Since first opening its doors back in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has played host to a wealth of performances, spanning far further in genre than just the art form that gives the venue its name. But it was only during Vivid Live 2016 that the iconic locale serenaded visitors into an evening-long slumber, all as part of Max Richter's live recital of his eight-and-a-half hour work Sleep. Across 31 tracks comprised of 204 movements, the German-born British composer's concept album unfurls music based on the neuroscience of getting some shuteye. In its intonation, the ambitious yet soothing piece favours the range that can be heard in the womb for much of its duration. When performed for an audience, it is played overnight, with beds set up — and doing as the work's title suggests is highly encouraged. Attendees recline, listen and let Richter's blend of strings, synthesisers and soprano vocals lull them into the land of nod. If they'd prefer to stay awake, that's fine as well, but soaking in Sleep's ambient sounds while you're snatching 40 winks is all very much part of the experience. In its live version, Sleep has echoed through spaces in London, Berlin and Paris, too; however, it's the first openair performance in Los Angeles' Grand Park in 2018 that takes pride of place in the documentary Max Richter's Sleep. A filmmaker was always bound to be so fascinated with the concept that they'd turn their lens Richter's way, and that director is Natalie Johns (an Emmy nominee for Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert), who endeavours to capture the experience for those who haven't had the pleasure themselves. The resulting film doesn't run for more than eight hours, or anywhere close — but those watching and listening will quickly wish that it did. As a feature, Max Richter's Sleep isn't designed to advertise its namesake. Rather, it documents, explores and tries to understand it. Still, the movie so easily draws viewers into the music, and so deeply, that making its audience want to snooze in public while Richter and his band plays is a guaranteed side effect. In its observational footage, Max Richter's Sleep wanders and peers as Angelenos arrive, settle in, turn their attention to the stage, get comfortable and drift off. It keeps gazing their way as they slumber, as Richter and his fellow musicians keep playing, and, later, as a change in pitch in the music and the dawning sunrise both eventually herald the morning. Johns and editors Michael Carter (Dayveon), Matt Cronin (the Arctic Monkeys' 'Four Out of Five' video) and Dom Whitworth (Lily Allen and Friends) weave in footage from other concerts, too, including Sydney. The film also flits between interviews with Richter and Yulia Mahr, his partner and an artist and filmmaker, plus other collaborators. And, it speaks to ordinary folks who've signed up for a night of music — some knowing exactly what they were in for, others not quite as aware — and been moved by the experience, As a concert film, Max Richter's Sleep is entrancing; again, viewers won't want those segments of the documentary to end. And if the feature had simply played the Los Angeles concert in its entirety, or as an abridged glimpse, it would've conveyed many of its points without further explanation. So much of the music's power — and the live performance's as well — is evident without words. An eight-plus-hour album that's engineered to be listened to in a sleeping state is a clear anomaly in popular culture, and in our non-stop world. Every artwork demands an investment of time, whether it's a song that plays for just a few minutes, a movie with a two-hour duration or a painting that requires more than a moment to soak in its beauty, but when something takes up a third of one's day, it forces a shift in engagement. Mindfulness, meditation, slowing down, switching off — all of these words and phrases apply to Sleep, both as a record and as a gig, and that always comes through in Max Richter's Sleep's concert footage. When Richter speaks about Sleep, he mirrors these aforementioned ideas, and stresses how much he wants his listeners to disengage from the regular hustle and bustle while they're taking in his music. First released in early September 2015 and initially played live later that month, the album was obviously ahead of its time. The documentary is too, after premiering in November 2019, then playing Sundance in January 2020. Viewed now in the middle of a pandemic, it feels like a calming balm for the soul — as it was clearly always supposed to, even long before the world dissolved into its current status quo. The interviews in Max Richter's Sleep aren't superfluous, of course, and neither are the film's dives into Mahr's Super 8mm-filled personal archive. Hearing not only about the immense amount of work that went into Sleep, but the ways in which Richter had to alter his own thinking to even compose it, ensures that viewers appreciate the magnum opus for its artistry and effort, and not just its effect and prescience. The tales that flesh out these chats, including Richter and Mahr's frank admissions about struggling to make a living as artists, and to afford to raise their family, help put the massive quest to bring Sleep to fruition into context. Also known for scoring films and television shows, Richter has everything from Waltz with Bashir, Perfect Sense, Lore and Wadjda to The Leftovers, an episode of Black Mirror, Mary, Queen of Scots and Ad Astra on his resume, but Sleep is undeniably a labour of love. This tranquil cinematic examination of his lengthy lullaby makes that plain, and plunges its audience into the album's dreamlike state. The ethereal and insightful movie's soundtrack is a highlight as well, naturally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb9PBr7Qhec Top image: Stefan Hoederath.
One of the best things about living in Sydney is its proximity to so much of the state's ridiculously nice coastline. There's just so much to explore — and, realistically, not enough time to do so. We get it, it's all too easy to get caught up in the daily grind and realise that all you're seeing is work, the train and your house. So, let's change that. The Central Coast, with its kilometres of coastline, winding waterways and lush bushland, is just waiting to be explored on a cheeky little trip. Plus, it's just a 90-minute drive north of the city, so you don't even need to book any extra time off work. Don't own a car? No worries. Popcar — the premium car-sharing service that offers members the benefits of owning a car without the hassle — has cars stationed all over the city. We've put together an itinerary of what to get up to once you get there. Update: This year's bushfire season is particularly dangerous. Before you head on an out-of-town adventure, check the RFS NSW and NSW National Parks websites and heed any alerts and warnings. START WITH BREAKFAST AT LIKE MINDS Find the closest Popcar near you and hit the road. You'll want to leave early to get the most out of your day, but it's okay, as the first stop is breakfast. Right by Avoca Lake (and just a three-minute drive from the beach), you'll find Like Minds. More than just a cafe, Like Minds is also a market garden, art gallery and creative hub. It has a zero-waste food policy and everything comes from the on-site garden or local farmers and producers. Fuel up with a bircher bowl, Spanish-style baked eggs or mushrooms and rocket cashew pesto on toast. Grab an espresso with beans from Fat Poppy Coffee, or be bold and order the chipotle mocha — two shots of espresso, smoked chilli and dark chocolate. [caption id="attachment_754051" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacs Powell[/caption] GRAB A SNACK FROM BURNT HONEY BAKERY After brekkie, stop by the recently opened Burnt Honey Bakery in Copacabana. You might not be hungry right now, but you'll definitely want some snacks as fuel for the rest of the day, and you don't want to miss out on these pastries. Grab a couple of custard tarts (flavoured with cassia bark and lemon zest), a peach and vanilla danish and some of the shop's signature biscuits — burnt honey, salted almond and creamy milk choc chips — for when you get snacky in the car later. [caption id="attachment_754121" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pearl Beach via Destination NSW[/caption] TAKE A HIKE THROUGH BRISBANE WATER NATIONAL PARK OR ALONG THE COAST From Copacabana, you're an easy half an hour drive in your Popcar from a couple of great walking trails in Brisbane Water National Park. The area is prone to fire bans in the height of summer, so be sure to check that the park is open before you go (or save it for an off-season visit). Take the short-but-sweet 100-metre Somersby Falls track to the bottom of the falls, and enjoy nature spotting and the cooling spray of the natural water feature. For something a little longer (two kilometres), the Girrakool Loop Track is a scenic bushwalk that passes an Aboriginal rock engraving site, waterfalls and a creek. Whoever spots the first cool animal — keep an eye out for water dragons, frogs and kookaburras — wins, and the loser buys lunch. If you want to stay closer to the ocean, or want a more challenging hike, try the Patonga to Pearl Beach track: a three-kilometre (one way) walk through red gums and eucalypts that stops by the Warrah Lookout. [caption id="attachment_754124" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] HIT THE SHOPS IN LONG JETTY Before or after you stop for lunch, there are a couple of cute shops in Long Jetty that are worth a look in. Wander down The Entrance Road to find the perfect new outfit (well, new to you) at Long Jetty Vintage — just look for the bright, geometric pastel facade. Next, stop in at Shadow Bang Apothecary and Supply to browse beautiful things like clothing, jewellery, tea, essential oils, makeup, body care and homewares — everything is natural and made by female creatives and entrepreneurs. A little further down the strip, Plain Janes is a light and bright fashion boutique selling cute pieces and accessories for women and children. STOP FOR LUNCH AT BAR BOTANICA OR WOY WOY FISHERMAN'S WHARF We recommend one of two distinct, but aesthetically pleasing, vibes for lunch. For those that can't get enough of greenery, gin or gelato, head to Bar Botanica. Inside the lush green gardens of Distillery Botanica in Erina is an old mud-brick hut turned cafe and gelateria from the brains behind Mr Goaty Gelato. Sit beneath the conservatory-style windows of the eatery, or spread out a picnic blanket in the garden, and enjoy a ploughman's lunch with gin-spiked cheese and olives or a chicken and tarragon sandwich, followed by gelato in garden-inspired flavours. Be sure to stop by the distillery's cellar door after lunch, too. If you prefer water views with your meal, Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf has that in spades thanks to its dramatic high ceilings and wall-to-wall windows. Here, you can enjoy fresh, sustainably sourced seafood, including Cloudy Bay diamond clams, Goolwa pippis in XO sauce and Singapore-style chilli mud crab. EXPLORE THE WINDY WATERWAYS VIA KAYAK OR PADDLEBOARD You can't visit the Central Coast without getting out on the water in one way or another. And the locals know it, so there are plenty of spots where you can hire paddleboards, paddle boats, kayaks and more. If you prefer to explore the water right after breakfast, Aqua Fun on Avoca Lake is only a couple of minutes from Like Minds cafe, and it even has a giant stand-up paddleboard that can fit a whole carload of adults. For a post-lunch venture, Terrigal Paddle Boats is not far from Bar Botanica, while Boat, Bike and Paddle Hire Central Coast is located on the Killcare Marina, just a short drive from Woy Woy. TAKE A MOMENT TO RELAX AT BELLS AT KILLCARE'S DAY SPA To truly shake off the city, make time for a little pampering at the Bells at Killcare day spa. Surrounded by the serenity of Bouddi National Park, this is the perfect spot to relax with a massage, facial or sea wrap. The spa offers a full range of treatments and packages to suit everyone, using products made with Australian botanicals, organic ingredients and the principles of Aboriginal herbal knowledge. HAVE SOME DINNER BEFORE HEADING HOME AT THE LUCKY BEE OR YOUNG BARONS Before heading back down to reality, we recommend The Lucky Bee in Hardys Bay for Southeast Asian street food — and a cocktail for those in the passenger seat. With a short and sweet menu of share plates, you can keep it light if you're still full from lunch with green papaya salad and poached prawns in betel leaves. Or, go for the szechuan pepper and salt whole fried fish with sweet chilli and prik nam pla sauce, if you're hungry. Otherwise, you can get your homemade pasta fix at Young Barons in Woy Woy. If they're available, order the ham hock and potato fritters to start. You won't regret it. Then, it's time to make your way back to Sydney. Before you drop off the car, ensure the tank is at least 30 percent full — there's a fuel card in every car so you don't have to fork out the cash. Get out and explore beyond the city this summer with Popcar car share. To sign up for just $1 and get one-day free hire ($80 driving credit), head this way. Top image: Woy Woy Fisherman's Wharf by Nikki To.
Fresh from a superhero stint in Eternals in 2021, Kumail Nanjiani is heading in a different direction: true crime, and a wild example of the genre at that. When a story involves murder, money and a male strip-club empire that's known the world over, it's going to take some twists and turns. In your streaming queue come November, Welcome to Chippendales will spill the details. As both the initial teaser and the just-dropped full trailer for this new Disney+ miniseries shows, Nanjiani plays Somen 'Steve' Banerjee, who was born in India, moved to the US, bought a Los Angeles nightclub and founded the striptease troupe-turned-worldwide hit that shares Welcome to Chippendales' name. Banerjee's tale involves outrageous success, but also turns into sinister territory. That's putting it mildly; however, if you don't already know the details, you'll want to discover the rest while watching. Move over Magic Mike: we've found everyone's next stripper-fuelled obsession, and new true-crime addiction as well. On-screen, the rest of the star-studded cast includes recent The White Lotus Emmy-winner Murray Bartlett, Yellowjackets' Juliette Lewis and American Crime Story's Annaleigh Ashford, as well as Dan Stevens (I'm Your Man), Andrew Rannells (Girls5eva), Nicola Peltz Beckham (Holidate), Quentin Plair (The Good Lord Bird) and Robin de Jesús (Tick, Tick... Boom!). Behind the scenes, WandaVision's Matt Shakman is in the director's chair and, if you're fond of the era, expect the appropriate soundtrack (and vibe) when the show starts streaming from Tuesday, November 22. It'll drop two episodes first up, then new instalments weekly afterwards across the eight-episode limited series' run. If this seems like an odd fit for Disney+ — and certainly different from keeping huge pop-culture franchises on our screens or ensuring that everyone's childhood favourites never fade into memory (and sometimes doing both at the same time) — just remember that the service streamed the 90s-set Pam & Tommy as well. In fact, if watching the trailers for the Welcome to Chippendales gets you thinking about that series, there's another reason for that: writer/executive producer/creator Robert Siegel is behind both. In the US, the two shows were made by the Mouse House-owned US streaming platform Hulu, which happens to be mighty fond of scandals and ripped-from-the-headlines territory. But that platform doesn't operate Down Under, hence this tale about a massive stripping-empire saga, sordid deeds driven by money and murder because of the dance floor is ending up on Disney+. Check out the full Welcome to Chippendales trailer below: Welcome to Chippendales will be available to stream via Disney+ from November 22.
In his time playing Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe did many things. He didn't cut like a surgeon, get himself an egg and beat it, or lose on Jeopardy, though. And, he certainly didn't don the curliest of wigs, swan around in Hawaiian shirts with his chest hair flapping in the breeze or pick up an accordion, either — but something magical is making all of the above happen. Starring Radcliffe as the musician behind 'My Bologna', 'Another One Rides the Bus', 'Like a Surgeon', 'Eat It', 'Smells Like Nirvana' and 'Amish Paradise' — and parodies of pretty much every other big song of the past four-plus decades that you can think of — Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is exactly what it sounds like. It sounds wonderful, too, obviously. Radcliffe sports wire-framed glasses, those shirts, that hair and Yankovic's instantly recognisable moustache in the music biopic, which feels like it was cast by the internet. Made for the Roku Channel in the US — with no details yet dropping about where it'll air Down Under, or when, sadly — this is 100-percent an authorised bio. Yankovic is one of the screenwriters, in fact, alongside director Eric Appel (a TV sitcom veteran with Happy Endings, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and top-notch cop-show parody NTSF:SD:SUV on this resume). If the man in the spotlight's career has taught us all anything apart from the wrong words to pop hits, however, it's that he doesn't take a single thing, including himself, seriously. In the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, everyone is clearly having fun — The Lost City and Guns Akimbo's Radcliffe most of all, naturally. He swigs booze onstage, dances around in scrubs while satirising Madonna, and asks a very important question: "anyone got an accordion?". Also set to feature: Yankovic's rise to fame, oh-so-many tracks, everything from "his torrid celebrity love affairs" to his "famously depraved lifestyle", and a story that follows his journey "from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time" — at least according to the original press release revealing the flick, which sports a healthy sense of humour. When the film was announced, Yankovic gave his input too, of course. "When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I'm very happy to say we're on schedule," he said. "And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for." Check out the trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story below: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when further details are announced.
This November, you can score a bottle of vino for as little as $8.50 a pop thanks to Vinomofo's epic Black Friday Sale. Running from 10am Thursday, November 26 till 10am Monday, November 30, the sale will see up to 70 percent off a heap of local and international wines — and it'll all get delivered straight to your doorstep for free. If you haven't already heard the word, Vinomofo is an online wine-slinger for those who love wine, but without all the pretension that sometimes comes with viticulture. The Melbourne-based company delivers wine to thousands of people around the world — so it's safe to say it knows what it's doing when it comes to grape juice. The sale will include more than 100 wines, with Vinomofo adding additional daily wine deals over the weekend, too. Think delicate pinot noir, easy-drinking rosé, celebratory bottles of sparkling and full-bodied shiraz for a steal. And, to top it off, shipping for all orders purchased in that time period will be free. Score epic wine deals via Vinomofo's Black Friday Sale — for a limited time only.
Each April, Newcastle celebrates its top-notch hospitality scene and world-class local produce with a month of food and drink pop-ups and special one-off meals. In 2023, this often-underrated gem of the New South Wales coastline has pulled together a jam-packed 30-day program of tasty eats and exciting beverages, aiming to both delight locals and entice interstate travellers to come and soak in the city — and all when there's multiple public holidays to enjoy, too. Kicking off with Le Diner en Blanc Newcastle on Saturday, April 1, Newcastle Food Month brings together more than 100 local businesses ranging from restaurants, bars and cafes to producers and winemakers. You'll find something to do in Newie every day of the month, with some of the featured events including the Heroes of the Hunter long lunch at Roundhouse, a pierogi-filled Polish feast at Urban Deli and Bar, a champagne-fuelled long lunch at The Junction Hotel, Good Folk Brewing's beer-gustation and a four-course dinner focusing on native ingredients at Local Connections. Returning for another year, the Plate Date program sees dozens of local cafes, bars, restaurants and breweries offer a meal and drink deal for $25. Start your day at Autumn Rooms for a stack of luxe house-made crumpets and a mimosa. Then, head to The Happy Wombat, where you'll be treated to a 200-gram Woodward grass-fed sirloin with hand-cut wedges, seasonal greens and a wine or beer. Over at Susuru Ramen and Gyoza, the $25 deals continue with spicy Korean fried chicken ramen paired with a glass of Hunter Valley wine. Or, Good Folk Brewing is offering a peachy meal deal Monday–Thursday during the festival, with roasted peach, goats cheese and prosciutto pizza paired with the brewery's limited-release Roasted Peach Oat Cream Hazy IPA for $25. Check out the full program at the Newcastle Food Month website.
Every March, for the past 30 years, the lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra have transformed into a launching pad for the Canberra Balloon Spectacular. You can watch a group of colourful hot air balloons take off together into the sky and provide a backdrop to Australia's national attractions. Plus, it's the only event in the world where they can fly so close to government buildings, iconic architecture and houses. The classic hot air balloons are there, but the festival also mixes it up each year with novelty-shaped balloons. In previous years, there have been windmills, a pair of dancing bees and a balloon shaped like Vincent Van Gogh's head flown into the sky. To lose yourself in this extraordinary sight, all you have to do is get yourself to Canberra during the Spectacular, which will take place every morning from March 7–15 next year. Most balloons arrive by 6.15am and spend half an hour or so preparing, before taking off around 7.15am. Transforming the event into a festival will be live music, hot drinks and breakfast cooked up by the local Belconnen Lions Club. Watching is absolutely free. But, for an even better adventure, you can climb aboard and see Canberra in all its splendour — from above the clouds. Tickets cost $345 during the week and $395 on the weekend. You can a book balloon ride during Canberra Balloon Spectacular by calling or emailing Balloon Aloft. Just don't leave it too long, as the Spectacular is pretty popular. Once you're locked in, plan the rest of your journey over here, where you'll find info covering parking, public transport and timing.
Whether played by Julie Andrews in the original 1964 musical film or Emily Blunt in its 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins has always been a quintessentially English character. The beloved nanny is as well-known for being British as for her magical abilities and winning ways with an umbrella, after all. However the famous fictional figure also boasts a link to regional Australia — and now there's an Aussie museum dedicated to that fact. While Maryborough in Queensland's Fraser Coast region may seem worlds away from London, let alone Cherry Tree Lane, it's where author PL Travers was born. She also lived there until she was five, when her family relocated to Allora on the Darling Downs, as the 2013 movie Saving Mr Banks explored. Later, in her twenties, she moved to the UK, where she penned the eight Mary Poppins books that she's best known for. Because claiming any and every possible connection to fame is a thoroughly Aussie trait, Maryborough has long marked its link to Travers — the city hosts an annual Mary Poppins Festival, has been home to a bronze statue of the writer since 2005, and even has Poppins-shaped pedestrian crossing symbols on its traffic lights. With that in mind, the opening of The Story Bank of Maryborough is just the latest step in the town's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious celebrations, forming part of a hub focused on the Aussie-born writer. [caption id="attachment_732352" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Where Imagination Lays in Wait in Maryborough / Gerard via Flickr[/caption] Inside The Story Bank, which is located in the heritage-listed Australian Joint Stock Bank building where Travers actually entered the world, visitors will find a whole showcase about Maryborough's ties with Travers. The museum steps through her life story, her family and the influences on her work — and, as well as featuring plenty of Poppins-themed items (yes, expect umbrellas), it includes images and documents from Travers' estate. If you've ever wanted to Mary Poppins figurines everywhere (including sliding down bannisters, obviously), feast your eyes on book and film memorabilia, or pretend you're in Cherry Tree Lane, here's your chance. The site also features a theatrette, gallery and workshop space, all as part of a $1.5 million restoration project. As well as Travers and Mary Poppins, The Story Bank highlights other talented local artists, as well as the art of storytelling in general. Find The Story Bank of Maryborough on the corner Kent and Richmond Streets, Maryborough, Queensland — and head to the museum's website and Facebook page for further details.
The family owned Five Barrel Brewing has been serving thirsty South Coast folk since 2015. With its philosophy of 'keeping it simple and doing it right', the brewery has quickly become an important part of the local community. Five Barrel features a taproom with eight craft beers, all produced on site, which usually includes four core beers and four rotating seasonal and limited-release beers. On the lineup, you'll find the likes of milk stouts, golden ale and hoppy ambers, as well as a super-refreshing brut rosé IPA, which is brewed with hibiscus flowers and floral hops. Pop in to the taproom for a tasting, down a burger or two with a happy hour schooner ($5 from 5–6pm on Friday and Saturday) or enjoy an impromptu tour of the brewery. The brewery's kitchen is open from midday till 8pm on Friday and Saturday. If you can't make it into the brewery itself, but you're keen to try its brews, head on over to the website to order yourself a 750ml bottle of barrel-aged cherry sour or a case of New England IPA. Some of the limited-edition brews — such as its milkshake IPA — sell out super quick, though, so you'll need to get in fast.
There's no more cheerful, warming way to end a day of skiing than with a hearty feast and glass (or two) of mulled wine. You can find both — and plenty more culinary adventures — at Thredbo's many restaurants, cafes and bars. Whether you're looking to linger over hot chocolate while surrounded by snow-covered peaks at Australia's highest eatery, tuck into Austrian goulash with a stein of German beer, sit down to a multi-course dinner accompanied by fine wines or sip Champagne in a hot pool, you can. Here are five spots that should be on every après-skier's list. MERRITTS MOUNTAIN HOUSE Take a quick trip to Europe, without leaving the slopes, at Merritts Mountain House, located at the lower end of the Cruiser Chair. On a clear day, claim a table on the spacious outdoor deck and soak up some sunshine. Otherwise, get cosy indoors. Either way, you'll be tucking into comfort food — from Austrian goulash and German bratwurst to lamb shanks and soups served in bread bowls. Yep, it's exactly the big fuel up you need after hours conquering the mountain, whether that was on the Crackenback Supertrail (the longest run in Australia) or on Friday Flat mastering your snowplough. Match your feast with a gluhwein (mulled wine), stein of beer or schnapps. Should you happen to be passing by on a Saturday between July 1 and September 16, you'll have a chance to kick back to DJs at Corona Sunsets' Merritts Midday Sessions. EAGLES NEST Prepare for extraordinary views of Australia's mightiest summits at Eagles Nest, the highest restaurant in the nation. To get there, catch the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift as far as you can, then settle in for 270-degree panoramas of The Snowies. It gets pretty cold up here, but there's a crackling log fire to keep you company. The menu covers moreish snacks, such as brie melts and hot chips, as well as mains made to warm your cockles, including burgers, soups and roast pumpkin salad. If you're dropping by for afternoon tea, then be sure to go for the homemade scones with hot chocolate. The drinks list takes its inspiration from Europe, covering gluhwein, German beer and an extensive collection of schnapps. KAREELA HUTTE Kareela Hutte takes on-mountain dining and drinking to a whole new level. Think fresh produce, premium-quality meats, beautifully composed plates and lush desserts. It's more like an inner-city restaurant than the average ski resort offering — and definitely the spot where skiing foodies prefer to stop. If you're travelling with a mate or two and keen to share, then order a platter loaded with cheese, olives, antipasto, meats and bread. If your roaring appetite is not up for sharing, among the mains you'll find excellent steaks, tender roasts and fancy burgers. There's also an impressive wine list featuring numerous European and Australian drops. Special events, like wine maker's lunches and Champagne breakfasts, take place every season. They tend to book out well in advance though, so get your mitts on tickets as soon as you can. THREDBO ALPINE HOTEL POOLSIDE BAR Feel like a dip after your ski session? Make tracks for Thredbo Alpine Hotel, where a piping hot pool and, most importantly, an accompanying bar await. Don your cossies, grab a flute of Champagne and settle in for a muscle-relaxing soak, canopied by stars. Themed parties and live music happen throughout winter; take a peek at the calendar to find out who's playing when. This is another haunt for Corona Sunsets' gigs. This year, you can expect Melbourne's North East Party House on Saturday, July 21 and DJ Running Touch on Saturday, August 18. Before that, on Saturday, July 14, Kosciuszko Pale Ale will host a Poolside Après Party, featuring DJ Jamie Allen and old-school bluesy rockers 19-Twenty. RIVER INN The only ski-in, ski-out hotel in Thredbo is River Inn, located just 50 metres from Thredbo's legendary beginner's slope, Friday Flat. And the good news is you don't have to sleep over to enjoy one of its après-ski sessions. All you have to do is slip out of your skis or board, and head into the Inn's onsite Bavarian Bar and Restaurant. As the name suggests, this spot is dedicated to all things from Bavaria, the German state famous for its fairytale-like villages and for founding a little thing called Oktoberfest. There's a stack of Bavarian beers on tap and a Bavarian-inspired menu to boot that's big on schnitzels, burgers and sausages. Keep an ear out for live music, too. Check out all your dining options for a post-ski feed and bev here.
IPAs, or India Pale Ales, have enjoyed a huge surge in popularity over the past couple of years. Lately, however, a new sub-style has spawned and enjoyed immense popularity — enter, the New England IPA. Named after a style that originated from the six northeastern USA states of New England, NEIPAs have a cloudy appearance and low carbonation, and feature jammy, juicy flavours of apricot, peach and pineapple alongside the heavy citrusy notes that IPA fans crave. More delicate flavours of hops are embraced here, too, rather than the piney, resiny bitterness favoured by their clear-bodied cousins. The beers characteristically pour a murky, mango colour reminiscent of cloudy fruit juice, and feature similar flavours in a beer context. Here follows this beer snob's top picks of the trending NEIPAs, that'll get your head into the clouds as the last warmth of autumn begins to fade. Jedi Juice is Hop Nation's brilliantly titled take on a beer it brewed for GABS (the Great Australian Beer Spectapular). It was originally a specialty brew, but enjoyed such popularity it was reignited as part of the Footscray brewery's core range. Jedi Juice features a gentle citrus aroma and the palate reveals juicy notes of passionfruit, pineapple, nectarine and grapefruit, with a smooth carbonation and a tangy kiss of bitter hops that punch through at the end. At 7.1 percent ABV, and with a white can packaging featuring a tattoo-sportin', blaster-totin' Princess Leia, the force is certainly strong with this one. Best consumed as fresh as possible. SHOPPING LIST Hop Nation Jedi Juice, 375ml can, $7.50 each (available from various stockists across the country) Sauce Brewing Co Bubble and Squeak, 500ml can, $10 each or $35 for four This beer is typically hazy, smooth and creamy with big citrus and tropical fruit notes (think mango and passionfruit) and a low bitterness. Rounding out at 6.5 percent ABV, it's a supremely well-balanced beer that offers new dynamics with each sip. Feral Brewing Co Biggie Juice, 330ml bottle, $7 each or $23 for four (available from various stockists across the country) This beer represents the popularity of NEIPAs in the mainstream beer scene. Under Amatil ownership, Feral is still brewing its Biggie Juice East Coast IPA. Sitting at six percent ABV, Biggie offers a rich bouquet of floral and tropical fruit aromas that follow through with a juicy punch onto the palate. The finish is smooth, with just a hint of bitterness, and a smooth carbonation that makes for an incredibly moreish drop. Hop Topics is our new bi-weekly beer column keeping you up-to-date with the latest beer trends happening around the country. Dominic Gruenewald is a Sydney based actor, writer and self-proclaimed beer snob. Between gigs, he has pulled pints at all the right venues and currently hosts Sydney's longest running beer appreciation society Alestars at the Taphouse, Darlinghurst.
This highly budget-friendly eatery helps form a delectable pocket of eats within the Prince Centre where dumplings are king. It's the plates and baskets pan-fried and soupy dumplings that attract the crowds and the sticky special braised eggplant that keeps them coming back. If you feel as if you must branch out to try something different (a hard task if you're prone to food envy), order the chewy house-made noodles that seem almost bottomless. And if you're lucky, you'll be serenaded by the violinist.
When it comes to sun, surf and sand, Australia's prowess is widely recognised. But, as any wine lover is well aware, we have something else to be just as proud of. Made in sprawling vineyards around the country — including in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory — our local vinos are simply top-notch. And, they're worth championing and celebrating at every possible opportunity. This isn't news to NSW and ACT residents, of course. The Hunter Valley, Gundagai and Canberra's wineries have strong reputations, as do others across the rest of the region. Indeed, we're betting their tipples already rank highly on your must-drink list. When such excellent wines are made so close to home, there's nothing better than to pair one with dinner, a cheese platter or a seafood lunch, obviously. In case you need a few extra suggestions, are looking for a couple of other local drops to try, or you could just use a reminder about brands you adore, we've teamed up with our pals at BWS to highlight five NSW and ACT-based winemakers that you should definitely know and support. You might already love their tipples. You may have heard of them, but never had the pleasure of trying their wares. Either way, these wines will help you drink local.
In its fleeting 70 minutes, David Gieselmann's The Pigeons will have you feeling like you've been slapped with a pickled herring. The German farce opens on an office Christmas party. It's also a ritzy living room, a restaurant and a psychiatrist's couch, among all else. The action moves with the pace of an Aaron Sorkin-orchestrated walk-and-talk — one walk-and-talking over space and time. Mercifully, the assembled players have clear, if conflicting, agendas: Business mogul Robert Bertrand (Laurence Coy) wants to orchestrate his own disappearance, his wife Gerlinde (Lyn Pierse) wants to move to Liguria, his son Helmar (Tom Stokes) wants to play Scrabble and foil his father, Holger Voss (Garth Holcombe) wants to quit his job, Natalie Voss (Ashley Ricardo) wants him to climb the career ladder (and to control her own anger), psychiatrist Dr Erich Asendorf (Fayssal Bazzi) wants to help her control her anger as well as sleep with her but not necessarily remember her name or how to tell her apart from his other patients (also mostly in the party), Heidrun Reichert (Paige Gardiner) wants to spice up the work day by emotionally tormenting Holger and sneaky Silja van der Vries (Clare Blumer) wants money and sometimes other things. This English language translation by Maja Zade (dramaturg at Berlin's Schaubuhne Theatre, who brought their Hamlet here earlier this year) has only previously been performed as a reading at London's Royal Court, making this Griffin Independent production it's first proper staging. And this is some staging. It takes a deft touch just to deliver this play with sense, and director Sarah Giles (fresh out of some assistant directorships and Red Stitch's That Face in Melbourne) has not only managed to craft an amazingly followable play, she has finished it with flourishes, smart movement and smooth visual gags. The actors — who never leave the stage yet have to insert and remove themselves constantly in the action — keep their energy high. Germans seem to be a touch defensive about their comedy (the Wikipedia entry for 'German humour' is preoccupied with explaining that Germans are actually funny — they just don't, for linguistic reasons, understand English jokes), and Gieselmann proves they have every right to be. You won't be left wanting for what's lost in translation here; The Pigeons is great fun and, in that way only the foreign can be, entirely unexpected. https://youtube.com/watch?v=n5XBMqCRbZM
The CBD's newest cafe combines three worthy elements: all-day eating, an ex-Mecca chef and serious support for charity. Now open at No. 1 Martin Place, Portal is an expansive, light-filled space from The Pure Collective, which is also behind Folonomo in Surry Hills. Whether you're there for a mid-morning coffee or a long lunch, you can count on every dollar of profit going to charity. Portal has taken over No. 1's mezzanine level, with architect Adriano Pupilli's new design featuing an undulating timber ceiling, modern art and sleek splashes of brass and black. In the kitchen you'll find Michal Siudeja (ex-Mecca, The Farmed Table). He's been busy sourcing seasonal, local ingredients for Portal's menu, including honey from a rooftop beehive in Surry Hills. Kick off your day with a brekkie roll: maple bacon, fried egg, manchego and smoked tomato chutney on a house-made milk bun ($11), or coconut sago pudding with caramelised pineapple and kaffir lime ($9). Come lunch, Siudeja puts together hearty sandwiches ($10) with whizzbang fillings, like free-range chicken with miso mayo and fried eggplant, bocconcini and romesco. There are bowls ($11), too, based on hero proteins such as braised lamb, confit salmon and soy-sesame tofu. "I want to keep the menu as fresh as possible. There are lots of healthy grains, poached proteins and raw vegetables from Sydney markets. If we don't make it from scratch, we'll buy from local producers who share the same values," says Siudeja. On top of donating all profits to charity — with diners able to pick between three different non-profits — Portal provides hospitality training to people of refugee backgrounds, who've settled in Australia but are waiting for work visas. "These are people in need who have arrived legally and yet have to survive on goodwill until they're able to work. It's a distressing time to say the least," says Nicolas Degryse, co-founder, The Pure Collective."We offer hospitality training as an option, so they can learn skills and hopefully find jobs as soon as they're able to do so." Find Portal at Mezzanine Level, 1 Martin Place, Sydney, open 8am–4pm from Monday–Friday.
Since 2017, Biang Biang has satiated cravings of hot, spicy noodles from Haymarket to Liverpool. Bringing a taste of the Shaanxi Province in central China to Sydney, Biang Biang stays true to its name, specialising in biang biang noodles. They're long, hand-pulled noodles made from wheat flour. It can be hard to choose from the nine different dishes that incorporate these chewy noodles — you can get them topped with tomato and egg, eggplant, stewed pork or chicken. But, whatever you decide, expect a chilli bomb. You know, the type that you'll feel in the very back of your brain? Yep, that level of spice. Thankfully, it's a little easier to choose a side: the rougamo is a must-order. This Shaanxi-style 'burger' is a flaky pastry stuffed with pork, cumin beef or spicy potato. It's crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and will quash any doubts you had about staying in and ordering a takeaway. Images: Letícia Almeida.
There’s really no better summer social than a well-done barbecue. Much of the challenge is finding the perfect spot and knowing what to serve — and as usual, we've got you covered. Sydney's home to a bountiful array of balmy barbecue spots, from beaches to coves, national parks to foreshores. Check out these fabulous Sydney BYO barbecue locations and perfect summer meal ideas to get you on track for the best day you'll ever have with your hat on. Brekkie Barbecue at North Bondi You haven't had a B&E roll until you’ve had one on the barbie. Head to North Bondi, claim a coin-operated BBQ, take a whole load of fresh eggs and bacon you’re prepared to tizzy up with some killer grill marks. Choose brioche if you’re feeling fancy and give it a light grill before applying lashings of your choice of sauce and the bacon and eggs. French toast done on the grill is also pretty great — just don’t forget the real deal maple syrup. After a feed, relax on the grassy knoll to watch the surf and let the feast digest before getting amongst it yourself. Facilities are excellent here, with running water and toilet and change rooms next to North Bondi SLSC. Getting here is easy by bus from Bondi Junction, or there’s some decent parking around Ramsgate Avenue and Curlewis Street if you’re there early enough. Barbecued Banana Puddings at The Basin Nestled on the eastern shores of West Head in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, the grassy area of the Basin offers the perfect bush-meets-bay scenario where walking, paddling, swimming and hiking are all up for grabs. Beautiful national park surrounds and well-maintained barbecues establish The Basin as the perfect location to truly come to terms with just how underrated barbecue desserts are. We can't recommend highly enough the pleasures of grilled pineapple sprinkled with cinnamon sugar (done so it crystallises), but for something really special try splitting a banana down the middle, filling it with high-quality white, dark and milk chocolate bits, wrapping it in foil and leaving it to cook for a few minutes on high heat. Some roughly chopped nuts don't go astray either. Such a perfect dessert, and (strangely) it's most spectacular on scorchers. With amazing water views, the Basin gives you the sense that you've come to a secret island. It's just the right vibe for a day (or couple of days) of barbecue festivities, and staying overnight isn’t a bad option — there's a camping area that accommodates 400 people. Get here by walking from West Head along the walking track, or take a ferry across Pittwater. You can also come by water taxi or ferry from Palm Beach. Mango and Coconut Chicken Skewers on Collaroy Beach On Pittwater Road in Collaroy find this idyllic barbecue spot with brand spanking new sheltered barbecues and picnic tables. The beach and the rockpools at Collaroy are hard to beat and getting tropical is easy by the sea, especially with the help of a simple and easy recipe with a bit of preparation pre-barbecue. Trim some chicken thighs, whack them on skewers, marinate in your best mango sauce — a combination of mango chutney, peanut butter, and soy sauce is perfect — and pop in a container for the trip to Collaroy. A bit of coconut cream and chutney cooked over low heat and popped in a container to take along is an amazing dipping sauce. Combine with your favourite Asian green salad, and don’t forget the radishes because they really make it. There are great swimming conditions here and excellent surf conditions for beginners. The facilities include sheltered barbecues, enclosed playground, picnic area, toilet and shower facilities, rockpool, paid car park or street parking, and sheltered tables. There's also a barbecue inside the enclosed playground, so with little tots running around it's a bit of a standout. Deluxe Snag Sandwiches and Pedal Boats at Lane Cove National Park There aren't many places in Sydney where you can really and truly have it all — think both hands wrapped around a fresh baguette piled with fried onions, stuffed with a snag and smothered in tomato sauce and a generous hand of grated cheese, with both feet lazily working the pedals of a pedal boat, the gorgeous Lane Cove bushland passing you by at just the right pace. It's the ultimate in hands-free and it's yours for the taking at Lane Cove National Park. With over 40 designated picnic areas, you won't be spoiled for choice. Many of these areas are large cleared areas beside the river but a few have more bushland settings. Fireplaces and barbecues are provided or you can can use portable barbecues in open areas if you bring your own wood. As well as the pedal boats rowboats, kayaks, and canoes are also for hire, but there are plenty of other options to keep you busy if watersports(ish) aren't your thing. There's plenty of shade for when the day heats up, and facilities include bike and walking tracks and campsites with cabins if you're just having too good a time to head home. Entry tree is $7 per vehicle. Chilli Snapper at Como Pleasure Grounds With panoramic views of the Georges River, Como Pleasure Grounds lives up to its name. Established in 1895, this site is the ideal location for a totally laidback day. Just 40 minutes from the city centre, it's worth checking out for the great walking paths and bike track alone. It's also got some great history – the site of the Grounds was the place where the Aboriginal clans of the Sweetwater, or Freshwater, people of the nearby Woronora River met the Bitterwater, or Saltwater, people of the Georges River. Como Pleasure Grounds is a great spot to let your inner chef shine — if you're feeling brave take a whole snapper, wrap it with lemon, chilli and butter, and prepare to wait. It takes a bit of time and patience — but if you can manage this the rewards are plentiful. There’s plenty of off-street parking and the nearby Como Swimming Complex includes a 20m pool with free entry. Beer Burgers at Blackwattle Bay Park Get the bikes together or take a bus to Blackwattle Bay Park — it’s got to be one of the most chilled out options in Sydney’s inner west with some of the best-maintained and newest barbies around. With stellar views of the Anzac Bridge and Rozelle Bay, this is a great place to settle in for a long, lazy day of food, friends, and good times. There’s plenty of room in the BBQ area so we’re thinking the whole shebang for this one: some good light summer beer, high-quality beef burgers (make your own with chilli flakes — amazing), fresh cut salads (think home-roasted beetroot, goats cheese, crispy pumpkin and pine nuts on a bed of rocket) and kumera potato fries (cheat by boiling until soft before you go). Don't forget to use beer to clean the grill. Oh, and dogs are permitted off leash. Winning, much? Cranking Barbecue Ribs at Cockatoo Island For when you have all the time in the world (and a full coin purse to boot), head to Cockatoo island by ferry or kayak, and set up for a long and lavish day in the sun. You're going to want a meal to match the beatific view of Sydney Harbour so think about marinating a batch of ribs in a mixture of wild meat and hickory sauce from an American supplier — Yanks do ribs best — and barbecuing using smoking chips. If you’re really organised braise these babies a day before and grill again on the big day. A simple salad of BBQ broccolini with strips of best-quality haloumi, drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkled with pine nuts is a fabulous accompaniment. There are plenty of umbrellas for shade on Cockatoo Island and the sunset taken in with a full belly and a full glass of cool Pinot Grigio or bubbly is pretty close to perfection. Barbecuer beware, it’s not BYO — but there’s a fully stocked licensed bar on site. Other facilities include a cafe, the ever-popular Island Bar, live music, tennis court, historical audio tour, boat hire, kayaking, swimming, kids activities and a drinks machine. Barbecued Tapas at Tamarama Deserving of its nickname 'The Grown-Ups Beach' for all the right reasons — killer views, great facilities, and plenty of room to spread out with a group of friends to make the most of that sunshiny weather. It's also the ideal location to try your hand at barbecued tapas. Think seared asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, corn fritters with avocado salsa, chunks of haloumi and chorizo, barbecued king prawns with garlic mayonnaise, lamb chops by the dozen, and a share-sized fruit salad alongside a platter of strawberry and marshmallow sticks cooked over a low heat. Use multi-coloured marshmallows for a bit of extra tizz. Divided by Tamarama Marine Drive, the West section of Tamarama is a large open area with a shady gully and the smaller Eastern section contains barbecues with decent hotplates and a kiosk for if you forget something critical — like ice cream. Best of all, the glimmering Pacific is just a hop, skip and a jump away. Cajun Chicken at Clifton Gardens Beaches, bushland and a whole lot of grass makes Clifton Gardens a top spot to unpack the cooler, set up the chairs, and prepare to leave the big city worries behind. Located at Morella Road, Mosman, next to the Sydney Harbour National Park, there are plenty of facilities, toilets, loads of trees for shade, enclosed baths and a berthing jetty. Lots of great barbecue places in Sydney start with the letter 'C', but we don’t mind because it means we get to eat more chicken. Sometimes simple is best, so thoroughly marinate your chicken strips in olive oil, cajun spice, chilli and lemon, bring along best quality avocados as well as truckloads of greens and fresh beans and tuck in. After lunch take the walking trail to Bradleys Head with stunning views of Sydney Harbour along the way. It should take anywhere between one to two hours — depending on how much chook you've eaten or fizzy drinks you've had. Also worth checking out is Chowder Bay, named after whalers who used to make 'chowder' from the bay's abundant seafood. The bay was formerly a naval base and the area features historic buildings and facilities originally used as a submarine miners depot. Today, you'll find some lovely cafes here and if you're around on a weekday you can also catch the craftsmen from Sydney Harbour Wooden Boats practice the age-old trade of restoring and constructing wooden boats. Pretty great. Just saying. Grilled Marscapone Peaches with Bourbon Caramel Sauce at Davidson Park There’s something pretty damn special about kicking back after a feed in the shade of a tribe of Eucalyptus trees and just a short drive north of Sydney. This beautiful waterside location is the perfect place for groups large or small, especially for those who love exploring by boat. There are some great waterways to check out by canoe or kayak and the south-eastern end of the park is ideal for launching your motor boat or sail boat for access to Middle Harbour and Sydney Harbour. Large open grassy areas and free barbecues mean Davidson Park has all the potential of the perfect barbecue setting – which renders critical the inclusion of perfect grub to match. Fresh grilled peaches with mascarpone sauce are just the ticket after your favourite barbecue feed – even if it does mean we have to ditch our penchant for alliteration. All with good reason: see below. Get a caramel sauce cranking on low heat in a saucepan – the usual jazz of butter, castor sugar, double cream, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of bourbon whisky for good times. Lightly brush the peaches in oil or butter and grill them on low as well until they look like little parcels of sunshine, and fill with vanilla and sugar infused mascarpone. Thank us laters, alligators. Image credits: star5112 via photopin cc; Blackwattle Bay, JohnsonL623; North Bondi, J Bar; The Basin, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park; Collaroy Beach, Warringah Council; Lane Cove National Park, LCNP; Como Pleasure Grounds, Sutherland Shire Council; Cockatoo Island, CI; Chowder Bay, Adam.J.W.C.; Davidson Park, Shaun Sursok.
They say your body is a temple, but it can be hard to find your inner sanctuary without being in an actual sanctuary. A trip to Port Douglas could fix this, with the Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa giving you all the calm and relaxation time you need, with a generous serve of beautiful Port Douglas surroundings thrown in. This far-north Queensland holiday spot is right on the doorstep of two of Australia's biggest natural attractions — the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing and seaplane tours regularly set off from here out onto the reef, and while most people explore the Daintree on foot through its hikes, you can get a different view via 4WD, horseback or zipline. Don't discount the pleasure of spending time in Port Douglas itself, either; the holiday town has an upmarket feel, with restaurants serving high-level contemporary cuisine and a local microbrewery, Hemingway's, producing pilsener from the freshwater of nearby Mossman Gorge. With one of the biggest lagoon pools (3000-square-metre) this side of the earth, the 5-star Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa resort is situated smack bang on Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas' trump card when it comes to sand and sea. Guests can stay in studio spas, swim-out apartments, or go all out and stay in apartments that feature their very own plunge pool. On-site restaurant AQUA has you covered for contemporary food made from fresh local produce, and the resort also has a day spa, Vie Spa, with eight treatment rooms – which means there's a whole lot of pampering to be had. When you're all pampered out, head on over to the adjacent 18-hole golf course, or venture out a little further to explore Mossman Gorge and the Daintree Rainforest – or add a tick to your bucket list and hop on that boat to the Great Barrier Reef. Most people come here during the Australian winter, avoiding the rain and humidity that is at its worst from January to March.
As Sydney gears up for summer, we have more to look forward to this year than you might think. Thanks to the a plan to turn Sydney into a '24-hour city', we have a new-look CBD on the horizon — and it's focusing on outdoor dining, starting with The Rocks. The City of Sydney and NSW Government community recovery plan aims to reactivate the CBD and other local precincts by making it easier than ever for venues to offer outdoor dining, late-night trading and live music. "We will set up outdoor performance stages in key city locations, fund live music and performance in venues, bars and restaurants, and deliver a summer of outdoor dining," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement. As of last week, The Rocks became the first CBD precinct to pilot this al fresco dining scheme, which was rolled out on Friday, October 16. To start, 19 of The Rocks pubs, restaurants and cafes now have expanded outdoor dining. [caption id="attachment_786807" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] The overall licensed area has been increased to over 1800 square metres, which will serve a whopping 1000 additional patrons. And, thanks to that extra space, it's all within the NSW Government's COVID-19 guidelines for outdoor capacities, which have recently increased to one person per two square metres. As part of the plan, Tayim has opened a gin garden along the cobblestoned Nurses Walk laneway and The Doss House has added a cocktail bar its its upstairs courtyard. Other local favourites Maybe Sammy, Endeavour Tap Rooms and the Orient Hotel have all extended their outdoor dining offering, too. To celebrate, The Rocks has just launched an outdoor music lineup that'll run every Thursday through Sunday (11am–9pm) across a heap of the precinct's streets and laneways, including George Street, Jack Mundey Place, Nurses Walk and First Fleet Park, the latter of which is also covered in social-distancing circles that will remain in place throughout the summer. [caption id="attachment_786809" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] To achieve this al fresco goal CBD-wide, the government bodies are working together to cut red tape for businesses to easily reclaim outdoor space. Soon enough, you'll begin to see many more parking spots, traffic lanes and footpaths turned into outdoor dining — with activations across Pitt, Barrack and Crown streets, and Tankstream Way and Wilmot Lane all currently in the works. The 12-month outdoor dining plan is set to officially begin in November, with a whole heap of associated fees waived until March 30, 2021. Approvals for outdoor dining licences and extending liquor licence boundaries are already coming through much more quickly, too — with the expected turnaround time now three days instead of 51 days. For more information about the al fresco dining plan, head to the City of Sydney and NSW Government websites. Images: Anna Kucera
The NSW government is taking a big step in restoring Sydney's nightlife scene, today announcing, as part of the $110 billion NSW night-time economy review, the decision to 'abolish' the final remains of the city's controversial lockout laws: the 3.30 am last drinks law. NSW Premier Chris Minns took to Instagram to announce the decision, saying the laws, which came with good intentions, did more harm than good for Sydney's nightlife. "The lockouts had good intentions but a diabolical impact on the night-time economy and the reputation of our city. These were the laws that saw Madonna and Justin Bieber not allowed into their own afterparties." [caption id="attachment_877266" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] "Once we had a closer look at all the regulations restricting the NSW night-time economy, we realised the lockouts were just the tip of the iceberg. So since coming to office we've been slashing the red tape that was pushing venues out of business and stopping grown adults having fun." "We're rebuilding the night-time economy neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood so that people right across NSW have exciting and diverse nightlife options closer to home," Minns concludes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Minns (@chrisminnsmp) When the lockout laws were first enacted in 2014, over half of Sydney's music venues closed as a result of the lost business from late-night crowds. The laws initially came into effect after an increase of assaults in Kings Cross, Oxford Street and the Sydney CBD — including the 'one punch' deaths of Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie. Now, following a review by Liquor & Gaming NSW and the determination of a downward trend in alcohol related night-time assaults since earlier changes to the laws five years ago. The harsh conditions were found to be "no longer fit for purpose," instead, safety will be maintained through a more targeted, case-by-case approach and existing RSA requirements. [caption id="attachment_1065783" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Getty Images[/caption] The review does affirm that three of the existing measures will continue: the violent incident registers, preserving crime scenes and a ban on Outlaw Motorcycle Gang colours or insignia. Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said, "Twelve years to the day since they were announced, we are now declaring the lockout laws have been completely abolished. I'm delighted to say goodbye to this chapter of Sydney's nightlife story." Lead image: Getty Images
The widespread popularity of paint and sip classes has arrived in Parramatta in the form of Pinot and Picasso — a BYO workshop that offers major bang-for-your buck fun in more than 30 locations. In Parramatta's Church Street shop, regular sessions rotate throughout the week. There's a wide range of subjects to paint here, from the northern lights, waterfalls and wildflowers to Yoda, Dobby and Frida Kahlo. For couples or friends, there's even a paint your mate night — which, depending on your skills and how many glasses of wine you have, could go one of two ways. As it's BYO, you're encouraged to bring food and drinks along with you, and the glassware is provided. Tickets range from $49–59 and include a blank canvas, acrylic paints, brushes, a table easel, an apron and the aforementioned vessel for your booze. Crack that bottle vino and whack that brush on the canvas — we see a wine-fuelled masterpiece in your future.
Things sure are looking up for Sydney's northern beaches these days, especially when it comes to wining and dining. Last year, Merivale opened its hugely popular venue, The Newport, and this year it snapped up The Collaroy Hotel with plans for a relaunch. Now, The Mona Vale Hotel delivers another win for the area, reimagined as a food and entertainment hot-spot called The Park House Food & Liquor. The first part of the site's hefty, two-year redevelopment is officially open to the public. It's called Park House Food Merchants, and is a multi-faceted venue, complete with restaurant, cocktail lounge and all-weather courtyard. In the kitchen, Head Chef David Clark (Jamie's Italian) is drawing inspiration from Southern California's food scene, for a vibrant, share-focused menu peppered with Mexican, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. On it, you'll find dishes like baked snapper fillet with tahini dressing, slow-cooked lamb forequarter with herb pilav, and a whole suckling pig that's carved right there at the table. Meanwhile, the bar's slinging an eclectic, well-traveled wine list, alongside a solid range of craft beers and barrel-aged cocktails. A craft beer bar called Front Yard Brews & Burgers also opened just before Christmas, with Parkside Truck Stop transforming the pub's car park into a food truck destination from early 2018. Park House Food & Liquor is now open at 2 Park Street, Mona Vale. For more info, visit parkhousefoodandliquor.com.au. Updated: January 30, 2018.
The annual reason to not entirely obliterate yourself on New Year's Eve, Field Day, has announced its return for 2022. And while international touring isn't quite back to normal — so there's no Cardi B or Tyler, the Creator leading the bill this year — the New Year's Day festival will bring some of Australia's biggest live acts to The Domain. Field Day's 2022 lineup features a heap of festival favourites: Peking Duck, Hayden James and Mallrat, for starters. You'll also be listening to Masked Wolf, Allday and Hot Dub Time Machine — and they're just a few of the highlights (full lineup below). Adapting to the times, and to New South Wales' pandemic rules, this year's Field Day will require all patrons to either show proof of double COVID-19 vaccination to enter, or to show a negative COVID-19 result from a test taken within the 72 hours before arriving at the festival. [caption id="attachment_579492" align="alignnone" width="1279"] Aleksandar Jason[/caption] FIELD DAY 2022 LINEUP Allday Anna Lunoe ASHWARYA Choomba Golden Features Hayden James Hot Dub Time Machine Mallrat Masked Wolf MAY-A Peking Duk Image: Field Day/AP Photography.
With Wunderlich Lane opening its doors in mid-2024, the time has come for this bustling hospitality precinct to host its debut winter event — NightShift. Presented for one week only from Monday, June 16–Sunday, June 22, guests will have to chance to celebrate the winter solstice through immersive installations, surprising culinary collaborations, roving performances and even a noodle-fuelled rave. Kicking off the week, Olympus hosts the NightShift Greek Feast Launch Party, serving an inventive feast inspired by ancient Hellenic banquets. With bookings available for groups of ten, this lavish sit-down extravaganza is complemented with table flowers designed by Doctor Cooper, mind-blowing art performances between courses, and hypnotic instrumental grooves performed by GODTET. The following night, music brainiacs Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe take over Baptist Street Rec Club for 'The Best Music Quiz Ever' on Tuesday, June 17. Then, S'WICH and Regina La Pizzeria will get together for the 'After-Work Pizzetta Party' from Wednesday, June 18–Thursday, June 19. Dine on limited-release pizzetta sandwiches, as Barney Kato and Adi Toohey soundtrack an evening of vinyl deep cuts. On Saturday, June 21, Island Radio hosts a 'Noodle Rave with JNETT' featuring six hours of feasting and booming beats. For something at a slower pace, R by Raita Noda presents 'The Whole Fish' on the same night, breaking down an entire tuna as part of an atmospheric sushi demonstration, while immersed in a Toshiki Ohta soundscape. With several more dining, drinking and relaxation events to explore — both ticketed and walk-ins — let NightShift guide your winter solstice to untold heights.
Who said you can't make friends with salad? The not-for-profit vegan chain Lentil as Anything has quickly become the dahling of King Street. No need to book, just turnip for amaizing food and an atmosphere that can't be beet. With four thriving stores in Melbourne, what better location for Sydney's first branch than Newtown, a colourful, alternative neighbourhood where even McDonalds couldn't hack the fresh vibe and ended up skipping town in the '90s. Vegans make up just one percent of Australians and it looks like they got the memo — it's a full house tonight with a queue waiting eagerly at the door. There's a live bongo session starting up, the waitstaff are super friendly (and working for free) and there's no alcohol, only chai — what is this place? As 30 percent of the ingredients are donated from food rescue operations, the menu changes often so you'll need to ask your waiter what's on offer. Today there's a creamy Sri Lankan curry made with potatoes and pumpkin, served over rice with dahl, beetroot, banana tossed in coconut, blanched greens, a salad and pappadums. That's just one meal by the way. Yes it's vegan and yes it's donated food, but no, it's not a bowl of flavourless gruel. It's exciting, colourful, healthy, delicious — and yes, it's a huge surprise. Our burrito comes out next, who would have thought you could make a burrito without meat, cheese and sour cream? Well you can and it works, our toasted tortilla is topped with spicy Mexican beans, salad, chilli salsa and a cashew-based cheese sauce (open your mind people) and once again, it's delicious. Who knew? For our third dish, we opt for the brown rice salad topped with eggplant, onions, green vegetables, tomatoes and chickpeas. It feels pretty good to be eating a week's worth of vegetables in one sitting. This is the kind of food that could convert an otherwise blood-loving, alcohol-swilling human being into making some serious lifestyle changes; Lentil as Anything proves being vegan isn't the ultimate sacrifice. The one minor food falter is the chocolate and banana cake which tastes a little claggy, but they did make it without chocolate, eggs, milk and butter, so the team still get a star for a top effort. If you swing by on a Friday or Saturday night, head upstairs for a tasty tonic in their new Lentil on the Rocks mocktail bar. It's a new initiative aimed at creating an inclusive ambience where non-alcoholic drinkers, especially teenagers and pregnant ladies can enjoy a friendly and social environment without booze. One of the most curious features of Lentil as Anything is its unique 'pay as you feel' financial model where there are no bills and no social pressure, just an honesty box as you walk out the door. The money you donate goes straight to the food, rent and utilities and not to anyone's pocket in particular. So, if you pay a little extra, your dosh goes to feeding someone who can't afford a meal, allowing that person to feel accepted and valued by their community. Lentil as Anything has been heartily welcomed by the Newtown fold and once you've bean, you'll olive it too. Don't forget to pay it forward.
There's nothing like a cool, refreshing sea breeze to help you find your centre. Held at the iconic Bondi Icebergs with stunning views overlooking the ocean, Yoga by the Sea is pretty much what it sounds like. Feel the sun on your skin and smell the salt in the air as you prepare yourself for the day ahead with an hour-long yoga session. A team of instructors offer classes in both restorative Hatha Yoga, ideal for beginners and those looking to manage stress or balance a busy life, and the more active Power Vinyasa, which aims to improve strength, tone, fitness and flexibility. Regulars can invest in an Icebergs multi-entry pass, which gives you access to 25 sessions for just $120. And if you spot a dolphin during your class, the next class is free. Really. Their schedule changes with the season, although in summer you can safely bet they'll host multiple classes a day. Yoga by the Sea is also held in Tamarama and Bronte. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
A resurrected Tupac stunned Coachella audiences at the conclusion of the music festival's first weekend. Holographically appearing on stage alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the murdered rapper greeted fans with a "What up, Coachella?" before beginning his classic single 'Hail Mary'. Digitally generated, Tupac's holographic double is the brainchild of longtime friend Dr. Dre. Dre sought the permission of the late rapper's mother before pursuing his vision, which was brought to 'life' by San Diego-based AV Concepts and James Cameron's Oscar-winning digital production company Digital Domain. The project is estimated to have dipped deep into commissioners' pockets, and took around four months to create. The likeness was eerie, successfully replicating everything from the rapper's bared abs, to his Timberlands, to his tattoos. The hologram performed classics '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted', 'Come With Me', and 'Gangsta Party' before slipping back into the otherworld. Audiences and fans received the performance with mixed emotions. Some were thrilled to witness Tupac 'live' after his 1996 murder, and others found the hologram morbid and exploitative. Twitter was ablaze with fans on either side of the issue, causing 'Tupac' to continue trending in Australia through this morning. Opinions aside, the digital stunt may mark the beginning of a new era for on-stage performance. AV Concepts has already dabbled in holographic concert performances; the company was behind the 2005 Grammys performance featuring Madonna and the holographic members of the Gorillaz, as well as digital apparitions used in concert by Celine Dion and the Black Eyed Peas. It was the dead that stole the show at the live music festival this weekend. No one can keep Tupac down. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pRLUAVs4sR4
Woolloomooloo icon, The Tilbury, has been revamped just in time for summer. Designers Luchetti Krelle (the same people behind the design of ACME and Barrio Cellar) have used their magic to turn it into a bright and breezy space with plenty of wood tones, gold and a splash of pastel blue. In fact, the whole colour palette screams modern maritime. This major overhaul of the interior, courtyard and upstairs area is the pub's first in twelve years. The restaurant has plenty of natural light and the chairs look like they're wearing snuggly jumpers. Hooray for extra comfort during your dinner! For those who prefer a warm breeze, balmy summer afternoons are just around the corner and the revamped courtyard is the perfect spot for some after-work drinks or a lazy meal. Owner Scott Whitehouse wants to "give people a more relaxed experience when visiting the hotel... without jeopardising the already simple classic style." Interior renovations usually go hand in hand with menu changes and this is no different. With head chef James Wallis behind the pass, The Tilbury has a new produce-driven grill menu for you to enjoy with your mates. It's fine gastropub fare-focused with dishes like Moroccan spiced lamb rump and a Black Angus rump (with a marbling score of three). We've got our eye on the 64 percent Valhrona chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream though — washed down with a Riesling or a pint of pale ale. This is one local that's keeping things up to date. Find The Tilbury at 12-18 Nicholson St, Woolloomooloo.
You know the part in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy first enters the Land of Oz and everything transforms into glorious technicolour? That's what it feels like when summer hits the UK. Every single corner of the country pulls out all stops to make the most of the sunshine and clear skies which, let's face it, don't last long. Suddenly, everywhere from teeny country villages to the massive cities are abuzz with markets, festivals, live performances and general merriment. With so many festivities to choose from, it's hard to know where to start. To make sure you don't miss out, we've partnered with Contiki to scope out ten of the best things to see and do in the UK this (Northern Hemisphere) summer. We've covered everything from age-old classics, like wandering among the prehistoric mysteries of Stonehenge and seeing a play at Shakespeare's Globe in London, to rocking out to your favourite musicians at one of the country's biggest music festivals. We hope you know where your passport is — you're going to need it very soon. [caption id="attachment_719400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew and Annemarie via Flickr.[/caption] CATCH 'MACBETH' AT SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE Opened in 1997 on the banks of the River Thames, Shakespeare's Globe is a replica of the original theatre, which was built just 250 metres away in 1599 (and then demolished in 1644). Each year, from April to October, the stage fills with larger-than-life actors, performing Shakespeare's works. There are 700 standing room ('groundling') tickets available to every show for just £5. So, even if you're travelling on a budget, you don't have to miss out. Afterwards, take a stroll along the river to visit the Tate Modern and South Bank — a hub of theatre, live music, talks and more. [caption id="attachment_719453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martie Swart via Flickr[/caption] DISCOVER A NEW ACT AT EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest arts event in the world. To give you an idea of the scale, 2018 saw 55,000 performances of 3548 shows across 317 venues over 25 days. Yep, it's absolutely huge. Whatever you're into — from cabaret and comedy to storytelling and live music — it's on the program. You can even put on a show of your own. Quite a few legends cut their teeth here — Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connolly and Tim Minchin, among them. If there's a show you need to see, book tickets in advance. But, if you're open-minded, it's just as fun to turn up and see what happens. As you wander down the street, burgeoning performers will hand out tickets to their shows for free. It's a great way to discover some up-and-coming talents — we know how everyone loves to proclaim "I saw them before they were famous". DANCE ALL NIGHT AT READING FESTIVAL Since the inaugural event in 1989, Reading Festival has become a major happening on the UK's musical calendar. Every August, it takes over Little John's Farm for three days of live music. Some of the musical heavyweights to have played there over the years include Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys. Head along this year and you'll be grooving to the likes of Foo Fighters, The 1975, Post Malone, Billie Eilish and loads more. To make the most of this epic musical experience, hop on board Contiki Sounds. This ten-day (or seven-day) tour will be like a roaming musical education with visits to the country's best towns and cities (and their most historically important musical sites) and will finish with a VIP camping experience at Reading. [caption id="attachment_719456" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gary J. Wood via Flickr[/caption] GRAZE YOUR WAY THROUGH BOROUGH MARKET For more than 1000 years, farmers, fishers, bakers and cheesemakers have been gathering at Borough Market to peddle their wares. It's London's oldest market. You'll find it just south of London Bridge, which for hundreds of years, provided the only river crossing into the city. Grab a coffee from the ever-popular Monmouth Coffee Company, located just outside the market entrance, and spend a morning roaming through the stalls and filling up on samples. Prepare for a cornucopia of bread, baked goodies, fruit, veggies, olive oils, cheeses, meats and much more. There's a busy events program, too, covering workshops, talks and tours. The market is open Monday to Saturday — the best days to go are Wednesday to Saturday when it's in full operation. WANDER AROUND STONEHENGE One folk story goes that the devil bought the stones in Ireland, wrapped them up and carried them to their present position. Another says that Stonehenge was created by Merlin the wizard in the age of King Arthur. Many mysteries still surround the history of Stonehenge, but historians are now fairly convinced it was built 5000 years ago by thousands of hardworking Neolithic humans. This World Heritage-listed site lies around 140 kilometres west of London near the village of Amesbury. EAT FISH AND CHIPS BY THE SEA IN CORNWALL No summer in the UK is complete without at least one serving of fish and chips (with a liberal dousing of vinegar) by the sea. And one of the prettiest places to partake is Cornwall, England's most southwestern county. If you're in the north, head to the coastal village of Padstow for Rick Stein's Fish & Chips. For a longer feast, visit The Seafood Restaurant — Stein's flagship — which opened over 40 years ago. If you're in the south, go to Looe and eat at The Catch, a chippy run by celebrity chef James Tanner and his brother Chris, who serve only premium quality, sustainably fished seafood. [caption id="attachment_719446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shawn Spencer-Smith via Flickr[/caption] IMMERSE YOURSELF AT BRISTOL HARBOUR FESTIVAL This entirely free festival attracts 250,000 people to Bristol every July. Now heading into its 48th year, it's a cornucopia of live bands, dancers, circus acts, spoken word, street performers and food stalls, all backdropped by Bristol's sparkling harbour. In 2019, the party is slated for the weekend of July 19–21. While you're in town, be sure to explore the cobbled laneways of Bristol Old Town, walk over the Clifton Suspension Bridge — built in 1864 to span the dramatic Avon Gorge — and swing by 6 O'Clock Gin for an exceptional G&T. [caption id="attachment_719840" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Image via The Fat Duck Restaurant[/caption] SPLURGE ON DINNER AT THE FAT DUCK Heston Blumenthal has cooked all over the world, but his adventures began in Bray, a village on the River Thames situated around 50 kilometres west of London. In 1995, he took over a 16th-century building formerly called The Bell Pub and transformed it into The Fat Duck restaurant. By 2004, it had earned three Michelin stars. Dinner here isn't so much a meal as a journey into the unexpected, so kick back, relax and let the chefs take over. Reservations aren't easy to get, especially in the height of summer, so be sure to book in advance. EAT YOUR WAY AROUND A HUGE FOOD FESTIVAL Foodies Festival was founded in Edinburgh in 2006 and has since grown into a nationwide celebration of good food. Between May and August, events take place in Brighton, Bristol, London, Birmingham, Cambridge, Tatton Park, Edinburgh and Oxford. So, wherever you are heading, there's bound to be a festival there at some point. Count on an array of food stalls, masterclasses, live music and a chefs theatre, where Michelin-starred chefs and MasterChef champions take to the stage. This year, Foodies Festival is teaming up with Musicians Against Homelessness, which will coordinate hundreds of performers across the country to raise money for UK charity Crisis. [caption id="attachment_719451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rozsagab via Flickr[/caption] DRINK A PINT IN A PROPER BRITISH PUB British pubs have been imitated all over the world, but there's quite like drinking a pint — or two — in an original. On a sunny day, seek out one on a river or canal, like The Angel on the Bridge in Henley-on-Thames or The Grain Barge in Bristol (yes, it used to be a barge). To mix history with your beverage, visit one of the UK's oldest pubs, like Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem — which is rather spectacularly set into a sandstone cliff in Nottingham and claims to have been established in 1189. Check out this list for more inspiration. Travel around the best spots in the UK with Contiki at Reading Festival. Unearth the UK's musical heritage, then experience an unforgettable party at one of the world's best and biggest music festivals. Contiki wants to take you there — all you have to do is choose from the 7- or 10-day trip. Plus, if you bring a mate, it'll give you both $200 off. Find out more here.
Picture this: you're nine years old and you have ten minutes to grab a treat from the local Baker's Delight before your swimming lesson. You spread your fingers on the glass display cabinet and spot the glistening pink finger buns. Your mum lets you get one. You can't believe your luck. Life is good. Nowadays, while you don't need anyone's permission to eat sweets, local bakeries and restaurants are becoming increasingly creative with their takeaway offerings — and that has hailed in the glorious return of the humble finger bun. Here's your guide on where to find the best of these afternoon delights. But, eat them for breakfast if you want, because when it's right, it's right. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ines Francesca English (@inesenglishh) HUMBLE BAKERY, SURRY HILLS You've probably seen a pic or two of Humble Bakery's finger buns. These ridiculously fluffy fruit buns are coated in thickly piped cream cheese icing and finely shredded coconut. And don't be fooled, it may look like a slice of tasty cheese inside, but that's just a friendly and absolutely necessary slab of butter. These buns are not for the faint hearted, but a must-try for any finger bun aficionado. And if you're after something salty, order the so-simple-yet-so-good avocado toast, or keep your eyes peeled for the rotating sando specials. Previous sandwiches have included a roast pork number with grilled radicchio, chimichurri and mayo. Get it during lockdown: You can order while you're there or order for pick-up or delivery here. [caption id="attachment_824234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Good Ways Deli and Trent Van der Jagt for Buffet Digital[/caption] GOOD WAYS DELI, REDFERN Good Ways Deli only opened up in April this year, but it's quickly making a name for itself as the go-to sandwich shop in Redfern. Its sandwiches are packed with natively-inspired ingredients, including kangaroo mortadella option as well as a maffra mature cheddar with pickled apple sando. Bottle green and cream interiors add to the Australiana feel, however Good Ways' version of Australia's favourite childhood treat earns itself an honourable mention on this list. Good Ways' take has strawberry gum icing and 100s and 1000s, and has now become a permanent fixture in its daily pastry cabinet. Be sure to check out the vegemite scrolls and lamingtons while you're there. Find it during lockdown: Good Ways Deli is open to the public for takeaway only at this time. [caption id="attachment_824235" align="alignnone" width="1918"] Image: Alan Benson[/caption] FLOUR AND STONE, WOOLLOOMOOLOO Sydney has been saying 'take my money' to Flour and Stone for almost ten years, and it's coffee and cardamon finger buns are only adding to the obsession with the Woolloomooloo bakery. Flour and Stone's underlying mission statement is that its bakers "believe they are making the world a better place" by baking their goods — and we'd tend to agree. Fluffy, creamy, and never not exceptional, the Flour and Stone finger bun is one for the books. Get it during lockdown: Flour and Stone deliver all over Sydney. Order online here or call the store on (02) 8068 8818. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saga Enmore (@saga_enmore) SAGA, ENMORE We love to see brioche repurposed into almost anything, but especially into finger bun form. Saga has been pumping sultana and citrus peel brioche boys out for some time now, but they aren't a regular offering, so call ahead. If they're there, you're in for a treat: Saga's finger buns are topped with maraschino icing and coconut for an upscale take on the Australian classic. Be sure to grab a smoked salmon bagel and check out what pie specials they have on. You won't be disappointed. Get it during lockdown: Saga is still open during their regular hours for takeaway. Order ahead via phone on (02) 9550 6386. WILSON'S CAKES AND PIE SHOP, MASCOT Wilson's Cakes and Pie Shop is the kind of old school bakery that sells small meringues in the shape of bunny rabbits with smarties for noses. Established in 1926, it still has its original mid-century milkbar-esque hand painted signage — so you know it's good. Wilson's finger buns are more like finger logs: long, thick and rectangular, unlike their contemporary cylindrical cousins. With sultanas mixed through the soft base and a classic strawberry glaze on top, these will bring you right back to the first time you ever tried the nostalgic finger bun. We've also heard their old school pies are as good as it gets, and only set you back $4, while their mammoth finger buns cost $2 each. Get it during lockdown: Call (02) 9667 2765 to order ahead. POLES PATISSERIE, PENRITH Family-run Penrith bakery, Poles Patisserie, has been serving up home-style baked sweets and pies for decades. Their finger buns lean towards the more traditional side of the scale, unlike their city-baked counterparts. These classic yeast-risen, sultana studded buns are coated with a thin layer of either plain or strawberry fudge, then dusted with desiccated coconut or the ever-exciting 100s and 1000s. Get it during lockdown: Call (02) 4722 5903 to order ahead. BAKER'S DELIGHT It would be a sin to not shout out the original Aussie finger bun. Whether you're in the mood for cinnamon, chocolate, 100s and 1000s, coconut, pink fondant or plain (would not recommend), your local Baker's Delight has it covered. You also can't deny their loose change pricing; these guys only set you back $1.90, and some of them are even dairy free. Get it during lockdown: Baker's Delight are still open for takeaway as usual during lockdown. Check for your local store here. Top Image: Good Ways Deli and Trent Van der Jagt for Buffet Digital. Remember to wear a mask and social distance. To keep up-to-date with the latest COVID restrictions, head to the NSW Health website.
Sydney is spoiled with a wealth of bars that also offer up top-notch eats alongside their drinks. Uncanny is the latest to join this list, as a King Street cocktail bar offering a selection of delightful Mediterranean share plates. Located just across from Newtown Station in the former digs of Gurdys, the cocktail bar comes from a family of experienced hospitality veterans — Julien, Michel and Laura Bouskila — who have joined forces to open their first venue. "Uncanny came to be through a mutual excitement and desire to create a venue that felt like a home away from home," co-founder Laura Bouskila says. As with the best cocktail bars in Sydney, you can order all of your standards alongside a selection of house specials. Uncanny's creations stretch from the sweet to the strong, playing on classic mixes. The Julio Ricter takes a mezcal margarita and adds a salt and za'atar rim; while The Ritz features thyme-infused Aperol with sparkling rosé and soda. While the drinks hit the spot, the food is the big drawcard. The standout is the bed of hummus with hot lamb mince on top, which Bouskila recommends paired with the Julio Ricter. Elsewhere on the share-friendly menu is eggplant and pomegranate molasses, harissa and sumac potatoes with chilli aioli, 24-hour marinated chicken shwarma and sautéed harissa prawns. Plus, you'll also find trivia, live music and open mic comedy at the bar on three Tuesdays of each month. Originally slated to open in June of 2021, the pandemic hit the bar pretty hard, with delays and closures continuing until the start of this year. "Since opening again in January, we have not looked back," continues Laura. "We are so grateful and excited that the Newtown community is loving the vibe of Uncanny." Uncanny is located 349 King Street, Newtown. It's open 4pm–late Tuesday–Friday and 3pm–late Saturdays.
We have waited two whole years to see Mitch Cairns' third solo show, Bass Principles with his representative gallery, BREENSPACE. Having first joined the stable in 2008 - as a wee child of 24 - Cairns has repeatedly proven that he is no flash in the pan. And Bass Principles is no different. Cairns presents a mature and decidedly restrained outpouring consisting of a collection of paintings supplemented by six small cartoons. Bass Principles is somewhat of an unpacking show, a going back to the start. During the time that Cairns was thinking about his upcoming show he carried out two technical courses. The first, a short course at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School. The second, the Alan Moir Advanced Cartoon Class. Both are instrumental in attempting to understand the work of Cairns in his bid to deconstruct the way in which artists create work. The framed cartoons in the show are obvious references to his extra-curricular study although the lines of the cartoon are also found in his paintings. In Smokey Sad Square (2012) Cairns has deconstructed the face – eyes float across a dark abyss like some early analogue Italian animation. It is absurd, but highly constructed at the same time. I have been looking at Cairns’ paintings for five years or so now. They are often riddles to unravel. A couple of things to remember when trying to step into the world of Cairns is that he consistently investigates a small number of themes. Firstly, we are always looking at the artist looking at himself, in his studio, his cellar door of Cartoon VIII (2011). Secondly, there is always some discussion of class as in the constant references to smoking and/or drinking - the burning pub of Cartoon XIV (2011) or the collector with his pieces in Collector with ‘Bass Principles’ (2011). Thirdly, in order to come along for the ride, one must have a sense of humour – Cairns teases us with low-grade Benny Hill-esque gags in Cartoon VI (2011) or Man Impersonating a Hat Stand (2011). Most importantly of all, we must view Cairns through the prism of an artist trying to figure art out. He deconstructs painting, essentially the frame, and asks how is that we construct? What do we leave in and, ultimately, what are we leaving out?
Following an impressive facelift, the century-old Quarrymans Hotel has reinvented itself as a destination for all things craft beer. With 32 types of craft beer on tap, you may wish to forgo your usual beverage in favour of one of its local brews. The tap list changes, but you can expect to find drop from Murray's, Mountain Goat, Matilda Bay, Rocks Brewing Company, Sydney Brewery, and James Squire to name a few. Daily specials like the $12 Monday schnitzels, $15 Tuesday steaks and $20 Thursday pasta attract a throng of loyal locals, and an array of share plates make the joint a good spot for group hangs and low-key birthday parties for those in-between years. Quarrymans also host monthly stand-up comedy nights and weekly Wednesday trivia. All in all, it's a lively Pyrmont establishment. Images: Kitti Smallbone
The Ivy is celebrating all things house music with its new weekly club night Above. The late-night dance party is taking over the main room of the venue every Saturday from 9pm–4am, pulling together lineups showcasing the country and the world's premier house DJs. In charge of booking these sonic curators is a pair of dance music-loving teams, Finely Tuned (Lost Paradise, Lost Sundays) and One Hit (Boogie, Defected, Glitterbox). For Saturday, May 13's edition of Above, they've pulled together an impressive roster of DJs to take you through the night, headlined by two of Australia's most renowned producers. Viral dance floor-fillers Shouse will be heading up the night, bringing all of the energy of their global hit song 'Love Tonight' as well as their recent collaboration with David Guetta to the Ivy. Joining them will be four-time ARIA-nominee and former triple j presenter KLP, with Dan Azzo, Utopic Crew and Bella Backe rounding out the lineup. Taking inspiration from clubs like Printworks in London, the Ivy has placed significant importance on the visuals for Above. Accomplished local creative collective Babekühl has been put in charge of creating larger-than-life visual accompaniments to guide you through the night's tunes. "We view nightclubs as enormous, immersive, audiovisual experiences, a culture that will one day be immortalised in modern art galleries," said Babekühl's Pat Santamaria. "Each season, we'll collaborate with an array of creatives from our community, transforming Above's lighting design into a bespoke and ever-evolving showcase of world-class visual arts and music." Early bird tickets are available for $26.25, before they rise to $31.60 once that first release sells out.
Two entries into their feature filmmaking career, there's no such thing as a bad horror movie from Danny and Michael Philippou. Talk to Me was a smash in every way possible: at festivals, with audiences, at the box office, with awards bodies and at introducing not just Australia but the world to a pair of potent new voices in the genre. With absolutely sign of second-film syndrome creeping in, the Adelaide-born twins' sophomore flick Bring Her Back is also an instant unease-dripping cinema great. While a Talk to Me sequel is also in the works, Danny and Michael have detoured into a different reckoning with loss and death first. And, where their debut movie featured Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) as its big name, their second enlists two-time Oscar-nominee (for Blue Jasmine and The Shape of Water) Sally Hawkins. There's also no such thing as a dull conversation with the Philippou brothers, either. When Concrete Playground had a date to discuss Talk to Me with them back in 2023, Danny was apologetic that Michael was unexpectedly AWOL — and he was also bubbling with joking ribbing. This time, both siblings are present and keen to natter, but Danny has lost his voice. "Too much excitement. Too much screaming," he advises. It doesn't stop him from engaging enthusiastically and energetically, although that's always this duo's vibe. The brotherly teasing remains as well. They've been dubbed "horror twins" more than once since they've made the leap from RackaRacka's viral YouTube videos to worldwide movie stardom — and while that's a term that normally brings on-screen characters like the Grady girls from The Shining to mind, rather than filmmakers, Danny and Michael can get onboard with it. "I'll embrace the term," says Michael, after first pondering whether it means that he and his brother are horrific. "Horror twins, we're all for it," adds Danny. If the label "horror siblings" was being used instead, it could also apply to key figures in both of their features so far, however. Bring Her Back's version: 17-year-old Andy (Billy Barratt, Invasion) and his younger sister Piper (first-timer Sora Wong), who has a visual impairment. Grief haunts this film from the outset, as Andy and Piper find themselves grappling with a tragedy and in need of a foster home, albeit ideally just for the three months until the former turns 18 and can obtain guardianship for the latter. Enter Hawkins as Laura, who has lost a daughter, and now welcomes orphaned children into her suburban house with an empty pool and an ominous circle surrounding the property. Enter Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips, How to Make Gravy), the withdrawn, non-verbal boy already in her care, too. For Andy, Piper and viewers alike, Bring Her Back then plunges into an atmosphere of festering stress — and an environment within the storyline where anxiety and unshakeable mourning radiates from Laura, Oliver unsettles with just a stare and his presence, both siblings mightn't be equally wanted and not all motives are altruistic. Talk to Me confronted the end that awaits us all via personal loss as well — and embraced the yearning to hold onto loved ones now gone through a severed embalmed hand that, when grasped by the living, acted as a conduit to those who've shuffled off this mortal coil. There's no lopped-off appendage acting as a beyond-the-void communication device in Bring Her Back; however, the Philippous are proving themselves experts in dealing with familiar and frequently explored horror-movie themes firmly in their own ways, and also in new fashions each time. Beating, needling and piercing at the heart of both of their films to date is a truth that everyone knows in their gut but rarely vocalises: that losing someone means never being okay, or at least the same, ever again. Bring Her Back is another stellar feature from the co-director pair, with Danny penning their screenplays with co-scribe Bill Hinzman, that boasts a strong emotional core, then — and with thoughtfully written, resonant and relatable characters, even when they're making dread-inducing and disquieting choices. The Philippous' second film is also blessed with a phenomenal turn from a giving-her-all Hawkins, who certainly didn't navigate the same terrain when she was portraying Mrs Brown and taking in Paddington in that franchise's first two movies. One more Bring Her Back feat: it'll ensure that no one ever looks at kitchen knives and perhaps their own limbs in the same way again, while lingering in everyone's mind whenever diving into coping with grief and complicated families fuels any other future movie. When it gets gory — and it does — this is a film that audiences react to audibly. "We don't want them to faint," says Danny. "If you're prone to fainting, bring a pillow. Gasps are good, but please don't faint," adds Michael. "We apologise to the fainters," Danny pipes back in. As they both explain, they also found Bring Her Back affecting to direct, something that they mostly agree didn't really happen in their RackaRacka days. Cue the brotherly riffing again: "actually, Michael, we once set off a bomb and a stick got lodged into Michael's cheek. I thought I saw some tears from his loser," says Danny; "they were tears of joy," is Michael's reply. After Talk to Me exploded with such success, they were still committed to making Bring Her Back at home in Adelaide — and to original horror. Why? That was also part of our discussion. Plus, among other topics, Danny and Michael chatted with us about how the feature's origin story also involves being inspired by a friend's little sister, plus classic films like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?; getting Hawkins onboard and then not wanting to let her down; and the pride that comes with being a prime example of how online videos are sparking a new generation of filmmakers, just as video stores in the 80s and 90s did. On How Talk to Me's Massive Success Helped Lead to Bring Her Back Danny: "It was like we had to sign on for the next project straight away, because I could feel the anxiety overtaking my body — and if we didn't sign up for something, I felt like I would have never made another movie again. Because you overthink it, and you're overshadowed by things. And if you're just making something, you can't think about it, you just have to do it. So yeah, that was part of the thing with Bring Her Back — like, let's just sign on. Let's start the process." [caption id="attachment_986977" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jono Searle/Getty Images for AFI[/caption] Michael: "It was being developed at the same time as Talk to Me. So it was a script that was already kind of almost ready to go." Danny: "It was bubbling away." Michael: "It was bubbling away in background." Danny: "It was bubbling away." On Drawing Upon Real-Life People, Classic Films and Personal Experiences to Build Bring Her Back — and Realising When These Pieces Were All Fitting Together Danny: "I think it's once we found some of those ending beats. And once you really solidify those things, building up to that is so much easier when you know where you're going — because a big part of the writing process is just putting together scenes and ideas and moments. And there's no real road map. But once you have a final destination, that's where you're like 'oh gosh, this is really powerful. This sort of speaks to everything that we've been writing'. And the build up to that just felt like, yeah, it was solid." On Finding New Ways Into Interrogating Grief and Death, Two Frequently Explored Horror Themes Danny: "It's still something that we haven't fully expressed yet. And naturally when you're writing, you're writing about things that have happened to you or are happening to you in that moment, and it didn't feel like we fully explored that subject yet. And we couldn't go into it thinking 'there's been all these films about grief already, we can't make another one'. We just had to make sure it was personal to us, and it was drawing from our own experiences, so that way it could feel more unique. We can't go into it overthinking what people are going to think or how it's going to be received. You just have to make something that's true to you." On Tapping Into the Truth That Losing Someone Never Means Being Okay — or At Least Never Being the Same Again Danny: "It was weird because we had a loss at the start of pre-production, and the film became our way of dealing with it and figuring that stuff out. And the script changed because of it. And there was a scene in the pool shed towards the end of the movie where it felt like we were saying goodbye to somebody, and it was directed through tears. So it was never a strategised thing. It was just something we were dealing with and expressing." Michael: "Yeah, some of the scenes are supposed to be horror. And then they turned out sad. I've never cried before directing, but I did in that scene." Danny: "Yeah, yeah. And my co-writer, when he saw the film, he's like 'what? What movie is this? What? What is this? We didn't write this'. And I was like 'we were just responding to what was happening, so it changed'." On Never Being Afraid of Horror Tropes, But Always Grounding Them in Character Danny: "There's something exciting about existing within the horror tropes. And some people deny that they're making a horror film. We do try to work it at a drama level and have it work as a horror film, too, but we're not afraid of those tropes — and embracing those tropes. And then doing your own spin on those tropes is always a fun thing. It's always about grounding it with our characters and in this place. And there's something about having the Australianisms of some of those moments and those beats, I think, that automatically puts it in a different lens from other films, if that makes sense." On the Key Aim When It Comes to Putting a Strong Emotional Core and Thoughtfully Written Characters at the Heart of the Philippous' Films Michael: "For them to work as real human beings. And even, say Laura, she's not outrightly evil — she's driven to madness from grief. It's swallowed her. So it's the world that has made it this way, and she was unable to let go, and what does that look like? It's the spiral. It's a lot about what the circle represents as well. So it's those things that, hopefully, you can empathise with certain characters — even if you don't agree with what they're doing, you understand why they're doing it." On Making Another Firmly Australian Horror Movie, and Doing So at Home, After All of the Offers That Came Following Talk to Me Danny: "There's something that just felt right about it. And we had so many offers, like dozens and dozens. And the budgets were mind-blowing. And the idea of doing it was so, it felt — yeah, that just seems so impossible to even to be offered that. But it didn't feel right. It didn't feel natural. And it didn't feel real. This feels real. This feels personal. And this is a proper expression — and we have full control over these characters and this narrative. [caption id="attachment_1007259" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Ehler[/caption] And A24 is a studio that allows us to go wherever we want with the script and with the edit. And they're not sitting there — it's not filmmaking by committee. It's filmmaker-driven. So it just feels like — it just felt right." On the Pitch to Get Two-Time Oscar Nominee Sally Hawkins Onboard Michael: "She was the first person on our list, and we were thinking 'there's no fucking way Sally Hawkins is going to say yes to working with us'. But we sent them the script, we sent her people the script. And she read it, and we heard back and she said that she loved it, and wanted to jump on a zoom. And we had one meeting with her. And I was kind of afraid with the big Hollywood name, of an ego or something. I don't know, I don't know what I was picturing. But when we spoke to her, she's so down to earth. So amazing. She understood all the nuances in the script that no one else had, and she connected with it not because it was a horror film, but from a character point of view. She really understood Laura. And she was a bit intimidated by playing her as well. I don't know if she was wondering whether she could pull it off. But so, that was the first person that we reached out to, and it was who we got, which was incredible. And she blew everyone away. She's amazing." On What a Performance Like Hawkins', Including in Such a Complicated Part, Gives You as a Director Danny: "It was like the biggest fear of this movie was letting Sally Hawkins down. We didn't want to, us, put together this piece of crap when she's given a part of her soul for this performance. So that was always a thing in the back of your mind. You're like 'oh, please, we can't let Sally down. Please'." Michael: "And the film was structured to be in chronological order as much as possible. So you know these big scenes are coming, and you're so excited because you know Sally's going to go there. So there's those scenes, and you're watching it on the monitor, and there's this magic in front of your face. It's the most-unbelievable experience. And then you can just say little things to Sally, just one or two words, and she just understands. And she will just do another take with these subtle changes, but still in that character. It's unbelievable. It's so, so amazing to watch." On What Inspired the Scenes in Bring Her Back That'll Ensure That Audiences Never Look at Kitchen Knives or Their Limbs in the Same Way Again Danny: "It's just about tapping into stuff that makes you uncomfortable, especially when you're writing horror and stuff. Like metal on teeth, that is so upsetting to me, and so it's about tapping into that and writing about it, and finding a visual that surrounds that. And then when you go back through it, it's about finding a way to tie that back into character, back into theme." Michael: "And grief is all-consuming." Danny: "But also, all of it represents more than just that." Michael: "I know, I know, but I'm saying that's one part of it. And then when you have things like that that go into those ideas, what is the physical representation of the themes and what we're talking about from a character point of view? And those scenes, just they come — and it's one of those things. We didn't want to shy away from it, when that stuff does happen. And I don't think we did." Danny: "I don't think we did." On How It Feels to Be an Example of How YouTube Can Be a Launchpad for Filmmakers to Hone Their Skills, Find Their Voice, Then Make the Leap Into Features Danny: "Just so proud, because filmmakers or storytellers can exist in all platforms and can come from anywhere. They could be — like the future Steven Spielberg, he could be there, or she could be there, right now, just only having access to their phone, and that doesn't make them any less of a storyteller. So I like that. Even when we're in meetings now, we're really pushing creators and different people, and letting them know that this is the next gen. [caption id="attachment_1007252" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Ehler[/caption] These people want to be able to express themselves, and they've got different mediums to use it. That doesn't make them any less of an artist. Yeah, I feel very proud of that." Bring Her Back released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Read our review of Talk to Me, and our interview with Danny Philippou about Talk to Me.
We all know them, the mad-keen foodie that just loves to be as hands-on as possible. They find joy in hand-kneading flour, eggs and water into a silky smooth pasta dough, crafting craft brews and creating a full (and fantastic) experience around their meal times. If one such person is on your giftee list this festive season, we've done the legwork for you. And there's no better place to start than with BrewArt. The hops-loving team has made it their mission to make the art (and science) of at-home brewing as fuss-free as possible — meaning the amateur brewer in your life will be pouring stand-out sips every single batch. In the spirit of the holiday season, together with BrewArt, we've compiled a list of stand-out gifts to get that hands-on foodie in your life. BREWART BeerDroid AND BrewFlo, From $799 What better to gift your foodie than a world first? BrewArt's BeerDroid — the first fully automated personal brewer — is single handedly turning amateur frothies into pub-quality pours, every time. And the BrewArt app means they'll be overseeing their brew from wherever they are. So if you know the next master brewer or are simply looking for the ideal gift for a DIY foodie (who is partial to an arvo at the pub), consider your gift chosen. Go all out and pick up the BrewFlo, too. In-house (read: at home), they'll have up to 10 ice-cold litres of IPA, XPA, pale ale or kolsch on its way to a glass with a pub-perfect frothy head — every time. With no need for CO2 (another world first) and a handy LCD screen control — it's thirst-quenchingly good. [caption id="attachment_879951" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble[/caption] PIG & PILGRIM PARILLA, $3150 Whether you're gifting a carnivore or someone that simply loves cooking with smoky flavours and hot coals, a parilla from Pig & Pilgrim is an exceptional choice to pop under the tree. Pictured above is The Sideburn, the "grand dame" of the Sydney-based biz's range of South American-style charcoal barbecues. Featuring a brasero in addition to a grill, this big bit of machinery is designed for longer cooks — with the easy option of creating more coals as you're roasting away. From experimenting with the amount of heat and smoke used to grill shrimps on the barbie, setting up chicken yeeros over red-hot coals and impressing morning guests with an al fresco shakshuka, the die-hard foodie in your life will be all set for the new year. Plus, there are options that pack less of a financial punch, including The Farrow —the small, portable grill that's ideal for any happy camper in your life. NOT WASTED JUICE CLUB MEMBERSHIP, From $99 Alongside good food, you must have good sips — and when it comes to natty wines, the good folks at Not Wasted are the people to turn to. Not only do they sling out bottles from both Aussie and international producers, they dive deep into the best (and most eco-friendly) viticulture practices and then share it with the world. If you've got an oenophile in your life that you'd love to gift a drop to, or you know a foodie that's looking to level up their wine knowledge, sign them on up to Not Wasted's Juice Club. With four size options — three bottles or six, for newbies or wine snobs — and the flexibility to pick the frequency of deliveries, your favourite foodie will receive a curated collection of vinos. A rare gem, a red that's ripe for the chilling or maybe something funky, they'll be pouring stand-out drops all year long. GOZNEY ROCCBOX, $799 There's something about a homemade pizza that absolutely hits. Whether it's the overarching process — from kneading the dough to having complete creative control over the toppings — or the winning combo of cheese and carbs straight from the oven, it's a universally adored experience. And taking it up a notch is the red-hot Roccbox from Gozney. Turning the heat up to 500°C, this tabletop pizza oven is cute, portable and a cinch to use. We're sure your lucky recipient will be inviting you over for a slice in no time — a delicious return on your investment. [caption id="attachment_879952" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Meg Yonson[/caption] FAT TUESDAYS CHOPPING BOARD, $110 Although prepping food comes nowhere near the enjoyment factor of chowing down, having fun and functional tools is a must. Enter Fat Tuesdays, the creators of constantly sold-out, hand-made chopping boards artfully made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (that's both sourced and repurposed in Sydney). The range comes in four delightfully named colourways: birthday cake, guacamole, sherbet and raspberry jam, and we hear there are more on the way. If you've got your eyes on one of these beauties — for yourself or a friend — the last release of the year hits the shop early December, be quick. PASTA-MAKING CLASS, Varies A pasta class — taught by the pros — is as much a gift for your loved one as it is for you. Teach them to make fresh homemade pasta and you'll likely get to reap the rewards yourself (letting them do all the hard work of cooking — just like they like). Fussili, orecchiette, mafaldine, good old classic gnocchi — there are more pastas in the world than can be truly mastered in one lifetime, so even if they're an old hand, there'll be new tricks for them to learn. Grab them a gift card to one of the following spots and they'll be kneading flour, eggs and water in no time. Sydneysiders, Pasta Emilia (pictured above) is your best bet, Brisbanites can (and should) head to Fortitude Valley's Angelo's Pasta Classes, and Melburnians can make a beeline straight for La Cucina di Sandra. STYLE-HEAVY SERVING ACCESSORIES, Varies As your foodie fave will surely attest, plating up is as important (if not, nearly as important) as the food on said plate. So, any of the style-heavy objects that Maison Balzac, the Aussie experts in artful glassware and more, produces are a winning pressie. Maybe a set of gin and tonic glasses with a delicate citrus hit via a little glass slice of lime, some sea-blue glass plates or a celebratory set of tumblers (that, just quietly, would hold a frothy pour of beer quite nicely). VINTEC WINE FRIDGE, $899 If we're talking tech for foodies, a Vintec is nearing on essential. A temperature-controlled room to store your 35-bottle collection? Lush. Although they're not technically fridges, they basically are. Temperature and humidity are regulated, plus the bottles (and their precious drops) will be protected from both UV and vibrations — all the variables that can spoil your wine are controlled. It doesn't hurt that they look a bit alright, too. Hardcore wine lovers will already have one of these on their wish list. Got a foodie in your life? A beer lover? Ensure you're their fave with the help of BrewArt's frothy expertise and tech. Head to the website to get your order in, stat.
Neil Perry did it, so Luke Mangan's going to try. Fine dining chefs have been trying their hand at the more casual fast food game, with new chains like Burger Project testing the takeaway waters for top tier hospitality figures. Now, lauded Mojo chef Mangan will launch his first foray into the ever-expanding burger bubble, opening a chain of burger joints dubbed (somewhat cringingly) Chicken Confidential in January. Announced this week, the new venture will focus exclusively on chicken (obviously), will be part of an expansive movement of chains that Mangan is looking to install across Australia and into Asia over the next couple of years. An exclusive preview of the menu is available for lunch at Mangan's CBD restaurant, Glass Brasserie, from December 7 until December 22. Mangan opened his first restaurant in 1999, and his entrepreneurial antics have proved to be as unstoppable as a Pringles can. Since 1999, he's opened joints all around Asia and Australia, crafted menus for P&O Cruises, cooked in the sky with Virgin Australia, written books, opened a providore and a whole host of other enterprises. Now he's got his eye set on Sydney's growing fascination with food that can't be good for you but who cares, it's delicious, where the two towering tyrants of this fascination are burgers and damn good fried chicken. The aim of Chicken Confidential is to blend the two, focusing on crafting incredible chicken burgers for a readily waiting public. At least, this is the niche that Mangan is hoping to exploit, but with so many excellent dedicated chicken joints already with deep roots all over the city, it's hard to predict if punters will flock (puts Box of Shame on self) to this new kid on the block. Only time can tell if the venture will be less secretive than the name would imply.
When a sentence starts with the words "Nicolas Cage plays", there's no bad way to end it; however, one option is better than all the rest. Cage has given the world quite the range of different characters, including ex cons, con men, heartbroken lumberjacks, a version of Spider-Man, lonely paramedics, kooky dads milking alpacas, John Travolta, Elvis obsessives, himself — the list goes on and on, gloriously — but Cage playing Dracula is a next-level idea. Fans of 1988's Vampire's Kiss, rejoice: this is the part Cage has clearly been working towards for 35 years. All those decades ago, the actor played a man who thought he was a member of the undead, so much so that he ran around the streets shouting "I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire!" (as you do). Now, Cage is playing the most famous bloodsucker of them all — although Renfield, which has just dropped its first trailer and hits cinemas in April, actually focuses on Dracula's minion and his toxic relationship with his boss. Giving audiences two Nicks for the price of one, Renfield boasts The Great's Nicholas Hoult as titular character, who is getting unsurprisingly tired of doing his master's bidding. Catering to a vampire's every whim for centuries, even when you're given considerable powers in return, is losing its bite for the literary offsider — who, like the Count himself, does indeed hail from Bram Stoker's iconic horror novel. But ending that relationship isn't going to be easy in Renfield, as this sneak peek makes plain. The film's namesake is already doubting his allegiances to the Dark One and the Lord of Death when he crosses paths with traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and sparks fly — just as his employer does. Accordingly, in a first glimpse that goes big on camp, Renfield mixes up its horror-comedy by giving its lead a love interest. And, if you're feeling shades of Hugh Grant in Hoult's performance, you're not alone. Filmmaker Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie) sits in the director's chair for Renfield, working with a script by Rick and Morty writer Ryan Ridley based on an idea by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman (an idea straight from everyone's dreams, too). And, joining Cage, Hoult and Awkwafina on-screen is a cast that also spans Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty) and Adrian Martinez (The Guilty). Check out the trailer for Renfield below: Renfield releases in cinemas Down Under on April 13.
Most of us have spent more time indoors this year than any other year. Which means, you might have been dreaming about upgrading your home — with a slightly comfier couch, perhaps, or a sleek dining table. Luckily, with Black Friday just around the corner, fancy furniture retailer Castlery is taking up to 35 percent off its range of furnishings for the rest of the month. At Castlery's online Black Friday sale, you can find beds, couches, rugs, tables and a whole range of goodies to help spruce up your home and achieve the aesthetic you've been envisaging in your head. Some of Castlery's best-selling items are included in the sale, such as the comfy Adams chaise sectional sofa, Theo round dining table and the Luna sideboard designed by award-winning Polish designer Krystian Kowalski. The sale runs from Monday, November 16 until Monday, November 30 and you can jump on now and start crafting a wish list of your favourite items as you plan your perfect pad. 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.
Back in 2013, when Kieran Tosolini first opened his gelateria in Darlinghurst, it was unusual to see traditional Italian pozzetti counters. "It literally translates to little wells," says Tosolini, owner of Rivareno Gelato. "It took a lot of energy in the beginning to explain to every single person where we were keeping the gelato, and that we made it fresh every day." The gelato master tells Concrete Playground his early challenges are rewarded every time a new customer tries his gelato. "That look on people's faces. That oh-my-god look. It gives us immense satisfaction," he says. Every day, each Rivareno makes 26 flavours of gelato according to what's in season, how spicy the weather forecast is looking and what flavour combinations will work best together. So, how do they keep it so consistent? [caption id="attachment_791240" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pozzetti counter; Nikki To[/caption] "We pay a lot of attention to weighing," says Tosolini. "It's really important for controlling the quality, getting the right texture and the right balance of flavour. We're known for having intense flavours — and that's because we use a lot of the ingredients. We want people to be able to immediately recognise what it is, not having to scratch their heads and guess." Whether it's in traditional flavours like pistachio and lemon or mango, strawberry or chocolate, Rivareno uses as little sugar as possible and it doesn't use any artificial colours, flavours or hydrogenated fats. "Our gelato really is a natural product, and not too many places can say that," says Tosolini. [caption id="attachment_790074" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] After mixing and freezing ingredients in the gelato machines, the other important aspect at Rivareno is that each gelato flavour goes straight into the pozzetti — the stainless steel cylinders — and straight into the gelato counter. "It's always super, super fresh," he says. Which is why customers keep coming back for more, with some driving across the city just to order a scoop. [caption id="attachment_791241" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] "We get people who drive for an hour to come to our city stores, and that's part of the reason we opened in Parramatta," he says. "It's great to be able to offer those customers our gelato a lot closer to home." The new Rivareno location opened in October in the same multi-billion dollar urban development as the second Ciccia Bella and the first Lilymu and Harvey's Hot Sandwiches. "There are so many great offerings in Parramatta Square. I really believe there's a really bright future here," he says. Parramatta's Rivareno also offers something the other locations don't: a dedicated barista. "We have a full commercial coffee machine and a really nice Lavazza coffee, the Super Gusto blend. And, as people come back to their offices, we'll soon be opening up for breakfast, too." You can find Parramatta's Rivareno at Shop 4.06, Parramatta Square, as well as these seven signature dishes to order on your next visit to the western Sydney dining precinct. Top images: Nikki To
We're all for bringing lunch to work. You save money, eat leftovers (reduce food waste) and can show off your cooking prowess to your coworkers. But we also know sometimes you can't bear to eat that same soup for the 14th time. Sometimes that sandwich you constructed with one eye open at 6am isn't quite going to cut it. Sometimes, god forbid, someone stole your food from the fridge. And sometimes you just deserve to treat yourself. So, here's where you can go to grab something tasty for lunch in the CBD — that'll also be relatively fast — from next-level vegan burgers to chicken ramen, gyoza and $10 bowls of pasta (and even giant Aperol spritzes).
The most famous building in Australia is about to hit a huge milestone, with the Sydney Opera House turning 50 when October 2023 rolls around. Over those five decades, the iconic arts venue has hosted a dream lineup of shows, productions and gigs on its stages — and it has another in store to help mark its massive anniversary. An occasion this huge was never going to pass without plenty of celebrations, so the Opera House is planning a hefty lineup that'll serve up just that. Kicking off in October this year, the 50th-anniversary season will run for an entire 12 months. And while the bulk of it won't be announced until later in 2022, the venue has just revealed its first show: Amadeus starring Michael Sheen. The Welsh actor boasts a resume spanning everything from Masters of Sex and Tron: Legacy to The Queen and Twilight — Frost/Nixon, the Underworld flicks, Alice in Wonderland and Good Omens, too — and, from 1998–99 in London and also on Broadway, this very play. Back then, he took on the role of Mozart; however, this time he'll step into Antonio Salieri's shoes, aka the Italian composer posited to be the titular figure's bitter adversary. [caption id="attachment_860816" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Peter Hall, with David Suchet as Antonio Salieri and Michael Sheen as Motzart. Performed at The Old Vic in London in 1998. Credit: Geraint Lewis / ArenaPAL.[/caption] Sheen's stint at the Opera House comes as part of Amadeus' Australian-exclusive season, which'll take over the site's newly revamped Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023. He'll play opposite Rahel Romahn (Here Out West) as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, plus Lily Balatincz (Constellations) as Constanze Mozart, all bringing a fierce — and fictitious — classical music rivalry to life. If you're new to Amadeus, which first hit the stage in 1979 in London — six years after the Opera House opened its doors — it reimagines Mozart and Salieri's lives as the latter struggles to come to terms with the former's talent. In 1981, for its first Broadway run, it nabbed the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play. In 1984, after being turned into a movie, it also won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. And, Baz Luhrmann also mentioned it to Concrete Playground as one of the influences that helped him on the path to making Elvis. Including Sheen, Romahn and Mozart, the Sydney cast will feature 40 performers, spanning actors, opera singers and musicians from The Metropolitan Orchestra who'll be worked into the onstage drama. Director Craig Ilott (Smoke & Mirrors, American Idiot, Betty Blokk Buster Reimagined) will be on helming duties, while Australian fashion house Romance Was Born is directing the costumes. [caption id="attachment_860821" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] And, for theatregoers keen to turn a night watching Amadeus into quite the special occasion, the Opera House is also doing impressive — albeit expensive — dinner-and-show option called Amadeus: Primo Atto. Starting at $440 per person, it includes a three-course dinner with paired wines in one of the venue's most intimate spaces, plus a private tour beforehand, and then tickets to the production. As for what else will be on the 50th-anniversary lineup, watch this space. Based on this first announcement — and the fact that the full program of events and performances is supported by the NSW Government's Blockbuster Funding initiative — the Opera House's year-long festivities looks set to be big. [caption id="attachment_681696" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton Lund[/caption] Amadeus will play Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023. Pre-sales start at 9am on Wednesday, July 13, with general ticket sales from 9am on Monday, July 18. For more information, head to the Sydney Opera House website. For more information about Amadeus: Primo Atto, also head to the Sydney Opera House website. Top image: Faith Healer by Brian Friel, rehearsals, Michael Sheen as Frank Hardy. Directed by Warchus, set designed by Howell, lighting designed by Lutkin and Brown. Old Vic Theatre, London, UK; 21 September 2020. Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL.
There's nothing little, only big, about Liane Moriarty's success as both an author and the source of twisty TV shows. There's nothing minor, only major, about Danielle Macdonald's success as an actor over the past 15 years, too. The Last Anniversary brings both Australian talents together — adapting Moriarty's sophomore novel of the same name two decades after it initially hit the page, and starring Macdonald alongside Teresa Palmer (Mixtape) and Miranda Richardson (Good Omens) as it tells of a multi-generational family's dramas and secrets on the fictional Scribbly Gum Island on New South Wales' very real Hawkesbury River. From Moriarty's bibliography, Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall all reached readers after The Last Anniversary, but made their way to screens first. Macdonald is part of a new achievement among the genre that is Moriarty adaptations, however: this is the only one of the scribe's novels to retain its Australian setting on-screen so far. The debut season of Nine Perfect Strangers was made here, as was Apples Never Fall, but both changed the locales in their plots to the US — as Big Little Lies, the American-filmed series that got viewers hooked on Moriarty's tales, also did. The idea that something homegrown needs an overseas stamp of approval before Australia embraces it isn't new in the film and TV industry — and it isn't quite the situation with The Last Anniversary. But that concept also floats over Macdonald's career, after she made the move Stateside when she was 18, featured in a 2011 episode of Glee and in 2013 movie The East, then popped up in Pretty Little Liars, 2 Broke Girls, The Middle and American Horror Story before her breakout lead role in 2017 Sundance sensation Patti Cake$. Fellow films Lady Bird, Skin, Bird Box, Dumplin' and French Exit all followed, as did streaming series Easy, Unbelievable and Poker Face. As Macdonald tells Concrete Playground, yes, that makes coming home to feature in gripping shows like this, and also The Tourist before it, all the more special. "Absolutely. It's funny that l went overseas and found some success there, and then got to come back for jobs at home, and that feels special to me. Because a lot of people, they start out in Australia and then they try to branch out overseas — and I'm like 'I had to do the opposite just to be able to work in Australia'," she advises. "And it is funny and ironic, but at the at the end of the day, I love coming home. It's my favourite thing in the world. And you're never going to have to try too hard to convince me to work here, because it's where I love being. I feel completely at home here. I love Aussie crews. I love Aussie casts. It feels always like coming home and getting to do my job at the same time. It's this beautiful thing. It's always going to be special. It never won't be special. And it's not really for any reason than it just feels like coming home, at the end of the day. And getting to do what I love to do at home is something I never really thought I'd be able to do, so that will always be special to me. It just will." One of 2025's standout local series since it debuted earlier in the year, The Last Anniversary has Palmer's Sophie Honeywell, an unlucky-in-love 39-year-old journalist, at its centre — as well as the waves that she makes when she inherits a house on Scribbly Gum Island from Connie (Angela Punch McGregor, Troppo), the grandmother of her ex-boyfriend Thomas (Charlie Garber, Barons). Macdonald plays the latter's twin sister Veronika, who is angry and antagonistic about Sophie being bequeathed one of her family's homes, still harbours resentment over their friendship fading, and is struggling with her own recently divorce and move back in with her parents (Aftertaste's Susan Prior and Audrey's Jeremy Lindsay Taylor). She's also attempting to kick her life back into gear with a project: a podcast about the baby Munro mystery that the small island is known for. As a teenager, Connie (Elizabeth Cullen, Last King of the Cross) and her sister Rose (Josephine Blazier, also an Audrey alum) found and brought up an infant girl after young couple Alice and Jack Munro suddenly disappeared. Cue The Last Anniversary's jumps back and forth between decades. In its modern-day timing, that baby is now Enigma (Helen Thomson, Spit), and has a daughter, Grace (Claude Scott-Mitchell, Hotel Portofino), of her own that's just given birth herself — and the pair, plus Grace's partner Callum (Uli Latukefu, Countdown), are as much a part of the family, and the island, as Veronika, her mum and dad, and Rose (Richardson). As both Veronika and Sophie dig into everything they can about baby Munro, then, cue also long-kept-clandestine truths being spilled. The Last Anniversary follows not only the Jamie Dornan (A Haunting in Venice)-co-starring The Tourist among the recent titles to Macdonald's name with local ties, but rom-com film Falling for Figaro, an Australian–UK co-production also featuring Joanna Lumley (Amandaland), as well. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You isn't Australian, but it did earn fellow Aussie talent Rose Byrne (Physical) the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Best Leading Performance — and it's opening 2025's Melbourne International Film Festival. Firmly homegrown is the upcoming Saccharine, though, with Australian Relic and Apartment 7A director Natalie Erika James behind the lens, and with Macdonald leaping into a genre that she doesn't watch herself: horror. That journey from Glee and Patty Cake$ to The Last Anniversary, what appeals to Macdonald in a new project — Australian or not — and the mystery angles that have been appearing among her recent work: these also fuelled our discussion. We explored what excited her about stepping into Veronika's shoes, too, as well as playing a character that's almost reverting back to her teenage self, joining the growing lineup of Moriarty adaptations, working with her The Last Anniversary co-stars and more. On Macdonald's Journey Over the Past 15 Years From an Episode of Glee to Patty Cake$, French Exit, The Tourist, The Last Anniversary and More "Honestly, I think it's weird — because some people, you start out as an actor and you're like 'I want to be the lead of this and this', and I think I never actually really expected that, in a weird way. I think I was like 'I really want to be a working actor'. Like, 'I'll go from guest star to guest star, and I'll hopefully do recurrings on a show here or there, or maybe get a series regular, as a supporting character'. I never actually expected what has happened, in a strange way. That wasn't actually part of my plan. I just really wanted to be a working actor — and I am a working actor, which is amazing. But I've had more roles than I could have imagined that are just really, really cool, integral lead female characters That is really incredible and I didn't quite expect that, I'm not going to lie." On What Excited Macdonald About The Last Anniversary and Specifically Stepping Into Veronika's Shoes "She was fun. She's gone through something — but for me, it was really fun to explore. I knew that I got to deal with someone that's regressing in life. She's someone that had moved out of home, had a job, was married. And now she's divorced, she's moved back home, she doesn't have a job and is just trying to figure out who she is. That's fun to explore because it's that part of you that has to revert to being a teenager, in a weird way. Like when you move back in with your parents, or you go home just for the holidays, and your mum starts doing your laundry and cooking for you and everything. It's that kind of vibe. And that was actually really, really fun for me to just get to play with, especially filming in Australia, because I moved away from Australia when I was 18. And so when I'm in Australia, that is weirdly where I revert a little bit more into being a teenager. So it was fun to get to come back here and play a character that is reverting a little bit more into being a teenager again. So that was that was interesting to me. But I just love the story. I love the story. The story was amazing. And I knew I get to have a lot of fun with Veronica, and I just wanted to be a part of this world." On What Macdonald Looks for in an Australian Project "I think I look for the same thing no matter where in the world it is, to be honest. If I love a script, I love a script. And sometimes it's a first-time filmmaker that's directing it. Sometimes it's a first-time scriptwriter. That doesn't really sway me. It's always stories first. That is the number one thing. So if I read a script and I love a script and I relate to a script, I want to be a part of that. So that's always number one. And I think it's a feeling that you get. That's the best way to put it. It's not anything specific in a script — it's the feeling you get when you read it. And I felt that for many, many different ones. For The Tourist, I could not put it down. I read four episodes in one sitting, could not put it down. I loved it. So I really wanted to be a part of it. Same with this script. I read three episodes in one go. I think Saccharine was actually interesting. It was a little different, because I don't read horror movies. I don't watch horror movies, so I'm not great at reading horror scripts. And my managers loved it, and so I read it, and I was like 'here's the thing — as someone that doesn't understand horror movies, I refuse to watch it because it terrifies me'. But I can tell that it's a really well-written script, and this is a really interesting concept, that it was so funny — because that was actually a different experience going into it. Because I was like 'horror is the one genre that I don't understand and don't watch'. So that was actually more like I really loved the director, and I loved her vision, and that was really what drew me in. And talking to her about it, I was like 'oh, this is bringing the script to life now in a way that I don't understand from initially reading, because I don't understand this genre — and when you explain it to me, I can visually see it'. And then it became really real. So it really depends on the piece. And it always depends on the creatives. When you talk to people, that's when it really comes to life and you can see if their vision aligns with what you've read or not." On Whether It's Exciting, Stressful or a Bit of Both to Step Into a TV Adaptation of a Liane Moriarty Book "Liane's books just adapt really well. They're like these really strong characters. They're really complicated people. There's always a mystery-thriller element to it. And they work really well on-screen. I've always found that with all of her stuff. And it is daunting in the sense that you know that there is all this pressure to follow up and everything. But in a weird way, I just saw it as an individual thing. I was like 'this is just an awesome book that has been adapted into an amazing script that has got this amazing cast and crew around it, and I get to be a part of it'. I try not to really put expectation on any job I do. I think that that helps, because that way you just really stay in the moment and focus on what it is and the creative part of it. So for me, it was more just loving the content that I got to work with. But, yeah, when you think about it, it's like 'wow, it's really cool that I get to be a part of this world that she has created'. And it's like little family in and of itself." On Veronika's Path From Antagonism, Anger and Reverting Back to Her Teenage Self, Through to Perhaps Finally Realising Who She Is for the First Time — and the Juggling That Comes with It "When you start, you know that the character's going to go on a journey — which is amazing because you don't want to ever have something be just two-dimensional. So it's definitely a balancing act of seeing a character grow. And especially because we always shoot out of order, it's definitely trying to figure out 'okay, so this is the headspace that my character is in — and I know that she's growing here, but this hasn't quite happened yet. What impacts her? What is the change?'. It is definitely a lot of figuring out, kind of like a mental timeline, honestly, for someone. And I'm really big on writing notes about where my headspace is at the time of which scene, so that I can shoot out of order and make sure that it tracks the whole way through. But it's definitely a balancing act, because I want to keep the character, like who she is, Veronika, who she is from the beginning to the end — she is the same person. She is brash. She is going to speak her mind. That's not going to change just because she's becoming aware of what she wants to do with her life and who she loves. That's all happening, but she's still herself at the end of the day. You don't want someone to be unrecognisable. It's baby steps. This happens over the course of not a huge amount of time. So it's like someone growing and evolving, but also remaining who they are at their core." On Why Series with Mystery Angles Keep Popping Up on Macdonald's Resume — and Keep Appealing to Audiences "I don't know. I feel like true crime has always been a thing, but it was never really talked about the same way. I think with social media and everything, all these true-crime lovers had all these spaces to talk about it for the first time. Which I think is really cool — because when I think about it, there were all of the crime movies, they were always so popular when we were younger, or well before I was even born, even. If you think about the movies — like The Godfather, that's a crime family. That's one of the greatest movies of ever. So it's always been something that I think people have been fascinated by. There were also all those reenactment crime shows when I was growing up, I remember. And now that we have social media and we have Instagram, TikTok, there's now forums for people to chat about things. And then when you hear about people online figuring out mysteries themselves, they're like Internet sleuths — you're like 'that is so cool'. Like, 'wow, everyone can become a detective'. I used to watch Veronica Mars and it was about a teen PI, and I was like 'that's so cool'. I feel like it's always been around, and now there's just a forum for people to talk about it and share their passion and love for mystery and thrillers and stuff. So I feel like this generation has evolved with technology into making it more of a thing that people talk about, maybe, but I feel like it's always been like bubbling there around, and it's just now kind of come into light." On How Being Surrounded by Such a Stacked Cast Helps Your Own Performance "It was so fun. It just really was. We all got along really well. We became this big, dysfunctional family. Our favourite scene that we filmed in the entire series was just a big dinner scene together. It was so much fun. We had a great time. We had to really keep straight faces a lot of the time, because we were dying laughing — we were just having a good time. And that's a lot. When you're doing a 12-hour day and you're doing the same thing over and over again, it can get monotonous. And it wasn't. We were enjoying each other's company. And then there was another day, later on in the series, there's a big anniversary — the last anniversary party — and we're all filming different little segments, and then we all get brought back to the same area. We got in trouble for being too loud because we were playing cards, and we were playing games together and having too much fun. They're like 'we're sending you guys back to base so you don't interrupt filming' because we just had so much fun. It was just such a great time. We did genuinely love each other. And it happens on some sets. Some sets you just all click, you all find your way together and it's beautiful. And then other times, it doesn't quite happen that way — but this was one of those jobs that just was magical. And I'm so, so glad we had such a great group of people that just really, really embraced each other. I think that's the big thing. It's being open to each other — and that was really beautiful about this job. I honestly loved it." The Last Anniversary streams via Binge. The Last Anniversary stills: Mark Rogers.
After giving ramen its own t-shirt range last year, casual-wear retailer Uniqlo has set its sights on another Japanese culinary staple. This time, you can wear your affection for the boozy beverage that goes oh-so-well with a big bowl of brothy soup: sake. The fresh designs showcase prestigious Japanese sake breweries with a long history in making the drink in question, with each brand collaborating on the design. If names such as Suigei, Tengumai, Dassai, Tsukino Katsura and Kenbishi sound familiar from sipping their wares, now you can show your love for them in another way. Eleven different shirts are available — some, like the black option for Dewazakura, feature a green bottle of sake, while others take inspiration from different brewery logos. The sake items all retail for $19.90 as part of Uniqlo's pop culture-focused UT line, which aims to turn simple t-shirts into something more exciting by highlighting different characters, trends, brands and artists. Also currently on offer are a range of super geometric prints, two Mickey Mouse collections, one dedicated to Peanuts, an ode to Dutch typographer Pieter Ceizer, a shirt by Tokyo-based Australian illustrator Grace Lee and a Hokusai-inspired selection. Uniqlo's Sakagura t-shirts are available now for $19.90 each. You can purchase them from all Australian stores or online here.
A boat sails across the ceiling, down the wall and across the crisp white hotel bed, into the carpet. This is no projection, no Photoshop and no witchcraft, but the aquarium-like effect of acclaimed photographer Robyn Stacey's recent experiments with a 5th-century BC technology: camera obscura. During a residency at Melbourne's Sofitel on Collins Street and visits to hotels in other cities, Stacey photographed scenes of exterior cityscapes imposed onto hotel interiors using tools from opposite ends of the technological spectrum, a simple camera obscura and a high-tech Hasselblad DSLR. The result is Guest Relations, a new series on show now at Sydney's Stills Gallery. What can you expect to see? Mysterious people, supposedly guests of the hotel, caught in moments of contemplation while the city hangs suspended above their heads or washes over the walls around them in startlingly sharp definition, suggesting a collision of public and private life. During her residency, Stacey recognised that just a photo of the hotel's famous views would constitute nothing more than a postcard. So she turned to camera obscura to solve the creative problem. "I like layers in work," she says. "The room sort of reveals itself to you." Because of the technical constraints of camera obscura — sometimes there'd only be a 40-minute window to shoot a long exposure of a motionless, torch-lit human subject while the sun was in the right spot — surprises would emerge. For example, in one image, there's "the way the war memorial comes in, the angle it comes in, and how [the female subject] is lying under it. So there's all that thing about, what does a war memorial signify, and what about the fact that she's female? It's open then, for people to read into it how they might." Stacey likes the film-still sense of narrative in the tableaux, raising questions of "What's happened in that room, or why are [these people] there?" The beauty of camera obscura, which she's only been working with since February this year, is that "it's magical. Turn on the light and it’s not there. It only happens in the dark." While hers required a laser-cut hole and a diopter lens, she points out that anyone could make one with black cardboard and a pen to punch the hole through it. She hopes to progress to filming these interiorscapes. "What you get in the room that you don’t get in a still image is movement. Sometimes you get these fantastic cloudscapes. They’re just rolling toward you, and they go all over the bed and the floor. It's like you're in the clouds." Stacey's advice to aspiring artists? She cites the quote often attributed to Goethe: Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. "[There can be] too much thinking and not enough doing. But they have to come together. If you have an idea, don't wait, do it now. It might not come out how you wanted, but it will open into something else. The work will lead you, but you've gotta go into it. You can't stand back from it." Robyn Stacey's Guest Relations is on at the Stills Gallery in Sydney until November 9. See more of her photography in her online portfolio.
Gather on the Green is the sort of place where one could write a great novel, or at the very least read a great novel. The mismatched leather furniture, dark floorboards, exposed brick and full length windows looking out over Camperdown Oval make for a perfect place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. Plus, all the food is ethically sourced and sustainably produced from local suppliers, and if that’s not a good excuse to eat two sandwiches for lunch I don’t know what is. The bacon and egg roll ($6.50) is definitely the champion of the breakfast menu. The combo of crispy bacon packed four or five rashers deep, runny egg and the most perfectly spiced tomato relish makes this puppy one of the best B&Es in the inner west. Add in a Mecca coffee ($3.50); you don’t even have to break a $20 (though you may break a meat sweat). For the hungrier individuals, there’s the golden corn fritters with sauteed spinach and homemade relish or poached eggs with field mushrooms and goat’s cheese on toasted sourdough. For the food architects there’s the Build Your Own, where you select ingredients to adorn your toast and fashion your own breakfast delights. It’s kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel but the chapters are bacon and avocado and you don’t die at the end. Gather on the Green is child- and pooch-friendly, and on sunny days you can borrow a picnic blanket and eat your bacon-themed delights across the road in the park whilst watching people play sports. What’s not to love?
A television tie-in certain to leave a bad taste in people's mouths both popped up and vanished this week — an incredibly ill-advised range of Handmaid's Tale-themed wines. Unsurprisingly, the idea of drinking vino named after a dystopian series about oppression wasn't really what fans of the show, or anyone, was after. Similarly unsurprisingly, turning a program about women being forced into servitude and made to bear children for society's leaders isn't the kind of thing that makes you think 'yes, this persecuted character that's fighting for survival against institutionalised exploitation needs to have a wine named after her'. Unveiled and then cancelled in the same week, Lot 18's 'Handmaid's Tale Trio' was comprised of a pack of two reds wines and one white wine named after three of the show's main figures. "The bold characters of The Handmaid's Tale are celebrated in these three collectible wines, specially crafted to highlight the personalities of Offred, Ofglen and Serena Joy," states the wine's now-defunct online listing. Offred was badged as a "smooth, earthy, and similarly seductive" French Pinot Noir, Ofglen a Cabernet Sauvignon that supposedly offered "a daring testament to the heights that Oregon Cabs can reach" and Serena Joy a sophisticated, traditional and austere" Bordeaux Blanc. First reported by People Magazine, the wines were swiftly scrapped after being made public. Adapting Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel into a television series might make for compelling viewing — and might even make viewers keen for a few soothing drinks while watching the grimly gripping show — but using its female characters for merchandising purposes is a badly thought-out move to say the very least. And, unlike Sydney's forthcoming Gilead development, it was a marketing tactic undertaken with full knowledge of the show, its content and its themes. In the case of the masterplanned New South Wales community that shares its name with The Handmaid's Tale's dystopian society, the term Gilead springs from the bible and has been used in Sydney for two centuries — even if now trying to promote a site with that moniker is incredibly unfortunate.
Not once, not twice, but nine times now across 46 years, cinema audiences have stepped into the world of xenomorphs, facehuggers and chestbursters — and of cats onboard spaceships, androids resembling humans and screams not heard in the universe's vast expanse. When Ridley Scott (Gladiator II) directed the initial Alien film, he helped start a sci-fi phenomenon. 2025's Alien: Earth is a first, however, given that it's the franchise's debut TV series. One of the show's twists is right there in its title, with the pale blue dot that humanity calls home giving Alien: Earth its setting. As the just-dropped full trailer for the series advises, there's another fresh element to its setup: "five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe". In the works for a few years now, executive produced by Scott and due to debut via Disney+ on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Down Under, this is Noah Hawley's addition to the saga — and another of his projects, after Fargo, where he's expanding upon the realm of a beloved film on the small screen. Set in 2120, his Alien entry follows the fallout of deep-space research vessel USCSS Maginot crashing onto earth, then the discoveries made as a result by a crew of soldiers that includes human-robot hybrid Wendy (Sydney Chandler, Sugar). As it peers just under a century into the future, Alien: Earth sees its namesake planet under the control of five companies: Weyland-Yutani, of course, because this is the Alien franchise, plus Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. It also witnesses a society where hybrids like Wendy — the first of her kind, with human consciousness inside a robot body — live side by side with humans, cyborgs and AI-driven synthetics. Hawley's cast not only includes Chandler, but also Fargo alums Timothy Olyphant (Havoc) and David Rysdahl (The Luckiest Man in America), plus Alex Lawther (Andor), Essie Davis (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), Adrian Edmondson (Kidnapped), Samuel Blenkin (Mickey 17), Babou Ceesay (Killer Heat), Lily Newmark (A Gentleman in Moscow) and more. Alien: Earth expands a saga that began with one of the best sci-fi/horror movies ever back in 1979, and has since spanned 1986's Aliens, 1992's Alien 3, 1997's Alien Resurrection, 2012's Prometheus, 2017's Alien: Covenant and 2024's Alien: Romulus — as well as the 2004 Alien vs Predator and 2007 Aliens vs Predator: Requiem crossover flicks with the Predator franchise. The Predator world is also expanding in 2025 courtesy of the animated Predator: Killer of Killers and live-action Predator: Badlands, both directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed 2022's excellent Prey. Check out the full trailer for Alien: Earth below: Alien: Earth starts streaming Down Under via Disney+ from Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
We all lived through the sourdough frenzy when everyone and their dog became bread-making masters seemingly overnight. We get the appeal, we do — it's a fun challenge, it ate up plenty of hours during lockdown, and it yields something versatile and delicious. But there are scores of other options for you to have fun and experiment in the kitchen with all that extra time you might now have on your hands — yes, once again — is you're living the iso life. Staying at home doesn't mean you have to settle for repetitive meals or boring recipes, and the best part is that you don't need to be a sous chef to make any of these recipes. So step away from the sourdough starter, and check out these weekend cooking ideas. [caption id="attachment_819800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matthieu Joannon via Unsplash[/caption] DUMPLINGS, PLEASE Making dumplings in your own kitchen will teach you why they always say 'practice makes perfect'. We can't promise the first few will look amazing; in fact, you'll probably end up with a bunch of slightly sad, deformed dumplings at the start. But with a little bit of patience and practice, you'll be achieving the symmetrical folds and adorable little parcels of your dumpling dreams. Stock up on wrappers from your local Asian grocer (these can stay in the freezer until you're ready to start cooking) and make a bunch of whichever filling you're feeling. Follow Dan Hong's (Mr Wong, Ms G's) advice to help get the process down as you knock together some gyoza or siu mai, or have a go at these ones from Alice Zaslavsky. You can cook a few to have immediately, and freeze the rest for future meals or late-night cravings. So why not make a day of it and whip up as many dumplings as you can fit in your freezer? You'll have fun, master a new craft and have an amazing dinner option ready to go. GET PICKLIN' We know on paper that pickling does not scream sexy. But these mini flavour bombs are the perfect accompaniment to almost anything, with the ability to take a sandwich from mundane to extra special. Plus, the technique works as the base of some pretty nifty homemade condiments, like Bondi Harvest's classic kimchi. Pickling is a simple and versatile kitchen skill to master, since time does most of the work — and we all know you've got plenty of that. Just add your favourite veggies to spiced vinegar and see them bloom into a new, different ingredient that can brighten up any dish. Thinking of making a leftover steak sandwich? Add this easy-to-make giardiniera (an Italian-style veggie pickle) and it'll seem like a brand new meal. Pimp a salad with some of the Three Blue Ducks' pickled grapes. Or, try this antipasto-style roast veg pickle from the pickle masters at Cornersmith to serve as a lively snack beside your next home tipple. STOCK UP ON STOCK Since you can't just pop out for your standard supermarket shop while in iso, you can make things easier on yourself by having some kitchen essentials on hand. Enter: homemade stock. There aren't that many rules to it, so you can really add whatever you fancy for a rich, cosy broth. It's also easy to freeze and enjoy late, plus it's a great way of using up those veggie scraps and meat leftovers. In order to really get all the collagen from the meat you choose for your stock base, you'll want to cook it for as long as possible. For inspiration, check out this chicken stock from Kylie Kwong (Billy Kwong, Lucky Kwong). You could opt for pork, seafood or any other base that will make you happy. And for a great vegetable broth, simply start saving your vegetable scraps in the freezer. Once you become a stock maestro and have loads of stock on hand, you can put it to good use in some soups, like this hearty pumpkin number. [caption id="attachment_814516" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hyosun Rosy Ko via Unsplash[/caption] BAGELS FOR DAYS Why settle for sourdough when you can make your very own New York bagel brunch at home? Plan it in advance, so you'll have time to make the dough and let it rest — then you can bake and boil these bad boys come Saturday, Sunday (or Monday) morning. You can use seeds you have at home for toppings, but poppy seeds, sesame and caraway seeds all work particularly well. If you're feeling creative, make a mix of seeds with some garlic and onion flakes for a homemade 'everything' bagel topping. If you're an overachiever, have a crack at making gravlax by curing your own salmon with dill, and a good amount of salt and sugar. The star at any bagel brunch, gravlax can be stored for a week, and this Matt Moran recipe only needs to cure in your fridge for 48 hours. Have some cream cheese on hand, and bring your bagels to the next level with capers, red onion and a squeeze of lemon. SOME VERY SPECIAL NOODS With all this excess time spent at home over the last couple of years, we've all had more than our share of packet pasta and instant noodles. Instead, level-up and have a crack at making your own fresh noodles, using just a few basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, and (sometimes) eggs. You don't need a fancy pasta machine to make delicious pasta at home — you just need a rolling pin, some pantry staples and lots of patience. You could also try a few of these easy-to-master semolina varieties courtesy of the Ragazzi crew. We also recommend trying to make these hand-smashed noodles, pimped out with your choice of sauce or toppings. They're called biang biang noodles because of the sound they make when you bang the dough against the kitchen counter to stretch it out, so be ready to get your hands — and probably your kitchen — a little messy in the process. These are always good to keep frozen for whenever you're ready to boil and enjoy them, plus they're incredibly fun to make. For some other creative uses for that freshly-made pasta, jump over to Mitch Orr's (Pilu, ACME) Instagram to find a wealth of inspiration and clever recipes. [caption id="attachment_814510" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mahyar Motebassem via Unsplash[/caption] THE PERFECT PUFF What's flaky, golden and delicious, and works an absolute treat atop a rich pie? If you guessed puff pastry, you'd be spot on. Sure, this particular cooking project can prove a little fiddly and time-consuming — but that makes it the ideal thing to tackle over a quiet weekend. To make it, you'll need butter, salt, flour and a decent sprinkling of patience, as you master the art of lamination — the key technique on which puff pastry is made. It involves loads of folding and rolling, as you incorporate a brick of butter into your dough, with the whole thing allowed to rest properly between each step. You'll find an in-depth step-by-step guide to creating puff pastry online, courtesy of Melbourne's Tivoli Road Bakery. And if it all seems daunting, just think how good those crispy-topped homemade pies are going to taste. You can also try this quicker, less finessed (but still very tasty) version from The Village Cooks. [caption id="attachment_729638" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] REPURPOSE YOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER If you're one of the many homebound amateur chefs who joined the trend and made sourdough already, that's OK. Even after you're long bored of bread, you can use your sourdough starter to make something different and fresh. Have a go at unleashing your inner Neapolitan and whip up some pizza dough, adding whatever toppings make your heart sing. It might take a little effort and a fair bit of time, but you'll end up with crisp, chewy pizza bases that are sure to win you plenty of praise. Here's another good step-by-step guide from Calabrian chef Mauro Gulli. Our hot tip? To really embrace your pizzaiolo adventures, make up a bunch of tomato sauce you can use for topping pizzas or stirring through pasta — it can be kept frozen, ready to heat whenever the craving strikes. Top image: 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar
