UPDATE: AUGUST 2019 — Little Felix is now open. If Merivale wasn't already enough of a hospitality giant, it has today announced that it's preparing to open another four CBD venues in 2019. All four will open in the group's Ivy Precinct — which is already home to Bar Topa, Felix, Palings, Ash St Cellar, The Royal George and Ivy Pool Club, Den and Lounge. Expect a Felix-style cocktail bar, a casual Middle Eastern eatery, a sister to Bondi's Italian restaurant Totti's and a new Mexican joint on the horizon. First up is Little Felix — a smaller version of of Ash Street's hatted French bistro — which will open along George Street this July. Head Chef Nathan Johnson has created a dedicated menu of French bites for the 60-seat cocktail bar, with the focus on charcuterie and cheese, as well as French wine by the glass and classic cocktails. It'll be followed by a casual Lebanese eatery headed by ex-Rockpool Chef Simon Zalloua (also previously of Sefa Kitchen), who will dish up mostly vegetarian fare at this venture. The restaurant, opposite Wynyard Station, will be split between a front takeaway counter and a back bar and diner. The latter will serve up mezze-style share plates and charcoal grill dishes. [caption id="attachment_702660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bondi's Totti's by Nikki To.[/caption] Then a Totti's-inspired Italian bar will join the CBD crew on Palings Lane. While details for this one are slim, Totti's Head Chef Mike Eggert will be serving up his beloved woodfired bread and antipasto plates. Also to join the ranks down the line is a Mexican eatery and bar — but those details have remained well under wraps. The openings coincide with the big Light Rail reveal and the soon-to-launch George Street pedestrian zone that comes along with it, as well as City of Sydney's newly approved late-night trading plan. This phase of Merivale's 'Ivy 2.0' project is the first step toward entirely redeveloping the site, but that won't come into play for many years to come. We'll keep you in the loop as we learn more about all of the new Merivale happenings. Merivale's new CBD openings will begin with Little Felix in July 2019.
On a recent research trip Down Under, The Daily Show reporter and comedian John Oliver interviewed ex-Prime Minister John Howard regarding the gun reform laws he successfully instated during his leadership term in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. In a discussion that followed with right-wing American gun lobbyist Philip van Cleave, Oliver pointed to the success of Howard’s policy as a rebuttal to Cleave’s infuriating, repeated insistence that "gun control laws just don't work". With that old American worldliness, Cleave answers by likening Australia to a mythical "Planet X", with an operating system that cannot be seen as indicative of America's "real world" with "human beings". Much like the ninny at a dinner party who chastises vegetarians for wearing leather shoes, Cleave goes on to argue that where Australia might not have mass shootings, it still suffers from murders, rapes and robberies. Touché. In short, he makes Howard look like the second coming, which is no easy feat. Although life isn't always peachy on Planet X, we're grateful for the small things, like not living in America. Whoop-de-doo!
Surry Hills has scored a new, creatively charged culinary hot-spot, with acclaimed chef Jessi Singh opening the doors to his 'unauthentic Indian' restaurant Don't Tell Aunty. In the space once home to the Colin Fassnidge's hatted 4Fourteen, Singh's latest venture sees him returning Down Under after a few years in the States, heading up NYC's Babu Ji and Californian spin-off Bibi Ji. Back in Surry Hills, he has teamed up with restaurateur, Amar Singh (Melbourne's Horn Please and Dhaba at the Mill) to open his first Sydney outpost. This latest venture is inspired by the welcoming homes of traditional (yet, slightly eclectic) Indian aunties — complete with blue velvet banquettes and bright pink walls — but food does not stick to the rules. Instead, innovation is the hero, as Singh sticks to his signature envelope-pushing approach. As he'll tell you, "there's no ghee or oil in the curry, there's whiskey in the chai and the men do the cooking". An oft-changing menu trips all across India, with touches of Aussie and American influence peppered throughout. Street eats might include the likes of Colonel Tso's Indo-Chinese-style cauliflower with tomato and chilli; the 'Yoghurt Kebab', featuring a spiced yoghurt croquette in a vibrant beetroot ginger sauce; and the nachos-like papadi chaat. The tandoor is turning out dishes like charred local fish with ginger honey sauce, and there's a slew of crafty curries, including the short rib korma and a coconut cashew gravy. Head in for lunch, and you can snag a super affordable $10 canteen-style selection of curries and street food. Meanwhile, Rajat Parr — an international winemaker and sommelier Singh met while in the USA — has worked his magic on the drinks offering. Watch retro Bollywood films flicker on the walls, while tucking into drops from the self-serve beer fridge, approachable wines from around the world, and lively cocktails like the namesake Don't Tell Aunty — a concoction of mezcal and beetroot rimmed with black lava salt. Find Don't Tell Aunty at 414 Bourke St, Surry Hills. It's open Tuesday to Saturday 11am–2.30pm and 5–10pm.
At the south end of Mann Street in Gosford, you'll find a beautifully designed cafe with Mediterranean dishes and elegant cocktails. It's a popular brunch spot; the sunny eatery is open from breakfast till 3pm daily, and when the menu clocks over from brekkie bowls to long lunch territory you'll want to order a souvlaki pita. It comes with a choice of three fillings: slow roasted lamb shoulder, house-made falafel or grilled chicken with garlic aioli, tzatziki and eggplant dip. Not your vibe? The brisket cheeseburger has a reputation all its own. But what you're really here for is a leisurely catch up with friends over a boozy lunch. The wine list features natural drops like From Sunday's chardonnay and Lucky's syrah/pinot noir, both from Orange. There's also Lost Buoy sauvignon blanc from Adelaide Hills, pale ales from local brewery Six Strings, and yuzu vodka spritzes and salted white grapefruit mojitos. Take yours to the terrace, or linger in one of the cosy booths.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njIoUGIDrwA DIRT MUSIC An adaptation of a beloved novel, a tourism campaign for Western Australia and a soapy, Nicholas Sparks-esque romance: combine all three, and that's the long-awaited big-screen version of Dirt Music. For most of the past two decades, Australian filmmakers have been trying to give Tim Winton's 2001 multi-prize-winning book the cinematic treatment; however, the movie that results doesn't prove worth the wait. Winton's work, and its poetic, descriptive prose, isn't the easiest to turn into a script or movie. The Turning was able to translate short stories into a short film collection, and Simon Baker's version of Breath was soulful, well-acted and found a way to explain, explore and convey the lure of the ocean, but Dirt Music has long been considered difficult to adapt. It's clear why thanks to Gregor Jordan's film. Strip out the lyrical words and spend too long inserting shot after shot of the scenic location, and all that's left is a padded-out love triangle populated by stock-standard tortured souls. Georgie Jutland (Kelly Macdonald) is unhappy in her live-in relationship with commercial fishing magnate Jim Buckridge (David Wenham), so when often-shirtless town outcast Lu Fox (Garrett Hedlund) motors his boat into the patch of ocean she's skinny-dipping in, it doesn't take long for something to spring between them. But the ex-musician turned poacher has a troubled past, as flashbacks to happier times in a band with his brother (George Mason) and sister-in-law (Julia Stone) — and to hanging around his rural house with his niece Bird (Ava Caryofyllis), too — demonstrate. And, when Lu is attacked, he's very quick to take off through WA's rugged outback and to its scenic remote islands. What feels rich on the page is far too thin and flat in the hands of Jordan (Ned Kelly) and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes), and while Macdonald and Hedlund are both great actors (see: Boardwalk Empire and Mudbound), they're hemmed in by the script's lack of depth. Also distractingly noticeable is how heavily Dirt Music stresses its surroundings, and therefore its all-round homegrown nature, while also enlisting overseas talent to play its quintessentially Aussie protagonists. Indeed, at almost every point, this film goes through the motions rather than meaningfully and substantially trying to convey the heart and essence of its source material. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgUZ2AHp4rU MISS JUNETEENTH It doesn't take long in the observant, tender but clear-eyed film Miss Juneteenth for a simple truth to arise. Working two jobs and still struggling to get by, Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie) hasn't been living the life she wished for as a child, and she's striving to ensure that things are better for her 15-year-old daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze). Also evident: that Turquoise was on a different path a decade and a half ago, after winning the local Miss Juneteenth beauty pageant and earning a scholarship to the historically black college of her choosing. Doing the math, it's easy to work out why Turquoise's plans faltered, and why she's so determined that Kai enter the upcoming pageant, wow everyone, win and make the most of the coveted opportunity. Miss Juneteenth is a movie about choices, though — a movie about grabbing what you can when so much is snatched away or simply out of reach for unfair reasons — and it never forgets that it takes strength and courage to truly understand what the best options are. The feature directorial debut of writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth makes a careful and graceful effort to balance two ideas: that American society doesn't just have a problematic history with race relations, but that inequality is now engrained in everyday life; and that choosing one's own future, rather than ever simply towing a mandated line, is wholeheartedly worth fighting for even with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the way. Turquoise describes her 2004 crown win as feeling "like I was walking into a new life", while Kai would prefer to join her school's dance team and hang out with her boyfriend (Jaime Matthis) than don formal gowns, memorise Maya Angelou poems and learn which cutlery to use when. Little about Miss Juneteenth's message, themes or the clashing predicament the film covers is new, of course. Nor is the time spent watching, with a cynical eye, the pomp and ceremony of the eponymous pageant. And yet this affecting drama always proves keenly observed, sincerely handled and authentic, as aided not only by naturalistic cinematography, but the picture's naturalistic central portrayals — including complex, nuanced performance from Shame, Black Mirror and Little Fires Everywhere actor Beharie. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK3eDfkXBzg SAVAGE Tattoos covering his cheeks, nose and forehead, a scowl affixed almost as permanently, but raw sorrow lurking in his eyes, Jake Ryan cuts a striking sight in Savage. He's a walking, drinking, growling, hammer-swinging advertisement for toxic masculinity — how it looks at its most stereotypical extreme, and how it often masks pain and struggle — and the performance is the clear highlight of the Home and Away, Wolf Creek and Underbelly actor's resume to-date. Playing a character named Danny but also known as Damage, Ryan's efforts also perfectly epitomise the New Zealand gang drama he's in, which similarly wraps in-your-face packaging around a softer, richer core. Savage's protagonist and plot have had plenty of predecessors over the years in various ways, from Once Were Warriors' exploration of violence, to Mean Streets' chronicle of crime-driven youth, plus the bikie warfare of Sons of Anarchy and even Aussie film 1%, but there's a weightiness on display here that can't just be wrung from a formula. That said, although written and directed by feature debutant Sam Kelly based on true tales from NZ's real-life gangs spanning three decades, Savage does noticeably follow a predictable narrative path. Viewers first meet Danny in 1989, when he's the second-in-charge of the Savages, which is overseen by his lifelong best friend Moses (John Tui, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Solo: A Star Wars Story). The film also jumps back to two prior periods in his life, in 1965 and 1972, to explain why Danny is in his current situation physically, mentally and emotionally. Aided by suitably gritty and restless camerawork that mirrors its protagonist's inner turmoil, Savage packs a punch when it lets that unease fester in quiet moments. It's also particularly astute when honing in on Danny and Moses's complicated friendship, and how pivotal it is throughout their constantly marginalised lives. There's never any doubting that Savage is a movie about family, including the traumas they can inflict, the hurt that comes with being torn away from loved ones at a young age, the kinship found in understanding pals and the concept of brotherhood in gangs, and the feature is at its most affecting when it lets these truths emanate naturally. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB1kzj5xH7g&feature=emb_logo BLOODY HELL All that Bloody Hell's protagonist Rex (Ben O'Toole, Detroit) wants is to ask out bank teller Maddy (Ashlee Lollback, In Like Flynn), but he happens to time his latest attempt to do just that with an armed robbery. The whole ordeal leaves him dateless, turns him into both a viral star and a convicted criminal, and eventually sees him en route to Finland to flee the resulting infamy and attention. There, however, worse awaits. In this Gold Coast-shot film, Rex is American, but he could be forgiven for exclaiming this horror-comedy's title like a stereotypical Aussie, and doing so more than once. Shortly after his arrival in Europe, he's kidnapped, strung up and stuck at the mercy of a twisted Helsinki family with vicious plans — although Alia (feature first-timer Meg Fraser), who doesn't quite in with the rest of her relatives, just might be the only chance he has to both escape and survive. There's an added twist to Bloody Hell, and it stems from a serious case indecision and self-doubt. Whether deciding what to do in the bank or facing a grim situation chained up in a basement, Rex is mighty fond of talking to himself, with director Alistair Grierson (Sanctum) and screenwriter/editor Robert Benjamin bringing this fact to the screen visually — tasking O'Toole with playing two roles, including the cooler, more confident version of Rex that pops up to try to assuage his worries. It's a gimmick in a film that otherwise follows a predictable storyline, but O'Toole's committed dual performances make it work. Indeed, Rex's back-and-forth banter with himself, and the rhythm that springs, comprises many of the movie's best moments. Fraser also shines, in a part that'll hopefully be her springboard to bigger things, and Grierson delivers a slick dose of jumps, bumps, gore and laughs with gusto. This is the type of movie that gels together better the longer it continues as well, after taking time to both set up its scenario and settle into its vibe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZvrlkF4TjM LUCKY GRANDMA Lucky Grandma might be the second American-produced film about a Chinese grandmother in as many years, but no one should be mistaking Sasie Sealy's feature writing and directing debut for The Farewell. That isn't a criticism of either movie, both of which offer up something special in their own ways, but rather it's recognition of how their similarities are truly only superficial. Here, the titular elderly woman (Tsai Chin, Now You See Me 2) is first seen chain-smoking and glaring her way through a fortune teller's appointment. When Grandma Wong is told that luck is coming her way — and on a specific day — she's quickly on the bus to Atlantic City. And when she spies a hefty stash of cash in the bag belonging to the gentleman sitting next to her on the return ride home, she barely hesitates. This string of events comes with consequences, however, with local Red Dragon gangsters soon following her every move. To cope, the feisty senior enlists the help of their rivals, the Zhongliang gang, and pays the towering Big Pong (Hsiao-Yuan Ha) to stick by her side as her bodyguard. Chin, who has featured in everything from You Only Live Twice to The Joy Luck Club, is such a gruff, no-nonsense delight to watch in Lucky Grandma — and Sealy smartly lets audiences peer her way closely and regularly. As Grandma Wong tries to evade one set of mobsters with the help of another, and test whether she really is having a stroke of good fortune, Chin navigates both the silly and more reflective aspects of the film's narrative with pitch-perfect precision. There's much to wade through, too. Sometimes, Lucky Grandma is a drama about a widowed woman trying to make the most of what's left of her life. Sometimes, it's a crime caper that's hopping around Chinatown with glee. In Sealy's hands, that combination always works — even if it doesn't seem like it should — and this dark comedy proving both engaging and entertaining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q4jVzVbkss THE LEADERSHIP From gender equality to climate change, The Leadership charts a course through a sizeable array of topical subjects. Indeed, this jam-packed documentary touches upon everything from toxic workplace behaviour to the destruction of the natural world — so much so that it often feels as if one film won't do justice to everything that it keeps bring up. These topics are all not only important, but thoroughly worthy of standalone investigation; however, they all tie into the feature's primary focus. The main point of interest here is the Homeward Bound program, which takes talented women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics on a 20-day intensive leadership course while sailing around the Antarctic, with its maiden voyage overseen by Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner. As Ili Baré's debut feature documentary lays bare, that first trip was eventful and notable in a plethora of ways. Again, there's much to cover — so many ideas to sift through, so many viewpoints to explore and such a wealth of data to share — that it often feels as if The Leadership could go in any direction. The onboard cinematography alone, peering over the Antarctic, could fuel its own film. The tension that springs throughout the voyage could do the same; many a fictional thriller has coasted by on far less. But in unpacking the many challenges facing Homeward Bound's first participants and facilitators, who all take to the seas and head south with the best of intentions, The Leadership hits its mark. This documentary could've simply served up familiar messages amidst scenic icy landscapes, but what it offers instead is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at what happens when great, noble and crucial aims — including around lifting up women by women in fields that aren't known for their gender inclusivity — don't turn out as planned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD_7hl87a3Q THE OUTPOST In The Outpost, in north-eastern Afghanistan circa 2009, a unit of US soldiers stationed in difficult circumstances just try to do their jobs. They're tasked with getting local villagers onside and also stopping the Taliban in the area, a mission made all the more complex thanks to their base's location — with Combat Outpost Keating sitting right in the heart of a valley surrounded by mountains where enemy fighters can easily hide. Still, they persevere. And in telling this true tale about their efforts and the resulting Battle of Kamdesh, The Outpost itself takes the same approach. This is a workman-like film with a clear aim and a no-fuss attitude to making it happen. As tends to be the case with US-focused war films, patriotism plays an unavoidable part, and there's no escaping its occasional lack of nuance (one character calls the part of the world they're stationed in a shithole, and it stands out); however, for most of its two-hour running time, this is a movie more concerned about men in a tough situation just trying to see it through than flag-waving and celebrating the country that put them there. To play its real-life figures, The Outpost features plenty of recognisable faces, including Scott Eastwood (Pacific Rim: Uprising) and Orlando Bloom. Some characters make it through the combat, some don't — and, while death's lingering presence is felt, the film doesn't try to trade in easy tears. Indeed, there's a matter-of-fact air to the lengthy scenes where the unit plans and prepares, fights back when they're under attack, stages dangerous quests and tries to survive the main battle. Adapting Jake Tapper's non-fiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, director Rod Lurie (Straw Dogs) prefers to show the soldiers in action, doing their jobs and attempting to simply get by, rather than continually overtly playing for sentiment. That tactic results in a well-staged, well-performed addition to the always-growing war movie canon. It doesn't quite threaten 1917 as this year's most visually immersive example of the genre, but it's still impressively choreographed and executed. Also, The Outpost constantly benefits from casting Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Dead Don't Die) as the most complicated, conflicted and compelling of the unit's men. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; and October 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle. The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Antebellum. Top image: Savage, Domino Films, Matt Grace.
A crotchety old man gets a new lease of life when he becomes the reluctant babysitter to the 12-year-old kid next door. Sounds pretty unbearable, until you factor in that the old man is played by Bill Murray. Pushing 65, the star of Ghostbusters, Stripes and Groundhog Day is looking a little on the tired side but soon proves he's lost none of his caustic charm. In St Vincent he's vinegar, adding just enough acidity to a screenplay that without him would have been sickeningly sweet. Vincent MacKenna (Murray) is a classic movie curmudgeon. He drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, and gambles like a man who has nothing left to lose. The closest thing he has to a friend, aside from his Persian cat Felix, is a foul-mouthed Russian prostitute (Naomi Watts), who may or may not be pregnant with his child. He's an unfeeling bastard, and the last person in the world you'd want taking care of your impressionable primary school-aged son. Unfortunately for his new next door neighbour Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), he's literally the only choice she has. St Vincent isn't what you'd call a groundbreaking holiday comedy. First-time writer-director Theodore Melfi has no shortage of funny dialogue but shows little interesting in straying away from his conventional narrative formula. Friendships are made. Lessons are learnt. Obvious set-ups lead to unsurprising payoffs, and everyone gets home in time for dinner. What sets the movie apart, primarily, is the quality of its cast. After years of retreading her Bridesmaids shtick, McCarthy finally gets the chance to play an actual human being; her turn as Maggie helps keep the film grounded, sympathetic but still genuinely funny. Chris O'Dowd, meanwhile, gets some great lines as a glib Catholic priest — and although Watts' Russian accent is pretty unconvincing, it's always fun to see her trying her hand at a comedy. Unsurprisingly, however, the highlight of the film is Murray. While this is a character the actor could comfortably play in his sleep, there's never the slightest indication that Murray is phoning it in. His dynamic with newcomer Jaeden Lieberher makes for one of the most enjoyable on-screen pairings of 2014; frankly, what kid wouldn't want Bill Murray for a babysitter? Yet despite first appearances, this is not a purely comedic performance. There's a loneliness to Vincent that Murray absolutely nails; a pair of scenes in which he visits his dementia-afflicted wife may very well bring audiences to tears. So too the ending, which although incredibly predictable, is so damn well executed that it's difficult not to forgive. And really, that's this movie in a nutshell. Like Vincent himself, you love it in spite of its obvious flaws.
It's hard to get a true snapshot of a place you're holidaying in when you don't know a resident who can show you around. It can take years to truly get to know a place, and while tourist spots are the obvious starting point, they can also leave you wanting to dig deeper. We've teamed up with Pullman Hotels and Resorts to bring you a guide to Melbourne's less obvious but obviously fabulous experiences. It's not exactly a local's guide, because visitors are not exactly locals and we all want to treat ourselves while on vacay. But it is a round-up of the best of the best art, food and fun found in Melbourne. And as Melbourne has a lot to offer in the way of premium coffee, tasty treats and good times, this was no easy feat. Putting our heads together with Pullman Melbourne Albert Park's chief concierge, Rhett Constantine (a man who's been giving out recommendations for two decades), we've curated a list of must-dos that will leave you wanting more of Melbourne. Whether you're into cuisine, culture or cocktails, you'll find your perfect day out right here. Check out the rest of our Explore More content series to hone your itinerary for some of Australia's best holiday destinations. FOOD & DRINK MARKET LANE COFFEE AND QUEEN VICTORIA MARKETS Melbourne is a city that runs on coffee. It is a pillar of the economy as both a primary export and a productivity booster, and as a result, we've perfected it. And among some of the world's best coffee establishments is the king: Market Lane. The cute and efficient little operation has a few cafes in the city and inner-northern suburbs, but we recommend heading to their stall at the Queen Vic market. Pair your impeccable brew with something from their endless supply of varied baked goods. Don't miss: On Saturdays, have your coffee with a handful of doughnuts from the American Doughnut van. Some clichés make sense and coffee and doughnuts is one of 'em. CLAYPOTS SEAFOOD Melbourne's beaches may be a little frosty, but the seafood on the shores is exceptional. Claypots in St Kilda is one of the most well-known seafood eateries, so book in advance or you may miss out entirely. The menu is almost entirely seafood and changes depending on the haul of the day. You have to try their signature claypots ($20), with flavour profiles like the Orpheus (red wine, sweet pepper and capsicum) and the Singapore (chilli, coriander, and ginger sauce). We also recommend trying the king prawns and fresh fish dishes (prices vary) if you want to indulge. Usually, the atmosphere is romantic, warm and boisterous, thanks to live music and close quarters, making it the perfect destination for a special dinner. Don't miss: It's all in the name — at least one claypot is a must. MADAME BRUSSELS ROOFTOP BAR There's something hopelessly romantic about rooftop bars, and Madame Brussels is the queen of them all. Situated conveniently on Bourke Street, the iconic establishment is styled to look like a really fancy, if a little kitschy, garden party, with white lattice, fake flowers and wrought-iron chairs you might remember from your grannie's garden. The open-air deck is cosy, designed for reclining instead of standing. We recommend trying the (hilariously named) boards: the Rather Fancy and Slightly Smelly Old Cheese Plate ($28) or the Butch charcuterie board ($30). Don't miss: A jug of Pimms in the sun — it will have you feeling as fancy as the royal family. SUPERNORMAL FOR DINNER You're going to have make some hard choices when it comes to dining in Melbourne. There's just so many world-class venues and never enough evenings to explore them all. But, trust us, you don't want to miss Supernormal. Don't let the name deceive you; it's anything but normal. We recommend sharing a few smaller dishes so you can sample broadly from the menu. Try the tuna with perilla and kombu ($19) and the pot-sticker dumplings ($15), and make sure you don't overeat, because you're going to want stomach space to fit in their famous dessert. Don't miss: The peanut butter parfait ($15). It is known far and wide as Melbourne's most indulgent dessert. Seriously, this dish could run for mayor and win, it's so beloved. And it's no wonder: creamy PB parfait mixed with salted caramel and served with soft chocolate is a winning combo. ART & DESIGN VIVIEN ANDERSON GALLERY One of St Kilda's less obvious but most important art spaces, the Vivien Anderson Gallery showcases the work of prominent Indigenous artists. Over the last 20 years, the gallery has moved locations several times to accommodate for its growth, but all the while it's been dedicated to displaying and encouraging Indigenous art. It's a small and intimate gallery that lends itself well to introspection and quiet contemplation. They curate thoughtful, small-scale displays of individual works and artefacts or thematic group exhibitions, and the staff are all knowledge and passionate about Indigenous art. A must-do when visiting St Kilda. Don't miss: Picking the brains of the staff to get more insight into what's on the walls. NGV AND ACCA No trip to Melbourne is complete without a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria, the crowning jewel of Melbourne's art scene. All the big exhibitions that grace our shores can be found there, but the permanent collections are worth your time too. The international collection contains works from big names like Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Rubens, Manet and a host of Australian artists, so even if you turn up between key exhibits, there's always something pretty to stare at. And just over the way is the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, which is a work of art in itself. You'll be able to pick it a mile away for the stark, rusty steel facade and awkward angles. Don't miss: Stop at the Malthouse Theatre's cafe, which shares a courtyard with ACCA, and drink it all in. LANEWAYS TOUR (STOPPING OFF AT A FEW KEY COFFEE HOUSES) Melbourne is known for its street art scene, and nowhere is it more prominent and competitive than in the crowded laneways of the CBD. Start on Bourke Street Mall with Union Lane, a smelly but graf-heavy place. It's usually packed with tourist taking pics, so try to get in early. While you're skulking around the laneways, stop in at Dukes Coffee Roaster on Flinders Lane, one of the city's smallest but best coffee vendors. The City of Melbourne have a recommended route to hit all the best laneways and arcades, which is a good place to start. If you want to venture further afield, head to Fitzroy, where you'll the find the George Costanza mural near George's Bar and the work of renowned artist Ghostpatrol along Napier Street. Don't miss: Sniders Lane, home of the famous Kim K and Kendall mural. WELLBEING & LEISURE SOUTH MELBOURNE MARKET There are some incredible permanent markets in Melbourne that create a lot of competition for one another. On the southside, South Melbourne Market is the best of the bunch. It's a huge undertaking, so give yourself a whole morning to wander through the many stalls. Grab a coffee and almond croissant from Padre (Stall 33) to start you off right, then make your way over to Azalea, the florist and nursery in stall 49. It's always bursting with Aussie native blooms, gorgeous smells and reasonably priced plant-babies. Lunch at Proper and Son is always fresh (and realllllly well priced). We recommend the prosciutto, bocconcini and peach salad ($10.50) or field mushroom and haloumi with romesco sauce in a roll ($11.50). Don't miss: SO:ME Space, the permanent and semi-permanent installation for fashion and design. They rotate between pop-ups regularly, and you'll always find handcrafted, one-off pieces from Melbourne designers. STUDLEY PARK BOATHOUSE On a fine day, take an Uber to Yarra Bend Park. Follow the rolling hills and winding turns in the Yarra until you come to Studley Park. Over a bridge and alongside the river you'll find the Studley Park Boathouse, an idyllic little wonderland that backs onto the Yarra. At this point you can choose to rent a rowboat and cruise the river trying to look cool in a safety vest, or recline on the bank with a scone and beer and survey the rowboat carnage. Rowboat rental for two people is $40 an hour and you'll need some form of ID. And, word of warning, make sure you play nice with the duck families that cruise the waterway. Don't miss: You came all this way, so rent a rowboat and enjoy the Notebook-level romance. ACLAND STREET TO LUNA PARK WALK IN ST KILDA Even though it's only a 25-minute tram ride out of the city, St Kilda is like another world. There's a fine layer of sand on everything, people walk around with no shoes on, and everything is totally cowabunga. But the most cowabunga thing (are we using that right?) about St Kilda's main drag, Acland Street, is the bakery shop windows filled with treats. We recommend a cake crawl, stopping in at Le Bon Continental Cake Shop, Europa Cake Shop and Monarch Cakes, if you have the stamina. Don't miss: A visit to Luna Park and its rickety wooden rollercoaster — preferably before you eat all the cake. Explore more with Pullman. Book your next hotel stay with Pullman and enjoy a great breakfast for just $1.
Aussies are ditching the overdone, stuffy dinner parties of yesteryear and instead are opting for bougie elevated cocktail nights at home with their besties. We're socialising more than in previous years but, with the rising cost of living, we're looking for more economical ways of hanging out with our friends. One way to do it is to host luxurious cocktail parties at home. Are you part of the trend? Read on to get some tips to elevate your next cocktail party. CONCOCT THE COCKTAIL LIST You can't have a cocktail party without cocktails. To keep things easy for you (and interesting for your guests), stick with a single spirit for your shindig. Bourbon can be a foundation for many cocktails like old fashioneds, manhattans, whisky sours or highballs. Vodka is the basis for numerous cocktail recipes like a classic cosmo, martini, bloody mary or lemon drop. Equally versatile is gin with cocktails like gimlets, Tom Collins, negronis and, of course, gin and tonic on its repertoire. Aim to prebatch your ingredients and garnishes so you can spend more time socialising with your guests. One garnish can work for many cocktails. For instance, bourbon cocktails work exceptionally well with orange peel garnish. CURATE A MENU Tasty cocktails deserve equally tasty food. It doesn't need to be complicated, especially because cocktail parties are better suited to canapes and charcuterie boards. So crack out the cheese knives and small plates and set up grazing stations throughout your party space. You don't need to bust your weekly budget on ingredients. Stock up on cheese, crackers, cured meats, fresh fruits, olives and crusty bread. Don't forget dips and spreads, and you'll be golden. Keep in mind any dietaries your mates may have, and don't mix bread and crackers with the cheese and meat to ensure any coeliacs among you are happy. CREATE THE ATMOSPHERE What's a party without the right vibes? Get onto Spotify and create the playlist to perfect your cocktail party theme. Are you going with minimalist chic? Maybe you should load up on lo-fi beats. Are you thinking more of a luxe old-world vibe? Jazz is your friend. Or perhaps you're pushing a colourful midday sesh. If so, pop music should be on the tracklist. Depending on the vibe you are going for, lighting can make a major impact on the atmosphere. No one wants to chill with overhead lights showing everything. If you don't have dimmers on your lights, you can create a soothing vibe with fairy lights, lamps or candles — just be careful where you set up candles. To let your guests know the party is over, subtly blow out the candles and turn off the music. The vibes will be over, and so will the party mood. Keen to host a luxurious night of your own? We are giving our readers the chance to host a luxury cocktail party for up to 40 guests. Check out the competition here. Images: Susannah Townsend, Woodford Reserve, Getty Images
Following Bondi Pavilion's massive seven-year transformation, Now House Made Hospitality, the team behind Circular Quay's luxurious multi-level venue Hinchcliff House, has set up shop with its multi-dimensional venue Promenade. This luxurious all-day cafe, restaurant and bar brings Lana's affection for ethically sourced seafood right to the beach, serving up picked mud crab ($10) and snapper curry ($42) to a dining room soundtracked by the sound of the waves crashing just outside. But, the menu expands far past just seafood, accommodating takeaway coffee, light snacks, quick drinks and lavish lunches. There are several defined areas within Promenade. The kiosk is on hand for on-the-go morning coffee. Inside, there's a 67-person dining room perfect for a long lunch or celebratory dinner. If you want to soak in the sea breeze, you can nab a spot on the al fresco verandah. There's a 140-person walk-in-only terrace that's designed to accommodate quick and casual visits. Or, if you're after something a little more secluded, there are several private dining areas including 12-seat space The Grotto — which offers water views and a semi-private terrace. Alongside the aforementioned mud crab and curry, there are toothfish skewers ($18 each), wagyu rib eye (market price), spatchcock with fermented chilli ($39), and a collection of pasta dishes such as squid-ink calamarata with pippies and XO jamon ($34). There's plenty on offer for vegetarians too, with Turkish peppers paired with tarragon mayonnaise ($14), potato galette with black garlic ($16), charred zucchini ($22), and roasted cauliflower ($23) all making appearances on the menu. The menu differs over at the expansive Front Yard, the more laidback 400-square-metre, 140-person outdoor dining area. Here, among the native plants and olive trees, you can order a nostalgic Sunnyboy Spritz made with strawberry, ginger, Aperol and white wine ($20), alongside beachside classics like flatbread topped with garlic king pawns ($23) and crumbed fish burgers ($24). The Apollonia negroni ($23) has also made its way over from Hinchcliff House and landed on the drinks list. It sits side by side with a collection of frozen cocktails ($23) for those hot summer days, as well as Bondi Brewing Co beers and an expansive wine list featuring a range of drops handpicked by the team as the House Made selections.
If you've been spending the summer getting reacquainted with your couch, we're betting we know exactly what you've been watching. Well, one show at least — because Netflix has revealed that 82 million households around the globe have been feasting their eyes on Bridgerton. Those hefty viewing figures apply to the gossip-fuelled, 19th-century-set series' first four weeks, with Bridgerton launching on the streaming service on Christmas Day. And if 82 million sounds like a huge number, that's because it is. Indeed, Netflix has announced that the figure has catapulted Bridgerton to the top of its most-watched original shows ever. Yep, this episodic adaptation of Julia Quinn's novels has beaten out last year's favourites such as The Queen's Gambit and Tiger King, as well as the debuts of older series like Stranger Things. So, if you keep seeing the show pop up in the top ten list included in Netflix's interface, that's because it has proven that popular — in every country except Japan, in fact. Obviously, when streaming service unveils its lineup of its most-watched programs and movies at the end of 2021, as it did in 2020, Bridgerton is going to feature. That said, whether folks in that many homes worldwide have watched the whole eight-episode first season of the show yet is another matter entirely. Netflix's viewing numbers only capture how many of its subscribers have watched at least two minutes — yes, just two minutes — of the platform's movies and series. So, while a very large amount of people worldwide are aware that the show exists and have had a peek, they might not know the ins and outs of Daphne Bridgerton's (Phoebe Dynevor) quest to find a husband, her dalliances with the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), the scandal in the Featherington household, all the other dramas that come with Regency London's marriage market and just what Lady Whistledown has been writing about. And, they may not have spent any time dreaming about wandering around the program's super-green gardens, either. Nonetheless, all the attention has meant that Netflix is keen to keep the series going, with the company announcing that a second season will start production this year. An airdate yet to be revealed, however. Check out the trailer for the show's first season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpv7ayf_tyE The first season of Bridgerton is available to stream now via Netflix. The show's second season has been announced, but a release date is yet to be revealed. Top image: Liam Daniel/Netflix.
A new four-day festival bringing together top-shelf eats, curated drinks, cutting-edge fashion and pumping beats will take over the CBD's Machine Hall from Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4. The inaugural FFWD (pronounced 'fashion forward') will feature an experimental concept store from Sorry Thanks I Love You, which will showcase new and archival pieces by top design houses including Comme Des Garçons, Acne Studios, Issey Miyake, MM6 Maison Margiela and more. But it's not just the threads that have impressive credentials. The legendary Sydney restaurateur behind Bondi Icebergs and popular Potts Point pop-up Snack Kitchen, Maurice Terzini, will be delivering a menu of Italian hits including porcini and truffle lasagna and tiramisu, served by the scoop. Mike Bennie from progressive wine merchants P&V has created a drinks offering that leans on easy-to-drink natty drops from up-and-coming Australian cellar doors. [caption id="attachment_967005" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maurice Terzini. Image: Nikki To[/caption] The party gets started on the fest's opening night with a headline set by Julian Hamilton, one half of EDM icons The Presets, who will be supported by psychedelic rock duo Velvet Trip. Across the four days, festival-goers can expect free wine tastings, fashion and hospitality industry panel discussions with top experts, rolling DJ sets, installations by Dover Street Market artist Brett Westfall and screenings of the 2023 fashion documentary High & Low — John Galliano. Entry to the festival is a very reasonable $25, however for those with cash to splash, there are three tiers of all-access passes, starting at $1000 and topping out at $5000. These VIP tickets secure access to the private opening night cocktail party and exclusive closing night afterparty, as well as a laundry list of other perks. A charity donation will also be made in the ticket-holder's name to Chris O'Brien Lifehouse. Top image: Jordan Munn
Anyone who has travelled to Mexico will know how tricky it can be to find authentic Mexican food in Sydney. Do yourself a favour and make like Speedy Gonzales to one of them: the Potts Point restaurant, Chula. Located on Bayswater Road, Chula was established by Peter Lew and Nicole Galloway, the couple behind Fei Jai and Barrio Cellar. The elegant venue was designed by Joshua Clapp from Steel + Stitch and features warm desert tones of terracotta and agave, and woven cocoon-style lighting that casts a soft glow over cane basket chairs and sunken lounge seating. Chula's food offering was created by chef Alvaro Valenzuela, who moved to Sydney from Mexico City to showcase the fresher, more vibrant side of his native cuisine. Rather than carby nachos, burritos and quesadillas, the menu focuses on fresher feeds like lime-cured snapper ceviche or the huitlacoche quesadilla made with 'Mexican truffle' fungus, mushroom, queso, jalapeño salsa and avocado mousse. If you're here to try real Mexican fare, you can't go past the juicy beef birria, a prized find in any Sydney restaurant. Chula has multiple menus on offer, including set menus, a bottomless brunch menu and a taco Tuesday offering of $5 tacos. Said tacos include chicken, pork, fish and vegetarian — the latter of which emphasises either corn and avocado or mushrooms and cactus. The bottomless offering (for $99pp) includes four sides, two tacos, churros and bottomless margaritas, rose, sparkling wine or house beer. If the mention of churros caught your eye and alerted your stomach, the a la carte dessert menu includes a decadent churros sandwich (with salted caramel ice cream, peanuts and dulce de leche) or tres leches cake with coconut chantilly cream. The venue also has a sizeable bar, which has been elaborately decorated like a shrine to the spirits — quite literally. If you're struggling to choose between the spicy jalapeño margarita or the refreshing peachy frozen margarita, por que no los dos? Otherwise, divulge in the nine specialty cocktails, beers, or wines on offer. Whether you're after a cultural exploration of Latin America or just a strong drink and a tasty meal, Chula delivers on both.
Tenth birthdays are a big deal, especially when you're an Australian music festival that's been navigating a pandemic and the resulting difficult time for the industry for half of your run, and also grappling with the impact of La Niña. Yours and Owls has been on quite the rollercoaster ride across the past decade, clearly, so of course it's celebrating its milestone birthday with a massive lineup. Fontaines DC, Denzel Curry, The Kooks and Goo Goo Dolls lead the roster of talent taking to the stage in Wollongong across Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2, 2025. Orville Peck, Hockey Dad, The Jungle Giants, Peach PRC and The Veronicas are also on the bill, as are Elderbrook, Honey Dijon, JPEGMafia and Salute — and plenty more. When Yours and Owls revealed that it wasn't going ahead in 2024, joining the long list of music festivals scrapping plans for this year, it thankfully only put its fun on hold for 2025. Returning in 2025 was always the intention — and this is a lineup worth waiting for. Yours and Owls didn't completely sit 2024 out, however. Earlier in October, it held a pre-party, aka the event you put on when you can't put on the full festival experience at your usual time of the year because it doesn't work for your headliners' calendars. So, a tunes-filled shindig still took over the University of Wollongong campus — complete with Golden Features, Peking Duk, Alice Ivy, Anna Lunoe and more — to keep things warm for next year. Affectionately labelled "Gong Christmas", Yours and Owls 2025 will feature four stages across its two-day run, plus a feast of local arts — and food and drinks — beyond the tunes. [caption id="attachment_976058" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Theo Cottle[/caption] Yours and Owls Lineup 2025 Fontaines DC Denzel Curry The Kooks Goo Goo Dolls Elderbrook Hockey Dad Honey Dijon JPEGMafia The Jungle Giants Orville Peck Peach PRC Salute The Veronicas Allday Babe Rainbow Coterie Cyril Dice The Dreggs Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn Grentperez Isabel Larosa Magdalena Bay May A Mark Blair Pond Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners Sam Tompkins San Cisco Slowly Slowly Sycco Wunderhorse Battlesnake Bean Magazine Bodyjar The Belair Lip Bombs C.O.F.F.I.N Crocodylus Keli Holiday Kitschen Boy Le Shiv Miss Kaninna Nick Ward Ra Ra Viper Satin Cali Total Tommy Y.O.G.A Top Yours and Owls image: Ruby Bowland.
Enmore Road is the focus of a new trial from the NSW Government and Inner West Council that will see it host more live music and entertainment for at least the next three months. The bustling Sydney street will be trialled as a Special Entertainment Precinct — a classification that was first given to Enmore Theatre last year — between Thursday, September 1 and Wednesday, November 30. Special Entertainment Precincts are a new government initiative aiming to revitalise and enhance Sydney's nightlife and arts industries. As part of the initiative, Enmore Road businesses will be encouraged to host live music and entertainment, with a range of special allowances for venues during the trial period. [caption id="attachment_850746" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Sanford[/caption] Allowances afforded to the precinct include granting businesses that host live entertainment later opening hours, allowing footpath dining until 11pm and changes to sound levels and noise complaints at venues. Under the initiative, Enmore Road venues that usually don't hold live entertainment including barber shops and cafes will also be encouraged to take part in the trial. Businesses that do host at least one hour of live entertainment will be permitted to stay open an additional 30 minutes after the hours they are currently permitted on the days when the entertainment takes place. These businesses will also receive more protection from noise complaints under new sound regulations. The trial applies to all of Enmore Road as well as the attached sidestreets and backstreets like Belmore Lane and Enmore Lane. [caption id="attachment_714664" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] The Precinct Management Plan states: "Enmore Road is a vibrant mixed-use precinct with a flourishing arts and live music scene. Activity takes place throughout the day into the night, with a range of offerings for local residents and visitors to the area. Good neighbourhood amenity is maintained for residents, and any disputes are settled in a proactive and neighbourly fashion. The three-month trial period is an on the ground consultation for the community, with feedback received to inform the future of the precinct." One venue that will be opening to the public just in time for the new allowances will be the Porteno group's new tapas joint Bar Louise. The bar is set to open next week in the former digs of beloved Enmore Road Turkish eatery Stanbuli following its closure earlier this year. The Inner West Council is currently asking for feedback on the trial on its website. [caption id="attachment_828931" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Find out more information about Enmore Road's Special Entertainment Precinct trial at the Inner West Council website.
The Alley Lujiaoxiang sets itself apart with its 'deerioca' — tapioca balls made from scratch, with each batch kneaded and rolled in house. The brand also makes its own sugar cane syrup and hand-picks and roasts its tea leaves. The signature Brown Sugar Deerioca Series is available in limited quantities each day, and comes in cocoa, matcha, milk tea and fresh milk varieties. The finished product often has an appealing marbled look as the different ingredients are layered, and is a favourite among Instagrammers. And, with seven Sydney locations across the CBD, Burwood, Bankstown, Cabramatta, Canley Heights and Parramatta — plus one soon to open farther afield in Orange — it's easier than ever to get your hands on these bobas.
A whole heap of fresh faces are heading to The Hills this spring, as the multi-faceted Mullane's Hotel prepares to throw open its doors. Sporting a big public bar, a sophisticated Italian restaurant and its own in-house vodka and gin distillery, it's safe to say the new venue will have a little something for everyone. At the heart of the sleek new development by Momento Hospitality (Bella Vista Hotel, The Governor), you'll find contemporary Italian bar and eatery Sarino's, dishing up refined fare, revamped classic Italian cocktails and a sprawling lineup of over 200 wines. The lofty first floor space will boast an elegant mix of plush furnishings and exposed brick, complete with private liquor cabinets where guests can stash their own personal bottles of top-shelf booze. Next door, an on-site distillery will be whipping up its own range of gins and vodkas, along with limoncello and an almond liqueur to be used in the bar's affogatos. On the ground floor, you'll find a cafe slinging small plates alongside Italian coffee, adjoining the Mullane's public bar and VIP lounge. [caption id="attachment_735191" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The proposed Central Plaza design by PBD Architects[/caption] Mullane's Hotel is set to be located on the ground level of a massive new multi-building hub opening opposite the new underground Norwest Train Station, which is part of the new billion-dollar Metro North West railway. The proposed hub, designed by PBD Architects, will be called Central Plaza and will consist of six towers for commercial use, two residential towers, a childcare centre and a community hub. Some of the towers could stretch a whole 40 storeys into the sky. Mullane's Hotel will open at 34-36 Brookhollow Avenue, Baulkham Hills. The public bar is set to open in September, with Sarino's Restaurant following in October.
Sure, it doesn't get that cold in Australia, but there are certainly times when a wearable heater wouldn't go astray. Anyone who's been to Hobart in July will surely attest to that. So our future shivering selves are pretty happy to hear about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) latest development: a material that can store heat from the sun, and release it back to you on demand when you get chilly. That is, solar-powered heated clothes. The material MIT's researchers have developed is made from a polymer film, which they say soaks up energy from the sun and stores it in a chemical state. Storing it in this chemical state then lets the wearer reactivate it later and release it as heat. You'd be able to decide when to release it, and how much to release — all depending on how freezing it is, and how cosy you want to be. Researchers claim that, when activated, the material will be able to heat up by 15 degrees. Imagine the toastiness levels of a jacket that warm. We'd never get out of that thing. But it's not just clothing that this material could work for. As the polymer is a transparent film, it could be applied to heaps of different surfaces, including car windows. They could store the sun's heat during the day, and then use that heat to melt a layer of ice the next morning — or the next week. Looks like we're one step closer to finding our personal, portable heated nirvana. But don't throw away that Snuggie just yet — the material is still in development at MIT, so it might be a while until our thermostat jacket makes its way onto your body. Via Ecouterre. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
You've heard of sky-high restaurants and rooftop bars; however if the latest proposed addition to New York goes ahead, it could put every other elevated eating and drinking spot to shame. As the name suggests, The Floating Restaurant won't just take over the top floor of a building. Instead, it'll be suspended by steel cables 60 metres above a historic landmark. And, not content with literally lifting diners up to another level, the eatery will also give patrons one mighty fine view. Hovering above the century-old former Glenwood power plant in Yonkers, The Floating Restaurant will boast all-glass walls that look out over the Hudson River thirty minutes north of Manhattan, and spy the city skyline as well. Blending the old with the new is the project's aim, and blending architecture with nature too. The design includes three floors including the kitchen, which is encased in greenery that further brings the outside in. Given all that, the fact that the cube is small — measuring little more than 13 metres long, and housing 11 tables — is hardly surprising. Yep, this place is going to be mighty exclusive. If it comes to fruition, expect a lengthy waiting list for a reservation. The idea comes from NY-based outfit Big Foot Developers, and while it's just in the planning stage, The Floating Restaurant is still a breathtaking concept. Of course, you're certain to inhale sharply if you ever get to dine inside the space. In fact, it's already being called a new future icon of the city. Via AWOL / Inhabitat. Image: Big Foot Developers.
Some Pixar movies bring childhood obsessions to big screen, as seen in the Toy Story and Cars films. If you loved monsters as a kid, the Monsters, Inc flicks definitely also count. Other features made by the beloved animation studio explore exactly what it feels like to be a child — as seen in the wonderful Inside Out, of course, and now in the company's upcoming release Turning Red. We say 'upcoming', and that is indeed accurate — but after both Soul and Luca hit streaming over the past six months, the studio's next movie won't release until March 2022. So, you'll be waiting a while to get another dose of heartwarming animated cuteness. Based on its just-dropped first trailer, Turning Red looks like it'll be worth it, though. Marking the first feature from writer/director Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her delightful 2018 short Bao, Turning Red takes its moniker literally. Many Pixar flicks do, of course (see also: Finding Nemo, Up, Brave and Onward, for instance). Here, 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her movie debut) is an ordinary teen who gets embarrassed by her mum Ming (Sandra Oh, Killing Eve) fairly often, and can find adolescent life a bit overwhelming. So far, so relatable — but when she's overexcited by all of the above, Mei Lee also happens to turn into a fluffy red panda. If you're thinking about the Hulk but red, female, younger and more adorable, that's the kind of vibe the trailer gives. Disney does own both Pixar and Marvel, so that isn't a big leap. Just how Mei Lee copes with her sudden transformations is exactly what the flick will cover, obviously — and, at this stage, viewers will be able to see the end result in cinemas next year rather than on streaming. Check out the trailer below: Turning Red is slated to release in Australian cinemas on March 31, 2022. Top image: © 2021 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Family-run for three generations, Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf is one of those longtime, NSW Central Coast institutions, famed statewide for its top-notch fresh seafood offering and its idyllic patch of waterfront real estate. And this year, the Woy Woy legend's launched the latest iteration of its wharfside restaurant, swapping the former digs for a new dining space — the work of locals LAW Building Design, Parkwood Homes and Verve Building & Consulting. You won't find a much better spot than this for chowing down on the day's freshest catch and sharing a jug of something light and fresh. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows boast views across the water and a custom-made fish trap, crafted by Maningrida artists Bonny Burarn.gara and Freda Ali Wyartja, presides over the dining room. With this menu, the Cregan-Clayton family are continuing that long tradition of feeding their fans' seafood obsessions in style. The seasonal lineup might find you kicking off with local oysters and a sashimi plate of the day's best, tucking into some Singapore-style chilli crab, or settling for a family feast, sharing hot and cold seafood platters, barbecued scampi and spicy tomato mussels. There are endless crabs, mountains of prawns and a daily-changing carpaccio, though there'll always be room for the classic, no-fuss fish and chips. To match, you'll find an award-winning booze offering that holds its own against all that seafood — wines from across Australia and Europe, a sprawling selection of beers and a crop of classic cocktails, including share-friendly jugs of negroni and Pimms. Images: Nikki To
Lycra-clad ladies of the 80s and 90s making their mark in a ruthless, consumer-driven and male-dominated world, all by getting active: as far as on-screen niches go, that's particularly niche. It's also growing, though. Back in 80s itself, Flashdance did it. Starring a fantastic Kirsten Dunst, the sadly cancelled-too-soon 2019 series On Becoming a God in Central Florida did as well. For three seasons from 2017–19, GLOW similarly stepped into the ring. And since 2021, Apple TV+'s Physical has, too. What a feeling indeed. Starring Rose Byrne in one of her best performances yet — slipping in smoothly alongside everything from Damages on the small screen to Two Hands, Bridesmaids, Bad Neighbours and Bad Neighbours 2 in cinemas — this 80s-set dark comedy series bends, stretches and struts through the world of aerobics. More than that, Physical uses getting physical in spandex as a flex, savvily examining the agency and control that women have over their lives, or don't, one squat and step at a time. That's a particular focus in the show's now-streaming second season, which is dropping new episodes weekly, and finds itself in the post-fairytale zone. What happens when your dreams actually seem to come true? That's season two's obsession. Season one didn't quite see Sheila Rubin (Byrne, Irresistible) get everything she'd ever fantasised about. Rather, it followed the San Diego housewife as she pursued something she didn't even know she wanted until her endorphins kicked in at an aerobics class. The series' first batch of ten episodes established Sheila's routine existence, one that women in her situation were expected to just and breeze through in the early 80s. Married to professor and aspiring politician Danny (Rory Scovel, I Feel Pretty), and also a mother to Maya (Grace Kelly Quigley, Killing Time), she hid her bitter unhappiness with a focus on physical perfection — complete with an eating disorder and fraying mental health for her troubles. Then, exercise became her path forward. In season two, Sheila is the star of her own fitness tape — and spruiking it, be it in supermarkets or by hosting public aerobics classes, has become her life. But while she's in control of every exercise move she makes, earning the same power in her relationships, and in business, isn't as straightforward. She's still stuck in a rut with Danny, to put it mildly. He reinvents himself as a house husband while she focuses on her career, but he's also clearly uncomfortable about no longer being the centre of attention. Sheila is still caught in a torrid affair with grim Mormon business developer John Breem (Paul Sparks, Castle Rock), too. And while she starts leaning on her wealthy and supportive best friend Greta (Dierdre Friel, Second Act) more, she's also unable to shake the engrained notion that needing anyone's help is a sign of weakness. Byrne plays Sheila with emotional dexterity to match the character's physical fitness. Her ability to segue from projecting strength and confidence in Sheila's efforts to establish her own lifestyle brand, to still grappling with the hurt and self-loathing that's long been festering inside, is masterful and phenomenal. And, while the internal monologue that tears its protagonist to shreds again and again isn't as prominent this time around, Physical's second season is deeply committed to understanding Sheila's complicated relationship with herself. It sees the solace she gains in her workouts, as well as the distress of her binge-purge cycle. It spies the inherent contradiction between the image she wants to project to the world, and monetise, and her real inner state. It doesn't shy away from how messy that contrast is, or the struggles of bulimia, or her unhealthily vicious mental tirades — and it doesn't judge, either, even if Sheila does still judge herself. As marvellous as Byrne remains in her leading part — as attuned to the show's balance of sharp comedy and bristling tension, too, all while shot with a beachside, decade-appropriate and fitness-attire sheen — she's gifted also-excellent costars. The camera often lingers on Byrne's face and the whirlwind of feelings it is usually endeavouring not to betray, and moments where she's the sole focus of attention come often. Many, including multiple instances in season two where she's physically in pain but attempting to soldier on, are an acting masterclass. But she's also a sight to behold and a force to be reckoned with when she's bouncing off of Scovel, who plays his part with a relaxed sense of goofiness masking an insidious streak of selfishness. The same holds true about Byrne's scenes with Sparks and Friel. And, it's also accurate with Della Saba (Stillwater) and Lou Taylor Pucci (American Horror Story) as Bunny and Tyler — the aerobics instructor whose routine Sheila uses as inspiration for her own video and her surfer/stoner/videographer boyfriend. Season two also pairs Byrne with another Australian actor currently doing big things in America: The White Lotus scene-stealer Murray Bartlett. In a glorious piece of casting, he joins Physical as fellow aerobics instructor Vinnie Green, who Sheila seeks out when she wants to learn how to push her burgeoning aerobics empire into merchandise and infomercials. While Bartlett doesn't crap in anyone's suitcase here, his character plays a pivotal part in examining one of the season's core ideas: that truly having your shit together is a myth, no matter how much we'd all like to pretend otherwise. Indeed, for a series that's both candid and piercing about how its central figure sees herself — and what she has to do to tussle with that, all while carving out her own place in the world — Physical also understands and embraces how fraught and flawed it is to pursue perfection at all costs. On-screen, though, this smart and entertaining series from creator/writer/producer Annie Weisman (Suburgatory, The Path) does indeed have it all. That includes a staggering lead performance, a superb supporting cast and a complex premise unpacked with precision, as well as a pitch-perfect vibe and a killer 80s soundtrack. Check out the trailer for Physical season two below: Physical is available to stream via Apple TV+.
Capturing Sydney iconography while dining can be considered touristy, but you can't deny the appeal of a meal in the shadow of Harbour City symbols. There aren't many places where it's possible to see both the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from your table, but one is House Canteen. It is ideal for a laidback feed by the harbour or to pre-game a show at the Opera House. The menu shifts throughout the day from coffee and baked goods in the morning to hawker-style Pan-Asian street food from lunch till late. The early bird gets the worm, and in this case, said worm is the bakery menu — including the likes of coffee, cold-pressed juice and tomato and aged cheddar croissants. There are also sweeter treats like jam doughnuts, seasonal fruit danishes and orange almond slices. A visit later in the day will see street-food-style goodies become available, ranging from light snacks like prawn crackers with chilli salt or sticky chicken with shallots and sriracha to larger meals like mixed sashimi, crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli and shiitake or brown rice poke bowls with mixed vegetables. From 9.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, a late-night menu is available and offers dumplings, bao buns, grab-and-go sushi, and a wide range of cocktails to complete your evening. No matter the time of day you arrive at House Canteen, a proper feed is all but guaranteed.
Thanks to the pandemic, and the restrictions and border closures that've come with it, travelling further than your own city hasn't been all that easy over the past 15 months or so. But Virgin Australia is about to give you some extra incentive to travel — and to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline has announced that it'll be launching a new competition called VA-X & Win, which will hand out free flights and a heap of frequent flyer points to Aussie who've had the jab. That's the catch, obviously. To enter, you'll need to roll up your sleeve first. "What the latest lockdown in Melbourne and the evolving situation in Sydney has taught us is the sooner we can all get vaccinated, the sooner we can get on with our lives, without the constant fear and uncertainty that come with lockdowns, restrictions and closed borders," said a Virgin Australia Group spokesperson in a statement. "Most importantly, the sooner all Australians are vaccinated, the sooner our most vulnerable members of society will be protected," the statement continues. "We are proud to have served the Australian community in so many ways over the past 20 years. The VA-X & Win competition is just the next instalment of our service, and is our way of helping boost vaccination numbers to protect the lives and livelihoods of all Australians." A few different prizes will be on offer, including millions of Velocity Frequent Flyer Points and dozens of free flights — in Business Class, too. Also, one person will become a Velocity Points millionaire, with the lucky winner then able to put those points to plenty of use. Most of the details are still quite vague — including how you'll prove you're eligible, how to enter and exactly what prizes will be on offer — given that the competition won't launch until COVID-19 vaccines are made available to all Australian adults. Exactly when that'll happen hasn't been made clear by the Federal Government during its delayed vaccination rollout. At present, adults aged between 16–39 still aren't eligible to get vaccinated unless they're are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; are an aged care or disability facility worker or resident; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. Virgin's VA-X & Win competition will launch once COVID-19 vaccines are made available to all Australian adults. For further details about the contest, head to the airline's website.
Five years after closing, and following two unsuccessful attempts to revive its former home as both Cali Club and Kings Cross Pavilion, World Bar is returning to Sydney — but just for one night. The famed Kings Cross nightclub was a key part of Sydney's nightlife and live music scene for 18 years before it closed back in 2018. Now, the team is getting back together for a takeover of Kings Cross Hotel. It's all going down on Saturday, November 18, nearly five years to the day that the original club closed. The takeover will be bringing throwback tunes to all four levels of the William Street pub — and, most importantly, there will be teapots. Whether they will be at 2018 prices is yet to be seen. Each level of Kings Cross Hotel will be celebrating a different iteration of World Bar, with club nights like Wham, Mum and Cake all being given their floors. From a lineup that's still to come, expect more than 20 different artists, DJs and producers to perform throughout the night, which will kick off at 8pm and continue until the early hours of the morning. "It's been a while since we threw a shindig, we think it's time," says World Bar owner Steve Ward. "We always had a great relationship with the characters at the Kings Cross Hotel so we're looking forward to working with them to bring World Bar back to life." "The building has some similarities, so we're hoping to emulate much of what made it special, from the busyness of the stairwells to the floor-to-floor discovery, where each level has something interesting to reveal." [caption id="attachment_807689" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kings Cross Hotel[/caption] Across its nearly two decades, World Bar hosted well over 4000 DJs and 1000 bands, including the likes of Flume, Nina Las Vegas, Dom Dolla, What So Not, DZ Deathrays and Gang of Youths. Whether you were a regular at The Wall or you never had a chance to experience the storied multi-level club, this is a reunion you don't want to miss. If you want to head along, tickets are available via Eventbrite from $25. The World Bar: One More Time will be taking over Kings Cross Hotel, 244–248 William Street, Kings Cross from 8pm–4am on Saturday, November 18 — head to Eventbrite for tickets.
Deborah Kelly is one of our home-grown gems. Her practice is sharp and subversive, often involving a clever use of imagery and incisive political commentary. This exhibition at the Penrith Regional Gallery in partnership with The Lewers Bequest will showcase work from the last 15 years of Kelly's practice. Kelly has won a swag of awards across Australia and the world. She creates captivating portraits, collages and animations while taking on a whole range of themes, such as global capital, public policy, religious authority, power and privilege.
One of the state's favourite regional food and drink celebrations, the Hunter Valley Beer and Wine Festival, returns for its 13th year on Saturday, July 12. Kicking things off at 11am at the Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, guests can explore over 45 of the Hunter Valley's best wineries, brewers, and distillers. This year, there will also be an exclusive pre-event dinner hosted by celebrity chef Miguel Maestre on Friday, July 11 at 6.30pm. For those especially keen to learn more about the region's top local chefs, wines and produce, Dinner with Miguel Maestre & Friends offers an intimate experience including a thoughtfully curated three-course menu paired with local wines, plus a four-hour beverage package. On the night, Miguel will be joined by regional talent including Matt Dillow, Head Chef and Owner of Gartelmann Wines, and Ashleigh Hedger, Executive Chef at The Gates Restaurant, Leogate Wines. On Saturday, enjoy drops from some of the best wineries in the region, with names like Pepper Tree Wines, Allandale Winery, Leogate Estate, Gundog Estate, Gartelmann Wines and Elbourne Wines all taking the stage. Beer lovers will also be catered to, with Sydney Brewery and Zymurgy Brewing pouring cold beers all day. Those looking for a dram will find small-batch producers including Phoenix Distilling Co. and Pants Off Distillery. When hunger hits, local vendors will be offering tastings and artisan bites to balance the copious amounts of wine and beer. The Masterclass Stage, headlined by the ever-charismatic Miguel Maestre, will be offering food and beer matching, and guided tastings. There will also be plenty of live music on the day to keep the vibes high, with performances by Kuta Groove Duo in the afternoon and the Fifth Whiskey Band taking the stage later on. Tickets start from just $34 (or $29 for students with a valid ID) and include a complimentary drink on arrival and a souvenir wine glass. Plus, it's free entry for children accompanied by an adult — or, a Kids Zone Pass is just $10 and offers unlimited access to jumping castles, train rides, face painting and more. Tickets are on sale now via the Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival 2025 website. Images: Supplied.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue in March. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW SWARM Becky with the good hair gets a shoutout in Swarm. Facial bites do as well, complete with a Love & Basketball reference when the culprit flees. This seven-part series about a global pop sensation and her buzzing fans and stans also has its music icon unexpectedly drop a stunner of a visual album, ride a white horse, be married to a well-known rapper, become a mum to twins and see said husband fight with her sister in an elevator. Her sibling is also a singer, and plenty of folks contend she's the more interesting of the two. Still, Swarm's object of fascination — protagonist Dre's (Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah) undying obsession — sells out tours, breaks Ticketmaster and headlines one of the biggest music festivals there is. And, while they call themselves the titular term rather than a hive, her devotees are zealous and then some, especially humming around on social media. Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, the show's creators and past colleagues on Glover's exceptional, now-finished Atlanta — Nabers also worked on Watchmen, too — couldn't be more upfront about who they're referring to. No one says Beyoncé's name, however, but Swarm's Houston-born music megastar is the former Destiny's Child singer in everything except moniker. In case anyone watching thinks that this series is trading in coincidences and déjà vu, or just failing to be subtle when it comes to Ni'Jah (Nirine S Brown, Ruthless), the Prime Video newcomer keeps making an overt opening declaration. "This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is intentional," it announces before each episode. From there, it dives into Dre's journey as a twentysomething in 2016 who still adores her childhood idol with the same passion she did as a teen and, instalment by instalment, shows how far she's willing to go to prove it. Swarm streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. TETRIS The greatest game in the world can't make the leap to screens like most of its counterparts, whether they involve mashing buttons, playing campaigns or attempting to sink ships. A literal adaptation of Tetris would just involve four-piece bricks falling and falling — and while that's a tense and riveting sight when you're in charge of deciding where they land, and endeavouring to fill lines to make them disappear, it's hardly riveting movie viewing. As a film, Tetris is still gripping, however, all while telling the tale behind the puzzle video game that's been a phenomenon since the 80s. Did you have your first Tetris experience on an early Game Boy? This is the story of how that happened. Starring Taron Egerton (Black Bird) as Henk Rogers, the man who secured the rights to the Russian-born title for distribution on video game consoles worldwide, it's largely a dramatised account of the fraught negotiations when the west started to realise what a hit Tetris was, Nintendo got involved, but Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov had no power over what happened to his creation because that was life in the USSR. Egerton is perfectly cast as the resourceful, charming and determined Rogers, a Dutch-born, American-raised, Japan-residing game designer who stumbles across Tetris at a tech conference while trying to sell a version of Chinese strategy game Go. First, his assistant can't stop playing it. Soon, he's seeing blocks in his dreams, as everyone does after playing (and then forever). Director Jon S Baird (Stan & Ollie) and screenwriter Noah Pink (Genius) have a games licensing battle to unpack from there, something that mightn't have been as thrilling as it proves — and certainly is no certainty on paper — in other hands. Stacking up this real-life situation's pieces involves becoming a savvy takedown of shady business deals, a compelling Russia-set spy flick and an exploration of daily existence in Soviet times, plus an upstart underdog story. And, Tetris does all that while gleefully and playfully bringing in the game's aesthetic, and blasting an appropriately synth-heavy soundtrack. Tetris streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, March 31. WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY If you've seen one music biopic, or some of the flicks that've earned actors Oscars or nominations in recent years for playing well-known rock stars — think: Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis — then you know how this genre usually plays out. So does Weird Al Yankovic, who is strongly involved in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, co-writing, producing and even popping up on-screen. He doesn't give himself a solemn screen tribute, though. For decades, he's found pop music rife for satirising, and now his career spent spoofing hit songs gets sent up as well. The soundtrack is already hilarious, filled as it is with everything from 'My Bologna', 'I Love Rocky Road' and 'Another One Rides the Bus' to 'Eat It', 'Like a Surgeon' and 'Amish Paradise'. The casting is brilliantly hilarious as it is hilariously brilliant, too, with Daniel Radcliffe (The Lost City) sporting a mop of curls, grasping an accordion and wearing Yankovic's Hawaiian shirts like he was born to. Silly, happily self-mocking, not serious for a second: that's this joke-packed flick, which isn't quite as stuffed with gags as a typical Weird Al song, but is still filled with laughs — and still immensely funny. Unsurprisingly, much of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story plays like a collection of skits and sketches, whether visiting his childhood, showing how he scored his big break or charting his fame (which is Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood as a comical Madonna comes in), but it works. Yankovic co-writes with director Eric Appel, a parody veteran thanks to NTSF:SD:SUV, and they're joyfully on the same goofy, go-for-broke wavelength. So is Radcliffe, who keeps demonstrating that he's at his best when a certain Boy Who Lived is relegated to the past, and when he's getting as ridiculous as he possibly can. Forget the wizarding franchise — he's magical when he's at his most comic, as Miracle Workers keeps proving, and now this as well. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story streams via Paramount+. BOSTON STRANGLER When it comes to films about reporters trying to track down serial killers, every movie made since 2007 will always stand in Zodiac's shadow. Still, while Boston Strangler isn't directed by David Fincher, it too is incredibly well-cast — Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, Alessandro Nivola and David Dastmalchian lead the bill — and both quickly and deeply involving. It's also a dimly lit, grimly toned procedural-based drama about good old-fashioned hard work by smart people doing their utmost to stop a spate of horrendous killings, this time the murders terrorising Greater Boston in the 60s. Spotlight comes to mind, too, thanks to the focus on journalists cracking a case. While Boston Strangler won't win the Oscar for Best Picture, it smartly ponders something crucial in this true crime-heavy era: that bleak tales such as these, like all tales, change and evolve. Indeed, while the film focuses on reporting when the killings were happening, this case still had new developments as recently as ten years ago. Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley, Misbehaviour) is a lifestyle writer saddled with reviewing toasters and pleading with her editor Jack MacLaine (Cooper, Irresistible) for meaty work when she notices a pattern among a series of Boston deaths. On her own time, she investigates, realising that multiple women murdered by strangulation might be the work of a serial killer — and Boston Record American, her paper, breaks the story. With the more-experienced Jean Cole (Coon, The Nest), they keep covering the mounting deaths, and earning the ire of local cops even though lead detective Conley (Nivola, Amsterdam) is helpful. Suspicion settles on Albert DeSalvo (Dastmalchian, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), but nothing is straightforward in this case. Boston Strangler, too, dives into the struggles of reporting on crimes so shocking, doing so as women often used by their publication as a readership stunt, trying to balance professional and personal commitments and, of course, battling to get to the truth — and to hold those responsible, as well as those meant to finding the culprit, to account. Boston Strangler streams via Disney+. DAISY JONES AND THE SIX Before it was a ten-part Prime Video series, Daisy Jones & The Six was a book. And before Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2019 novel jumped back to the 70s rock scene with its melodramatic tale of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, Fleetwood Mac lived through, stunned and shaped the era. No matter where or when an adaptation popped up, or who took to the microphone and guitar in it, bringing Daisy Jones & The Six to the screen was always going to involve leaning into Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie and company's story. Reid has said that she took loose inspiration from the band; "it's a Fleetwood Mac vibe," she's also noted. Those parallels are as obvious as a killer lyric in Daisy Jones & The Six's TV guise, in a series that's heightened, impressively cast, and well-versed in what it's tinkering with and recreating — and a show that also isn't afraid of romance and tragedy, or of characters going all-in for what and who they're passionate about. On the page, this was an oral history. On streaming, it's framed by two-decades-later documentary interviews where key figures — Daisy Jones (Riley Keough, Zola), co-lead singer Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin, Book of Love), guitarist Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse, Valley Girl), drummer Warren Rojas (Sebastian Chacon, Emergency), bassist Chuck Loving (Jack Romano, Mank) and British keyboardist Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse, The Broken Hearts Gallery), plus other pivotal folks in their careers — share memories to-camera. The eponymous musicians burned bright but flamed out fast together, opening text on-screen informs the audience before anyone gets talking. A huge stadium gig at Chicago's Soldier Field late in 1977 was their last, coming at the height of their popularity after releasing hit Rumours-esque record Aurora. Viewers immediately know the ending, then, but not what leads to that fate. Daisy Jones & The Six streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. WELLMANIA When Australian-in-New York Liv (Celeste Barber, Seriously Red) heads home for her best friend Amy's (JJ Fong, Creamerie) 40th birthday, it's meant to be a flying Sydney visit. A food writer loving life in the Big Apple, she has a career-defining big break to get back to: being a judge on a new culinary contest TV show. But thanks to a stolen handbag, a missing green card and just the all-round chaos that is her existence, that Harbour City stay gets prolonged. With no paperwork, Liv has to jump through the American government's bureaucratic hoops again. And, her wellbeing isn't great, which means getting fit to show that she won't be a burden on the US health care system when she returns. Her mother Lorraine (Genevieve Mooy, Never Too Late) is thrilled, and her personal-trainer brother Gaz (Lachlan Buchanan, Dynasty) is about to get married to real-estate agent Dalbert (Remy Hii, Blaze) so the timing comes in handy — but Liv would rather be anywhere else and doing anything else but looking after herself. Wellmania hits the screen from the page, adapting author and journalist Brigid Delaney's book Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness into an eight-part dramedy — with Delaney behind the show, too, alongside The Family Law's Benjamin Law. Getting your health in order is a messy business when you've spend decades drinking, partying and never saying no to a good time; getting your life sorted, which comes with Liv's desperate quest to get back to NYC, is just as much of a shambles. There's a Fleabag-but-Australian vibe to this quickly addictive series, which might've played more like a copy of other shows even with its focus on radical wellness techniques and copious Sydney harbour shots if Barber wasn't so perfectly cast. This is a firm case of a star's online fame linking in with their on-screen work savvily, given how well-known Wellmania's lead is for satirising Instagram-inspired quests for aesthetic perfection. That's only the show's starting point, though, and Barber is just as adept at anchoring a series about discovering who you are when you're definitely no longer coming of age, and realising what's important amid all the hustle and bustle. Wellmania streams via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK TED LASSO It wasn't simply debuting during the pandemic's first year, in a life-changing period when everyone was doing it tough, that made Ted Lasso's first season a hit in 2020. It wasn't just the Apple TV+ sitcom's unshakeable warmth, giving its characters and viewers alike a big warm hug episode after episode, either. Both play a key part, however, because this Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live)-starring soccer series is about everyone pitching in and playing a part. It's a team endeavour that champions team endeavours — hailing from a quartet of creators (Sudeikis, co-star Brendan Hunt, Detroiters' Joe Kelly and Scrubs' Bill Lawrence), boasting a killer cast in both major and supporting roles, and understanding how important it is to support one another on- and off-screen (plus in the fictional world that the show has created, and while making that realm so beloved with audiences). Ted Lasso has always believed in the individual players as well as the team they're in, though. It is named after its eponymous American football coach-turned-inexperienced soccer manager, after all. But in building an entire sitcom around a character that started as a sketch in two popular US television ads for NBC's Premier League coverage — around two characters, because Hunt's (Bless This Mess) laconic Coach Beard began in those commercials as well — Ted Lasso has always understood that everyone is only a fraction of who they can be when they're alone. That's an idea that keeps gathering momentum in the show's long-awaited third season, which has much to engagingly dive into. It starts with Ted left solo when he desperately doesn't want to be, with AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Hocus Pocus 2) desperate to beat her ex Rupert Mannion (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head) new team, and with the Greyhounds' former assistant Nathan 'Nate' Shelley (Nick Mohammed, Intelligence) now coaching said opposition — and with changes galore around the club. Ted Lasso streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. YELLOWJACKETS For Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Billions), Misty (Christina Ricci, Wednesday), Lottie (Simone Kessell, Muru) and Van (Lauren Ambrose, Servant), 1996 will always be the year that their plane plunged into the Canadian wilderness, stranding them for 19 tough months — as season one of 2021–2022 standout Yellowjackets grippingly established. As teenagers (as played by The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse, The Book of Boba Fett's Sophie Thatcher, Scream VI's Jasmin Savoy, Shameless' Samantha Hanratty, Mad Max: Fury Road's Courtney Eaton and Santa Clarita Diet's Liv Hewson), they were members of the show's titular high-school soccer squad, travelling from their New Jersey home town to Seattle for a national tournament, when the worst eventuated. Cue Lost-meets-Lord of the Flies with an Alive twist, as that first season was understandably pegged. All isn't always what it seems as Shauna and company endeavour to endure in the elements. Also, tearing into each other occurs more than just metaphorically. Plus, literally sinking one's teeth in has been teased and flirted with since episode one, too. But Yellowjackets will always be about what it means to face something so difficult that it forever colours and changes who you are — and constantly leaves a reminder of who you might've been. So, when Yellowjackets ended its first season, it was with as many questions as answers. Naturally, it starts season two in the same way. In the present, mere days have elapsed — and Shauna and her husband Jeff (Warren Kole, Shades of Blue) are trying to avoid drawing any attention over the disappearance of Shauna's artist lover Adam (Peter Gadiot, Queen of the South). Tai has been elected as a state senator, but her nocturnal activities have seen her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard, Van Helsing) move out with their son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx, Supergirl). Thanks to purple-wearing kidnappers, Nat has been spirited off, leaving Misty desperate to find her — even enlisting fellow citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood, Come to Daddy) to help. And, in the past, winter is setting in, making searching for food and staying warm an immense feat. Yellowjackets streams via Paramount+. Read our full review. SUCCESSION Endings have always been a part of Succession. Since it premiered in 2018, the bulk of the HBO drama's feuding figures have been waiting for a big farewell. The reason is right there in the title, because for any of the Roy clan's adult children to scale the family company's greatest heights and remain there — be it initial heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), his inappropriate photo-sending brother Roman (Kieran Culkin, No Sudden Move), their political-fixer sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman), or eldest sibling and now-presidential candidate Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) — their father Logan's (Brian Cox, Remember Me) tenure must wrap up. He's stubborn. He's proud, too, of what he's achieved and the power it's brought. Whenever Logan has seemed nearly ready to leave the business behind, he's held on. And if he's challenged or threatened, as three seasons of the Emmy-winning series have done again and again, he shows no signs of ever letting go. Succession has always been waiting for Logan's last stint at global media outfit Waystar RoyCo, but it's never been about finales quite the way it is in its fourth season. This time, there's a ticking clock not just for the show's characters, but for the stellar series itself. In late February, in an interview with The New Yorker a month out from season four's premiere, Succession's creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong advised that this is its last go-around. Nothing can last forever, not even widely acclaimed hit shows that are a rarity in today's TV climate: genuine appointment-viewing. So, this one is going out at the height of its greatness — yes, its final batch of episodes begins out that strongly, complete with unhappy birthday parties, big business deals, plenty of scheming and backstabbing, and both Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) and family cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola) in vintage form — which is how Logan should've always wanted to as well. Succession streams via Binge. Read our full review. RAIN DOGS In 2019's Skint Estate, Cash Carraway told all; A memoir of poverty, motherhood and survival completes the book's full title. Penned about working-class Britain from within working-class Britain, Carraway's written jaunt through her own life steps through the reality of being a single mum without a permanent place to live, of struggling to get by at every second, and of being around the system since she was a teenager. It examines alcoholism, loneliness, mental illness and domestic violence, too, plus refuges, working at peep shows, getting groceries from food banks and hopping between whatever temporary accommodation is available. Rain Dogs isn't a direct adaptation. It doesn't purport to bring Carraway's experiences to the screen exactly as they happened, or with slavish fidelity to the specific details. But this HBO and BBC eight-parter remains not only raw, rich, honest and authentic but lived in, as it tells the same story with candour, humour, warmth and poignancy. Slipping into Carraway's fictionalised shoes is Daisy May Cooper — and she's outstanding. Her on-screen resume includes Avenue 5 and Am I Being Unreasonable?, as well as being a team captain on the latest iteration of Britain's Spicks and Specks-inspiring Never Mind the Buzzcocks, but she's a force to be reckoned with as aspiring writer and mum (to Iris, played by debutant Fleur Tashjian) Costello Jones. When Rain Dogs begins, it's with an eviction. Cooper lives and breathes determination as Costello then scrambles to find somewhere for her and Iris to stay next. But this isn't just their tale, with the pair's lives intersecting with the privileged but self-destructive Selby (Jack Farthing, Spencer), who completes their unconventional and dysfunctional family but tussles with his mental health. Including Costello's best friend Gloria (Ronke Adekoluejo, Alex Rider), plus ailing artist Lenny (The Young Ones legend Adrian Edmondson), this is a clear-eyed look at chasing a place to belong — and it's stunning. Rain Dogs streams via Binge. Read our full review. LUCKY HANK When Better Call Saul finished its six-season run in 2022, it was the end of an era. Not only did one of the absolute best TV shows of the past decade and the whole 21st century so far wrap up, but the Breaking Bad universe with it for now. And, it meant that the wonderful Bob Odenkirk was no longer on our screens regularly. Thankfully, with the arrival of Lucky Hank, the latter was only a short-lived state of affairs. This dramedy — because everything is a dramedy at the moment — hails from The Office actor/co-writer Paul Lieberstein, adapts Richard Russo's 1997 novel Straight Man, and casts its Undone and Nobody star as a Pennsylvanian college professor. The eponymous Hank Devereaux Jr inhabits a whirlwind of chaos, including underfunding at his university in general, unhappy colleagues in the English department he chairs, students challenging him, a wife that's tiring of academic life and the fact that he's only penned one book thanks to a hefty bout of writers' block. If some of the above sounds familiar, that's because The Chair flicked through similar territory in 2021 — also engagingly, and with Sandra Oh at its centre. Like that series, Lucky Hank thrives through its excellent lead casting, with watching Odenkirk still one of the easiest things in the world no matter what he's in. He has excellent company, including Lieberstein's The Office co-star Oscar Nuñez as Railton College dean, Mireille Enos (Hanna) as his wife, and Diedrich Bader (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) as a friend and co-worker. As a guest star, one and only Twin Peaks legend Kyle MacLachlan is also among the cast. Odenkirk wears middle-aged malaise so devastatingly well, though, which made Better Call Saul one of the best tragedies there is, and helps Lucky Hank prove as thoughtful as it is charming. There's depth to Hank's experiences, too, with Russo's tome based on his own time teaching at several colleges. Lucky Hank streams via Stan. A RECENT CLASSIC MOVIE YOU NEED TO CATCH UP WITH BODIES BODIES BODIES The internet couldn't have stacked Bodies Bodies Bodies better if it tried, not that that's how the slasher-whodunnit-comedy came about. Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) waves a machete around, and his big dick energy, while literally boasting about how he looks like he fucks. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova plays the cautious outsider among rich-kid college grads, who plan to ride out a big storm with drinks and drugs (and drama) in one of their parents' mansions. The Hunger Games and The Hate U Give alum Amandla Stenberg leads the show as the gang's black sheep, turning up unannounced to zero fanfare from her supposed besties, while the rest of the cast spans Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott, Generation's Chase Sui Wonders and Industry's Myha'la Herrold, plus Pushing Daisies and The Hobbit favourite Lee Pace as a two-decades-older interloper. And the Agatha Christie-but-Gen Z screenplay? It's drawn from a spec script by Kristen Roupenian, the writer of 2017 viral New Yorker short story Cat Person. All of the above is a lot. Bodies Bodies Bodies is a lot — 100-percent on purpose. It's a puzzle about a party game, as savage a hangout film as they come, and a satire about Gen Z, for starters. It carves into toxic friendships, ignored class clashes, self-obsessed obliviousness, passive aggression and playing the victim. It skewers today's always-online world and the fact that everyone has a podcast — and lets psychological warfare and paranoia simmer, fester and explode. Want more? It serves up another reminder after The Resort, Palm Springs and co that kicking back isn't always cocktails and carefree days. It's an eat-the-rich affair alongside Squid Game and The White Lotus. Swirling that all together like its characters' self-medicating diets, this wildly entertaining horror flick is a phenomenal calling card for debut screenwriter Sarah DeLappe and Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Instinct), too — and it's hilarious, ridiculous, brutal and satisfying. Forgetting how it ends is also utterly impossible. Bodies Bodies Bodies is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2022, and January and February 2023. You can also check out our list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of last year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
Sydney's Australiana-themed Redfern Surf Club is turning one this week. And it's celebrating in a big way. The colourful cocktail joint is throwing an all-day bash on Saturday, August 24 with dunny tunes, tinnies and $10 cocktails and whopping $250 bar tab up for grabs. The party will kick off at noon with $6 tinnies by Young Henrys, natural wines by the South Coast's Nattie by Nature and cheeseburgers by The Lord Gladstone. Punk rock band Beerwolf and a few special guests will take the stage during the arvo, then DJs will keep the party going until late — including The Delta Riggs and Money For Nothing. The music doesn't stop at the bar, either. It also extends to the toilet, where Dude Ranch by Blink-182 will be played on repeat. While you're in there, you can also select albums for future bathroom rotation (if that's your kind of thing). And one very lucky punter will also nab a $250 bar tab — just make sure you get in before 4pm to go in the running. Redfern Surf Club First Birthday will run from midday–midnight. Images: Patrick Stevenson
At the beginning of 2020, Netflix announced news that no fan of The Crown wanted to hear: that, when the royal drama's fifth season hits the streaming service, the show will come to an end. While the revelation didn't mean that the popular series would be finishing up anytime soon — the series' third season only released via Netflix last November — it did cut short creator Peter Morgan's original six-season plan. It also meant that The Crown's storyline probably wouldn't venture too far into the 21st century. Six months is a long time in the entertainment world, though (and it seems even longer during a pandemic, as we all know). Having a change of heart, Netflix has now announced that The Crown will carry on for a sixth season after all. When it airs — after season four and five hit the streaming platform, obviously, so likely still a couple of years away — it really will mark the end of the series. https://twitter.com/NetflixUK/status/1281225790991020032 In a Netflix tweet, Morgan explained the change of plans, noting that "as we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons". That means that viewers will watch one more season with Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, before seeing Downton Abbey, Maleficent and Paddington star Imelda Staunton — an Oscar nominee for Vera Drake, and known for playing the Harry Potter franchise's Dolores Umbridge — don the titular headwear for seasons five and six. Of course, Colman herself took over from season one and two star Claire Foy. With the fourth season in the works at the moment and set to take place during Margaret Thatcher's time as Britain's prime minister — and feature Princess Diana, who'll be played by Pennyworth's Emma Corrin — the fifth and sixth seasons are then expected to follow the Queen as the 2000s arrive. And, while Netflix hasn't unveiled the entire roster of actors that'll be joining Staunton in the show's final two batches of episodes, it has revealed that Princess Margaret will be played by Staunton's Maleficent co-star and Phantom Thread Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville. She'll take over the role from Helena Bonham Carter (in seasons three and four) and Vanessa Kirby (in seasons one and two). In case you haven't watched The Crown's third season yet, check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXYfgpqb8A The Crown's fourth season is expected to hit Netflix towards the end of 2020 — we'll update you with exact details when a specific release date is announced. Via Variety. Image: Des Willie / Netflix
Nope, not a how-to for casual meth enthusiasts, the Breaking Bad cookbook is finally on shelves. Filled with 'sugar high' TV show-inspired recipes by a certain Walter Wheat (heh) and prompting "let's cook" hurrahs worldwide, now you can be the one who bakes. Several sites have leaked certain recipes from the book, Baking Bad (out November 6), featuring Walter White specialities like 'Blue Meth Crunch' (sans phenyl-2-propanone) to adorable little underpanted gingerbread men dubbed 'Mr White’s Tighty Whitey Bites' — reminiscent of Season One's epic opening scene — and a disturbingly cute nod to Jesse's gruesome, body-and-roof-dissolving bathtub: 'Jesse’s Jell-O Acid Tub'. Here's a taste of what Walter Wheat has cooked up in the RV: Meth Crunchies Jesse’s Jell-O Acid Tub Mr White’s Tighty Whitey Bites Recurring Pink Bear Bites Walt’s Buried Barrel Dessert Fring Pops Tortuga Tart And of course: Blue Meth Crunch "Let's cook." INGREDIENTS 118ml water 177ml light corn syrup 14oz/350g granulated sugar 2 tsp (10ml) peppermint extract Blue gel food colouring You will need a sugar thermometer. Do not use chili powder. It’s for amateurs DOSAGE 5 people DIRECTIONS 1. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, or use a heatproof glass tray. Spray with non-stick baking spray. 2. Find yourself a decent accomplice. Underachieving ex-students are a good choice, though psychologically fragile. 3. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup and sugar. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Stop stirring and insert the thermometer and use a pastry brush dipped in water to wet the sides of the pan (this will prevent crystals forming). 4. Cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 285F/140C. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and take out the thermometer. Let the mixture stand until all the bubbles have stopped forming on the surface. 5. At some point you’re going to need a distributor. But don’t worry about that now. 6. Add a few drops of peppermint flavouring and enough blue colour to give the correct ‘Blue Meth’ hue. 7. Quickly pour the mixture onto the baking tray, lifting the tray from side to side to spread the mix. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth or has holes in it. Let the candy cool to room temperature. 8 Once the candy has cooled, use a hammer to break it up. Put into little plastic baggies or serve as is, whichever your clients prefer. Baking Bad by Walter Wheat is being published by Orion on 6 November 2014 in hardback (also available as an eBook). Via Telegraph UK and Buzzfeed. Images: 'Baking Bad' by Walter Wheat, Orion Books.
Sometimes you just want a whole plate of labanne and hummus to yourself. Cafe Shenkin has been Sydney's go-to for Israeli-Australian nosh for an age, opening on Erskineville's main drag in 2007. The beloved breakfast spot was opened by Israel-born Arie Haikin, who learnt how to make bread, cakes and pastries from his dad Tzvi in his parents' bakery in Melabis. Haikin moved to Sydney with his family at 46 and decided to open Shenkin as a means of bringing his family's incredible culinary tradition to Australia. Now Haikin's sons have taken over, continuing Shenkin's expertise in Middle Eastern food, European pastries and damn good coffee for years. Now they've expanded from the Erskineville cafe, with venues in Newtown, Enmore and Surry Hills too. The team try to use local produce wherever they can, and everything is made fresh on the premises daily. If you're looking for an out-of-the-ballpark shakshuka, this is your go-to — you can opt for chorizo, grilled eggplant and haloumi, or pulled beef. Other favourites include the Shenkin Stack, Shenkin's infamous wraps and of course, the labanne and hummus plates — meant for sharing but 100 percent fine to have all by yourself. Served with a Mecca Dark Horse coffee, this is quite honestly one of Sydney's best breakfasts.
Australians throw away up to 20% of the food they buy. That's one out of five of your grocery bags, into the bin. This means Australians are throwing out $8 billion worth of edible food every year, the same weight as three average size fridges. Each. Yeah, WHAT. Anyone who's worked as a function waiter, bakery barista or silver service maitre d knows that the end of the night's waste can be colossal. I've watched an entire trough of fresh king prawns and glistening oysters poured into the trash at a certain five-star Sydney hotel in front of a hungry, underpaid staff. I've seen trayloads of party pies tipped into dumpsters post album launch. I've stared bitterly as bucket after bucket of organic dinner rolls were shuffled into black plastic rubbish bags and carted away for fear of staff food poisoning lawsuits. Luckily, some young New York-based upstart app developers are using their digital talents to combat the globe's atrocious waste problem. Meet PareUp — an app that allows users to purchase restaurant leftovers at the end of the day. Retailers store inventories of their products, set prices and update listings and herald the 'offerings for the day'. The app is similar to Leftover Swap, a development which allows you to snap your food, upload it to the app and let users know where the food is, how cold it is and whether it can be delivered. The app is due to launch in NYC soon, hopefully Australian restaurants will be able to pair up with the app sometime in the near future. Until the app gets here, restaurants should take a look at their hungry, student loan-ridden staff and think twice about chucking those creme fraiche-topped tarts. Via Food Beast and Lost At E Minor.
If you're in the midst of a mid-life crisis, you might want to skip over this news: it's been 20 years since Placebo released their debut album. Yep, 'Nancy Boy' has been around since 1996. The album Without You I'm Nothing (which included 'Every Me and Every You') was released in 1998, and even 'Running Up That Hill' is almost 15 years old now. It's been so long since these songs were released that fans band of the UK band probably never expected to hear them live again. But this morning Placebo has announced they will bring their 20 Years of Placebo tour to Australia this September. And yes, they'll be playing old stuff. The worldwide tour kicked off this late last year — the band is currently touring Mexico and will head to Europe before coming to Australia in September. As well as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, they'll make stops in Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle and Canberra too. It will be their first Australian appearance since Soundwave in 2014. 20 years is a long time and the band has a huge discography (seven albums) to pull bangers from — and they've promised to play all those songs you listened to on repeat as a teenager. "Let's just say there will be songs in the set that I've sworn never to play again," said frontman Brian Molko. "I think it's time that we purposefully acknowledged what a lot of Placebo fans really want to hear. They've been very patient with us since we rarely play our most commercially successful material. A 20 year anniversary tour seems like the right time to do so. That's our intention. This tour is very much for the fans and a chance for us to revisit a lot of our early material." Tickets will go on sale at noon on Monday, May 29 through Ticketek. Or, if you're a Telstra customer, they have a pre-sale happening this week. 20 YEARS OF PLACEBO TOUR DATES Monday, September 4 — Perth Arena Wednesday, September 6 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre Friday, September 8 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Saturday, September 9 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Monday, September 11 — Brisbane Convention Centre Tuesday, September 12 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre Thursday, September 14 — AIS Arena, Canberra
Sydneysiders venturing outdoors this morning could find the whole breathing thing a little less fun than usual — as you may have noticed, it's pretty smoky out there. As the result of bushfires burning on the north coast and northern NSW, a layer of smoke has made its way across the city and is expected to stick around for the rest of the day. Needless to say, it's affecting air quality, with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage labelling areas in Sydney's east, northwest and southeast as "very poor" and "hazardous" on the morning of Thursday, October 31. Those further out of the city are affected, too, with the Lower Hunter and Central Coast currently experiencing "hazardous" air quality and areas in the Illawarra "poor" to "very poor". https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1189412830618869762 When the Air Quality Index reaches these levels, NSW Health suggests that everyone cut back on strenuous outdoor activities and those with chronic respiratory or heart conditions avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors where possible. It's also advised that you carry your inhaler, follow your Asthma Action Plan and seek medical advice if you start experiencing symptoms. This follows a smoky Wednesday, too, and the haze is unlikely to lift completely for another 24 hours, with the NSW Rural Fire Service continuing to battle numerous blazes across the state and northeasterly winds bringing smoke down towards the city. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1189418802590695424 As of 5pm yesterday, the NSW RFS was fighting 72 fires across the state, with 38 yet to be contained. A blaze near Port Macquarie had burnt more than 2500 hectares and one to the northwest, near Coffs Harbour, over 100,000 hectares. Both are being controlled. https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1189637843783581696 You can keep an eye on the fires burning across the state at the NSW RFS website. For more tips on staying safe during smoky conditions, head to the NSW Health website.
Three acclaimed Sydney hospitality mainstays are set to open an intimate new hospitality and retail space in Darlinghurst this November. Italian wine importers Giorgio De Maria (Giorgio De Maria Fun Wines), Mattia Dicati (Vino Mito Wine Imports) and chef Enrico Tomelleri (Ragazzi, Alberto's Lounge, 10 William Street) are opening Paski Vineria Popolare, a wine bar, restaurant and takeaway bottle shop on Oxford Street. Paski Vineria Popolare is named after both De Maria's beloved dog and the Italian meaning of Popolare ("of the people"). The venue will open in the former building of the now-closed spritz bar This Must Be The Place and will be split into two distinct spaces, both designed in collaboration with architect Jad Silvester. Expect dark green tiling, low pendant lighting and minimalistic shelving, designed to showcase the 400-strong artisan wine list. Downstairs you'll find a 25-30 seat wine bar, with all wines available to enjoy on site or take home for a romantic evening in. Wine will be ordered by producer instead of style in order to spotlight the people behind these wines. Accompanying the extensive selection of wine will be an array of pantry items and a reserved menu created by Tomelleri featuring charcuterie, cheeses, and small plates to enjoy with the wine of your choice. [caption id="attachment_737044" align="alignnone" width="1920"] This Must Be The Place is set to be transformed into Paski Vineria Popolare[/caption] Upstairs you'll find a more hearty menu with a focus on underrepresented Italian ingredients. Named Paski Sopra (translating to Paski Above), the 35-40 seat venue will overlook Oxford Street and will pair rare wines and highlights from downstairs with meals like tortellini, fresh carpaccio and seafood-heavy mains. "We can't wait to have a physical place where everything is in one spot," says De Maria. "Where customers can learn about and buy something from the person who sourced the wines themselves, and who knows each producer well." Each Wednesday, Paski Sopra will host events and wine tasting where De Maria and Dicati will take guests through the wines, with the duo hoping to connect Sydneysiders to some of their favourite Italian producers. Paski Vineria Popolare will join a host of exciting venues that have arrived on north Oxford Street in recent years. Cafe Freda's and Dimitri's Pizza are close by, Fabbrica Pasta Shop's production space is a few doors down, and major projects including the new $60 million food and retail precinct and the mega-venue taking over the current Kinselas and Courthouse Hotel buildings are on their way. With this section of Oxford Street becoming increasingly bustling, De Maria and Dicati are already planning some exciting with collaborations Freda's, Dimitris and Fabbrica. Paski Vineria Popolare will open at 239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst on Monday, November 22.
Anyone who knows the Vivid Festival is well aware of the fact that the ethos behind the smorgasbord of cultural events revolves around bringing the best that the world has to offer to our city by the sea. Obviously, this also includes the creme de la creme of the home town, and this year is definitely no different. As part of the Modulations event at Carriageworks, enlisted to feed the masses are Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, the rock and roll chefs behind one of Sydney's favourite restaurants, Porteno. However, according to the boys themselves, this isn't a chance to show off their cooking. Instead, they're bringing Wild Porteno to town. Porteno Food for the Street The food factor at Wild Porteno is an exciting drawcard for the festival, and Abrahanowicz tells us that "it'll be like Porteno, except outdoors and live." So expect the same strong, simple-done-well style that Porteno have been busting out for years, but with a twist that Abrahanowicz calls "an eat with your hands affair". There'll be the meat off the grill, brisket, and barbecue chicken wings, all served up like festival food. Over four days, as part of Modulations, they'll be dishing up their take on the food they serve at the restaurant, while DJs with the Porteno stamp of approval provide the mood music. They'll be there while the Pet Shop Boys do their thing, as well as the other acts that form the Modulations line up. While it's exciting to have all that music and art on show whilst eating some topnotch food, the truth is, according to Milgate, a little bit more complex. "We're doing the food and everything, but it's just a sideline to the main event." In the case of Wild Porteno, the main event is the showcase of bands from LA-based Wild Records. A bunch of rockabilly all stars, Milgate and Abrahanowicz assure that they're the real reason to get to Carriageworks on Monday, June 9 (the public holiday). https://youtube.com/watch?v=6ISz7JFYlLo The home of modern rockabilly Wild Records is the home of some of the best unsung heroes in the modern rockabilly scene, and the Porteno boys are stoked to be bringing them out to Australia. "There's really nothing like it," says Abrahanowicz, "it's a unique sound, it's the Wild sound." Milgate adds that Wild Porteno is "really just showcasing these guys to everyone." They're not lying, either. The bands on Wild Records were recently the subject of an award-winning documentary, Los Wild Ones, which may or may not be shown before their appearance on stage at the festival. Milgate says that "Luis and the Wildfires are our favourite band. He's such a fucking legend, so we said that he has to come. Gizzelle has such an amazing voice, and the Delta Bombers are really amazing on stage." After seeing the modern take on good old rock and roll, it's not hard to see why Milgate and Abrahanowicz have orchestrated this festival just to show them off to Sydney's discerning musical public. "We're just happy that they get to come out and we get to see them," says Abrahanowicz. BORN TO BE WILD It's no secret that Sydney will turn up for Porteno food, festival style. With Milgate and Abrahanowicz behind their customary grills, masses will flock to Carriageworks to gorge on the barbecued goodness. Coupled with Young Henrys, who are looking after the brew, the festival of music, art and food is guaranteed to please. But, to the guys who are cooking up this delightful storm, it's just an excuse to get a gig for some of their favourite bands, which isn't a bad thing at all. Wild Porteno goes down on Monday, June 9, and brings together some outstanding bands, delectable drinks and tasty food that is sure to be a highlight of the Vivid festival. So, Sydney, let's get Wild. Tickets for Wild Porteno are $49.80 from Ticketmaster.
When Quibi launched in Australia and New Zealand back in April, it added yet another streaming platform to the already lengthy list of services competing for your eyeballs. But this newcomer comes with a few twists — serving up its content in small chunks of up to ten minutes in length, for starters, and also designing it all for viewing on your phone. Over the past few months, however, the platform has also undergone some changes. The big one: letting viewers stream Quibi's movies and TV shows from their phone to their television. While the service launched as a mobile-only app, forcing you to watch it on your device of choice, it added Airplay and Chromecast capabilities back in June — after realising that folks didn't just want to view things by themselves on a tiny phone screen, particularly when we're all spending more time at home during a pandemic. Now, Quibi has announced another new change. With the app's original 90-day free trial period now over, it has added a completely free ongoing option for viewers in Australia and New Zealand. There is a catch, though, as you're probably already expecting: if you want to check out the platform without spending a cent, you will need to sit through ads. Still, if you're keen to check out a new version of Punk'd hosted by Chance the Rapper, see Chrissy Teigen preside over small claims cases in the Judge Judy-style Chrissy's Court or get immersed in a Reese Witherspoon-narrated documentary series about females in natural history — or watch Anna Kendrick befriend a sex doll, follow the twists of horror-thriller The Stranger or work your way through a new version of The Fugitive — you can now do without troubling your wallet. Quibi's lineup includes everything from dramas and comedies to news and reality TV in bite-sized portions, with instalments maxing out at ten minutes but most running shorter (between five and eight minutes). Also on the bill: 'movies in chapters', which break films down into episodic segments to fit the platform's whole concept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKPuomRV5C8 With an ultimate aim of hitting 175 different shows and 7000 episodes in its first year, other Quibi highlights include mockumentary Nikki Fre$h, which follows Nicole Richie's efforts to become a wellness-focused rapper; cooking competition show Dishmantled, where host and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess shoots food at two culinary industry figures, then forces them to try to recreate the dish in question; and Lena Waithe-hosted documentary series You Ain't Got These, about sneaker culture. There's also Flipped, starring Will Forte and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson as a down-on-their-luck couple desperate to host their own TV renovation series; Most Dangerous Game, the latest twist on the humans-hunting-humans idea, this time with Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth; and Survive, which casts Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner as a suicidal patient suddenly forced to fight for her life after a plane crash. Or, you can watch luxury dog houses come to life in Barkitecture. Boasting a name that's been shortened from 'quick bites', Quibi was created by ex-Disney chairman and DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and is led by former eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman. Before it launched, it had been in the works since 2018 — and earned ample attention thanks to its huge stash of cash (reportedly raising $1.75 billion to spend on content), as well as its hefty array of stars and shows (including an upcoming remake of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days). If you are planning to check it out on your phone, Quibi is designed to play in full-screen no matter whether your handset is vertical or horizontal — with the image automatically changing as you move your device around. Don't like ads? If you're happy to pay, Quibi has also reduced the monthly price for its advertisement-free version from AU$12.99 to AU$6.99. For further details about Quibi, visit the streaming platform's website. To download the Quibi app, head to the App Store or GooglePlay. Top image: Barkitecture.
Nearly 30 years on from their breakout 1994 record CrazySexyCool, TLC's music continues to radiate a timeless quality. "It's just real-life stuff," Rozonda Thomas, aka Chilli of the group, tells Concrete Playground. "When you have lyrics like that, it can be 100 years later and people can still connect with those lyrics." TLC remain the best-selling American girl group of all time, having sold over 85 million records worldwide while earning four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: 'Creep', 'Waterfalls', 'No Scrubs' and 'Unpretty'. Following the tragic passing of member Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes in 2002, the group went on hiatus before reuniting in the 2010s to bring their hits back to the stage, and releasing a self-titled comeback album in 2017. Chilli and her TLC partner-in-crime Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins are currently Down Under as part of the Fridayz Live tour in Australia and Friday Jams in New Zealand, alongside a nostalgia-packed lineup featuring the likes of Akon, Craig David, Macklemore, Shaggy and Ashanti. They're also set to perform in Melbourne on Tuesday, November 8 at the Palais Theatre for a headline show billed as An Exclusive Evening with TLC. On a bill filled with hitmakers of the last 30 years, TLC stands out as a group who have not only stayed relevant, but who've only grown in critical acclaim and industry praise over the years. So, we took the time to chat to Chilli about the band's influence and staying power in the worlds of music and fashion, as well as the best advice that she's ever received. How do you approach a festival show, compared to if you're doing a solo headline show? "I personally kinda like that middle slot. I think that's the best slot. Most artists are like 'oh, I want to headline', but especially when it's a lot of acts, you don't want to do that. People are tired! They're probably drunk off the devil's juice — they don't know what's happening. They're kinda just there. And so, I like the middle because you get all that good energy from everyone." When you're pulling together and performing your hits, are there any songs from your career that have had more staying power than you had ever thought or that still get a bigger reaction from the crowd than you would have expected? "It's funny because people love 'Diggin' On You'. They really, really, really, really, really like that song a lot. I mean, it gets a really big reaction. Because, you know, it's not like a tonne of energy or anything like that. It's just one of those feel-good records. It always makes me smile a bit more, because it's not one of those hype songs where we're doing signature dances or anything like that. So I'd have to say it's 'Diggin' On You'." Another timeless quality of your music is the appreciation from other artists as it's been either sampled, covered, remixed or interpolated so many times — from Pharrell to Avicii, and even Ed Sheeran. How do you feel when an artist reimagines one of your songs? "It's an honour. It really is. It is an honour. It kinda lets you know our body of work is still beloved and respected by so many — and up-and-coming artists. Even artists that are just y'know, been around for a long time. They do covers of our songs when they're in concert and things like that. Like Hanson. They do. Taylor Swift has. And it's amazing to me. I just love it." Is there any artist who hasn't sampled, covered or remixed your songs that you hope will one day? "Well not even necessarily a sample or anything, but we would love to work with Bruno Mars. I just think that Bruno Mars and TLC goes together. This needs to happen at some point in time. So I'm really hoping, because, just the way he performs and all of that. I just love him as an artist, period. So I really hope that we get a chance to grace the stage together." TLC have always been fashion icons — still are to this day — but your style from the 90s is really popular right now. How does that feel to see Gen Z revisiting the fashion trends that you pioneered? "Well, I think everything kind of circles back. Just like with the 70s. I think right now, fashion from even the 70s is in. Everything is kind of in right now and it's been like that for the past decade, maybe. I think that, the time that we first came out, with the bright colours, I haven't seen that so much. Or like, with girls wearing baggy clothes, like for real, I haven't really seen that. And I'm sure it's going to come back around, because I tell you, it's way more comfortable." I feel like it's bubbling, even with pop stars like Billie Eilish who's really into bright baggy clothes at the moment. "Yeah she is! She sure is. So you have artists here and there. And to me, I just think that it's more fun. Very colourful and, again, very comfortable. That's always been our thing. I mean to this day, look at my outfit." Chilli then stands up to reveal her all-white matching Paul Frank tracksuit set. "I'm cute! I'm casually cute." Are there any trends from that era that you don't want to see come back? "When you sag too much. And we did touch on that because we'd run through the airport holding up our pants because they were falling down. So, we need a little happy medium there. You can sag a little bit. I don't want to see your underwear, period." What's the best advice you've ever been given? "To never take anything personal. In this business, it's business, it's not personal. No matter how many times people say 'I love you', because if you have to report something and do your job, it's business, right. It took me a while to get there because I'm such a love bug, and 'we said we love each other, and how could you…'. I could get all in my feels and have my feelings all hurt. So once I was able to get there, then it was like 'ok'." Do you remember who gave you that advice? "Well, you know what, I think it was [MC] Hammer. Hammer has given me so much advice, like in the beginning. He is definitely someone that I looked up to then, and still to this day is an amazing person. Just a great human being, y'know, besides a great artist. He really schooled us on a lot of things." Catch TLC performing at Fridayz Live as it makes its way to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in November, or at An Exclusive Evening with TLC at Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Tuesday, November 8. In New Zealand, TLC play Friday Jams at at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland on Sunday, November 13.
It's impossible to think about Christmas without also thinking about ornament-adorned trees; however, the traditional towering variety isn't always practical. Perhaps you don't have space in your apartment. Maybe you're keen on the real thing, but just can't make it to market, farm or nursery to get one. Or, you could have a four-legged friend (or several) that's fond of scaling anything that reaches up into the sky. Even if you've found a place for the same old plastic tree that you trot out every year, you're probably still wishing that you could gaze up at the real thing — which is where Floraly comes in. The Australian plant delivery service focuses on sustainable blooms and even offers monthly subscriptions, and it introduced a Christmas offering in 2019. Because it's that time again, it's getting festive once more in 2021, too. The big drawcard: living trees. If you're happy with a pint-sized version, then this tiny plant is about to make your festive dreams come true. 'Tis the season to order a 50–60-centimetre-tall tiny tree that comes with decorations and a pop-up pot, wait for it to be delivered, then feel mighty jolly. Sourced from farms in Victoria and New South Wales, and able to be sent Australia-wide, Floraly's trees also arrive with soil, fairy lights, baubles and a tree-topper — so they really do look like miniature versions of your ideal Christmas centrepiece. There are two versions available, so you can opt for red baubles and a gold star for the top, or go with white decorations and a silver star In line with Floraly's eco-conscious mindset, its trees still have their root system intact. That means that once Christmas is over, you can replant them, keep them for some year-round merriment and then enjoy their splendour next year. The trees also come in fully recyclable packaging, further reducing their environmental impact. If you're keen, you can order a small bundle of greenery from the Floraly website for $79–85. Fancy sending a tiny tree as a gift? You can do that too, including as part of packs with wine, beer, candles, skin care products, champagne and chocolate. Floraly's tiny Christmas trees are available to order now by visiting the service's website.
From the Lumiere brothers to Christopher Nolan, cinema has always been more than just benign entertainment for our Saturday nights. It has reflected the ages we live in, not just in costumes and settings but in representing the pure zeitgeist. As we head off to the Sydney Film Festival and the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, where films break barriers and open eyes, we’re thinking about those films that have changed how we see that crazy little thing called love. Mixed-race couples in love Even now it's still unusual to see mixed-race couples on film and television. Take Glee: the Asian girl has to end up with the Asian guy. It seems like a particularly persistent blindness given all the inter-species lovin' outlined below. But go back a few years and you will find a few films that did manage to break down this particular barrier. Most famous is 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner where Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's daughter brings home a black fiance, the barrier-breaker himself, Sidney Poitier. This film paved the way for a series of bad dance films where white ballerinas hook up with street dancers, a la Save the Last Dance. Awesome. Monsters and humans in love Move over Twilight; if you think this was the first film that depicted the forbidden love between a human and a monster, you need to catch up on some movies. It wasn't even the brilliant Joss Whedon who was first in with Buffy. You have to go right back to the first monster movies, and King Kong. Okay, so in the 1933 version love was a little-one sided on the monkey side, but in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) shows a tender affection for the giant ape. The Mummy (1999) also depicted an everlasting love between a monster and a human, with the mummy rising only with the intention of bringing his love back to life through a human host. Unwed couples in love Cinema is polluted with unwed couples; the only thing is they're usually the ones copping all the flak. Take any disaster or horror movie you know: the first people that are going to get it are the ones that are enjoying a bit of out-of-wedlock nookie. Most movies, in Hollywood at least, focus on the couple's progression towards an inevitable marriage. Even today it's unusual for a Hollywood romance not to end in marriage. The spectacular The Princess Bride is one classic film that, ironically due to the title, doesn't end in a wedding. In fact, it ends with breaking up the marriage that was to be, so the true lovers can be together. More recently, the successful comedy Knocked Up shows us that it's possible to not only be in love but to have a baby out of wedlock and still be relatively happy. Other films catching up to the multitude of ways in which start families include the upcoming Friends with Kids, where friends have kids. Teenagers in love Early cinema often turned to literature's classics for inspiration, which means cinema's first teenage couple in love was that famous star-crossed duo Romeo and Juliet. They were the ones breaking barriers down between two warring families, but were they breaking cinematic barriers? Teenage films really came into their own in the '60s with the likes of cheesy, safe comedies like Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), where the teenage actors were well into their twenties. That trend continued into Grease (1978), surely one of the greatest teen love stories of all time, but it was John Hughes and the Brat Pack in the '80s that really examined what it meant to be a teenager in love. The '90s brought us another round of teens in love with 10 Things I Hate About You being a personal favourite (vale Heath Ledger). If a teenage boy can get over a girl's obsession with Sylvia Plath to buy her a Fender Strat, that's got to be love. Gay couples in love One of the earliest scenes in moving pictures shows two be-suited men dancing together, perhaps cinema's first gay couple. In fact, this scene is from an experimental sound picture now known as Dickson Experimental Sound Film, one of the first examples of an attempt to synch sound and picture. One early German film, Madchen in Uniform, is reputedly the first film with a pro-lesbian storyline, and in 1931, that’s quite an achievement. References to gay characters have permeated cinema throughout the years - for the best breakdown on queer cinema see the brilliant, though slightly old, doco The Celluloid Closet - but it's only been in recent years that we've seen true love, not jaded by other motivations. While we enjoyed the comedic love between the fathers in The Birdcage (1996), it was with the excellent The Kids Are All Right (2010) where we first had a gay couple, truly in love, whose 'gayness' wasn't an issue to be exaggerated; in fact, wasn't part of the main storyline at all. How could it be, when the parents could just as easily have been heterosexual? The Sydney Film Festival is on from June 6-17 and the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is on from May 29 to June 1. The New Zealand Film Festival kicks off in Auckland on July 19 2012. Friends with Kids releases nationally on June 7. Main image from the film Attenberg.
Waverley residents — here's something to celebrate: an ambitious Italian restaurant spearheaded by former 10 William Street chef and ex-Sagra owner Nigel Ward has arrived on Bronte Road. Decked out in a bright summery yellow facade, Passeggiata takes its name from an Italian tradition — an unhurried, leisurely stroll you take with your family after a hearty meal. This is the energy that Ward is bringing to this new eastern suburbs eatery located in Charing Cross, Australia's second-oldest shopping strip. "After a big long lunch, everyone puts on their suits and their Sunday best and they all go out to the town square and walk around real slow, go have some gelato, or have a little drink somewhere," Ward told Concrete Playground. "Nobody's in too much of a hurry, the intention is to ... slow down and enjoy the little qualities of life." Passeggiata's menu is seasonal, so you can expect it to change over time, but the initial array of eats offers something for everyone, with a heavy focus on seafood. To start, there's crostini topped with salted cod and pickled eggplant, along with swordfish crudo and fried soft-shell crab. Further down the menu, you'll find mussels primavera and chilli spanner crab tagliolini. Moving out of the ocean and onto land, try the fried zucchini flowers and the braised lamb pappardelle. And, once you're finished with your mains, there's, of course, tiramisu, pannacotta and a trio of cheese that you can complete your meal with. "I hope when people come here [that] they're not coming with an out time. They just want to come and enjoy themselves and take their time, get a nice bottle of wine [and] eat lots of food," Ward continues. Upon opening, there are two spaces at Passeggiata, a 40-seat main dining room downstairs and a more intimate 30-seat upstairs space which Ward plans to use for set menu dinners. An al fresco dining area perfect for long Tuscan-style lunches could also be in the works but is yet to open. "I'm building the restaurant I want to go to," Ward says. "This is it for me. I've bought the building, I want to be here for 30 years. I want this to be the Lucio's of the 21st century." Passeggiata is open 6–11pm Tuesday–Thursday and Saturday, and midday–11pm Friday at 318 Bronte Road, Waverley. Images: Nikki To
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we go to Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, where we are putting up guests who book one of our epic For The Love VIP packages. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? This four-and-a-half-star hotel looks out over the picturesque North Wollongong Beach and lighthouse. It's one of the very best places to stay in the area, giving you easy access to local walking trails and swim spots as well as the thriving night life. THE ROOMS The rooms themselves aren't super flash, but they don't really need to be when you have sea views like this. In the morning, grab a seat on your private balcony, breathe in some sea air and watch Wollongong wake up — with the long stretch of coastline your backdrop. Gorge. Each of the 209 spacious rooms have all the necessities too. Air conditioning (a must for summer), a flat screen television, free wifi, a large desk (if you need to work) and a mini bar on demand. Just be aware that not all rooms have those stunning sea views — you'll need to choose one when booking. FOOD AND DRINK Novotel Wollongong Northbeach knows how to entertain. It has four separate bars, each with its own unique menu and level of formality. The Adrift Pool Bar consists of several white wooden booths and a few cute rattan tables set up around the heated pool. The best bit? Fresh seafood and classic cocktails are served out here. Hang out with some locals and fellow travellers at the public Pepe's on the Beach — where you can hire out your own cabana for the day. Or go for something a little more refined at North Bar. An impressive selection of wines adorn this drinks list, alongside a few specialty cocktails and top-shelf spirits. And when the sun goes down, American-style The Frisky Flamingo is the place to be — dress up and start your night out at this glam drinking den. THE LOCAL AREA Yes, you have so many places to eat and drink at Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, but you'd be a fool to spend all your time wining and dining. Either walk down to the beach or seaside pool for an ideal summer jaunt or head to some of the nearby walking trails along the coast to see even more of this gorgeous coastline. Boutique stores, local restaurants and all other town centre necessities are only a short walk away — with a free bus available right outside the hotel for those who want to have a chill one. If you're about to spend a day partying at For The Love, the bus is for you. [caption id="attachment_882178" align="alignnone" width="1920"] North Bar[/caption] Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Sleek Nails sits on the upper floor of Newtown Central, just a stumble from the station. Beyond the convenient location, this salon offers expertise across the full range of nail art and care. Whether you're after acrylic nails, gel creations, a dip powder manicure or a statement shellac design, the team has got you covered. Don't be afraid to get wild with nail art either — think frescos of the night sky, intricate florals and careful fades of the colour spectrum. For pedicures, Sleek Nails will prime your digitals after a soak and scrub while you're settled in a sleek massage chair.
Whether you've got a big event coming up, your post-lockdown locks are in need of some TLC or you just want to reinvent your look, picking the right salon is something of a fine art. Fortunately, Mosman's Hair Colab makes it an easy choice due to the team's passion and attention to detail when it comes to all things hair. Owner Biba Binks worked at various high-end salons for many years before opening her own salon. It offers personalised consultations and shiatsu head massages at the basin. The salon is a Kérastase ambassador, and also uses and sells products from GHD and Olaplex.
Your mates at Concrete Playground know how much you guys love Nutella. Sydney went nuts over those damn Tella Ball milkshakes, Melbourne eats so much of the stuff they caused a temporary nation-wide shortage back in 2015, and Australia lost its collective shit when a toaster-shaped Nutella food truck started rolling around the country. Long story short, the food truck will be hitting the road again this month, embarking on a road trip from Sydney all the way over to Perth. We figured you'd want to hear about it — especially as all the goodies on board will be free. Alistair Fogg, the man behind Sydney's Nighthawk Diner (which has just opened a permanent store in Chippendale) must have had excess Nutella lying around, because he's once again devised the menu for the food truck. This time, he'll be drizzling Nutella on pancakes, crumpets, bagels, waffles and even acai bowls. And, yes, it's all free — although there is a limit of only one item per customer per day,. The nine-stop road trip will spend two days in Sydney, pulling up at Chatswood's pedestrian mall from 7–10am on Friday, May 11 and Peryman Square on the Cronulla Foreshore the morning after from 8–11am. From there, the truck will head to Griffith before going down to Adelaide and across to Perth.
After Melbourne's Mana Bar (the world's first ever video game cocktail bar) folded in August last year, it seemed the market for geek bars — not Timezones with bars attached, real D&D-encouraging nerd hubs — just wasn't there. Unlike successful models in Japan and the US, even the Aussie gaming community wasn't biting. But according to Gizmodo, Australian nerds are crying out for a space — and are about to get three new video game bars. "Lets face it... Most bars suck for people like us," says Melbourne's Power Up geek bar developer Edmund Mundlay. "We sit there with loud obnoxious music blaring in our ears while keeping a watchful eye on the bogans at the next table just hoping they don't start a fight. We want a bar for us. We want to build the hub of Melbourne's geek community." A motley crew of former Hobart EB employees and Melbourne hospitality workers have launched a Pozible campaign to raise $10,000 toward their dream bar, Power Up, “an open-source bar for geeks”. The group saw the closure of Melbourne's Mana Bar (and the alternate success of the Brisbane branch) as having more impact than people originally thought, seeing a hole in the market left by the venue's departure. Making a furious push to providing a safe, fun hub for geeks to socialise, the Power Up team realised gamers just wanted the main thing they're often accused of rejecting: a social life. "So many people would come and just hang out with us at EB, they just wanted to talk to like minded people," says Mundlay. "I wanted to build that home, a place where geeks and nerds citywide could just come and hangout, talk about games or anime, sci-fi or technology... With such a huge community of geeks, nerds, gamers and pop-culture fanatics doesn't it just make sense that there should be a centre for this community?" Punters will be encouraged to bring their weekly D&D meetings to the bar, participate in cosplay competitions and e-sports tournaments and make a whole bunch of buddies over beers and movie screenings. So what of the Mana Bar crew? The Melbourne alumni are currently working on a CBD geek bar to called BetaBar. This new space will hope to function as Melbourne's top spot for the indie game developer community to test out their newest adventures on the target market. Sydney geeks aren't left out either, Spawn Point Small Bar is currently getting ready to open on Clarence Street in the CBD. Choosing to set their sights a little wider than the hardcore gaming community, Spawn Point are hooking up retro consoles for Sydney nostalgics — we're talking NES, SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, MegaDrive and MasterSystem consoles. Furious Mario Kart and GoldenEye tournaments will inevitably ensue. The three bars will (hopefully) all open within the coming months, with one proviso to rule them all: No jocks, douchebags or teasing jerks. There's enough to deal with in Skyrim without dragons constantly roasting your backside. Via Gizmodo. Top image by Ben Andrews.
A new Italian joint headed up by Executive Chef Danny Russo has moved into the former Flying Fish site at the end of Jones Bay Wharf. Sala is set to open its doors on Friday, November 25, promising fresh takes on Italian classics and plenty of seafood in a 160-seat space. "We wanted to call on nostalgic Italian flavours and give them a modern flair to offer a sophisticated yet playful experience to diners," Russo says. Renowned hospitality duo Kerrie and Con Dedes of the Dedes Waterfront Group round out the team. Through the use of a far-reaching ingredients list, the group has created impressive new takes on Italian standards. For example, a simple Italian dish like Risoni has been elevated with the use of caviar and parmesan. Other highlights include the likes of Russo's signature squid ink tortellini with crab meat in a lemon and caper sauce, a full crudo bar, bucatini with duck ragu, and a deceivingly realistic-looking hazelnut made with chocolate from Haerfield's Chocolate Artisan. Head Sommelier Rocco Pezzullo has curated a predominantly Italian wine list that's sure to pair well with your tortellini, and Bar Manager Behzad Vaziri's cocktail spans Italian classics (there's a full range of negronis) and signature mixes. These unique Sala creations are all inspired by the sea, featuring the likes of the Oyster Shell Martini made with Never Never Oyster Shell Gin, and the Mediterranean Slide which combines Mastica, limoncello, egg white and basil. As for the fit-out, that's been handled by The General Store. The design agency's Chief Strategy Officer Danny Lattouf says: "We set out to create the most authentically Sydney dining experience, with the welcoming Greek heritage of the Dedes Group and the Dedes family, the Italian culinary mastery from the Russolini Group and Danny himself, and then the heritage of this stunning harbour and the building itself." Sala is located at Jones Bay Wharf, Piers 19–21, 26/32 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont. It will open on Friday, November 25. Bookings are open now.
The daily grind can really wear you down. Luckily, you don't always have to join the rat race on the commute home every day — you could have a few drinks instead. One major bonus of working in the CBD is that heaps of Sydney's top-notch bars put on some serious drink specials — many of which can be enjoyed every day, even on the weekend. You just have to know when to go. We've rounded up our top picks of the CBD happy hours that you can hit up as soon as you finish work. There are tinned martinis, slushie margaritas and sloe gin cocktails — and nicely matched snacks like oysters, tacos and cheese plates a plenty. Grab your colleagues — or rally your mates that work in the area — and sink a few after work this week. [caption id="attachment_696571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] CONTINENTAL DELI BAR BISTRO CBD The CBD's shrine of canned stuff is giving you even more to love with the launch of its brand new happy hour. The bar is offering its version every Monday through Friday from 4–6pm. Both food and drinks are available at discounted prices — however, the menu will change regularly. At the moment, you can expect the bar's signature tinned cocktails priced at two for $20, along with house beer for a fiver and house wine for ten bucks. The snacks are on special, too, with piquillo peppers in romesco sauce, sardine toasts with Pepe Saya butter, and mortadella and gruyere croquettes going for just $6 each. If you're looking for something more substantial, you can also get a bowl of bucatini carbonara for $20. KITCHEN BY MIKE Kitchen by Mike has launched its own CBD happy hour this month, but this one is Aussie as. Available every Tuesday through Friday from 4–6pm, the all-Australian drinks list spans locally made beers and wine for $5 and G&Ts for $10. Other cocktails are $10 each, too — at the moment, that includes the Ozi Negroni (West Winds gin, Adelaide Hills vermouth and Applewood Distillery amaro). Eats are discounted, too — you can get bread and olives for five bucks, or more substantial snacks like crispy prawns and cheese toasties for ten. You won't be disappointed. MAYBE SAMMY The team behind Surry Hills mainstay Maybe Frank opened this opulent, 50s-inspired cocktail bar earlier this year — and it's fast becoming an after-work go-to in the CBD. Now, it's launched a mini martini hour. From 4.30–5.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday, Maybe Sammy is shaking and stirring mini martinis, negronis and irish coffees for just $5.50 bucks a pop. While you sip your fancy (and cheap) bevvies, grab some Italian bar snacks to nibble on — think gooey burrata, Cantabrian anchovies and smoked paprika hummus, along with the requisite plates of cheese and charcuterie. And, once the hour is up, you can still nab mini versions of the bar's classic tipples for just a tenner all night. BABYLON ROOFTOP & GARDEN BAR If the warm weather isn't enough to coax you out of work on time, Babylon's new aperitivo hour might. From 4–6pm weekdays, the rooftop bar is serving up $10 "pocket sized" (that is, 60ml) cocktails. Choose from two classics — a negroni and a gin martini — and two house specials: a prosecco, rhubarb and lemon concoction or one with gin, Lillet Blanc, black tea sherbet and absinthe mist. Plus, you can go even cheaper with Campari sodas and Amaro Montenegro sodas just five bucks. MATTEO DOWNTOWN This CBD bar is a destination for several reasons — one is its lauded head chef Orazio D'Elia (Matteo Double Bay), and another is its dedicated mozzarella bar. But our favourite thing about this sister venue is its weekday aperitivo hour, which runs from 4–6pm. The Italian cocktails are still $15, but every single drink order during happy hour comes with a selection of complimentary snacks from the kitchen. Plus, wines on tap are $7 and domestic craft brews are just $8. And, in true Italian fashion, Once you've ordered, be sure to nab a seat at the outdoor terrace, which is primed for people-watching. [caption id="attachment_673758" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] RESTAURANT HUBERT While Sydney tends to have more Italian aperitivo hours than the French version, there are a few places championing the beloved apéro — and one of the best is Restaurant Hubert. Its version of happy hour lets you try out the subterranean restaurant without breaking the bank (or waiting for a table for two hours). Available Monday to Saturday from 4–6pm, the aperitif menu features cheap eats and drinks, including $5 G&Ts, $10 negronis and $5 glasses of house wine. Plus $10 burgers, $5 croque monsieur and $5 parfait, too. Just be sure to get in early, as it's a busy spot, and even busier during happy hour. FRANKIE'S If you're looking for a serious party atmosphere to accompany your post-work drinks, look no further than everyone's favourite late-night dive bar and New York-style pizza parlour. The crew at Frankie's is known to have a raucous good time on the daily — and it's matched by a daily happy hour, available from 4–6pm. During these hours, pizza slices, house beer, wine and spirits are all just $4 a pop. Stick around for the regular rotation of live acts, with genres spanning metal, rock, hip-hop and 80s vibes. Fair warning — you're more than likely to turn up to work a bit dusty the next day. EL LOCO AT SLIP INN This Mexican cantina-style pub is known for its kitschy décor, tacos and some pretty strong margaritas — along with its amazing happy hour specials, which run six days per week. For starters, you can nab $6 schooners, house wines and house spirits, and $7 pints from 5–7pm, Monday through Saturday. Tuesdays get you $5 tacos all day and night, too. Take your snacks and drinks out into the expansive courtyard, complete with colourful flags and plenty of group seating — perfect for these warmer evenings ahead. [caption id="attachment_729700" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Since I Left You[/caption] SINCE I LEFT YOU CBD courtyard bar Since I Left You has remained an inner city oasis for the CBD masses for a few years now. It especially caters to its city workers, first during the day with its new tuckshop lunchtime offering with comfort eats like mac 'n' cheese toasties and schnitty sangas under $15. Then, later on, come back around for the bar's lateish happy hour — Monday to Thursday, the bar serves up $12 cocktails from 8–10pm. It's quite the way to wind down the work week on the cheap. [caption id="attachment_679976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent Van Der Jagt[/caption] THE MORRISON BAR AND OYSTER ROOM The Morrison is a regular go-to for its longstanding $1.50 oyster hour, which happens every Wednesday between 6–7pm. But the oyster room also offers a daily happy hour, with $6 house wine, beer and spirits on from 5–7pm every single day — making Wednesday an extra happy one at The Morrison. If you stick around through 8pm, you can also snag $12 espresso martinis each day. [caption id="attachment_730306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jasper Avenue[/caption] THE ROOK York Street's rooftop bar The Rook serves up classic happy hour drinks: $5 house wine and tap beer, along with ten-buck spritzes. The best bit is that it's on offer six days per week: Monday through Saturday, 4–6pm each day. It's the perfect excuse to leave work early.
Nick Enright's Daylight Saving knocks over the pedestal of professional bliss in Pittwater. It's a play that premiered in the late '80s, but remains relevant. Head to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company to see past the fine wine and grilled lobster of the northern beaches... these successful characters are actually confused and alone. The play pries into the tribulations of uber-successful Sydney couple, Felicity and Tom. Right from the start, many foreboding details indicate the drain down which their marriage is going. Tom (Christopher Stollery) is constantly on the move, has forgotten their anniversary and receives a phone call every time his wife needs to talk. Meanwhile, Felicity (Rachel Gordon) blushes at the word 'fidelity' and decides she'll have her anniversary dinner with her high school sweetheart Joshua (Ian Stenlake) instead. The watertight facade constructed by Gordon is quite heart-wrenching. She portrays the long-suffering wife who pleases everyone and is selfless till breaking point. She's utterly lonely, and willing to do anything to rediscover intimacy/sensation. This desperation is echoed by the supporting characters whose intrusions are equal parts hilarious and painful. Felicity's Mum Bunty (Belinda Giblin) needs to be needed, next-door neighbour Stephanie (Helen Dallimore) falls in love with all the wrong men, and tennis hotshot Jason Strutt (Jacob Warner) craves praise and paternal influence. All the technical elements of the production run seamlessly, and inconspicuously, in order to pull off this domestic Aussie drama. Quirky '80s nostalgia can be seen in Tom's unwieldy brick of a mobile phone and VHS recordings. The centrepiece of the set is the balcony window, where a brilliant sunset fades into night, almost in real time. The majority of the action, and Felicity's moral dilemma, take place on the evening before daylight saving. The diminishing rays of sunlight (of Gavin Swift's lighting design) tantalise Felicity to commit indiscretions during that 'extra hour'. Daylight Saving reveals some aspects of our society: ordinary men suffer sport-gasms over professional athletes, and everyone is too busy talking about themselves to listen to anyone else. The characters have no time for self-awareness or reflection; they employ clairvoyants for that. We learn to hate the presence of that obnoxious telephone — constantly ringing and making meaningful connection impossible. It's a well-timed re-staging of Nick Enright's play, made possible through the support of his family. It made me consider those couples you see out to dinner — each partner completely absorbed in a smart phone. Daylight Saving forces us to ask: how often are we really, properly listening to someone else? Will we prioritise the important people in our life before it's too late?
Sydney's scored a brand-new cultural gem — and it's making its debut with sonic elegance, pairing strings, woodwinds and ambient waves with sweeping harbour views. Pier Pavilion officially opened its doors to the public on 30 April and is set to host one of the city's most unique cultural experiences. Perched on the water's edge, the structure is a beautifully designed space that was selected from over 170 entries from architects across Australia in a meticulous design competition back in 2020. To celebrate its arrival, Barangaroo is turning the already-spectacular space into an atmospheric soundscape with Nocturne — a free evening music series showcasing some of Sydney's finest musicians. The program runs from 26 June to 19 July, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, featuring contemporary chamber music and classical interpretations of modern tunes. By night, Pier Pavilion morphs into Nocturne: an immersive instrumental experience bathed in ambient lighting. The lineup is as elegant as the venue itself, with performances by Trio Historie, Continuum Sax, Alma Moodie Quartet and The Song Company. A curated selection of food and drinks will be available onsite, and the surrounding Barangaroo precinct offers no shortage of bars and restaurants to continue your night. By day, the Pavilion is a serene space for wandering — a place to soak in coastal views, marvel at the architecture, and watch the light dance through its freestanding colonnade. Designed by Besley and Spresser, the structure is made from nearly half a million recycled oyster shells — yes, really. Its curved footprint mirrors the geometry of Sydney Harbour's coves and peninsulas, while its living roof — planted with over 2,400 native species — attracts birds, insects and other wildlife, creating microhabitats that connect the waterfront with the natural rhythms of Country. Whether you're a design lover, music enthusiast, or just want to experience something uniquely Sydney, Nocturne at Pier Pavilion is your winter go-to. For more information, visit Barangaroo Sydney and be sure to share your experience with us on socials @barangaroosydney Images: Supplied.
