Halal food, and the certification around it, has popped up in the Australian news a lot lately — mostly in the form of straight-up racist commentary that has no basis in fact. Most recently, newly elected Australian senator Pauline Hanson, threw a childish fit on Saturday after senator Sam Dastyari offered to buy her a Halal Snack Pack (HSP) as jesting congratulations. For those that don't know, an HSP is a greasy concoction of hot chips, kebab meat (chicken and/or lamb) and cheese, covered in sauces, including the 'Holy Trinity' of garlic, chilli and barbecue sauce. This dish is so popular among uni students that the Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society (HSPAS) is nearly 150,000 members strong. Hanson has repeatedly made fact-less allegations that funds made from halal certified food goes directly to fund terrorism. Her blatantly discriminatory remarks, which have been repetitively disproven and shown to have no factual research behind them, got us thinking — what is halal certification really all about? We're bringing you some plain old facts on the subject, because knowledge is power. [caption id="attachment_578771" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] WHAT IS HALAL FOOD? Halal (حَلَال) is an Arabic word that means 'permissible' or 'allowed' and refers to the dietary restrictions of the Muslim law. Foods that are explicitly prohibited by the Qur'an, and are therefore not halal, include: Alcohol (including used in food) Meat from carnivorous animals, most notably pigs and dogs Any bi-product of carnivorous animals, including lard, gelatine, blood, broth and enzymes (which many non-halal cakes, biscuits and ice-creams contain) Meat of an animal that has died of natural causes or as a result of strangling or beating All foods that do not meet these above restrictions are considered halal (that includes fruits, nuts and vegetables, to name a few). WHAT IS HALAL CERTIFICATION? Halal certification denotes to the consumer that the food is certified to fit the dietary restrictions of halal, much the way organic and gluten-free products must be certified. In order for a food to be certified as halal, it must be: Free from any meat or bi-product from a carnivorous animal Slaughtered with a Muslim person present and in compliance with Islamic rites Processed, manufactured and stored by using equipment that has been cleaned according to Islamic law (e.g. not cleaned with alcohol or in proximity to carnivorous animal bi-product). [caption id="attachment_578769" align="alignnone" width="1280"] CEphoto, Uwe Aranas.[/caption] OTHER USEFUL HALAL FACTS Food that is already halal is not changed during the certification process; it is simply certified to show that it has not broken any of the dietary restrictions within halal eating methods. Hundreds of Australian food products exist as halal certified, including Vegemite, Nestle Crunch bars, Maggi Two Minute Noodles and Kellogg's Coco Pops. Essentially, the animal used for food needs to be slaughtered humanely and using clean instruments that are namely pork and alcohol free. If you're thinking logically about it, a halal certification is similar to a food being certified as organic or gluten free — it simply tells a person who has specific dietary restrictions that they are able to eat the food and is actually very inline with standard ethical eating practices. ABC News Fact Check recently assessed Hanson's claims that halal certification directly results in funding terrorism and could find "no evidence whatsoever ... that money from halal certification has ever flowed to terrorist groups." They also debunked her claims that halal certification is a $3-trillion dollar industry — in fact, most responsive manufacturers claimed that their certification cost was negligible, even as little as $1-$2K per year. What is true is that the halal food industry is estimated to be in excess of $1-trillion. This means that the world economy profits in the trillions off of manufacturing halal food. [caption id="attachment_578861" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dan Nguyen.[/caption] When it comes down to it, all the fuss is really about nothing but and Hanson's comments are just an embarrassment. Halal food is embraced around the western world and is specifically prevalent in New York City, where halal carts are seen on every corner. The city's famous Halal Guys, which is the "longest running and best known street cart in New York City", serves the cart equivalent of the HSP and is an integral part of the food scene in the city. They're also donating $30,000 to LaGuardia Community College this year, which sure doesn't sound like global terrorist activity to us. Sources: Australian Food & Grocery Council, The New York Times, SMH, ABC Fact Check, Junkee, Merriam-Webster. Image: Toby Jay, Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society (HSPAS).
When Skrillex and Four Tet took to the Coachella stage back in April, they did so to help plug a gap left by Frank Ocean dropping out of the Californian festival's second weekend. When they make the trip Down Under this spring, however, they won't be filling in for anyone, headlining 2023's just-announced lineup for electronic-meets-hip hop festival Listen Out. Back for another year — after 2022 marked its first gigs since 2019 — this fest will do the rounds throughout September, hitting up Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney over two weekends. This is the first time that Skrillex will play gigs in Australia since Listen Out 2018 and, as well as Four Tet, the DJ and producer will have plenty of company. Also on the bill: Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, Coi Leray, Piri, venbee, Mallrat and Jyoty, as well as Marc Rebillet, Metro Boomin and Kenny Beats. Ebony Boadu will be on hosting duties, and there are still more acts to be announced. 2023's fests mark Listen Out's tenth birthday, and will bring curated stages to its four stops. So, The Atari Stage is primarily about hip hop artists, while 909 Stage features major dance acts. Then, over on the Prophet Stage, you'll enjoy cutting-edge electronic and house acts. [caption id="attachment_900830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leo K[/caption] Also hitting the road, albeit just with one stop: Listen In, a condensed version of the fest with a smaller lineup that'll solely play Adelaide. Folks in South Australia can look forward to Skrillex, Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, Piri, Marc Rebillet, Arrdee and Friction, plus more to be announced. LISTEN OUT 2023 DATES: Saturday, September 23 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Sunday, September 24 — HBF Arena, Joondalup, Perth Friday, September 29 — Caribbean Gardens, Melbourne Saturday, September 30 — Centennial Park, Sydney LISTEN OUT 2023 LINEUP: Arrdee Coi Leray Four Tet Friction Ice Spice Jbee Jpegmafia Jyoty Kenny Beats Lil Uzi Vert Mallrat Marc Rebillet Metro Boomin Piri Skrillex Spinall Venbee Wongo B2B Little Fritter Young Franco Yunè Pinku Ebony Boadu as host 1TBSP Ayebatonye Donatachi Handsome Kobie Dee VV Pete Willo Plus triple j Unearthed artists to be announced + more LISTEN IN 2023 DATES: Friday, September 22 — Ellis Park, Adelaide LISTEN IN 2023 LINEUP: Arrdee Friction Ice Spice Lil Uzi Vert Marc Rebillet Piri Skrillex Plus triple j Unearthed artist to be announced + more Listen Out and Listen In's 2023 season tours Australia in September. For more information, or to buy tickets from 12/1pm (times vary depending on the city) from Thursday, May 18, head to the festival website. Top image: Josef W.
When Vernon Ah-Kee was born in 1967 in Far North Queensland, he wasn't counted as a citizen. It wasn't until later that year that, following a referendum, the Australian Government came to officially recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Today, Ah-Kee is an internationally celebrated artist with work in collections all over the world — from Canada's National Gallery to Hannover's Sprengel Museum. And, as part of Sydney Festival 2017, he's bringing us a powerful exhibition that confronts issues of race, ideology and politics. Titled Not an animal or a plant, the show marks both Ah-Kee's 50th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. Its combination of oversized drawings, paintings, text-based installations and 3D works investigates colonisation and racism, historically and contemporarily. "NAS Gallery is excited to be working with Vernon to present key works from the artist's powerful and diverse oeuvre," said Judith Blackall, curator at the National Art School Gallery. "It is an opportunity for the public to reflect and engage with important issues in Australian popular culture, particularly the dichotomy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal societies and cultures."
The afternoon before I'm due to hop on a plane for my first ever skiing experience, I decide to be a little more organised than usual and make a list of things to pack. After all, I'd never even seen proper powder before — it couldn't hurt to make sure I was prepared. The QT Falls Creek, where I'd be staying, assured me I could hire everything I needed, but I checked in with Facebook anyway. "You need a facewarmer!" "THIN woollen socks under your boots!" "No cotton!" "You'll need goggles, you can't hire them!" "SERIOUSLY I'M NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE FACEWARMER." The Snow had always been something other people did; I am not outdoorsy, my family holidays tending towards reading and puzzles rather than adventure sports, and the whole skiing-snowboarding thing seemed to me to be an expensive, bro-y pastime that required wearing more neon manmade fabrics than I cared to think about. QT Falls Creek had three days and two nights to convert me. [caption id="attachment_587920" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Falls Creek QT.[/caption] DO If you're a nervous flyer like me, you might need to take a moment after the flight to Albury in a propeller plane. We were shuttled to the casually glam Atura Hotel in Albury, where we enjoyed a very good breakfast buffet in the huge open-plan lobby/dining area,which looks a little like a Typo exploded in it (lots of dark industrial textures, whimsical mismatching and pastel ceramic pineapples). You've got a long drive out to Falls Creek ahead of you, so it's a great option to stay or at least rest in Albury first. It's slowly building a rep as a great foodie regional centre, and the low-lying, hill-fringed farmland just outside the city is an extremely pretty place to drive through — read our Weekender's Guide to Albury for tips. The family-owned Falls Creek Coach Services will drive you and up to three mates the hour and a half from Albury to the door of your hotel or lodge and then back again, all for a bit over $700 — which, compared to wrangling a hire car up snowy mountain roads only for it to sit covered in snow for three days, is solid value. After being driven out through vast, hilly countryside and up the mountain in a super-comfy new Land Rover (while I made squee noises as the size of the ACTUAL SNOW snowdrifts on the side of the road increased the higher we climbed), we were checked into the QT Falls Creek, fitted for gear at the hire shop, and booked into a private ski lesson. QT Falls Creek is a ski-in-ski-out resort — this means it's right there where the slopes and lifts are, so you can come and go as you please, instead of having to schlep to where the skiing is with all your gear and then schlep back. This is perfect for the newbie skier; it was hard enough working out how I was supposed to walk in my rented boots (tip: don't do them all the way up until you're at the lift) as I clumped the ten metres from the door of the QT to the Cloud Nine lift for my lesson. [caption id="attachment_587914" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Falls Creek QT.[/caption] As the lift scooped us up I squeaked in surprise at the speed, trying to hold onto all my skis and poles and bits as the ground dropped away, but then suddenly it was quiet, and all there was was a white sky dropping flecks of itself into the wind, dark trees with white-laden branches, skiers weaving silently beneath us, and it was the prettiest damn thing ever. Those interludes between the hubbub at each end were easily my favourite way to appreciate this new landscape. Also, guys, skiing is hard. You'd think that there wouldn't be much more to it than just letting gravity win in a controlled fashion — kids can do it! — but that control is hard to get. Snow is slippery, it turns out, particularly when it's packed down, and rented boots aren't ideal when you need to have both comfort and control (thick socks are your enemy); but they're very welcoming to adult newbies, and a couple of ruddy, polite young men had me pizza-slicing like a pro (that's how you stop) and edging up tiny snowdrifts sideways with a sure-footedness that would make mountain goats jealous. Despite taking multiple breaks to get the feeling back in my feet, on the second day I managed to slide, terrified, and fall, confidently, down a gently sloping 100m strip of mountain, while being overtaken by literal toddlers. You go downhill a lot faster than you'd think, but the first time I tucked in my elbows and picked up a teeny bit of speed, I felt like Bond. After copping my first ever windburn that first afternoon, I was a little nervous about the facial treatment booked in for me at the cosy SpaQ. But, duh, they're used to dealing with skin that's been out in the weather all day, and therapist Tara worked mandarin-scented scrubby aloe vera magic on my poor face. (I'm not a massage person, but if you're ski-sore, the thermal massage with warming oils got rave reviews from my dinner companions.) A couple of days later, when the ruddiness was completely gone, my skin looked better than it has in years — I'll be paying a visit to the SpaQ in the Sydney CBD soon to try and replicate the magic. STAY The QT consists of a couple of discrete angular buildings along the main road; if you drive up yourself, you can park further down the mountain and catch shuttles up to the resort. Our three-bedroom apartment was large and surprisingly airy, with a tiled living area (all the better for shedding snowy layers, but still somehow warm underfoot), a decent kitchen with a well-stocked minibar and free tea and Nespresso, sleek bathrooms supplied with extremely stealable unisex Malin + Goetz toiletries, and a fairly neutral colour scheme (rather than locking themselves into a style, QT wisely kept the trendy decorative touches to easily swapped-out things like textiles). There was also our very own hot tub outside, which seemed hilarious to me, given how exposed the balcony was, jutting out from the corner of the building. But the view from there, and from the tall windows inside, allowed for both people-watching and snow-watching, and even glimpses of the valley below during short gaps in the whiteout. There are heaps of activities at Falls Creek outside the snow season, like mountain biking and bushwalking, and I figured you could certainly do worse than to hole up in front of that view with a beer on a balmy afternoon, all for seriously bargain off-peak rates. As well as the gear hire shop, which also functions as a souvenir and apparel shop, there's a well-stocked Foodworks and even a little boutique selling drapey knits and locally made jewellery — and that's just around the QT buildings. You can go for a walk to the other resorts and lodges, but there's no need to leave the QT area at all if you just want to chill. Tucking into the full-sized bottle of extremely decent Cab Sav from the minibar before bed, we debated trying out the jacuzzi; but the wind was whipping sleet against the windows, and extremely comfortable beds with crisp white sheets called to our tired newbie bones. EAT AND DRINK The breakfast and dinner buffets at QT's main restaurant, Bazaar, were so good-looking that I found myself cackling with glee under my breath as I surveyed my options, much the same way I once did as I planned tactical assaults on the Sizzler all-you-can-eat dessert bar. There are no cubes of jelly and tubs of smarties here, though; the desserts include bijoux bites of panna cotta or crèmes in tiny jars sprinkled with crushed pistachios or brownie crumbs, pleasingly rustic eclairs in various flavours, and heavy dishes full of homey puddings (a rhubarb crumble one night, choc-espresso bread and butter pudding the next). The savoury options — grouped loosely into cuisines, ranging from East and South Asian to Italian and Just Give Me All The Cheese You Have — vary every day, making every meal an adventure in avoiding food FOMO. I managed to remember to order from the chefs standing patiently behind the counters a couple of times (a slim but juicy rump steak on my first night, and an omelette with everything the next morning) but mostly got distracted piling my plate up with bright noodle salad and clouds of bacon risotto, and gazing wistfully at regimented rows of shellfish on ice that were so cartoonishly beautiful I considered trying to just talk myself into liking the taste of seafood. Breakfast is similarly generous: whether you want a full English, a bowl of porridge to sustain you through the day, or one of every flavour of milk and juice in tiny bottles with striped paper straws, you're sorted. The Stingray Lounge offers a range of things for lunch that are fried and/or covered in cheese; it's a little half-hearted, but after a morning of getting your cheeks ruddy up on the big hill, you'll want to fold that basic fried chicken burger in half and swallow it whole, so there's no need to overthink it. Cocktail-wise, keeping to the classics pays off: a spot-on espresso martini here, a brightening rum toddy there. As I hopped off the lift after an ill-fated snowboarding lesson on my last morning (two points of contact with the ground are definitely better than one), I spotted the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop tucked away near the SpaQ entrance. One of the hire shop staff recommended their coffee as the best on the mountain, but I found myself ordering a Polar Bear — a white hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps and Baileys — as I was convinced that my ski-bunny initiation was incomplete without warmed alcohol. Then, back in the apartment, I eyed off the icicles on the balcony railing and the gentle waft of the snowflakes, and decided it was now or never. Beanie on head, still-warm Polar Bear in hand, I placed my towel within arm's reach and slid into the welcoming embrace of the hot tub. I sat there for a good 20 minutes, gazing out at the flashes of dark-ridged mountains visible through the mist on the other side of the valley, cosier than a joey in a jumper, not even thinking about what I might be missing on the internet, thinking about nothing at all except how nice it was. Drinking hot, boozy milk in my balcony hot tub, with the sounds of kids laughing and lift machinery clanking and Feist on the Stingray sound system, all damped by that canopy of white that went forever — I can see myself doing The Snow again, but boy, did this place set the bar high. Dylan French stayed as a guest of Falls Creek QT.
The Abercrombie is back! The storied corner pub and haven of electronic music is reopening in December thanks to Solotel who will be reviving the Ultimo venue, reintroducing its packed dance floors and 24-hour license to Sydney's nightlife. Swinging open its doors once again right at the end of 2022 means the venue has to throw a huge New Year's Eve event, and it's recruited one of Sydney's biggest party crews to send off the year. Motorik will be taking over the venue on Saturday, December 31, pulling together a stacked lineup of DJs for this eight-hour party that's set to kick on until the early hours of 2023. In a move that throws back to the glory days of The Abercrombie, heading up this program of musical tastemakers will be Germany's house and dubstep trailblazer Boys Noize. One of the stars of the late-2000s and early 2010s DJ scene, Boys Noize will be hitting the decks from 1.30am until late. In support will be Clashe, Francis Xavier, DJ Macaroni, Mclean & Mai, the Motorik Vibe Council and FBi Radio's Reenie. While you're at the revamped Abercrombie, you can explore the two new spaces opening as part of its reopening transformation. Head upstairs and you'll discover a sleek cocktail lounge and rooftop bar called Casa Rosa, or discover Lil Sis, a cosy wine bar and bottle shop located in the adjoining terraces next to the pub. The first release is sold out, but final release tickets are available for $49. Images: Shane McCauley
White knuckle thrillers, sun-dappled love stories and fish out of water comedies — you'll find them all in the lineup at this year's Spanish Film Festival. Taking over the screens at select Palace Cinemas around the country, the latest edition of this much-loved festival features 39 titles in total, including a loose remake of a recent Australian effort that will double as the opening night film. A kinky, sex-positive comedy inspired by Josh Lawson's The Little Death, Paco Leon's Kiki, Love to Love should get things off to a smoldering start. Other standouts on the program include crime thrillers such as The Bar and Smoke and Mirrors, and a retrospective stream dedicated to the works of iconic actor and singer Ana Belen. The festival will conclude with an early screening of The Trip to Spain, the much anticipated third chapter in the big screen travels of comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Below, check out our list of the five must-see films of this year's Spanish Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ywx8kAviZA MAY GOD SAVE US The title of Rodrigo Sorogoyen's new film is a little on the ominous side, but then from all reports that's rather fitting. Set in Madrid during a fiercely hot summer against the backdrop of anti-austerity protests and a visit by the pope, May God Save Us tracks a pair of veteran cops on the trail of a violent serial killer. A classic cat-and-mouse thriller, the picture won Best Screenplay at last year's San Sebastian International Film Festival, and has been compared by critics to the blood-spattered films of David Fincher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9QiTqOUdI SUMMER 1993 This year's centerpiece film arrives at the Spanish Film Festival on the back of considerable critical acclaim. Directed by Carla Simon Pipó, who won Best First Feature at the 2017 Berlinale, Summer 1993 follows six-year-old Frida, who after the death of her parents is swept from Barcelona to the Catalan provinces to begin a new life with her aunt and uncle. A simple, sensitive coming-of-age story, the film is a must-see for cinephiles, and might well be our number one pick of the entire festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f5La9q2_k8 THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN The latest effort from directorial double act Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, The Distinguished Citizen earned major plaudits at last year's Venice Film Festival, including a Best Actor gong for its leading man Oscar Martínez. A familiar face to Argentinean audiences, here Martínez plays Daniel Mantovani, a taciturn novelist who returns to his tiny hometown in order to accept an award and maybe find some inspiration. What follows has been billed as a biting big screen farce about jealousy, creativity and the perils of success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B2x5XLbQhk THE QUEEN OF SPAIN In terms of star power, this sumptuous period piece from Oscar winner Fernando Trueba is likely the biggest title on this year's Spanish Film Festival program. Reprising her role from Trueba's 1998 film The Girl of Your Dreams, Penelope Cruz plays Macarena Granada, a Hollywood movie star who returns to her native Spain for a film shoot, only for the production to run afoul of Franco's regime. Both a send-up of fascism and a loving tribute to 1950s Spanish cinema, with supporting turns by The Princess Bride co-stars Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin, The Queen of Spain shapes up as a surefire crowdpleaser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSDZ7IiYb_A THE TRIP TO SPAIN After touring the finest restaurants that England and then Italy had to offer, comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back for their latest gastronomic adventure. Directed once again by Michael Winterbottom, The Trip to Spain promises more of the same for fans of the previous two Trip films, with charming vistas, mouthwatering food and free-flowing banter. Although it's due to receive a theatrical release later in the year, closing night is your chance to see one of the year's funniest films before any of your friends. The Spanish Film Festival tours Australia from April 18, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona from April 18 to May 7; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth and Kino Cinemas from April 20 to May 7, and Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from April 27 to May 14. For more information, visit the festival website. Image: Summer 1993.
With so much space and so few people, Australia has the edge when it comes to country pubs. There are eccentric, outback institutions, hundreds of kilometres from anywhere, that have witnessed murders and shoot-outs and cattle stampedes. There are posh hotels with incredible views and gourmet menus featuring emu and camel and kangaroo. There are cosy joints with fireplaces where the locals will sidle up for a yarn within minutes and offer you a beer. Here are ten of the best of the lot. PUB IN THE PADDOCK, TASMANIA There are two reasons to visit Tassie's Pub in the Paddock. One, it's actually in a paddock. So, you'll find yourself in the country — seriously — and surrounded by spectacular, rolling green scenery. Two, it's home to a beer-sculling pig by the name of Priscilla, who can knock back a stubby in seven seconds. Don't fret; the alcohol content is significantly diluted. You can stay the night in one of six private rooms, and the pub, which has been licensed since the 1880s, is famous for its fresh-fuelled menu and hug-worthy hospitality. Find Pub in the Paddock at 250 St Columbafalls Road, Pyengana, 30 kilometres inland from St. Helens. Give 'em a call on (03) 6373 6121. GRAND HOTEL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Built in 1902, the Grand Hotel is as friendly as ever. Back in the day, it was an epicentre for local gold diggers, but these days it shares its home town of Kookynie with just ten people. Travellers still drop by, though, to hang out on the Grand's wide, shady verandahs and stay the night in its spacious, old-school rooms. Keep an ear out for ghosts. The Grand Hotel is on Kookynie Rd, Kookynie, which lies 200 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie. Call on (08) 9031 3010. PRAIRIE HOTEL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Situated right where the Flinders Ranges turn into the outback, the Prairie Hotel, which has been licensed since 1876, serves up your cold one with excellent mountain views. It's also home to one of Gourmet Traveller's Top 100 Gourmet experiences, the Feral Mixed Grill. That's kangaroo fillet, camel sausage, goat chop and emu patty. There's enough accommodation for 90 people, from fancied-up heritage rooms to architect-designed executive studios to self-contained cabins. You'll find the Prairie Hotel on the corner of High Street and West Terrace, Parachilna, 90 kilometres north of Hawker. Make a booking on 1800 331 473. DALY WATERS PUB, NORTHERN TERRITORY It's possible that the Daly Waters has a bigger bra collection than any pub in Australia. The legend goes that, back in the '80s, a passenger passing through bet her coach driver that, if she couldn't drink a nominated number of beers, she'd leave her bra behind. She lost. Ever since, other patrons have felt the urge to donate their undergarments to the display. Built in 1930, the Daly Waters sits on the Explorers Way, 600 kilometres south of Darwin and 900 kilometres north of Alice Springs. Its official dress is 16 Stuart Street, Daly Waters. Call up on (08) 8975 9927. SCARBOROUGH HOTEL, NEW SOUTH WALES On a sunny Sunday, many a Sydneysider scoots down to the Scarborough Hotel for a lazy afternoon overlooking the sea. Situated just an hour's drive from the city, it's not quite as hardcore countrified as other pubs on our list, but you'd travel a long way to find one with better Pacific Ocean views. The spacious 'Seacliff' Beer Garden comes with both tables and island-inspired huts. Best to book in advance on weekends. The Scarborough Hotel is at 383 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Scarborough. Make contact on (02) 4267 5444. THE LOADED DOG, NEW SOUTH WALES Country music fans crowd into The Loaded Dog every third Saturday of the month for its legendary live gigs. A stack of well-known country musicians have played there, including Amber Lawrence, Luke O'Shea and Felicity Urquhart. Built in 1848 in the then bustling, now disappearing town of Tarago, 69 kilometres northeast of Canberra, the pub used to be the main pit stop for travellers to and from the national capital. Now, it's on the scenic route, but worth the detour for its open fireplaces and hearty bistro fare. The Loaded Dog is at 1 Wallace Street, Tarago. The number is (02) 4849 4499. NINDIGULLY PUB, QUEENSLAND Daly Waters might have the bras, but Nindigully has the Akubras. One-hundred-and-forty or so of them hang on the walls, donated mostly by local farmers and stockmen. Situated on the banks of the Moonie River, Nindigully is the oldest continuously licensed pub in Queensland, having been in operation since 1864. Visitors are welcome to camp and park their caravans nearby, and there are free showers on tap. Find this one on the Carnarvon Highway via Thallon, 160 kilometres west of Goondiwindi, 45 kilometres east of St George and 70 kilometres of the Queensland-New South Wales border. Call in on (07) 4625 9637. BIRDSVILLE HOTEL, QUEENSLAND One of Australia's most famous pubs, the Birdsville Hotel perches on the edge of the Simpson Desert, in the town of Birdsville, 1,590 kilometres west of Brisbane and 720 kilometres south of Mt Isa. One hundred people live there. The pub was opened in 1884 and is a gathering place for locals, who are only too happy to shout visiting strangers a beer and a story or several. If you're keen to stay, there's plenty of room at the associated motel units. Stay over on a Sunday night and you'll be treated to a traditional roast. The Birdsville Hotel is on Adelaide Street, Birdsville, and can be reached on (07) 4656 3244. TINAMBA HOTEL, VICTORIA Tinamba Hotel makes the list for keeping its old-school, unassuming atmosphere, but introducing a delicious, locally sourced menu. The owners even list their producers on their website. Established in 1874, the pub has changed hands numerous times and is now owned by food-and-wine-loving pair Brad Neilson and Damien Gannon, who bought and revamped it in 2009. The pub is situated in Gippsland dairy farming country, in the small town of Tinamba. Find it at 4-6 Tinamba-Seaton Road and get in touch on (03) 5145 1484. TANSWELLS COMMERCIAL PUB, BEECHWORTH For getting in touch with your bush-ranging ancestry, Tanswells Commercial Pub in Victoria's northeast is the place to go. Ned Kelly and his Gang used to drink here while planning their next exploits. These days, there's an open fire and a long drinks list, featuring craft beers and wines from local, regional and international producers. Stay over and leave yourself time to wander through the historic goldfields town of Beechworth. Find Tanswells Commercial Pub at 50 Ford Street, Beechworth and phone in on (03) 5728 1480.
Sex and horror movies go so well together, but it never turns out good for anybody. Despite being the most deviant of genres — kids have been sneaking into gory flicks for as long as there have been cinemas, plus slasher movie sleepovers and late-night screenings of cult classics have been corrupting young minds for generation after generation — these gruesome films sure do have some old-fashioned attitudes to this most natural of human interactions. Here are eight films that have given us something to think about when it comes to scary cinema and what goes on between the sheets. IT FOLLOWS Last year it was The Babadook, but 2015’s must-see horror film is this chic American indie, perhaps the ultimate culmination of cinema’s warnings about sex. When small-town beauty Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her boyfriend, little does she know that he is passing along to her a sexually transmitted haunting. The only way to stop this mysterious, shape-shifting being from slowly and methodically hunting her down is to have sex with somebody else and pass it along. It sounds loopy, but it works, and is super scary to boot, as Jay and her friends must not only outrun her supernatural infection, but weigh up the moral and bodily obligations of irresponsibly sending somebody else to their potential doom. It echoes with a throbbing synth-driven score that would make John Carpenter smile, and never lets the audience question its ridiculous conceit. It Follows is in cinemas nationally on April 16. GINGER SNAPS The 2001 teen-horror flick Ginger Snaps takes a trope as old as the hills — this time lycanthropy — and injects it with a heavy dose of subversive smarts. Director John Fawcett essentially made 'Puberty: The Horror Movie' in this energetic and entertaining horror comedy, presenting the terror of adulthood and its horrific body-altering effects in a terrifyingly new way. Brings new meaning to the old menstruation euphemism, “the curse”. SCREAM The characters in Wes Craven’s 1996 bloody whodunit have seen all the horror movies and know all the tricks, including that “sex equals death”. So when Sidney (Neve Campbell) loses her virginity to bad boy high school boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and lives to tell the tale, it effectively flipped the script on horror conventions that audiences had come to expect. Unfortunately for poor Randy (Jamie Kennedy), who was “happy to be a virgin” after surviving the genre-reviving slayings, he went to college in the sequel and found out the hard way that some traditions are hard to keep down. VIDEODROME The term “body horror” was around long before Canadian auteur David Cronenberg made his first forays into filmmaking, but his unique brand of frights popularised the term. Perhaps never was he more warped than in Videodrome, which is about a television executive who broadcasts a Malaysian program that he believes to be staged snuff (the real torture and murder of anonymous victims), but which leads him down a dangerous path that includes his own torso becoming a sexually suggestive VCR player. Hallucinogenic and bravely surreal, this 1983 film not only demands audiences confront the increasingly techno-oriented world of sex, but asks us to question their own desire for the sexualised violence made so popular in films of the era. HALLOWEEN Virginal high school student and babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) can’t even get a date let alone sleep around, which makes her perfect for John Carpenter’s groundbreaking 1974 slasher, Halloween. Every one of Laurie’s friends are dispatched as easily as they take their tops off, but Laurie puts up one hell of a fight in this and the sequel Halloween II. It wasn’t until 1998’s Halloween H20 that a sexual Laurie Strode (now Keri Tate, single mother and private school principal) battles Michael Myers and lives to see another day. Well, until the sequel Halloween: Resurrection, wherein she plummets to her death from the roof of an insane asylum. The slasher movie’s sex = death rule found even stronger adherence in the never-ending Friday the 13th franchise, which began in 1980. ROSEMARY’S BABY If you’re sick and tired of explaining why you don’t want to have children, just reference Roman Polanski’s film about a young woman who believes there is a witch’s coven in her fancy new Manhattan apartment building and that they’re planning on having her birth Satan’s baby. That’s messed up! This scandalous creeper classic is every expectant mother’s worst nightmare. Just six months after the film’s release, Polanski and then-wife Sharon Tate would discover they were expecting a child, but no amount of Hollywood horrors could prepare him for the violent events that followed. PSYCHO Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic 1960 Oscar-nominated horror begins with a cheating couple lounging in their risque underwear in post-coital bliss. Not even five minutes in and already audiences of the day were aware they were seeing something new and different, including a heroine who was a thief with dubious sexual morals. But when Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) strips down to take a shower in the unassuming Bates Motel, she gets her comeuppance. Smartly playing with audience expectations, Psycho shocked crowds and gave karma a wicked name. NOSFERATU Vampires have always been a much sexualised villain. Whether it’s the teen sexual angst of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the after-dark strip club employees of Vamp, the art of seduction is key to the nature of being a vampire. And so despite its age, it’s not surprising that FW Murnau’s 1922 gothic horror Nosferatu, a blatantly unauthorised adaptation of Dracula, is full of it, too. In the film’s famous climax, the female heroine, Ellen (Greta Schroder), uses her goodness of heart and distracting beauty to hold the nefarious Count Orlok at bay just long enough to see him stung by the rays of the morning sun, ultimately brought down by his need for sex (aka the drinking of her blood) from a virtuous woman.
If you're a Francophile or a landscape photography fan you won't want to miss HÔTEL HÔTEL, the debut exhibition from National Geographic multi-award winning travel and documentary photographer Yasmin Mund, in association with Head On Photo Festival. During a travel-filled 2015, the Sydney-based Mund found herself enchanted by the scenery of Agay, nestled between St Tropez and Cannes on France's glamorous Cote d'Azur. Over three summer weeks Mund captured the landscape and subtle changes of this quaint town overlooking the Mediterranean, and the result is a series brimming with light, symmetrical composition and a colour palette that deliciously recalls '70s pop art. Prints will be available for purchase in limited editions, with 10 percent going to a Kaarmic Education Photography program for girls in rural India that Mund has been closely involved with for several years. Head along to Ravesis, grab a rosé and let the exhibition transport you away from Bondi's late-autumnal chill and into a balmy Provencal summer. Image: Yasmin Mund, Hôtel Hôtel (2015).
Don't wait for Art Month or Vivid to roll around — it's always a good time to channel your inner creative and head out for some culture in Sydney. If you're looking for something free that goes beyond the MCA and AGNSW permanent collections, something new and different that may even add a bit of provocation to your gallery hop, we've got a list for you. Dotted around Sydney, there are several places to catch fresh works for free from both emerging and established contemporary artists. Many of these places were first set up in support of young talent, and have now become creative institutions featuring the most prominent Australian and international contemporary art. Clear your schedules and start pounding the pavement to visit some of the best free art available in Sydney. Your itinerary starts here. GALERIE POMPOM, CHIPPENDALE Galerie pompom has absorbed the much loved Modes of Practice, which closed at the end of 2016. What this really means though, is that MOP has simply entered a new era, with Galerie pompom continuing its efforts in supporting mid-career artists. The gallery remains within the former MOP space, hosting two to three shows a month plus artist talks on the weekends, while the MOP spirit lives on in an exhibit and book dedicated to its history and archives, set to release mid-2017. See what's on. [caption id="attachment_612089" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vile Bodies, 2016[/caption] WHITE RABBIT, CHIPPENDALE A Sydney favourite, the White Rabbit Gallery is home to one of the largest collections of contemporary Chinese art in the world — as of 2016, it held almost 2000 works by over 500 artists in total. With two exhibits a year, the gallery opens the conversation up to the artistic renaissance that's taken place in China since 2000. Every exhibit provokes, fascinates and leads you down a rabbit hole of the best, most innovative contemporary art coming out of China. See what's on. [caption id="attachment_612095" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Unalienable, 2016[/caption] SULLIVAN + STRUMPF, ZETLAND Female-founded Sullivan + Strumpf has two locations, in Sydney and Singapore, with both spaces promoting the work of artists across different contemporary art genres and media. As a key player in the Asia Pacific region, the gallery hosts both solo and group exhibitions, and often collaborates with galleries across Australia and the world. Expect to see cutting-edge works from their 27 represented artists including painter Dane Lovett, 'felt-tip super-heroine' TextaQueen and leader in the modern rediscovery of ceramics, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. See what's on. [caption id="attachment_612314" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Before The Rain, 2017[/caption] 4A CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART, HAYMARKET 4A is the brainchild of the Asian Australian Artists' Association, and looks to foster an open, cultural relationship between Australia and our Asian neighbours. Through exhibitions, performances and festival commissions, the gallery shines the spotlight on Asian-Australian art and culture. Catch up-and-coming and seasoned talents here, including renowned visual artists like 2016 Archibald finalist Abdul Abdullah, 'high-low' Javanese artist Hahan and jewellery designer Annie Gobel. See what's on. [caption id="attachment_612128" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Beastman: Art for the Streets. Billy Zammit for aMBUSH Gallery[/caption] AMBUSH, AROUND SYDNEY Following an 18-month residency in Central Park that saw 220 exhibitions come to life, aMBUSH is now looking outside the traditional gallery space. Though the award-winning gallery has moved back into its permanent gallery in Waterloo (currently under renovation), you should really set your sights on their public art spaces around Sydney. From permanent art at Westfield Chatswood and Warringah Mall, to ephemeral street art by Beastman at 10 Shelley Street, to an ever-changing outdoor exhibition space in the Darling Quarter, aMBUSH strives to nurture and support the Sydney cultural scene, making art accessible to all. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months for a special Vivid exhibit, plus the reveal of a new residency. See what's on. ALASKA PROJECTS, KINGS CROSS Set in the basement of the Kings Cross Car Park, Alaska Projects is probably the most unconventional gallery space on this list. Open on Fridays and Saturdays, it not only holds regular exhibitions, but also hosts an entire events program with film screenings, musical performances and readings. Alaska Projects also features an outpost for the ultra arty bookshop Big Ego Books, where you can enrich your inner art nerd and discover obscure works and hard to find titles. See what's on. BLACK EYE, DARLINGHURST Black Eye is a meeting place for artists, collectors and lovers of contemporary photography. Holding a new exhibition every few weeks, the gallery keeps a constant stream of pictorial genius flowing through the space from emerging and established Australian and international photographers. A stone's throw from the National Art School, Black Eye also hosts free artist talks so you can go behind the lens of some of the most celebrated photographic eyes. See what's on. BLENDER GALLERY, PADDINGTON Capsule of the good ol' days of rock 'n' roll, Blender Gallery is Sydney's home of fine art music photography. It's here where you can peep behind-the-scenes shots of The Beatles, Hendrix and Debbie Harry, see our beloved Bowie and Prince through the decades, and maybe even purchase limited edition prints of Cher in all her '70s glory, Joni Mitchell ice skating and Kurt Cobain in concert. The gallery of iconic rock through the ages hosts an unbelievable collection of photographers from Tony Mott to Brian Aris. To see what's on, just stop by the space to see whose famed face is immortalised this week. [caption id="attachment_612094" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grey Matter, 2015[/caption] ARTBANK, WATERLOO Artbank presents one of the largest Australian contemporary art collections in the world — second only to the National Gallery of Australia — but also invites you to take these renowned works home with you. The gallery aims to make contemporary art so accessible that you can lease works from their collection. The best part? Some of the art costs only $150 a year (that's like a sixth of what you probably spend on coffee annually) and all funds go back into buying and commissioning additional works, further supporting the artists. Visit the gallery for free to view iconic Aussie art, and if you like what you see, borrow your favourites right then and there. See what's on. GAFFA, TOWN HALL Gaffa is a veritable creative precinct in the heart of Sydney. Spread over three levels, the gallery delivers an inspiring haven for artists and art lovers alike. On the ground floor, The Arcades offer ephemeral spaces for innovators, designers and makers to show off their craft on a pop-up basis — though the resident coffee roaster is there to stay. One floor up, you'll find four galleries where young creators show fortnightly through a curated exhibition program. And even though the next floors aren't open to the public, this is where the creative juices really flow with studios and one of Australia's largest jewellery and object art workshops. See what's on. Images courtesy of the galleries.
From twerking workshops to breathable art, it's been an outstanding 12 months for the ARTBAR at the Museum of Contemporary Art – and from the looks of things, that strong form is set to continue next year. The museum has just revealed the names of the artists who'll curate the first three editions of ARTBAR in 2017, with each expected to bring their own unique vision to the MCA's after-dark shindig on the final Friday of every month. The first event of the year, set for January 27, will be curated by Louise Zhang, a Chinese-Australian artist whose plan is to combine Chinese New Year celebrations with horror films. "I love horror!" said Yang in a statement. "Celebrating something dark can be alluring especially when explored in a topic like diaspora. The seriousness of this topic is often (and unfortunately) skimmed over rather than discussed." ARTBAR will open again on February 24, under the direction of interdisciplinary artist Reko Rennie. Perhaps best known for his public art installation Always was, always will be at Taylor Square in Darlinghurst, Rennie's work combines Indigenous iconography with street art to explore notions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity in an urban environment. Finally, on March 31, ARTBAR will welcome Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, from New York and Melbourne, respectively. Their turn behind the wheel will pay homage to apocalyptic movies and DIY culture, transforming the space into a Dead End Drive-In. ARTBAR takes place at 7pm on the last Friday of every month at the Museum for Contemporary Art. Find it at 140 George Street, The Rocks. For more information visit ARTBAR'S website.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be a professional bartender or barista to whip up a good espresso martini. You just need to have a good technique, great ingredients and something that sets your drink apart. At Grey Goose's Boulangerie Bleue waterside mansion party this summer, a salted espresso martini was served — a classic post-dinner combination of vodka and coffee liqueur with a little chocolate and a pinch of salt as a finishing touch. We asked Grey Goose's lively global ambassador Joe McCanta to show us how to make this variation on the classic — check out his technique below. ESPRESSO MARTINI 50ml Grey Goose Vodka 30ml (one shot) single origin espresso 20ml coffee liqueur 1 pinch of salt Garnish: salted dark cocoa powder Chill your coupe by adding ice. Mix your vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur in a shaker. Add a pinch of salt and some ice. Shake, and then strain your mixture into your coupe. Top with cocoa powder and salt. Fancy trying another? Grey Goose Vodka's 'discover' function will tell you what cocktail you're perfectly suited for. Dive into the luxury that your city has to offer — check out our Luxe Guide to Sydney and Melbourne. Food, spas, glamorous hotels and extraordinary experiences are waiting. Image: Steven Woodburn.
For all of us down here in the southern hemisphere, Christmas has never really aligned with the classic ‘snowy tree, Christmas jumpers, roast dinner and egg nog’ style of celebration enjoyed by the north. Frankly, the thought of eating a hot, greasy wad of ham on a 35-degree day is kind of gross — give us a tinnie and a prawn skewer anytime. But that doesn’t mean we don’t like to pretend, and the Hotham Street Ladies have just the thing. These cheeky Melbourne artists have created a sweet, sweet installation for the iconic Hotel Windsor that features a massive, traditional Christmas spread. There's a fat roast chicken, glazed ham, juicy lobster, baked whole fish (man, we sure eat a lot of meat at Christmas, Gaviscon must rake it in) and not to mention the succulent desserts and sides. This piece of art looks better than any Christmas meal you’ve ever made (hell it looks better than most things) and the kicker? It’s made entirely from icing sugar. The Christmas at The Windsor exhibit (which is on display from December 1 to January 5) took over a month to create and the gals used an incredible range of modelling and piping techniques to work in so much detail. Aren't across these bold, culinary artists? The Hotham Street Ladies are an artist collective of five women — Cassandra Chilton, Molly O’Shaughnessy, Sarah Parkes, Caroline Price and Lyndal Walker — who derive their name from the days when they lived together in a share house in Collingwood. Their mutal passion for cakes, baking, feminism and craft has since informed their work and it’s pretty damned cute (with a big streak of feminist badassery). Check out some of their other work, including a puppy cake covered in iced flowers, candy beards, a table setting designed around leftovers and this gloriously graphic iced period stain installation in the men’s toilets at the Victorian College of the Arts. Christmas at The Windsor is on display at the Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street from December 1 to the January 5.
Leave everything to the chef at a luxurious Japanese restaurant, Nobu Sydney — part of the world-famous Nobu restaurant group. Make your evening even more special with a complimentary Haku martini paired with the chef's choice omakase meal from Monday, October 16, until Thursday, November 16. Nobu Sydney is located in the five-star Crown Towers Hotel in Barangaroo. It features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of the glinting waters around Darling Harbour. Executive Chef Harold Hurtada helms the Sydney outpost of the Japanese stalwart — we sat down with Chef Hurtada to discuss his journey from starting as a kitchen hand in a Japanese restaurant in Manila to leading his own team in Nobu Sydney. The omakase menu is an exclusive addition to Nobu's core offering. It is an opportunity for Chef Hurtada to showcase the skills he has perfected over years of training. Accompanying this menu, for a limited time only, is a complimentary chrysanthemum martini made with Haku Vodka — a craft spirit from the House of Suntory. The martini includes chamomile tea-infused Haku Vodka and house-made chrysanthemum and chamomile syrup. A delicate balance of sweet and floral that pairs nicely with the bespoke omakase menu. "I am very proud of this special Haku Omakase menu. It is inspired by all my years of hard work and experience brought together in one," said Chef Hurtada. "I have been waiting for the right moment to showcase these dishes, and it will be only here in Nobu Sydney." If you want to level up your omakase experience at Nobu Sydney, from Monday, October 16, until Thursday, November 16, all dinner seatings will begin with a complimentary Haku martini. Book on Nobu Sydney's website now and enjoy a complimentary martini with your first course from Monday, October 16, until Thursday, November 16. Haku Vodka's signature serve is the Haku martini. To learn more, head to the House of Suntory website. Images: Jude Cohen
Road trips are an idealised summertime activity, but when the heats eases in Autumn there's really no better time to be in the car for extended periods of time. If you do it right, you come away with good friends and esoteric stories which will never be understood properly by people who weren't there. But it's equally possible for road trips to turn hellish and monotonous. That's not what you want - that's not what anybody wants. So we have compiled a list of tips to help you on your way and make sure you have the kind of road trip which will remind you of the wind and sunshine in your hair, shared memories and in-jokes. WHEELS So this seems a superfluous point, but if you're going to go on a road trip you need a car, and if you don't have one then you've got yourself a problem. Once you've got the car, make sure it's one that everybody knows how to drive. Nobody likes being the only manual driver in a car full of stricken automatic-only drivers. You should also do all the practical things like get the oil, tyres and water checked before you leave, and make sure you've got back-ups in case of emergency, especially if you're trying to look like you know your stuff about cars. Bigger cars are better for road trips, especially if you've got friends with ample hips or ridiculously long legs. And for the love of God, make sure the car has air con. A GREAT DESTINATION Jumping in a car and heading nowhere might sound very Kerouac-esque for an hour or so, but in the end you're going to want to be heading somewhere. Holiday houses and camping grounds are all good, although there's a high likelihood a music festival might be your destination this autumn. If that's the case, be patient and anticipate that you will have to wait in a queue for six hours on a backed up country road and be forced to pee in the bushes in direct view of many headlights. MAPS Getting lost is not half the fun. The person who says it is needs to be ejected immediately from the vehicle. You probably have a GPS, but bear in mind that the GPS is not infallible. You need a map. A map in this instance is defined as a proper map you purchase from anywhere good maps are sold, not scrawled notes copied from Google Maps your barely literate friend drew on the back of a phone bill. CREW Be wise and consider precisely which of your friends and loved ones you're going to enjoy being in a cramped, confined space with for potentially several days. It's also a good idea to make sure there's not going to be anybody overly-familiar with their sense of personal space, particularly if they have personal hygiene issues. There's nothing more awkward than finding yourself on a road trip with a couple who have recently broken up and still have unresolved issues. CONVERSATION Once you've exhausted your witty high school stories, politics, childhood traumas and the ever-fascinating subject of who's having sex with whom, complex philosophical questions are always a good bet. Questions such as 'which of your legs could you do without' and 'would you rather punch Kyle Sandilands or Miranda Devine in the face' are good starting points. MONEY Money is a general necessity in all areas of life, but when we say 'money' here we mean the multi-coloured pieces of paper marked with numbers the ATM is wont to dispense. This is crucial because ATMs can be scarce in the bush, and on a road trip sharing is of the utmost importance. SNACKS It's a given that everyone is obliged to bring a lot of sugar on a road trip. Minties, Snakes and all things that once delighted you in children's birthday party bags are right and necessary when on the road. Hot chips with tomato sauce sold by old ladies with facial hair in country towns are also awesome. It's uncanny how the shops saying 'Best Pies in Grafton' actually do sell the best pies in Grafton. MUSIC If you've got one of those whatsits that plug your iPod into the car's stereo system, you're sweet. If you don't have one of those, however, you're going to want a couple of good mixtapes, or, more accurately, mix CDs. '60s pop songs, '80s power ballads and '90s rap should all be considered in the choice of music. You want to have songs that are going to remind you of the trip for years to come, an underlying theme for your future reminiscing, if you will. RIDICULOUS APPAREL Questionable fashion choices are a mandatory on the road. Nothing makes you feel more alive than climbing out of the car at a truckstop wearing something outrageously fluoro and swaggering inside to get yourself a rainbow Paddlepop. Furthermore, there is no more appropriate occasion for a man to sport short shorts. Stupid sunglasses and hats are fun, but bear in mind they might enrage Mick Taylor-types on the roads. SUNSCREEN Often overlooked in the relative shelter of a moving car, sunscreen is necessary for anybody with an arm in close proximity to a window. You don't want to get sunburnt, and unevenly sunburnt at that, while sitting in the car. More to the point, nothing will ruin your holiday more than being so sunburnt you have to wear shapeless kaftans with long sleeves and not being able to sleep at night because it hurts so bad.
Put your popcorn and choc top down for a sec and switch to tea, scones and a cheeky Pimm's Cup — it's British Film Festival time. Every year, the annual cinema showcase gathers up the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer, bringing them to Palace Cinemas for our antipodean viewing pleasure. From October 24 to November 15, the fest is back for its 2017 run. As always, BFF is a positively jam-packed affair, spanning true romances, hard-hitting dramas, music documentaries, literary origin stories and a retrospective feast of mystery flicks — and they're just some of the highlights from what promises to be a busy few weeks of British movie-watching. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed with options, stick with our five picks of the festival below. MARY SHELLEY On a rainy summer night just over two centuries ago, a teenager, her future husband and their friends sat around a Swiss log fire and gave themselves the challenge of writing a ghost story. The competitors included English poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley — but it was the latter's girlfriend, young Mary Wollstonecraft, who easily won their contest. Pondering the concept of a reanimated corpse, she started penning Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus — aka the greatest horror novel ever written). Starring Elle Fanning as the author, and directed by Wadjda's Haifaa Al-Mansour, Mary Shelley relays her efforts, telling the intriguing tale behind her famous creature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5dMYx2no THE DEATH OF STALIN He has turned British bureaucracy and US politics into a smart, hilarious farce across two stellar TV comedies, but The Thick of It and Veep's Armando Iannucci isn't done satirising the powers that be — or, that once were in The Death of Stalin's case — just yet. Given its title, there are no prizes for guessing what his second big screen directorial effort is about. With a cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor, Paddy Considine and Michael Palin, Iannucci adapts the graphic novel of the same name into an amusing and irreverent look at the aftermath of the USSR dictator's passing in 1953. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yurPcX4xrqI HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES Trust Neil Gaiman to write a short story about a shy '70s punk teenager crossing paths with a curious visiting alien. Trust Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell to turn the tale into an interesting and engaging sci-fi rom-com. As offbeat as its sounds, How to Talk to Girls at Parties corrals ever-busy The Beguiled co-stars Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman into its account of love, rebellion, taking risks and fighting for what you want in life. That might sound like your average teen romance, but this zesty, imaginative and thoroughly likeable effort is anything but. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQmBd5-ITyA ENGLAND IS MINE "Stop being a mardarse," Steven Patrick Morrissey is told early in England Is Mine. Of course he is. But, if he'd taken that advice, everything from The Smiths to this film wouldn't exist. Yes, this biopic of British singer and songwriter's early years in Manchester plays out just as you'd expect — the moody brooding, the lines like "life is too short for cliches", and the distinctive appeal of its central figure (played by Dunkirk's Jack Lowden) included. It won't convert anyone new to the Morrissey cause and you won't hear any of his hits, but the end result certainly is as melancholy as an unauthorised flick about 'the pope of mope' should be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppBlSpdVlEA JAWBONE A knockout boxing film that demonstrates how a familiar, frequently seen genre can still pack a considerable punch, Jawbone also marks a landmark effort for British actor Johnny Harris. Previously best known for the likes of Snow White and the Huntsman and various incarnations of the This Is England TV series, Harris stars, writes, produces and loosely bases the feature's narrative on his own teenage fighting experiences. Ray Winstone, Michael Smiley and Ian McShane also pop up on screen in this social realist boxing offering, but there's no doubting that this compelling and convincing underdog story belongs to Harris from start to finish. The 2017 British Film Festival screens in Sydney from October 24 to November 15, Melbourne from October 26 to November 15, and Brisbane from October 25 to November 15. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Fans of Sydney-based artist eX de Medici's intricate watercolours will no doubt already have Spies Like Us in their calendar – opening at Sullivan+Strumpf on June 10. This arresting new body of work focuses on western political power, the rise of surveillance states, and the relationship between life and death. The collection of watercolours combines the artists beautiful ornamentation and seriously virtuosic miniaturist technique with unsettling themes of violence and destruction. Expect images of helmets, guns and military paraphernalia garlanded by flowers, foliage and tiny birds. Works like 'Root and Branch' and 'Persistence of Error' entwine the beautiful with the violent and militaristic, the delicate with the brutal, challenging the viewer's response and their destabilising their sense of aesthetic boundaries. Those aware of eX de Medici's background will see a connection between her experience as a tattoo artist (some of the works would make truly epic tats) and the overall aesthetic of Spies Like Us, with its nod to the vanitas tradition. Not one to miss. Image: eX de Medici, Persistence of Error, 2016.
Good Food Month 2016 will wrap up with an uber-posh, Hamptons-inspired picnic in Centennial Park — so dig out your finest 1920s garden party dress and your mad croquet skills. Taking care of the catering will be Matt Moran, who'll be bringing a piece of his Woollahra restaurant Chiswick with him, alongside Three Blue Ducks duo Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy. Somehow, they'll be carting a half-tonne barbecue into the park and frying up a storm. Come dessert time, you'll be lingering over Alistair Wise (Sweet Envy) and Andy Bowdy's creations. And, needless to say, there'll be all the Pimms cocktails you can handle. Tickets at $95 and include entry as well as six food and drink tokens. Party kicks off at midday.
Owning art is one of those tangible signs that you’ve finally reached the level of a fully functioning adult. And now it's easier to level up than ever. As part of their first ever cultural policy, the City of Sydney committed to launching an interest-free art loan program, and now with 10 Group (the brains behind Art Month Sydney) on board, the idea is becoming reality. Dubbed Art Money, the new initiative allows participating galleries to offer interest-free loans to people purchasing art valued between $750 and $20,000. After putting down a 10% deposit, buyers are able to take the artwork home, paying off the remaining balance in monthly increments over the next nine months. It's good for you, because your home gets an instant aesthetic upgrade, but it's also good for galleries and artists, who see increased sales. The program was inspired by a similar scheme in Tasmania, where it's not only successfully generated purchases but has had zero defaults. “More than five million dollars has gone through the scheme [in Tasmania],” Rachel Healy, executive manager of culture at the City of Sydney, told us last year. “Arts Tasmania would never have been in a position to give out five million dollars in grants to Tasmanian artists. What they did do, though, was develop a scheme where they enabled five million dollars to go into the wallets of Tasmanian artists, who are otherwise doing it pretty hard.” Interested parties can apply for a loan via the website or at any participating gallery. More than two dozen galleries have signed on so far, including Roslyn Oxley9, Artereal, Darren Knight, Dominik Mersch, Galerie pompom, Platform 72, Sullivan+Strumpf, The Commercial and Utopia Art. For the time being loans will have to be finalised in person, although there are plans to develop alternative methods of delivery to open the scheme up to people who live outside of NSW. For more information on how you can apply for your own interest-free art loan and thus prove your grown-up credentials, visit the Art Money website.
Goodbye Hollywood, hello Hallyuwood. No, that's not a typo. Instead, it's the thriving Korean film industry, which has become a major player in the global cinema realm in more ways than one. First, there's the spate of high-profile Korean directors making the jump to English-language movies, such as Okja's Bong Joon-ho and Stoker's Park Chan-wook. Next, there's the growing list of Korean flicks that have earned American remakes, like Oldboy and The Lake House. And finally, there's the all-round ace movies that Korean's finest cinema talents keep pumping out. It's the latter that's in the spotlight at the annual Korean Film Festival in Australia, which marks its eighth year in 2017. From high-octane crime efforts to different takes on familiar genres to thoughtful dramas, this year's lineup is filled with highlights — including these five must-see picks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoc0KZQnoKA THE VILLAINESS It's a great time for kickass women in cinema, finally. Wonder Woman and Atomic Blonde have company, however, and her name is The Villainess. This killing machine-focused thriller ramps up the action and body count as a trained assassin seeks bloody vengeance after her husband is murdered on their wedding day. Spies, secrets, Kill Bill-like mayhem, and La Femme Nikita-esque trickery and duplicity — they're all on the bill, as is a memorable display from star Kim Ok-bin (perhaps best known for Park Chan-wook's Thirst) as the formidable Sook-hee. THE DAY AFTER Another Australian film festival, another Hong Sang-soo film. It's becoming a habit, but the Korean writer/director is nothing if not prolific, having made four flicks in the past year alone. Hong's latest boasts his usual trademarks — booze and interpersonal battles — in a tale about a publisher's affair with his assistant, his wife's expectedly unhappy reaction, and his new helper caught in the middle. Fans will know that misunderstandings and written missives feature as frequently in his movies as free-flowing soju, and that's the case here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7STTUWI0as SEOUL STATION One of 2016's unexpected highlights gets an animated prequel — and yes, that's a rather rare development. Train to Busan was exactly what a zombies-on-a-train flick should be, and while Seoul Station isn't that movie, it is intriguing in its own right. Flesh munching and mindless shuffling takes over the titular railway stop, as brought to light in grittily drawn frames that somehow make the ravenous masses of undead even more frightening. You might think you've seen every take on zombie movies ever made, but we're betting that you haven't seen this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqaLwfh0C0 THE WORLD OF US Winner of best youth feature at the 2016 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, The World of Us uses the friendship between two ten-year-old girls to explore the social reality facing kids in modern-day South Korea, and dissect the situation given to them by their adult counterparts. In doing so, the small in feel, sizeable in impact effort relays a relatable story audiences all around the world have been through. There are few things tougher in childhood than realising the inequities and differences that are used to separate the population, particularly when they don't go in your favour, something that director Yoon Ga-eun clearly understands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jhPgL0_3ac BECAUSE I LOVE YOU Even given their fantastic premise, a good body swap film can not only entertain and amuse, but can also offer ample insights about walking in someone else's shoes. Because I Love You is the latest to attempt that feat, though it's not just content with making songwriter Lee-hyung inhabit one other person. No, a sole soul switch clearly isn't enough. Instead, after an accident renders him hospitalised, he hops from body to body trying to solve their romantic problems, all while his own potential fiance waits for him to wake up. Need a couple more suggestions? Here's two others. We recommended The Bacchus Lady highly back when it played at the 2016 Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, while Karaoke Crazies caught our interest from the 2016 SXSW lineup. The Korean Film Festival in Australia tours the country from August 17 to September 23, screening at Sydney's Dendy Opera Quays from August 17 to 26, Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image from September 7 to 14, and Brisbane's Event Cinemas Myer Centre from September 8 to 10. For further details, check out the festival website.
For all its chilling prescience, George Orwell's 1984 made us believe that loving Big Brother would be horrifying. That just like the protagonist Winston, we'd all be dragged kicking and screaming into Room 101 for conversion. Not so. It took some time, but as apps became less and less coy about asking to root through our messages and contacts, we became less wary of them. The rebellion never had a chance. Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan aren't so sure. The pair adapted Orwell's novel for the West End production and are now directing the Australian season at STC which opens in June. 1984, which imagines a world where all citizens are under constant surveillance and the government has a ministry dedicated to fake news, seems to be gaining relevance as it ages. If things keep going Orwell's way, though, it's unlikely you'll get another chance to experience it in a theatre. Or in any form, for that matter. So what'll it be — freedom or happiness?
Paris has its creepy catacombs. London is contemplating turning its subterranean tunnels into a network of cycle paths. But Sydney’s underground hasn’t been so easy to visit. Not until now, that is. If you’ve been curious about what lurks beneath, you’ll get a chance to find out when Sydney Open 2015 hits town on Sunday, November 1. Among the 50+ architectural secrets opening for exploration are the city’s Second World War tunnels, which twist and turn their way among the hidden depths of Hyde Park from St James Station. Meanwhile, at Central, you’ll be able to explore the spooky platforms 26 and 27, which were built in the 1970s, but have never seen a train. The ghostly stationmaster’s office and bathrooms are still intact. The only catch is that these, along with St Mary’s Cathedral Belltower, Sydney Town Hall Clock Tower, Central Station Clock Tower and the Opera House’s behind-the-scenes, are of limited capacity. So they’ll be exclusively accessible to those with one of 112 Golden Tickets. And to nab one of those, you’ll need to enter a draw by booking a standard OPEN ticket (aka City Pass) by October 16. If you can’t manage that — or you don’t happen to win — there’s no need to sulk. Sydney OPEN will be bringing you stacks more to see. For those who love their sandstone, there’ll be tours of James Barnet’s ornate Mortuary Railway Station in Chippendale, Francis Greenway’s St James Church (consecrated in 1824) and the City of Sydney Fire Station (built in 1887). And you'll also score an inside look at a couple of recent conversions. There’s Kensington Street, where a series of workers’ cottages built in the 1840s have been turned into an arty strip, featuring galleries, markets, small bars and eateries, as well as the Old Clare Hotel, housed within the former Carlton and United Breweries admin building as well as the original Clare. A slew of contemporary architectural feats are on the program, too. Sneak inside Harry Seidler’s creations at Australia Square, Grosvenor Place and 9 Castlereagh Street. Find out what the brutalists were on about inside the Sydney Masonic Centre’s 24-storey Civic Tower and UTS’s 33-storey Building 1. And check out Frank Gehry’s first Australian work — UTS’s Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, which features a curvy brick façade made of 320,000 custom-made bricks and a glass ‘curtain wall’. Then there are another 40 or so places to keep you busy. Book your ticket at the Sydney Living Museums website, and hope it turns golden.
This is your chance to nab the fluffy, fluffy friend you've always wanted — and give a teeny, unfortunate soul a shiny new life. With an extremely high population of rescue cats and kittens staying at the RSPCA Sydney Shelter in Yagoona or in foster care, the not-for-profit is making one huge attempt to find homes for them. For three days, the RSPCA is waiving all adoption fees for the little critters, trying to find a home for the 91 cats staying at the shelter and the 187 kittens in care. So, aside from landlords and allergies, you're running out of excuses not to meet the newest, cuddliest member of your family. Along with the obvious cute, Instagrammable benefits, research has shown that cat ownership has many physical, mental, emotional and social rewards. According to the RSPCA, "Pet owners are generally healthier and happier than non-pet owners. They have lower blood pressure and cholesterol; are less depressed; feel less lonely than non-pet owners; and actually find it easier to get to know people." The kittens will come desexed, microchipped, wormed and vaccinated, so its little snuggly self is all ready for the world. If cat ownership has been on your mind, it's never been easier to opt away from breeders and pet shops and give a homeless animal the life it deserves.
Cancel all your sad, leftover lunch boxes for the next three months because Tim Maxwell of Kubrick’s and Eli Challenger, former executive chef of Rupert & Ruby and Bondi’s Fat Ruperts, have a much better alternative. They’ve teamed up to open a brand new pop-up called Eli’s Deli at Kubrick’s, which is running from 7am-7pm for three months in Darlinghurst. They’ve got the goods to get you through another dreary day in your The-Office-level-grim office job without rotting your internal organs with fat and sugar. In a refreshing departure from the current trend of dense, salty American-style diner food (we love you fried chicken but there’s only so much we can take), Eli’s Diner will be serving up a fresh and clean range of salads, sandwiches and delicacies from Eli’s new venture, Challenger Smallgoods. But get in early as sandwiches will be limited to 50 per day. The vibe of the menu is simple and old-school, just a few sangas and salads, and your basic brekky options (maple bacon and egg rolls, avo toast or chia seed pudding with fruit and muesli) all available for $10. And Sensory Lab will be there too, to brighten your day with caffeine. But Maxwell and Challenger are turning their combined expertise towards the biggest culinary challenge of all: making salad moreish. The key? Combine it with smoked meats of course, such as a smoked brisket sandwich, hot smoked creole sausage, housemade kale kraut with smoked brisket and quinoa salads with broccoli, mint and turmeric. Following his wildly successful Icon Park pop-up Rupert & Ruby, housed right across the street, late last year, Challenger is no stranger to the well-trodden culinary turf of Stanley Street. “I love being down here in Darlinghurst, its got a great mix of people from the older Italian community to the creatives and young professionals, its just got a great vibe," he says. "I learned a lot about what people like in the area with Rupert & Ruby, what worked and what didn’t work so well. So I‘m stoked to be back down here again, working with my mate Tim." Eli’s Deli at Kubricks is open now from 7am-3pm. 79 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Eating actual food from the World's 50 Best Chefs can come with a pretty hefty price tag, but this April, you'll have the opportunity to feast on their words of wisdom for a whole lot less. This year, the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants awards are set to take place on Aussie shores and, while most of the associated culinary fun will be reserved for industry folk, absolutely everyone's invited to catch the globe's top chefs take the stage for #50BestTalks. Hosted by commentator and ABC presenter Annabel Crabb, there are just two of these foodie events planned, happening at the Sydney Opera House on April 1 and Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena on April 3. Sydney's lineup includes appearances from Dominique Crenn (2016's World's Best Female Chef and mastermind of San Francisco's Atelier Crenn), Massimo Bottura (of 2016's World #1 Restaurant, Osteria Francescana), and our own Peter Gilmore, whose restaurant Quay ranked #98 in last year's awards. On sale from tomorrow, February 15, tickets for both events start at a tidy $30. That said, if you fancy splashing out, $119 VIP tickets will also nab you entry to a post-event canapé function and the opportunity for a meet and greet with some of the chefs.
The Sydney Fringe Festival has unveiled its ambitious 2018 program, promising over 400 shows in more than 60 venues across six hubs — and 21 postcodes. There are a few major firsts, too, including a takeover of the Oxford Street Precinct, a touring hub sponsored by Archie Rose, a partnership with physical theatre company Legs on The Wall, and three initiatives in Western Sydney: a theatre program at Penrith's Q Theatre, a new hub at Liverpool and a series of live music pop-up events in Parramatta's CBD. Just a couple of the acts slated to appear at the Archie Rose Touring Hub, which you'll find at the Old 505, Newtown, are Sh!t Theatre's DollyWould, which will be travelling from the UK, having twice sold out at Edinburgh Fringe, and Maggot by New Zealand trio Angela Foughy, Elle Wootton and Freya Finch, who won Outstanding Ensemble at New Zealand Fringe 2018. Meanwhile, the Legs partnership, to take place at Lilyfield's Red Box, will host The Women of Chasing Smoke by Casus Circus, Australia's only Indigenous contemporary circus ensemble, and Letters To An Unborn Child by Brown Paper Circus, from Sydney's Trapeze School. In Liverpool, the Fringe will invade the former Northumberland Arcade and Macquarie Bistro with a free program curated by Nisrine Amine, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Parramatta Actors Centre, covering pop-up performances, music, art and a laneway cinema dedicated to animation. Several Fringe classics will be back, including the official opening party Fringe Ignite, happening on 1 September. This year, however, you'll find all the shenanigans in the Oxford Street Precinct, running across 11 venues, from the National Art School and UNSW Art & Design to Ariel Booksellers and Stonewall. Keep a lookout, too, for the return of the Fringe Club at the Kings Cross Hotel, the Emerging Artist Hub at Erskineville Town Hall, the Dance Hub at the PACT Theatre in Erskineville and Festival Village at Kensington Street, Chippendale. Down Chippendale way, at Broadway Sydney, you'll also find a rooftop roller skating rink and a pop-up store selling Frida Las Vegas and Nicol & Ford wares.
Australia’s leading food rescue organisation is getting in on the pop-up trend. Opening in Pyrmont on Tuesday, May 12, harvested will serve up high-quality meals made entirely from ingredients destined for landfill — and they're calling on you to help generate buzz. Ready to spend the next three months making you rethink your lunch, the cafe is the brainchild of Travis Harvey; a chef with more than ten years experience in restaurants around the world. He's also the man behind OzHarvest's Cooking for a Cause program, which each year helps prepare thousands of meals using surplus food collected from supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and catering companies, and delivers them to people in need. "The idea behind harvested is simple," says Harvey. "It takes a challenge that OzHarvest and our food recipients have to face every day... what to do with surplus food that society has rejected because of its appearance, discolouration or slight imperfections? We wanted the public to experience this too, and see how good it can be." In order to help spread the message, the pop-up cafe will be giving away free lunches (free lunches!) on opening day, in exchange to photos shared on social media using the hashtag #mealforameal. Seems like a pretty good deal, especially since you'd probably have Instagrammmed your deliciously newsworthy lunch anyway. Harvested will be open for lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays until the end of July, operating out of a restaurant space donated by City West Housing located at 56 Harris St, Pyrmont. The menu will change daily depending on available ingredients, although they've already teased the likes of slow cooked lamb with vine leaf, house dried fig and walnut sauce, pumpkin quinoa burger with beetroot relish and chilli macadamia butter, double roasted spiced pork with rustic potato and house pickled cues, and spice crust chook with carrot puree and labneh. And to think, this was food people were throwing out. Meals will cost a flat $15, money that OzHarvest can use to feed up to 30 people. Thursday through Sunday evenings, the temporary space is also home to Baraka, a pop-up Middle Eastern restaurant run by Fouad Kassab, which also donates a portion of its proceeds to OzHarvest. Harvested opens on Tuesday, May 12 at 56 Harris St, Pyrmont. The pop-up will be open every Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch only from 11.30am – 2.30pm (until end July). For more information, visit www.ozharvest.org.
Because you're reading this, we know you're not someone who once 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 New South Wales. And, to find permanent homes for pups surrendered into its care from all over the state, it's lowering the adoption fee to $100 between Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, September 2. The week-long initiative is in honour of National Dog Day on Sunday, August 26 — but because every dog deserves more than its day, the RSPCA is extending the campaign across eight days. Although you can't put a price on the happiness that 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. The adoption fees — which usually range from $20–600 — help cover some of the costs of vaccines, training and microchipping for the animals. Across NSW, 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.
Do you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner but find the mark-up a little hard to swallow? Perhaps you’ve been saving a special bottle in your cellar (aka laundry). Or maybe you just have an appetite for good value. Either way, who doesn’t love a bit of bring-your-own. Here are Sydney’s best restaurants to come armed with a bottle. CHAT THAI Chat Thai is one of Sydney’s worst kept secrets. Join the inevitable queue for sizzling satays, coconut curries and zesty salads, which hail from the steamy streets of Bangkok. With 26 syrupy and sticky sweets on the menu, there’s no excuse for skipping desserts. We recommend the flash-fried dough sticks smothered in pandan custard ($6.90) and the young coconut ice-cream with sticky rice, candied palm seeds and roasted peanuts ($6.90). All five Chat Thai branches are BYO, as well as their offshoots Boon Cafe, Assamm and Samosorn. BYO wine only (corkage $3 per person). 20 Campbell Street, Haymarket. DIN TAI FUNG Welcome to dumpling heaven. Taipei based global chain Din Tai Fung is famous for their silky-skinned and hot-bellied xiao long bao ($10.80) as well as their shao mai parcels ($10.80) and colourful dumpling gems ($15.80). Din Tai Fung pride themselves on their strict quality control, with each disc of pastry measuring exactly 6cm, with an acceptable total weight of 4.8 – 5.2 grams. Beer and dumplings have been friends since time immemorial, so pair with a floral and herbaceous pilsener, such as James Squire’s Four Wives. BYO wine and beer (corkage $10 per wine bottle, $2.50 per beer bottle). 644 George Street, Sydney and other locations. NEW SHANGHAI New Shanghai’s pan-fried pork buns have attained a certain level of notoriety in Sydney. These puffy dumplings with lovely burnished bottoms are served alongside Shanghai classics including braised garlic eggplant ($13.80), drunken chicken ($8.80) and shallot pancake ($5.80), which make a good match for a bottle of crisp, dry white. The dark woods, deep reds and warm lighting will have you back in 1930s Shanghai, while at the front window, dumplings are handmade with mesmerising precision and speed. BYO wine only (corkage $2 per person); 273 Liverpool Road, Ashfield and other locations. YEN FOR VIET Serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine in a smart, modern setting, Yen for Viet takes the title for Sydney’s most pho-nomenal pho. Alongside this herb-filled rice noodle soup, you can order slow-cooked pork belly in young coconut ($15); clay pot caramelised fish ($16); and banh xeo, a crispy pancake stuffed with beansprouts, mungbeans, prawns and duck ($18). Mmm Viet-noms. Bring a citrusy, fresh-tasting semillon with you, which should marry well with the fresh herbs and salad. BYO wine only (corkage $2 per person), 296 Illawarra Road, Marrickville KEPOS STREET KITCHEN We’re not advocating a bottle of burgundy with breakfast (well, maybe on a weekend) but there’s nothing stopping you from making a toast with your toast at this all-day cafe. Kepos Street Kitchen is a charming corner cafe in Redfern that boasts a Middle Eastern-inspired menu. Here you can feast upon Tel Aviv falafel with green tahini ($12) and traditional Moroccan lamb and pine nut cigars ($17), and who can honestly say no to salted caramel churros ($12)? BYO wine only (corkage $8 per bottle). 96 Kepos Street, Redfern. SULTAN'S TABLE This Turkish delight in Enmore serves mezze fit for a king. Come for the delicious suckling lamb ($20), sizzling adana kebab grilled over charcoal ($14) and authentic woodfired pide. Start the meal with an assortment of dips in a rainbow of flavours ($22), which includes parsley, jajik (garlic), chilli, beetroot, carrot, spinach, humous and baba ganoush, accompanied by a slab of oven-baked Turkish bread. Finish with a strong, aromatic Turkish coffee and a syrupy baklava ($3) or head next door for arguably the world’s best gelato at Cow and Moon. BYO wine and beer (corkage $0). 179 Enmore Road, Enmore. BAR REGGIO For not much dough, you can score a supremely good pizza at Bar Reggio. This loud and lively family ristorante serves hillocks of spaghetti, whole baked fish, veal scallopine and pizza. Oh, and don’t forget to leave room for gelato and tiramisu. Their Tuscan-themed courtyard makes a perfect place for group get-togethers, and it’s well-placed on Crown Street if you feel like kicking on afterwards. BYO wine and beer (corkage $2 per person). 135 Crown Street, Darlinghurst. MAMAK Serving exceptional Malaysian hawker food, Mamak is famous for its feather-light, flaky roti canai, which is theatrically folded and flipped out front to the delight of onlookers. Use your roti to mop up tangy fish curry with okra ($17) and spicy samba tiger prawns ($19), or wrap it around charcoal satay ($9) and Malaysian-style fried chicken ($14). You can even order sweet roti ($8) filled with sliced banana or pandan and coconut, topped with ice-cream. Try a clean-finishing craft brew like James Squire Fifty Lashes, which will complement the fiery, feisty flavours. BYO wine and beer (corkage $2 per person). 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket. CHIOSCO BY ORMEGGIO Located side by side on a Mosman jetty, Chiosco is mere metres from the water’s edge, with spectacular 300 degree views of luxury yachts and sparkling sea. While parent restaurant Ormeggio is a fine-dining affair, Chiosco (which is Italian for ‘kiosk’) has adopted a casual approach, serving Italian street food and takeaway with a ‘barefoot and BYO’ ethos. With cheaper prices and executive chef Alessandro Pavoni at the helm, it’s a good excuse to go a little overboard. Bring a bottle of champagne or a six pack of golden ales with you. BYO wine and beer (corkage $10 corkage per bottle for wine and $2 per bottle of beer). The Jetty, d'Albora Marina The Spit, Spit Rd. Mosman. TETSUYA'S This stalwart of Sydney’s luxury dining scene marries the Japanese philosophy of natural, seasonal flavours with French culinary expertise. Their ten-course degustation ($220) has been updated with new offerings, including the inspired pairing of New Zealand scampi tail with chicken liver parfait; however, the one dish that never changes is the impeccable confit of petuna ocean trout, which is renowned the world over. Not exactly the most budget-conscious evening out, but a great opportunity to borrow a special bottle from your parents' stash. With matching wines rounding out at $110 per person, you may also save yourself a pretty penny too. BYO wine only (corkage $25 for the first bottle, $45 each bottle after). 529 Kent Street, Sydney.
Flume and Lorde at Goodgod. Flight Facilities at Piano Room. Cloud Control at Spectrum. They're gigs we probably didn't realise were bloody important at the time, in live music venues we poured our pocket money into. And now, these now-closed venues are getting the funeral they deserve. In a visually provocative response to the NSW Government's controversial lockout laws and the highly debated Callinan review, Keep Sydney Open has installed 18 plaques commemorating Sydney live music venues which have closed down. Spearheaded by Sydney music writer and activist Jonathan Seidler and backed by Keep Sydney Open, this project features plaques emblazoned with the name of an internationally successful artist who cut their teeth, met future bandmates or held residencies at the particular venue they're installed at. Most artists are Sydney locals like Flight Facilities, Rufus, The Presets and The Preatures, but our adopted Kiwi neighbour Lorde is also in the mix (she played her first ever showcase at Goodgod Small Club). Where can you find the plaques? They've been installed, with supporting funeral flowers and candles, at once-buzzing, now-closed venues throughout the lockout zone — from Kings Cross stalwarts Hugos and Piano Room, to Oxford Street go-tos Phoenix and Spectrum, Chippendale's The Lansdowne, to the CBD's Goodgod Small Club (now reopened as Plan B). Each Friday night, KSO volunteers will be handing out flowers and candles, if you're wanting to pay your respects to the now-closed venues. "It sends a clear message to the government that live music cannot survive without live music venues, which is where our world-beating talent first hone their craft," stated Keep Sydney Open, who pointed out that live music contributes $2 billion annually to Australia's economy (and that more Australians see live music every year than see sport). Sure, some live music venues are now exempt from the lockout laws, but after reports that Sydney venues had lost up to 40 percent of their revenue since the introduction of the laws, here's hoping it wasn't too late a move. Here's where you'll find the plaques: Flight Facilities (Piano Room) Flume (Goodgod) Lorde (Goodgod) Anna Lunoe (Phoenix) Sneaky Soundsystem (Hugos) Nina Las Vegas (Hugos) Cloud Control (Spectrum) Art Vs Science (Spectrum) Alison Wonderland (Q Bar) Hayden James (34B) Bag Raiders (34B) RUFUS (Club 77) Peking Duk (Soho) The Presets (Club 77) Jagwar Ma (Flinders) The Preatures (Lansdowne) You Am I (Lansdowne) Yolanda Be Cool (Q Bar) Keep Sydney Open's plaques are now installed throughout the city until further notice. They're also holding a huge rally protesting the lockout laws and the Calinan review on October 9. Details here.
Missed The Preatures on their huge sold-out 'Cruel' tour this spring? How'd you like to catch them live this summer, for free? The Sydney fivesome are gearing up for another national escapade, this time joining forces with Corona Extra for a huge free November tour. Locked in for 20 locations across the country, Corona Sunsets will see the Sydneysiders play unplugged shows everywhere from Bondi Beach's Bucket List to the Portsea Hotel. Kicking off in Yallingup, Western Australia on November 6, the tour will wind through some of The Preatures' favourite bars in WA, NSW and Queensland before finishing up in Victoria on the last weekend in November. Isabella Manfredi, Gideon Bensen, Jack Moffitt, Thomas Champion and Luke Davison will be careening through their 2014 debut album Blue Planet Eyes, from crowd favourite singles like 'Cruel', 'Somebody's Talking' and 'Is This How You Feel?' to lesser known album gems like 'Ordinary' and 'Whatever You Want'. Fingers crossed for a raucous pub singalong to The Preatures' go-to cover, The Angels' 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again'. All shows are free entry, over-18s only and it's first-in, best-dressed. If Corona Extra's previous free Australian tours, like Cloud Control, are anything to go by, you're going to want to get there pretty damn early. For details head to Corona's website. THE PREATURES' CORONA SUNSETS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: WESTERN AUSTRALIA November 6 Caves House Hotel, Yallingup, 7.30pm November 7 The Leftbank, East Fremantle, 2.30pm The Northshore Tavern, Hillarys, 7.30pm November 8 The Lucky Shag Waterfront Bar, Barrack Square, 2.30pm Ocean Beach Hotel, Cottesloe, 7.30pm NEW SOUTH WALES November 13 Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi, 8.30pm November 14 Watson’s Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay, 3.30pm Manly Wharf, Manly, 7.30pm November 15 The Bucket List, Bondi, 2.30pm Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale, 7.30pm November 22 Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads, 8pm QUEENSLAND November 20 Beach House Hotel, Scarness, 8pm November 21 Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, 3pm Noosa Heads S.L.S.C, Noosa Heads, 9pm November 22 Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta, 3pm VICTORIA November 27 Lambys, Geelong, 9pm November 28 The Deck est 2013, Frankston, 3pm Westernport Hotel, San Remo, 9.30pm November 29 The College Lawn, Prahran, 2.30pm Portsea Hotel, Portsea, 7pm
There's no better way to discover Parramatta's hidden lanes than with Parramatta Lanes. For four nights only, street food, craft beer gardens and art installations will pop up where you'd least expect it. To give you an idea of what's on offer, Knafeh, Happy as Larry, Piccolo Me and Temasek will all be there. Grab a bite to eat white you peruse the Shoot the Chef exhibition, which will be on display. The event runs nightly from 5–10pm. This event is one of our top ten picks of Good Food Month 2015. Check out the other nine. Image: Parramatta Lanes.
In one of the slickest team-ups we've seen this year, Future Classic and the Museum of Contemporary Art have announced a series of solid parties set to settle themselves into your calendar for the next few months. Set across three Sunday afternoons over the steamy months, FCxMCA is a brand new monthly event that will see the likes of electronic Cashmere Cat, Redinho and Cyril Hahn play intimate gigs on the MCA's Sculpture Terrace. Launched last night at the MCA as part of a collaboration with the MCA's Young Ambassador Program, the series kicked off with performances from Future Classic's new signing George Maple, label favourites Panama and Future Classic DJs. According to Future Classic's Nathan McLay, this new endeavour was apparently inspired by similar music program branch-outs in contemporary galleries across the globe. "My partner Jay and I have always enjoyed visits to documenta in Germany, the Venice Biennale and many contemporary galleries around the world on our travels," says McLay. "That travel and intersection of contemporary art and music opened our eyes to collaborations such as the MoMa PS1 Warm Up series in New York and the Sonar festival in Barcelona, whose day venue is the Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona (MACBA). It is these events that inspired the FCxMCA collaboration." Having recently played NYC’s MoMa PS1 Warm Up party, Norwegian producer (and actual brains behind most of the guilty pop pleasures on your Spotify) Cashmere Cat kicks the whole thing off on Sunday, January 4. Then on Sunday, February 22, London-based producer Redhino will crank up tunes from his highly-acclaimed self-titled album; released in September on top notch UK label Numbers (who've previously dropped Hudson Mohawke, Jamie XX and Rustie releases in your lap, legends). Then, when the hot season's almost over, Swiss producer Cyril Hahn — the man behind that Destiny's Child remix — will headline the closing party with deeeep, deeeeep house. Tickets are $47.45 for each gig, a pretty solid investment for what's sure to be three of the season's most unique gigs. FCxMCA 2015 Dates: Sun 4 Jan — Cashmere Cat (Norway) Sun 22 Feb — Redinho (UK) Sun 29 Mar — Cyril Hahn (Switzerland) Image: Cashmere Cat, Jasmine Safaeian.
The upper level of The London Hotel in Paddington is about to get a major foodie facelift with the opening of East London this Friday, June 3. The restaurant and bar — which will sit on the upper level of the hotel — will have a "Chinese comfort food" menu influenced by both Shanghai and Sichuan cuisines. The new eatery will be headed up by Executive Chef Jack Steer, whose resume includes the likes of Rockpool, Spice Temple and Melbourne's Chin Chin. It's not surprising then that he won't be dishing up your basic greasy takeaway Chinese food — instead, the menu will focus on fresh, quality produce to lighten up the cuisine's typically heavy dishes. Of course, guests can still expect to savour the traditional Sichuan spices and flavours, which range from spicy to flowery, sour to sweet and bitter to smokey. The family-style share plates are Steer's version of Chinese comfort food, and the menu will change monthly. The new restaurant will open with signature dishes like drowned fish with dried chilli and shallots in chicken broth, grilled lamb neck with tofu skin, and chilli oil and crispy five-spice Sichuan duck. . East London is also a bar so, naturally, Asian-infused cocktails will accompany the food; the Sichuan Love — a concoction of Havana three-year-old rum shaken with strawberries, Thai basil, palm sugar, lime juice and Sichuan pepper — is the one we're most keen to try. Steer is keeping it local with the wine list though, which features all-Australian wineries, from Tasmania's award-winning House of Arras to the edgy Some Young Punks from the Clare Valley. The space has been redesigned by Humphrey & Edwards architect Chris Grinham, whose previous work includes Opera Bar and Chiswick. He's designed the place with a subtle Shanghai décor with a colour palette of jade, black and white. The 80-seater will be a classy yet homey newcomer to the Paddington restaurant scene. East London will open in The London Hotel's upstairs space at 85 Underwood Street, Paddington on Friday, June 3. It will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and lunch on Sunday. For more information, visit hotellondon.com.au. Images: Alana Dimou.
Sydney's favourite pre-theatre dumplings have moved a little closer to the city, with the team behind Lotus Dumpling Walsh Bay opening a brand new chapter in the CBD. Making neighbours of Muji and Kinokuniya, Lotus at The Galeries is the shiny new 270-seater eatery from the lauded dumpling team; located on level one of the Galeries Victoria between George and Pitt Streets. According to Hospitality Magazine, the crew have gone with a completely different design to the Walsh Bay venue. DS17's Paul Papadopoulos and Kathryn Ashley have designed the new Lotus to allow as much light as possible through the space; think stripped-back, minimalist white and blue interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows, Fibonacci stone and ceramics errrrwhurrr. So what's in store for your hungry, hungry, dumpling-loving self? Shaking things up from the Walsh Bay menu (but keeping the plethora of shitake mushroom, violet, and scallop dumplings on offer), Lotus Galeries is more focused on fresh seafood (yep, we're fresh oysters, mud crab, snow crab, lobster, the works). But we're keen to try the restaurant's newest novelty dining style: a Lotus high tea. You can sit down to a traditional Chinese afternoon tea (or LoTea) from 3-5pm daily, feasting on little handmade Lotus dumplings, and pretty artisan Asian-style sweet goodies — like Szechuan pepper, toasted sesame and goji berry chocolates — served with the restaurant's own brand of Chinese tea. We'll raise a pinky to that. Lotus Dumpling Bar is open on level one of the Galeries Victoria. Lunch runs from 11.30am-3pm, LoTea runs 3-5pm, and dinner is from 5.3-10pm. Via Hospitality Magazine.
Sydney's got a brand new music festival on the beach, and we've never seen a more perfect headliner. Legendary harmonisers, surfin' safari-goers and all-round Californian seaside kings The Beach Boys are set to top the bill for Beachfest, a brand new festival coming to Bondi Beach. Hitting Bondi's main beach on Saturday, November 14 at 3pm, Beachfest will see in its first year with the Pet Sounds legends alongside Australian longtimers The Whitlams, Rockhampton's Busby Marou, surf folkster Kim Churchill and Brisbane's Sahara Beck. The Beach Boys have five decades of Grammy-winning back catalogue to bust out, so come ready to settle in. Imagine watching 'Surfer Girl', 'Kokomo' or 'California Girls' on Bondi Beach. Too good. Tickets are pretty affordable, starting at $85 — running from general admission 'On the Green' seats to reserve 'On the Beach' seats on the beach to VIP packages with food and drink suppled by The Bucket List. There's some warm fuzzy do-gooderness involved here too, with $1 from every ticket sold to be donated to Surf Live Saving NSW (the official beneficiary of the event). Aside from the squealworthy headliners — who'll also be doing a full Australian tour — the festival will see markets, surfing and skating exhibitions and Surf Live Saving events, including a march past, beach flag races and board races. Beachfest is happening at Bondi Beach on November 14 from 3pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 26 at midday from Ticketek and Beachfest's website. Early bird presale is Friday, June 19 at midday until Sunday, June, 5pm. Go to www.bondibeachfest.com to register.
Take a step (or roll) back in time and boogie to Wham! this March with the upcoming 'Back to the '80s Roller Disco' at the UNSW Roundhouse, run by Rollergirl Promotions. If spandex, leg warmers, head bands and all things fluro sing to the song of your heart, gear up in your 'Physical'-best and party the night away — and you'll get pretty fit while you're at it. With a bake sale, karaoke and raffle run by the Roller Derby League South Side Derby Dolls, DJ sets by Tom Dobalina and Andrew P Street, alongside "boobs, booze and making love on eight wheels" as described on their Facebook page, the night is sure to leave a pretty lasting impression. Too unco to skate? Fear not. This is not an exclusive event to wheeled pros a la Beyonce's 'Blow' video. You're allowed to break it down on your own two feet — and also get your own workout laughing at your roller skating friends — at this unique Saturday night disco.
It's Easter. Time to stuff yourself with baby animal-shaped chocolates and cross-covered pastries while feeling absolutely zero shame. To help you make the most of it, here are the best holiday treats making up your Easter hunt this year. HOT X BUN ZUMBARONS AT ADRIANO ZUMBO Adriano Zumbo Patissier has to win the award for the most creative and varied range of Easter treats in Sydney. Alongside Easter Bunny Pause tarts and fish, bunny and chicken couverture dioramas, a favourite for pure simplicity is the Hot X Bun Zumbarons. They lend an Easter touch to the patissier's year-round mouthwatering macarons. Check the Zumbo website for locations. FRANKINCENSE COATED HOT CROSS BUNS AT BLACK STAR PASTRY For a pleasant old-world feel with your Easter treats, have a try of Black Star Pastry's traditional hot cross buns. Famous for their strawberry and watermelon cake, this patisserie coats all of their hot cross buns in Frankincense glaze to truly take over all your senses with the spirit of the season. At $4.50 each, get in quick — they usually cap the amount each customer can order because the demand is so high. 277 Australia Street, Newtown and corner of Dunning Avenue and Hays Road, Rosebery GELATO MESSINA'S CHICK MAGNET Easter gelato? Yep, it's a thing. Every year, those frozen wonder wizards at Gelato Messina whip up a specific dish that'll make you think they've grown their very own pair of rabbit ears. In 2016, none other than the Chick Magnet is on the menu, offering up milk chocolate ganache and white choc hazelnut gelato inside a milk and white chocolate shell. DARK EASTER BEERS AT KEG & BREW Keg & Brew, along with their big sister venue the Dove & Olive and new family member The Dog in Randwick, is turning your 'traditional' Easter celebrations on their head with a special craft beer offering. Look for Willie the Boatman's Black Bunny Dark Ale on tap, with hints of chocolate, vanilla, cream, caramel and toffee. There'll also be a selection of 'hot cross burgers' at the K&B, D&O and The Dog, in two versions: tempura soft shell crab and Ohio turkey hot cross burgers. BABUSHKA EGG FROM KAKAWA + SORRY THANKS I LOVE YOU This could be the most grown-up Easter egg/piece of chocolate art we've found this year. Purveyors of lovely things Sorry Thanks I Love You have worked with Sydney chocolate wizards Kawawa Chocolates to create this gem. Painstakingly constructed by hand by master chocolatier Jin Sun Kim over a few days, these limited edition Babushka eggs are three layers of delicate, chocolatey goodness. Hand-painted 'quail' eggs are encased within a fine milk chocolate shell, within a thick, single origin dark chocolate outer shell. It's about 20cm long and will set you back $60, available from Sorry Thanks I Love You's Martin Place store. [caption id="attachment_564065" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: @brickfieldsbakery.[/caption] SOURDOUGH HOT CROSS BUNS AT BRICKFIELDS Brickfields offer you a different take on the traditional hot cross bun with their own signature sourdough version. Made with whey and mixed with cranberries, currents and sultanas, they're denser then the traditional Easter bun, and somehow extra delicious. SOURDOUGH HOT CROSS BUNS AT SONOMA Ok, so we're including two sourdough hot cross buns. But Sonoma's buns are worth including too. Balancing that tricky ratio of moisture to fluffiness, Sonoma's sourdough delights come with just right amount of juicy fruit bits. Whack a big dollop of local butter on them, we're done. CLASSY PRALINE EGG INSIDE A REAL EGGSHELL FROM WINNOW CHOCOLATES For some a bit of whimsy and a touch of "how the hell did they get that in there?" look no further than Winnow Chocolates' praline eggs. Sealed inside a real eggshell that you have to crack and peel yourself to reach the sweet hazelnut praline inside, they're a completely reasonable $4.50 each. The perfect treat to hide through your garden for a natural egg hunt look. HOT CROSS BUN BRITTLE BY WINNOW CHOCOLATE When sweet things pose as other sweet things, we're always on board. Dark couverture chocolate, decorated with edible 23 carat gold leaf, lemon rind, candied orange and sultanas, and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, Winnow Chocolate's signature Easter treat is one decadent slab. While this one's a little exxy for one slab of brittle at $22 each, we reckon it's worth every bite. HOT CROSS BEN TRUFFLES AT HAIGH'S In a precious little crossover of your favourite Easter treats, Haigh's is offering hot cross bun chocolates ($23.75 for six). Filled with fruit and spice fudge, covered in dark chocolate and finished with a white cross, they'll go perfectly with the traditional Haigh's chocolate bilby. HOT CROSS LOAVES AT BOURKE STREET BAKERY A big favourite around Easter time, the Bourke Street Bakery hot cross loaves skip the part where you eat a whole bag of hot cross buns and just give you the loaf-sized portion you know you want. They're perfect to share around at Easter family gatherings and are great to toast up for breakfast all throughout the Easter season. DRAGON EGG AT SAKE Taking three days to make, the signature Dragon Egg dessert at Saké Double Bay has a bit of a cult following (around 400 are made each week at the Double Bay venue). It's a Valrhona chocolate shell filled with toasted chocolate crumble, edible soil, passionfruit yoghurt crispy chips, chocolate mousse, passionfruit curd, and mango caramel, A light gold dust finishes everything off and the egg comes served with passionfruit ice cream, under a pouring of liquid nitrogen — so it can be broken open with a mere spoon. Over Easter, you'll be able to order the Dragon Egg at Sake in The Rocks (Sydney), Hamer Hall (in Melbourne) and Eagle Street Pier (Brisbane) too. Only 50 will be available at each venue and for a limited period — Friday, March 25 to Monday, March 28. Spotted any other inventive and tasty Easter treats around town? Let us know in the comments below. By Elise Newton, Sarah Ward, Shannon Connellan and Gemma Mollenhauer.
Congratulations. If your answer to the ‘what would you take to a desert island?’ question involves an aged bottle of shiraz and a blissful soundtrack to match (fresh water, schmesh schmater) your hypothetical fancies are now gold- and berry-hued reality. For one glorious weekend this November, little known Sydney Harbour outcrop Clark Island will be transformed into Wine Island — a three-day premium wine festival promising tastings over 100 new wave and traditional drops, complimentary masterclasses, cooking demos and treasure hunts. “Wine Island is the first of its kind for Clark Island and Sydney Harbour,” says festival founder and director Kristen Francis. “We’re in the unique position of taking over an island and transforming it into our own kind of paradise for three days.” With a name alone enough to turn oenophiles everywhere a degree of dizzy usually only experienced after the fourth glass of merlot, the sadly temporary oasis will be scattered with wine and food huts showcasing some of the best local viticulturists and kitchen operations, including Mr Riggs, All Saints Estate, Bar H and Applejack. (See comprehensive lists here and here.) And, since the island is teeny tiny with an area of less than one hectare, the stroll from pinot gris to freshly shucked oyster will never be far, and always accompanied by dreamy island beats. General admission tickets ($79.90) include vintage ferry transport to and from the island with a glass of sparking on board, ten wine tastings, masterclasses and your own wine glass from Koonara Wines. For the real fancypantses, the VIP package ($149.90) gives you all that plus a complimentary seafood and cheese bar, licence to sip away to your heart’s content with unlimited tastings (not a challenge), and access to the Island Bar, where the nation’s top sommeliers will pour premium VIP-only wines into your shiny waiting glasses. Even though Clark Island is otherwise now basically deserted, back in the 19th century it was apparently a popular picnic destination for well-to-do Sydneysiders, who’d spend their days collecting oysters, drinking champagne, flirting and romping about. Alive today, we reckon they’d be at this shindig in a heartbeat. Wine Island is happening from November 13 to 15 on Clark Island. Tickets are on sale Tuesday, September 1 from Wine Island's website.
The Chaser gang are getting back to their roots, with plans to publish a brand spanking new print magazine. The team behind The Hamster Wheel, Yes We Canberra, Sydney's Giant Dwarf theatre and the Make a Realistic Wish Foundation have recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to get the satirical publication off the ground, with the aim of releasing their first edition in the next couple of months. According to the group's Pozible page, The Chaser Quarterly will be a 96-page colour magazine that will address "the key problem of our time: namely — there is not enough content in the world." They're hoping to raise $50,000, money they say will be use to establish a "'tax effective' offshore corporate structure" so as to ensure the project isn't stymied "by the onerous burden of paying tax to fund Australia's hospitals, schools and roads". Truly this campaign video says it all. Right now, a $25 pledge will get you a copy of the magazine, while $50 will see it signed by the entire Chaser team. More extravagant rewards include the chance to pitch your own article for $500 (although there's no guarantee it will be published), or the opportunity to run your own full page ad for $1500 (on the condition that it "fundamentally undermine the product it is seeking to sell".) Although best known for their highbrow political satire on television, The Chaser team actually started out publishing a fortnightly newspaper that ran for six years between 1999 and 2005. Among their memorable stunts from this period was the time they published Prime Minister John Howard's home phone number on their front page. Assuming they reach their Pozible target, the first edition of The Chaser Quarterly will be published in spring 2015 and feature articles by many familiar Chaser contributors, including Andrew Hansen, Chris Taylor and Craig Reucassel. In order to keep up the appearance of a successful company, head team members will be payed in Beluga Caviar, while the rest of the creatives, including writers, cartoonists, illustrators and graphic designers, will divvy up $300 between them. Pledge via Pozible and keep an eye on the Chaser Quarterly website for updates.
We've all got a favourite drink to order when we're under pressure at the bar. Having a go-to drink is a source of comfort in an outrageous world of fat-washed cocktails and pear infused espresso martinis. A go-to keeps you steady when you're overwhelmed by options. Being comfortable is nice, but sometimes it's even nicer to throw caution to the wind and take a risk by trying something new. We say risk it, and risk it with The Rusty Nail. This classic Drambuie cocktail was the go-to drink of the Rat Pack boys (that's Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr. and chums if you didn't know) in the '60s. It's a combo of Scotch whisky and spicy, syrupy Drambuie (which is made with herbs, honey and scotch) served with a twist of lemon. The cocktail first appeared in 1937 at a British Industries Fair held in New York, and consisted of Drambuie, scotch whisky and bitters, uninspiringly dubbed the B.I.F. The cocktail then disappeared, but mysteriously popped up in the 1950s USA post-war boom. At the time, and for decades after, it was one of the hottest cocktails going around. The Rusty Nail as we know it today appeared under a variety of different names such as the Mig 21 (in Vietnam), and the D&S (in Manhattan). There are several stories as to how the name 'Rusty Nail' came about. One story mentions rusted nails on the wooden cases of Drambuie that were dropped off in the Hudson and East Rivers in NYC during the Prohibition era, while another cites a bartender stirring the cocktail with a nail. It's most likely that the name has to do with the golden hue Drambuie gave to young Scotch whisky when it was mixed. All good stories, so we don't mind which one is true, and we've probably told all three as gospel after we've indulged in a few Rusty Nails. The cocktail has been given the modern treatment by a fair few bartenders. It's not unheard of to mix Monkey Shoulder with Drambuie for an interesting flavour combination, or to mix tequila or mescal with your Drambuie for an extra kick. Drambuie is a top-notch way to pimp up your cocktails – you can skip using other syrups because the liqueur adds a splash of richness to your experience. The story of Drambuie originates in 1740s Italy. A Scottish prince was sentenced to exile in Rome (doesn't sound too bad, really), and brought his personal recipe of mixing saffron and honey with Scottish whisky with him when he came back over to Scotland in an ill-fated attempt to reclaim the British throne for his father. Prince Charles Edward Stewart's name sits on the shoulders of the bottle as a reminder of how far this recipe has come. Like a cocktail with a little bit of history? Suss out whether there's a bottle of Drambuie skulking around in your liquor cabinet. If there is, call your mates – it's Rusty Nail time. Head down to A Night With the Nail at Sydney jazz club The Swinging Cat every Thursday for three months from September 7. It's your chance to try the Rusty Nail, and to see the bar decked out prohibition-style.
Sydney's LGBTIQ+ scene is thriving. There are great, queer-friendly gatherings happening all around the city, from secret warehouse parties with a BYO policy, to regular drag and queer nights and charity celebrations. The vibes may vary, but the all-inclusive nature prevails. In partnership with Skyy Vodka, who are supporting marriage equality with a #cheerstoequality campaign, we've rounded up five venues, party crews and events that can guarantee a fun time in an atmosphere that's welcoming to all. Whether you're part of the queer community or just tagging along with a friend, here are five of the best queer-friendly spaces Sydney has to offer. HEAPS GAY For the past three years, Heaps Gay has been throwing some of the best LGBTIQ+ parties in Sydney, leading the queer community with intimate events that are all about dancing, art, inclusion, and absolutely no lockouts. The party crew is known for popping up in warehouse spaces across Sydney, as well as hosting events at Mardi Gras, Vivid Sydney and collaborating with Keep Sydney Open. This year Heaps Gay are bringing back their third annual Vivid Festival party, and donating $1 from every ticket to Redfern's community-focused 107 Projects. The Heaps Gay party crew regularly double their paid parties as charity initiatives, an even better reason to join them on an unrestricted night out. [caption id="attachment_606868" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Glitoris: Alli Sebastian Wolf.[/caption] THE BEARDED TIT The Bearded Tit is one of Redfern's most eclectic watering holes, often filled with a host of colourful characters. The bar doubles as an art and creative space, showcasing weird and wonderful local artists (including The Glitoris, by Alli Sebastian Wolf above) and welcoming everyone into its kitschy interior, which features everything from barber chairs and fruit chandeliers, to crocheted penises and a taxidermy boar playing the trumpet. The bar is also known for bringing some of Australia's best pop and dance acts in for a full-on party. Upcoming nights including a live performance for the Broads album launch and a retro Hawaiian-themed fashion show and dance party. The venue has teamed up with the aforementioned Heaps Gay in the past, to create a rooftop pop-up bar for Mardi Gras 2016. SLYFOX Enmore's Slyfox is an all-round party venue, boasting late nights with a stellar lineup of DJs and live bands. Retro decor and a moody atmosphere give the venue a warm and inviting glow, and their regular dance nights have helped put Enmore on the map as a go-to place for queer parties. Their rotation of events run every Tuesday to Sunday, ranging genres from punk, indie and jazz to funk, hip hop, house and techno. Their regular queer nights include the weekly free entry Birdcage party — running every Wednesday, the self proclaimed "queerest shin-dig" in Enmore is about to celebrate their 5th birthday with a blowout bash. Acts include K-pop dropout Nes, the R&B beats of Mowgli May and tropical vibes of Pineapple Pineapple. THE FLINDERS HOTEL The Flinders has gone through a few revamps since closing due to lockouts back in 2015, and once again, it officially relaunched this year in March, partnering with Skyy's #cheerstoequality campaign to celebrate inclusiveness, equality and the return of a classic. While a few things have changed since The Flinders of old closed — including the addition of a swanky marble bar imported from Italy, a custom DJ booth and repainted graffiti walls — the spirit of the original venue is still alive and well, continuing to be 100 percent inclusive and welcoming on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. The revamp has brought on a new cocktail list of classic favourites and their 3am licence is back in action as well, promising heaps of late night parties with some of the Flinders original DJs to boot. The bar is perfectly situated in the queer centre of the city, making it ideal for a regular party haunt of the LGBTIQ+ community. CANNED FRUIT Canned Fruit is Sydney's newest all-inclusive queer party and they've been making a name for themselves with their regular Canned Fruit Wednesdays at Enmore's Secret Garden Bar. The "juicy" parties promise drag performances, cheap drinks and no labels, along with the requisite dance floor tunes. Past weeks have featured the likes of femme duo Fox Force II, CF preacher Double D and "Enmore's unholiest" Burley Chassis DQ, with upcoming events featuring the fabulous Cherry Kills channelling Patsy Stone and beats master Dunny Minogue. Themes range from "80s and Fabulous" to the iconic film But I'm A Cheerleader. The small bar has become a regular go-to for the inner west queer community, and gives off some serious let loose, anything goes vibes. Show some SKYY Vodka support for marriage equality by taking a selfie and tagging it with #CheerstoEquality and #AusPol. Top image: Heaps Gay.
If you know of a better way to celebrate the first month of spring than a flurry of doughnuts, Black Star pastries and limited edition N2 gelato, we'd like to see it. Heralding the more flowery season of the year, Sydney CBD shopping and foodie hub The Galeries is throwing a little mini-festival, Spring Social, with installation art, musicians handpicked by FBi Radio and a handful of Sydney food and drink pop-ups. Picture a mini-marketplace of your favourite Sydney treats. There'll be eight pop-ups in total, including a Black Star Pastry and N2 Extreme Gelato dessert stand (dear sweet mother of god, what a team). Sydney's extreme baked good lovers Grumpy Donuts will be there, alongside a Lo-Tea stand by new Galeries resident Lotus Dumpling Bar, The Feather Tribe artisan homewares store, Yayoi sake barrel and tasting sessions, and a GIF photobooth. Yep, a GIF photobooth, allowing you to simultaneously enter the draw for a trip for two to Japan and hit it out of the ballpark for your social media presence. For spring bevs, The Arthouse will have their own pop-up bar with signature cocktails, and FBi Radio have selected some of their favourite bright new artists to perform while you're noshing and sloshing. And it wouldn't be a spring minifest without some pretty, pretty art to go around. Large scale art installation SKYBLOSSOM will take over the central void to launch the festival. Happy sprung. Spring Social is open Thursday to Sunday from 9am to 9pm. Image: Grumpy Donuts, Alana Dimou.
One crew makes seriously good wine. One makes seriously killer parties happen around Melbourne. The other cooks up some of the finest goods in Sydney. Now they're joining forces for an epic wine-fuelled, pastry-flanked hootenanny inside a mysterious Sydney space. Which Sydney space? That's a big ol' secret. Melbourne collective Wax'o Paradiso and Sydney bakery Brickfields have teamed up with Redfern-based vino lovers Cake Wines for one huge secret party on May 23. It's the second secret party for Cake, who recently took over the rooftop pool deck of the Holiday Inn in the Rocks with damn good wine, gourmet kranskies and seriously good beats from Lovebombs, FBi Radio and Astral People. It was a bonafide humdinger. Now the crew are looking to the inner west, inviting their party-starting friends from Melbourne up for an eight-hour afternoon shindig. Wax'o Paradiso have cranked their fair share of killer hootenannies everywhere from MONA's Dark Mofo to outdoor labyrinths and garden rooftops; so they know what they're doing. They've invited Edd Fisher (host of Tomorrowland on PBS106.7) with his partner in crime Simon TK (resident at Melbourne's Hugs and Kisses), to blitz the decks, alongside local legend Steel Bonus. The proviso? Vinyl-only for eight hours. Whetting whistles for the afternoon, Cake will be bringing their 2013 and 2014 new vintage wines to the bar, with beer and cider on offer too. And if you're feeling a little peckish, Brickfields will be serving up their fresh Modern Australian fare on the day, with the party menu yet to be revealed. The secret location will be revealed on the day of the party via text message and/or email. Apparently it'll be somewhere in the inner west, so stay tuned. Here's what went down last time:
Unravel the mysteries of human conflict with a Bengal tiger. Eavesdrop on a meeting between Salvador Dali and Sigmund Freud. Drop into Charles Dickens' house for 'fallen' women (that actually existed. Autumn wields quite a hefty stash of theatre for Sydneysiders, so we've picked the shows you should focus your attention on. They're not light, they're not cruisy, but they're the best on stage this month. By Matt Abotomey, Hugh Robertson, James Whitton and Rima Sabina Aouf.
With three holiday dates coming up, April is the month to plan a weekend getaway. If you're still looking for your ticket out of the city, Flash Camp has just announced they'll be hosting a pop-up glamping site within Shoalhaven's Coolendel private reserve from April 7 through 25, including the Easter and ANZAC Day holidays. Only a 2.5 hour drive down the South Coast from Sydney and thirty minutes from Nowra, the remote location is an easy trip to achieve a true bush experience — well, kind of. As to be expected, the tents look quite luxe. The bell-shaped, premium 'Flash Tents' come with a king-sized mattress, covered in plush bedding and perched on timber pallets. The tents also feature solar lighting, table and chairs, Biology toiletries and a hand-woven Armadillo & Co rug. For groups looking for a slightly (very slightly) more traditional camping experience, Flash Camp also offer their regular bell tents with air beds. Guests will also have access to the existing Coolendel amenities, including hot showers and barbecue facilities, as well as a communal Flash Camp tent with seating, fairy lights and a campfire. The glamping site will be located within Coolendel's 52 hectares of bushland along the Shoalhaven River. Nature lovers will be keen on this secluded grassy park, which is an ideal location for spotting wombats, goannas, wallabies and native birds. Apart from nature watching and bushwalking, guests can also try a spot of canoeing, biking and fishing. Rates vary from $110 to $220 per night, depending on day of the week and holidays. Food is not provided, though, so campers should make sure to pack the eski full for the duration of the trip. Flash Camp Glamping will pop up at Coolendel from April 7 through 25. To book, visit the Flash Camp website. For more glamping options, check out our list for the ten best glamping spots near Sydney .
One of Australia's most redeeming qualities is its ability to give good afternoon sun. There's something about its familiar glow that almost demands casual drinks — whether it's cracking open a cold beer after a day out, heading to the pub after a long day of work, or deciding on a whim that your backyard is perfect for having friends over. We love summer afternoons, and we've partnered with Heineken 3 so you can get the most out of them. We've spoken to a few of our favourite chefs, musicians and artists, to get their insights on creating the perfect balmy afternoon. For a summer playlist, who better to ask for advice than Ned East, a.k.a Kilter? His genre-spanning tropical electronic beats scream summer, and he's been making waves playing his tunes around Australia — performing at Falls, Field Day and Southbound. This year he followed the sun into European waters, playing shows and festivals across France, Germany, Malta and the UK. We asked him for some tips on how to create the perfect party playlist for a summer afternoon. Because he's a nice guy, he provided one of his own. It's good. Listen to this and get inspired, then follow his tips in creating your own. YOUR PLAYLIST NEEDS TO BE CAREFULLY CURATED It's important to remember that your playlist should be delicately crafted — it shouldn't just be a bunch of tracks thrown together. It should be designed to be listened to in one fell swoop, just like Kilter's. That means no skipping, no jumping and absolutely no shuffling (tracks, that is). TAKE YOUR LISTENERS ON A JOURNEY There needs to be an effortless flow. Kilter's playlist has a strong dance tinge to it, cruising through a few downtempo tracks, moving into a house-centred, upbeat party vibe. Things get a bit crazy towards the end, but what else can you expect from a summer session? PICK A FEW BANGER TRACKS TO GET STARTED Kilter tells us to "start with the tracks you really want to play, then think about their order and how they'll be consumed". Choose a few of your favourite tracks that you know you'll definitely want to include, and use those as your base. That way, it's easy to get inspired, ensure you get a variety of music and make sure your playlist has some direction. Kilter's starting point tracks were Kwesta's 'Ngud' (featuring Cassper Nyovest), as well as 808INK's 'Suede Jaw' and Hayden James' 'Just a Lover' (Karma Kid remix) — he recommends if you're in need of some inspiration. CONSIDER YOUR SITUATION, AND LEARN TO LIFT THE VIBES Music has the magical ability to dictate someone's mood. It's essential to a summer afternoon when you're throwing back a Heineken 3, because it'll lift the vibes. "If it's a rainy day and you're playing summertime jams, it's going to make you feel a little bit better," Kilter says. "If it's a sunny day and you've got sunny music on, it's really going to take your vibes to another level". In his own words: "Get some friends over and have some beers in the sun. Let the music do its thing while you do your thing." Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them.
Hold onto your paper plates, Sydney — there's another Night Market coming to Carriageworks. This time it will celebrate both the height of Sydney summer and Australian native ingredients and Indigenous culture, which is the theme of this year's market. A slew of 60-plus stallholders will take over the carriageway from 5pm on Friday, February 9. You can expect to once again sample goods from New South Wales' top tier of restaurants, winemakers, breweries and providores, alongside cooking demos, live music and the unveiling of a new artwork produced by female artists from Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. Menu highlights curated by Kylie Kwong will include kangaroo empanadas by Danielle Alvarez at Fred's, crab and avo on toast from Paper Bird, Bruny Island wallaby skewers by Three Blue Ducks, and kangaroo bolognese toasties and prawn doughnuts from Biota. Plus, an old-fashioned vanilla sponge from Flour and Stone will be available for dessert, beer will be supplied by Marrickville's Wildflower and cocktails will be mixed by Archie Rose, Poor Toms Gin and PS40. Tickets are $10 — head to the Carriageworks website to book ahead.
Pop-up pros Street Food Circus are hitting Marrickville at the end of spring. And they'll be bringing with them three wild days of street food, craft beer, boutique wines, live music and DJs armed with vinyl. So blank out November 25 to 27 in your diary, for feasting at Fraser Park. The culinary extravaganza will showcase dishes from all over the world, with a particular focus on Italy and Vietnam. Representing the UN will be Big Papa's Food Truck with its multicultural menu, which includes the Korean (beef short ribs with cucumber kim chi on a bao gao bun) and the freaking enormous Americano (beef burger with pickle mayo sauce, cheddar and lettuce). Alternatively, for perfect arancini and whitebait fritto, swing by Italian street food experts Fritto + Co. Taking care of Vietnamese flavours will be Saigon Summer's outdoor barbecue pit, while Let's Do Yum Cha will be providing dim sim and duck pancakes. And, for health nuts, there'll be Agape Organic. Once the savouries are out of the way, it'll be time for dessert. Try out newbies Torch Me Creme Brulee and Donut Dealers, or go for established safe bet Over The Moo, who'll be serving up their next-level dairy-free ice cream (get the salted caramel) with waffles from Waffles and Dom. Keeping your thirst at bay throughout the day will be a bunch of craft beers and spirits, as well as fine wines, provided by Mountain Goat and Archie Rose distillers, among others. Meanwhile, in the Big Top, you'll be kicking back or getting down to a slew local DJ talent and, should you want to grab a vinyl or two of your own to take home, go rummaging at Rolling Records, a truck devoted to records.
