by W Hotel to embark on a Three Blue Ducks venture in Brisbane, it was important to us to ensure that we shared the same values and sustainable business practices," says the brand's co-owner, Jeff Bennett. "Although our current venues greatly differ in aesthetic, our philosophy and ethos remain very much the same and we can't wait to work alongside W Brisbane with views over the Brisbane River." W Brisbane is set to open at 81 North Quay, Brisbane on March 15, with Three Blue Ducks opening in April. For more info on the hotel, visit the website.
Neil Perry's new Cantonese restaurant, Jade Temple, is all set to open in the original site of Rockpool Est. 1989. Open for business on Monday, July 3, the restaurant is the latest in what seems to be a neverending string of openings from the Rockpool Dining Group, who announced back in March that they'd be replacing the short-lived Eleven Bridge with a Cantonese restaurant. The fine dining establishment will feature classic dishes with an Australian produce twist and a tiki-style cocktail list to boot. The familiar sounding name is no coincidence — Jade Temple will act as the sister restaurant to Spice Temple, which is also contained in the group's portfolio. The redesign of the 11 Bridge Street space has been taken on by designer Grant Cheyne, who has been on Perry's payroll for some time, having also designed Rockpool Est. 1989 and Burger Project, as well as the Rockpool Bar & Grill and Spice Temple locations across Australia. The Jade Temple fitout features two cast iron Chinese guardian lions, traditional Chinese artwork and imported Chinese light fittings, including custom-designed chandeliers and handmade bamboo shades. The kitchen is located behind folding screens and comes complete with a duck drying cabinets and live seafood tanks. The space is also fitted with separate mezzanine and bar areas that are cosy and more intimate spaces for pre-dinner drinks or snacks. The menu focuses on classic dishes that use sustainable Australian produce, featuring dishes like char siu, whole roast duck, lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and honey prawns, along with fresh seafood served with a variety of Cantonese sauces. For lunch, a menu of dumplings, steamed buns and wontons will be on offer. In proper Lazy Susan family style, all dishes are designed to share, though of course they'll be more high-end than your corner Chinese shop, with banquet menus on offer for $75-95 per person. On the drinks side, the Cantonese-inspired cocktails are made using house-made ingredients, syrups and infusions to achieve a 'Chinese-tiki' spin. They're also named after mythical characters from Chinese folklore, adding a touch of kitsch to the venue. The colossal wine list includes 300 labels from around the world with a focus on regions that pair nicely with Cantonese food — think whites from Austria, Germany and France's Loire Valley and reds from Burgundy and Rhone Valley. A selection of loose-leaf Chinese teas, infusions and tisanes will also be on offer. Jade Temple will open Monday, July 3 at 11 Bridge Street, Sydney.
