As dairy fiends already well and truly know, adding burrata to any meal automatically takes it up several notches. Add the delicious blend of mozzarella and cream to every dish as part of a five-course dinner and, well, you've got yourself quite the cheesy, indulgent and delicious feast going on. That's what's happening at Burrata Night. Nope, that name doesn't disappoint. Salt Meats Cheese's Sydney stores are whipping up a heap of burrata-topped options on Tuesday, October 20, then letting you eat your way through them. There'll actually be seven different dishes, including both spaghetti carbonara and gnocchi sorrentina with burrata, as well as mortadella and broccolini pesto pizzas, too. Or, you can opt for prosciutto with burrata, roasted pumpkin with burrata or burrata that's crumbed, then fried. The five-dish dinner will set you back $79, and you can choose which five of the above choices you'd prefer. You can also take the plate-by-plate approach and order single serves for $19 a pop. It all kicks off at 5pm, and booking in advance for this one-night-only affair is essential.
Pier One's harbourfront igloos are back. And, this year, they're offering a particularly dazzling place to enjoy Sydney's winter. Those hankering for waterside drinks will be able to get sipping in a lit-up space, with one igloo surrounded with cherry blossom trees adorned with light globes. In case you're wondering, the igloos aren't made of snow and ice. They're transparent dome-shaped structures that you can hire for yourself and up to nine mates. You will need to be willing to indulge in a few cocktails, glasses of champagne and snacks — choosing between the snacks and shares menu, or the grazing menu. Highlights of the food menu includes Sydney rock oysters, Pioik sourdough, wagyu skewers and salmon tartar. A range of canned cocktails will also be on hand, including espresso martinis from Archie Rose, negronis from Never Never Distillery and mai tais from Jacoby's Tiki Bar. To hire out the cherry blossom igloo, you have to spend $400–700 on food and drinks for your 2.5-hour session, and pay a $200–300 hire fee. The minimum spend and hire price changes depending on the day and time. You can hire out the igloos daily, from 12–2.30pm, 3.30–6pm or 7–9.30pm, until Sunday, August 17. And if you opt for the latter time slot from Friday–Sunday, you'll need to add on a compulsory night's stay in the suite for an extra $350 — which includes overnight accommodation for two, plus breakfast and parking. Images: Anna Kucera.
Every Thursday night from now until the end of May, QT Sydney's opulent city-slicker hideout Gilt Lounge is grabbing your Thursday nights roughly by the collar and dragging them away from your nerdy mid-week friends onto the cool table with Friday and the hot weekend twins. In collaboration with Perrier-Jouët, the cocktail bar is rolling out a regular evening of bubbles, beats and treats in their elegant and intimate CBD space. Soundtracked by luxe deep-lounge DJs Cassette and Alice Q, you can grab a bottle of NV Grand Brut champagne and spoil yourself with four premium freshly-shucked oysters from the bar's in-house European brasserie, Gowing's Bar and Grill, for $99 until 10:30pm each week. Complete with an outstanding cocktail offering and the seductive atmosphere and mystique that often accompanies destination-hotel bars, Gilt Lounge has your back for dates and deluxe after-work hangouts. Every Thursday throughout April and May, you now have an excuse to drink champagne.
Who doesn't love a Sunday roast to get you through the colder months? While there are plenty of places in Sydney where you can find a classic roast, St Leonards is now home to one of the most unique iterations of the weekend tradition. Josh and Julie Niland's newest restaurant Petermen brings the couple's boundary-pushing approach to seafood to the North Shore — and it's just introduced a weekly roast with a difference. As should be expected with the Nilands, the fruits of the sea are the stars here. Diners can choose between three different roast options: crown roast Aquna Murray cod with bread sauce, dry-aged Mooloolaba yellowfin tuna ribeye with pepper sauce and rolled Mooloolaba swordfish loin with barbecue apple sauce. Each roast is designed to be shared between two guests and comes with a heap of impressive sides. In place of your steamed unseasoned veggies, you'll find crunchy Murray cod fat potatoes, a head of fresh vegetables sourced from local growers and Yorkshire pudding, of course. You can also add decadent Manjimup truffle as an indulgent extra. As part of the festivities, Petermen is also hosting a weekly raffle. Each Sunday lunch, all bookings will be entered into a draw to win a $150 selection of goods from Fish Butchery including seafood sausages, pies and chops — Josh Niland's version of a meat tray. The three-course Sunday roast will set you back $140 per person, so it is pricier than your meat and two veg from the local pub. This is a truly one-of-a-kind roast, however.
Father's Day is a time to treat the father figure in your life. Whether you're celebrating with your dad, the father of your kids, or a treasured paternal figure — you don't want to roll out the same grooming kit or funny socks for yet another year. Usually, you could take your dad to a nice restaurant and make his day with a tasty meal and a drink of choice, but this year, with Sydneysiders stuck inside, it's time to get a bit more inventive. We've put together a list of all the tasty treats you can order for your dad to replicate a top-notch meal out this Father's Day, because even though you can't celebrate in person, you can still put a smile on his face. FEASTS If your dad loves a big meal, there are plenty of options on hand to surprise him from fine dining to solid pub feeds. For the father that's a connoisseur of French cuisine, CBD bistro Restaurant Hubert is offering luxe at-home banquets featuring some of its most popular menu items. Spoil dad with pork terrine wrapped in pastry, roasted snails with XO butter and confit mushroom with peppercorn sauce. Josh Niland's sustainable Fish Butchery is also serving up next-level lockdown meals. For Father's Day, you can order coral trout with Café De Paris butter and chips alongside corn polenta and a salad of grilled fennel, gordal green olives, green garlic and anchovies. Be quick as they're both sure to sell out. If yum cha is a Father's Day tradition in your house, Palace Sydney isn't letting lockdown stop you from sending dad all his faves. The Sydney institution has a far-reaching menu including a huge yum cha selection available for takeaway and delivery throughout Sydney. If the dad in your life is more of a roast man, luckily, The Taphouse are continuing their famed Sunday roast every weekend during lockdown which comes with either roast beef, crispy pork skin or a vegan loaf, as well as gravy and yorkshire pudding. Beloved burger joint Pub Life Kitchen has just reopened too, offering pub classics like steaks, schnitzels and chilli prawn spaghetti, as well as, of course, burgers. You can even send your dad a DIY Pub Life burger box so that he's still the grill master this Father's Day. [caption id="attachment_823489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Renata Brak[/caption] HAMPERS Treat dad with a hamper full of all of his favourite things. Chippendale's Handpicked Wines will pair a selection of wines and cheese and send them out with same-day delivery available to anyone within 25-kilometres of Sydney's CBD. If you're looking for a meatier hamper, Polart Sydney has put together The Hunter's Feast, a collection of Polish smallgoods including veal parowki, kransky sausages, bigos, bread, mustard and chocolates. Or, if your dad likes to get a little fancy, the Sheraton Grand is delivering at-home high tea and charcuterie packages packed with tomato mushroom arancini with truffle aioli, Moreton Bay bug quiches and scones, or cured meats, cheese, pickles, dried fruit and dips. SWEETS If you come from a household of sweet tooths, Sydney's got plenty of sugary treats on-hand for Father's Day. Black Star Pastry has taken the hard work out of deciding what cake to get dad with its All Star Tasting Box featuring a selection of its best cakes. It's also just dropped a collaboration with cocktail bar PS40 with a set of cake-inspired cocktails perfect for the dad that's partial to both a sugary dessert and an old fashioned. Koko Black is also coming prepared for Father's Day with a range of chocolate-heavy gifts tailored for dads, from chocolate-covered almonds and hot cocoa plus Koko Black's own chocolatey beer. Or, for a quick takeaway drop-off treat, swing past Lukumades in Windsor or Chippendale for some tasty Greek doughnuts. COFFEE If dad's been scraping at the bottom of the same jar of instant coffee for months now, maybe it's time you help him level-up his coffee game. Plenty of local roasters have their own beans so you can get your dad a thoughtful gift while supporting small businesses. Campos is offering the Superior Father's Day Blend. The limited-time coffee is just the brand's popular Superior Blend but with a dad joke on the packet and a free stubbie holder, so we very much approve. Sydney cafes Circa Espresso, Mecca and Single O all have their own ranges of beans, grinds and pods with fast delivery on offer to Sydneysiders, and Sample Coffee has a coffee subscription service so you can ensure dad's stocked up on caffeine all year round. Plus, Mecca has a whole range of coffee gear including Aeropresses, grinders and a potable pod coffee maker with Mecca pods. BOOZE Celebrate dad with a bottle of champagne, a bottled cocktail or a nice craft brew. P&V Merchants has a huge range of natty wines, local beers and small-batch spirits. Introduce your dad to Philter's new hazy pale ale, Sigurd's red blend wine or Range Life's fizzy pet nat if he's a bit more adventurous. Even better, P&V offers same-day or next-day delivery to Sydney locals in case you've left your gift-buying until the last minute. Those looking for something slightly more orthodox can turn to Winona Wine and Annandale Cellars who both have free delivery services for Sydneysiders, or award-winning cocktail bar Maybe Sammy, which is delivering 500-millilitre bottles jasmine negroni, eucalyptus gimlet and chamomile martini. Top image: Nastia Gladushchenk
There's one surefire way to keep those winter shivers at bay, and that's a hefty dose of chilli. Or, in the case of Cronulla haunt Northies, a whole month of it. The beachside bar is spicing up August with its month-long Northies Chilli Fest, complete with fiery eats, super-spicy drinks and a few chilli-eating competitions along the way. The kitchen is fuelling the burn with a chilli-charged specials menu, featuring dishes like 'angry' wings, jalapeño poppers and a 'chilli roulette pizza', for friends who dare to share. Meanwhile, the bar is coming to the party with some spicy treats of its own — cosy up to the limited-edition Blue Chilli Margarita, add some chilli fairy floss to your usual order, or try a Young Henrys Newtowner jazzed up with a cayenne-salt rim. And from 2pm each Sunday, brave contestants will battle it out for chilli-eating glory. Sign up to compete in the competition, or watch from a safe distance, enjoying the weekly lineup of live acts, DJs and hot sauce vendors, with tastebuds still in tact. Heats for the chilli-eating competition will be held on August 5, 12 and 19 — which you can sign up for here —with the championship wrapping up the final day of Northies Chilli Fest, on August 26.
The black parade is coming back to Australia — finally. After their last attempt to head to our shores was thwarted due to the pandemic, the reunited My Chemical Romance is set to tour along the country's east coast in 2022. Hopefully the second time will prove the charm for Gerard Way and co, and for music lovers eager to grab their eyeliner, don every black piece of clothing in their wardrobe, relive their angsty emo teenage years and let out three cheers. The new tour will mark ten years since MCR last came to our shores for the 2012 Big Day Out — and comes after the US group went their separate ways in 2013, then reformed in 2019. Fans will be pleased to know that MCR are headlining their own shows on this tour, too, rather than leading a festival bill as they were slated to do in 2020. First, they'll play the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Monday, March 14, before hitting up Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne a few days later on Thursday, March 17. Then, they'll wrap things up on Saturday, March 19 at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena. Back in late 2019, when MCR announced that they were literally getting the band back together, they sold out their first reunion gig in Los Angeles quick smart — so expect tickets to their Australian gigs to prove mighty popular, especially after last year's cancelled tour. The group has been trying to take its new show on the road ever since that big announcement, but, thanks to the pandemic, that has obviously proven much trickier than anticipated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRKJiM9Njr8 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 2022 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Monday, March 14 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Thursday, March 17 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Saturday, March 19 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney My Chemical Romance will tour Australia's east coast in March 2022. For further information — and for pre-sale tickets from 11am on Wednesday, May 26, and general tickets from 12pm on Thursday, May 27 — head to the tour website. Top image: My Chemical Romance performing by NBSTwo via Flickr.
In the depths of a Kings Cross car park, in an abandoned mechanic’s office you might find a glory hole that defies anonymity, an unassuming lounge room of domestic divas, a pair of Sharpie-stained fashionistas, and an eroticised man on crutches. Dividing his time between Sydney and Berlin, artist Samuel Hodge has a new solo exhibition at Alaska Projects that oozes cheeky eroticism, striking at an intersection between fashion, art and sex. The Imponderable Archive consists of fragmented stories and visual gags; each photograph feels like a punchline without the preamble. As suggested by the title, Hodge's art is an accumulation of vernacular moments, yet vacated of context or justification, they acquire a strange humour and absurdity. Untitled is a tightly framed photograph, crowded with sequins, shiny fabrics and puffy layers. The faces of the female sitters are cut out. Not blurred or black-lined; they are pointedly missing. This gives the work a temporal placelessness: Is this a morning after scene? Or the mandatory pre-shot before a night out? The sheer banality of the domestic setting with its flaws and makeshift repairs stands in contrast with the flamboyant costumes. It has an air of comedic excess, perhaps the kind of clashing priorities typical of a traveller/gypsy wedding. In another work, Dumb Dumber, Hodge refers to the incident where a pair of cluey would-be-thieves decided to draw on their disguises. However, instead of permanent marker, Hodge employs Chanel cosmetics in his appropriation. Similar to the glamour animals of Untitled, there is a sense that the fashion envelope is being pushed to the point of absurdism. The nude subject of Crutches gazes unapologetically into the camera lens, seductively even. The simple composition, as if dug out of a personal collection, heightens the sense of voyeurism. Equipped with the iconic Freddy Mercury moustache, there is a definite air of '80s erotica. In a similar vein, No Guts No Glory Hole tears open a gaping hole in sexual anonymity. The visual exchange between the two men suggests a fine line between tenderness and sleaze. In this way, Hodge presents a kind of slapstick re-imagining of homoerotic fetishism that feels both funny and slightly invasive. Whilst Untitled and Dumb and Dumber emphasise Hodge's background as a fashion photographer, there is perhaps a sense of vulnerability in these latter works that speaks a little more deeply about desire and longing. Though this selective exhibition, comprising of just four works, may not seem particularly 'archival', the floating images, without context or history, invite hypothesising; there is a wealth of archival material that is simply not visible. The Imponderable Archive is an exhibition that takes joy in the humour and poignancy of loose ends. It should also be noted that Hodge moves between shooting for high-end fashion magazines and the gallery space with impressive ease.
From dazzling water-and-light performances to internationally renowned portraiture, this winter, Sydney has it all. As the weather gets colder, those looking to spend the season exploring Sydney's expansive art scene have a wide variety of exhibitions to choose from. Kicking off the season with a bang, Vivid's larger-than-life outdoor light shows and live performances come to town. On chillier winter days, you can head indoors to check out the winners of the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo contest at the Australian National Maritime Museum or head to the Art Gallery of NSW for an exhibit of this year's Archibald Prize finalists. No matter what you're looking for, this winter, you can find it. These are our picks for this season's must-see art exhibitions in Sydney.
Have your weekday lunches and dinners been lacking in lustre a bit recently? Are you ready to retire the soggy sandwich, or underdressed salad, and make your meals a little more exciting? Thanks to the Rockpool Dining Group you can — without breaking the budget. A heap of the group's fancy Sydney restaurants, which are overseen by chef Neil Perry, are serving up tasty dishes — and a glass of wine or cocktail — for a mere $25 at lunch and dinner for ten days this month. Head out for a meal in the CBD between Monday, April 15 and Sunday, April 28 and you can pick from the likes of a David Blackmore wagyu burger at Rockpool Bar & Grill paired with a glass of shiraz, pizza and Chianti at Rosetta, three tacos and a margarita at Bar Patrón or a prime rib sandwich and a glass or red or white at The Cut Bar & Grill. And all of them will set you back just $25. It doesn't stop there, either. Regional Chinese fine-diner Spice Temple will be pairing one of its five bar noodle dishes — pick from spicy pork and fermented chilli belt noodles, Shanghai noodles with braised lamb and crispy chow mein with pork — with its famed Zodiac Cocktails for just $25 a pop, too. Since these 12 cocktails usually set you back at least $20, it's a pretty great deal. You can check them all out here. Not in the city? All all Saké outposts — in Manly, Double Bay and the Rocks — will be offering a $25 deal, too, serving up a selection of sashimi and nigiri with a Sapporo or glass of wine for the discounted price. To snag the deal head in to any of the below restaurants for lunch or dinner — the only catch is you'll have to sit at the bar. Bookings can be made here. ROCKPOOL DINING GROUP'S $25 BAR LUNCH LOCATIONS Rockpool Bar & Grill Spice Temple Rosetta Trattoria The Cut Bar & Grill Bar Patrón Saké The Rocks, Manly, Double Bay UPDATE: APRIL 12, 2019 — Rockpool Dining Group's $25 meals were originally only available at lunch. They're now available at lunch and dinner. The above copy has been updated to reflect this.
Over the past half a decade, Sydney's lost many of its iconic late-night venues. While the city is still home to plenty of amazing spots, lockout laws and the COVID-19 pandemic have both taken their toll on venues offering good food or great parties late into the night. Oxford Street favourite Big Poppa's is stepping up now to offer just that, with a weekly dinner party running until 3am each and every Sunday. The late-night parties will kick off at 10pm and run into the early hours of Monday morning with DJs on hand throughout the night. Here you'll have two ways to enjoy your night. Nab a table and enjoy a meal (the kitchen is staying open until 2.30am), some top-notch cheeses and your choice from Big Poppa's 180-strong wine list. Or, hit the dance floor with a drink in hand and relish the excitement of a venue open until 3am on a Sunday. Bookings are available via the Big Poppa's website with reservations available up until 11.30pm. Images: Dexter Kim
Paddington favourite Tequila Mockingbird brought its South American and Mexican flare to the CBD last spring when it opened the three-storey Esteban. The new venue already has a restaurant, a mezcal bar and a laneway dining space, but now it's adding live music to the mix. Esteban-d, its new three-month music series, will see Latin American artists, performers and bands take over the laneway space every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night from Thursday, March 11. Which means you can pair your wagyu tacos, scallop aguachile and Martinez on Fire cocktail with tango, Cuban acoustic tunes, salsa and Peruvian hits. The program changes each week, and you can check it out over at the Esteban website. The performances kick off each day at 6.30pm and run through till 10pm, so you can rock up at any point during this time to enjoy the free show. But, the restaurant does not take reservations for the laneway area, so prepare to wait if it's full. Esteband runs from 6.30-10pm. Images: Steven Woodburn
The change in season is a time for reflection, and with the cooler weather comes the need for comforting food, warming cocktails and a little self-love. Pyrmont's hospitality scene is especially keen to oblige this autumn with special hearty menus, spa packages and luxurious overnight stays. From a day at The Darling Spa to a three-course dinner at BLACK Bar and Grill, we're bringing you five ways to indulge in Pyrmont this autumn. MOMENTS SHARED IN BLACK BLACK Bar and Grill is celebrating autumn with rich, indulgent flavours this year. The set menu includes a welcome cocktail, a three-course menu and even a post-dinner whisky flight. Begin your evening at the bar with signature cocktails like a classic negroni or martini, then head into the dining room for a three-course feast — beginning with garlic prawns with crispy garlic and cultured butter, followed by a share plate of braised saltbush lamb with fire-roasted veggies and herb sauce, and finishing off with bread and butter pudding and orange and jaffa ice cream. Round out the night with a single-malt Scottish whisky flight, which can either be enjoyed at your table or back at the bar. The offering is $150 per person and available through May 10, so nab a booking while you still can. MID-WEEK WARMER WITH A SUMO HOT POT Sokyo adds a bit of warmth to your autumnal weeks with a special sumo-inspired menu. For $55 per person, you'll be treated to a smoky cocktail and sumo hot pot created by renowned executive chef Chase Kojima. For drinks, The Big Smoke mixes Suntory Japanese whisky with lemon, ginger and rosemary syrup and gets topped-off with a smoky Islay scotch. For eats, chef Kojim has created a refined version of the chanko nabe, a Japanese stew commonly eaten by sumo wrestlers. Aptly named the 'Sumo' hot pot, the chef's version consists of thinly sliced shabu-shabu-style beef, wild mushrooms and chicken dashi broth. Slurp this mega stew from Monday to Thursday at Sokyo Lounge. HEARTY AUTHENTIC ITALIAN Hearty Italian cuisine is the perfect autumnal comfort food, as the team at Balla is well aware. The Italian restaurant is bringing Sydneysiders a rustic, yet sophisticated three-course meal for $95 per person. Start the night at the bar with an americano or bellini aperitif, then move into the dining room where executive chef Gabriele Taddeucci serves up his family recipes. Think seared scallops with raw celeriac salad to start; rich ossobuco agnolotti (ravioli-like pasta stuffed with slow-cooked veal shank) with Jerusalem artichoke and rosemary sauce to follow; and wood-grilled quail with root vegetable minestrone and a marsala reduction to finish. AUTUMN INDULGENCE AT THE DARLING SPA The Darling Spa wants to pamper you this autumn with a 90-minute treatment package that will get your skin ready to take on the cooler weather. Start with a 15-minute body exfoliation, followed by a 45-minute body wrap and scalp massage, then completely let go with a 30-minute back and shoulder massage. The relaxation offer lets you indulge for less, too, with a combined special price of $275 (valued at $310) — which also includes a complimentary take-home gift. Treat yourself and book in Monday to Friday. STAY AND DINE If you really want to make it an indulgent night in Pyrmont, The Darling and Astral Tower and Residences are offering a stay and dine package until May 31. It includes a one-night stay at either luxury hotel, plus complimentary breakfast and a $150 dining credit to be used for lunch or dinner at Balla, BLACK Bar and Grill, Sokyo, Harvest Buffet or for room service — which means you can enjoy one of the specialty menus above along with your luxe staycation. Choose to indulge this autumn as we move into cooler weather. Discover all the luxe autumnal offers at The Star here.
Firmly settled into its Darlinghurst digs, Fabbrica Pasta Bar recently celebrated its first birthday in the neighbourhood. Now, the much-loved spot for handmade pasta and stellar wine is taking things up a notch with the return of its annual Truffle Lunch on Sunday, June 22. For one day only, expect a feast brimming with tantalising Australian black truffles, foraged by the best of the best hounds in Western Australia's Manjimup region. Transported across the country, these aromatic beauties are being turned into a specially crafted set menu for your dining delight, available for $95 per person. The feast kicks off with starters like Fabbrica sourdough and truffle butter, and beef carpaccio with mushroom and black truffle. Then, it's time for pasta, as guests relish dishes like spaghetti cacio e tartufi, and gnocchi with porcini and black truffle. Finally, an inventive dessert awaits: truffled honey panna cotta, topped with roasted almonds. Guided by Fabbrica's Group Head Chef Damiano Balducci, the day features two lunch sittings at 12pm and 2.30pm, with seating in the main dining room and at a communal table. You'll want to book fast to secure your place, and note that the kitchen can't accommodate dietary restrictions on this occasion.
If you're a dessert fiend, you've probably spent much of the pandemic satisfying your sweet tooth with a little help from Gelato Messina's long list of specials. The chain is clearly known for it frosty scoops, but it also likes to dabble with Iced VoVo cakes, cookie pies and sticky scrolls, among other dishes. If you're eager to try its latest treat, however, you'll need to place an order with online bakery Black Cream. Messina now makes its own couverture chocolate, so Black Cream is putting it to work in its new Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecakes. There's no gelato in sight — but if you order one of these beauties, which has been dubbed 'The Black', you'll be able to sink your teeth into a cheesecake made with Messina's 65-percent dark chocolate. Don't like choccies? This obviously isn't for you. Love chocolate more than most things? Then we've just found your next excuse to treat your tastebuds. The Black costs $65, with the 18-centimetre cheesecake designed to serve between six and eight people — and, given the time of year, that screams festive season. "We use only the best Australian ingredients in all our cheesecakes. Messina chocolate brought a bold richness of flavours to our cakes. There was no choice but to create the Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecake," explains Black Cream's Ant Sandler and Lucie Bertiau. When they started their cheesecake business in 2020, the pair actually sought inspiration from Messina. And, after taking a tour of Messina's HQ, they were inspired to start experimenting with its couverture chocolate in their cheesecakes. Given the bakery's online setup, Sydneysiders can get The Black delivered to their doors, too. You do need to order at least two days in advance, so take that into consideration if your stomach is now rumbling. To order Black Cream's Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecakes, head to the online bakery's website.
Thanks to the success of Beef, the past year has been huge for Ali Wong. It was back in April 2023 that the hit series arrived, getting audiences obsessed and sparking plenty of accolades coming Wong's way. She won Best Actress Emmy, Golden Globe, Film Independent Spirt and Screen Actors Guild awards for playing Amy Lau, who has a carpark altercation with Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) that neither can let go of — and that changes both of their lives. The last 12 months have also been massive for the American actor and comedian onstage, all thanks to her Ali Wong: Live tour. Wong has been playing to full houses in the US, and also in Paris and London — and Sydney audiences can see her this winter at three gigs from Thursday, July 18–Saturday, July 20 at the ICC Theatre, Sydney. [caption id="attachment_893741" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Cooper/Netflix © 2023[/caption] Behind the microphone, Wong's comedy career dates back almost two decades, including three Netflix stand-up specials: 2016's Baby Cobra, 2018's Hard Knock Wife and 2022's Don Wong. And, as an author, Wong also has 2019's Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life to her name. On-screen, Wong doesn't let go of grudges easily, at least in Beef. In rom-com Always Be My Maybe, she's also been romanced by Keanu Reeves. Tuca & Bertie had her voice an anthropomorphic song thrush, while Big Mouth sent her back to middle school. Beef, on which Wong was also an executive producer, earned just as much love for the show overall — including the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series; Golden Globe for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television; Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series under 40 minutes; Film Independent Spirt Award for Best New Scripted Series; and PGA for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television. [caption id="attachment_946690" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Cooper/Netflix © 2023[/caption]
If you've been itching to get out of your comfort zone and ditch tradition these holidays, you're not alone. A mammoth proportion of young Aussies are looking to celebrate the silly season a little differently this year. New research from the adventure lovers at Adrenaline has found 84 percent of young Aussies are abandoning their Christmas plans to celebrate in a bigger way — with almost half of young Aussies planning to bail on their family lunch in favour of gifting themselves an adventure. And we don't blame them — especially after spending a good portion of the year where the most exciting journey was walking to a coffee shop within five kilometres (shivers). So, if you reckon you fit into the statistics above, we've got you covered. From kayaking to skydiving, read on for five adventurous activities you can do this festive season. Plus, if you've left gift shopping to the last minute, these all double as excellent presents, so you and your favourite people can go on a fun experience together. SWAP STUFFING FOR SKYDIVING Is the stress of whipping a pav and scrambling for last-minute presents not enough to get your blood pumping? Why not try jumping out of a plane over Wollongong? You'll experience the Illawarra region from a whole other level (literally) and get to jump from up to 15,000 feet with a 60-second free-fall. Once you're at about 5000 feet from the ground, your instructor will pop off the parachute and you'll get five straight minutes of easy breezy gliding time to soak up the sights — it's thrilling and dreamy at the same time. A tandem skydive with an instructor goes for $339. FORGET THE ELVES AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH FLIPPER If you're visiting Victoria for the holidays, shake things up a bit and have a swim with everyone's favourite sea dogs. You can dive head-first into the water with these intelligent fellas near Sorrento, for an incredible up close and personal aquatic adventure. You'll be taken out on a scenic boat ride across Port Phillip Bay, before diving into the crystal clear water to explore reefs with sea dragons and swim around with wild bottlenose dolphins and and playful fur seals. A pass for two people will set you back $330. LEAVE KRIS KRINGLE FOR A KAYAKING ADVENTURE Whether you're in Sydney or somewhere else along the NSW coast this season, Adrenaline probably has a kayaking adventure nearby for you to jump on. There's a 2.5-hour kayaking tour in Byron Bay for those of you further north, where you'll be able to spot dolphins, turtles and other marine life and learn to surf your kayak on the way back into shore. Down south for the holidays? Check out the full-day Jervis Bay self guided tour, which costs just $85 for two. Or, if you're staying put in the city, jump on the Sydney Harbour kayak tour, which begins in Glebe and includes a guided walking tour of Goat Island. DITCH THE CHRISTMAS HAM FOR A HELICOPTER RIDE AROUND THE HARBOUR Sydney Harbour is pretty jaw-dropping when witnessed from land, but have you ever gotten a bird's eye view? Take a private scenic ride on a helicopter to witness the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and city in all its glory. You can go as a pair for 30 minutes for $430, and you can bring a third person for free. Want that extra thrill? There's a black ops doors-off military flight mission you can hop on, with take-home GoPro footage so you can brag about it later. On top of the crazy speeds, you'll be taking in fantastic views of Sydney Harbour, Bondi and more. If you want to explore more of Sydney's northern beaches, opt for a scenic 30-minute seaplane flight, which leaves from Rose Bay and flies you over Manly, Curl Curl and Avalon on the way up to Palm Beach and over the Pittwater's magical waterways on the return. And if the experience has inspired a potential career change, you can get a taste of the pilot life on the 30-minute training flight. CHANGE UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS FOR ZOOMY LAPS If that history-making final Formula 1 race last week has you craving that high-voltage car racing thrill, sign up for a V8 race around Eastern Creek Raceway, from $399. After a pre-race briefing, where you'll get the lowdown on apexes, braking points and overtaking, you'll get to drive a real V8 supercar for six laps around this challenging circuit with a professional instructor as your passenger. There's no speed limit so it's entirely up to you how heavy you want to push that accelerating pedal. You have a choice of manual and automatic transmissions in a range of custom-built Ford and Holden cars. To celebrate an Unconventional Christmas, head to the Adrenaline website and choose from over 2500 adventurous experiences to share with your loved ones, and add a little thrill to your holiday season.
Spring has sprung and with it, longer days and sunnier afternoons primed for soaking up some rays with a refreshing drop in hand. If this sounds up your alley, Opera Bar's perfectly pink wine festival Rosé All Day should be top of your must-do list when it returns for ten days in September. Throughout the festival, the iconic harbourside bar at the nation's most famous building, boasting unbeatable views of the Harbour Bridge, will be thinking and drinking pink. Expect frosé, spritzes, pét-nat, cocktails, and rosé both still and sparkling, with varieties from Big Dreams, Petite Amour, Tar & Roses and Chandon. There will even be a range of rosé-centric cocktails, like the frozen rosé and honey margarita; the rosé rebellion featuring Campari, sweet vermouth, sparkling rosé, and coconut water; and spring kiss, a blushing blend of rosé, Aperol, St Germain and raspberry liqueur, topped off with soda. Accompanying all of the pink drinks will be a pink food menu featuring oysters with a rosé mignonette, tuna tartare on prawn crackers with finger lime, and strawberries and cream pavlova. Opera Bar's full menu will also be available to order during the festival. Serenading your every sip, you can expect daily live music performances, DJ sets and a fabulous shimmer squad on weekends. Tickets to the rosé festival cost $45 per person, and include entry plus three pink drinks for you to claim at any point — any tipples you're tempted by after that will be on your own dime. Prebooking is encouraged, but there will also be a limited number of walk-in tickets available each day of the fest.
With the inaugural Naturellement festival selling out back in 2021, the time has finally come for a bigger and better second edition. Taking over Galleria Ettalong Beach for two jam-packed days of epicurean drinking and dining, visitors will encounter 120 choice artisan beverages to sample. Plus, a bevy of admired chefs will present fascinating masterclasses and talks diving deep into top-notch cuisine. Held across May 17–18, Naturellement is the brainchild of drinks guru and P&V Merchants' owner Mike Bennie, alongside Kristy Austin, the founder of creative experience agency We Are Neighbourgood. Together, this savvy duo has curated a lineup showcasing some of the best artisan, natural, organic and small-batch drinks producers in the land. The bites haven't been forgotten either, with a host of local food purveyors along for the ride too. Bennie has scoured his vast network to bring together 30 first-rate products from the Central Coast and beyond. Names like SABI-WABI, Majama Wines, Harkham, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Jilly Wine Co and Meredith by Mem will share their wares for your drinking delight. Meanwhile, the event makes it easy to chat with these forward-thinking operators, helping you learn about their sustainable processes and creative brewing techniques. With a drink in hand, there's plenty of time to soak up Austin's exciting culinary program too. Here, celebrated chefs and sustainability advocates like Alanna Sapwell-Stone (The Eltham Hotel) and Matt Stone (Ciao Mate, You Beauty) will showcase their cooking skills and impart their seemingly endless knowledge to the crowd. Making the trip from Adelaide is Jake Kellie, whose time leading Singapore's Michelin-starred Burnt Ends and Adelaide's Arkhe has helped him become a true master of the flame. "This is a celebration of NSW and the ACT's artisan, boutique and avant-garde producers," says Bennie. "It's also an opportunity to introduce Australians, particularly those in our large cities like Sydney and Melbourne, to regional centres like the Central Coast. There's a bounty of incredible food, wine, beer, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks on offer, so why shouldn't there be a festival that shares it with the rest of the country?" Also on schedule is a series of one-off dishes created in collaboration with Central Coast culinary legends, fun-filled masterclasses covering the ins and outs of winemaking and a dedicated talks program, featuring inspiring conversations with local farmers, producers and wild food cooks on sustainability, regenerative farming and the future of Australia's food scene. Naturellement runs from Saturday, May 17–Sunday, May 18 at Galleria, 189 Ocean View Rd, Ettalong Beach. Head to the website for more information.
Collaboration champion Tokyo Lamington is celebrating native ingredients via a month-long team-up with the Ace Hotel's welcoming laneway cafe Good Chemistry. If you haven't had the chance to swing past the ground-floor venue of the sleek new Surry Hills hotel, you're missing out on a charming cafe by day, neighbourhood wine bar each Thursday–Saturday night, and the host of a produce market every Saturday morning. If you needed any more of an excuse to head into Good Chemistry, all this month, you'll find three limited-edition Tokyo Lamington lamington flavours at the cafe, each packed with native Australian ingredients. Fans of a standard lamington can opt for the Native OG, made from vanilla sponge, raspberry and Lilly Pilly jam, vanilla cream, chocolate sauce and toasted coconut — simple and classic. The honey macadamia flavour covers roasted macadamias, honey cream and a gluten-free sponge with white chocolate, macadamia cookie and coconut; and the Australian gin and tonic lamington features a Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin-soaked sponge, native spice cream aniseed, dessert lime, ginger lime, Davidson plum, cinnamon cream, gin and tonic jellies, strawberry gum, white chocolate and coconut. The trio of lamingtons are available at Good Chemistry until Tuesday, May 30 in packs of three ($26) or on their own ($9). If you're feeling truly indulgent, you can also order a lamington-flavoured gin and tonic, which incorporates the ingredients from the G&T dessert into a delightful boozy beverage. Images Nikki To
Many of us who grew up in Sydney were lucky enough to spend our summers down on the south coast. We'd head down for a camping holiday or weekend escape and no trip was complete without a stop in at Pilgrims for its super-tasty burgers and nourishing dishes. Now, Sydneysiders don't have to travel quite as far to get their fix, because the beloved coastal cafe has just opened in Bronte. First set up in Milton in 1980, Pilgrims is now a five-branch mini-chain. There's of course the OG cafe and the most recent Bronte one, plus a Pilgrims in Huskisson, Corrimal and Cronulla. The opening of the second Sydney location marks Pilgrims' 40th birthday. The reason Pilgrims does so well is that it takes simple vegetarian staples and makes them tastier than you thought possible, then hands them to you in generous serves. For breakfast, you can choose from from acai bowls, avo on Iggy's sourdough toast, haloumi stacks and smoothies. Then, for lunch, its famed veggie burgers — think chilli jam and haloumi, curried lentil patties and mixed grain patties — are a must. On Fridays and Saturdays from 5–9pm, you'll find the menu changes a little, with a Mexican feast on offer. Burritos, tacos, nachos and bowls all come stuffed and topped with the likes of beans, spiced potato, cheese and generous dollops of guac. Cocktails, wine and beers are on offer, too. Whether you pick up your food or dine in, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of the bright, airy interior, designed by local architect firm Lane & Grove. Featuring white-washed walls, wicker chairs, light timber benches and lots of greenery, the space echoes the coastal Sydney location, as well as pays homage to the south coast.
If golden, crunchy, juicy fried chook is your idea of a perfect meal then you probably have July 6 permanently marked in your diary. Each and every year, that's when the world's fried chicken-lovers celebrate their favourite food. We're not saying that the chook will taste better on that date, but if you just can't get enough of the trusty dish, it's definitely time to celebrate. This year, to mark the occasion, 50 restaurants across Australia are offering up to 50 percent off their take on the dish for two days via Deliveroo. On Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, you can get finger licken' good chook delivered straight to your home or office — or home office — for cheap. Lunch, sorted. Melburnians have 18 chook joints to choose from, including Hawker Chan, Seoul Hot Chicken, Oriental Teahouse, Hakata Gensuke and Carl's Jr, while Sydneysiders have 16, with the likes of Johnny Bird, Broaster, Chi Kim and Angry Tony's all getting on board. Brisbanites have six options for their half-price burger fix, including Seoul Bistro, Lord of the Wings and Cafe Etto. You can check out the full list below. To get your fix, all you need to do is jump on to Deliveroo and find your closest chook favourite and order. [caption id="attachment_659902" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johnny Bird[/caption] WORLD FRIED CHICKEN DAY RESTAURANTS SYDNEY Angry Tony's - Darlington Rooster and Grill Inferno Grill Inferno Grill Pyrmont Chi Kim WingBoy - Bondi Junction WingBoy - Parramatta WingBoy - Eastgardens WingBoy - Macquarie It's Time for Thai Newtown Manoosh Pizzeria (Enmore) Manoosh Pizzeria (Marrickville) Manoosh Lebanese Pizza - Waterloo Manoosh Pizzeria - Caringbah Johnny Bird Broasters Fried Chicken MELBOURNE Hakata Gensuke QV Hakata Gensuke Yatai Carlton Hakata Gensuke Hawthorn - Ramen Professional Hakata Gensuke Tonkotsu Ramen Seoul Hot Chicken Chicken Episode Oriental Teahouse Little Collins Chicken Episode 2.5 Slap Burger - Editions Collingwood Angry Birds Burger Joint - Editions Collingwood Peach's Fried Chicken - Editions Collingwood Bao Wow - Editions Collingwood F.A.T - Fried & TastyCarl's Jr (Docklands) Carl's Jr - Knox Carl's Jr - Altona Hawker Chan Hawker Chan - Chadstone Hawker Chan Box Hill BRISBANE Seoul Bistro Lord of the Wings Indooroopilly Lord of the Wings Carindale Cafe Etto Brisbane Chop Chop Changs Wilde Kitchen Top image: Lord of the Wings
It's time to fasten your seatbelt for another Southeast Asian adventure, as Cambodian street food pop-up Kingdom of Rice gears up to open its doors this Friday, October 12. Taking over the space at the Tennyson Hotel drive-through bottle-o, most recently home to Mr Liquor's Dirty Italian Disco, the temporary eatery is a collaboration between the crew from ACME and Merivale — the latter being new owners of the hotel. Kingdom of Rice will set up shop here for a lively six-month stint, dishing up a fun, colourful menu loaded with classic Khmer flavours and culinary techniques. And of course, plenty of that signature ACME creative streak. It's fare that promises to pack a punch to all the senses, with a share-friendly offering of snacks, skewers, grilled delights, wok dishes, noodles and — of course — rice. ACME co-owner Mitch Orr will be working in the kitchen with head chef Lillia McCabe, who has just returned from a stint at Singapore's Blackwattle. They'll be joined on the floor by another ACME co-owner Cam Fairbairn and head of front-of-house Sophia Thach. Thach is of Cambodian descent and spent time living in working in Phnom Penh, and will be bringing her first-hand experience of the region to the pop-up. On the menu, expect starters like trey neet alek (dried fish and watermelon) and svay kchey (green mango with chilli and salt), and skewers featuring the likes of shiitake mushroom and lemongrass beef, each served with baguette and a pickled green papaya salad. The heftier end of the lineup sees plates like chicken wings stuffed with a traditional Cambodian spice paste, pipis with lime and kampot pepper, whole fish with coconut and lemongrass served hot from the grill, and pandan coconut waffles teamed with coconut sorbet. The self-serve bottle shop set-up remains as it was for Mr Liquor's, though this time the walk-in fridge is stocked with easy-drinking Asian brews and natural wines sourced from across the country. Cocktails share the menu's Cambodian leanings, with sips including the Pandan Piña Colada and a Hennessy and Jasmine Tea. Head in, nab a plastic market stool and dive into some gutsy fare, while old-school Cambodian movies flicker on the colourful walls. Find Kingdom of Rice at the Tennyson Hotel, 952 Botany Rd, Mascot, from this Friday, October 12. It'll open Wednesday through Sunday each week, for the next six months. Images: Nikki To
In light of a new deal struck with Cambodia, the asylum seeker debate has flared up again. The lucky country has come under fire for deflecting responsibility and outsourcing solutions to countries with fragile economies and questionable human rights records. Between media blackouts and reports of self-harm on Nauru, the plight of dispossessed and disenfranchised people has become one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. Reaching for a quick fix, political rhetoric and three-word slogans seem to eclipse the fact that we are dealing with human beings. Alex Seton's Refoulement at Sullivan and Strumpf Gallery manages to peel back the layers, excavating the individual from the statistic and reflecting on positions of privilege. The title takes its cue from the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which protects asylum seekers and refugees from being sent to any place where they have a well-founded fear of persecution. At the Adelaide Biennial earlier this year, Seton exhibited Someone died trying to have a life like mine, referencing the discovery of 28 life jackets washed up on the shore of Cocos Island in May, 2013. In a similar turn, many of the sculptures featured in Refoulement are facts: a paddle, a life-jacket, a flimsy blow-up boat. Though ghostly in their appearance, they are chiselled from hard rock. By carving these cheap, expendable materials out of solid marble, Seton gestures towards an issue that won’t be willed away. Dominating the lower level of the gallery is a large sculpture of inflatable palm trees. An image of kitschy Australiana, they are silhouetted by balmy orange lighting. Like a mirage or an unattainable final destination, the solemnity of the marble makes them appear like tropical tombstones. Seton also breaks the logic of the illusion by positioning them on sharp pieces of broken rock, which are actually the wreckage of the life jackets. Technically speaking, Seton’s masterful handing of the form and rigorous attention to detail is compelling. From the slight wobble and subtle wrinkles of the inflatable palm trees to the taut fabric of the blow up boat, he manages to create momentary optical illusions. The confusion between hard and soft could be a metaphor for the way the issue plays out in ethical binaries. There are multiple ways in which the marble can be interpreted, but above all, it is contemplative. While the phrase “cold indifference” comes to mind, this exhibition isn't overly moralising; there is a quiet beauty evoked by these sculptures. Seton queries the space between what is seen and unseen, injecting a dose of necessary humanity into an issue that is far from simple.
There's not a whole lot that will coax you off the couch on a frosty winter weeknight, though we have an inkling Efendy's new weekly dinner deal should do just that. Balmain's acclaimed Turkish restaurant is this week, July 3, kicking off a series of kebab and bottomless wine nights, on offer from 5pm every Wednesday and Thursday. Yep — two nights a week, head in and cosy up to an authentic Turkish feast prepared by chef Somer Sivrioglu, with likes of adana kebabs, chicken skewers, beef kofte, lahmacun (Turkish pizza topped with minced meat and spices) and the spicy Turkish salad ezme. As well as all that food, diners will also enjoy a bottomless two-hour drinks package, sipping their way through an endless range of Turkish whites, reds and rosés — with the whole thing (food included) coming in at just $60 per person. If that's not worth coming out of hibernation for, we don't know what is.
Underground Cinema — Melbourne-born innovators of secret immersive film experiences — have announced their latest Sydney instalment: Money. These are the people who take cinema out of the cinema and into boatyards, beaches and after-hours schools, creating a world in sync with the evening's film through real-life actors, evocative food, intricate sets and costumes. It's all themed to set the scene and get guests guessing, because the film, of course, is a secret. So what do we know? We know that UGC Money will transport guests back to the pre-market crash 1980s for a cinema event that's more like walking onto a film set than anything else. Think fast cars, shoulder pads, yuppies and stock brokers. Dress is "'80s power", and you're required to "bring your A game". The dates confirmed for Sydney are Thursday, July 16; Friday, July 17; and Saturday, July 18. Whatever the film is, viewers can expect immersion bordering on camp. In the past they've taken toga-clad cinema-goers to ancient Rome (for Life of Brian) and given out white jumpsuits, student cards and medical examinations before filing people into a snow-covered Swedish academy (Let the Right One In). As distinct from World Movies Secret Cinema with its ambitious locations, the focus here is really on interactivity, immersion and theatricality, quite like the UK institution Secret Cinema. Tickets are on sale on Tuesday, May 26, at 1pm sharp. There's a cash bar and hot food on site, and all ticketholders will be sent details of the location via SMS on the day. Keep an eye on the UGC Facebook page for more details.
Pretty lights take a turn for the fantastical and intergalactic at The Argyle's Fractured Fantasies this Vivid season. In a series of themed weekend events, The Rocks' iconic cobblestone courtyard venue is being transformed into an otherworldly paradise; populated with psychedelic light shows, fire twirlers, performers and a rotating lineup of local DJs — including MINX, Ben Morris and TASS. This weekend (29–31 May), make like Alice and tumble down the rabbit hole for Wonderland-themed cocktails and kaleidoscopic lights (the perfect combination for celebrating your very merry unbirthday). Then, on 5-7 June, don't be taken aback if you see Darth Vader and his ilk spinning the decks. There’s something just so right about the union of lights and lightsabers, so naturally this is your chance to release your inner Jedi (or maybe you’re more of an Ewok? Not judging). Fractured Fantasies kicks off at 6pm each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during Vivid. That’s your eyes and ears indulged, but what’s a feast for the senses without some nosh? Good thing The Argyle Precinct restaurants (Sake, Ananas Bar & Brasserie, The Cut Bar & Grill, Lowenbrau Keller and The Argyle itself) are also open from 5pm every day during the festival.
Sometimes a movie makes a statement. Sometimes it just thinks it does. In Men, Women & Children, the impact of digital technologies on interpersonal exchanges is purportedly probed for all to see. We’re not only caught up in our daily minutiae, the film appears to posit, but our interactions are so often mediated and dictated by the online world that truly connecting with our loved ones is impossible. An interstellar framing device certainly labors this point, announced in the unseen Emma Thompson’s dulcet tones. Linking to Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot, the sequence bookends the feature’s musing on modern relationships. The narration waxes lyrical about the juxtaposition of our supposed importance: we blast tokens of our species into space as if someone might care, yet given our tiny place in our universe, our daily realities can only be trivial and insignificant. Living life through the internet doesn’t matter; we’re best spending our time cultivating physical, tangible bonds with those we care about. Adapted by writer/director Jason Reitman from the novel of the same name, Men, Women & Children states its case through intertwined vignettes. Across an average American community, lives and loves are influenced by devices on desks and in hands. A married couple (Rosemarie DeWitt and Adam Sandler) seek sexual fulfilment not from each other but through an affair website and prostitution. Their son (Travis Tope) has a porn habit that means he can’t relate to his wannabe actress classmate (Olivia Crocicchia), who posts semi-clad modelling pictures online with the help of her mother (Judy Greer). Said single parent warms to an abandoned father (Dean Norris) concerned that his son (Ansel Elgort) prefers gaming to football. And so it continues, with the lapsed athlete falling for a melancholy teen (Kaitlyn Dever) constantly surveilled by her fear-mongering mother (Jennifer Garner). Then there’s the cheerleader (Elena Kampouris) with body issues and a crush on an older boy (Will Peltz) unnoticed by her father (JK Simmons). Everyone has names, but they need not; they’re symbols, a means to an end, faces placed upon narrative convenience. That the ensemble is rendered in such broad terms, with a clear lack of subtlety and satire from the maker of Juno and Young Adult, is what makes Men, Women & Children alarming to watch. Surprisingly, it’s not the messaging that grates, because the bland material constantly undermines its own aim. The characters aren’t cast adrift by their technological predilections, but by their self-involvement, both of the on- and off-line variety. The usual Reitman aesthetic polish is evident, and the performances from the largely high-profile cast are effective; however, it all amounts to a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. With the supposed rallying against digital living too easily dismissed by inconsistent plot machinations, all that results is a soapy dramedy on the struggles of sex and secrets that has been done before and better by the likes of American Beauty and Crazy, Stupid Love.
Dig out your high-tops, pick out your baggiest T and start rehearsing your Funky Charleston: DJ Jazzy Jeff is coming to town. Summer is finally, officially, upon us, and The Soda Factory crew is so happy about it that they’re throwing you a free (FREE!) party, hosted by the creator of ‘90s hit ‘Summertime’ himself. After booking Jazzy for a December 6 boat party and selling it out in record time, the Soda team decided that they’d do the generous thing and invite him to play an extra, one-off, midweek date, on Thursday, December 4. Doors open at 5pm. The ‘Welcome to Summertime’ party is one date in Jazzy’s Australian tour, which also takes him to Melbourne and Perth. It’s also the first in a series of hot weather-inspired events to be held at the Soda Factory, all driven by some serious international talent. You’ll be able to catch Ladyhawke and New York founding father of hip hop Grandmaster Flash later in the month.
Nowadays, in the 21st century where everyone works in New Media sitting on laptops in cafes smugly sending each other Kanye memes via bluetooth, the threat of an impending Monday morning has become irrelevant. So why not celebrate this fact with Cabinet.Cabinet is a series of four fortnightly Sunday events happening in October and November at the Red Rattler in Marrickville. With acts ranging from music, film projections, live art and short performances, the quality appears sky high with artists including Monk Fly, The Outer Space Cowboys and the always amazing Glitch Jukebox. The arvos kick off on Sunday October 11 with CuBBYHOuSE – super thespian clowns from Sydney who’ve just got back from training in Europe and touring New York. They have a sort of The Goodies meets Michel Gondry vibe. Keep your eyes peeled for their full length show coming to The Old Fitz in November.
In 2011, playwrights Rachael Coopes and Wayne Blair took part in a series of residencies in the small town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. They'd been commissioned by the Australian Theatre for Young People to write a story that would give audiences an insight into what it was like to grow up in the more remote corners of our country. The result is Sugarland — a variously hilarious and haunting tale about a largely invisible teenage Australia. "This is a play that makes us reassess our national identity and what it is to be Australian," co-director Fraser Corfield says. "It reminds us that to be young is not necessarily to be innocent, and hardship doesn't extinguish humour." The play premiered at the Darwin Festival earlier this month, before transferring to Sydney. ATYP is continually challenging expectations about 'youth theatre', and with Sugarland — their first fully professional production since 1978 — they seem to be boldly continuing in that direction.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 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, including new releases, 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. BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't the movie it was initially going to be, the sequel to 2018's electrifying and dynamic Black Panther that anyone behind it originally wanted it to be, or the chapter in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that it first aimed to be — this, the world already knows. The reason why is equally familiar, after Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020 aged 43. At its best, this direct followup to the MCU's debut trip to its powerful African nation doesn't just know this, too, but scorches that awareness deep into its frames. King T'Challa's death starts the feature, a loss that filmmaking trickery doesn't reverse, no matter how meaningless mortality frequently proves when on-screen resurrections are usually a matter of mere plot twists. Wakanda Forever begins with heartbreak and pain, in fact, and with facing the hard truth that life ends and, in ways both big and small, that nothing is ever the same. Your typical franchise entry about quick-quipping costumed crusaders courageously protecting the planet, this clearly isn't. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler (Creed) like its predecessor — co-scripting again with Joe Robert Cole (All Day and a Night) — Wakanda Forever is about grief, expected futures that can no longer be and having to move forward anyway. That applies in front of and behind the lens; as ruminating so heavily on loss underscores, the movie has a built-in justification for not matching the initial flick. The Boseman-sized hole at Wakanda Forever's centre is gaping, unsurprisingly, even in a feature that's a loving homage to him, and his charm and gravitas-filled take on the titular character. Also, that vast void isn't one this film can fill. Amid overtly reckoning with absence, Coogler still has a top-notch cast — returnees Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke, plus new addition Tenoch Huerta, most notably — drawing eyeballs towards his vibrant imagery, but his picture is also burdened with MCU bloat and mechanics, and infuriating bet-hedging. The emotional tributes to T'Challa and Boseman hit swiftly, after the former's tech-wiz sister Shuri (Wright, Death on the Nile) agonises over not being able to save him. In a swirl of song, dance, colour, movement, rhythm and feeling on par with the first instalment, but also solemn, Wakanda erupts in mourning, and the film makes plain that the Black Panther audiences knew is gone forever. A year later, sorrow lingers, but global courtesy wanes — now that the world knows about the previously secret country and its metal vibranium, everyone wants a piece. Such searching incites a new threat to the planet, courtesy of Mesoamerican underwater kingdom Talokan and its leader-slash-deity Namor (Huerta, Narcos: Mexico). The Atlantis-esque ocean realm has vibranium as well, and it's not keen on anywhere else but Wakanda doing the same. If Queen Ramonda (Bassett, Gunpowder Milkshake), Shuri and their compatriots don't join Namor to fight back, Namor will wage war against them instead. Given Coogler and Cole's basic premise, bringing back Okoye (Gurira, The Walking Dead), head of the Wakanda's formidable Dora Milaje warriors, is obviously easy. The same applies to fellow soldier Ayo (Florence Kasumba, Tatort), and to introducing Aneka (Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You). Straight-talking tribal leader M'Baku (Duke, Nine Days) makes a seamless comeback and, although she's working in a school in Haiti, former spy Nakia (Nyong'o, The 355) does the same. Even excusing seeing CIA operative Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, Breeders) again is straightforward enough, but keeping overarching Marvel saga cogs turning means a pointless reappearance for another character familiar from the broader series but new to Black Panther movies. And, it results in the clunkiest of kickoffs for "young, gifted and Black" college student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne, Judas and the Black Messiah), the star of upcoming MCU Disney+ TV show Ironheart, who is needlessly shoehorned in on the big-screen. Read our full review. THE VELVET QUEEN "If nothing came, we just hadn't looked properly." Partway through The Velvet Queen, writer Sylvain Tesson utters these lyrical words about a specific and patient quest; however, they echo far further than the task at hand. This absorbing documentary tracks his efforts with wildlife photographer Vincent Munier to see a snow leopard — one of the most rare and elusive big cats there is — but much in the entrancing film relates to life in general. Indeed, while the animals that roam the Tibetan plateau earns this flick's focus, as does the sweeping landscape itself, Munier and his fellow co-director and feature first-timer Marie Amiguet have made a movie about existence first and foremost. When you peer at nature, you should see the world, as well as humanity's place in it. You should feel the planet's history, and the impact that's being made on its future, too. Sensing exactly that with this engrossing picture comes easily — and so does playing a ravishing big-screen game of Where's Wally?. No one wears red-and-white striped jumpers within The Velvet Queen's frames, of course. The Consolations of the Forest author Tesson and world-renowned shutterbug Munier dress to blend in, trying to camouflage into their sometimes-dusty, sometimes-snowy, always-rocky surroundings, but they aren't the ones that the film endeavours to spy. The creatures that inhabit Tibet's craggy peaks have evolved to blend in, so attempting to see many of them is an act of persistence and deep observation — and locking eyes on the snow leopard takes that experience to another level. Sometimes, pure movement gives away a critter's presence. On one occasion, looking back through images of a perched falcon offers unexpected rewards. As lensed by Amiguet (La vallée des loups), Munier and assistant director Léo-Pol Jacquot, The Velvet Queen draws upon hidden cameras, too, but so much of Tesson and Munier's mission is about sitting, watching and accepting that everything happens in its own time. Letting what comes come — and acknowledging that some things simply won't ever occur at all — isn't an easy truth to grapple with. Nonetheless, it's also one of this contemplative feature's achievements, even though it's a type of detective story through and through. Tesson and Munier follow clues to search for the snow leopard, moving positions and setting up blinds wherever they think will score them their sought-after footage. In the process, they learn a lesson as all sleuths do. As they face the possibility that they might not be successful, which Tesson's perceptively navel-gazing narration explains, The Velvet Queen becomes a mindfulness course in filmic form. It has something astonishing that all the Calm, Headspace and similar apps in the world don't, though: the film's on-the-ground recordings (well, 5000-metres-up recordings), which show why finding peace with life's ebbs and flows is all that we can really hope for. Accompanied by a stirring score from Australian icons and lifelong bandmates Warren Ellis and Nick Cave — their latest contribution to cinema on a resume that includes The Proposition, The Road, Hell or High Water and Wind River before it — it's no wonder that The Velvet Queen's philosophising voiceover also notes that "waiting was a prayer". It's similarly unsurprising that Tesson penned a book, The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet, based on the trip captured in the documentary. In fact, if you're the kind of person who keeps their peepers peeled for feline life in any new neighbourhood you visit, or even if you're just strolling around your own, this feature firmly understands. More than that, it one-ups you, while also connecting with the act of scouring and seeking as much as the potential joys of getting what you wish for. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; September 1, September 8, September 15, September 22 and September 29; October 6, October 13, October 20 and October 27; and November 3. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Orphan: First Kill, The Quiet Girl, Flux Gourmet, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Moonage Daydream, Ticket to Paradise, Clean, You Won't Be Alone, See How They Run, Smile, On the Count of Three, The Humans, Don't Worry Darling, Amsterdam, The Stranger, Halloween Ends, The Night of the 12th, Muru, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Black Adam, Barbarian, Decision to Leave, The Good Nurse, Bros, The Woman King, Sissy, Armageddon Time and The Wonder.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 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, including new releases, 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. THE QUIET GIRL When Normal People became the streaming sensation of the pandemic's early days, it made stars out of leads Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and swiftly sparked another Sally Rooney adaptation from much of the same behind-the-scenes team. It wouldn't have been the hit it was if it hadn't proven an exercise in peering deeply, thoughtfully, lovingly and carefully, though, with that sensation stemming as much from its look as its emotion-swelling story. It should come as no surprise, then, that cinematographer Kate McCullough works the same magic on The Quiet Girl, a Gaelic-language coming-of-age film that sees the world as only a lonely, innocent, often-ignored child can. This devastatingly moving and beautiful movie also spies the pain and hardship that shapes its titular figure's world — and yes, it does so softly and with restraint, just like its titular figure, but that doesn't make the feelings it swirls up any less immense. McCullough is just one of The Quiet Girl's key names; filmmaker Colm Bairéad, a feature first-timer who directs and adapts Claire Keegan's novella Foster, is another. His movie wouldn't be the deeply affecting affair it is without its vivid and painterly imagery — but it also wouldn't be the same without the helmer and scribe's delicate touch, which the 1981-set tale he's telling not only needs but demands. His focus: that soft-spoken nine-year-old, Cáit (newcomer Catherine Clinch), who has spent her life so far as no one's priority. With her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Shadow Dancer) pregnant again, her father (Michael Patric, Smother) happiest drinking, gambling and womanising, and her siblings boisterously bouncing around their rural Irish home, she's accustomed to blending in and even hiding out. Then, for the summer, she's sent to her mum's older cousin Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley, Extra Ordinary) and her dairy farmer husband Seán (Andrew Bennett, Dating Amber). Now the only child among doting guardians, she's no less hushed, but she's also loved and cared for as she's never been before. Clinch is another of The Quiet Girl's crucial figures, courtesy of a downright exceptional and star-making performance. If you were to discover that she was a quiet girl off-screen, too, you'd instantly believe it — that's how profoundly naturalistic she is. Finding a young talent to convey so much internalised, engrained sorrow, then to slowly blossom when fondness comes her way, isn't just a case of finding a well-behaved child who welcomes the camera's presence. Clinch makes Cáit's isolation and sadness feel palpable, and largely does so without words: again, this is The Quiet Girl in name and nature alike. She makes the comfort and acceptance that her character enjoys with the instantly tender Eibhlín feel just as real, and kicks into another still-composed but also visibly appreciative gear as a bond forms with the tight-lipped Seán. Pivotally, Clinch plays Cáit like she's the only lonely girl in Ireland, but also like she's every lonely and mostly silent girl that's ever called that or any country home. That astonishing performance, and the empathetic and absorbed gaze that beams it into the film's frames, tap into the lingering truth at the heart of this soulful picture: that overlooked and disregarded girls such as Cáit rarely receive this kind of notice on- or off-screen. The warm way that the movie surveys her life, and is truly willing to see it, is never anything less than an act of redress — and, even with dialogue sparse, The Quiet Girl screams that fact loudly. It gives the same treatment to loss, which is an unshakeable force in Eibhlín and Seán's home despite remaining unspoken. "There are no secrets in this house," Eibhlín tells Cáit, but that doesn't mean that the type of pain that defies speech doesn't haunt the place, as it does the lives lived in it. Grief, too, is usually pushed aside, but The Quiet Girl sees how it persists, dwells and gnaws even when — especially when — no one is talking about it. Read our full review. FLUX GOURMET Flickering across a cinema screen, even the greatest of movies only inherently activate two senses: sight and hearing. Audiences can feel the seats they nestle into in their favourite picture palaces, and savour both the scent and flavour of popcorn while they watch, but no one can touch, taste or smell films themselves as they're playing — even if adding scratch-and-sniff aromas to the experience has become a cult-favourite gimmick. British director Peter Strickland knows all of the above. And, he hasn't ever released a feature in Smell-o-Vision, Smell-O-Rama or Odorama. But his work still conjures up sensations that viewers know they can't genuinely be having, such as running your fingers over an alluring dress with In Fabric, detecting the flutter of insect wings against your skin via The Duke of Burgundy and, courtesy of his latest movie Flux Gourmet, relishing the fragrances and tastes whipped up by a culinary collective that turns cooking and eating into performance art. If you've seen his features before, Flux Gourmet instantly sounds like something that only Strickland could make — and from its first frame till its last, it proves that with every moment. While spinning this innately sensory tale, which he both helmed and penned, it does indeed literally sound like something that only Strickland could've come up with, in fact. As the acoustics-focused Berberian Sound Studio demonstrated, the filmmaker's audioscapes are always a thing of wonder, too. His movies may manage to magically engage senses that cinema's sound-and-vision combination intrinsically shouldn't, but they also make the utmost use of every echo. The same applies to each image; unsurprisingly due to his strong and distinctive sense of style and mood, everything about Flux Gourmet looks and feels like pure Strickland. His films can't actually be injected into anyone's veins, but the director's devotees will instantly want this delirious farce pumping through their system. The setting: The Sonic Catering Institute, a conservatory specialising in blending sound and cuisine, as its name makes plain. The "institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance" is overseen by the couture-coveting Jan Stevens (Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones), and regularly welcomes in different groups to undertake residencies. Those visiting artists collaborate, percolate and come up with eye-catching blends of food, bodies and creativity. Hosting OTT dinners, role-playing a trip to the supermarket, getting scatalogical and turning a live colonoscopy into a show: they're just some of the menu items that Jan's latest guests cook up. In Elle di Elle (Strickland regular Fatma Mohamed), Lamina Propria (Ariane Labed, The Souvenir: Part II) and Billy Rubin's (Asa Butterfield, Sex Education) case, however, that unique kind of kitchen virtuosity only springs when they're not broiling in messy bickering. Chaos bubbles through and troubles the trio's troupe, who stir up mayhem among themselves as heartily as any chef stirs their dishes. But Elle, Lamina and Billy aren't the Institute's only current visitors. Watching and chronicling is journalist Stones (Makis Papadimitriou, Beckett), who is also suffering from gastrointestinal struggles that he worries might be something more. As his subjects keep riffing on the human digestive system, or trying to, he can't control his own. Endeavouring to withhold his flatulence 24/7 is his constant struggle. Somehow, keeping a straight face as everything gets absurd around him is a far easier task, but Flux Gourmet's viewers shouldn't want to share that achievement with him; this purposefully strange, silly and surreal film is far too deliciously hilarious. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28; August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; and September 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6, Sundown, The Gray Man, The Phantom of the Open, The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Official Competition, The Forgiven, Full Time, Murder Party, Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing and Orphan: First Kill.
Sydneysiders, it's time to look up — and pair your stargazing with astronomy talks, tunes, performances, and drinks and bites to eat from leading New South Wales producers. That's all on the agenda at Sydney Observatory's new late-night series, which'll turn looking at the heavens into a party. Kicking off on Saturday, October 8, the program's debut session doubles as the launch of Dr Nick Lomb's Australasian Sky Guide for 2023, too. It's the go-to resource about the southern night sky, complete with details of starry happenings to look forward to, viewing tips, and monthly sky maps. In this latest version, there's also an article on Wiradjuri constellations by Wiradjuri woman and PhD astrophysics candidate Kirsten Banks — and she'll be there on the night as part of the lineup of speakers, who'll chat between telescope views of Saturn, Jupiter and the moon. [caption id="attachment_866239" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Donkin[/caption] From there, Sydney Observatory's late-night lineup will return monthly — except in December, when the city is too busy looking at Christmas lights rather than the shining heavens. The November date, on Tuesday, November 8, is timed for a total lunar eclipse, while the Sunday, January 22 event will celebrate Lunar New Year, the Wednesday, February 22 session links in with World Pride, and the Saturday, March 25 fun will coincide with Earth Hour. Dates have been set until mid-2023, in fact, including a rare daytime event on Thursday, April 20 for the partial solar eclipse, backing it up a few weeks later on Saturday, May 6 for the full moon, and returning on Friday, June 22 for 2023's winter solstice. While entry is free, bookings are still essential. You'll be paying for whatever you eat and drink, of course, and also hanging out a historic Sydney's historic spot that dates back to 1859. [caption id="attachment_866238" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Haese[/caption]
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo has unveiled their 2016 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on the ANZAC Day long weekend and travel through Maitland, Canberra, Oakbank, Bendigo and Townsville before finishing up in Bunbury. This year's lineup sees all the international talent come from the U.S., with rappers Danny Brown and Vic Mensa taking the stage, along with electronic duo Odesza and returning acts MS MR and Ratatat. Otherwise, it's an all-Aussie affair with locals like triple j Hottest 100 winners The Rubens, Client Liaison, SAFIA, Remi and Ngaiire making their way to the Moo. Here's the full lineup. GROOVIN THE MOO 2016 LINEUP: Alison Wonderland Boo Seeka Boy & Bear British India Client Liaison Danny Brown (USA) Drapht DZ Deathrays Emma Louise Golden Features Harts Illy In Hearts Wake MS MR (USA) Mutemath (USA) Ngaiire Odesza (USA) Ratatat (USA) Remi The Rubens SAFIA Twenty One Pilots (USA) Vallis Alps Vic Mensa (USA) GROOVIN THE MOO 2016 DATES & VENUES: Saturday, April 23 – Maitland (NSW) Sunday, April 24 – Canberra (ACT) Monday, April 25 – Oakbank (SA) Saturday, April 30 — Bendigo (VIC) Sunday, May 1 — Townsville (QLD) Saturday, May 7 — Bunbury (WA) For more info, head to GTM's website. Image: Joseph Mayers, GTM.
Summer is nearly upon us, but, sadly, international travel is not on the cards this year. Hospitality group Aus Venue Co. feels your pain, which is why it's transporting you around the globe by turning six of its Sydney venues into epic staycation destinations. At Bungalow 8, there'll be Bali beach club vibes, where you can book a private deck for you and your mates ($79 per person), complete with an esky full of Bintang beer and prosecco. Or, opt for the $69 bottomless brunch — think fish tacos, nasi noodle salads and satay — with a prosecco fountain to boot. And, on Sundays, expect live tunes and pork on the spit. Manly Wine is transforming into a cherry blossom garden with its Sakura Summer. The menu will be full of Japanese-inspired bevvies and bites, including yuzu-spiked cocktails and bottomless dumplings on Wednesdays for $30. If you're missing music festivals, head over to Darling Harbour's Cargo, which has been decked out as a Coachella-inspired joint. You'll enter via a giant tent and step into a Palm Springs haven of cacti, lush greenery and plenty of pink hues. Of course, there'll be live music, which you can check out every Friday until the end of February. In Surry Hills, The Winery has been transformed into the Tuscan countryside, with a terrace slinging a daily aperitivo hour with free scoops of Mapo Newtown prosecco gelato from 5–6pm. Or, head there for a long Italian lunch for $59 each, with olives, tuna crudo, smoked salmon and caviar finger sandwiches, porchetta and rosé apple sauce on sourdough. [caption id="attachment_791319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Winery, Jasper Ave[/caption] The Rook has also turned to Italy, but it's channelling the Amalfi Coast. It'll host an aperitivo hour from 4.30–5.30pm with bar snacks and cocktails like summery mint negronis and Sicilian-style iced teas. Or, head down on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday for a boozy brunch. For Aussie rooftop vibes with a slight nod to Provence, head to Untied for its Frosé Your Way activation. You'll find seven frosé varieties to choose from, including white peach, tropical, blue hibiscus and mango lime. You can opt for bottomless frosé for $39 per person, too. Haven't decided where you'd like to 'travel' to this summer? Check out Aus Venue Co.'s Summer Staycations here. Images: Jasper Ave
If you've been dreaming about a new set of wheels to help you gracefully glide into the sunny season, the legends at Amsterdam-born bike label Lekker can help you out. This weekend, the company's Sydney store will host another edition of its ever-popular 'garage sale' filled with bikes, bargains, eats and beats. The party starts pedalling at 10am on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27 at Lekker's cheery Surry Hills store (conveniently located on the Bourke Street bike path). Those in the market for new wheels will be able to test ride a few different designs, and, if all goes well, buy one — all bikes, accessories and parts will be discounted, some by up to 50 percent. Backing up the fun and embracing those sweet autumn vibes, there'll be a soundtrack of groovy tunes, plus free drinks. Don't risk a sleep-in, though — Lekker's past sales have seen pretty hefty lines of punters keen for those bicycle bargains and you don't want to miss out. Lekker Bikes Garage sale will run from 10am–5pm.
Butter just keeps giving Sydneysiders more reasons to go absolutely crazy for it. The cult favourite is already a palace of fried chicken, sneakers and champagne — and every now and then it adds ramen to that list as well. If you're particularly fond of slurping down its brothy bowls, then you'll be immensely excited about its plans for the next six months. The chain won't just be serving up one type of ramen, but will be lining up six limited-edition versions. Executive Chef Julian Cincotta is once again whipping up Butter's super-popular fried chicken ramen. It combines fresh thick cut ramen noodles, a marinated soft boiled half egg and enoki mushrooms in a chicken and dashi-based broth, and includes Butter's crispy fried chicken tenders, too — and it hits the menu from Tuesday, April 20 through until Monday, May 17. But, it's just the first round in the chain's new Butter Ramen Club Tour. After that, a different ramen created by a different chef will feature each month until October. From Wednesday, May 19–Monday, June 21, Ume Burger Head Chef Kirby Craig will do the honours. His dish will use a miso-based tare, corn and Butter's chicken broth. Then, from Tuesday, June 22–Monday, July 26, it's Rising Sun Workshop Director Nick Smith's turn. His ramen will feature Butter's fried chicken, but with a burnt ends glaze. Next, Louis Tikaram from Stanley in Brisbane will give Sydneysiders a taste of his spice fragrant ramen — which'll use a mix of Cantonese and Japanese flavours, and Butter's fried chicken — from Tuesday, July 27–Monday, August 30. Then, Cincotta will be back with a French dip ramen fried chicken sandwich from Tuesday, August 31–Monday, September 27. Finishing things up is LP's Quality Meats owner and Head Chef Luke Powell, who'll be doing a smokey small-good number from Tuesday, September 28–Tuesday, October 26. Each type of ramen and ramen-inspired dish will only be available in-store, so you won't be able to get it via a delivery platform. Butter Surry Hills, Parramatta and Chatswood will all be plating them up, but each venue will only be making a limited number each day. Still, if you're fond of both ramen and fried chicken — and who isn't? — it's an easy way to pick what you'll be eating each month. Butter Ramen Club Tour runs from Tuesday, April 20–Tuesday, October 26 at Butter Surry Hills, Parramatta and Chatswood. For further details, head to the Butter website. Images: Sean Alcantara.
Northern Sydney is set to welcome an impressive new addition, with sprawling, multi-level pub The Governor slated to open its doors in Macquarie Park next month. If plans unveiled today are anything to go by, this one's got all the makings of a quintessential Aussie boozer, boasting a roomy front bar and bistro, a garden terrace for those al fresco sessions, and even its very own rooftop bar, complete with 360-degree views. From the same group behind large-scale watering holes like the Australian Hotel & Brewery and the Bella Vista Hotel, The Governor is angling to be a crowd-pleaser, offering a little something for every mood, occasion and time of the week. The main bar and bistro is decked out in dark timber, royal green and foliage aplenty, with cosy booths that take their design cues from old-school train carriages. Settle in by the open fire, or out under the festoon lighting of the leafy terrace. To match the variety of spaces, Head Chef Luke Lashford has put together a broad food offering — with everything from teriyaki chicken poké and a range of woodfired pizzas, to a slow-cooked Flinders Island lamb shoulder, best shared between two in one of those intimate booths. The drinks list is designed to complement, featuring old favourites alongside crafty seasonal creations. Upstairs, rooftop bar Ess boasts a bar and kitchen of its own, an Asian-inspired menu heroing the Japanese charcoal grill. Venture up for the likes of wagyu beef skewers, glazed yakitori wings or the torched-to-order atlantic salmon, teamed with gin-pickled shimeji mushrooms. The Governor is slated to open at 9-13 Waterloo Rd, Macquarie Park in early July. We'll keep you posted when we hear an exact opening date.
After a hectic week at work, we've all contemplated ditching our nine-to-five for something more creative. And for Ally Bell, deciding to leave her corporate gig to follow her floral passions has been one she hasn't looked back on. The store feels more boutique than flower shop, brimming with unexpected blooms and living colour at every turn. Pre-dawn market visits ensure every stem is handpicked to showcase the best seasonal flowers from local growers. Aside from creating bespoke bouquets, Ally also runs floral workshops year-round to share her love for floral design with aspiring florists across Sydney. Image: Arvin Prem Kumar
Does your version of celebrating the festive season involve eating more of the things you love? Do pork belly, chicken schnitzels, chicken wings and German sausages fall into that category? If so, The Bavarian has an all-you-can-eat special that'll tempt your tastebuds — because a bottomless feast is on the menu. On Thursdays between November 18–December 23, the German-themed chain is serving up all-you-can-eat meat platters. They come stacked with all of the aforementioned meats — and yes, the pork belly includes crackling — plus mashed potato, sauerkraut and red cabbage as sides. And, once you've finished your board, you'll get a whole new serving. There's no time limit to your eating, so you can pace yourself — and it'll cost you $35 per person. There is a two-person minimum, however, so you'll need to take at least one meat-loving pal along with you. You'll find The Bavarian at Charlestown, Rouse Hill, Castle Hill, Shellharbour, Tuggerah, Manly, Penrith, Miranda, Macarthur, Green Hills, Entertainment Quarter, York Street, World Square, Wetherill Park and Chatswood in New South Wales. And if you want to pair all that meat with German brews — which is understandable — you'll pay extra for the drinks.
Every March, 18 AFL teams dream of one thing: holding the men's premiership cup high on the last Saturday in September. Every Aussie Rules fan knows the reality, however. Only one club can win the season's final match, and only two can hit the turf to contest it. In 2022, those two teams are Sydney and Geelong. Maybe you love the Harbour City's hometown favourites. Perhaps you despise their opposition. You could be hurting because one of them just knocked your club out of the finals race or, somehow, the two teams might be among the clubs you neither adore nor hate. Whichever applies, if you're an AFL fan then you'll be watching the Swans and Cats battle it out for men's competition's ultimate piece of AFL silverware — and you can now do so on the silver screen. Big game, big screen: that's the plan at the Randwick Ritz, and it's kicking goals. If you can't be at the game itself, where else was going to do Buddy Franklin justice? Even better: entry is free, although you do need to book a spot. The session kicks off at 2pm on Saturday, September 24, and you'll require your wallet for whatever you want to eat and drink. Choc tops with the footy? Why not. Top image: Jenks24 via Wikimedia Commons.
UPDATE, May 2, 2021: Little Women is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, Youtube Movies and iTunes. Greta Gerwig doesn't appear in Little Women, but she's as much an on-screen presence as her stellar cast. Two features into her career as a solo filmmaker, the actor-turned-writer/director has established a clear authorial voice, with both Lady Bird's titular teen and Little Women's Jo March feeling like extensions of Gerwig herself. They're characters she could've and would've played had either movie transpired a few years earlier. Dynamic young women eager to leave their imprint upon the world — and refusing to simply accept the niche that others have earmarked for them, too — they're clear kindred spirits to Frances Ha's eponymous New Yorker. Brought to life by Saoirse Ronan, they're also fiercely determined to do what many of Gerwig's own on-screen characters have: battle for the lives that they want, no matter how difficult that proves. If Lady Bird filtered the above idea through Gerwig's own adolescence in a loosely autobiographical manner, then Little Women locates it in what must be one of her favourite books. Notions of forging one's identity, finding independence and fighting societal conventions already exist in Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel; however Gerwig's adaptation thrusts them to the fore — not just because a modern remake should, but because they're the Civil War-era story's beating heart. Accordingly, this version of Little Women opens with the indefatigable Jo (Ronan) selling one of her tales to a New York publisher (Tracy Letts), and shows her confidently holding her own in negotiations over what's expected of her female characters. She needs to make the sale to send money home to Massachusetts, but she's never willing to compromise just because she's told to. Tinkering with the flow of Alcott's classic, Gerwig's decision to start Little Women here is inspired. It conveys the crux of Jo's journey in a concise, witty, lively back-and-forth — because, both before and after this point in the overall narrative, she keeps experiencing this tussle in various forms. Via flashbacks, viewers piece together the whole story. Her mother Marmee (Laura Dern) doesn't push Jo along any specific path, and her sisters Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) are accustomed to her headstrong ways, but Aunt March (Meryl Streep) has decisive views. With their father (Bob Odenkirk) away at war, the stern matriarch decrees that Jo must marry into money to secure the family's economic standing. Even given her close friendship with the wealthy, besotted Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) — literally the boy next door — Jo steadfastly rejects the prospect that her future is for sale. Gerwig's structural approach has another pivotal impact: it turns this into a tale of women, not girls. The audience first meets the March sisters as adults with precise personalities, and so the film prioritises who they are, not who they once were. This remains a coming-of-age story, but it's savvily reframed to focus on the women that emerge from games, squabbles, crushes, rivalries and stage shows in the attic, rather than on young ladies working out what they want. That might seem a tiny shift, but it makes a vast difference. From the outset, it accepts and foregrounds Jo's unwavering resolve, Meg's desire for a traditional family life of her own, and Amy's pragmatism about the financial realities of being female, instead of making these traits the punctuation that concludes their arcs. All of the above mightn't work so well if Little Women wasn't so superbly cast — especially Ronan as Gerwig's returning on-screen surrogate and Pugh as the thorniest of the siblings. If Gerwig can't play Jo, then no one else but Ronan could've, tapping into the character's intensity and the fact that she's well aware of the cost of her choices. As Amy, Pugh turns in her third excellent performance of the past year (after Fighting with My Family and Midsommar), giving depth and texture to a character who has often been treated as petulant elsewhere. They're surrounded by a wealth of other talent, of course, with Dern and Chalamet each keeping their internet darling status intact with aplomb. Gerwig works wonders with her script and her actors — tasks that might seem easy, but still bear her fingerprints — however she also directs a visually sumptuous film. Little Women sparkles with warmth and charm, not only when dresses catch alight and catastrophic haircuts inspire laughs, but across tender and heartbreaking moments. Cosiness and melancholy aren't mutually exclusive here, and nor are honeyed hues, imagery that resembles vivid period portraits, and a lived-in look and feel. Her trick to adapting Alcott's text for a new era — adding another version to a pile that already includes seven prior big-screen interpretations, including 1994's well-received take with Winona Ryder — is to eschew the idea that something can't be simultaneously dutiful and radical. Gerwig doesn't just make that plain via Jo's story, but bakes it into every frame of this sharp and soulful film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MCOpNti_pQ
UPDATE, February 8, 2021: The White Tiger is available to stream via Netflix. Adapted from Aravind Adiga's 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning debut novel, The White Tiger shares an animal metaphor in its name. It works it into the story, obviously, and mentions it in dialogue as well. As a boy, after proudly demonstrating that his reading abilities eclipse those of his classmates in his poverty-stricken village, young Balram Halwai (Harshit Mahawar) is likened to the titular jungle cat by a teacher. He's "the rarest of animals that comes along once in a generation," he's told. That statement arrives within the movie's opening minutes and is meant to linger over the film, which it does. That said, another animal metaphor, also uttered early but pondering roosters and coops, truly cuts to this biting picture's core. Like poultry in a cage awaiting slaughter, India's poor are kept in their place as servants, explains Balram (Adarsh Gourav, Hostel Daze) as an adult. At the mercy of cruel and ruthless masters, the country's workers are well aware that they're being treated thoughtlessly at best, and watch on as everyone is stuck in an unending cycle of drudgery. But, ever-dutiful at every moment, they're unwilling to break free or even mildly defy their employers. That's the compliant life that Balram is supposed to lead, as he notes in the always-pacy, often-winking narration that drives this smart and savage thriller. Balram's existence does play out that way, too, at least for a time. He ingratiates his way into a driver position for Ashok (Bollywood star Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Baywatch's Priyanka Chopra Jonas), the American-educated son and New York-raised daughter-in-law of the rich landlord (Mahesh Manjrekar, Slumdog Millionaire) who owns his village and demands a third of all earnings from its residents. But The White Tiger starts with a car accident outside Delhi involving Balram, Ashok and Pinky, then unfurls in flashbacks from an unapologetic Balram in the future. As a result, it's immediately apparent that he won't always be kowtowing to those considered above him in his country's strict caste system. It's also instantly evident that his tale, as cheekily told via a letter penned to 2003–13 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, will take the audience on quite the wild journey. Balram's plan to work for the man who rules over his home stems from his burning ambition to enjoy a life far removed from his struggling childhood. So does his scheme to supplant the family's first driver, as well as his efforts to later forge his own path. When he is given the white tiger label as a kid, he is also advised that "any poor boy in any forgotten village can grow up to become Prime Minister of India". Politics isn't on his agenda, though. During his time with Ashok and Pinky, he starts thinking bigger. He doesn't just want to win "a million-rupee game show" either — the film's wink to fellow rags-to-riches saga Slumdog Millionaire. As viewers watch Balram evolve from an attentive servant to the self-made entrepreneur who unfurls the movie's twist-filled tale with a sense of mischievous glee — and a clear feeling of accomplishment, too — one truth haunts every moment: that the vast chasm between the wealthy and not-so has wide-reaching consequences, and not just those that the rich, powerful and blinkered foresee. The White Tiger's framing device is a little clumsy, and its overt, blackly comic observations about the well-off taking advantage of everyone they consider inferior definitely aren't new. Nonetheless, this is still a ferocious, compelling and entertaining film with something sharp and accurate to say, and an engaging way of conveying its central perspective. As long as the world remains beholden to the few at the expense of the many, eat the rich-style tales will never get old — Oscar-winner Parasite certainly felt anything but — and this one also skewers globalisation and its ramifications, especially as new technologies are supposed to be bringing everyone closer together. Thanks to 2005's Man Push Cart, 2007's Chop Shop and 2015's 99 Homes, Iranian American writer/director Ramin Bahrani is no stranger to street-level stories about everyday folks trying to survive and thrive under capitalism's boot, or to the twisted power dynamics that can ensue in society at large and in close quarters. Accordingly, he's a perfect fit for the material here. Whether he's focusing on a ponytailed, moustachioed Balram as he narrates away, or following the character from dusty shacks and crowded markets to the basements of Delhi's sky-high apartment blocks, Bahrani brings a constantly probing eye to Adiga's tale in both a storytelling and visual sense. (He's was also one of the author's college classmates.) Also ideal is Gourav, so much so that it's almost impossible to imagine the movie being as captivating without him, or as slick yet scathing. The actor is in excellent company, with Rao and Chopra Jonas each finding multiple layers in their characters' lives of privilege, and their eagerness to regard Balram as a friend while it suits — but, as a bright-eyed but still calculating young man trying to work his way up, and then as a cynical experienced hand who has seen much, endured more and knows how he wants the world to work, Gourav is electrifying. It's a performance that's bound to catapult him into other high-profile roles, and it's also the likeable and empathetic yet also hungry and slippery portrayal this rollercoaster ride of a story hinges upon. Or, to put it in Balram's words, Gourav plays his part as "straight and crooked, mocking and believing, sly and sincere, all at the same time", and it's never less than riveting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jJNyFuYKQ Top image: Tejinder Singh Khamkha/Netflix.
Purple Sneakers – a Sydney-based collective dedicated to emerging club music – turns 12 this year and, to celebrate, the team is taking over every nook and cranny of the Landsdowne Hotel. Happening as part of Vivid, this epic, one-night shindig will host a stack of artists, who'll be keeping the party going until 3am. Among the line-up are Rainbow Chan, Alta, Thandi Phoenix, Annie Bass, Clypso and Slim. There'll also be DJ sets from Dro Carey and Love Deluxe, plus appearances by local favourites Sandro Dallarmi, Sports, Lex Deluxe and Isa, as well as Swytch DJs, All My Friends DJs and the next generation of Purple Sneakers DJs. Since kicking off in 2006, Purple Sneakers has given career-launching gigs to the likes of Flume, RUFUS, Alison Wonderland, Cloud Control and Nina Las Vegas, as well as hosting Melbourne premieres for both Disclosure and Flosstradamus. These days, the team runs a website, radio show and regular parties around Australia.
When a new year arrives, it's prime time for new dreams to come true, or that's what we hope when we make resolutions for the 12 months ahead. But if you're a Sydneysider with a modest cinnamon scroll-devouring fantasy — a Sydneysider who just wants to be able to head to US bakery chain Cinnabon in the Harbour City — your wish is already coming true on Saturday, January 7. Back in September, the Seattle-born brand confirmed that it was finally opening in Sydney this summer, originally aiming for a December launch. Now, those sticky scrolls are on your 2023 to-do list, with Darling Square in Haymarket your destination. Cinnabon's Sydney debut comes after the chain opened its first Australian store in Queensland in 2019, then added more stores in the Sunshine State, then made the leap to Victoria in 2021. Accordingly, Sydneysiders have been hanging for years to get their fix. When Cinnabon launches in Darling Square, the Haymarket spot will mark the initial location in a planned rollout around the state. In New South Wales, the plan is to open 15 stores — including one each in the city's east, west, north and south within three years, and also outposts in Newcastle, Wollongong, Coffs Harbour and Taree. Also, in a departure from its interstate counterparts, Sydney's first Cinnabon isn't located in a shopping centre, which will enable it to operate for longer hours. Those scroll cravings don't just tempt your tastebuds during business hours, after all. Cinnabon's Haymarket location will serve the baked goods that've built the brand such a following, plus monthly limited-edition specials. If you're keen on a coffee to wash it all down with, the chain has just announced that St Ali is its Darling Square roaster. The exact time the debut Sydney store will open will be revealed via the chain's Instagram, but getting in early is already recommended: there'll be giveaways for the shop's first few hundred customers. New to all things Cinnabon? Haven't tasted them on trips overseas or interstate? Only spotted the chain in Better Call Saul? It's famed for those scrolls, which come slathered in glaze and cream-cheese frosting — and, yes, they truly are oh-so-sticky to eat. Many people have tried to replicate them since Cinnabon first set up shop in America in 1985, too, but the brand's long-held recipe is immensely hard to copy at home. Cinnabon will open in Darling Square, Haymarket on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Keep an eye on the chain's Instagram for further details.
Get your late-night art fix at the Art Gallery of NSW when it celebrates Mardi Gras with the third year of Queer Art After Hours on Wednesday, February 27. With pop-up bars, live music and performances from queer creatives around every corner, you can explore the Gallery in a whole new light. The glitter-packed program also includes drag-led gallery tours, a life drawing workshop and queer art history talks. Not to mention that you can wander through gallery's summer Hermitage exhibition for the final time.
Any place. Any time. Every Time. Lucien Alperstein's photographs lie on the far side of the line that links realism and abstraction. The images are of everyday things we recognise: a face emerging from a crowd in darkness, a vast chop of waves, a figure between a power line and a roof. But when cropped like this, they take on a potent, far-reaching character. It is this quality of tight framing that allows the photographer to invest ordinary sights and experiences with a more universal potential. Alperstein says in the show's notes that when taking the photos, "layers of meaning jumped out at me and I felt like I was in the past, like the past was in the present, or that stories are just stories and there is no before or after." Alperstein refuses to describe the images any more than this; they remain untitled and further abstracted in meaning. They hang in the mind's eye long after seeing them, surely the signal of an effective collection of work. Though still and soundless, there's something distinctly cinematic to them; they bring to mind the strangeness of American suburban nightmare films like American Beauty or the Coen brothers' A Serious Man. Despite the overwhelming trend toward video, performance and installation in the art world, these photographs — tranquil, contemplative, analogue (yet digitally printed) — show that the desire to create and look at simple, lovely images has not diminished. When treated this sensitively, old school photographs still have the ability to engage and arrest. If only more spaces in Sydney were willing to freely open their walls to emerging artists as the Tate (above Glebe's Toxteth Hotel) has. The Tate feels like a proper venue, and the art is treated respectfully — not like the decorative visual equivalent of elevator muzak that appears in many bars and cafes. (And by the way, the Toxteth's recent renovation is actually quite nice — when was the last time you saw a pub renovated for the better?) Every Time is one of the Tate's program of weekly shows of new Sydney-based artists, launched just a few months ago, and we're eager to see who else gets unearthed. Image: Lucien Alperstein.
