The bustling harbourside suburb of Barangaroo has welcomed a newcomer. Bottega Coco is an Italian eatery with an Aussie twist and helmed by executive chef Pier Davide Maiuri. The bright space enjoys views of the main street and the harbour beyond. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, patrons can start their day on a good note with breakfast bruschetta or Italian pan-baked eggs. Meanwhile, the lunch menu is a snapshot of the dinner menu, which includes classic Italian fare alongside signature dishes. Start your meal with the house-made fig and ricotta focaccia, drizzled with aged balsamic reduction with prosciutto crudo or opt for a warming bowl of zuppa di patate e porri (leek and potato soup, with crispy croutons, fresh sage and roasted king oyster mushrooms). Antipasti is just as tantalising with polpo e patate (grilled octopus with potato salad and toasted almond pesto) and eggplant Siciliana (roasted eggplant served with lashings of ricotta salata cheese, tomato and genevose pesto). The pasta dishes include a cheesy tortellini stuffed burrata and buffalo mozzarella, served with vegetable consommé, and the seasonal mixed seafood linguine among others. The stunning secondi dishes conclude the main offerings – unless, of course, you're hungry for pizza. The large pizza oven sits behind the main bar and the team slings classic pizza toppings on their own signature pizza dough (gluten-free available). Also on offer is a pizza of the month or you can opt for something a little different. Mortadella pizza topped with house-made pistachio cream, buffalo stracciatella and fresh pistachios is a great place to start. Waste not want not in this Italian establishment. And that includes reupholstering the kit out of the former occupants of 300 Barangaroo, Bel & Brio. More than 80% of the previous tenant's furniture has been repurposed – but the wooden bar remains. As well, the patisserie has been extended to now house an abundance of colourful pastries crafted by house pastry chef, Vincent Gadan. Finish off your meal with one of his creations, like the tiramisu with its crisp light chocolate shell and salted gold flakes or Coco's 'L'Opera House', a unique dessert shaped (you guessed it) like the Sydney Opera House. Or keep it simple with a pistachio biscotti and some limoncello. Pair your Italian fare with an Italian vino. But if you are a sucker for something Aussie, they have some of the best expressions of local wine including skin-contact whites from Cullen Wines, the carbon-negative winery in WA, and pinot noir from Tassie's Nocton.
In 1840 the Duchess of Bedford grew tired of that hunger-inducing interval between lunch and dinner, and to the benefit of humankind she invented the elaborate ritual of afternoon tea. Who doesn't like to while away an afternoon sipping tea and sampling a dazzling array of bite-sized treats extravagantly served on those three-tiered stands? But despite its traditional roots, the face of high tea is changing. No longer restricted to the retired and the rich, some of Sydney's best cafes, restaurants and dessert bars are plating up creative (both traditional and not-so) afternoon teas for every tea-swilling sweet lover to enjoy. From the cake-laden to the New Orleans-inspired, here are the best high teas in town.
Founded by Emma Nguyen in 2011, I Love Pho has a special focus on bringing an authentic Vietnamese experience to Sydney. Decked out with a bamboo-themed interior, the dining room captures the essence of the frantic hustle and bustle of Vietnamese street dining. The service here is classy and casual, and it's the kind of place you'll be returning to again and again after discovering it, whether that's once a year or once a week. As the name suggests, the oft mispronounced but easy-to-consume Vietnamese noodle soup is the star of the show at this Crows Nest spot. Following a traditional recipe from Hanoi, and cooked for 24 hours, this steaming broth is available in several different flavours including vegetable, pork chop, wagyu beef and chicken breast. The chicken broth pho is slow-simmered with a hint of zesty ginger and fresh lime leaves, and the mixed seafood option is especially exciting. There's even a totally vegan pho with tofu, mixed veg and lotus root noodle soup. Outside of pho, the menu boasts some incredible traditional Vietnamese dishes. Standouts include a vegan curry topped with roasted peanuts, spicy pork belly served with steamed Chinese broccoli, and a truly spectacular roast duck salad. The wine lost at I Love Pho has all the standards from shiraz to pinot noir and pinot gris to chardonnay, while the beer list is international with the classic Vietnamese Hanoi Beer included. For northsiders, heading here is an easy call — and for everyone else, it's definitely worth crossing the bridge for.
The first act of Sweet Nothings is wildly, wonderfully misleading. Two handsome men and women drink and flirt while surrounded by great wealth and no worries. It's almost Gossip Girl-esque, though the characters inspire even less of your empathy. That all changes with act two, where aristocratic bachelor pad owner Fritz (Graeme McRae) and goodtime guy Theo (Owen Little) fade into the background and we're hurtled into the middle-class suburbs to spend some quiet time with Christine (Matilda Ridgeway). The near-faceless, dismissible young woman from the previous night's gathering is given a life and personality, and a rather great one at that. It becomes a moving, at times cringe-inducing, at times heartbreaking play to watch, as we see her deeply, uninhibitedly in love with Fritz, despite his often noncommittal behaviour and despite the remonstrations of her nosy downstairs neighbour Katharina (played with gorgeous wile by Lucy Miller). This is puppy love as we rarely see it portrayed — generously, as something special and emboldening. What she can't know, though we've known all along, is that Fritz's deepest love is reserved for another man's wife, a society woman with whom he's had a drawn-out affair that's just been exposed. He and Theo don't see the girls as their equals, though Fritz has affection for and something like a longing to love Christine back. It's, you know — complicated. Grounded, pleasure-seeking Mitzi (Clementine Mills) can enjoy it for what it is; Christine cannot. Sweet Nothings is an adaptation by Scottish playwright David Harrower (Blackbird) of the late 19th-century Liebelei by Austrian Arthur Schnitzler (Leibelei is alternately translated as Flirtation and The Reckoning, which is quite a perfect binary). Schnitzler's frank portrayals of sexuality were shocking for the time, while his perceptiveness as to human psychology still surprises (Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut is also based off one of his works). Here, he gets behind the usual moralising that would be applied to both the men and women and looks for something truer. It's mounted at Sydney's ATYP Studio with fair success by the reliable pantsguys (Punk Rock) and Geraldine Timmins and directed by John Kachoyan, following its debut at London's Old Vic in 2010. The contemporary setting becomes a bit of a stumbling block when duels and social idiosyncrasies suddenly become hugely important to the plot, but generally the whims and dilemmas of these characters are enduring. Sophie Fletcher's set is lushly textured and makes great use of the space. However, it's Ridgeway's performance that makes the show. Her sweet mannerisms render Christine irresistible when she could so easily have been annoying, and later flashes of stoicism and anger are impeccably handled. Her total delightfulness makes Sweet Nothings' conclusion all the more painful. 'Heart-wrenching Everything' would be the better title.
Somewhere in the Australian wilderness there's a spot with tall trees, lizards sunning themselves on rocks, the sound of total solitude — and a really expensive tent. We don't know where it is, but if you can find it, it's yours to keep. The tent — along with some $3k kitty of camping goods — has been hidden in a secret campsite somewhere in Australia. It's been put there by outdoor mega brand Kathmandu as part of a new scavenger hunt that leads entrants to the location — if you can find it, you score the whole lot. So how will you find it? Clues to the Hidden Retreat will be released across the brand's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from Wednesday, February 14 up until Saturday, February 24. The clues are said to be cryptic and will specifically test competitors' knowledge of Australian wildlife through the use of images, videos and — randomly enough — poetry. Unfortunately, there's no worm for the early bird in this case — if you do discover the secret location before February 24, you still need to wait and get to the campsite first on that day to win. You'll also have to arrive during the designated 'prize winning window', which is from 7am–12pm. The first to arrive during this window will go home with the gold, winning a seriously decked out campsite package, which will include this three-person tent, a connectable living space and two down sleeping bags, plus a bunch of extra gadgets. Sure, it's a big promo for Kathmandu and it requires a lot of commitment, but if you've got some spare time up your sleeve, the prize will be a big asset for avid (or aspiring) campers. Handy if you want to tick off these beach camping spots this year. The four runners-up will win a smaller campsite package, each valued at over $2000. For anyone else who shows (up to 200 people), you won't go home empty-handed, but will only nab a BPA-free water bottle for your efforts. To be eligible, you must first RSVP to the Facebook event page. Happy hunting.
Put your hand on your heart and tell us: how excited are you that Kylie Minogue has not only announced a new world tour, which is her biggest in 14 years, but that she's starting it in Australia? Headlining Splendour in the Grass 2024 mightn't have worked out after the Byron Bay music festival was cancelled mere weeks after revealing its lineup, but the Aussie pop superstar is ensuring that local fans will see her new Tension tour before anyone else on the planet. It's about to be 'Padam Padam' summer all over again, with Minogue kicking off her latest shows in February 2025, beginning with a one-night gig in Perth. From there, she also has single dates locked in for Adelaide and Brisbane, plus two shows apiece in Melbourne and Sydney. [caption id="attachment_870885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darenoted Ltd[/caption] The last time that Minogue embarked on a tour this big was back in 2011. The last time that she hit the stage Down Under was in 2023 to open Sydney WorldPride. "I am beyond excited to announce the Tension tour 2025. I can't wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more!" said the singer, announcing her tour dates, which also spans stops in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila in Asia after her Aussie shows, then hitting up Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, London, Nottingham and Birmingham in the UK "It's been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action ... and there will be a whole lot of Padaming!" Minogue's 'Lights, Camera, Action' mention references the first track on the other piece of big news, a brand-new album called Tension II that's set to drop on Friday, October 18, 2024. In what's proven a massive career since her Neighbours-starring, 'I Should Be So Lucky'- and 'Locomotion'-singing 80s era, it's been a big last few years for Minogue thanks to the huge success of the Grammy-winning 'Padam Padam', a brief return to Neighbours and a Las Vegas residency — and now the Tension tour keeps that streak running. Kylie Minogue Tension Tour 2025 Australian Dates Saturday, February 15 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, February 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Thursday, February 20–Friday, February 21 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, February 26 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Kylie Minogue's Tension tour kicks off in Australia in February and March 2025. Ticket presales start from Tuesday, September 24, with general sales from Wednesday, October 2 — both at staggered times. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Erik Melvin.
Mamak in Haymarket is one of the best places in Sydney to get exceptional Malaysian hawker food offered at an authentic hawker price. It's no surprise that this place still has lines of eager customers stretching down the street. And the wait is consistently worth it. Walk in past the chefs, on full display, and bathe in the aroma of curries and fried roti. It's a long room, crammed full with wooden tables, and service is courteous but necessarily efficient. The menu is divided into Roti, variations on the warm bread served with curry dips and spicy sambal sauce. Satay, available in chicken or beef, is among the most complex and moreish you'll try. For those who want to dig a little deeper and really test their appetite, the selection of mains — including luscious curries and fried chicken, and noodle and rice dishes — is well worth some serious exploration. You'll order up, get through your meal in 40 minutes, then leave dazed and satisfied. This is some of the best Malaysian food that Sydney has to offer. It won't be long before we're lining up all over again. And one of the best things about Mamak? For a very small fee it's completely BYO.
Fancy a little Parisian charm without leaving Sydney? Pioneering hidden bar Door Knock has just relaunched with a new concept that should pique your interest. Pairing a French-inspired neighbourhood bar with the vibe of an underground speakeasy, both the venue's decor and culinary offering have undergone a major transformation. Dark, sultry and subterranean, this glow-up certainly lives up to its European inspiration. Still hidden behind an unassuming entrance with nothing but a polished brass pineapple doorknocker to let you know you're in the right place, don't expect the Nordic decor that came before once you get inside. Now, the space has been adorned with vintage French mirrors, herringbone panelling, marble tables, leather seating and dimly lit lampshades. For those who've wandered Paris' streets, there's a good chance you've stumbled in somewhere similar. The menu is also rejuvenated to suit Door Knock's new mood. Led by head chef Joe Slakey (Flying Fajita Sistas), Mediterranean and North African-inspired dishes are made for sharing with your pals. Starters include made-from-scratch stracciatella, served with grape confit, crisp rosemary and sea salt lavosh ($16), as well as house-made dips ($18), grilled calamari ($15) and fried cauliflower with zaatar and spiced labneh ($10). There are also three larger plates to consider, including a 250g flank steak with red wine jus and Paris butter ($28), chermoula chicken ($24) and a Moroccan lamb cooked tagine-style for five hours and served with chickpeas, saffron rice and dukkah ($23). Meanwhile, sides like sweet potato fries with truffle oil and crisp sage ($12) are made for snacking on while sipping or feasting on a fully-fledged meal. Yet with a menu designed for seasonality, don't be surprised if things change between visits. The wine offering has also been rejigged, with an expanded menu highlighting drops from France, Italy and Australia. However, the venue's signature cocktails are staying put, with favourites like the Sunny Leone featuring a concoction of Don Julio Blanco, amaretto, lime juice, tropical citrus and pineapple oleo, passionfruit sparkling wine and absinthe spray. It's as extravagant as it sounds. "We're not trying to be a high-end restaurant, we've created an accessible and affordable menu, while not sacrificing on big, bold flavours," says owner John Grace. "It was important for us to pay homage to Door Knock's history, while also ushering in a new era, one which allows you to step off from Pitt St and into another world." Door Knock is open Monday–Thursday from 4pm–12am and Friday–Saturday from 4pm-1am at B2/70 Pitt St, Sydney. Head to the website for more information. Images: Trent van der Jagt.
Few things in life are better than a long weekend getaway with your mates accompanied by excellent views and quality brews. So, where are the best road trip stops for stocking your picnic along the route? We asked, and you answered. There's no better recommendation than a recommendation from a mate, and we consider you all to be the sharpest mates out there, dear readers. So here are choice spots to stop along your route for tasty grub — and a bev from your local The Bottle-O — as recommended by you. As a side note and a hint of things to come, we're pleased to see that sausage rolls will never go out of fashion. The Baker's Duck, Toowoomba QLD Are you keen on a trip out to the lovely Darling Downs region for a long weekend? Home to great beef farming, famous gardens, top produce and epic escarpment views, if you're out that way, you won't have to go far to pack your picnic bag or stock your esky. Head to Toowoomba, Queensland's 'Garden City', which boasts the best of the Darling Downs. While you're there, don't miss out on the quality pastries and pies at The Baker's Duck, as recommended by Concrete Playground reader Steve: "Top choices for a road trip feed are definitely the chunky beef and mushroom pies or the pork and apple sausage rolls." Once you've stocked up on bakery classics, hit Picnic Point to take in those great views over a bottle of regional plonk or some cider. Closest The Bottle-O: Toowoomba Les Nôtres, Riddells Creek VIC This long weekend, Melburnians up for a hit of fresh country air should head to the Macedon Ranges. Village vibes, a booming local arts scene and farmers' markets stocked with local goodies are all on the cards. Don't miss a visit to Les Nôtres (which is French for 'ours', but once you see the food, you'll be thinking 'mine'), recommended by our Vic-based reader Sarah: "They have the best croissants and these excellent lemon curd cruffins and hazelnut praline eclairs that I can never say no to." We're sold. You can find Les Nôtres at a bunch of markets or the pop-up in Riddells Creek. Stock up and pair them with a lager or chilled white wine from Romsey's The Bottle-O once you hit your campsite or accommodation. Hot tip: While you're in the area, if you're up for an adventure, go explore Lerderderg State Park for a good chance of spotting koalas. Closest The Bottle-O: Romsey Bred Co, Albany WA If you're in Perth, Pemberton or Margaret River and keen on a coastal drive over the long weekend, Albany is a cracking weekend getaway spot boasting spotless white sand beaches and 'gram-worthy granite cliffs. Stock up on local brews and wines at Centennial Park's The Bottle-O, then swing by Bred Co, a hyperlocal bakery with a particularly loose menu item that comes recommended by our IG follower Blake: "You should go there for the beef sausage roll with béchamel cheese, life-changing!'' Once you're set for drinks and eats, all you need to worry about is enjoying those stunning coastal vistas around Albany. Closest The Bottle-O: Centennial Park Uprising Bakery, Newcastle NSW Sydneysiders, are you heading north this long weekend? Myall Lakes National Park is popular for its views, cheap campsites, epic sand dune beaches and kayaking on the lakes — even better when enjoyed with baked goodies from Uprising Bakery in Newcastle as recommended by reader Kate: "Pork and lemon preserve sausage roll — it doesn't get better than that. Maybe the brownie slab." Maybe? How about definitely. Check Lambton's local The Bottle-O to pick up some drinks to enjoy as the sun sets across the sand dunes after you arrive. Bliss. Closest The Bottle-O: Lambton Bruny Island Cheese Co, TAS Tasmanians or the Tasmania-bound, grab your mates and hop a barge to Bruny Island to enjoy the rugged coasts, wild nature and secret coves. Bruny is wonderfully untouched, which means you're definitely not getting any local sparkling delivered via UberEats, so before you leave the Tassie mainland, make sure you stock up at The Bottle-O in Margate. When you arrive at Bruny, check out the famous Bruny Island Cheese Co., as recommended by reader Tom (and every member of Concrete Playground's team who've done a stint in Tassie): "The best cheese in all of Australia, you can't change my mind." There are plenty of accommodation options on the island, but you can embrace the elements by staying at one of the park's campgrounds at Cloudy Bay or Jetty Beach so you can toast with your mates and scoff cheese as the sun sets over the water. Closest The Bottle-O: Margate Wherever the road leads you on your weekend adventuring, find your nearest The Bottle-O and stock up on some standout bevs. Ready to start planning? Head to the website. Top image: Bred Co.
If you've always wanted to follow in the footsteps of Rasputin, but just couldn't find the right Contiki tour, we're here to help. There's a certain stigma that, in order to travel through Russia, you need to simultaneously wield a knife and be prepared to denounce democracy at any moment. There's some weird idea that it's filled lunatics, haters of English-speakers and that every street peddler possesses a stare of death. Well, take it from our experience — that's a total load of rot. Russia is home to some of the world's most incredible architecture, highest fashion and interesting people, and flights are on par with the cost of a trip to London. English isn't widely spoken — and you might have to adopt a diet of carrot cake and Cornettos to avoid attempting the language — but if you're chasing great experience over a great tan, lock in Russia for your summer vacay. [caption id="attachment_554510" align="alignnone" width="1280"] farhad sadykov via Flickr[/caption] WHERE TO GO If it's your first time in Russia and you're strapped for time, stick to the Western side — that is, St Petersburg, Moscow and Sochi. St Petersburg is an artist's dream, Sochi is the adventurer's city and Moscow is the New York of Russia (though they'd never admit it). Each city has every scene you can imagine — dive bars, high-end food precincts, live music venues, and a cathedral on every corner. If you want to experience a less hectic and clustered Russia — but still want to survive as an outsider — travel around the small towns outside Moscow, commonly known as the Golden Ring. It's a great route if you're chasing the peaceful life in the Russian province, beautiful countryside views and ancient architecture. [caption id="attachment_554526" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Kyle Taylor via Flickr[/caption] HOW TO GET A VISA Nothing great comes without at least one hurdle — and this one is a toughy. You're going to have to print some forms, post them off and pay some cash money for a little piece of paper to stick in your passport. Normally you have to apply for a Russian visa in person, but the Sydney consulate kindly allows you to post your application in. Check out their guidelines here. On your application form, you'll have to make sure you list every single country you've visited before. Seriously, if you forget that brief stopover you had once in Singapore, there'll be no visa for you. Oh, and you'll need an invitation from the hotel or hostel you're staying at during your stay in Russia. If you're Airbnb-ing it, you will have to obtain an invitation online. Stress Free Visas is a reliable, UK-based company that will help you obtain an invitation compatible with your visa within a day (for $40). [caption id="attachment_554509" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Chao Mama Hostel[/caption] WHERE TO STAY Hostels in Russia are seemingly some of the cleanest and cheapest in the world, but, of course, you're always at risk of getting a flea-ridden dud. In St Petersburg, Chao Mama hostel should be your go-to — seriously, work your trip around their availability so you can stay here. Its location is walking distance to St Isaac's Cathedral and a bed in a six-bed dorm is around a stupidly affordable $9AUD a night. They have homemade Belgian waffles for breakfast and the entire place is slick, clean and modern. If you're willing to empty your bank account on a luxe stay, then W Hotel is by far the trendiest, most convenient stay this side of the Baltic. In Moscow, just Airbnb it. The best hostels are on Airbnb anyway, and there are truly some pretty remarkable, not-too pricey views you could be waking up to. It's pretty easy to sort the reliable hosts from those looking to lend their dirty couch out for some quick cash. Use your know-how and, for God's sake, don't take a chance on a place that only shows one pixelated photo of a kettle. And if the listing is written in Cyrillic, steer clear — purely because making contact is going to be more hassle than it's worth. [caption id="attachment_550676" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Severyanin[/caption] WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Unfortunately, not all Russian cuisine isn't something to get excited over. It seems all the time they spent building cathedrals, museums and invading different countries meant they simply forgot to forge an interesting cuisine. Most meals are meat and potato based, and farm-fresh fruit and vegetables are somewhat of a myth. So you can either eat cheap Chinese (of which there is plenty of) or take our advice on where to find meat and potatoes done not so bad. The traditional, must-try Russian dishes are stroganoff, borsch (beetroot soup), meat dumplings and honey cake. You can order delicious interpretations of these meals in St Petersburg's Severyanin. Their honey cake is famous (with good reason), and every Sunday from 2-5pm they host a Russian tea ceremony, complete with the homemade pies, jams, bagels and sweets pictured above. Other great restaurants in the area include Zoom Cafe (for breakfast), Pelmenya (for dumplings) and Macarena (for seafood). [caption id="attachment_550687" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Cafe Pushkin[/caption] In Moscow, head to the Novokuznetskaya District for a great bite. You can grab anything from a Japanese curry from Tanuki to a croque madame from Paul French Bakery — and of course there's some great Russian restaurants around too. Cafe Pushkin is one of the more famous, pricey restaurants in Moscow with renowned borsch, a dining room as posh as a museum and service that will have you feeling as royal as Catherine II. They're open from breakfast for dinner, and we recommend booking a table a few days in advance. On the drinks front, here's a serious don't: don't drink homemade vodka. If you're a traveller that has a tendency to make friends with locals and hence accept their invitation for a meal in their cabin in the woods, then this is your hot tip. Stay away from the moonshine. It'll probably kill ya. Just stick to the store-bought spirits, beers, illegally-imported Moldovan wine and rooftop bars (of which, there are many). [caption id="attachment_554517" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Larry Koester via Flickr[/caption] WHAT TO DO St Petersburg is a marvel of a city, made of more colours than Faber Castell HQ. Its architecture is incredible — the kind of exotic avant-garde structures, alien sensibilities, and strict Stalin-era designs you really won't find in any other country. St Isaac's Cathedral, The State Hermitage Museum and The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood are all must-sees. You could easily stay here a week and still not have done everything in and around St Petersburg, but the necessary out of town stops include heading to Pushkin to visit Catherine Palace and Peterhof State Museum Preserve. If you're a solo traveller, make a hearty attempt at catching public transport there, but if you're in a group of three or more, a taxi is affordable (and makes the trip a lot easier). [caption id="attachment_554524" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ana Paula Hirama via Flickr[/caption] In Moscow, allocate a good, sunny day to Gorky Park (pictured). Then another good, sunny day to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. Hire skates or a bike (not a Segway) at both places as each are enormous and almost impossible to see properly without a set of wheels. If you're looking for more galleries and museum, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Tsarytsyno Open-Air History and Architectural Museum and Lenin's Mausoleum (where you can see Lenin's embalmed body) all deserve top rungs on the to-do list. [caption id="attachment_550679" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Adam Baker via Flickr[/caption] OTHER TIPS Bite the bullet, and learn to read Cyrillic as well as basic phrases and words.This isn't Bali. Most everyone speaks Russian exclusively, with perhaps a smidgen of German or English. Spa-see-ba is thank you. Stras-voot-yeah is hello. Make sure you have the Google Maps app on your phone. It gives the correct metro lines and stopovers right down to the minute. Use Uber, and always put your address in before you head out in case you don't have internet — it's much easier to have the address stored than having to pronounce a Russian street name. You might find yourself in a traffic jam with an Uber driver who is about to crack it because he's being dolled by the mile, not the minute. That's a good time to say spa-see-ba. He'll probably call you a prostituka. Don't lose your passport. That visa inside is the most important thing you have in Russia. If you lose it, you'll be detained in our embassy, promptly kicked out of the country and dished out a five-year ban from returning. No ifs, no buts — and don't even bother with the waterworks. These guys have dealt with more international disputes than you have Instagram followers. The empathy card is about as useless as a Georgian flag in South Ossetia. There's so much to see and do in Russia, and this is really only a snapshot of what this country has on show. It's a place everyone should venture to at least once — and there's no riskier/better time then now. Here's some Boney M to get the ball rolling. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yTVWXYctoY[/embed] Top image: haylee via Flickr
Patricia Piccinini's otherworldly pieces have popped up all across Australia, and now it's the TarraWarra Museum of Art's turn to host. The not-for-profit public art gallery has announced an almost four-month-long showcase of the artist's efforts from November this year — including the return of her unmissable installation work The Skywhale. The 34-metre-long, animal-shaped hot air balloon will float through the sky in the lead up to the exhibition's opening, so keep an eye out. Called Patricia Piccinini and Joy Hester: Through love…, the exhibition will display from November 24, 2018 to March 11, 2019. It'll not only focus on the woman with an incredibly distinctive view on all things weird and wonderful — and on the thin line between humanity and animal kind that's engrained in her creative portfolio — but on fellow Australian artist Joy Hester. If the latter's name doesn't sound familiar, she was a Melbourne artist who passed away in 1960, favoured brushwork and ink on paper, and is considered one of Piccinini's key influences. This'll be the first time anywhere in the world that a gallery has explored the connection between the pair, with more than 50 pieces on display. With the showcase broadly focused around the theme of love and intimacy as well, visitors will get to see the evolution of Aussie art through the output of the two inimitable figures, with Hester's ink and paper works considered touchstones for Piccinini's sculptures, photographs, videos and drawings. In both camps, attendees will be treated to something either rare or brand new. Much of Hester's work is rarely seen, though her famous couple-focused series Love 1949 and Lovers 1955–56 will be on display. As for Piccinini, she'll be represented by both new and existing large-scale pieces. Piccinini will also unveil a major new work, Sanctuary, at this exhibition. The work is comprised of a wall print, a graphite on paper drawing and, the focal point, a sculpture of two figures embracing. The elderly couple depict characteristics of both humans and bonobos — an endangered ape species known for its intimate relationships. Through this work, Piccinini is exploring human relationships with animals, environment and technology. Images: Rick Liston, Installation view of Patricia Piccinini, Kindred, 2018; Rick Liston, Installation view of Patricia Piccinini, The Lovers, 2011; Rick Liston, Installation view of Patricia Piccinini, The Young Family, 2002; Rick Liston, Installation view of Patricia Piccinini, Sanctuary, 2018; Rick Liston, View of artwork flying in Yarra Valley on November 24, 2018, Patricia Piccinini, Skywhale, 2013; Rick Liston, Installation view of Patricia Piccinini, The Young Family, 2002. All images courtesy of the artist, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney For more spring places, spaces and events to discover in regional Victoria visit Your Happy Space.
Mud, moss and murky waters mightn't sound like dream Airbnb features, but they couldn't be more exciting if you're a fan of pop culture's favourite solitude-loving ogre. To celebrate Halloween with a fairy tale theme, the accommodation booking platform has added a unique Scottish Highlands stay that'll turn you green with envy if you don't score the reservation — and have you spending the weekend at Shrek's Swamp IRL if you do. Hey now, this is the nostalgic all-star of Airbnb listings, aka a recreation of a spot straight out of the Shrek movies. And the host? Donkey, although it's unlikely that that means that either Eddie Murphy or a domesticated equine will be there to greet you. Here's what is definitely included: two nights for up to three guests in a stumpy structure that goes rustic inside and out, all for free. You'll enjoy a parfait, fireside stories, waffles in the morning, "earwax candlelight" to set the mood (the listing's words, not ours), and having the whole place to yourselves behind the "danger" and "stay out" signs. Oh, and absolutely no torches and pitchforks. Whether onions are included hasn't been revealed. "Shrek's Swamp is lovely. Just beautiful. The perfect place to entertain guests," said Donkey, announcing the stay (well, said Airbnb giving the statement the appropriate themed spin). "You know what I like about it? Everything. The overgrown landscaping, the modest interiors, the nice boulders, all of it. I can't wait for guests to experience this muddy slice of paradise for themselves." If you're keen, you'll need to try to nab the booking at 4am AEDT / 3am AEST / 6am NZDT on Saturday, October 14 — and, if your wish comes true, you'll be off for a stay across the weekend of Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29. As always, whoever gets the reservation is responsible for their own travel, including if they have to get to and from Scotland. This listing is also helping a good cause, with Airbnb making a one-off donation to the HopScotch Children's Charity, which helps vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Scotland, as part of the Shrek's Swamp promotion. Somebody once told us that the platform loves offering up once-in-a-lifetime spots to slumber, as its recent history shows. In the past, it has had nights at Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, Gwyneth Paltrow's Montecito abode, Hobbiton, the Bluey house, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera and the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine up for grabs. Also on the list: The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, Japan's World Heritage-listed Suganuma Village and the House of Sunny studio. Last Halloween, it similarly went with a movie theme, listing the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage. For more information about the Shrek's Swamp stay on Airbnb, or to book at 4am AEDT / 3am AEST / 6am NZDT on Saturday, October 14 for a stay across Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Alix McIntosh. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Sydney, it's your time to play the most entertaining game of "what if?" there is, especially if you love classic tales, pop songs and sensational musicals. Whether you studied it in high school or just obsessed over Baz Luhrmann's glorious 90s movie, everyone knows how Romeo and Juliet ends — and it doesn't conclude happily for either of its eponymous star-crossed lovers. But what if it didn't wrap up that way? What if Juliet lived to love again? And what if her experiences from there, after thwarting theatre's greatest tragedy, involved a whole heap of earworm tunes from the last couple of decades? The answer to how all of that might turn out already exists, all thanks to Olivier Award-winning jukebox musical & Juliet. A hit in London's West End since 2019, it remixes the iconic love story in multiple ways — tinkering with its narrative and throwing in all that toe-tapping music. And, the Shakespeare-meets-pop spectacle is playing at Riverside Theatres this October. If you're now thinking "wherefore art thou?" about & Juliet's setup, it picks up after the ending we all know doesn't eventuate. And, it muses on what might happen if Juliet could choose her own fate instead. That scenario involves Anne Hathaway — no, not that one — and her husband William Shakespeare, and features songs by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Robyn, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Kelly Clarkson and more. Tunes that get a spin: 'Larger Than Life', 'I Want It That Way', '... Baby One More Time', 'Show Me Love', 'Oops!... I Did It Again', 'As Long As You Love Me', 'Stronger', 'I Kissed a Girl', 'Since U Been Gone', 'It's My Life', 'It's Gonna Be Me' and a whole heap of others. The common factor between them all is Swedish songwriter Max Martin, who penned or co-penned every track on the musical's soundtrack. As well as Martin's involvement — including as one of & Juliet's co-creators — the musical features a book by the Emmy-winning Schitt's Creek writer and The Big Door Prize creator David West Read. And if you're wondering about the show's shiny Olivier Awards, it was nominated for nine for its West End debut season, and nabbed three: for Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tho82JYwz0s[/embed]
We know it's nothing revelatory, but we've spent far more time staring at our own four walls these past 18 months. Our homes have become our havens (and our hells), meaning it's high time to spruce up our pads. And one surefire way to give your living room a lift or brighten up your bedroom — even if you rent — is with some brand-new homewares. But this is your sanctuary, so any old couch won't do. Instead, pick up some wares that'll spark serious joy, and save yourself from the less-than-joyful activity of assembling flat-pack furniture while you're at it. In partnership with Great Southern Bank, we're helping you skip the flat-pack struggle — and still stick to your savings goals. In fact, with Great Southern Bank, you can actually top up your savings account with The Boost, which lets you add small amounts (between $0.01 and $5) to your savings as you spend on stunning new wares. So, if you're after colourful handmade ceramics, plush sofas, linen sheets and quirky chairs, check out these eight stores with homewares that won't break the bank. CASTLERY If you'd describe your taste in homewares as 'modern minimalist' then check out Castlery. There's something decidedly homey and comfortable about its affordable furniture range, though it still has a sleek edge. This 100-percent online store also makes it dead easy to browse from the comfort of your couch. Want a new dining room set? Take your pick of retro-style sideboards, mango wood tables and sleek dining benches. Or, maybe it's time to finally get rid of your nan's hand-me-down sofa and replace it with a luxe sectional. Whatever you're looking for, Castlery probably has it — and at a competitive price — so jump online stat. Be sure to sign up to its mailing list for a cheeky $50 off your first order, too. BED THREADS The clue is in the name here, so if you're looking to level up your bedding, look no further. Bed Threads is your go-to for linens and will set you up with the snoozing ensemble of your dreams. You can mix and match its 100-percent flax linen sheets, with more than 20 colours to pick from. Plus, you can currently score 20 percent off its 'build your own bundle' sets. The great news, though, is that Bed Threads services other rooms, offering a great selection of bath and table accessories to bring some pep into every space, including waffle towels, vibrantly hued table linens and quirky serveware. It's got a concise-but-killer collection of cookbooks, too. [caption id="attachment_798511" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] OPUS DESIGN Fun and functional, Opus Design's homewares range from subtle and understated to ostentatious and fun. Whether you're after a new set of knives or big-ticket items like coffee tables and chairs, everything here looks and feels high-end — but without the hefty price tag. A great shout if you're looking to pick up a few pieces to breathe new life into your living room, it also offers free delivery across Australia on orders over $100. Result. THIRD DRAWER DOWN Melbourne-based shop Third Drawer Down is a top homewares contender (which thankfully has a comprehensive online store, too). Stocking bold (and sometimes tongue-in-cheek) designs from an impressive list of local and international artists, Third Drawer Down celebrates individualism and playfulness with its carefully curated selection of wares. Everything here is as much a work of art as it is a functional piece of furniture, so expect a heap of bright colours, out-there drawings, crude knick-knacks and pop-culture influences. This is a great store if you're after a fun statement piece (or a few) without wanting to fork out a fortune. GOODSPACE Goodspace is a humble Instagram page dedicated to redeveloping and repurposing preloved furniture. Not only will you score something unique for your pad, but you'll also be doing the earth a solid with these sustainable pieces. The social media store sells all manner of small and large storage units, tables, chairs, sofas and lamps, to name but a few. The price on these beauties varies greatly, so be sure to check its swag regularly. It also recently launched its own line of bright-hued checkerboard rugs that'll add a splash of colour and help spiff up any room. MUD Founded in 1994, Mud has been going strong for 27 years with its minimalist ceramic designs. Perhaps best known for its handmade porcelain range brought to life by designer Shelley Simpson, Mud is all about clean, colourful pieces that are as much about the artistic process as they are functionality. So, if you're in the market for a statement salad bowl, a new mug or some unique hanging lights, check out its online store. SUNDAY SOCIETY This Brisbane-based store delivers across Australia, which is the first bit of great news you need to hear. The second? Sunday Society embraces individualism and creativity while remaining approachable in aesthetic and, perhaps more importantly, price. It has a diverse range of lounge and bedroom furniture as well as a timeless selection of outdoor wares. Style and sophistication go hand in hand every step of the way here, so no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find something that suits your taste. LOUNGE LOVERS Whether it's the comfortable, stylish sofas or rustic, asymmetrical tables stocked at Lounge Lovers, you may find yourself being surprised at the price tag on these slick pieces. Lounge Lovers keeps things simple by offering concise variations on a number of easily workable themes. Classic and contemporary designs are brought to life via chic colour palettes that range from neutral to jewel tones, allowing you to add your personal flair to any of these accessible pieces. Great Southern Bank is empowering Aussies to get clever with their banking. Whether you want to stick to your savings goals with The Boost or hide your house deposit fund from yourself with The Vault, Great Southern Bank helps you get there. For more information on savings tools and home loan options, head to the Great Southern Bank website. Top image: Opus, Cassandra Hannagan
Lovers of high tea will tell you that it's just as much about aesthetic as taste: the outfits, the adorable tiny food and the unmatched setting looking over the glittering harbour. Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney's new offering, Blu Bar High Tea, offers all of the above in spades. With sweeping views over the water and beyond from level 36 and resident pastry chef Anna Polyviou (otherwise known as the 'punk princess of pastry') at the helm, you can be sure this will be a little different than the typical civilised high tea experience. And, the best bit — apart from that epic view — is that the high tea is buffet-style. You know what means? All the sandwiches and sweet treats you can manage. You can expect a bit of a twist on the usual cucumber and bubbly affair, starting with free-flowing teapot cocktails, filled with funky concoctions like Passion Tea-quila and Pink Panther. Traditional snack favourites like egg sandwiches and quiches will be on offer, and some not-so traditional desserts. Sweet treat flavours include piña colada (coconut, pineapple, lemongrass and Malibu), popping (caramel, popcorn and chocolate) and strawberries and crème (strawberry, mascarpone and vanilla). What forms these ingredients will take is anyone's guess given Polyviou's imaginative style. This quirky high tea takes place in the hotel's Blu Bar every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 11.30am–1.30pm and 1.45–3.45pm. It's priced at $75 per head on Friday and $95 per head on Saturday and Sunday and includes a glass of Champagne on arrival (Saturday and Sunday only) before you start on those free-flowing cocktails. What a civil weekend activity indeed.
Last night's Marrickville Council meeting represented a victory for Sydney's independent music scene. A unanimous vote saw the passing of a motion stating the Council's intention to undertake research concerning the legal and financial pressures on live venues and to become involved with the Leichhardt Council's Sydney Live Music Precinct plan. On March 26, Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne successfully persuaded his council to back a proposal to transform Parramatta Road’s inner west section into a bustling cultural hub. The following day, he told themusic.com.au that he would next seek the support of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Marrickville Mayor Victor Macri. For now, he can safely count on the latter. The Council agreed, not only to "assist with the development of programs and policies that could support the proposed Parramatta Road initiative" but to expand its geographical scope. Marrickville's network of alternative warehouse spaces may soon become part of the big picture. The government also recognised that increased consultation with independent artists might lead to a more sustainable music scene. In the past year or so, both legal and underground spaces have gone down the gurgler at an alarming rate, often due to the obstacles presented by miles of red tape. The Annandale, Notes, The Sando, Dirty Shirlows and Midian are just a few of the names on the deceased list. According to the motion, the Council has now committed to undertaking research into "why legal venues such as Notes Enmore and The Sando Newtown have closed down in recent months. This research should include factors such as economic sustainability, liquor licensing laws, BCA requirements and accessibility requirements," and to investigate "informal feedback" indicating that "the fire, safety and accessibility requirements expected of the venues make it financially unsustainable for small business owners to open and operate a music venue legally." Hundreds of musicians, organisers and promoters crowded into the Council offices at 2-14 Fisher Street, Petersham to show their support. Ali Avron, founder and director of DIY space The Newsagency, was one of the many in attendance. "It was a really great atmosphere ... so many people coming out in support of their community and the culture we're breeding here," she says. "It's definitely a step in the right direction ... It's really hard to start a venue, with the current model ... but now the picture is looking bright." Image: The Newsagency.
Dining out with kids isn't easy, especially when all you want is a nice, relaxing meal and perhaps a lovely view to go along with it. In reality, children don't really do nice or relaxing. Every parent has gotten two bites into that parma they've been dreaming of only to have to pack up and leave with a screaming child in tow. Luckily, Sydney's many restaurants, pubs and cafes hear your plight, and they want you to know that you shouldn't have to book a babysitter to enjoy a day (or night) out on the town. We've teamed up with American Express to show Sydney parents that you can enjoy a family meal out where everyone will be happy (and well-fed). You won't need to dumb down your palate, either. These spots offer some top eats, all while catering to your little ones with special menus, games rooms and beachside play areas. Need to get out of the house with the kiddies? These venues are here for you. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
Bouldering is having a moment in Sydney. If you're a new to the term — or the sport — think of it as rock climbing, but without the ropes and crazy heights. One of Sydney's first bouldering-only gyms, 9 Degrees launched in Alexandria back in 2015 and has since opened locations in Parramatta and Lane Cove in Sydney, and Enoggera in Brisbane. Now, in 2020, it's unveiled its fifth gym in Waterloo. At Waterloo, like at its other gyms, 9 Degrees' bouldering climbs are split into nine different levels of difficulty. The levels are, handily, colour-coded, so you can start with yellow (easiest) and work your way up to white (hardest). Plus, the gym has a kilter board (basically, a training wall) to help you level up. The gym is open every day of the week and, excitingly, till 10pm most nights. But, with COVID-19 restrictions and density limits, weeknights (after 5pm) are booking only, so pop over to the website to lock in your session. A day pass will set you back $20 (with an extra $7 for optional shoe hire) or you can sign up for a two-week trial for $49 or grab a multi-pass. As an added bonus, well-behaved dogs are welcome at the gyms (excerpt Parramatta), but they must remain on leash at all times. 9 Degrees Waterloo is open from 10am–10pm Monday–Wednesday, 4pm–10pm Thursday and 10am–10pm Friday and 8am–9pm Saturday–Sunday.
If you're a Marrickville local, you might know Auntie. She has a small shopfront on Illawarra Road and, should you come across it, it's well worth heading inside to say hello. Start with her bánh xèo — because she certainly knows how to make a mean one. The thin and crispy coconut and turmeric crepe — which comes stuffed with onion, bean sprouts and your choice of protein (pork or prawns) — is as authentic as it comes. Then there's the pho. The beloved Vietnamese dish most people pronounce wrong (FYI it's fuh). Of course, there are embellished alternatives, and if you want the good stuff, then the pho dac biet is a must-try. Picture this: a large bowl filled to the brim with house-made wagyu meatballs, thinly sliced black Angus beef, braised brisket, a torched beef short rib and rice noodles swimming in a broth so rich in flavour, you'll be begging for the recipe. This is all best lapped up with a classic cocktail or alcoholic slushie in hand. Or for a more authentic experience, order a Bia Ha Noi lager while you sit back in your Bentwood chair and watch the 'aunties' do their magic from behind the brass-trimmed open kitchen. But that's not the only interesting viewing at Hello Auntie. The narrow, low-lit industrial-style space is decked out with shelves stacked with old-school knick knacks and black and white family memorabilia. There's even a collection of mirrors that line the exposed brick walls, so you can watch the restaurant in full swing. So, whether you're stopping in for a date night, a catch-up with mates or a quick solo lunch, Hello Auntie has everything covered. Top images: Bodhi Liggett.
There's no need to choose between frozen yoghurt or gelato when FREO is within reach. Luckily, this premium purveyor has just launched a new flagship shop in Darling Square, making it even easier to get your hands on a refreshing treat. Now with three stores spread across Sydney, the latest spot makes your in-store visit better than ever, with even more options to craft your dream combination of Asian-inspired flavours, sauces and toppings. Launched by a quartet of industry veterans, including two-hatted chef Federico Zanellato (LuMi Dining, Lode Pies & Pastries), FREO's Darling Square locale features indoor and outdoor seating for up to 30 people. Decked out in the brand's soft purple theme, you'll feel comfortable preparing a sweet treat to-go before catching up with friends and exploring the heart of the city. "Darling Square is the perfect location for FREO – a place we've always dreamed of having the flagship store," says Zanellato. "It's a vibrant, interactive environment where you can create something truly unique and enjoy it with friends and family. We're excited to share this new chapter with our community in such an exciting and dynamic location." With more than enough room to spread out, this larger space has also allowed FREO to expand its range of flavours and toppings. With 10 flavours pouring every day, some of the must-taste creations include Japanese strawberry, mango and passionfruit, and taro. Made fresh daily using 100% pot-set yoghurt, FREO's use of premium ingredients results in a super creamy, tangy base primed for sweet accoutrements. Casting your gaze over the DIY topping bar, it's easy to get lost in the 45 add-ons. Ranging from decadent to healthy, sauces like Callebaut chocolate, melted Lotus Biscoff and Nutella on tap are some of your richer options. Also available is a selection of mochi, fresh fruit, seasonal items and even FREO's exclusive baked goods. Discovering the best combinations is all part of the fun. Yet FREO offers more than just froyo. Guests can opt for silky smooth express gelato, featuring flavours like Sicilian pistachio with sea salt, Rindo matcha, Japanese black sesame with bamboo charcoal, and caffe latte and kuromitsu sugar syrup. For plant-based pals, choice treats like Belgian dark chocolate, watermelon and yuzu, and premium açaí ensure loading up an unforgettable cup is made simple. FREO is open Sunday–Thursday from 11am–10.30pm and Friday–Saturday from 11am–11pm at 5 Little Hay Street, Haymarket. Head to their Instagram for more information. Images: Kera Wong.
Garçon is a cafe from The Little Marionette team. It sits at the entrance of Tramsheds so you can enter either through the food hall or from the car park, and it's your go-to for a takeaway or sit-in coffee — it has some really awesome amphitheatre-like cushioned seating arrangement around the coffee roaster. Best part is, at night the cafe turns into a bar serving espresso martinis.
Located on Cleveland Street, Kindred is the brainchild of chef Matt Pollock (A Tavola), who spent more than a year renovating the 45-seat space. The food is Italian inspired, but not strictly Italian. So, expect to find Mediterranean dishes made with a spattering of Aussie ingredients — and lots of vegetarian options. Starters such as roasted pumpkin ($11) with whipped ricotta and fermented chilli and chargrilled octopus ($17) with eggplant purée, precede heartier mains like bucatini with guanciale and agnolotti with cauliflower and sunflower seeds ($27). All pastas can be made with gluten-free pappardelle for an extra $2, too. While it's tempting to go hard on the entrees (the bread and the pastas) leaving room for dessert is rewarded. The chocolate fondant with peanut butter gelato ($13) and fig leaf semifreddo sandwich ($13) are both winners As well as having tasty fare — that keeps dietary requirements in mind — everything from the pasta to the bread and the cultured butter is made on site, and produce is sourced from local suppliers. The wine list, meanwhile, has many organic, biodynamic and natural drops, and is bolstered by a selection of local spirits, too.
Gone are the days of heading to a game and the only food option is a Four'n Twenty pie. Stadium food has been on the rise for a little while now, but it really took a leap to a whole new level last year when the SCG and the new Allianz Stadium enlisted the help of Merivale to revamp their dining options — and following suit is another set of sports grounds. Sydney's largest sports and concert venue, Accor Stadium, and Parramatta's flash new ground, CommBank Stadium, are both giving their food offerings a major makeover with the help of the family-owned hospitality business Gema Group. The team-up will see a heap of local and international favourites join the culinary roster across the two stadiums. Five Guys, El Jannah, Al Aseel, Ribs & Burgers, Roll'd, The Meal and Wine Co, Sushi Hub and Oakberry will all be available across the two stadiums alongside refreshed offerings of classic stadium food like pies, hot chips, hot dogs, nachos, pizza, souvlaki and burgers. The addition of El Jannah's famous charcoal chicken to Western Sydney's two major stadiums feels like a match made in heaven — while the addition of Five Guys to the offerings is particularly notable, with this being the first time the US burger chain will be located in a stadium anywhere in the world. "This is a great announcement that will not only highlight the flavours of Western Sydney, it will create jobs and support many small to medium family-owned businesses, like the legendary El Jannah," says NSW Minister for Sport and Small Business Steve Kamper. Even Nobu is getting in on the action, with the famously fancy sushi and sashimi outpost popping up at major Accor Stadium events in collaboration with the Crown Sydney. And a trio of acclaimed chefs — Manu Feildel, Anna Polyviou and Miguel Maestre — are all jumping on board to put their own spin on stadium eats as part of the Event Chef Series that will pop up during major events. "We will be giving fans the ultimate choice of cuisine — reflecting the diverse communities who attend our events and Sydney's richness of culture," says Venues NSW CEO Kerrie Mather. Head to the Venues NSW website for more information on the partnership between Venues NSW and Gema Group.
Write a list of all the gifts you need to buy and take it to this shop. Step inside this Paddington treasure trove of knick-knacks and odd items and you're guaranteed to find something irreverent, joyful or unusual for your loved ones. Novelty gifts? Tick. Bath and body set? Yep. Opus has it all. And when you don't know where to start, there's a handy online gift guide to sort your well-groomed dad and your tech-savvy mum. It's a primo place to go when you have absolutely no idea what to get — maybe it's a book on how to be a boss bitch, new candles for the friend with new digs, or drinking games for that Kris Kringle. Make it your first stop and give yourself a giggle at the humorous cards section. [caption id="attachment_798513" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Images: Cassandra Hannagan
Popular Sydney hospitality figure Reynold Poernomo has unveiled his flagship venue in Chippendale, with the opening of a new KOI Dessert Bar featuring three distinct areas. KOI has moved to Central Park Avenue after half a decade in Kensington Street, expanding to a larger more extravagant space two streets over which Poernomo has described as his "dream venue". Reynold initially opened the dessert bar with the help of his brothers Arnold and Ronald after winning fans over on MasterChef. "This is big for me, the team and the family, because as you all know, this is the first restaurant that my family and I had started over five years ago," Poernomo said. Tucked behind Central Park Mall next to the Chippendale Green, KOI Dessert Bar now invites sweet tooths to their choice of three dining experiences. The first section is your standard dessert bar reminiscent of the original Chippendale location. Here you'll find a stone and japanese tile benchtop presenting KOI's signature range of desserts for takeaway or eat-in. The daily cake selection changes, but you can expect creations like black truffle basque cheesecake or matcha, yuzu and pistachio slice, paired with St Dreux coffee and Tavalon tea. In the evening you'll enter through the second space — the revamped Monkey's Corner cocktail bar which has also moved across from Kensington Street. At the bar, the cakes are traded for noodles and coffee swapped for sake. Highlights from the food menu include chili crab egg noodles, trout tartare, torched wagyu strips and king prawns. There's also an affinity for truffle, with a black truffle and mushroom noodle dish a mainstay of the bar, and a seasonal truffle menu on offer during winter. The final — and possibly most exciting — element of the revamped venue is an intimate 12-seat restaurant. A chef's table of sorts, diners at KOI Experiential will have a front-row show as Poernomo creates a ten-course degustation spanning the sweet and the savory. The experience resembles that of Sydney's new wave of omakase restaurants, with the head chef taking patrons through that night's intricate and expertly crafted dishes. Seatings at the degustation are available at either 5.30pm or 8pm and will set you back $130pp. KOI Dessert Bar and Monkey's Corner are located at 6 Central Park Avenue, Chippendale. The dessert bar is open 11am–10pm Tuesday–Sunday, KOI Experiential is open from 5.30pm and 8pm Wednesday–Sunday and Moneky's Corner is open 5–10pm Tuesday–Sunday and midday–3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Negronis go down well after a hard day at work. Espresso martinis go down well at a boozy weekend brunch. Aperol spritzes go down well... well, most of the time. But, shelling out for these, oft $20-plus, cocktails on the reg doesn't go down well for our wallets. Luckily, there's a slew of Sydney bars and pubs serving up these libations for a tenner — every day of the week. MONDAY CORRIDOR, NEWTOWN What's the deal? All cocktails are $10 between 5pm and 7pm, Monday to Thursday. This aptly-named small bar is brimming with more than its fair share of goodness. There's a private table at the front, stools along the wall, a space hidden under the stairs, a lounge room and the upstairs courtyard. And during the week, from 5–7pm, you can pick anything of its cocktail list for only $10. Sit back with a Hot Blooded (a spicy tequila creation), a maple-infused old fashioned or a mojito and be happy knowing your savings are safe for another evening. TUESDAY [caption id="attachment_594712" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] East Village Hotel[/caption] EAST VILLAGE HOTEL, DARLINGHURST What's the deal? $10 daily cocktails between 5pm and 7pm, Monday to Thursday. This three-tiered Darlinghurst bar, which had a facelift in late 2016, has some of the suburb's best rooftop views. It also has some standout midweek cocktail deals. Each day, from Monday to Thursday, the bar offers a different cocktail for $10. Fan of Tommys margaritas? Head in on a Monday. Like your drinks carbonated? There are spritzes on Tuesdays. Campari connoisseur? Negronis on Wednesdays. And when you make it to Thursday, you deserve a round (or two) or $10 espresso martinis. WEDNESDAY [caption id="attachment_547543" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] The Carrington[/caption] THE CARRINGTON, SURRY HILLS What's the deal? $10 negronis, Aperol spritzes, espresso martinis and margaritas between 9pm and 10pm, daily. Locals love the Carrington. It's in walking distance of the SCG, it's dog friendly and it has great nightly food deals (including meal deals for your dog). It's also one of the few bars offering late-night drink specials. Every day from 9–10pm the pub is serving up $10 negronis, Aperol Spritzes, espresso martinis and margaritas — so, even if you need to clock a few overtime hours at work, you can still bag a bargain. RESTAURANT HUBERT, CBD What's the deal? $10 negronis between 4pm and 6pm, daily. This basement French restaurant is better known for its luxe design and refined fare than it is for its bargains. But, this changed when it launched its aperitivo hour. Every day from 4–6pm you can knock back negronis for a tenner. If you're peckish, you can snack on $5 devilled eggs and $10 burgers, too. And that's just the start — you can read about the rest of the aperitivo hour deals here. THURSDAY [caption id="attachment_532433" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Hotel Steyne[/caption] GLASSHOUSE, HOTEL STEYNE, MANLY What's the deal? $10 gin cocktails between 5pm and 7pm, Thursday and Friday. Perched on an eastern corner of the Manly Corso, the Hotel Steyne is just a stumble away from the beach. When it comes to dining and drinking at this multifaceted venue, you have a few options. And on Thursday and Friday afternoons, we suggest heading directly for the Glasshouse. This gin and tonic bar has an extensive list of botanical cocktails, charcuterie boards and between 5pm and 7pm it's offering up gin cocktails for only $10. FRIDAY [caption id="attachment_534073" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Bellevue[/caption] BELLEVUE, PADDINGTON What's the deal? $10 espresso martinis between 6pm and 8pm, Friday. Nestled in the leafy back streets of Paddington, Bellevue (formerly The Bellevue Hotel) has been trading since 1880, but a few years ago it was renovated and reinvented. Its renovation included a host of daily specials (including 2-for-1 meals and $1 oysters) but our favourite by far is on Fridays — $10 espresso martinis. Congratulate yourself for surviving another working week with a round of drinks and a caffeine buzz. SATURDAY [caption id="attachment_648889" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Shady Pines Saloon[/caption] SHADY PINES SALOON, DARLINGHURST What's the deal? $10 margaritas and negronis between 4pm and 6pm, daily. The underground whiskey bar recently launched a new menu. And alongside it — lucky for us — it launched a daily happy hour. Between 4–6pm the peanut-shell filled bar is mixing and shaking $10 margaritas and negronis. If you've only got a pocket full of loose change, no stress. It's also slinging $3 house spirits and beers. SUNDAY [caption id="attachment_586723" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Moya's Juniper Lounge[/caption] MOYA'S JUNIPER LOUNGE, REDFERN What's the deal? $10 negronis from 6pm, Sunday. Tackle the doom and gloom of Sunday's dying hours with a local dose of chilled-out jazz and a delightfully priced cocktail. Every Sunday in from 6pm, Moya's Juniper Lounge will host live jazz and $10 negronis — the perfect combination to help you forget about the looming Monday morning. CAN CAVA PINXTOS & WINE, BONDI BEACH What's the deal? $10 seasonal cocktails from 2pm, Sunday. Can Cava Pinxtos & Wine is giving Sydneysiders a reason to welcome the last licks of the weekend with Sunday Funday. The Bondi bar hosts a weekly party with live music, cheap-yet-fancy booze and Barcelona-style eats. All-day drink specials include $10 cocktails off the seasonal menu — think passionfruit martinis, grapefruit margaritas and daiquiris for summer. LL WINE AND DINE, POTTS POINT What's the deal? $10 bloody marys between 11am and 4pm, Sunday. If you wake up on Sunday feeling a bit dusty, LL Wine and Dine has a solution. Every Sunday from 11am the Potts Point eatery is serving up $10 bloody marys (the ultimate hangover cure) and all-you-can-eat yum cha for 30 bucks a head.
Sandwiches are not a traditional Japanese snack, but a dish adopted from Western cuisines and reinvented with incredibly tasty results. The tamago sando found at Japanese convenience stores is one notable result of this confluence of cultures, another is the katsu sando. It's not a new invention, supposedly it first appeared on the menu of a Tokyo restaurant called Rengatei back in 1899, but the fried pork sanga is very hot right now in Sydney. A typical katsu sando features a panko-crumbed pork cutlet sandwiched between two pieces of soft (crustless) white bread alongside cabbage, sweet tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo, but each version mentioned below has a slight variation. So, have a read, pick your favourite and head out for lunch — or, maybe, make your way through all seven.
In The Accountant 2, Christian Wolff is back, as is Ben Affleck (Air) in the role. Jon Bernthal (Daredevil: Born Again) returns as the numbers-whiz character's killer-for-hire brother Braxton, too. The first film's Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) and JK Simmons (Juror No 2) also reprise their parts. Behind the camera, director Gavin O'Connor not only helms the follow-up to his own 2016 release, but makes his third movie in a row — including The Way Back, which isn't part of the franchise — with Affleck starring. Screenwriter Bill Dubuque (Ozark) is among the familiar folks backing up for another The Accountant flick as well. With so many tried-and-tested talents onboard, this thriller sequel's return to the world of its titular figure — a forensic accountant with autism who started the initial picture fixing the books for criminal organisations — could've just taken rinse-and-repeat approach. That wouldn't have meant making a movie that's as much an odd-couple buddy comedy, however, by playing up the chalk-and-cheese relationship between Affleck and Bernthal's characters. Balancing intense action scenes with line dancing likely wouldn't have been in the mix, either. Also, Addai-Robinson's Marybeth Medina, who is now a Deputy Director in the Treasury Department, may not have been so central — indeed, Affleck calls her "the lead in the movie". No one involved in The Accountant 2 was interested in making a comeback just to do what they've already done. That's particularly true for Affleck, who so rarely steps into a character's shoes twice — except as Batman and Bruce Wayne in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, and also as Holden McNeil in the View Askewniverse. Boot scootin' to 'Copperhead Road' as a way of flirting is also a brand-new development for him, and one that not everyone was convinced would make the final cut. "I was like 'this scene will never work'," advises Bernthal. "I was like 'there's no way that's going to work. Like, why is he? Like, what? How is this — what does this scene have to do with anything?'. And as soon as I saw him go out there, I was singing that song. I love that song. I love that. It was so good." "If you asked Jon before we shot that scene, he was saying 'this is going to get cut from the movie'," adds O'Connor. "There's no way. I was like 'why are we even here?'," responds Bernthal. The moment does hit its mark, and also perfects what The Accountant 2 is shooting for character-wise with Christian and Brax. One is trying to connect with others, including romantically — this isn't the only sequence in the film about Christian's love life — and finds that his penchant for numbers and patterns is an unexpectedly ideal fit for line dancing. The other is attempting to assist his brother to embrace more than just his routine. Together, the siblings are also endeavouring to repair their long-fractured relationship. [caption id="attachment_1001142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] When The Accountant 2's team get together to chat about it at a press conference for the movie — returnees Affleck, Bernthal, O'Connor and Addai-Robinson, plus franchise newcomer Daniella Pineda (Cowboy Bebop) — they're animated and enthusiastic. The film benefits from their passion, even as it combines its comic turns, dancing and brotherly bonding with the fact that it's still an action-thriller that plunges into dark territory. This time, Christian's skills are needed, as are Brax's, after an acquaintance's murder. In a narrative that involves human trafficking, Marybeth is on the case, enlisting the brothers' assistance as she searches for the culprit, and also investigating how the situation connects to a family from El Salvador. Why was Affleck keen to return? When did O'Connor start thinking about which elements of the first film he wanted to pick up in a second flick, and where things would be different? How did humour work its way in — and what was Bernthal's response to the buddy-comedy aspect? The group answered these questions, too, while also digging into why Affleck sees Addai-Robinson's Cynthia as the movie's protagonist, the movie's action scenes and emotional arcs, and, yes, the line dancing. On Why Affleck Was Keen to Add a Very Rare Sequel to His Resume Ben: "This is a movie where, after the first one, it was successful and I was really proud of it, but it had a longer life in terms of the just real-life feedback that I get from people, what movies they would mention when they come up to me. And so I definitely was aware 'oh wow, that movie seems to still be being watched'. I think it's also a function of the fact that streaming really started to take off after this movie, so people had the opportunity to pick what movie they're going to watch, that sort of thing. And also I just love this character. I really enjoyed playing it. Gavin and I both very much were drawn to the idea of bringing Jon back and expanding on that, because we both really were like 'this guy's fabulous and we love it' — and I think we both felt like there was a lot more to do. And the only thing that I think, that I would rephrase from your question, is they really brought me back. Bill and Gavin spent a lot of time in the intervening years developing and putting together, in a quite typical-of-Gavin, meticulous, patient, detail-oriented, character-driven way, what it could be. Because both were quite mindful of not wanting to repeat it, not wanting to just 'oh hey, they like the first one, let's just figure something out and do another one'. So everything about it was appealing to me." On When O'Connor Started Thinking About Which Aspects of The Accountant He Wanted to Bring Back for a Sequel — and What to Change Up Gavin: "Just a lot of conversations with Bill in regard to — there's certain DNA that it was important to preserve. And then after that, it was a lot of left turns and just try to refill the tank in a very different way. And I in no way wanted to recycle the same thing that we did in the first film, so it was it was just a matter of 'how do we just start recreating the character in a way that is putting them on a different journey, integrating Brax, wanting to bring Cynthia back?'. We knew the key in the ignition was to kill Ray, because I wanted it to be personal for both of these guys. And most importantly, and we had these conversations, I just want to make a movie that was fun and entertaining — and put people in the seats, and go to a movie theatre and the lights come down, and have a communal experience where they can walk out of the theatre and go 'man, that was a fucking ball. That was just a great. That was a great time at the movies'. And that's really what we were going for." On Playing Up the Odd-Couple Buddy Comedy — and When Bernthal Found Out That That Would Be the Case Jon: "I don't know that I was ever really told that. I don't know that." Ben: "It was bait and switch." Jon: "Look it was — it was, yeah, little bit, a little bit. I was like 'what?'. But Bill's writing is so unbelievably strong. And Gavin and I, we're very close. And you work with Gavin, he's always going to whittle it down and try to get to the truth of the character, and there's no stone left unturned. It was a real thrill for me to get back. And I think with Ben, it just kind of happened that way. I mean it's there, it was very much supported by Gavin to let moments linger and let it exist naturally, and play the moments in between the beats. He's unbelievably funny and he has such a — it sounds corny, he's just mastered this character in such a way that there's just so many little moments of truth that are going on that you love, but can also drive you crazy from the right point of view. And I feel like we were really — I was really — let off the leash to have a real opinion about that." [caption id="attachment_1001143" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] Gavin: "I don't think we ever said like 'oh, it has to be funny', when I say I wanted the movie to be fun and entertaining. Jon and I had so many sitdowns were we would just be dissecting the character, and 'what's the intention of this scene?' — but once you just put these guys together, they both have specific wants. And if you're not getting your wants — and both these guys are slightly, the characters are slightly bonkers, right, in certain ways, so if they're not getting their wants, if you just let them do their thing, it was such a fertile environment for them just in the scenes that it just created. They weren't trying — the reason I think it works is because they weren't trying to be funny. No one was trying to be funny. They were so engrained in their characters and they had very specific wants. And if you're not getting that, it's like banging your head against the wall." Ben: "And also Jon took pleasure in torturing me. So that was really just funny." On What Addai-Robinson Was Able to Explore in Her Role the Second Time Around Cynthia: "I think I always viewed Marybeth as the entry point for the audience, because she's observing and seeing all these things unfold around her and reacting in kind. And myself as an actor, same thing. I think back to working on the first movie: I was nervous and I was kind of out of my depth in a way, just trying to present as if I wasn't, which I think, for Marybeth, it was a similar type of situation. And here we are, eight years later, when we started on the sequel — and Marybeth has evolved, grown. She's in this elevated position within the Treasury Department. And for myself as a person and an actor, I felt like I had also grown, and it was like 'all right, I'm going to be returning to a situation that's familiar. I feel a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more confident'. And so that was really nice for me to feel like 'okay, I'm feeling like I can handle what I'm now getting thrown at me' — which is, again, this dynamic with Ben and Jon's characters. And just again being, for the audience, that point of entry. So all of their shenanigans, I also got to just bear witness to and be like 'all right, these guys are kind of crazy and they're also kind of challenging my view of how to serve justice', really." [caption id="attachment_1001144" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] Ben: "The secret of this movie is that Cynthia is the protagonist, really. She's the lead in the movie — she's the entree for the audience, which means we get to play character parts. And there is a kind of relief from not having to carry a certain — there a whole bunch of expectations and stuff that go with being the lead in the movie, because as Cynthia says, the audience is really projecting themselves onto you. And so we're like a dual aggravant in some ways to her. And if you look at the math of the story, it's about her being brought into this, seeing this person be killed, trying to find out what it was and what she has to go through to get there, and the resolution of her story. And that's something that I find very artful and interesting, where this person is the lead of the movie and you have these dual character actors in there. So that affords Jon and I the luxury of doing this two-hander odd couple. " On Bringing a Heightened Level of Female Action to the Film Daniella: "I would say this is definitely next-level. I mean, it's not necessarily a character you see all the time. I feel like it's kind of changing a bit. I saw a video the other day of these two American eagle chicks in a nest, and one of the siblings just takes out the littler one, takes out the nest, and I was like 'oh hey, I know that girl. That's all nice'. But at the same time, you want to see that eagle hunt and you want to see that eagle fly — and there is something really compelling about watching a predator do their thing. At the same time, I felt like there's more to her. There's more layers there. So she's not just a stone-cold killer. It's the type of role that I would like to see more women get to play. They're certainly here in the real world. And I love to beat the shit out of Cynthia — but we were hugging, we were hugging in-between takes, and it was nice. I got really lucky. I had a good partner. It was fun, it was fun — but as she'll tell you, it was brutal." Cynthia: "It is pretty good — and what's very satisfying is we've now had opportunities to see the movie with audiences, and when you hear an audience audibly gasp, then you know you're doing something right. Because it means that the stakes and how invested people are in these characters, they are literally leaning forward, and with each blow, each hit, it's like 'aaaahhh'. So I think that's a nice vote of confidence to hear those gasps." On How The Accountant 2's Action Stands Apart From Affleck and O'Connor's Past Projects Ben: "To me, what makes it interesting, and what made me think that we could do something that would actually connect with an audience in the sense that they feel something for what's happening, is because Gavin's approach is not about 'this is a shot where visually it looks cool because of XY and Z elements, and we're going to construct it in such a way', and then you have to reverse-engineer why in the world you would be doing something that would lead you to that place. It's always driven from 'what does each character want? Why are they doing this?'. There's a grounded reason for it. And then his gift is to take that and make that visually compelling." Gavin: "Yeah, and not try to make it feel stunt-y — or some of these, we can cite action movies that are great, but it just feels like the action is in front of the characters. And for us, and the same with the girls, we were always coming from character. So what we were always tracking when we got to the third act was like 'how were these guys working together? How are they now united?'. We knew what the stakes were. We knew what they wanted. So inside of the action and the choreography, really, it was about the emotional line between the two brothers and how are they going to try to accomplish this together? And that was really what the conversations were about. The action is like dance, right? It's just doing it in beats. But action isn't emotional — and disposable violence, who cares about it, right? So it was really evoking emotion because you care about the characters." On How Bernthal Approached His Character's Emotional Arc — and Balanced It with the Demanding Action Sequences Jon: "You can't lie in a fight. You just can't lie — it's all, what you want is right there. And so if you're going for it, you've just got to know what you're going for and why you're going for it. I think more than any director I've ever worked with, Gavin has an appetite and an availability, and a hunger, to go back and to really get into what makes these guys tick. He'll talk to you as long as you want to talk to him about where these guys came from. And what's so beautiful about this being a second film — I think for me with Braxton, he's really shrouded in mystery in the first one. There was a point, you really don't know too much about him, but you have these amazing flashbacks to see how these two boys were raised and what their relationship was with their dad. And it really is the crux of what is really bothering both of them, and what's really bothering Brax: the roles that we've always filled for each other, getting each other's back, having to be there for each other, the lack of being there for each other. So then for it to culminate — it just doesn't culminate just in a gunfight, it culminates in 'hey, I'm there for you. I'm getting your back. You're getting mine. We're joined forever'. And it's a way, for lack of a better word, of showing how much you love somebody — and violence can actually be that sometimes." On Affleck's Line-Dancing Scene Ben: "That was one of the fun things about this thing, was the idea that here's a guy who's trying to figure out — he wants to have a relationship with a woman, he's trying to figure out how to do that, how to put yourself out there. He's not comfortable extending himself. He doesn't really know how to flirt exactly. He's not comfortable, like so many of us — it's not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly the very early part where you're trying to gauge 'what does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?'. And what he does is kind of a lovely thing, which is he uses something that he's comfortable with — which in that case is the ability to recognise and identify the pattern of line dancing, because it is so structured and patterned — to participate in this. And it's the perfect way that he's comfortable to stand next to this woman who he's attracted to and wants to connect with, because it's kind of like parallel play with little kids. You don't have to look at somebody and engage them, but you get to be with them and do something next to them, and he finds a way that he's comfortable doing that. And it required, yeah, a lot of me. I probably am not going to get a lot more demands for my line-dancing work. I don't know. The phone hasn't rung yet. But it was really fun to — I think what's charming about it is when somebody puts himself out there to do something, at least I hope, that they're not necessarily great at, but they're trying. And I mean, really at the end of the day, that's sort of all any of us can do. Some of us are great at things — like Jon, the fighting comes easy to him. The action scenes with him are like playing in a basketball movie and this guy, you're like 'oh, you played professional basketball — okay, great'. And whereas these women of action, like you said then Danielle, they trained like crazy and brought incredible aptitude. Those fight scenes are a function of tremendous commitment and dedication and emotional perseverance that was astonishing. And for me, I'm coming at this line dancing thing like 'I don't really have the natural gifts but I'm willing to try.' I would say they did a hell of a lot better with the action I did with the line dancing. Luckily for me, it wasn't supposed to be good." Gavin: "The other thing about the scene that we were trying to accomplish, that was really important, is obviously there was that happening but we just left the plot of the movie. It was like 'we're going to leave the plot for a while', because that whole scene is really about the brothers. They've been in all this conflict driving up to that scene, and then at the end of the scene on the Airstream he says 'let's go get drunk'. And then that scene became 'they're still kind of in conflict trying to figure it out' — but once he goes to dance, Brax is like, that started to unite the two brothers, and it was just baby steps to get these guys there. So that was the other thing." Ben: "And it anchors the audience, having him celebrate for his brother, like that's who you're connecting to." Gavin: "Totally. Totally, yes. 'Yeah, 'that's my big brother up there'. It's beautiful." The Accountant 2 opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Film stills: courtesy of Warrick Page, Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video © Amazon Content Services LLC.
When Lewis Carroll first sent Alice down the rabbit hole back in 1865, he couldn't have guessed just where she'd end up. While the English mathematician-turned-writer obviously knew she'd be wandering around Wonderland, that was just the beginning of her white rabbit-chasing journey. Countless film, TV, comic book, game, stage, music, music videos and ballet adaptations have taken the famous character far and wide — and, come 2018, she'll be stopping by Melbourne. From April 5 to October 7, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image will pay tribute to all things Alice in Wonderland, the centre's major exhibition for the year as part of the Victorian Government's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. A world-premiere event crafted and curated by ACMI, the entirely original showcase will take fans through the screen history of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There — aka the two Carroll-penned books that introduced not only the titular heroine, but the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, and food and drink with "eat me" and "drink me" labels. Proving a date you won't want to be late for, fans can follow Alice on her voyage through more than 40 cinema and 30 television versions, as well as through popular culture in general. Spanning her first big screen appearance in 1903 to 2016's Alice Through the Looking Glass, the exhibition will step through her different guises, and the technologies that have brought her story to life, all in an interactive, experiential way. That includes animation, puppetry, live-action cinema, video games, CGI, 3D and more, as well as playful environments, digital activities and behind-the-scenes glimpses. "With Wonderland, ACMI has created an interactive exhibition where audiences will explore the magic of film craft and its integral role embedding this much loved story in our imaginations for generations," explains ACMI CEO and director Katrina Sedgwick. Given ACMI's two on-site cinemas, it's safe to assume that an enchanting lineup of Alice in Wonderland films will also feature.
Inner-city hospitality hub 25 Martin Place has quickly cemented a reputation as one of the most reliable dining go-tos in the CBD, but for the past few months, one-half of this multi-venue complex has been conspicuously dormant. New Zealand steakhouse chain Botswana Butchery, which occupied the expansive three-storey east wing of the site, announced in April that it was entering voluntary administration and given the economic uncertainties that have forced a rash of similar closures across Sydney in recent months, it was unclear if or when a new tenant would be able to take up residence. Now, one of the city's most successful hospitality companies, Point Group, who also operate the ever-popular Shell House, has announced ambitious plans to launch not one but three venues in the former Botswana Butchery digs, creating a new hospitality hub within a hospitality hub. The International will feature a wine bar, a fine diner and a rooftop watering hole showcasing a worldly array of culinary experiences that celebrate the cultural diversity that is so essential to Sydney's identity. [caption id="attachment_974166" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jonny Valiant[/caption] "We're excited for The International to become the cultural cornerstone of this lively and engaged part of the city," Point Group CEO Brett Robinson said. "Our approach will be simple: if it's fun, delicious and exciting, it's on the menu. Our team has had the opportunity to pull together this new project with total creative freedom and without limitations to define a new standard of big-city dining. The International is not just a restaurant; it will be a social and culinary destination where the only rule is that the food, the wine and the hand-crafted beverages must be delicious and of exceptional quality and the service dedicated, inspired and authentic." Sydney already has an excellent pedigree when it comes to pyro-powered cuisine, championed by the likes of Neil Perry at Rockpool, Lennox Hastie at Firedoor and Corey Costelloe at 20 Chapel. The Grill will join this impressive list of woodfired fine diners with culinary director Joel Bickford delivering a menu driven by provenance, high-quality produce, seasonality and simplicity. [caption id="attachment_974167" align="alignnone" width="2560"] The Grill[/caption] Custom mid-century furniture and bespoke joinery will create an atmosphere that is both luxurious and comfortable. Guests will enter through a glossy walnut bar where they can enjoy artisanal martinis or a flute of chilled champagne. The dining room will feature striking geometric marble flooring and a cold bar showcasing local seafood, complemented by an open kitchen where licks of open flame will catch the attention of diners. Bickford envisions The Grill as a destination for celebrating special moments while also being somewhere guests can enjoy everyday pleasures through exceptional food and wine. "Ultimately, it's about the food; provenance, best-in-class produce, seasonality and simplicity with absolutely no cutting corners, delivered by the very best chefs in the city working to deliver a unique perspective on classic traditions, internationally renowned preparations and worldly perspectives," he said. [caption id="attachment_974168" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Wine Bar[/caption] The Wine Bar will deliver a more casual (yet no less refined) offering, with a menu by Executive Chef Danny Corbett leaning on small plates inspired by worldwide cuisines. The venue will comprise three distinct spaces: a 60-seat piazza-style courtyard restaurant with an outdoor bar, perfect for all-day dining and socialising; an intimate 40-seat wine bar with a terrace overlooking Martin Place and an open kitchen featuring a Marana Forni pizza oven; and a 60-seat circular dining room with plush decor, ideal for special occasions and wine tastings. In addition to the food offering, there will, of course, be an extensive wine list, including generous by-the-glass options, curated by sommelier Alex Kirkwood. Finally, The Panorama Bar on the top floor of The International will be a vibrant social hub, made for sun-soaked lunches, golden hour drinks, and after-dark get-togethers. The bar will offer all-day dining and late-night drinking. Culinary Director Joel Bickford and Executive Chef Danny Corbett have created a menu of sharing plates and bar snacks, including cold bar options and Japanese bites prepared over Hibachi grills. Guests can enjoy a seasonal drinks list curated by award-winning bartender Josh Reynolds, including signature cocktails and an extensive champagne and chablis selection, perfect for a summer thirst-quencher. With views of the art deco architectural masterpieces of Martin Place and the bustling courtyard at the foot of Harry Siedler's iconic skyscraper, the outdoor terrace of the aptly named The Panorama Bar will channel a glamorous yet playful vibe. Fire pits, comfortable loungers and leafy planting will set an enticing tone while live DJ sets in the evening will pump up the party atmosphere. [caption id="attachment_974169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Panorama Bar[/caption] The International will open at 25 Martin Place in the CBD in November.
The Calile Hotel has gone three for three, making the World's 50 Best Hotels list for the third consecutive year, ranked at 34th. After placing 12th in 2023 and 25th in 2024, the Fortitude Valley five-star stay is the only hotel in the entire Oceania region to make this prestigious grade in every edition since the award's inception. Opening in 2018, the seven-story, 175-room hotel was billed as 'Australia's first urban resort'. While suitably situated among luxe fashion boutiques and high-end restaurants along leafy James Street, the hotel serves as a sun-soaked sanctuary from the outside world. Described by The World's 50 Best as "laid back Aussie spirit meets buzzy Palm Springs and Miami stylings," guests can retreat to siesta by the pool or slink away to private quarters designed for maximum comfort. "To have been selected three years in a row marks a significant affirmation of The Calile's place on the global hotel-industry stage and reinforces our reputation as a desirable destination for international travellers coming to Brisbane, Australia," says Co-Owner Catherine Malouf. However, The Calile experience goes far beyond its dreamy 30-metre centrepiece pool or sophisticated rooms adorned with a "neutral, chic palette of peach, rose and pistachio." Dining and drinks are a serious treat, with Hellenika, Bianca and Lobby Bar adding to Brisbane's burgeoning culinary scene. Plus, the hotel's cultural program is a major highlight, regularly hosting art exhibitions and performances by renowned names, such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra. "Being recognised among the world's best hotels for the third consecutive year is an incredible honour and a testament to our remarkable team. Their professionalism, consistency, and genuine care for our guests define The Calile experience for which we are known," says The Calile Hotel General Manager, Chris Kemlo. As for the rest of the list, Capella Sydney achieved top honours for Australia, debuting on the list at an impressive 12th place. Meanwhile, Rosewood Hong Kong has finally claimed the No. 1 spot, having previously been ranked No. 2 and No. 3. Don't forget to keep an eye out for updates on The Calile's expansion to Noosa Heads, a perfect location for the hotel's tropical look and feel coming in the near future. For the full World's 50 Best Hotels list for 2025, head to the website for more information. Images: Cieran Murphy.
A lavish European-influenced brasserie is swinging open its doors in Sydney's CBD. Brasserie 1930 will officially arrive on Wednesday, March 15, coming to the new luxury hotel Capella Sydney from the Bentley Restaurant Group. The acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus will bring an elegant dining room, next-level eats and a meticulously curated wine program to the expansive inner-city hotel — the first Australian opening from the Capella hotel group. Named after the year the Young Street section of the building was completed, Brasserie 1930 takes the idea of an elevated French diner and injects it with local Australian produce and Sydney-favourite dishes. Expect to kick off your meal with Sydney rock or Tasmanian pacific oysters, as well as prawns paired with fermented chilli mayonnaise. Highlights from the starters section of the menu include beef tartare, brown butter scallops, spanner crab alla chitarra with sea urchin sauce and glazed quail paired with whipped feta. [caption id="attachment_892588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Then there's the mains. Starting from $48, this portion of the offerings is full of no-holds-barred luxury. The seafood selections, for example, include coral trout with potato yoghurt puree and leek, coal-roasted Murray cod with pepperberry butter and eastern rock lobster. There are three steaks on offer if that's what you're craving. Take your pick from the Yarabah wagyu rump cap, O'Connor's bone-in sirloin or Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye that'll set you back an easy $110. And, rounding out the mains is the whole-roasted duck which you can order for the table. This $190 share dish comes accompanied by duck-neck sausage, roasted plum, fennel, spinach and glazed eschalots. [caption id="attachment_892592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Timothy Kaye[/caption] Bentley Restaurant Group's co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt has pulled together a massive wine list to compliment the elegant menu. More than 400 producers from across Australia and Europe are on show, with the by-the-glass menu set to evolve and change over time, spotlighting picks from the hospitality group's wine vault. All of this is housed within an equally grand dining space. Original architectural features of the nearly century-old building have been restored, then complemented with sleek modern furnishings and light fixtures. Brasserie 1930 will join the McRae Bar in the 192-room, eight-storey Capella Sydney hotel. The luxury accommodation will become Australia's first Capella when it also opens on Wednesday, March 15, offering guests an elevated inner-city stay featuring swimming and vitality pools, a fitness centre and a spa alongside the impressive dining options. [caption id="attachment_892589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Capella Sydney and Brasserie 1930 both open on Wednesday, March 15 at 2–4 Farrer Place, Sydney. Top image: Kris Paulsen.
Chiswick Cellars is another family-run operation, which celebrated 26 years in the business in 2020. Located on Blackwall Point Road, the small business boasts a friendly team that is more than happy to help you decide what to purchase. The focus here is on the wine, though a basic liquor and beer offering is also on the docket. It's best to spend some time perusing the shelves — with so much on offer, you won't want to rush. Apart from all the booze, there's also a sizeable deli attached, so it's a great place to test your skills with wine and food pairing.
As affordability becomes the top priority for Australians while the economy buckles under global affairs we have no control over, we're all adapting our savings differently. The methods of saving vary widely, but as costs like groceries, rent and fuel force us to eat into our savings, millions of Australians have targeted one of those major costs by resorting to shared living, as revealed in a new study by Finder. Finder completed a survey of 1,011 respondents to capture a snapshot of data representative of the wider Australian population, and found that one-fifth of Aussies have started saving by moving in with others in the last 12 months — that's 4.1 million people around the country. However, the majority (33 percent) of those respondents live in Victoria. Of those surveyed who have given up on bachelor and bachelorette pads, the most common category of roommate is parents or grandparents, with ten percent of respondents moving back home over the last year. That was followed by seven percent of respondents moving in with siblings, four percent with friends and a desperate three percent who turned to moving in with former partners. [caption id="attachment_1092312" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lisa Maree Williams/Getty[/caption] Of the respondents who've turned to shared living, 39 percent were Gen Z, and 27 percent were Millennials, showing how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting young people most of all. Finder's Cost of Living Pressure Gauge, which compiles data on pressure from rent, mortgages, savings, debt, credit card repayments and more, is currently sitting in the red at 75 percent pressure. Taylor Blackburn, a personal finance advisor at Finder, explained that millions of Aussies are staring down uncomfortable living as a salve to housing security, saying, "Between soaring rents, rising interest rates and general cost-of-living pressures, the ability to live alone is slipping out of reach for many." To be prepared for the expenses we might not see coming, and the general financial wear and tear of the 2020s, Blackburn says to "design your life so you can manage a drought. One surprising expense that sinks you isn't a surprise – it's a design flaw. Maintaining even a modest financial buffer can be the difference between staying in control and being forced into living situations you never imagined." Lead image: iStock Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
It's ten years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Since then, a relatively unknown Gotye played in a basement, Chk Chk Chk ran across the Sydney College of the Arts rooftop, Lorde happened and Laneway became the very first Australian festival to migrate overseas. This year, the once quiet achiever of the Australian festival scene, Laneway Festival blows out the candles with one of its biggest (but not necessarily commercial) lineups yet. Kicking off in Singapore on Saturday, January 24 in The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, Laneway will run through seven dates, including Sydney's Sydney College of the Arts on February 1 and Melbourne's Footscray Community Arts Centre and River's Edge on February 7, finishing up at its new home in Fremantle's Esplanade Reserve and West End on Sunday, February 8. But where did Laneway all start (in case you're in the dark)? What did The Avalanches and a dare have to do with it? How did they manage to survive the festival circuit in the face of common Australian festival crash-and-burnery? Let's take a little saunter through the alleyways, warehouse lots and overseas ventures of Laneway — the Australian festival who settled into the country's infrastructure from the smallest of veins. Where it all hatched. St. Jerome's Laneway Festival was born in 2005, when Danny Rogers helped Jerome Borazio book music for his Melbourne laneway bar, St. Jerome's. The every-Sunday 'Summer Series' was born (where The Presets and Architecture in Helsinki played small sets) and the two decided to expand the idea into a Saturday night residency for their mates, The Avalanches. Said Avalanches challenged Rogers and Borazio to make a big ol' birthday shindig for St. Jerome's bar, which would have to close the whole lane. "We said ‘Why not throw a first birthday party for the bar?’ We got excited and then thought ‘Well why don’t we try and close this Laneway down?" recounts Borazio on the Laneway site. "After a few drinks with The Avalanches one night we asked, ‘If we closed this lane down would you guys play? They said ‘You won’t be able to close this lane. So if you do, we’ll play.’ About 1400 showed up and watched Architecture In Helsinki, Art of Fighting, Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set, The Dears, Eskimo Joe, Gersey and Ground Components and those jokey dare-makers The Avalanches play the very first Laneway. Sydney's turn. Keeping the fire stoked in Melbourne, the Laneway crew decided to expand the concept to Sydney after a chance meeting with super promoter Michael Chugg. "I bumped into Michael Chugg at a health retreat and said to him, 'We have this festival in Melbourne. Check it out, see what you think. He called the next day and got us up to Sydney," says Jerome Borazio on the Laneway website. Thanks to Chugg and his team, Sydney got the green light. Snuggled amongst Circular Quay's Macquarie Square, Reiby Place and The Basement, Laneway saw a rainy but successful run in Sydney that year. Headliners Broken Social Scene were the squealworthy element of the time, alongside Art of Fighting, Augie March, Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set, Cut Copy, Dane Tucquet, Darren Hanlon, Decoder Ring, Faker, Gersey, Jens Lekman, Les Savy Fav, Mercy Arms, Mountains in the Sky, New Buffalo, Pivot, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Pop Frenzy Sound Unit, The Posies, The Raveonettes, The Temper Trap, Wolf & Cub and Youth Group over the two cities. Brisbane joins the crew. With Melbourne and Sydney's Laneway chapters under control, Brisbane's first Laneway was held in '07 behind the city's beloved venue, The Zoo. The lineup saw the likes of The Walkmen, Yo La Tengo, Camera Obscura, Peter Bjorn and John, Snowman, Archie Bronson Outfit, Bumblebeez, Casino Twilight Dogs, Dan Kelly, Dappled Cities Fly, Expatriate, Fionn Regan, Gerling, Gersey, Ground Components, Holly Throsby, Love Is All, Macromantics, Midnight Juggernauts, My Disco, The BellRays, The Crayon Fields, The Shaky Hands, The Sleepy Jackson, The Temper Trap and Youth Group play in the teeny laneway out the back — as well as Sydney and Melbourne's laneway set-ups. The Laneway Empire was growing. Oh hey, Adelaide. Heading south-west, Laneway 2008 saw Feist, Gotye, Dan Deacon, The Presets, Stars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Panics, The Vasco Era and Okkervil River all smooshed themselves into Fowler's Live, all up in the North Terrace. They were joined by Violent Soho, The Cool Kids, The Holidays, Via Tania, Batrider, Bridezilla, Devastations, Little Red, Rudley Interrupted and The Brunettes. Meanwhile, the Melbourne festival expanded — out of Caledonian Lane to Drewery Lane and Londsdale Street. The times were a-changin'. Perth, you're up. Heading to Western Australia for the first time, Laneway 2009 found a new, additional home in the Perth Cultural Centre. Beats were the dominant force this year, with Girl Talk, Stereolab, Buraka Som Sistema, Pivot (with the vowels intact) and Four Tet sharing the stage with Tame Impala, Architecture In Helsinki, Born Ruffians, Canyons, Cut Off Your Hands, Daedelus, El Guincho, Holly Throsby, Jay Reatard, John Steel Singers, Mountains In The Sky, No Age, Port O’Brien, Still Flyin, Tame Impala, Tim Fite, The Drones, The Hold Steady and The Temper Trap. The Laneway crew talk of 2009 as the year of visible expansion in Perth of course, but particularly in the other citie. According to the Laneway website, "a rapidly expanded site, shifting regulations, wild hype and high temperatures contributed to the Melbourne show very suddenly (and publicly) outgrowing itself. Overcrowding and long queues soured an otherwise strong musical showing. And while a realignment of stages in Adelaide was deemed a success by the growing crowds, Sydney’s Macquarie Park location also began showing signs of its limitations." Woah, things got a little turbo-charged in 2010. With one of its biggest lineups yet, Laneway expanded their venues in several cities. Melbourne moved from its hallowed home to the riverside Footscray Community Arts Centre, while Sydney farewelled Circular Quay for Rozelle’s historic Sydney College of the Arts. With Mumford and Sons, Florence and the Machine, and The xx all making their Australian debut at Laneway (not too shabby), the venues were upsized to accommodate Bachelorette, Black Lips, Chris Knox and The Nothing, Cut Off Your Hands, Daniel Johnston, Dappled Cities, Dirty Three, Echo & the Bunnymen, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Hockey, Kid Sam, N.A.S.A., Midnight Juggernauts, Radioclit, Sarah Blasko, Street Chant, The 3Ds, The Middle East, The Naked and Famous, The Very Best, Warpaint, Whitley and Wild Beasts. But Laneway also made its first venture overseas, launching its first instalment in Auckland. According to Laneway, the crew teamed up with Chugg and New Zealand locals Ben Howe, Manolo Echave and Mark Kneebone to create the first Kiwi chapter of Laneway in Auckland's warehouse-dotted Britomart Quarter. And I mean, look at that bloody lineup, no wonder they had to find a bigger boat. Singapore, what's up. Held at Fort Canning Park, the first Singapore Laneway Festival was drenched in torrential rain — but that didn't douse the spirits of thousands of punters. Lineup-wise, goals were kicked yet again by the Laneway team: !!!, The Antlers, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Beach House, Bear in Heaven, Blonde Redhead, Cloud Control, Cut Copy, Deerhunter, Foals, Gotye, The Holidays, Holy Fuck, Jenny & Johnny, Les Savy Fav, Local Natives, Menomena, PVT, Rat Vs Possum, Stornoway, Two Door Cinema Club, Violent Soho, Warpaint, World's End Press and Yeasayer made their way to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Singapore and Auckland (who moved their camp from the Britomart Quarter to Aotea Square in 2011). Auckland finally bunkers down in Silo Park in the Wynard Quarter — its present home. This was a pretty big year for Laneway, steering the lineup toward top-of-the-alternative headliners: M83, SBTRKT live, John Talabot, Feist, Active Child and Jonti joined Anna Calvi, Austra, Bullion, Chairlift, Cults, The Drums, DZ Deathrays, EMA, Geoffrey O’Connor, Girls, Givers, Glasser, The Horrors, Husky, Laura Marling, Oneman, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Pajama Club, The Panics, Portugal. The Man, Toro y Moi, Total Control, Twin Shadow, Washed Out and Yuck. Detroit ahoy. Heading over to the US for their very first Detroit Laneway at Oakland University, the team capitalised on previously successful showcases as the likes of SXSW to bring in an American audience — making them the first Australian festival to migrate to the US. The likes of ADULT., AlunaGeorge, Beacon, Chet Faker, CHVRCHES, Deerhunter, The Dismemberment Plan, Flume, Frightened Rabbit, HAERTS, Heathered Pearls, Icona Pop, Matthew Dear, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Phosphorescent, Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike), Savages, Shigeto, Sigur Ros, Solange, Warpaint, Washed Out and Youth Lagoon cranked out sets in Detroit — a huge undertaking for the Laneway crew. In Australalasia, the likes of alt-J, Flume, Jessie Ware, Chet Faker, Bat For Lashes, Divine Fits, El-P, Japandroids and Nicolas Jaar played alongside Alpine, Cloud Nothings, Henry Wagons & The Unwelcome Company, High Highs, Holy Other, Julia Holter, Kings of Convenience, MS MR, Nite Jewel, Of Monsters and Men, Perfume Genius, Poliça, Pond, Real Estate, Shlohmo, Snakadaktal, The Men, The Neighbourhood, The Rubens, Twerps and Yeasayer. A big ol' year. The year of our Lorde. Hitting #1 in the US, the NZ teenager cranked out memorable Pure Heroine sets at Laneway's most veering-toward-commercial year yet. The soon-to-be Grammy winner was joined by the likes of HAIM, Earl Sweatshirt, James Blake, King Krule, Warpaint, Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike), Jaguar Ma and Vance Joy alongside Adalita, Autre Ne Veut, Cashmere Cat, Cass McCombs, CHVRCHES, Cloud Control, Danny Brown, Daughter, Dick Diver, Doprah, Drenge, Four Tet, Frightened Rabbit, GEMA, Ghost Wave, Jamie xx, Kirin J Callinan, Kurt Vile, Mount Kimbie, MT WARNING, Parquet Courts, PCP Eagles, Rackets, Savages, Scenic, The Growl, The Jezabels, The Observatory, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vandetta, Watercolours, XXYYXX and Youth Lagoon. Epic. Here we are, ten years later and Laneway's making big moves to remain closer to the up-and-coming pulse than the superheadliners. As of this week, Laneway 2015 is upon us and the lineup is predictably kickass. Returning to the Australian touring circuit is UK on-repeat outfit Jungle, festival jaw-droppers Future Islands and Melbourne's lives-up-to-the-hype queen Courtney Barnett. Two of the biggest hypecards of the bunch, FKA Twigs and BANKS, will fight for the midnight hushed vocal crown. Then there's the ever-epic St. Vincent, punk-as-fuck UK band Eagulls, smooooooth king Flying Lotus, Harlem's top-of-the-game hip hop outfit Ratking and the triumphant returns of Rustie, Jon Hopkins, POND and crisp-as-blazes Caribou, alongside Andy Bull, Angel Olsen, Benjamin Booker, Caribou, Connan Mockasin, Dune Rats, Eves, Flight Facilities, Highasakite, Jesse Davidson, Jon Hopkins, Little Dragon, Mansionair, Perfect Pussy, Peter Bibby, Raury, Royal Blood, Seekae, Sohn, St Vincent and Vic Mensa. And last but not least, Mac DeMarco and his mum, Agnes. What a legend. Happy tenner, Laneway. Cheers to showing punters where the Good Music at, avoiding slapdash, off-brand superheadliners, keeping a finger on many overseas pulses and making onsite attention to detail a colossal priority. We're raising a plastic cup to another ten. Images: Laneway Festival - Simon Fergusson, Daniel Boud, Adrianna Polcyn, Alvin Ho, Nina Sandejas, Chris Schwegler, Annette Geneva, Yael Yaya Stempler.
Christmas can often be a crazy time, and we can't think of anything worse than running around a shopping centre trying to sort out gifts. We all know the drill, and it's carnage, to say the least. Amazon is our go-to for simple gift ideas that you can pre-order from the comfort of your home, which means avoiding the carnage and taking your time to choose the right gifts. To get you started, we have ten gift ideas you can buy from Amazon right now. Whether you're buying for your impossible-to-buy-for teenage cousin, skin-care-obsessed auntie or for the kids in your life, we've got you covered. 1. Ottolenghi SIMPLE Perfect for any aspiring chef or summer entertainer — it's nearly guaranteed that everyone will love Ottolenghi SIMPLE, a cookbook and a great gift idea for someone you don't know too well or someone hard to buy for. The book features 130 of chef Yotam Ottolenghi's award-winning recipes that are easy enough to cook at home but turn out restaurant-quality (if cooked correctly). Better, if you're invited to a dinner party by whoever you gift the book to, you know you'll be in for a treat. 2. Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Another easy gift idea that most people would be stoked to receive, the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a great summer gift item, since it's completely waterproof that also floats. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to reap the benefits of this gift at some stage. It also comes in seven different colours, so you can find a good match for whoever you're buying for. You can thank us later. 3. Cocktail Set The silly season is the perfect time to drink cocktails at home or to host parties (obviously with a cocktail bar), hands down. And gifting this sleek, stainless steel cocktail set for Christmas may be the perfect timing. The set includes pourers, a strainer, a muddling stick, two Boston shakers and two bartender spoons. A great gift idea for any aspiring mixologists out there, whether they're a beginner or pro. 4. Crocs Jibbitz Shoe Charms If you haven't heard of Jibbitz, you've clearly managed to steer clear of the front page of social media. A trend that no one saw coming, having a few extra charms on your Crocs is now actually, well, elite. Great for kids or adults who love rocking their Crocs, Jibbitz is an easy way to personalise the classic shoes, with a variety of charms that pop into your shoes' holes, instantly making Crocs even cooler. 5. The Ordinary Skincare It seems that everyone is in their self-care era at the moment, which means skincare is a top priority. Gifting a friend or loved one with The Ordinary The Daily Set is bound to be a practical gift that actually gets used. The set includes three gentle and hydrating formulas suitable for all skin types across all seasons for daily use, including The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid with B5 and The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA. 6. LEGO® One of Amazon's top picks when it comes to gift ideas, the LEGO® Creator flatbed truck with a helicopter, fuel vehicle, hot rod SUV and car toys is one of the best simple gift ideas for kids, as well as big kids. LEGO® Creator 3 in 1 sets give the giftee a choice as well, since the pieces can be used to assemble three different sets. Timeless, ageless, genderless and always entertaining, you really can't go wrong with LEGO® as a gift. 7. Noise Cancelling Earbuds If you ask us, noise-cancelling earbuds are no longer a luxury but an essential. If you're trying to find a Christmas gift for your friend who is always travelling or listening to tunes, or you noticed a mate with ancient corded headphones, then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds may be the way to go. They feature technology that analyses each ear and adapts sound so that the active noise-cancelling earbuds are custom-tailored, plus they come with nine soft ear tips and stability bands for ultimate comfort. 8. Mortar and Pestle Sometimes, the best gift is a simple one. Enter the granite Mortar and Pestle. There's no kitchen tool simpler than this. Made from solid granite, this kitchen staple is great for crushing herbs, spices, garlic, basil and whatever else you so desire. It's a great gift for those in your life who love cooking. And, if it turns out they don't like cooking, then it also makes for an aesthetic piece of decor on the kitchen bench, So it's a win-win. 9. Minecraft Board Game If we could place a bet on whether the kids in your life play Minecraft, we would confidently put money on it being a yes. They can't get enough, and gifting them with anything Minecraft-related is sure to be a hit. This Minecraft Board Game from Ravensburger is an easy-to-learn strategy board game where players explore the Overworld, mine resources, build structures, collect weapons and fight mobs. Perfect for Minecraft lovers, it's also fun even if you have never played Minecraft. 10. Fitness Tracker Do you have any fitness freaks in your friendship circle? Or maybe your old man is looking to get back in shape? Look no further than the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Health & Fitness Tracker. This sleek little thing helps you track workouts and health metrics with over 150 sports modes, continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurement, and sleep analysis. It also looks cool and comes in a range of different colours. Images: Supplied by Amazon. 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Fiji has cemented its ongoing status as one of the go-to island holiday destinations for Australian travellers. It's a little further abroad than local spots like The Whitsundays and Bali, but the beaches and rainforests of the South Pacific are magical enough to warrant the extra miles. While you may have spotted honeymooners and influencers paddling about luxury bungalows on stilts in the middle of a private bay (and wished to join) you don't have to empty the bank account to enjoy some of these 300 islands. Instead, you can island hop at your own pace and budget, finding the best hidden beaches and reefs within the archipelago. Here are some of our favourite spots to help you start planning your next Fiji trip. [caption id="attachment_877268" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Fiji[/caption] YASAWA ISLANDS This group of 20 volcanic islands is known for being accessible to people on just about any budget. Within small villages, you can find family-run hostels and hotels as well as larger luxury resorts. But one of the most appealing parts of visiting the Yasawa Islands is the culture. Here, you are significantly more likely to come across locals living a traditional island life, running small eateries and fishing off the shores. Unlike the privately owned islands, these haven't been paved and manicured for tourists. Getting around the islands is also super easy. You can arrive here by ferry and island hop using their Bula Pass — it's essentially a hop-on, hop-off boat pass for the local islands. No need to get a helicopter or private boat to see the best of these authentic parts of the country. [caption id="attachment_877285" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Get Lost[/caption] KADAVU ISLAND Kadavu is Fiji's fourth largest island and perfect for travellers looking for adventure. The island has been purposely kept wild, letting nature do its thing. Head to Kadavu Island for hikes up into dense vine-covered forests to find hidden waterfalls and natural springs. Or take to the water on sea kayak tours, paddling from lagoon to lagoon, stopping off at small coral reefs and local villages along the way. You can also take longer treks out to The Great Astrolabe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, for more snorkelling and incredible bucket list scuba diving. Despite being just a 50-minute flight from Nadi (where international flights arrive and depart), this island feels far off the beaten path. The stress and hustle of the big city grind will seem a million miles away while you explore this tropical wilderness. [caption id="attachment_877276" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kokomo Private Island[/caption] MAMANUCA ISLANDS These famous islands are more orderly and landscaped than the previously mentioned destinations but they're far from being a Joni Mitchell song: they haven't totally paved this paradise yet. You'll find some of most beautiful white sand beaches in these parts alongside a smattering of resorts and private beach clubs. Spend your days island hopping by boat, jet ski or kayak to explore some of the 20 picturesque islands. Great surf breaks are also a starring feature in these parts, with the famous heart-shaped Tiny Tavurua and Namotu island resorts being perfectly situated for any activities involving stellar waves. Another big drawcard for the Mamanuca Islands, is the ease at which you can get here. It takes about 20 minutes to get here from Nadi via ferry. And, thanks to its popularity, it's also simple to organise trips around the islands — either ask your accommodation to recommend a good one or find your favourite guide hawking their tours on the beach. Editor's tip: book a romantic seven-night holiday at an adult's only resort here (which includes all transfers, a couple's massage and a dolphin safari tour). [caption id="attachment_877272" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Malamala Beach Club by Brook Sabin[/caption] VANUA LEVU If you're truly wanting to get away from the tourist crowds head to Vanua Levu, the second largest island in Fiji. Here, you'll find just one paved road which connects the two main towns of Labasa and Savusavu (as well as plenty of dirt tracks where the buses and cars will still traverse). Explore the rambling countryside, hike up into the hills and hit up some of the peaceful beaches. When staying here, make sure you also visit the neighbouring island of Taveuni. It's another of Fiji's forgotten islands (at least when it comes to international travellers), but boasts the stunning Bouma National Heritage Park — a haven for hikers and bird watchers, and home to the famous Tavoro Falls and pools. [caption id="attachment_877286" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliot Grafton[/caption] LOMAIVITI ISLANDS A collection of 16 islands make up this region to the east of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, and they are significantly less touristy than the Mamanucas and Yasawa Islands. The inner islands of this group are relatively developed and welcome a small number of tourists regularly. But, as soon as you get to those on the outer islands and the even-further-afield Lau islands, you find yourselves significantly more isolated. It's a lot harder to travel these parts, with only the most patient and well-prepared travellers heading beyond — to be well rewarded for their efforts. When visiting the Lomaiviti Islands, we recommend you stay on Ovalau or one of its nearby islands which are all connected by colourful coral reefs. Come here to get away from the crowds and experience a more chill island life. [caption id="attachment_877270" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Fiji[/caption] Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world. Top images: Turtle Island Resort
When the term 'direct-to-video' was uttered in decades gone by, it was rarely used in a positive way. 'Direct-to-DVD' wasn't either, when the switch from VHS to discs hit — but shaking up the idea that a film that skips cinemas can't also be exceptional is one of the many consequences of the streaming era. Every week — every day, it sometimes seems — brand new movies join the seemingly endless array of streaming platforms. That's been especially handy during 2021, which saw us all spend more time at home than usual (yes, again), and also delivered plenty of straight-to-streaming highlights. Indeed, some of this year's finest movies didn't flicker across the silver screen. Some were meant to, others were never destined to, but they're all exceptional either way. Here are the 12 best films that should've made their way to your streaming queue in 2021 — and if you haven't watched them yet, you can remedy that at the click of a few buttons. THE GREEN KNIGHT Mesmerising and magnetic from its first moments till its last, The Green Knight is a moving musing on destiny, pride, virtue, choice, myths and sacrifice, all wrapped in a sublime spectacle. The medieval fantasy hums with haunting beauty and potency as it tells of Arthurian figure Gawain (Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield), nephew to the King (Sean Harris, Mission: Impossible — Fallout), and the only man who accepts a bold challenge when the eponymous figure (Ralph Ineson, Gunpowder Milkshake) — a mystical part-tree, part-knight — demands a duel one Christmas. The catch: whichever blows the eager-to-prove-himself Gawain inflicts on this towering interloper, he'll receive back in a year's time. So, when this initial altercation ends in a beheading (and with the Green Knight scooping up his noggin and riding off), Gawain faces a grim future. Twelve months later, that bargain inspires a quest, which The Green Knight treats as both a nightmare and a dream. There's an ethereal look and feel to every inch of this stunning movie, where the greenery is verdant, and the bloodshed and battlefield of skeletons just as prominent. Playing a man yearning for glory yet faced with life's stark realities, Patel is in career-best form — and the latter can also be said of writer/director/editor David Lowery. Every film he makes has proven a gem, from Ain't The Bodies Saints and Pete's Dragon to A Ghost Story and The Old Man and The Gun; however, The Green Knight is a startling and riveting feast of a feature that's as as contemplative as it is visionary. The Green Knight is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND Excellent filmmakers helming exceptional documentaries about music icons just might be 2021's best movie trend. It isn't new — see: Martin Scorsese's filmography as just one example — but any year that delivers both Edgar Wright's The Sparks Brothers and Todd Haynes' The Velvet Underground is a great year indeed. Both docos are made by clear fans of the bands they celebrate. Both films find creative and engaging ways to approach a tried-and-tested on-screen formula, too. And, both movies will make fans out of newcomers, all while delighting existing devotees. They each have killer soundtracks as well, obviously. They're each tailored to suit their subjects, rather than leaning on the standard music bio-doc template. As a result, they each prove the kind of rich, in-depth and electrifying features that only these two directors could've made. With The Velvet Underground and Haynes, none of this comes as a surprise. As well as the astonishing Carol and the just-as-devastating Dark Waters, he has experimental short Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, glam-rock portrait Velvet Goldmine and the Bob Dylan-focused I'm Not There on his resume, after all. Here, he makes two perceptive choices: splitting his screen Andy Warhol-style to show both archival materials and new interviews simultaneously, and avoiding the allure of giving the late, great Lou Reed all his attention. The result is an inventive, impassioned and wide-ranging doco that charts the band's story and impact; captures the time, place and attitudes that gave rise to them; and proves as dazzling as The Velvet Underground themselves. The Velvet Underground is available to stream via Apple TV+. PROCESSION For filmmaker Robert Greene, it started with a press conference, where six sexually abused men sought justice — and publicly so — for the horrors they endured at the hands of the Catholic Church. After reaching out to their lawyer Rebecca Randles, and also bringing drama therapist Monica Phinney onboard, Procession started to take shape — a film that tells their stories like no other documentary would've. Anyone who's seen Greene's also exceptional Kate Plays Christine and Bisbee '17 will know that he sifts through trauma via re-enactments, an approach used to interrogate dark incidents and abhorrent moments. Here, it's deployed as a healing technique, too. To watch Tom Viviano, Joe Eldred, Ed Gavagan, Michael Sandridge, Dan Laurine and Mike Foreman participate in Procession is to watch them not just grapple with what was done to them, but to try to undercut its power. Talking-head interviews still litter the documentary, but Procession is far more interested in the short films that Viviano, Eldred, Gavagan, Sandridge, Laurine and Foreman conceive and make — starring child actor Terrick Trobough as all of them — based on their own experiences. Greene captures the behind-the-scenes process, and also presents the finished product, both of which trawl through memories that none of his subjects will ever forget. Unsurprisingly, this isn't an easy movie to watch. It's essential and unforgettable viewing, though, examining heartbreakingly awful acts, the men who've spent a lifetime trying to cope, the cathartic nature of art and the resilience needed to soldier on. Procession is available to stream via Netflix. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Pondering the conversations that might've occurred between four pivotal historical figures on one very real evening they spent in each other's company, One Night in Miami boasts the kind of talk-heavy concept that'd obviously work well on the stage. That's where it first began back in 2013 — but adapting theatre pieces for the cinema doesn't always end in success, especially when they primarily involve large swathes of dialogue exchanged in one setting. If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar-winner and Watchmen Emmy-winner Regina King doesn't make a single wrong move here, however. The actor's feature directorial debut proves a film not only of exceptional power and feeling, but of abundant texture and detail as well. It's a movie about people and ideas, including the role the former can play in both bolstering and counteracting the latter, and the Florida-set picture takes as much care with its quartet of protagonists as it does with the matters of race, politics and oppression they talk about. Given the folks involved on-screen, there's clearly much to discuss. The film takes place on February 25, 1964, which has become immortalised in history as the night that Cassius Clay (Eli Goree, Riverdale) won his first title fight. Before and after the bout, the future Muhammad Ali hangs out with his equally important pals — activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir, High Fidelity), footballer Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge, The Invisible Man) and musician Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr, Hamilton) — with this equally meticulous and moving Oscar-nominee ficitionalising their time together. One Night in Miami is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. NO SUDDEN MOVE Up until late August, No Sudden Move couldn't have sat on this list. The latest film from prolific director Steven Soderbergh (Unsane), it was scheduled to release in Australian cinemas; however, then lengthy lockdowns hit Sydney and Melbourne, and its theatrical run was sadly canned across the country. This crime thriller would've looked dazzling on a big screen, and for a plethora of reasons. Soderbergh is no stranger to helming capers — he has Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen on his jam-packed resume, plus both Out of Sight and Logan Lucky — and No Sudden Move is as energetic as the rest of his heist fare. Here, he also revels in period details, with this Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted Face the Music)-scripted tale unfurling in the 1950s. As he's known to do, Soderbergh both shot and edited the movie himself, too, and that exceptional craftsmanship is another of this playful neo-noir's many delights. Spinning an engaging story steeped in Detroit's crime scene, No Sudden Move has something to say as well. Don Cheadle (Space Jam: A New Legacy) in is career-best form as Curt Goynes, who gets out of prison, then gets enlisted for a job by a middleman known as Jones (Brendan Fraser, Trust). That gig? With two colleagues (The French Dispatch's Benicio Del Toro and Succession's Kieran Culkin), he's tasked with babysitting the Wertz family (Archenemy's Amy Seimetz, A Quiet Place Part II's Noah Jupe and debutant Lucy Holt), all so the Wertz patriarch (David Harbour, Black Widow) can steal a document from his work. There's no shortage of plot — No Sudden Move keeps twisting from there — but capitalism's worst consequences also bubble prominently underneath. Soderbergh and Solomon savvily tease out the details, though, keeping their audience guessing as much as their characters. No Sudden Movie is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. BO BURNHAM: INSIDE Watching Bo Burnham: Inside, a stunning fact becomes evident — a life-changing realisation, really. During a period when most people tried to make sourdough, pieced together jigsaws and spent too much time on Zoom, Bo Burnham created a comedy masterpiece. How does he ever top a special this raw, insightful, funny, clever and of the moment? How did he make it to begin with? How does anyone ever manage to capture every emotion that we've all felt about lockdowns — and about the world's general chaos, spending too much time on the internet, capitalism's exploitation and just the general hellscape that is our modern lives, too — in one 90-minute musical-comedy whirlwind? Filmed in one room of his house over several months (and with the growth of his hair and beard helping to mark the time), Inside unfurls via songs about being stuck indoors, video chats, today's performative society, sexting, ageing and mental health. Burnham sings and acts, and also wrote, directed, shot, edited and produced the whole thing, and there's not a moment, image or line that goes to waste. Being trapped in that room with the Promising Young Woman star and Eighth Grade filmmaker, and therefore being stuck inside the closest thing he can find to manifesting his mind outside his skull, becomes the best kind of rollercoaster ride. Just try getting Burnham's tunes out of your head afterwards, too, because this is an oh-so-relatable and insightful special that lingers. It's also the best thing that's been made about this pandemic yet, hands down. Bo Burnham: Inside is available to stream via Netflix. BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR Throughout 2021, on screens big and small, few films have been as fun as Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Nothing has been as ridiculously, hilariously, gleefully silly, either — as you'd expect of a movie about a titular twosome who obsess over culottes, and where Jamie Dornan (Synchronic) kicks sand on the beach while singing a prayer to seagulls. A talking crab features, too, as do dance remixes of Celine Dion tunes, because this is the delightfully entertaining comedy that has it all. The setup: middle-aged Soft Rock residents Barb (Annie Mumolo, Queenpins) and Star (Kristen Wiig, Wonder Woman 1984) head to Florida for a holiday, despite their apprehension to break up their routine, while nervous, lovesick henchman Edgar Pagét (Dornan) also makes the same trip, but to help nefarious villain Sharon Fisherman (also Wiig) with her plan to kill everyone. Wiig and Mumolo also wrote Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, as they did Bridesmaids. This time, though, they've piled in enough glorious absurdity to fill several beaches. From its throwaway gags to its big musical numbers — and including its character details — there's nothing too goofy for this infectious frolic. Sometimes the film is a Romy and Michele's High School Reunion-style ode to female friendship, sometimes it's a kooky world-domination comedy, and it's also a fish-out-of-water satire and a goofy holiday flick as well. It wouldn't work quite as well if its cast weren't so committed to their parts, and to the offbeat sense of humour — and if director Josh Greenbaum (New Girl) didn't ensure that every element of the movie goes all-in on every single joke. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. BURNING "This could be the new normal," a snippet from a news report comments early in Burning. The reason for the statement: Black Summer, the Australian bushfire season of 2019–20 that decimated large swathes of the country, sent smoke floating around the world and attracted international media attention. Australians don't need a documentary to confirm how horrific the situation was, and this is now the second in months — after the gripping first-person accounts in A Fire Inside — but this powerful film from Chasing Asylum's Eva Orner also lays bare all the factors that coalesced in the tragic events of just two years ago. Accordingly, this is a doco about inaction, government indifference to the point of failure, and the valuing of fossil fuels over their destruction of the environment. It's a movie about climate change as well, clearly, because any film telling this tale has to be. Orner, an Oscar-winner for producing 2007's Taxi to the Dark Side and an Emmy-winner for 2016's Out of Iraq, takes a three-pronged approach: providing context to the bushfires, including charting the Australian government's choices before and after; amassing expert and experienced testimonies, spanning activists and those on the ground alike; and bearing witness. Facts — such as the three billion animals killed — sit side by side with personal recollections and devastating images. The latter includes not only the fires and their ashy aftermath, but political arguing and Scott Morrison's Hawaiian holiday; all hit like a punch to the gut. The result is urgent, important and stunning — and absolutely essential viewing. Burning is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. I CARE A LOT She didn't end up with an Oscar for her efforts, but Rosamund Pike's Golden Globe win for I Care a Lot was thoroughly well-deserved. The Radioactive and Gone Girl star is stellar in a tricky part in a thorny film — because this dark comic-thriller isn't here to play nice. Pike plays Marla Grayson, a legal guardian to as many elderly Americans as she can convince the courts to send her way. She's more interested in the cash that comes with the job, however, rather than actually looking after her charges. Indeed, with her girlfriend and business partner Fran (Eiza González, Bloodshot), plus an unscrupulous doctor on her payroll, she specifically targets wealthy senior citizens with no family, gets them committed to her care, packs them off to retirement facilities and plunders their bank accounts. Then one such ploy catches the attention of gangster Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones), who dispatches his minions to nudge Marla in a different direction. She isn't willing to acquiesce, though, sparking both a game of cat and mouse and a showdown. Dinklage makes the most of his role, too, but I Care a Lot is always the icy Pike's movie. Well, hers and writer/director J Blakeson's (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), with the latter crafting a takedown of capitalism that's savagely blunt but also blisteringly entertaining. I Care a Lot is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. CODA When CODA screened at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, it made history. Film distributors always clamour to snap up the event's big hits, and this four-time award-winner — which received the fest's US Grand Jury Prize, US Dramatic Audience Award, a Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award and Best Director — was picked up by Apple TV+ for US$25 million. Even though the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah) remakes 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier, that's still a significant amount of money; however, thanks to its warmth, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness, it's easy to see why the streaming platform opened its wallet. Fans of the earlier movie will recognise the storyline, which sees 17-year-old Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her family commitments with her dreams of attending music school. She's a talented singer, but she's only just discovered just how skilled she is because she's also the child of deaf adults (hence the film's title). At home, she also plays a key part in keeping the family's fishing business afloat, including by spending mornings before class out on the trawler wither her dad Frank (Troy Kotsur, No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant, Switched at Birth). Heder helms this still sweet and moving feature with a distinct lack of over-exaggeration, which plagued its predecessor. The fact that Kotsur, Durant and Marlee Matlin (Entangled), the latter as the Rossi matriarch, are all actors who are deaf playing characters who are deaf really couldn't be more important. Their portrayals are naturalistic and lived-in, as is much about this rousing but gentle crowd-pleaser — including tomboy Ruby's blossoming romance with fellow wannabe musician Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street). CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN If there's a real-life figure that needs to be brought to the screen, call Benedict Cumberbatch. He's done just that in The Imitation Game, The Current War and The Courier, and also in everything from The Other Boleyn Girl and Creation to 12 Years a Slave and The Fifth Estate as well. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain sees the British actor add another such role to his resume; however, while it steps through its eponymous artist's life and career, this biopic instantly stands out from the rest of the pack. The key: a fabulous decision by director Will Sharpe (Flowers) to style this poignant and lively film after its subject and his work. When he came to fame in the late 19th century, Wain was known for his surreal cat paintings, after all — and while this is a movie that also tracks his sorrows, as well as his struggles with his mental health, it does so with a winning mix of energy and sincerity. Indeed, it'll come as no surprise that The Electrical Life of Louis Wain was shot by Erik Wilson, the same cinematographer who added such a whimsical look to both Paddington and Paddington 2. Animals abound amidst these entrancing visuals, too, but none of the cats that Wain (Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog) becomes obsessed with eat marmalade. That feline fixation stems from a frowned-upon romance with Emily Richardson (Claire Foy, The Girl in the Spider's Web), the governess to his younger sisters — and it, just like Richardson, changes his life. Playing an eccentric artist who firmly took his own route, and was also just as fascinated with electricity as adorable mousers, Cumberbatch finds both the enchanting and the melancholy sides to Wain, while the rest of the stellar cast even includes Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) on narration duties, plus Richard Ayoade, Taika Waititi and Nick Cave in cameos. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. SLAXX Ask any style guru for their opinion on denim, and they'll all likely give the same answer. Everyone needs a pair of killer jeans, after all — the type that fit perfectly, flatter every inch of your lower half, and that you just don't want to ever take off. In Slaxx, CCC is the store aiming to make all of the above happen. Already priding itself on its eco-friendly, sustainable, sweatshop-free threads, the chain is set to launch a new range of denim that moulds to the wearer's body, with the company's buzzword-spouting CEO (Stephen Bogaert, IT: Chapter Two) certain that they'll change the fashion industry. On the night before the jeans hit the shelves, employees at one store are tasked with making sure everything goes smoothly; however, as new hire Libby (Romane Denis, My Salinger Year), apathetic veteran employee Shruti (Sehar Bhojani, Sex & Ethnicity) and their over-eager boss Craig (Brett Donahue, Private Eyes) soon learn, these are killer jeans in a very literal sense. Quickly, the ravenous pants start stalking and slaying their way through the store. It's a concept that'd do Rubber's Quentin Dupieux proud and, in the hands of Canadian filmmaker Elza Kephart (Go in the Wilderness), the results are highly entertaining. Slaxx wears its equally silly and savage attitude like a second skin, smartly skewers consumerism and retail trends, and possesses stellar special effects that bring its denim to life — and, although never subtle (including in its performances), it's exactly as fun as a film about killer jeans should be. Slaxx is available to stream via Shudder. Looking for more viewing highlights? You can also check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly. Plus, we picked ten standout new straight-to-streaming movies and specials in the middle of the year, too.
Life was already pretty dandy for the residents of Summer Hill. This leafy inner-west slice of paradise is well-known for its large family parks, tennis courts, trendy cafes and a local barber who stands out the front of his shop greeting everyone who walks by. Now, just to rub it in our faces, they have a really awesome small bar. Located on the main intersection, where Smith Street meets Lackey, The Temperance Society sprawls over two narrow levels, weaving in and out of rooms like a family home. Upstairs there's a brightly wallpapered library filled with Chesterfield lounges, leather-bound books and the smell of rich mahogany. It looks like they've taken inspiration from Ron Burgundy's apartment. Downstairs there's the bar, a fairy-lit courtyard and various intimate nooks on the way. The primary focus is the drinks list, which showcases quality bevvies from within a 7km radius. On tap there's Young Henrys cider; a fruity German-style Zonnebeke witbier by Marrickville's Batch Brewery; a malty, red rye ale by Chippendale's Ironbridge Brewery; and a clean and grassy Convict Lager by The Rocks Brewing Co. Drinks can be bought via the pot/pint/jug ($5/$10/$17.50) depending on the intensity of your night, and for most, it's just a short stumble home to bed anyway. Lucky bastards. Cocktails also play up the local theme. The Lackey Street Lush ($14) combines vodka and cloudy apple, every 20-year-old's favourite drink, or there's the Smith St Society Classic ($18), a thick and spicy tropical punch filled with hunks of fresh orange, dark rum, caramelised brown sugar and ginger beer. The crowd-pleaser is the Little Myrtle ($18), which is made with Botanica's lemon myrtle liqueur, elderflower syrup and a toothpick threaded with blueberries. It has the delicious lemon fizz of a melted Calippo. The star of the spirits list is the Sullivan's Cove ($68), a luxury small batch whisky recently named best Australian single malt at the World Whiskies Awards, although you'll need to have a few drinks first before you're convinced to hand over the cash. Bar snacks consist of quick and easy cold charcuterie platters. Choose from a rabbit, quail and pistachio terrine ($9), sourced from Marrickville's Black Forrest Smokehouse and served with pickled green tomatoes, or there's a cheese plate ($9) with Hunter Valley Cheese Co. cheddar, pickles, onion and relish. The dip platter ($5.50) includes two dips homemade by a local Lebanese resident and served with a mountain of sliced sourdough. For the ridiculously cheap prices, it's surprising to find the serving sizes extra generous. One plate between two will have you cancelling your dinner plans. The Temperance Society is a charming old-world bar serving quality local drinks at unbeatable prices. I hate you Summer Hill.
Since 2012, Sydney has dedicated one day each year to pretending that Japan isn't nearly 8000 kilometres away. Whether you're hopping on a plane to Tokyo in the near future, have always dreamed of wandering around Kyoto come cherry blossom season, or just love sake and gyoza (and who doesn't?), Matsuri Japan Festival celebrates everything the nation has to offer — and it has become Sydney's biggest Japanese celebration in the process. Indeed, last year more than 30,000 people went along to watch traditional and contemporary performances, knock back a few Orion beers, get their matcha fix, sip yuzu lemonade, learn calligraphy and origami, and devour sushi. And with all of that on this year's bill as well, plus karate and sumo demonstrations, audience cosplay, plenty of Japanese food and more, expect the fest to be fun and frenzied when it returns. The 2017 festival takes place from 11am on December 9 at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour. Entry is free, but we can't promise that the accompanying yearning to plan your next holiday won't cost you anything.
For many Australians, the Wendy's moniker refers to the local ice cream franchise and shopping centre staple born in the 70s. But in the USA, it's the name of a famed hamburger chain that's known for its square-shaped burgers, fries and shakes. And it's the latter's signature fast food goodies that you'll be able to get your mitts on — for free — at a one-day-only pop-up in The Rocks. Today, Thursday, May 13, the USA-born Wendy's is hitting Sydney for a special visit, taking over the site at 22 Playfair Street. From 10.30am, it'll be handing out complimentary serves of the brand's Dave's Single cheeseburger and the Classic Chocolate Wendy's Frosty — a creamy dessert that's somewhere between a thickshake and an ice cream. Of course, there'll be a limited amount of freebies available for each item, so you'll want to get in as early as possible to nab yourself one. [caption id="attachment_811853" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] PRNewsfoto/The Wendy's Company[/caption] The pop-up comes as Wendy's continues its expansion across the globe — so if the temporary visit proves popular, there's a chance that the brand could decide to set up shop permanently in Sydney. Plenty of other iconic US fast food brands have made the foray Down Under in the past few years — Carl's Jnr hit Australian shores in 2014, Taco Bell opened its first Aussie store in Queensland in 2017, Five Guys is set to hit our shores and actor Mark Wahlberg's burger joint Wahlburgers announced its Australian launch earlier this year. Wendy's was first born back in 1969 in Ohio and now boasts over 6800 restaurants around the world. Find the Wendy's pop-up at 22 Playfair Street, The Rocks, Sydney, from 10.30am on Thursday, May 13. Top image: Mike Mozart via Flickr.
In the latest example of movie land crossing over into reality, a Japanese team has created a four-metre-tall Transformers-style robot that can switch between walking mode and vehicle mode in about a minute. The work of robot software company Asratec, a prototype of the J-deite RIDE robot was unveiled last week, and will be on show at the GoldenWeek DOKIDOKI Festa All Working Cars Assemble in Tokyo on May 5. The design is operated both by wireless network remote control and by a steering wheel in the cockpit, with two people able to ride inside at once. Asratec's unique V-Sido robot control systems allow the robot to transform from a driveable car to a walking humanoid giant, though clocking in at around 60 seconds, it's fair to say the process isn't quite as speedy as in the movies. A group called Sansei Technologies is now looking to develop the technology for 'robot-type amusement rides' — it sounds like transforming go-karts could be just around the corner.
Sydneysiders from all corners of the city flock to Addison Road each weekend for Marrickville's organic market, which takes place every Sunday from 9am–3pm. In addition to all the fruit, veg, eggs, pastries, breads, cakes, tarts, quiches and pies — all of which are organic — the market also offers all manner of other treasures, including vintage clothes, secondhand books and records, house plants, bespoke homewares, eco products, and even healing crystals and tarot readings. There are also plenty of affordable eats to fuel you during your shopping spree, from pho, loaded bagels and lamb rolls to raw vegan treats, specialty coffee and loaded yoghurt cups. When you're not perusing the many stalls, we suggest you stretch out on the grass behind the community hall where you can enjoy live music and other entertainment. And while you're in the area, be sure to pay a visit to Marrickville's legendary Reverse Garbage workshop, where you can transform discarded materials into unique items of jewellery, clothing and art.
Some say NSW's Central Coast is the Venice of Australia, which may sound like a stretch, but there are, actually, many similarities: great pizza, alfresco spritzes, aperitivo hours and stunning beaches. And, as a bonus, there are (hopefully) less floods and less tourists. It's also located less than two hours from Sydney — an easy road trip to accomplish in a weekend. The Central Coast is expansive — stretching all the way from the Hawkesbury River to Lake Macquarie — and encompasses more than 40 beaches, so this weekender's guide is in no way comprehensive. Instead, it's a handpicked list of our favourite places to eat and drink, the Central Coast's top accommodations, and the most exciting things to do when looking to fill a weekend. [caption id="attachment_696971" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Glass Onion Society[/caption] EAT AND DRINK To start a weekend right on the Central Coast, you should start it by the water. And aptly named The Box on the Water offers just that. Located on the redeveloped Ettalong Beach foreshore, the eatery offers sprawling views across Broken Bay, great dog spotting and tasty fare from breakfast to dinner. If you're there at sundown, stop by for one of five spritzes and a picture-perfect sunset. A 20-minute drive away, you'll find Burnt Honey Bakery directly opposite Copacabana Beach, which has some of the best handmade pastries in the area. Drive a little further north and you'll hit the environmentally conscious Like Minds Avoca. A stone's throw from Avoca Lake, the hip cafe has a chandelier made from repurposed milk jugs, it hosts regular produce swaps in its garden and serves locally roasted Fat Poppy Coffee. For more great coffee, head over to Glee in Erina Heights — another local roaster, which has three spots on the east coast. On a stretch of the Central Coast that has more similarities to Newtown than Venice, Long Jetty, you'll find The Glass Onion Society. It, too, would be comfortable relocating to Sydney's inner west, decked out with retro lounges, plants and eclectic knick-knacks. It has many vegan-friendly options, including a particularly tasty mushroom and hash brown brekkie burger. For your final daytime eating spot, make tracks to Saddles — a stunning homestead-like restaurant and bakehouse located on a 28-acre property in Mount White. [caption id="attachment_696973" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mumbo Jumbo's[/caption] As the sun starts to dip, you (like us) might start contemplating a refreshing cocktail or two. Which is fair, you're on holidays after all. For this, there are many options. Terrigal's Pocket Bar — sister to Sydney's Stitch Bar and Button Bar — pairs modern twists on classic cocktails (including watermelon martinis) with fun bar snacks; the Caribbean-themed Mumbo Jumbo's down the road has espresso martinis on tap and a rooftop bar that looks out across the water; and Avoca Surf House is serving up many spritzes and sparkling wines right on the beach. Another spot doing great drinks is The Lucky Bee, but we really recommend heading here for dinner. It's run by Matty Bennett and Rupert Noffs, who closed their acclaimed NYC eatery of the same name, swapped the city for the beach and opened on the Central Coast. Located at Hardys Bay, The Lucky Bee's Southeast Asian fare is fiery, the drinks extravagant and the atmosphere always buzzing — so make a reservation. Young Barons, run by another young couple, is yet another restaurant hitting all the right notes, with pasta and gelato made fresh daily and bottles of natural wine served up in an unassuming spot around the corner. If you're back down in Terrigal, stop by Rhonda's. It really embraces the coastal Italian feel of the area, serving up Roman-style woodfired pizza, handmade pasta and house-made limoncello in a breezy, plant-filled space. It has a rooftop bar, too, where you continue drinking spritzes well into the evening. [caption id="attachment_696974" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mr Goaty Gelato at Distillery Botanica[/caption] DO If just the thought of all that food makes you want to embark on a digestive stroll, you're in luck — there are many on the Central Coast. Back at Ettalong Beach, you can walk along the shore to Umina Beach (an easy three kilometres away) looking out across Broken Bay to Palm Beach. Another short trek is the one-kilometre Maitland Bay Track, which carries you through rainforest to Maitland Bay. Here, at low-tide, you're able to see the shipwrecked remains of PS Maitland at the bay's eastern end. For something longer, the nearby Bouddi Coastal Trail, an 8.5-kilometre hike, winds pass lookouts and beaches. Pack your snorkelling gear and explore one of them — we recommend heading to the sheltered Lobster Beach and keeping an eye out for dolphins. [caption id="attachment_524126" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Maitland Bay[/caption] Prefer shopping to snorkelling? There are lots of vintage stores and boutiques scattered around the Coast, too. Back at the inner west-like Long Jetty, pop into Long Jetty Vintage, Websters Vintage and Plain Janes. While you're there, visit the town's namesake: the 351-metre Long Jetty stretching out into the middle of Tuggerah Lake. Once you've shopped up a thirst, Distillery Botanica is the next order of the day. This stunning garden distillery is from the distiller behind Mr Black cold drip coffee liqueur — which you can sample and purchase here, too. The distillery's gins, also named Distillery Botanica, are made using botanicals grown in the garden and taste how you'd image spring would. The distillery is also home to Mr Goaty, an award-winning gelato made on the Central Coast. Founded by Dan Hughes, formerly a chef at Sydney's Three Blue Ducks, the brand is known for its signature flavours made using goat's milk, which is lighter in sugar but equally creamy. Many of the flavours — goat's milk, cow's milk and dairy-free — are made using plants grown in the distillery garden, too, including the honeycomb and lavender and lemon myrtle macadamia. [caption id="attachment_696978" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Copacabana Beach House[/caption] SLEEP Perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Tasman is Copacabana Beach House. Spread across three storeys, the restored 70s house is the perfect spot to stay if you're heading away with a crew — it has three bedrooms and sleeps up to eight people — or if you're looking for a very spacious (yet affordable) property for two. It's even equipped for winter visits, fitted out with a crackling indoor fireplace, a decked-out kitchen and outdoor fire pit. During the cooler months, you might even be able to spot humpback whales migrating right past your window. But the Beach House is ideal in warmer months, too, when you can wander down Del Monte Place to Copacabana Beach for a morning dip, and eat fresh seafood on the house's sprawling balconies. For something smaller, but also by the water, Terrigal's The Clan has 21 waterfront rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the beach or lagoon. Top image: Copacabana Beach FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Woodford Folk Festival is a veritable smorgasbord of all things music, performance, creativity and so much more, with this year's lineup boasting over 400 events and 2000 performers over six days that straddle this year and the next. With artists making the trek to the small town of Woodford from all over the world, the festival presents the best that Australia and the world have to offer in the broad category of folk. The town of Woodford, about 70km north of Brisbane, boasts a population of just over two and a half thousand people, so rather than blow that number out of the water for a few days every year, the festival is held about five minutes out of Woodford, on the 500-acre headquarters of Woodfordia, a not-for-profit organisation that produces the festival. The region is a quiet, rural area, nestled in some truly beautiful surroundings and not too far from the beaches at Moreton Bay. With that in mind, why not take a detour from your routine, and build an itinerary that includes the festival, as well as a few other side quests that you wouldn't normally set out on. We've teamed up with our pals at Mazda3 to get your ideas going for where to stay, what to eat and what to do while you're in town. [caption id="attachment_642063" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Woodford Folk Festival via Flickr.[/caption] EAT AND DRINK While at the festival, you'd be mad to not gorge yourself on the slew of food on offer within the festival itself. Far from your classic dagwood dog and can of Fanta combo, the streets of the festival village are filled with the scents of cuisine from all over the world. From Mexican to Indian, German to Vietnamese, you can get your fix for any hankering in the festival's boundaries. There are cafes for the mornings and bars for the evening, so whatever your poison, the Festival of Food's got you covered. For the remainder of your stay, however, it's worth taking a few trips off the beaten track to find somewhere more unique to eat and, with rugged mountains providing the stunning backdrop to the areas surrounding Woodford, there's no harm in chasing a good view to wash it down with. Perched atop Mount Mee and enjoying views that range from farms to beaches, Birches Restaurant serves classic bistro food with an emphasis on seafood, a trait not uncommon throughout the region. A little further south, in Ocean View, you'll also find Ocean View Estates, a local winery with a cellar door and restaurant thrown in for good measure. As well as a menu drawing influence from Japan and French cuisines, the winery also added craft beer to their acumen only last year, so it's a just chance to check out the local brews, too. Given that Woodford and its neighbours ride the boundary line between inland rural and coastal beaches, it's not surprising that the region is home to some excellent country pubs. Not that inner-city-bar-pretending-to-be-a-country-pub sort of pub, but an actual pub in the country where the aesthetic is legitimate. So, if the winery hasn't slaked your thirst, sit yourself down at the nearest local and blow the froth off a couple. The Village Garden Bar & Grill in Woodford Village Hotel, for example, provides exactly what it says on the label, dishing out pub grub and beverages in a lovely beer garden. DO The Woodford Folk Festival is more than just a few bands performing over a few days. It's more like a Mary Poppins bag bursting with workshops, comedy, cabaret, talks and debates, a film festival, art, meditation, dance, circus and a whole manner of sins. As well as live musical acts like Sampa the Great, Husky, Montaigne, Kate Miller-Heidke, John Butler and Rising Appalachia, the full program offers a million ways to explore the festival. Brisbane-based slam poet Anisa Nandaula will be in attendance, discussing her own brand of political lyricism, and executive director of the Climate Foundation Dr Brian von Herzen will be discussing a range of issues — and potential solutions to them — facing marine life. From the Circadia circus workshops to 80s dance workshops, Chenda Melam's traditional music from southern India to Kim Kirman and Brian Martin with the Seraphim Baroque ensemble, there's never a dull moment, drinking in traditional folk culture from around the world. And, if you feel like getting out of the throng and into the calm embrace of Mother Nature, there's even the option of an organised walk to check out the local mushrooms. [caption id="attachment_642064" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] D'aguilar National Park, Troy Bell via Flickr.[/caption] Beyond the festival, it would be a sin to pass up the abundant bushlands and national parks that run through Woodford and the surrounding towns. It's a quick drive from town into the D'Aguilar National Park that runs almost all the way south to Brisbane. In addition to a spot of bushwalking, the park also allows four-wheel driving, trail bike riding, and horse riding. The Somerset Trail, which crawls up Mount Mee, is perfect for pretty much everyone who might be down to see the diverse ecology of the area and is pretty close to Woodford. It's an easy track that takes about three to four hours, so if you've brought kids along for the trip, they'll be able to handle it, no worries. The trail takes you through scribbly gum groves, rainforests and ultimately to a lookout that gives an incredible view over the whole Moreton Bay region. STAY With such a huge swathe of land available for the festival, camping is, of course, the traditional method of experiencing the festival. If you're the kind of person who already owns camping stuff, you can bring that along, and the General Store in town will have most things you might not have. Alternatively, there's the option of the Tent Motel, where you can just rent out a pre-erected tent for the duration of your stay. Shower facilities are available for all campers because even though we're sleeping outside, we don't have to be animals. If, however, you're the kind of person who prefers to sleep in a bed, in a room, in a building, there are still places to rest your weary head around the area. The nearby town of D'Aguilar is home to the freshly renovated Dag Pub and Motel, for example, with reasonably priced rooms and a bar and bistro with solid eats and a penchant for memorabilia. If you're making the road trip, it's always good for a city kid to dive into some greener scenery, and a trip to the Moreton Bay area is the perfect opportunity to do just that. With so many national parks such a short drive away, perhaps an unwinding couple of nights at Conondale's Eco Retreat might get you a little bit more in touch with nature. But, if you're looking to get even closer to the trees and the mountains, a stay at Glass on Glasshouse might be the ticket, where your accommodation is a cabin made of floor-to-ceiling windows, snug among the rainforest itself. Woodford Folk Festival takes place at Woodfordia from December 27 to January 1. Top image: Woodford Folk Festival via Flickr. Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
If you've ever wanted to see what Sydney would look like in an anime world, you're in a spot of luck. Redrawn and traced from photos, Central Station, Hyde Park and the Harbour Bridge been rendered with that wondrously glowing anime magic for a new episode of Japanese anime series Free!. Aired on September 17 for Free! Eternal Summer, Sydney's anime makeover comes from an adorably air-punching storyline. An episode enthusiastically dubbed 'A Swim-Off in a Foreign Land!' sees two of the main characters, Rin and Haruka (besties and athletes in the show's Iwatobi Swimming Club), head to Australia to swim alongside our national team at Sydney Aquatic Centre — as you do. The pair cruise around Sydney meeting up with their homestay parents, chillin' at Bondi and reigniting Haruka's love for dominating the lanes. Go team. Check it out, Sydney's wearing gorgeous, anime-style pants. Images: imgur.
Boasting a raft of awards, it's not hard to see why The Darling Spa is considered one of Sydney's most luxurious. Not only is it home to 11 treatment rooms, a steam room, Moroccan Hammam chamber and two opulent couples suites, but the Pyrmont venue also offers an extensive range of therapies that prove well worth the splurge. The entry-level facial costs $110 and the treatments quickly go north from there, but so too does the quality. Treat yourself to a balancing full-body massage (from $195), or perhaps surrender to an indulgent three-hour package that includes a full-body exfoliation, body wrap, scalp massage, hand and foot treatment and facial for $580. [caption id="attachment_847463" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption]
Top-of-class bars and restaurants have been a major focus of the mammoth $60-million renovation of the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. House Made Hospitality has delivered four new hospitality concepts within the upgraded hotel: earlier in October, the first two venues – Tilda and Bar Tilda – located on the ground floor, were opened to the public and now, two more plush spaces are ready to welcome their first guests. French-Vietnamese fusion restaurant Delta Rue channels the vibrant old-world spirit of Hanoi but with a refined sense of luxury. With seating for 150 diners, plus space for an additional 60 on the sweeping horse-shoe terrace, this impressive restaurant seamlessly blends al fresco charm with indoor elegance. On arrival, guests can visit the intimate champagne bar, where seven by-the-glass sips — from single-village grower champagnes to vintage selections — are on offer. The 390-square-metre dining room's interior design, by Fender Katsalidis, also sets a luxe tone, taking its cues from French-colonial architecture and Vietnamese-style textiles and prints. "In this space, east meets west, vibrancy and structure collide, and there's a magical balance of neutrals and colour," says Karen Morris of Fender Katsalidis. A soft, nature-inspired palette of muted greens and greys counterpoints the verdant wallpaper, designed by artist Kerrie Brown, featuring lush foliage and exotic birds, while seating crafted from solid reclaimed teak with woven rope backs underlines the 1920s colonial era look. On the menu, fresh, crisp, quintessentially Vietnamese flavours take centre stage. Crafted by the hotel's Executive Chef Elliott Pinn, who has formerly overseen the dining offering at House Made's other major dining hub Hinchcliff House, there are some playful flourishes for diners to enjoy, such as the bánh mì trolley, which constructs the crowd-pleasing Vietnamese sandwich tableside to the diners' taste, before it's sliced into bite-sized pieces for easy sharing. Many of the mains are also social affairs designed to share. Guests can get hands-on with roasted duck legs, a whole roasted snapper or a dry-aged steak, accompanied by nuoc cham, rice paper, butter lettuce, and pickles, to create classic Vietnamese wraps. A fresh crab and green mango salad loaded with fresh herbs or a banana blossom salad featuring a textural mix of shaved banana blossom, pineapple, and chilli make for the perfect side dishes. Washing that down is a wine list that skews 70 per cent French alongside a range of local and international fortified and dessert wines. The cocktail list is also French-leaning with some homegrown winks thrown in, such as the French 75 featuring Pommery champagne, Unico Zelo pomelo vermouth, pear eau de vie and finger lime extract. Located on the same level as Delta Rue, Wentworth Bar is a lush terrace watering hole that looks fated to become a top go-to for an inner-city sundowner. Also designed by Fender Katsalidis, the space is sophisticated yet relaxed. Conceived to cater to punters throughout the day, there are a variety of seating options, from low-slung chairs for sun-basking, cocktail in hand, to high tables with stools for those looking to perch for a quick drink and generous seating areas intended for group gatherings. Terrazzo tables and verdant planting centred around an impressive focal point — a mature tree — transport guests far from the urban hustle just five storeys below, while DJ sets keep the good times rolling. The cocktail menu amps up the fun with playful mixes that are easy to drink. A signature will be Wentworth Bar's party cocktails. Priced at $220, they come served in a showstopping glass fountain which holds 12 standard drinks. Get the party started with the Tai Chi Mumma, a refreshing mix of Ketel One vodka, rosé, and prosecco, rounded out with raspberry, lemon, and lychee or the Strawberry Yuzu Spritz - a bright blend of white wine, herbal aperitif, yuzu, and a fruity hit of mango, passionfruit, and grapefruit. Delta Rue and Bar Wentworth open to diners from Friday, October 25. For more details and opening hours, head the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth website. Images: Steven Woodburn
The food and drink revolution of Circular Quay continues with a new venue from the Hinchcliff House team opening just across the road from the OG. Only a few days after the bustling waterfront suburb welcomed Lotus Dining Group's sleek new Cantonese restaurant Pearl, an expensive new Mediterranean-inspire terrace has arrived at Quay Quater Tower from House Made Hospitality. Martinez Terrace is the first element of a two-pronged new offering from the acclaimed hospitality team. The colourful 160-person outdoor bar will be joined by the vibrant Martinez dining room on Thursday, October 12. For now, the attention is all on the openair watering hole, which you'll find slinging spritzes and oysters at the end of a quick elevator ride up from Young Street. "We want Martinez to capture the relaxed style of drinking and dining that is synonymous with holidays on the Mediterranean coast, and for the Terrace Bar to give you memories of drinking the afternoon away in a seaside spot," says House Made Hospitality Director Scott Brown. House Made Hospitality's producer-led approach to wine continues at Martinez, with a selection of drops that the team has had a hand in making themselves sitting alongside a variety of Australian and European whites, reds and rosé. The terrace is also the kind of venue that encourages you to just get the bottle to share with your friends. There's even a whole page of the extended drinks list dedicated exclusively to magnums of wine. As a little opening celebration, the bar is encouraging you to make a group booking and go big, offering a rotating selection of rosé magnums for $99 a bottle until 4pm Monday–Saturday throughout October. Elsewhere on the beverage selection, you'll find a wide variety of craft beers and five signature cocktails on tap — including a vodka, coconut and mango spritz primed for warm afternoons out on the terrace. To partner with your magnum of wine, the food menu is also designed to be shared. Executive Chef Alex Wong (Lana) suggests the baguette with cultured butter and caper salt, sesame seed fougasse, whipped roe with bottarga, LP's saucisson and Ortiz anchovies with seaweed persillade butter on a Grana baguette. Chilled mussels with Yarra Valley roe, duck terrine and a next-level ham, mustard and fennel sandwich are among the other highlights on the snack side of Martinez's menu — while there are a few heftier options including steak frites and grilled swordfish. Emilie Delalande of Etic (Barangaroo House) has led the design work across the venue, with both the terrace and the dining room containing odes to artist residencies in the south of France. The bar is designed to facilitate any occasion — there are intimate two-person tables and long benches designed for group catch-ups. And if you're lucky, you might even nab a spot with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Martinez Terrace is now open at Quay Quarter Tower, 50 Bridge Street, Circular Quay. Its adjoining restaurant is set to open on Thursday, October 12. For more information head to the Martinez website. Images: Steven Woodburn and Jason Loucus.
