If you've ever dined in the Darling Harbour eatery ABODE you'll be familiar with its dining approach of accessible sophistication and sustainability. The seasonally-led kitchen is about to go all-in on the biggest culinary draw card of the season: for just one winter evening on Saturday, July 29, ABODE is levelling up its usual offering of Australian produce with a luxe Truffle Dinner. ABODE has joined forces with certified biodynamic and organic Elvesgate Truffle Farm to curate a five-course dinner showcasing that subterranean black gold: the black truffle. Each course of the meal will be designed around, star or be inspired by the luxurious culinary gems (black truffle is quite literally valued in the hundreds of dollars per kilogram). You'll also meet a member of the family behind Elvesgate Truffle Farm, who'll be imparting knowledge of the food as well as the farm. These truffles will star in dishes featuring duck breast, house-made bread, beef fillet, chocolate and more. Your $140 ticket includes a welcome drink and five courses of food, and for an extra $50pp you can get matching Gartelmann Wines from the Hunter Valley region to wash it down. Truly a gastronomical delight, no? For key details on the Truffle Dinner and to secure your ticket, visit the website, or visit the ABODE website for more information.
In her book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron describes meeting people who are concerned about being too old to start learning an artistic pursuit. Her answer to the question, ‘But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really write or play an instrument or act?’ is ‘The same age you’ll be if you don’t learn to play at all.’ Hal Lasko is one artist who sees age as no barrier. Having just turned 98, and diagnosed as legally blind, he spends ten hours a day painting with Windows 95’s Microsoft Paint program. This year has seen his debut exhibition, and according to Colossal, his work has been described as a 'collision of pointillism and 8-bit art'. An array of pieces is available for sale online. Affectionately nicknamed Grandpa, Lasko was born in Taledo, Ohio, on July 28, 1915. After commencing work as a graphic designer, he was called to draft directional and weather maps for bombing raids during the Second World War. Once the bombing stopped, he returned to design, working for the likes of General Tire, The Cleveland Browns, Goodyear and American Greetings. Evenings would be spent painting. However, it wasn’t until retirement that Lasko could find enough time to focus entirely on art. And he was in his late 80s before he learnt how to use Microsoft Paint. Vision loss came in 2005, with the onset of wet macular degeneration. In the video below, documentary maker Josh Bogdan takes a journey through Lasko’s creative world. [via Mashable]
Since Netflix officially launched in Australia back in 2015, their buffet of streaming movies and TV shows has lacked one thing: new original local content. Indeed, it took more than two years for the popular SVOD platform to finally announce that they're making their first Aussie series — and, if the Australian government has anything to do with it, there'll be much more where that came from. During a government enquiry into the sustainability of the film and television industry, Department of Communications content head Carolyn Patteson revealed that the department is looking into quotas for Aussie content on streaming platforms. "We recognise that the system we currently have in place is probably not contemporary for our environment, and what we're really starting to grapple with is the online space," she advised. Just how much Australian programming could be required is yet to be discussed; however, under similar quotas for TV networks, local commercial free-to-air television stations must show a minimum of 55 per cent on their main channels between 6am and midnight. Further sub-quotas apply to Australian drama, documentary and kids' programs. A similar idea has been floated in Europe, with a figure of 20 per cent suggested. In the interim, in addition to their recently announced supernatural crime drama series Tidelands, Netflix has also co-commissioned new comedy series The Letdown with the ABC — their third local collaboration after the second season of Glitch and Monkey Magic reboot The Legend Of Monkey. Over at Stan, No Activity and Wolf Creek have flown the flag for local content on the Australian platform so far, with four new shows currently in the works, as well as feature film The Second. Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
In these cutthroat days of citizen journalism, a single tweet can obliterate a career. Just ask all these people. That which has been posted — and shared 20,000 times — cannot be unposted. And whether you were drunk, feeling sorry for yourself, on some kind of weird ego trip (Anthony Weiner = Carlos Danger?), really bad at conveying irony, genuinely misunderstood or just plain stupid when you penned the fatal line, excuses aren’t likely to get you out of hot water. Precedent suggests that neither your employer nor the angry mob is likely to be too easily persuaded. But if your most ill-thought-through posts are still buried deep in your feed, rather than across the front page of the Daily Mail, there’s hope. A new app by the name of Clear can burrow into your social media past, analyse your history and flag posts that seem inflammatory or offensive. Based on a mix of miraculous algorithms and Watson, a supercomputer created by IBM, the app works on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Clear’s creator is a man who’s name you might have seen in the headlines. Earlier this year, EthanCzahor was working on a campaign for Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and possible 2015 presidentialcandidate, when a flurry of old tweets appeared out of thecyber-ether. One read, “Most people don’t know that Halloween is German for ‘night that girls with low self-esteem dress like sluts.’” And another, “When I burp in the gym I feel like it’s my way of saying, ‘sorry guys, but I’m not gay’.”Czahor lost his job within 48 hours of starting, which was a huge blow for a 31-year-old who’d spent his twenties pursuing a career in politics. From the get-go, Ethan maintained that the tweets were jokes, the meaning of which had become skewed. “I was telling jokes with my friends and they were completely tongue-in-cheek and completely harmless,” he told Time. “But years later after I had forgotten about them, they’d been pulled out of context and it looked terrible.” “You exist in a lot of places on the Internet,” he said. “And I just feel that you have the right to at least know what’s out there, and to take care of it.” Via Mashable and Time.
Flight of the Conchords return home for a New Zealand and Australia tour this winter. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, the goofy halves of this comedy and musical duo, announced the tour on their website, saying, "We are finally returning to Australia … mostly to apologise." Fans seem to agree that there is nothing to be sorry for: the original tour dates have already sold out. Luckily, additional dates have been added; make sure to snatch yours up quickly. The pair returns from a lengthy run of success abroad, including a BBC radio series, HBO television series, film appearances and an Oscar. Tickets go on sale here on Tuesday, April 17, at 9am. Australian Tour Dates: Thursday, 5th July 2012 - Sydney Opera House, Sydney Saturday, 7th July 2012 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Tuesday, 10th July 2012 - Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Wednesday, 11th July 2012 - WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Friday, 13th July 2012 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Saturday 14th July 2012 - The Plenary, Melbourne Wednesday 18th July 2012 - Challenge Stadium, Perth
Summer calls for margaritas, and this February, Patrón is hooking Sydney up. For the entire month, the premium handcrafted tequila brand will bring laidback Mexican luxury to Bondi's The Bucket List, featuring a specialty menu curated around top-shelf summer cocktails — and we're giving away VIP access to the opening night. The party will start on Thursday, February 1, with DJ sets by No Qualms and Andy Bird from 7pm. There'll be Tommy's Margaritas served from your own special Patrón bottle to order alongside some chipotle fish tacos. Next up, go for a grapefruit Paloma cocktail, and top off the evening with Patrón's Perfect Espresso Martini — their twist on the classic espresso martini using their Silver and XO Café tequilas. Along with serving Patrón's exclusive cocktails, The Bucket List's outdoor bar will be transformed into a Mexican oasis with whitewashed timber and woven seating, all embellished with blue agave plants and other Latin American native flora. Continue your journey into the luxe world of Patrón by way of a dedicated virtual reality experience that guides you through the Hacienda Patrón in Guadalajara, Mexico through the eyes of a voyeuristic bee. The event is open to all from 7pm, but if you want exclusive access to the launch, go in the running for one of our passes that'll get you and three friends a reserved booth and two free cocktails each. And because two parties are better than one, another lush Mexican-themed experience will also start at Mrs Sippy on February 1 and will run for the full month as well. If that still isn't enough tequila goodness for you, The Tilbury Hotel will host their own Patrón fiesta from February 8. Each venue will have its own exclusive food and drink pairings, but luckily you'll have the entire month to try them all. [competition]654850[/competition]
It's not hard to see why this thermal pool in the Kosciuszko National Park is a local favourite. Quiet and secluded, with heaps to explore in the surroundings, it's the perfect destination for a crisp winter's day. Filled with water from a natural hot spring, the 20-metre pool remains at a perfect 27 degrees all year round. Get there via a short (but steep) 700-metre walk from the nearby car park, or wind your way along the three-kilometre River Walk. If the temps aren't too frosty, have a post-swim feed in the adjacent picnic area before exploring the surrounding caves. [caption id="attachment_745862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yarrangobilly Caves[/caption] Top image: National Parks NSW, Murray Vanderveer
So, you read one of 2023's huge literary sensations. And, you engaged with one of TikTok's biggest memes. What comes next? Diving into them both at All About Women. Notching up 12 years when its 2024 edition takes place, this Sydney Opera House event enlists impressive talents to dig into gender, justice and equality, including by exploring the hits, trends and issues of the 12 months prior. Accordingly, naming Yellowface author Rebecca F Kuang and Roman Empire scholar Mary Beard for next year's one-day festival couldn't make more sense. Kuang will be heading to Sydney to chat about her satirical novel, which dives into cancel culture, cultural appropriation and diversity in the world of publishing, and has been a must-read since arriving on shelves in May. As for Beard, she's coming to the Harbour City fresh off the release of her latest book The Emperor of Rome, and will explore misogyny, power, murder and gossip in the ancient world — and its relevance to now. So, how often will All About Women think about the Roman Empire? At Beard's session, plenty. [caption id="attachment_929572" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Packman[/caption] So far, Kuang and Beard are the first headliners on the 2024 event's program, with both getting talking in Australia for the first time. But they'll have company when the full lineup drops in January. All About Women brings together international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers to examine a broad variety of topics relevant to its main focus — so, to gender, justice and equality — via panels, conversations, workshops and performances. After expanding to two days in 2022 and then to three in 2023, Sydney Opera House's key feminist festival is running as a one-day event again in 2024. The date to mark in your diary: Sunday, March 10. Won't be in Sydney that day, because you'll be away or you live elsewhere? All About Women will also take place online again. "It will be such an honour to host both Rebecca F Kuang and Mary Beard on their first speaking tours in Australia. We look forward to announcing our fierce and fearless co-curators and the full lineup in the new year, and can't wait to welcome audiences back to the festival for its 12th year in March," said Sydney Opera House Head of Talks and Ideas Chip Rolley. 2024 marks the third year that the fest is enlisting a team of co-curators to put the program together. 2023's cohort gave audiences everyone from riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill to child actor-turned-I'm Glad My Mom Died author Jennette McCurdy. [caption id="attachment_837698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844647" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844646" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] All About Women 2024 will take place on Sunday, March 10 at the Sydney Opera House, and also stream online. The full program will release on Tuesday, January 16, 2023 — check back here then for further details. Tickets for the just-announced first sessions go on sale at 9am on Thursday, December 7, with pre sales from 9am on Tuesday, December 5. Top image: Jacquie Manning.
It's that time of the year: you've set your out-of-office, made the couch your new home, and only plan to leave to head to the beach, eat festive food or party. That means it's prime movie viewing time, and Google and Amazon have just the film-oriented gift for the occasion, offering up 99 cent film rentals. Need to catch up on The Jungle Book, Lights Out or Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie? Get your Christmas mix courtesy of Love Actually, Elf or Die Hard? Revisit John Wick before the sequel arrives in cinemas next year? Or enjoy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping seeing that it didn't end up making it to Australian theatres? Here's your chance. The good news: Google Play's deal is available in Australia and runs until January 23, 2017, with a limit of one film per user. The discount is applied at checkout, and once you finalise the transaction you have 30 days to watch your pick. The not so good news: Amazon might've launched Prime Video on our shores just last week, but their rental service hasn't made the jump. Of course, if you're interested in renting something from their library and you're handy with a VPN, you might know how to make that happen.
Sydney is flush with world-class steakhouses. In fact, the Harbour City has a whopping five entries in the top 50 of the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2023. Liquid & Larder, the team behind two of those five standout meat emporiums, has now brought another beefy brasserie to Sydney's CBD in the form of Alfie's. Alfie's has arrived on Bligh Street from the crew behind Bistecca (number 32 on the best steak restaurants list), The Gidley (number 43) and The Rover. This one-of-a-kind opening boasts a more fast-paced dining experience than its sibling venues — aiming to provide a more approachable and affordable take on the steakhouse with a simplified menu, plus a more casual fitout inspired by graffiti and hip hop culture. "After years of perfecting the slow-dining and elevated experiences at Bistecca, The Gidley and The Rover, we're going off script at Alfie's by offering the same high-quality food and booze but fast-paced and full of action," says Liquor & Larder co-founder and Director James Bradey. There's just one cut of meat on the menu, the 220-gram Riverine sirloin which is available for $38 and is promised to hit your table within 15 minutes of ordering. This means that city workers can treat themselves to a world-class steak on their lunch break. Alfie's is the first Liquor & Larder restaurant to boast its own central butchery and steak-aging facility. This helps ensure the sirloin here — as well as the beef delivered to Bistecca and The Gidley — is all of the highest quality. It also gives diners a chance to peek behind the scenes through the butcher's window before they sit down to eat. Accompanying the steak is a range of sides which can be ordered in half or full portions. Take your pick from fire-roasted baby carrots, roast mushrooms, cucumber salad and Alfie's bubble and squeak slaw. Those looking to just enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail with a dose of people-watching can nab a spot in the walk-in bar looking out onto Bligh Street. Former Bartender of the Year and Group Bars Manager Alex Gondzioulis has designed the cocktail menu with classic and seasonal combinations on offer alongside a martini that the team claims is Sydney's coldest — served at a chilly negative-ten degrees. At the bar, there are a few British-inspired snacks to pair with your cocktail of choice, including a hot chip roast beef butty, thyme scones, cornish pasties and chips topped with chip shop-style curry sauce. There's also a daily happy hour adding to the approachability of the venue, featuring $16 martinis, $14 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin spritzes, $3 Grifter beers, $10 wines and $17 chip and roast beef sandwiches between 4–6pm, Monday–Saturday. You'll find Alfie's at 4–6 Bligh Street, Sydney. The casual steakhouse is open for lunch (11.30am–2.30pm) and dinner (5–9pm) Monday–Saturday. Images: Dexter Kim.
City of Sydney has beefed up its fight against single-use plastic. Last week it launched a campaign in support of phasing out single-use plastic straws, which Aussies currently go through at a rate of around 10 million each day. Spearheaded by Deputy Lord Mayor and Deputy Chair of the Environmental Committee Jess Miller, the #SydneyDoesntSuck initiative throws its support behind venues taking positive action. The campaign identifies local bars and pubs that are ditching plastic straws, with punters able to search like-minded venues using the hashtag on social. It's operating alongside another initiative dubbed The Last Straw, which has set out to end the use of plastic straws in Australia, through its own extensive venue list published online. As part of the campaign, a new #SydneyDoesntSuck ad has been launched, which shows a patron at a bar asking for a straw in his drink, causing the whole room to stop and stare in silence. The guy pretty quickly caves in to the pressure, finishing with "Actually, I don't need a straw". The light-hearted video features local DJ Joyride in the role of bartender, plus cameo appearances by a bunch of Sydney bartending legends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFBwdugk8YA Cr Miller's main aim for the campaign is to raise consciousness about our plastic use, especially within the entertainment and nightlife industries. "It's about looking to reduce single-use plastic straws in particular, because they're kind of like a gateway recyclability drug," Cr Miller told Concrete Playground. "But it also encourages venues to look at their broader operations." "It's not a full ban, it's not about saying 'we're not doing this', because some people will continue to need straws," Cr Miller said. "It's about the fact that the proliferation of straws we have is just way too much." The Sydney Opera house — including all of its on-site restaurants, such as Solotel's Opera Bar and Fink Group's Bennelong — is the latest organisation to join the #SydneyDoesntSuck campaign, pledging to be plastic straw-free by August 1, 2018. Solotel co-owner Matt Moran said in a statement that the ban at Opera Bar alone will prevent 1.3 million straws a year appearing in landfill. The campaign comes as venues across the country phase out single-use plastic straws, with even fast food giant McDonald's announcing it'll trial a switch to paper straws from next month. The movement has scored plenty of support on environmental grounds, though as highlighted by the ABC recently, it also has potential to marginalise disabled members of the community. A number of Aussies with disabilities rely on straws to eat and drink, and reusable versions aren't always an alternative. To find out what venues in your area are plastic straw-free, search #SydneyDoesntSuck on social media or head to The Last Straw website. Top image: Matt Moran and Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller
Sarah Silverman looks like a nice, wholesome, and sincere lady — the kind you could introduce to your mum. Well, unless your mum takes well to abortion gags, poo songs, and total disregard for racial and religious sensitivities, that may not be the best idea. But if "oh no, you didn't" laughs are your mum's thing, then you won't want to miss taking her to Silverman's Sydney show. Having started out as an occasional performer in Saturday Night Live nearly 20 years ago, Silverman has climbed the ladder and worked with showbiz giants Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chapelle, Jack Black, David Duchovny, Queens of the Stone Age, and (her former partner) Jimmy Kimmel. From 2007-10 she starred in and co-created the critically acclaimed The Sarah Silverman Program. But fame has never blunted her tongue; at 41 she remains the princess of black comedy. Rest assured, it won't be an evening of simplistic obscenity — as with all the great comics, underneath the jokes lie some pointed and unsettling truths.
Playground Weekender is, for the uninitiated, a four-day extravaganza in arguably the most gorgeous festival location near Sydney, Del Rio's Riverside Resort on the Hawkesbury. We're talking lush green bush land, a sparkly river and all the trimmings of a 'Riverside Resort' - nine hole golf courses, tennis courts, riverside chalets and kangaroos that serve you cocktails. Add yoga, the Club Tropicana (!) swimming pool, cabaret, cinema, a beauty salon and a 24 hour general store. Now back for its sixth year with a cavalcade of amazing artists and things to do, the 2012 edition will feature performances by artists such as Chic ft. Nile Rodgers, Boy and Bear, Roots Manuva, Black Lips, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Unkle Sounds, Shapeshifters and Lanie Lane. If you need a break in between shows go and visit the Village Green, home to an array of food stalls, stand up comedy, and a beer and cider garden. Or, if you prefer, do a session of yoga and have a massage in a teepee. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ExV8ABNNU
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we go to The Lindis in Canterbury, New Zealand, where you'll find small but mighty luxe pod accommodations overlooking the Ahuriri Valley's dramatic landscape. If you're itching to get away and ready to book an Aotearoa holiday now, head to Concrete Playground Trips to find a fabulous line-up of deals on roadtrips around New Zealand — including car rental, accommodation and breakfast. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? These nature pods are inspired by the tiny homes you've seen popping up all over Australia and New Zealand — but so much more luxurious. The design of the rooms, the epic views and the access to the nearby lodge all make for a spectacular stay. THE ROOMS What the Lindis pods lack in size (they're about 18 square metres), they more than make up for with amenities. Each totally private room boasts a king-size bed with lush linens, ensuite with premium toiletries and private bathtub, an outdoor sitting area and, crucially, heating for when the outside temperature drops. But one of the best features comes in the form of the pod's structure itself. Three of the sides are covered in double-glazed mirrored glass than spans from floor to ceiling — perfect, in other words, for sitting in bed and marvelling at the incredible valley views before you. The Lindis pods are also entirely separate from everything else on the property, but you are within a short walk of the property's main lodge. Head here for the property's main dining room, a bar, lounge areas, a games room and a billiards room. FOOD AND DRINK One thing to note up front: at The Lindis, daily breakfast, lunch, pre-dinner drinks and canapes, multi-course dinner and the minibar is all included in the price of your stay. Because a truly relaxing getaway should involve needing to make as few decisions as possible. On the menu, you'll find produce that's either locally sourced or harvested from the property's on-site garden, from wild venison to porcini mushrooms and even locally caught seafood. The ever-evolving menu can also be paired with a nightly rotating selection of New Zealand and international wines. THE LOCAL AREA The Lindis is located in the Ahuriri Valley on New Zealand's South Island. Up here you'll spend your time among rugged mountain ranges, wetlands bursting with wildlife, tussock grasslands and vast beech forests. If you're looking for peace, quiet and reconnecting with nature, you're in the right place. THE EXTRAS Sure, you could take in the rugged terrain from your bed or outdoor terrace, but The Lindis also offers plenty ways that allow you to experience the land from up close. Take yourself on a hike or e-bike ride through the valley, or saddle up for a horseback tour for a truly unforgettable experience. Want to see it from above? The Lindis also offers helicopter flights so you can truly feel on top of the world. If you're after something more leisurely, book a picnic or barbecue package. And, when the sun goes down, join the team for a spot of spectacular stargazing. Head to The Lindis website to book a stay at one of its luxurious pods. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Losing yourself in a giant Pac-Man-inspired maze may or may not be your idea of the ultimate reality break, but it is something you'll actually be able to pencil into the diary when the Pac Maze hits Sydney this August. Yep, someone has created a human-size version of the classic 80s arcade game that had you losing hours navigating tiny yellow Pac-Dots and avoiding ghosts. The Pac-Maze comes courtesy of the same masters of nostalgia that brought you the adults-only Lego bar, The Brick Bar, which means you can expect a bunch of interactive fun that'll delight both your adult self and your inner kid. This themed experience will take place at a secret location in the inner west over two days: Friday, August 16 on Saturday, August 17. Organisers are promising an immersive escape room-style experience, held within a 1.5-kilometre, LED-lit maze, with the chance to score prizes if you're quick enough to elude those multi-coloured ghosts (aka Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde). Once you're out of the maze, you can hang out in an '80s-themed pixel room' with the OG Pac-Man game. You can play solo or in teams of up to ten. If you want to avoid children, head along on the Friday or Saturday nights when, from 6–11pm, it'll be an adults-only affair. Family sessions will run from 11am–6pm on the Saturday.
Sydney's ever booming craft beer scene is welcoming a new kid on the block — run by one of the original innovators in Australian craft beer. Samara (Sam) Füss boasts a 16-year career in the industry and is among the country's first female brewers, giving Sydney's newest brewery, Philter Brewing, a seriously experienced head start. Starting out at Sydney Brewing — back when it was still Schwarz Brewing — and more recently holding the heavyweight title of head brewer and production manager of Young Henrys, Füss's rap sheet also includes founding member of Pink Boots Society and The Women in Beer Collective, as well as beer judge for the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) and Sydney Royal Show Beer and Cider Awards. There's no doubt this is a woman who knows her beer. Philter Brewing is a distinct departure from the modern, graphically designed, trendoid beer logos that have become the norm in the wild world of craft. Instead, Philter is going for a "classic 1980s Australian aesthetic", which materialises in their first release, an extra pale ale — the simple white can highlights the brewery's name above a diagonal blue and gold streak. It's a pretty Fosters-like design, to be honest. There's no catchy brew name and no artsy description. Their slogan, "seductively beer" essentially gives the impression that the can contains, well, just beer. The unfiltered brew is naturally cloudy and overall easy drinking. It is meant to appeal to both craft beer lovers and those at the beginning of their beer journey, and, it would seem, also aims at steering away from the pretension the craft beer industry is often accused of. The brand raises a good question of what exactly qualifies as craft beer — is it the ingredients, the brewing process, the size and scope of the brewery? Or is it the innovative brew recipes, the 'damn the man' attitude and pushing the boundaries of what a beer can be? Punters can decide on the craftiness for themselves, as the Philter Brewing XPA is currently available at pubs and bottle shops around Sydney, including the bars at The Henson, The Lord Raglan, Bloodwood and The Cricketers Arms and the fridges at Bucket Boys, Beer Cartel and Camperdown Cellars. The team is also hoping to open their own brewery in the inner west come spring and will continue to contract brew in the meantime.
The first stage of The Royal, the long-running Bondi pub, reopened in September, with punters able to quench their thirst yet again with daiquiris, espresso martinis and many take-home wines from the attached bottle-o. However, it's the pub's eatery we've all been waiting patiently for — and with Merivale steering the ship, we knew it wasn't going to be a half-hearted effort. And you'll be happy to know that, come this Friday, December 14, chefs Mike Eggert (Mr Liquor's Dirty Italian Disco, Pinbone) and Khan Danis (who worked at Rockpool alongside Neil Perry for 20 years) will be heading up the kitchen of the Totti's, a casual Mediterranean-style eatery serving up pasta aplenty, woodfired breads and classic Italian cocktails. The food is set to be a more mature version of that served at Dirty Disco — the six-month pop-up at The Tennyson Hotel, and the first collab between Eggert and Merivale — with the menu aimed at convivial sharing. Cooked-to-order Italian flatbreads will come straight from the woodfired oven to the table, to rip and tear alongside small plates of house-made charcuterie and Italian cheeses. Pasta, a focus at Dirty Disco, will also be central to the food offering here, with Eggert telling us to expect dishes like rigatoni with milk-braised pork belly, yabbi linguine and twists on classics, such as lamb bolognese. A Josper oven (part grill, part oven) will fire most of the proteins, including fish, house-made sausages and schnitzels charred to perfection, and sides including a radicchio and burrata salad and grilled eggplant. And remember that polenta, corn and chervil side that stole our stomachs at Dirty Disco? We can confirm it'll be making a comeback, too. Another aspect of the eatery similar to Dirty Disco is the drinks. While there's no walk-in fridge — you'll have to head over to The Tennyson's latest pop-up for that — the pub's in-house bottle shop allows the eatery to have an extensive wine list, with house wines, naturals, biodynamics and higher-end varieties, all available by the carafe. Hop fans will be taken care of with a long list of local beers and Mediterranean classics, such as negronis, and peach bellinis, will please the cocktail devotees. The 185-seater restaurant and courtyard might seem mammoth, but Eggert maintains that it will still feel like your local. "It's a big version of a small trattoria", says Eggert. "We want people to come in and be able to have a great bottle of wine with a steak, and still be in their clothes from the beach." The skylight and big alfresco area will take inspiration from a taverna on the Mediterranean sea, with huge olive trees taking centre stage to really set the scene. Find Totti's inside The Royal, 283 Bondi Road, Bondi, from Friday, December 14. It'll be open from 11.30am–12am, Monday–Saturday and 11.30am–10pm, Sunday. Food images: Nikki To.
Along with washing your hands, social distancing and staying home if you're feeling unwell, we've all heard plenty about spending more time outdoors during the pandemic. In the City of Sydney, that notion was the catalyst for a new al fresco dining scheme, which aims to give bars, restaurants and cafes some extra space to play with while still working within COVID-19 capacity guidelines. And, over summer, the economy-boosting tactic has unsurprisingly proven popular. Enjoying a bite to eat and a few drinks while soaking in the fresh air might be a perfect warm weather activity, but the inner city's shift towards outdoor dining isn't going anywhere for the time being. Recognising the concept's success, the City of Sydney has just announced $5.7 million in extra funding for the initiative, which includes waiving al fresco permit fees until June 2022. $3.5 million of the newly pledged cash will be allocated to fee waivers, which will help expand the already hefty number of places that have made the leap to outdoor dining. Since the program launched in December 2020, 204 permits have been issued, including 116 al fresco dining spaces on footpaths and 52 on roadways. In total, 2690 square metres of outdoor dining space has been approved so far. "Waiving outdoor dining fees was one of the first things we did when the pandemic hit Sydney, to make it easier for restaurants, bars and cafes to operate while encouraging physical distancing," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "People have really embraced it, with participating businesses telling us they've taken on extra staff and seen increased patronage — a crucial aid to staying afloat in these difficult times." In its quest to help reactivate the CBD by making it easier than ever for venues to offer outdoor dining, late-night trading and live music, the City of Sydney will also put $2.2 million towards inner city events and activations — so you'll more to do than just eat and sip. The NSW Government has also allocated another $20 million towards its CBD Revitalisation program, with NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet advising that it'll be focused on getting folks back into the city, "whether that's working or shopping or coming in for entertainment and dining." "This initiative means venues can apply to transform car parking space into outdoor dining and some venues may request more footpath space to attract customers," said NSW Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope. "It is about greater certainty and opening up more capacity for venues so they can continue to host guests and serve top-notch food and drinks." To achieve this al fresco goal CBD-wide, the government bodies have been working together to cut red tape for businesses to easily reclaim outdoor space. That led to an initial wave of al fresco dining spaces in The Rocks, before spreading CBD-wide. In response to the changes, 90 percent of restaurants and cafes taking part in the program told the City of Sydney that al fresco dining was beneficial or crucial to their business. Forty percent increased their staff hours by 10 hours or more per week as a result, 45 percent employed at least two more staff members a week, and 58 percent have seen their turnover increase up to ten percent. Committing to outdoor dining in a big way, the City of Sydney is also set to further extend George Street's car-free zone, spreading the vehicle-free area across its entire run between Town Hall and Railway Square. For more information about the increased funding for the al fresco dining plan, head to the City of Sydney website. Images: Jes Lindsay
Holey Moley Golf Club has been bringing friendly, booze-fuelled competition to Sydney for a couple of years now. At its various sites around the city — including Newtown, Chatswood, Darlinghurst, Castle Towers and North Strathfield — it combines a mini-golf course with the humming atmosphere of a bar, turning traditional putt putt into a sensory labyrinth for kidults. On Monday, September 21, the chain will be celebrating International Mini-Golf Day with nine rounds for just $1. Across its sprawling venues, you'll be able to tap, tap, tap your way through multiple holes with pop culture themes — because this definitely isn't your usual mini-golf course. And, once you've completed a trick shot or several, head to the bar to enjoy a pun-laden cocktail list — plus bites to eat from the kitchen. You can either book online or roll up after 4pm on Monday to nab the dirt-cheap one-buck deal. [caption id="attachment_667545" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Mitch Lowe[/caption] Holey Moley Golf Club's International Mini-Golf Day takes place from 4pm on Monday, September 21.
Keen to load up on missing art history knowledge? This exhibition surveys a whole bunch of the European masters filling your high school textbooks. The Greats is the product of the Art Gallery of NSW’s special partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland. As part of Sydney's International Art Series, over 70 paintings from Edinburgh will adorn the walls, while a concurrent public program will offer talks, tours, live music, and more. From Renaissance painters through to Modernist innovators, the exhibition includes the likes of Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Titian, Monet, Degas and Gauguin. In other words, The Greats features a heap of names stamped on the sandstone facade of the art gallery itself. All but two of these works have never before visited Australia. If you want to retreat from the heat and take a refreshing jaunt through the classics, this is your summer show. Image: Paul Gauguin, Three Tahitians (1899), National Galleries Scotland.
The National Gallery of Victoria has today revealed its summer centrepiece: a bold new world premiere exhibition pairing the work of Dutch artist M.C. Escher and Japanese design studio Nendo. Much like the NGV's 2016's Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei show, Between Two Worlds celebrates two very different creators, bringing them together in an assembly of immersive art and design. More than 150 of Escher's prints and drawings created between 1916 to 1969 have made their way to Melbourne from the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague for the artist's first ever major exhibition in Australia. Optical illusion is what he's best known for — his intricate pieces use patterns and design to warp space and perception. You'll need to take second, third and fourth looks at pieces like Day and night and Drawing hands. To really mess with your mind, Nendo — led by designer Oki Sato — has created an immersive gallery space that's just as trippy. The studio has taken inspiration from Escher to manipulate geometry and space to warp perception, giving you an imagined sense of what it would be like to enter Escher's mind boggling world. Expect lots of mirrors, shrinking corridors and projections that will mess with your brain (in a good way). The exhibition will officially open tomorrow with the gallery's exclusive black tie NGV Gala. Then it opens to the public on Sunday, December 2 and will run until April 2019 alongside a public program of talks, workshops and the NGV's Friday night parties. Escher x Nendo: Between Two Worlds will run from December 2 until April 2019 at NGV International. Images: Eugene Hyland and Sean Fennessy.
Alice Springs is not what it seems. For a start, it’s not the actual centre of Australia. It’s also not a sleepy, dusty, desert town — there’s a pulse and underlying ferocity that you can find only in the middle of something. What’s beneath the surface is what’s addressed in Alex Kershaw’s One of Several Centres. Filmed over a number of visits to the red centre, the work is a series of vignettes on unlikely characters, representing Alice through personality, encounter and landscape. He first visited Alice Springs years ago as a photographic assistant and, after subsequent returns, was struck by the gap between his experience of the place and familiar representations of it. One of Several Centres is a reimagining of the town; the stories are authored, but the characters’ reactions within them spontaneous. They raise more questions than they answer, making Kershaw’s tale unique, surprising and provocative. Hear about it from the artist himself, this Saturday 6 March at 2pm.
Whether you're trying to find your way around your a far-flung holiday destination, a part of your own city you're not so familiar with or your own neighbourhood, Google Maps has probably helped you out of a bind more than once. Over the years, you've been able to play everything from Pac-Man and Mario Kart to Where's Waldo and Snake via the online service, too — so using it for a global Easter egg hunt really isn't too far out of the ordinary. Because it's almost that time of year, and because Cadbury wants to remind us all to eat chocolate, the brand has teamed up with Google Maps for the second year in a row to create a virtual way for you to hide and search for Easter eggs. It's all digital, though, so it does mean that you won't actually be eating any choccies. If you want to dive into your own stash while you're clicking and scrolling away, though, absolutely no one is going to stop you. Here's how it works: you head to the worldwide Easter egg hunt website, sign up and then get hiding. Once you've picked your spot — somewhere of significance to you and the person you're hiding it for — you'll write a clue, which'll then get sent to your chosen person. For those on the receiving end, it's up to you to decipher the details and find the virtual egg. If it's too hard, that's all down to whoever enlisted you in the hunt — so, if you can't find your digital egg, you might want to ask them for more hints. You can only hide one egg at a time, and only send the corresponding clue to one person. But, you can repeat the process as many times as you like. While there is a physical component, it sadly doesn't involve racing around the world, the city or even the house actually trying to get your hands on chocolate. Instead, you can arrange to send one of seven Cadbury products to someone in Australia, including tins and hampers. Staying virtual doesn't cost a thing, however, if that better suits your budget. To take part in the worldwide Easter egg hunt, head to the Cadbury website.
Both Sydney institutions and both beloved around Redfern and the Inner West, Young Henrys and the South Sydney Rabbitohs are a match made in heaven. The brewery and the NRL club have been linked for the last half-decade with Young Henrys the team's official beer sponsor for the past five years. To celebrate the anniversary, the pair have teamed up to create a new limited-edition beer. Taking inspiration from South's team song Glory Glory to South Sydney, the Young Henrys Glory Haze XPA is an easy-drinking beer with citrus and tropical aromas. The collab has just launched across the country, with the can decked out in the club's signature red and green to celebrate the long-running partnership. The limited-run beer is available in bottle shops nationwide in both six-packs and cases. It's also getting a run in kegs so you can expect it to pop up in a pub or bar near you as well. "This beer is all about the fans!! Fans of the Rabbitohs. Fans of Young Henrys. Or just fans of bloody good-tasting beer," says Young Henrys Director Dan Hampton. The collaboration is the latest creative brew produced by the Young Henrys crew following previous team-ups with the likes of Dune Rats, The Art Gallery of NSW, Foo Fighters, DZ Deathrays and Dylan Alcott. "Young Henrys are all about bringing people together — sharing a beer when celebrating moments with friends and family — a sentiment shared with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and their members who enjoy celebrating our victories both on and off the field," said South Sydney Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly. The pre-sale for the Glory Haze XPA is already sold out, so you'll have to pick up a six-pack from your local bottle shop if you want to get your hands on them. In the meantime, you can watch the passionate launch video below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Young Henrys (@younghenrys) Young Henrys' and South Sydney Rabbitohs' Glory Haze XPA is available in stores now across Australia in six packs, cases and kegs.
Taste of Coogee is back with a new name and a stacked new two-day program of culinary pop-ups and demonstrations. Following eight years under its original name, the festival will return to Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter under the banner of Taste in the City, serving up its annual array of tastings and experiences, live music and its always popular long lunch. Highlights of this year's event include a return of Lobster & Co's lobster rolls following their successful run in Darling Harbour, cocktail masterclasses from the award-winning Maybe Sammy, a Caffeine Caravan from Mr Black and live music from the likes of Hot Potato Band and Top Shelf Live. Ready Steady Cook's Peter Everett will be back to host the celebrity kitchen demonstrations with guests including Mindy Woods, Jason Roberts, Tom Walton and Rowie Dillon. Plus, the long lunch will also return for 100 guests featuring food curated by Tom Walton and Jason Roberts and a quality selection of NSW wines. Tickets are $40 for adults which gets you entry to the festival, a tasting cup and access to the cooking demonstrations, while kids under 18 are free. If you're looking to take your visit to the next level, you can purchase a seat at the long lunch with your ticket which will set you back an extra $110. Rowie Dillon will also be running a Kids in the Kitchen program with tickets for the little ones available for $45. To top off the fun, the event is dog-friendly so you can spend the day with your four-legged pals or expect to run into some adorable fluffballs as you make your way around the festival.
There's a crumbling, dinky old pub on Parramatta Road that you've probably driven past a hundred times. It's not on a corner, it's not particularly flash, and it's wedged between Ray's Outdoors and Istanbul on Broadway. But now it's set to be Camperdown residents' new go-to local — the lord mayor of Chippendale's The Lord Gladstone has revamped one of the suburb's legitimately hidden gems: The Hampshire. Playing partner pub to the Lord Gladstone, the Lady Hampshire (get it?) is the latest project from prolific Sydney publican Paddy Coughlan. Co-founder and ex-CEO of the Riversdale Group (The Vic on the Park, The Marly, Kinselas) and now founder of boutique Sydney pub company Bourke Street (The Glad), Paddy specialises in taking an underperforming pub and giving it new life, rather than building a brand newie. This time, it's Camperdown's long lost Hampshire, which has sat quietly closed for two years on Parramatta Road. The masterpiece of the pub has to be a giant mural by Sydney artist Scott Marsh, who's painted every last Aussie 'legend' you can think of, from Kath and Kim to Cathy Freeman, Adam Goodes to Steve Irwin (not sure about Reg Reagan, but that's just me). Out back, the Hampshire boasts a great openair beer garden, with a big screen primed for AFL grand finals and Rabbitohs matches — something pubs like The Vic have become known for. Alongside a custom smoker for smoked meats on the weekends, Paddy plans to lower the shed roof to create a hanging kitchen garden. Food-wise, the Hampshire will follow the lead of its predecessors, with classic pub grub done bloody well. They're going heavier on the tacos than the Gladstone, with eight on the menu, from baja fish to mushroom to 'drunk chicken' (tequila-drunk). Of course there's a range of burgers, featuring the 'Camperdowner' beef burger with double American cheese, streaky bacon, onion rings, fried egg, grilled pineapple, beetroot and the rest. Also on the menu, chicken schnitties and parmas, and a casual deep-fried Gaytime. But how will the Hampshire stand out in a renaissance of pub grub? "My theory on that, and I say this to all our managers, is you can go to most pubs in Sydney who have a pub-style menu, if you just read the menu they all read exactly the same — they've all got a schnitzel, a burger, a steak, a couple of other things right? But it's how it's cooked is the difference." His main piece of pub grub advice? "Beware the heart-shaped schnitzel... No two schnitties should look the same." The Lady Hampshire is open at 91 Parramatta Road, Camperdown. The kitchen is open 12-3pm for lunch, 6-9pm for dinner. For more info, visit their Facebook page. Check out the pub pre-renovation over here. Images: Steven Woodburn.
Charging your phone is probably one of the most mundane things you do each day. Your phone's on three percent, you scramble to find your charger cord, you plug it in, it makes a noise and, hey, it's charging. But a Canadian startup has decided to take the downright borezo process of charging your phone and make it look like literal magic — they've created a charger that makes your phone levitate while it's powering up. The OvRcharge is a wireless charging base that puts your smartphone on show. While it's charging your device it not only suspends it in mid-air, but it can slowly rotate it too through an invisible magnetic field. The product, which has been created by Toronto studio AR Designs, is currently being funded on Kickstarter, and is $10k (Canadian dollars) off their $40,000 goal. Of course, it's not actual magic. The OvRcharge is able to simultaneously charge and suspend the device through magnets, which will transmit from the base to a special phone case that plugs into your device. "It consists of two main technologies: electromagnetism and induction," AR Designs' founder and CEO Rukhsana Perveen told Digital Trends. "Electromagnetism is responsible for maintaining its altitude and balance, [while] induction is for wireless power transfer." The charger is set to be compatible with the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Sony Xperia and a few other models. If you want one, you'll have to pledge to the Kickstarter campaign — there's 15 days left. Via Digital Trends.
Home to stacked burgers named after Kanye West, Drake and Kevin Bacon, loaded fries of both the potato and doughnut variety, and boozy shakes and spiders, Milky Lane's regular menu brings one word to mind: indulgent. We all know that we shouldn't be eating fried chicken and maple smoked bacon burgs, mac 'n' cheese croquettes and deep-fried Golden Gaytimes every day — or drinking Bubble O' Bill and Zooper Dooper cocktails, either — but that's exactly what the chain serves at its stores across Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Canberra. If you think that those aforementioned dishes are OTT, they are. The brand's latest additions to its menu earn the term several times over, too, because mixing up Caramilk and Biscoff cocktails will do that. From Monday, June 28, Milky Lane will try to tempt your tastebuds with 12 new items — and whether you're keen on its burgs, desserts or boozy beverages, you're likely to find something to try on the new menu. On the burger lineup, the Hail Caesar will feature a herb and panko-crumbed chicken schnitzel and a parmesan deep-fried mozzarella patty; the Chicken Parmy comes loaded with a schnitty, ham, mozzarella and smashed potato gems on a mozzarella coated bun; and the Big Poppa pairs a smashed pattie, pulled brisket, bacon, mozzarella and twice as much American cheese as usual. Still sticking with all things savoury, loaded potato gems are exactly what they sound like — and if you like the deep-fried cheese curds that come on top, you can also order them separately. For folks with a sweet tooth, the new desserts range spans deep-dried Snickers served with liquid peanut butter, Nutella, crushed peanuts and vanilla ice cream, as well as a Caramilk and Biscoff cookie skillet — combining two cult dessert items in one dish. And, there's more Caramilk and Biscoff concoctions on the booze list, including Biscoff espressos, shots and loaded shakes, all featuring crushed Biscoff pieces, and Caramilk-heavy cocktails and loaded shakes. A grape Hubba Bubba spider made with grape vodka, bubblegum syrup and grape Fanta rounds out the new offerings, if you'd like to combine sweet treats and booze in a different way. Sydneysiders can head to Milky Lane's eateries in Bondi, Cronulla, Parramatta, Gregory Hills and Crows Nest, with fellow New South Wales stores also located in Newcastle and Terrigal. Queenslanders can hit up joints in Newstead and Surfers Paradise — and there's a store in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, too. Milky Lane will start serving its new menu from Monday, June 28 at all of its stores across Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Canberra. For further details, head to the chain's website.
Facebook is swiftly becoming the radar of global activity, now obtaining the power to track not only people's social networking patterns but also their travel paths, their ages and even their political inclinations. With over 800 million active users the social networking site is rampant, with immense data processing required for the constant stream of check-ins, status updates and photo uploads. Data scientist at Facebook, Justin Moore, created these global maps as a captivating visual indicator of where and who the world's Facebook users are to make sense of some of the unique data. SEASONED TRAVELLERS WHO WANT TO MAKE IT KNOWN Forget the old maps of showing aeroplane's routes across the globe because we can now follow travel patterns through Facebook users' check-ins. This map uses check-ins at two far off locations as a way of tracing globe-trotting journeys. NYC HUSTLE AND BUSTLE Check-ins over several days in New York City alone reveal the heavier users are situated around more heavily trafficked commercial and tourist areas. Shouldn't you guys be working or studying or something? NEW VS. OLD The colour ranges of this dazzling map represent the ages of users, again through their check-ins on Facebook. The green zones constitute the older and more established Facebookers whilst the blue are the younger rookies. PRETTY POLITICAL Although what may look like some sort of beautiful and rare star constellation, this last image actually maps American users' political affiliation. Democrats are shown as blue and the Republicans are red. Better pick up your game Obama, the social world has spoken.
It's time to get your boogie on (again) — because the Archie Party is returning for its second instalment. Following the success of last year's red-hot debut, the Art Gallery of NSW and Vyva Entertainment have teamed up to bring back the huge night dedicated to local artists and producers — and 2023's version of the event will shine a spotlight on talent from Western Sydney. Come Friday July 14, you'll be able to celebrate the best of contemporary art, music and food at the Art Gallery of NSW with live performances, interactive installations and some of Sydney's best DJs spinning tracks to take care of the event's tunes. This year, you can look forward to a night with exhilarating performances from Haiku Hands, hip hop mainstay A.Girl alongside her full band, and rapper MRVZ, plus electrifying DJ sets from Diola and DJ D. There will also be a bunch of interactive art experiences from local artists (and this year's Archibald Prize finalists) Laura Jones, Billy Bain and Jason Phu. Plus, tickets to the Archie Party also includes exclusive all-night access to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes for 2023. You'll also be able to enjoy a massive feast at this year's bash. Expect to see the likes of Fishbowl, Chatkazz, Miss Pearl and Tacos Muchachos filling out the savoury selection, while the dessert range will include but is not limited to Messina, Sweet Belem and Butter Boy. Plus, there will be pop-up bars serving up drinks to accompany the array of treats on the menu. This exclusive after-dark winter party is around for one night only — and will have limited capacity — so be sure to secure your spot with tickets from the event's page. The night will start at 7pm, running til late, and is an 18+ event. Prices for members sits at $36, while non-member tickets are $45, and students or those with concessions can score tickets at $40.
In early 2019, Western Sydney will not only score a brand new zoo, it will also add a new community running event to its calendar: RunWest. Its first incarnation will see joggers sharing the route with lions and tigers, as they race through Sydney Zoo, which is due to open early next year. Open to runners of all ages and abilities, RunWest will follow a 12-kilometre course, through several major landmarks. You'll begin at Sydney Motorsport Park, before visiting the zoo, traversing Western Sydney Parklands, heading into Blacktown International Sports Park and winding up at West HQ. If 12 kilometres sounds too far, conquer the more friendly four-kilometre Family Fun Run instead. Either way, there'll be plenty of action to keep you on course. Keep an ear out for live music and an eye out for live performers. Plus, on crossing the finish line, you'll find yourself immersed in the Finish Line Festival, an extravaganza of food trucks, music and rides. If you're a City2Surf regular, this might be a good race to enter in the off-season — although, being March, chances are the weather will be pretty warm. But, like City2Surf, you're encouraged to raise funds for a charity of your choice, so your sweat will be all worth it. If you're ready to commit, sign up right now at super early bird rates, which are $15 per person for the fun run and $30 for the 12-kilometre event. Plus, your ticket includes entry to Sydney Zoo, valid for a year from 1 August, 2019. RunWest will happen on Sunday, March 31, 2019. You can enter here.
UPDATE, FEBRUARY 21: This That has been postponed and will now take place at Wickham Park on Saturday, March 12. Here's something that has been as rare as a good night's sleep this year: the announcement of a music festival to look forward to. Come February 2022, This That will be returning to Newcastle's Wickham Park for its sixth event — so mark Saturday, March 12 in your diary, tell your mates and get ready for a road trip. On the bill is an all-Australian lineup, featuring Client Liaison, Dune Rats, Mallrat, Hayden James, Jack River, San Cisco, The Chats and more. Yes, you'll be listening to electronic, hip hop, pop and rock tunes all day — and, as the event's name suggests, you'll be doing so across two stages. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, November 12, and more acts will be announced down the line. Naturally, everything will be held in a COVID-19-safe way. Plus, if you're in need of some more good news, This That will actually be hosting two fests in 2021, with its second event currently planned for Sandstone Point in Queensland. Images: Jordan Munns.
Anything Jamie Dornan can do, Zac Efron can, too? That's the situation that'll play out on streaming service Stan this January. First, Dornan will get stranded in the outback in TV thriller The Tourist, and then Efron will do the same in Gold — aka the movie he shot when he decamped from Hollywood to Australia during the pandemic and seemed to be the only thing other than COVID-19 that was making headlines. Gold will also play in some cinemas, if you'd like to watch Efron try to survive the Aussie landscape on the big screen — with the film receiving a theatrical release on January 13, then streaming via Stan on January 26. Wherever you choose to watch it, you'll see the High School Musical, The Greatest Showman and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile actor get a serious case of gold fever after stumbling upon the biggest gold nugget ever found. Efron's character, known only as Man One, discovers the huge chunk of gold with the movie's writer/director/co-star Anthony Hayes (Total Control) — who, yes, plays a figure known as Man Two. The pair of drifters then come up with a plan to excavate the precious metal, but it involves Man One staying behind to guard it while Man Two goes to nab the necessary equipment. As the just-dropped first trailer for Gold shows, that doesn't look too promising for Man One. Gold also features Wentworth and Cargo's Susie Porter as a stranger who crosses Man One's path — and obviously features oh-so-many lingering looks at the outback backdrop that filmmakers have loved ever since 70s greats such as Wake in Fright and Walkabout. Plonking big-name stars against Australia's striking terrain is only a small genre, but it's still a growing one — with Gold joining everything from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Australia to The Rover and The Dressmaker. Check out the trailer for Gold below: Gold will screen in selected cinemas from January 13, and stream via Stan from January 26.
Located on the south end of Sydney's Bondi Beach, this long-running establishment offers house-made pasta with one serious view. The venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day and is ideal for vegetarian diners, as half the menu is vego. The best way to approach this extensive menu is this: start with a selection of antipasti — tarama dip with bottarga and fennel pollen, roasted bugs with garlic and chilli butter and stuffed zucchini flowers — then order a bunch of pastas and pizzas to share. Pastas include roasted pumpkin and sage butter gnocchi, angel hair with yellowfin tuna or littleneck clams and spaghetti napoli or bolognese. Sourdough pizzas come topped with truffled four cheeses, lamb sausage and caramelised onion or broccolini with pickled eggplant and ricotta. The dessert menu features some classic Italian treats including chocolate cannoli, ricotta-stuffed doughnuts and affogato, served with a glass of sticky riesling.
Sydney's city centre has been overrun by birds — though they're not the usual kind. Rather, these dainty bronze bird statues gracing spots along Bridge and Grosvenor streets are part of the latest public work by acclaimed artist Tracey Emin. The Distance of Your Heart, which was commissioned by the City of Sydney back in 2014 and unveiled by Lord Mayor Clover Moore for the City Art collection yesterday, features over 60 of the handmade sculptures, carefully placed atop doorways, awnings and poles around the CBD. A birdbath inscribed with the work's title forms a centrepiece in Macquarie Place. Emin is perhaps best known for her work My Bed, which included items from her own bedroom, including dirty sheets, cigarette butts and condoms, but the message behind this work is much less controversial. It's about comfort — a kind of reflection on Australia's distance from the rest of the world and a little piece of hope for those who might be feeling homesick or detached. "Sydney is big but the birds are small, tiny, delicate, fragile — just like we are as human beings," Emin explained. "Sometimes we can feel lost and sad, but the sight of a bird can give us hope." The Lord Mayor said that "with its underlying concept of global migration and travel, this artwork will particularly resonate with the many Sydney residents born overseas and the millions of visitors who visit our shores each year". The Distance of Your Heart is a permanent addition to Sydney's collection of public art — you can find the birds on Bridge and Grosvenor streets in the CBD.
Love, sex, internet dating, a charismatic conman, psychological abuse, murder — in the realm of true-crime stories, Dirty John had it all. Hosted by Los Angeles Times journalist Christopher Goffard, the podcast became a huge hit when it dropped back in October 2017. Now the tale of John Meehan has been adapted into a TV series, and it's heading to Netflix. Come Thursday, February 14, you'll be able to watch Aussie actor Eric Bana step into the notorious con artist's shoes, opposite Connie Britton as interior designer and Meehan's mark, Debra Newell. The high-profile cast also includes Juno Temple and Maniac's Julia Garner as Newell's daughters. If you've listened to the podcast, you'll know that all four actors will be re-enacting quite the ordeal. The eight-episode series has just finished its week-to-week run on US television, but Netflix will drop all eight episodes when Valentine's Day hits. It's a stroke of great timing on behalf of the streaming platform — if you were looking for alternative plans for what's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, consider yourself sorted. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG70KroYlik&feature=youtu.be An anthology series, when Dirty John was picked up by its US network Bravo, two seasons were ordered. That means there's more to come; however, when the next season will arrive — and what it will focus on — hasn't yet been revealed. Dirty John drops on Netflix Australia/New Zealand on February 14, 2019.
Sydney's egalitarian, not-for-profit organisation Kaldor Public Art Projects is currently celebrating 50 years of bringing groundbreaking, immersive artworks to the Aussie public. To mark this half century of shaping Australia's art space, Kaldor is hosting a free retrospective — Making Art Public — at the Art Gallery of NSW. Each of Kaldor's 34 previous projects has been reimagined and created by noted British artist Michael Landy. One showstopper is Allora & Calzadilla's Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on 'Ode to Joy' for a Prepared Piano, which is making its Sydney debut this month. If you're a fan of both art and piano concerto, you can catch this artwork every day until Wednesday, October 30. You'll see the pianists attempt Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' on an adjusted piano that can be played from within, and walked across the gallery floor, in AGNSW's Entrance Court. Part music, part performance and part sculpture, Stop, Repair, Prepare was first performed in Melbourne back in 2012 as part of Kaldor Public Art Project #26, with the aim to create an experience through dance and music where the audience plays just as important a part as the choreographed performers. Allora & Calzadilla's Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on 'Ode to Joy' for a Prepared Piano runs from Thursday, October 17 through to Wednesday, October 30. It will be performed every hour on the hour from 11am–4pm every day, with extended hours until 7pm on Wednesdays, October 23 and 30. On Wednesday evenings you can also hear the pianists speak about the work in an intimate Q&A from 6.30pm.
It seems entirely appropriate that within five minutes of my meeting Lally Katz, she is drenched. When I call her, it is pouring outside and she mentions she is walking to rehearsals. "It's okay, I've got a small umbre–" She is interrupted by what sounds like a burst of static, but is, in fact, a large amount of water being displaced. "Oh shit. Sorry. Yep. Yeah, that was actually a car just driving through a massive puddle. Now I am, I'm pretty wet." She jokes briefly about how this is a special sort of road rage that drivers get to practice on rainy days and continues on, her spirits, at least, seemingly undampened. I say appropriate because I'm calling to talk to her about Atlantis, her latest work, which had its world premiere at Belvoir just this week. The play loosely revolves around Katz's return to her childhood home in Miami and her efforts to consolidate precious memories before rising seas claim the city forever. That at least one of us is sopping wet while we discuss this seems like providence rather than bad luck. Lally's work has been a staple at Belvoir since 2011 when her play Neighbourhood Watch stormed that year's season. Loosely based on the friendship she shared with her elderly Hungarian neighbour, it took awards by the boatload and gave Belvoir-goers a taste for Katz's witty and surreal style. Since then, she has wrestled with bears and curses in her one-woman show Stories I Have to Tell You in Person, detailed the awkwardness of maintaining joint custody of a cat with one's ex in The Cat and gotten to the bottom of her father's karate obsession in Back at the Dojo. With Atlantis, she flirts yet again with autobiography. As usual, though, fantastical elements flit in and out of the memories, stretching the bounds of possibility to the infinite. Although an accomplished chronicler of her own narrative, Katz's also seems to have an unerring, Louis Theroux-like ability to find garrulous oddballs busting to share an outlandish story. The idea for Atlantis came from a conversation she had with a cabbie in Mississippi. The cabbie told her that the mythical sunken city of Atlantis would come again and that we would all be called back there when it did. With this in mind, the cabbie was saving all of her money so she could move her family to Miami, where she hoped they would have a better chance of being taken first. "I thought 'Oh my God, she wants to drown her whole family'", says Katz. "And I don't think it's that uncommon a belief there. I think there's a network of Atlantis believers for sure." With thoughts of sunken utopias ricocheting through her brain, Katz stumbled across an article suggesting that Miami, the city she'd spent a fair chunk of her childhood in, could be completely underwater by 2030. Before that, she had always resisted the urge to return to the city, wanting to safeguard her memories from the cynicism of adulthood. But the ticking clock made her think otherwise and she's since been back several times. Katz was nine when her parents decided to emigrate from a small cul-de-sac in Miami to the suburbs of Canberra ("not as different as you might think", she points out). And while she was too young to immerse herself in Miami's vibrant culture, she has vivid memories of the wildness of the city's cocaine heydays. She speaks of growing up in a neighbourhood where everyone knew who the drug dealers were — "But they were nice, they were fine" — and of devastatingly glamorous women hitting each other with giant stiletto shoes. Katz is a naturally effusive conversationalist, but her tone changes as she remembers. She is full of nostalgia and wonder. "You know when you go to a place as a kid and it's so magical, and then you go there as an adult and it's like 'well…' (she gives the verbal equivalent of a shrug). But when I went back to my old neighbourhood, I was so struck. It was like a tropical Smurf village and it did feel magical to me. That was a big surprise because I thought I was going to go back there and be disappointed." The play grew out of these memories, from discussions she had with the city's residents, the Atlantis myth and from the looming possibility of Miami joining that fabled city at the bottom of the ocean. I ask whether knowing that she'll put such personal material on stage later makes it harder to enjoy these moments as they take place in reality. "I used to think there's something wrong with me, that I'm not living properly. Then in my mid-30s I came to pieces and thought this is just the way I live. It doesn't mean I'm not living, this is just how I am in the work." [caption id="attachment_643831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lally Katz.[/caption] By this stage, Lally is indoors and out of the rain. Although as she heads into rehearsals, she points out that a series of hurricanes is staged throughout Atlantis. A car splashing up some water now seems rather small by comparison. Images: Brett Boardman. Atlantis runs in Belvoir's Upstairs Theatre until 26 November. Book your tickets here.
Fans of juicy burgers (i.e. everyone with functioning taste buds), listen up! The team behind those tasty $10 creations at Chur Burger in Surry Hills are opening a brand spanking new pop-up at The London in Paddington. From the eatery's opening on November 8, any Paddo dwellers who can’t be bothered travelling to the Albion Street location will be able to throw a stone and find themselves elbow-deep in sweet potato fries, salted caramel milkshakes and a perfectly constructed pulled pork burger. Since the Albion Street Kitchen reopened its doors as Chur Burger earlier this year, Warren Turnbull and his crew have been smashing out the burgers to seemingly insatiable palates in Surry Hills. We can say from experience that the shakes are sweet, the fries are crispy and the burgers are totally delicious (and at a pretty damn good price). We just hope that those crispy quail eggs are on the pop-up menu. Chur Burger arrives at The London (85 Underwood Street, Paddington) on November 8.
He's responsible not just for a big Australian movie franchise, but for the big Australian movie franchise. He's also followed a pig in the city, made penguins dance, gotten witchy and granted wishes, too. He's Australian filmmaking icon George Miller, and he has just joined the Sydney Film Festival lineup for 2024 to talk about his career, and of course Mad Max and Furiosa. Mere weeks after Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hit cinemas — starring Anya Taylor-Joy (The Super Mario Bros Movie) as Furiosa and Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder) as wasteland warlord Dementus — Miller now has a date with Sydney's annual cinema showcase to chat about on-screen storytelling. For company, he'll have someone else who knows a thing or two about action cinema, and just filmmaking in general: stuntman and filmmaker Nash Edgerton, brother of Joel (Dark Matter), and director of episodes of Bodkin, plus Mr Inbetween, Gringo and The Square. The Road to Furiosa — George Miller with Nash Edgerton will take place at 3pm on Saturday, June 15 in the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Town Hall, on the second-last day of the fest. SFF's full dates: Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16. Miller won't just be stepping through his work in a general sense, either. The director that started the Mad Max franchise 45 years ago and has helmed four more films in the saga — and has Babe: Pig in the City, The Witches of Eastwick, the two Happy Feet movies, Lorenzo's Oil and Three Thousand Years of Longing on his resume as well — will dig into a specific action sequence, if you want to find out how it was executed. After also adding a visit from Elvis star Austin Butler for his new picture The Bikeriders and straight-from-Cannes body-horror flick The Substance as closing night's flick since announcing its 2024 program, Sydney Film Festival has now popped something for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans on the bill, too. Ahead of season two's arrival, the Iron Throne spend time at Martin Place from Wednesday, June 5–Friday, June 7. Yes, you can sit in it. Other talks and events on the program also include a queer cinema night, going all in on the 80s to tie in with opening night's Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, K-pop fun as part of a Korean cinema celebration and a session on the impact of AI. [caption id="attachment_959668" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Belinda Rolland © 2023/SFF[/caption] Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website. Read our interview with George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and our review of the film. Top image: Sonna Studios.
Another year goes by, and we return to another year of Sydney's beloved short film festival: Flickerfest. Anyone who loves to be ahead of the cinematic curve can attest that a night at Australia's only Academy® Qualifying short film festival is a night of screen culture unlike anything you'll catch at the blockbusters. Returning to its home at Bondi Pavilion for the 33rd year running, Flickerfest spans ten days in Sydney before it packs up to tour screens across Australia. Throughout the festival, 200 top films handpicked from over 3400 entries will delight audiences while vying for awards like the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® qualifying. Flickerfest also includes celebrations of diverse filmmakers of all ages and walks of life. Rainbow Shorts celebrates the work of LGBTQI+ storytellers; and FlickerKids gathers the best of the family-friendly program and Short Laughs will keep you giggling throughout the night. Of course, what's a night at the movies without food and drinks? You'll be able to start your evening right with a bev at the Pav's beachside panoramic bar, enjoying conversations with your crew as the sun goes down behind you. Come by day after a swim in the water then a movie at the indoor cinema, or head into the open-air courtyard after dark and enjoy a night of screenings under the stars. After wrapping its Sydney stint, Flickerfest will share the short-film love and pop up at over 50 venues across the country between February and October 2024. The 33rd Flickerfest International Film Festival will run from Friday, January 19 to Sunday, January 28. Tickets and the full 2024 program are available now. For more information, head to the website.
When Easter rolls around each year, one thing is always on everyone's minds: eating as much chocolate as humanly possible. Chocolate eggs, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cocktails, chocolate-filled hot cross buns — the list goes on. Thanks to SBS, Easter 2020 won't just involve eating chocolate, however. Courtesy of The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia, Australian audiences can also spend three hours watching chocolate Easter treats get made. It's the latest instalment in the network's 'slow TV' series — which has previously let viewers spend 17 hours watching a train journey on not one but two occasions, and tracked a lengthy cruise from Broome to Darwin, and a trip from New Zealand's north island to its south island as well. Of course, vicariously indulging your wanderlust is one thing. Teasing your sweet tooth is another entirely. Spanning three hours — and set to a new original score by Amanda Brown and Caitlin Yeo — The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia charts the chocolate-making process from beginning to end, starting with seeing sugarcane being harvested from north Queensland fields and milk being collected from a Tasmanian dairy farm. Naturally, the observational documentary devotes the bulk of its time to the factory itself, focusing on the creation of its best-selling easter eggs and chocolate bunnies by combining the aforementioned two ingredients with cocoa imported from Ghana. Expect melting, rolling, drying, shaping and wrapping. Expect to be mesmerised by the routine and rhythm, too. Airing twice over the Easter weekend of Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 — and then available for a year on SBS On Demand — it's basically Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just without the Oompa-Loompas, songs or everlasting gobstoppers. That said watching chocolate come to fruition will likely have your stomach singing out with hunger, so don't forget to stock up on appropriate snacks (yes, chocolate) to accompany your viewing. Check out the trailer for The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSE3TW7EPc&feature=youtu.be The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia screens is now available to watch on SBS On Demand.
For most of us on the morning after a big night out, our time is generally spent lounging around complaining, taking painkillers, drinking sports drinks, filling the bottomless pit that is your stomach with truckloads of the greasiest foods you can find and generally just waiting out the torture of the self-inflicted pain you have forced upon yourself. While this may seem like the only option of how to handle your hangover at the time, there are actually a plethora of natural methods which will rid you of that dreaded ill feeling or at least make you feel slightly more bubbly. Rather than just avoiding hangovers altogether by stopping at the second drink — which let's face it isn't going to happen at those big celebrations — Good.is suggests a few fresh and healthy ways to cure the hangover and get you back on your feet and functioning like a normal human being again. Miso Soup and Eggs Despite what you may be thinking by looking at the picture, this funky combination of miso soups and eggs is actually a great Japanese-inspired hangover cure because of the nutrients that it replenishes you with, which you lost from the previous night of drinking. Stacked full of sodium, water and electrolytes as well as probiotics to subdue that queasy stomach, this trick will be sure to get you charging for the rest of the day. Omega-3 Omega-3 is a fantastic nutrient to take to alleviate hangovers as it helps clear the free radicals produced when alcohol is broken down. Omega-3 also helps fight the dry, blotchy skin on your face, which alcohol causes. Have a cuddle To dim your stress levels and get yourself feeling better just have a 20 second Oxytocin-releasing hug. Studies have shown that after a 20 second embrace with someone, oxytocin will be released, which helps relax and repair your body. Inconclusive evidence has also shown that having sex is a great hangover cure - probably largely due to the hormones released, but also cause it will simply take your mind off the pain. Get a Massage Massages are very helpful the morning after a night out, not only because of the release of happy hormones such as oxytocin but also because they have been proven to help your body produce more white blood cells and thus boost your immune system. So if you're looking for an excuse to treat yourself, simply have a few more shots. Take a Dip One of the most effective (and nice) ways to cure a hangover is to submerge yourself is some refreshingly cool water and have a swim around. Find yourself a body of water - preferably a beautiful white sandy beach with a radiant, shining sun - and have a dunk to wake yourself up, clear the head and rejuvenate yourself for the day ahead. Go Bananas Bananas are a great source of potassium and vitamin B, which help replenish your body's lost nutrients, and they also rehydrate your dehydrated body. And what better way to consume them than by making a delicious smoothie. Alternatively, a berry smoothie would also go down a treat because of the antioxidants within them. Mix it up with almond milk to make it twice as effective as the healthy fats, oils and vitamins in the almonds will help get you back on your feet. Drink Some Coconut Coconut water can be extracted from coconuts while they're still very green and not mature enough to produce milk. This wonder fluid has been used intravenously in medical emergencies for rehydration, so it's pretty safe to say it'll do wonders for your hangover. It also has no fat, is low in calories and is lower in sugar than most other juices — it's a win-win! Kombucha Tea Despite it's not-so-delicious looking floaties and somewhat sour apple cider vinegar flavour, Kombucha tea is a fermented miracle drink which is great for liver stimulation or detoxification, blood purification and even euphoria. So to replace your vacant look of pain and regret with a beaming smile, simply get yourself some Kombucha tea. Pickle Juice Although this last one is somewhat disputed, pickle juice is the cure of choice in Poland and has been shown to be highly effective in quelling the effects of the hangover. The sodium of the juice helps you bring your electrolyte levels back up in order to help you rehydrate. Honey is also a great addition not only to lessen some of the awful taste, but also because the glucose and fructose assists the rehydration process.
If crafting a successful sequel wasn't already a difficult assignment, doing so for a movie remembered for its quirkiness and surprise factor must border on the impossible. Still, when Kingsman: The Secret Service took in over $400 million worldwide, a follow-up was inevitable. And so two years later director Matthew Vaughn has returned to the world of suave secret agents with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Let's be clear: this is a ridiculous movie in almost every respect, from the mad-cap story through to the action scenes, cameos and costuming. Everything in Kingsman: The Golden Circle is hyped-up, spun-around, slowed-down, blown-up or cut in half. Gravity is largely ignored, except when it's used as a weapon, and henchmen die with the same violent regularity as extras in Commando. There are robotic killer dogs, cannibalistic villains and Elton John ninja-kicking a bad guy in the face. As we said, it's ridiculous – but also surprisingly entertaining. Our villain this time round is none other than Academy Award winner Julianne Moore as Poppy, the world's leading and most ruthless drug tzar. Her Cambodian lair has been fashioned as an homage to 1950s Americana, complete with bowling alley, golden age cinema and a shake and burger diner in which she both conducts her business and minces her victims. She's an apron wearing Stepford Escobar who owns every second of screen time given to her. Tasked with stopping Poppy are the bespoke-suited Kingsmen in chav-turned-gent Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and his tech man Merlin (Mark Strong). Back too is Colin Firth's Galahad, suffering from a nasty bout of retrograde amnesia. They're also joined by their American counterparts The Statesmen, whose ranks include Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Jeff Bridges and a criminally-underused Channing Tatum. Silly and fun as it might be, there are some glaring problems with this film, most notably that it's unfathomably sexist. With the one exception of Julianne Moore's Poppy, every single woman in Kingsman: The Golden Circle exists only as a victim, a love interest or an assistant to her male counterparts. Given the movie was co-written by Jane Goldman, it's beyond comprehension why such rampant and unnecessary gender bias could exist in a movie where masculinity plays no meaningful purpose. Yes, it's about spies in sumptuous suits, but as one of the early scenes demonstrates, Eggsy's best friend and colleague Roxy looks as good if not better in the ole pin stripes and paisley, to say nothing of her abilities. Still, the film is entertaining in spite of its flaws and it thankfully retains enough shock factor to honour the original. The final scene also makes clear that the producers are prepping for part three. Love it or leave it, there's more Kingsman to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nxc-3WpMbg
Heading to Marvel Stadium at Melbourne's Docklands usually means watching a game of AFL. Or, you could be hitting up the venue to see a gig. Moseying beneath the space to wander around an underground light show and labyrinth definitely isn't normally on the cards. That'll change come winter, with the city's Firelight Festival returning for 2024 — and, for the first time, bringing the Firelight Labyrinth with it. The fest itself is a three-day affair over the last weekend in June, running from Friday, June 28–Sunday, June 30 at New Quay Promenade, Victoria Promenade and Harbour Esplanade. On the agenda, as in past years: fire performers, fire pits, fire drums, flame jets, fire arches and fire sculptures. There'll also be live music, African drumming, and an array of stomach-warming food and drink options — such as dumplings, smoked meats, paella, churros and hot chocolates. Flame-filled arts — and bites to feast on and beverages to sip while you're enjoying them — aren't the only drawcard this year, though. Cue more than 144,000 lights beaming beneath Marvel Stadium, with the labyrinth sticking around for over two weeks from Friday, June 28–Sunday, July 14. Accordingly, this year's Firelight Festival is also a huge tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike, especially if you want to see a key Aussie Rules venue in a new light — literally. As well as all of those sources of luminousness, the Firelight Labyrinth will feature immersive audio, making the experience an audio-visual maze. While the festival is free to attend — you'll need your wallet for whatever you eat and drink — the Firelight Labyrinth is ticketed, costing $37.50 for adults.
When Australian men cross-dress, it's usually very camp or very bogan. When young English boys do so, it's civilised, or so it would seem from watching Sasha Regan's production of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Pirates of Penzance. Regan has mentioned in her program notes that she has tried to re-create the days of single-sex high school productions, which necessitate cross-dressing to cover all roles. She's certainly managed to give the production a high school revue air, whilst elevating it to a professional, technically sound show. This is not some edgy interrogation of gender but rather a well-executed piece of good clean fun. It's respectable for musicals to entertain for entertainment's sake, and it's even better if they're done with this level of flair and aplomb. Some of the best comedy arises out of subjects taking themselves far too seriously and these corseted men are deadly sincere. The hilarity of cross-dressing wears off quickly and the story takes precedence, even if W.S. Gilbert's plot is basic. Alan Richardson as Mabel is the main reason for this. His solo, 'Stay Fred’ric, stay' verges on moving. He uses a squawky falsetto judiciously for comic effect and impressively sings the rest in a genuine soprano range up to a high D flat. As castration has long since been outlawed in his native England, his range can only be attributed to some serious dedication. One of the standout performers is Lee Greenaway playing the incidental character of Connie, a bashful, bespectacled young maiden extremely keen to be married off to one of the dashing pirates. By evoking a sublime mixture of coyness and romantic mania, Greenaway all but steals the show. Although he is doubtless an accomplished singer, every time he opens his mouth as Connie a histrionic shriek emanates that would wake the dead. He is very funny, along with other comic gems such as Joseph Houston playing the dowdy but loyal Ruth. An all-male cast of sailors and maids sounds like Sydney's idea of paradise. It's not all camp spectacle — there are also some fine moments of plain good performance — but yes, let’s face it; there are many robust young men on stage at one time. As Cate Blanchett put it on opening night, “Welcome to Sydney, boys.” Photo by Lisa Tomasetti.
Sydney bookshop Kinokuniya has a wealth of summer page-turners, new cookbooks, art and design hardbacks and a huge range of manga and anime titles. It's where you might go to pick up a gift that has the power to transport you to other worlds, or to inspire you into action. English Books Assistant Manager Marianne has worked at the CBD bookstore on and off for 14 years. "Time flies when you've got a lot of reading to do," she jokes, and one of the titles she couldn't put down this year was Carrie Tiffany's Exploded View. "Everything about it — the mood, the style, the way the plot unfolds — was so unexpected," she says. "I found it literally breathtaking at times," says the avid reader. Which is why we've asked Marianne for her help. In partnership with Kinokuniya, we asked Marianne for her top recommendations for the types of people we all seem to have on our gift lists this year. Take inspiration from her tips below. THE ONE FOR YOUR FILM BUFF FRIEND Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval ($39.99) "Wes Anderson films have that distinct look we know and love, one of faded-grandeur and pop pastel colours that seems almost too vivid, unique and meticulously constructed to be real," says Marianne. Wally Koval's first book comes from the Instagram account of the same name; "it travels to every continent to tell the extraordinary and unexpected true stories behind more than 200 stunning Anderson-esque locations," she says. "It's perfect for Anderson fans and thwarted travellers alike." THE ONE FOR YOUR FOODIE FRIEND To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon ($39.99) "To Asia, With Love is Kino-fave Hetty McKinnon's homecoming," says Marianne. "It's a joyous return to the nurturing flavours and meals of her childhood and a celebration of the possibilities of modern Asian cooking". In the 2020 cookbook, the internationally renowned food writer takes us through how to make buttery miso Vegemite noodles, stir-fried salt and vinegar potatoes, cacio e pepe udon noodles and banh mi turned into a salad. "Hetty is a fave for a very good reason." THE ONE FOR COMIC BOOK FANS Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams by Naoki Urasawa ($29.99) "When life gives you lemons, follow a chatty crow and a mysterious symbol — isn't that how the saying goes?," says Marianne. This 2020 paperback by award-winning author Naoki Urasawa follows protagonist Kamoda on a journey from Tokyo to France, where a painting heist "might just change his fate". Marianne reveals it has a tongue-in-cheek cameo and endearing characters along the way; "it's Urasawa condensed into one sweet volume". THE ONE FOR THE PLANT NERD Plantopedia: The Definitive Guide to House Plants by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan ($59.99) "One of my lockdown projects was to keep a fiddle leaf fig alive and thriving in my living room — his name is Jean-Michel, and he's doing fine," says Marianne. She's not the only one who adopted a home jungle this year, and Plantopedia, the third book from Sydney's Leaf Supply, is the definitive guide to understanding how to maintain happy, healthy houseplants no matter what space you're keeping them in. "It has more than 130 plant profiles and detailed care information including troubleshooting tips and tricks," she says. "It's also a gorgeous book to pore over as you dream of growing your plant brood." THE ONE FOR YOUR ARTY FRIEND Vincent Namatjira: The Royal Tour by Vincent Namatjira and Tony Albert ($40) "In this debut artist book from the 2020 Archibald Prize winner, Vincent Namatjira places himself front and centre in various historical royal occasions by painting directly onto the pages of commemorative royal photobooks he found in op-shops in Alice Springs," says Marianne. "The works that populate The Royal Tour are irreverent, political, and darkly funny, wrangling history and telling truths with a subversive, cheeky grin." Which is exactly the humorous work we've come to expect from the 37-year-old artist, who took the top gong at this year's portrait prize for his depiction of sporting star Adam Goodes. THE ONE FOR YOUR BEACH-READING BUDDY Earthlings by Sayaka Murata ($29.99) "Young Natsuki, who might be a witch, or an alien from another planet, and her cousin Yuu, spend their summers in the wild mountains, dreaming of other worlds," tells Marianne. "When a terrible sequence of events threatens the two children, they make a promise: survive, no matter what". The latest fiction from the author of Convenience Store Woman is her pick for a summer page-turner this year. "It's definitely my strangest and funniest read of the year," she says. "It is perfect for devouring on summer afternoons, and then sharing with friends. You'll want to watch their reactions, as well as compare notes, when they're done." THE ONE FOR YOUR MINDFUL-LIVING MATE High Grade Living by Jacqui Lewis and Arran Russell ($49.99) "After the year we've had, authors Jacqui Lewis and Arran Russell invite us to come back to ourselves with mindfulness, creativity, and intention — goodness knows, we need it," says Marianne. She's picked out this hardback release for your friends who are into yoga, meditation and Marie Kondo. "This beautiful book examines how to audit, edit and refine your life and your space to reflect who you really are. Filled with gorgeous photography and sleek design, High Grade Living is the perfect aesthetic and spiritual inspiration for the mystics and meditators in your life." THE ONE FOR YOUR GO-GETTING COLLEAGUE Passion Purpose Profit by Fiona Killackey ($29.99) This is for those work BFs who are always talking about their side-hustle — the jobs they wish they could ditch their current ones to pursue. Passion, Purpose, Profit is a practical guide and workbook covering everything from idea-generating to hiring a great team, says Marianne. Author Fiona Killackey maps out how to develop a clear understanding of business ideas without creating financial and emotional stress. "It has step-by-step tips and templates, as well as case studies of successful creative business owners. It will have us all empowered and excited to make bank with our ideas," she says. Perfect for your aspirational pals. Find more excellent gift ideas at Kinokuniya this summer.
A lavish European-influenced brasserie is swinging open its doors in Sydney's CBD. Brasserie 1930 will officially arrive on Wednesday, March 15, coming to the new luxury hotel Capella Sydney from the Bentley Restaurant Group. The acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus will bring an elegant dining room, next-level eats and a meticulously curated wine program to the expansive inner-city hotel — the first Australian opening from the Capella hotel group. Named after the year the Young Street section of the building was completed, Brasserie 1930 takes the idea of an elevated French diner and injects it with local Australian produce and Sydney-favourite dishes. Expect to kick off your meal with Sydney rock or Tasmanian pacific oysters, as well as prawns paired with fermented chilli mayonnaise. Highlights from the starters section of the menu include beef tartare, brown butter scallops, spanner crab alla chitarra with sea urchin sauce and glazed quail paired with whipped feta. [caption id="attachment_892588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Then there's the mains. Starting from $48, this portion of the offerings is full of no-holds-barred luxury. The seafood selections, for example, include coral trout with potato yoghurt puree and leek, coal-roasted Murray cod with pepperberry butter and eastern rock lobster. There are three steaks on offer if that's what you're craving. Take your pick from the Yarabah wagyu rump cap, O'Connor's bone-in sirloin or Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye that'll set you back an easy $110. And, rounding out the mains is the whole-roasted duck which you can order for the table. This $190 share dish comes accompanied by duck-neck sausage, roasted plum, fennel, spinach and glazed eschalots. [caption id="attachment_892592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Timothy Kaye[/caption] Bentley Restaurant Group's co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt has pulled together a massive wine list to compliment the elegant menu. More than 400 producers from across Australia and Europe are on show, with the by-the-glass menu set to evolve and change over time, spotlighting picks from the hospitality group's wine vault. All of this is housed within an equally grand dining space. Original architectural features of the nearly century-old building have been restored, then complemented with sleek modern furnishings and light fixtures. Brasserie 1930 will join the McRae Bar in the 192-room, eight-storey Capella Sydney hotel. The luxury accommodation will become Australia's first Capella when it also opens on Wednesday, March 15, offering guests an elevated inner-city stay featuring swimming and vitality pools, a fitness centre and a spa alongside the impressive dining options. [caption id="attachment_892589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Capella Sydney and Brasserie 1930 both open on Wednesday, March 15 at 2–4 Farrer Place, Sydney. Top image: Kris Paulsen.
Situated at the heart of Sydney's historic centre, The Collective is Hunter St. Hospitality's new dining and drinking precinct bringing the ideal blend of sophistication and easygoing atmosphere. Opening in April, three restaurants, four bars and several smaller spots primed for elegant refreshments contrast against the storied neighbourhood's cobblestoned streets and turn-of-the-century architecture. Old meets new in terms of the dining options too, with much-loved establishments like Saké and The Cut Bar & Grill complementing the arrival of The Collective's three headline venues – The Garden, The Dining Room, and Cloakroom. With each offering a distinctive atmosphere and culinary flair, there's no shortage of ways to match your mood whether you're seeking an intimate dinner for two or a group feast with friends. Diving into the new venues, The Garden is an al fresco eatery styled after leafy, Parisian courtyard restaurants. Surrounded by heritage-listed buildings in this central hideaway, the vibe shifts from low-key coffee and sandwiches in the shade during the day to cocktails and dinner beneath a starry sky at night. Drawing from The Dining Room's menu, expect light and bright fare, like king prawn cutlets with gribiche. The Dining Room levels up the sophistication inside with welcoming but refined cuisine and surrounds. Here, a locally focused menu becomes a little more indulgent, with seafood dishes like blacklip abalone with bottarga and black rice alongside yellow tuna with blood plum and celery. After your feast, you're invited to head upstairs to the bar and lounge for cocktails and cosy seating. Building on this identity, Cloakroom is where guests can kick back in style with a top-shelf cocktail. Designed for maximum moodiness, warm timbers, dim lighting and plush seating give this 20-seat venue a swanky ambience. The drinks menu is suitably luxe, with a signature Cloakroom martini flanked by a complex collection of cocktails ready to enliven your evening. "Hospitality precincts are having a moment in Sydney, and I believe their appeal will only grow. With an 1800sqm footprint spread across three levels, we saw an opportunity to create something even more special with the properties we already have," says Hunter St. Hospitality CEO, Frank Tucker. "Each venue offers something unique, from casual dining to premium experiences, making The Collective as appealing to tourists exploring the area as it is for corporate and Sydneysiders." The Collective opens in April 2025 at 18 Argyle Street, The Rocks. Head to the website for more information. Images: Steven Woodburn.
