If you're looking for some peace and tranquility among the mountains then head straight for the idyllic Buddong Falls campground. This remote patch of land is a great base to explore the surrounding national parks and maybe catch a glimpse of some of the local wildlife that make their homes within the surrounding ribbon gums and along the nearby creek and waterfall. If you're not the most seasoned camper then fear not — picnic tables, barbecues and public toilets are all readily available to make things a little more comfortable.
If you'd like to explore Sydney a little differently, check out the small-group food and drink experiences by award-winning tour company Local Sauce Tours. Hop your way down Oxford Street's colourful haunts accompanied by a drag queen or discover the authentic Italian delis and restaurants of Five Dock. The tours have a maximum of 12 guests and no minimum number — great if you're travelling solo and want to get to know Sydney like a local. The guides blend the food and drink experiences with engaging stories of the city's history, culture, nightlife and art. One of the top experiences is the Secret Bar Crawl through YCK Laneways which takes place every Tuesday night. The guides weave stories of the neighbourhood while visiting the top-notch small bars that populate the precinct. Images: Justin Steele
There's a good chance you're already familiar with Adore Beauty, thanks to its powerful online reach. Now, the much-loved beauty retailer has set about launching a compelling brick-and-mortar presence in 2025 with big news on the horizon. Following on from the opening of the brand's first and second physical stores in Melbourne earlier in the year, Adore Beauty is almost ready to swing open the doors to its debut Sydney location. Situated in Glebe's bustling Broadway Sydney shopping centre, fans can expect a carefully curated selection of cult-favourite global and local brands across skincare, haircare, fragrance, wellness, makeup and more. Like the Melbourne locations, the Sydney store will also feature a private treatment room where customers can undertake facials and LED light therapy. Plus, you're welcome to learn more about your skin through complimentary consultations with an in-house dermal therapist. Adore Beauty offers a sprawling portfolio of products, with more than 300 brands to roam during your shop. Plus, long-time customers will be happy to know their in-store purchase comes with a free Tim Tam, a staple of the brand's retail identity. As Adore Beauty continues to expand its brick-and-mortar offering, Sydney isn't the only city getting in on the action. Two stores are set to open in Perth in the coming weeks, with the group planning to open over 25 stores around the country within two years. Adore Beauty is expected to open at Broadway Sydney shopping centre in August. Head to the website for more information. Images: Nicole Squelch
Marrickville's gin distillery Poor Toms has been turning out some of the best locally-made drops since 2015 — it's so good, in fact, that they crowdfunded over $25,000 of the stuff in one day. Now, owners Griffin Blumer and Jesse Kennedy are finally ready to share their gin hall with the inner west masses. The mates have just opened the doors to their Chalder Avenue digs and there's some serious excitement in the air. Located just around the corner from Sauce Brewing and the soon-to-be-open Stockade, as well as a quick walk from Batch, Grifter and Wildflower, the gin hall is nicely situated within the suburb's craft booze haven. All this beer in one vicinity warrants another alcoholic option, and Poor Toms is ready to oblige. To celebrate the opening, the team is throwing an extra special launch party that will (hopefully) one-up their garbage bin gin raves of old. Head on in on Saturday, April 28 from noon, and they'll be slinging six buck gin and tonics and $12 martinis, along with a sausage sizzle and tunes by local DJs.
Here's news to restart Australia's city rivalries: in 2024, just like in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Melbourne is home to the country's best pizza. This year, however, so is Sydney as well. That's the word from the experts at the 2024 50 Top Pizza awards for the Asia Pacific, which keeps enjoying slices from Victorian chain 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar — but this time, it loved the Harbour City's Al Taglio just as much. Both pizzerias have been named in the top-five slice-slinging joints in the Asia Pacific for this year, sharing fifth spot. They're the only Australian eateries in the top ten, but New Zealand's Dante's Pizzeria Napoletana came in sixth. If sending some affection 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar's way sounds familiar, that's because it happens often. As well as its Top 50 Pizza successes, the Melbourne pizzeria with outposts in South Yarra and Elsternwick was also crowned #1 Pizza in Australia at the Pizza World Championships in 2019. Back at the Top 50 Pizza gongs, only 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar placed on 2023's global list, too, with the Melbourne chain coming in 41st. Al Taglio popped up in the next 50, at number 63. How they'll each fare worldwide in 2024 won't be announced until September. This year's best Asia Pacific pizzerias were named at a ceremony at the Italian Institute of Culture in Tokyo. Running for the last seven years, the 50 Top Pizza awards are chosen by around 1000 experts across the globe, who visit the pizzerias anonymously to judge and rank their offerings. The annual international pizzeria guide chooses its picks based not just on the merit of their slices, but on each pizzeria as a whole, rating the food, drinks, service and overall ambiance. In top spot in the Asia Pacific this year: The Pizza Bar on 38th in Tokyo, which also earned the same placing in 2023. In second came Crosta Pizzeria in Makati in The Philippines, followed by RistoPizza in Tokyo in third, Hong Kong's Fiata by Salvatore in fourth and then the Aussie double shared fifth spot. A handful of other Aussie venues were also among 2024's Asia Pacific top 50 best pizzerias, starting with Sydney's Queen Margherita of Savoy in 23rd place. Lil Franky Pizzeria, also in the New South Wales capital, ranked 27th — and Gigi's Pizza, similarly in the city, came in at 30th. From Melbourne, Il Caminetto sits in 31st spot, Shop225 in 32nd and +39 Pizzeria in 33rd. Maestro Sourdough Pizza in Perth also earned some attention, ranking 43rd — and Sydney's Pizza Madre rounded out the list by coming in at 50th. Find 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar at 373 Malvern Road, South Yarra and 15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick. For the full 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific awards list, jump over to the website. Craving a slice, Melburnians? Check out our top picks for pizza in Melbourne. 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar images: Hi Sylvia.
Whether you're a Melburnian or an upcoming visitor to the city, if your early winter plans involve heading out for a meal, the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne want to give you an extra incentive. As initially announced at the beginning of May, the two government bodies have teamed up on a new dining scheme that'll offer 20-percent rebates for eating out in the CBD, Chinatown, Lygon Street, Docklands, North Melbourne, Kensington and Southbank. Originally called the CBD Dining Experiences Scheme, and now dubbed 'Melbourne Money', the initiative will kick off on Friday, June 11. It'll cover food and drink purchases in-store at restaurants, cafes and pubs, as well as bars, clubs, breweries and distilleries. The rebate applies to transactions between $50–500 (including GST), meaning that you'll get as little as $10 and as much as $100 back. The big caveat: you do have to purchase something to eat, with your drinks only covered if you're buying food. Another important thing to take into consideration: it works on a first in, first served basis. So, heading out as soon as the scheme starts — which happens to be on the Queen's Birthday long weekend — and submitting your claim for a rebate immediately afterwards is recommended. Both residents of and visitors to the City of Melbourne can get their cash back after they've been to a hospitality venue, received an itemised receipt at the time of payment, then taken a photo of it and uploaded it to the Melbourne Money website. Within five working days, you'll then score 20 percent of the bill's total via a transfer to your bank account. Melbourne Money forms part of the Victorian Government's next $107.4 million million in spending to revitalise the city, which is included in the 2021–22 Victorian Budget. The Victorian Government is providing $7.4 million towards the scheme, with the City of Melbourne kicking in another $1 million. The dining initiative is the latest scheme to help the state recover from the pandemic, following vouchers for travel to both regional areas and the CBD — and it adapts an idea that's already been rolled out in New South Wales (and, before that, in the UK as well). The Melbourne Money scheme kicks off on Friday, June 11. For more information, head to the City of Melbourne website. Top image: Josie Withers, Visit Victoria.
There's no shortage of good reasons why restaurants and wine bars don't serve every bottle by the glass, from preservation to temperature control. Yet when the vintage looks just right, paying for the entire bottle is the only choice. Coravin's wine preservation tools are a handy solution to this problem, making it possible to pour from a corked bottle without actually breaking the seal. Now in its second year, the Coravin World Wine Tour is making five stops across Australia, with some of the country's most admired wine bars transforming their entire lists into by-the-glass offerings. Love, Tilly Devine plays host in Sydney from Thursday, May 1–Saturday, May 31. This intimate spot, tucked down a Darlinghurst laneway, is renowned as one of the top spots for a drop in the entire city. With 300 bottles to choose from, sip your way through the list or pair a stellar pick with a dish from the highly seasonal food menu. Don't miss a rare chance to experience some incredible wines by the glass, including the skin-contact wines of Staffelter Hof – a 1,200-year-old working winery – top-notch single-vineyard chardonnays from Patrick Sullivan, and enchanting Poppelvej creations shaped by Uffe Deichmann, McLaren Vale's leading lo-fi Danish winemaker.
As the name suggests, this new bar from master mixologist Grant Collins is dedicated to celebrating the evolution of the dry martini, as well as its caffeinated crowd-pleasing cousin, the espresso martini. Through a carefully curated collection of experimental and classic cocktails, Grant Collins and Gin Lane invite patrons into an atmosphere of easy-going sophistication, bringing elements from London's modern martini bars and Spain's laidback cocktail and tapas scene to the heart of Chippendale. Think of Dry Martini's menu as an ode to the evolution of the cocktail classic, where guests can experience different flavour profiles and mixes ranging from original and well-loved Gatsby-coded recipes from the 20s and 30s, to contemporary creative takes such as the salted caramel espresso martini with a nitro frozen foam and Scottish espresso martini with a shortbread infused whiskey and shortbread foam. If you're overwhelmed by choice, simply surrender to the espresso martini tree — a bespoke tower of six curated drinks. Guests can expect cocktails mixed with the highest quality house-distilled gin, unique vodkas, and house-made bitters. A tapas-style food menu has been designed to complement the flavours of the martini selection. The oyster shell gin martini, for example, is ideally served alongside freshly shucked oysters — dished-up with dry ice smoke billowing beneath the platter for a little side serving of theatricality. The menu draws inspiration from San Sebastian's bite-size pintxos, offering both sweet and savoury options, from a martini wagyu slider with rich and silky caramelised onions, cheek-wrinkling sour house-made pickles and a generous amount of martini mayo to sweeter options like their piña colada dome with coconut crumble and caramelised pineapple. Alternatively, if the cocktail sidekick you seek is something simpler, the high-low delight of the truffle and jamon toastie topped with caviar perfectly pairs with the house negroni. Dry Martini's wallet-saving happy hours are banishing cost-of-living worries with $10 martinis and $15 daily cocktail specials available every day from 5.30pm–7.00pm Tuesday - Thursday and 5.30pm–6.30pm Friday and Saturday.
Sydney fine-dining institution Nel is known for its next-level set menus, with its always-popular Disney degustations taking beloved animated films and turning them into mind-blowing dishes, and its Christmas banquet bringing the ultimate festive cheer with inventive takes on seasonal classics. Now, the CBD venue is going rogue with a 11-course set menu based on everyone's favourite fried chicken fast food chain — the home of 11 secret herbs and spices, KFC. Available for $75 per person across just three days on the weekend of Friday, April 1–Sunday, April 3, the dinner will take iconic menu items from the Colonel and transform them into luxurious, unrecognisable culinary creations. The experience has been created by Nel's owner Nelly Robinson, with each course designed to combine the extravagance of Nel with the fun and playfulness associated with fast food. Highlights from the menu are too abundant to list out, but some exciting concepts you'll be presented with include supercharged wings charred and served on a bed of charcoal, a candle made of gravy that will drip onto a potato bun, and the portrait of Colonel Sanders that's used as the KFC logo recreated on a plate with flavours of fried chicken, tomato, lettuce and pepper mayo. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find takes on popcorn chicken, Original Recipe drumsticks and the twister — all manipulated and elevated by the chefs at Nel — as well as some yet-to-be-revealed surprises. Wines will be served to compliment the dishes, and finishing off the whole affair will be a nitrogen-dipped chocolate mousse that promises to melt in your mouth. "As a lifelong fan of KFC, creating an 11-course degustation with their most-loved menu items and elevating them to new heights has been a dream come true," Robinson said. The profits are also going to a good cause, with 100-percent of the proceeds from the three nights being donated to KFC's charity partners The Black Dog Institute, ReachOut Australia and Whitelion. With both Nel and KFC expecting this limited-time banquet to be in high demand, you'll have to sign up to a waitlist at KFC's website in order to be in the running to nab tickets to the event. [caption id="attachment_846235" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nelly Robinson[/caption] KFC and Nel's degustation will be happening at a secret location in Sydney between Friday, April 1–Sunday, April 3. You can join the waitlist at KFC's website.
A decadent spot deserves a decadent bar to match — or a couple. That's the case at Sydney's 120-year-old Queen Victoria Building, which has taken things up a notch with with the launch of not one, but two new luxurious bars. When you're not sipping Champagne at Reign at the QVB, you can combine beverages with a meal at bar-restaurant Esquire Drink + Dine. Open late every night, Esquire is the place to head if you're looking for more of a sit-down meal. The opulent level-one venue takes its cues from the supper clubs of New York, with an old-world fit-out of oak, leather and parquetry flooring. It's a moody, dapper backdrop for settling in with a fittingly expansive offering of whisky, cocktails and wine. From the kitchen comes a sophisticated spread of reimagined comfort food. Think gruyere-stuffed jaffles with fries and a pork jowl schnitzel sided with mustard, radish and burnt lemon. You can also choose from four cuts of steak and a whole roast chicken for two, which is used across two courses. Both Esquire and Reign are overseen by a team of hospitality guns, including Matthew Beaumont as Group General Manager of Beverage (The Star, Merivale), Damien Worthington (QT Hotels, The Winery) in the role of Executive Chef and Fabio Nistrio (Sokyo at The Star, Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room) heading up the tightly curated drinks program. Esquire is open from 11am each day, surely to cater to post-shopping snacks and business lunches. And as far as kicking on late, it's open for eats and drinks right up until 2am Thursday through Sunday. Images: Damian Flanagan.
Amongst all the fanfare of the opening of War and peace and in between at the AGNSW, another show seems to have slipped quietly under the radar. It’s a shame really because Video Swell Sydney is a mini showcase of some superior video art.Featuring work by Sydney’s video art heavyweights, The Kingpins, TV Moore and Kate Murphy — and that powerhouse of contemporary art himself, Shaun Gladwell, Video Swell Sydney is an opportunity to see some of the very best works minus the distraction of a group show. The AGNSW is keeping mum about the details (although they promise a program is forthcoming, check out their website for updates). What they are saying is ‘Four Artists. Four Videos. Two weeks per screening’. It’s a little bit like those old Ansett mystery flights — you’re not sure where you are going, but you know it’s going to be good. Image: The Kingpins, Welcome to the Jingle, 2003, (production still).
Since 1983, Lucio's has brought together two of the best things in life — Italian food and art — in a beautiful terrace in Paddington. Owner Lucio Galletto OAM says the combination is like the air he breathes. The fare is of the Northern Italian variety, made with fresh, seasonal produce and pasta whipped up on-the-spot daily. To sample as many dishes as possible, go for the six-course degustation, and between the courses of hearty eats, feast your eyes on the stunning Australian artworks covering the walls. They're part of Lucio's private collection, and among them, you'll spot pieces by John Olsen, John Coburn, Tim Storrier, Charles Blackman and loads of others. Some even speculate that Lucio's could be one of the world's best art restaurants, along with New York City's Four Seasons, London's Sketches and Ivy and Provence's La Colombo d'Or. Image: Jesse Jaco.
Strolling through stunning lights as far as the eye can see, moseying beneath a canopy of glowing multi-coloured trees, wandering between ribbons of flashing beams, taking the most luminous 1.8-kilometre stroll through nature that you can imagine — you'll be able to do all of this again when Lightscape returns to Sydney in 2024. If you went to the 2023 version, this second Lightscape stint in the New South Wales capital will also take place during Vivid Sydney. For two years in a row, one dazzling event hosts another, then, with 2024's iteration running from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15. Once more, the after-dark light festival is taking over the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, beaming away from 5pm each night. Prepare to see the garden illuminated by immersive and large-scale installations scattered along that almost two-kilometre route, including sparkling trees, luminous walkways and bursts of colour that look like fireworks. A big highlight: large-scale works like giant flowers and glowing tunnels, both of which will make you feel like you're being bathed in radiance. But don't go thinking that you'll just be repeating what you saw last year, because 2024's Lightscape in Sydney has been reimagined. Standouts this year will include Winter Cathedral, which is made out of glowing bulbs; Light a Wish, where dandelions will appear to defy gravity; Floraison, complete with suspended flowers; the blooming Blossom; the self-explanatory Neon Outline Trees; and the geometric Trapezoid. Lightscape first hit Australia in 2022 after initially taking over gardens across the United Kingdom and the United States. Developed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, it's understandably proven a huge success — and more than two-million people wandered along its glowing trails in a single season overseas. In the Harbour City, pop-up food and drink stalls will be scattered throughout Lightscape at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney — selling, we hope, mulled wine to keep hands warm during the chilly winter nights. "Vivid Sydney 2024 is diving deep into what makes us uniquely human, designed to foster connections, spark imagination and showcase the multitude of ways creativity enriches our lives," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. "We are so excited to welcome back Lightscape to Vivid Sydney 2024 to showcase this through the reimagined activation at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney." Lightscape will light up the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Queen Elizabeth II Gates, from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 during Vivid Sydney. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the Vivid Sydney website.
"You wanna get through this?" asked Furiosa in the film that introduced her to the world. With the heat of a blazing sun in a desolate future Australia scorched by ecocide, the answer to that question was baked into Mad Max: Fury Road's frames. All that the characters in the dystopian franchise's fourth film in 2015 wanted was to survive, its namesake (Tom Hardy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and the long-running hero's new hero in Furiosa (Charlize Theron, Fast X) included. Of course, merely getting through the phenomenal George Miller (Three Thousand Years of Longing)-directed addition to a saga that the iconic Aussie filmmaker started in 1979 couldn't have been further from its audience's mind. Mad Max: Fury Road wasn't just the return of an Australian franchise three decades after its last instalment; it was the return of the Aussie franchise. It was post-apocalyptic action cinema at its most spectacular, too — and the action film that all action films are now judged against. Viewers got through it not only revved up and buzzing, but seeking more like a war boy chasing Valhalla, especially as further chapters were teased by Miller. It took nine years, but now the fifth Mad Max flick is finally racing onto silver screens: prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. As Furiosa, The Witch, Split, Emma, The Queen's Gambit, The Northman and The Menu's Anya Taylor-Joy dons a shaved scalp and grease smeared across her forehead. As Dementus, her captor from childhood — and the adversary that she devotes her pre-Fury Road life to getting revenge on— Chris Hemsworth trades a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero for a wasteland warlord. Much to the amusement of both while they're chatting with Concrete Playground about the film, the latter can't quite leave his time as the MCU's resident hammer-wielding god behind even while he's riding a chariot made out of motorbikes across a hellscape. A cape that turns red via a flare gun's crimson smoke guarantees it. "You did bring it up," Taylor-Joy says to Hemsworth about the wardrobe choice that pushes his four Thor films, 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder being the last, to mind. "I said it to George, I go 'you know I wear red cape in that film we're trying to forget about, and that character we're trying to remove myself from?'," Hemsworth tells us. "And he said 'oh, I didn't think of that. Anyway, cool.' And I was like 'so it stays red?'. And he's like 'yeah, it stays red'." [caption id="attachment_956846" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jasin Boland[/caption] Scarlet capes aside, the only thing that anyone should be thinking about during Furiosa is Furiosa. That, and the magnificent cinematic series that Miller has been crafting for 45 years now. Back then, he didn't foresee a future for anything Mad Max. He couldn't predict the response to Fury Road, either. "You can't. It's like life; there's almost no point in trying to prognosticate," the former doctor explains to Concrete Playground. Talking through why that's the case Steven Spielberg anecdotes spanning both E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park — and charting how the technology that helped bring the Babe pictures to life (Miller scripted and produced both, and helmed sequel Babe: Pig in the City), and then the Happy Feet flicks, led him back to the world of his directorial debut. Miller hasn't just been making visions of a potential sunburnt fate that increasingly no longer feels purely fictional — especially with Fury Road and now Furiosa, he's been making dystopian magic. We also chatted with him about the route to the saga's fifth entry, plus the decision to cast Taylor-Joy instead of digitally de-ageing Theron. And, with Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth, we dived into entering such a significant franchise, living the Aussie dream, the threads that connect Furiosa and Dementus, Taylor-Joy's love for her character and why this is Hemsworth's favourite part in years. On Never Imagining 45 Years Ago That Mad Max Would Still Be Going All of This Time Later George: "Not in a million years. I mean, to be perfectly honest, the first Mad Max was so difficult to make, I didn't even think I'd make another movie — let alone make more Mad Max movies. But one thing led to the another. As John Lennon said, life is what happens when you're making other plans, and that's what happened to me. Luckily for me, the first Mad Max had some resonance with audiences — and I couldn't even figure out why. Because for me, it just wasn't anything close to what I thought was a film that would work. And then I realised 'oh, I'd better find out why' and that led me to do Mad Max 2 — which was technically and physically a much more difficult film to make, but I understood then what makes a film. I'd learned all the things I did done wrong on Mad Max. And then that basically started my lifelong inquiry into how to make films and why we make films, or why we tell stories on film. So here I am still curious about that process all these years later. Never expected to be, but here I am." On Taking on a Mesmerising Fury Road Character and Stepping Into an Iconic Australian Franchise Anya: "Oh my goodness, I think my brain does a very clever thing where anything that could possibly stop me from taking an opportunity, it just keeps in the back of my mind and I don't think about it until it's way too late. But I will say that I have a lot of friends that made Fury Road and they had one piece of advice — and it was just 'trust George'. This is a man that's been living with this character for forever. He's had this script in his mind for forever. He wasn't going to let us mess it up. He was going to deliver exactly what it is that he wanted." On Living the Aussie Dream of Starring as a Wasteland Warlord in a Mad Max Film Chris: "I remember watching these films with my dad many years ago, and the nostalgia and vivid memories I have around it is incredible. And to be not just working with George Miller, but on a Mad Max film, was kind of this pinnacle for me. And I don't know where I go from here. It may all be downhill. But it was a dream come true. I peaked too early. I'm retiring. There it is." On the Huge Response to Fury Road — and Not Being Able to Predict How Much the World Would Love the Film George: "People say set goals. The only goals you should set are what you can do in front of yourself. You can't lay out plans because life's too unpredictable in every endeavour in life, no matter what people say. That's why I think that John Lennon quote is so true, really. But on Fury Road, that was an exercise in basically realising one day that filmmaking had changed from the celluloid, analogue filmmaking, where we made the first Mad Maxes. Fury Road was a decade into the digital dispensation, which we kind of really got into fairly early with the first Babe movie. That was done at Universal Studios, which had made Jurassic Park, which was the first big movie where Steven [Spielberg] used the digital technology. There were 63 shots of dinosaurs and that basically heralded the new digital age of filmmaking. They saw what was happening with that, hadn't yet released that and said 'hey, if you guys wanted, this would be good if you wanted to shoot the pigs and the animals live action, you could do it'. So that's what got me on that path. The story is always privileged over everything else in filmmaking, but the technology and the tools are also a fascinating thing because the new technologies can really help you make films — interesting films that are in some way unique. So, almost a decade later when [Australian cinematographer] Andrew Lesnie, who shot Babe, went off to shoot Lord of the Rings, and he came back to Sydney after the first one and showed me the first motion capture of Gollum, I suddenly thought 'hey, this penguin story we've got, we can make the penguins tap dance'. And so that technology, motion capture, I'd never even heard the words before and now we could use it in animation — and so on and so on. So, by the time we got to Fury Road, all that technology, that's another decade later, almost. I thought 'holy cow, there's things we can do with a basic action film like this, we could never dream of doing way back two, three decades before'. So that led to Fury Road. You put all that you know, your skills and what you've learned along the way into a film like Fury Road. You go through the process and push it out there and people will make of it what they will — there's no other way you can do it. You can never anticipate whether a film is going to be successful or not. You really can't. I met Steven Spielberg for the first time about a month and a half before E.T. came out. He showed me a trailer of this film. I thought, 'gee, that's very moving'. I was very touched by the trailer. And he no idea at the time that it would become E.T., that it would have such a cultural impact. He was more concerned with some other film that he was working on at the time. So you can never predict. You can't tell either way. You don't know if something's going to be successful. I'm just very thankful that after Fury Road, which was a pretty arduous film to make, that it had some traction and ultimately it led us to do to make Furiosa." On Avoiding Feeling Daunted About the Massive Reaction to Fury Road While Making Its Prequel Chris, to Anya: "I get a little bit of what you were saying — you could spend your entire day kind of thinking of all the..." Anya: "Reasons not to do something." Chris: "Yeah, the consequences. And all of the should, could, etcetera. And it ends up distracting you from what you should be doing, which is just focusing on the character and the story and so on. Plus, the more films I do, I realise how much of it is just out of your control. That used to scare the hell out of me, and now I find it really comforting. I'm like 'there's a lot of people involved in this, it's not my fault'. We're all a part of this massive collaboration or jigsaw puzzle that's trying to be assembled — and it works or it doesn't, but as long as you put your heart and soul into it, then, great. If you try to take it personally and look at it like 'oh, there's this many years and so on', occasionally it's a motivation but it shouldn't be a distraction. Anya: "I'd also say rather than thinking about all of that as something that was scary, we both wanted to do this because in recent memory we'd seen Fury Road. We knew what that was. We knew what an adventure it would be and we wanted to be a part of the team that made such an incredible creation — and now we've done it. So if anything, it's just more exciting to get to work with these incredible artists." On Digging Into the Commonalities Between Furiosa and Dementus, Even Though They're Adversaries Chris: "Quite a lot in the rehearsal process, what I found so impressive from Anya, and what I take away now in that everything I do, is the how fiercely protective she was of the character Furiosa. I suggested doing something in one of the rehearsals with the younger Furiosa and she overheard and said 'hang on, hang on, no, no, no, no, no, she wouldn't take the bear. She wouldn't do this. She wouldn't do it'. And I thought 'oh wow, okay'. That was, I found, inspirational, but it also did drastically alter the way I had to then perform that action. And it was sort of to bury it [a teddy bear] within her grip and then she drops it within the film, you see, as opposed to holding on to it like I was suggesting. And so a lot of our early conversations in the rehearsals definitely, I think, spawned or dictated where these characters were going to go and evolve to or change throughout the film. That was just one thing that always stuck in my mind that I thought I was very thankful for." Anya: "Thank you for saying that, Chris, genuinely. People say that hurt people hurt people. And I think that you can explain egregious action, but I don't think that you should excuse it. That's not something that necessarily makes sense to me. So I think in this relationship, despite the fact that they both have a lot of pain, you can't argue the fact that he is a focal point for a lot of the things that have gone wrong in her life." Chris: "Yeah, it's a beautiful examination, too, of people put in traumatic situations facing adversity." Anya: "Yeah. Everyone's a victim." Chris: "But ultimately it being a decision on the individual. It's not the circumstances that define us, it's ultimately our free will and our decision to act accordingly to that thing. And two people who both have suffered but react very differently and behave very differently — I found that interesting." On Deciding Not to Use De-Ageing Technology and Instead Cast Taylor-Joy as the Younger Furiosa George: "It was a big, big issue. Once we decided to go ahead and realised that close to a decade had gone by — and this is a story that starts with Furiosa at ten and takes her to 28. It happens from childhood to adulthood, whereas Fury Road was compressed into three days and two nights, a completely different exercise in filmmaking. I thought 'gee, who are we going to find to fill those big, big shoes of Charlize?'. And then it turned out to be relatively quick because Edgar Wright showed me an early cut of the movie he'd made — Last Night in Soho, a movie he'd just done with Anya. I saw the movie. I'd seen just clips of her earlier movies, but I hadn't really seen a full movie that she'd done – and I was really struck by her presence. There's a timeless quality about her. She seemed to be very, very in the role. It was a tricky role, it involved dance, there was a lot of precision. And I turned to Edgar and talked about the movie, and then I said 'Anya, she'd be great for...' — he had no idea that I was talking about Furiosa. I said 'she'd be great for...' and before I finished the sentence, he said 'do it, do it, she's got it all, she's got it all' or some words to that effect. I asked him recently is that what he said, and he said it was something different. But my memory was 'she's got it all, she's got it all, do it'. And so I talked to her. I got to understand a little bit about how she approaches her work. She had a lot in common with Charlize. They both were skilled ballet dancers from a very young age, which is a really, really good marker for somebody who's got physical skills. They had that precision. She rode motorbikes. She came from a big family, she was the youngest of them, rode motorbikes when she was a little kid — illegally, of course — in Argentina, and so on. And then we went through the process of working on the film together, and I subsequently learned that it was the right decision, because she was equal to the task — and not only to take on what Charlize had done, but who could match what Chris did with Dementus. These two adversaries had to be evenly matched from the top to the end of the movie, and she was able to do that. I think the movie depends on them both being worthy adversaries." On Conveying So Much of Furiosa's Story Without Words Anya: "It's really extraordinary — characters have always been real for me, and I think with each script I understand how I'll be able to tell the story. Sometimes I'm a little bit ahead of them, and so I can tell it more with hindsight. And with this script, I just knew straight away that I was going to have to tell it in real time — that it was just going to feel very real for me and I'd have to experience it, and that's how I was going to be able to bring the truth of this story to light. I will say that I'm so grateful to both Chris and George for just respecting how much I cared about her. Like, I was really fighting for her every single step of the way, and rather than seeing it as something intense, they saw it as something beautiful — and I really appreciated that. On Hemsworth Getting His Favourite Role to Play Since He Was in Rush Chris: "I think like Rush, when I did Rush, I had just done Thor and a few other things, action films, and it was the great departure from that space. And look, I love playing Thor and if the opportunity came up and there was a story, I'd love to do again. But I definitely feel like I've also run out of ideas with it, whereas this just spawned an abundance of the creativity in me, which I sort of had forgotten about, I think. And it gave me an opportunity to experiment and try different things and lose myself in a role, and get back to the joyful playfulness that we have as kids — and just experimenting with removing the critic and that judgmental voice and just having fun. As odd as that may sound, because he's a murdering psychopath, but it was enjoyable. This is what acting's about. It's about transportation and inhabiting other spaces and someone else's shoes." Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Read our review.
Japanese cuisine has some of the world's most fascinating and multifaceted traditions and techniques underpinning its creation. Couple that with some of the highest standards of cooking, and it's clear why it's so well loved. But, with our weekly rounds of takeaway sushi and ramen, it's easy to leave many iterations of Japanese food undiscovered. Luckily, us Sydneysiders are blessed with so many dining options that switching up your usual and exploring something new is a simple task. Our Japanese dining scene is ever-expanding, with recent openings delivering everything from fire-fuelled omakases to small shops slinging fruit-filled sandos. Although a trip would be delightful, you don't need to fly to the Land of the Rising Sun to experience traditional and exciting Japanese food. So, together with Kuon, the team behind four standout Japanese spots in Sydney, we've curated a list of hot options if you're looking for specific Japanese dishes. Plus, right now, if you book an omakase experience at Irori Kuon before Sunday, June 30, use the code CONCRETE to score $50 off per person. [caption id="attachment_898799" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Credit - Brooke Zotti[/caption] CHARCOAL GRILLED OMAKASE: IRORI KUON A lot of great Japanese food in Sydney is from the team at Kuon, who have four restaurants across the city, each named after and specialising in a certain cooking style. The latest addition is Irori Kuon, whits sits in Darling Square. As per the name, this venue specialises in irori — aka a charcoal grill often sunk into the floor of an omakase restaurant. Here, the irori is raised to a visible point and encased in glass, where diners have full view of the creation of dishes over the stone-lined pit filled with white-hot charcoal. As to what's cooked, the team use a seasonally rotating menu of fresh Australian produce that is presented in its raw form before being prepared and cooked over flames and coals. There's no sushi in sight here, so check your desire for raw food at the door. Bookings are for all-inclusive sessions on specific nights — don't forget to use the code CONCRETE when booking. YAKITORI: CHACO BAR This Potts Point institution is the cosiest and coolest spot to discover the joys of Fukuoka-style yakitori. The ultimate street food, these charcoal-grilled skewers let the flavour of the meat shine, with a smokiness that pairs perfectly for the ultimate bite. You will find yakitori all around Japan as a tasty street snack, or skewers aplenty to be scoffed with a beer in one of many izakayas. But, here in Sydney, Chaco Bar delivers. If meat isn't your thing, opt for the king oyster mushroom with comté and cured yolk. Otherwise, sample the full range of skewers — which includes a 9+ wagyu outside skirt and a tsukune meatball that's served with an onsen egg. You can enjoy your yakitori with some extra share plates and sides that honour traditional Japanese cuisine with a playful hint of experimentation. Think the umami explosion of the wagyu carpaccio dressed in egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano, uni and truffle. Or, the almond tofu with honey goat's curd, heirloom tomato, pear and balsamic. [caption id="attachment_892327" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Credit - Jina Ihm[/caption] TRADITIONAL OMAKASE: KISUKE From Japanese to English, omakase translates to 'I'll leave it to you'. Meaning, once seated, diners ditch their control over the menu and place their trust in the chef. For a more traditional omakase experience, head to Kisuke in Potts Point and snag one of its six seats. There, chef Yusuke Morita will serve his signature sushi and other bites from a daily-changing menu that promises only the highest quality ingredients. The omakase courses showcase Chef Morita's illustrious career spanning Tokyo, Amsterdam and Sydney — where he opened Kisuke in 2020, creating a place to harness his passion for Japanese cooking. Expect the dining experience to last around two-and-a-half hours, and transport you to Japan and back via your palate. The family-run joint puts omotenashi in pride of place — the Japanese custom of providing standout hospitality and kindness, without expectation of anything in return. MAZESOBA: IIKO Mazesoba literally translates to 'mixed noodles', a specialty kind of brothless ramen served with a umami soy-based sauce. IIKO has brought this popular Japanese dish to Sydney — penned as an Australian first — with locations in Darling Square and Barangaroo. Thick and chewy homemade noodles are served with toppings for you to mix together yourself. The classic Mazesoba comes topped with pork belly chasu, green onions, nori, bamboo shoots and an onsen egg for an added dose of saucy goodness. Otherwise, the spot has dandan, karaage and even cheese mazesoba, plus a vegan option with sautéed mushrooms and slow-roasted tomatoes. It's a great casual dining spot for a quick lunch break or an easy dinner date with both beers and sake on offer — the perfect way to switch up your regular ramen-fix. DONBURI: DOPA Japanese rice bowls, or donburi, combine various toppings with a carby base — and a delicious side of pickles and miso soup too. Whether you're yet to try or a seasoned fan, get yourself to Dopa, the multi-spot Sydney eatery serving some seriously delicious donburi. Here, it's all about easy dining and high-quality, sustainable produce. Pick from a range of don, with the popular picks being chicken don with teriyaki or ginger shallot, a soft egg and roasted seaweed and the grilled king salmon don with saikyo miso. Make sure you save room for dessert, Dopa also doubles as a milk bar with Japanese sweet treats including matcha shakes, fluffy cheesecake and an even fluffier matcha Shibuya toast. There's sleek Dopa venues in Darling Square, Regent Arcade, Macquarie Centre and Darling Quarter. SANDOS: SANDOITCHI Anyone who has been lucky enough to travel to Japan will remember grabbing a quick sando to-go from the convenience stores. Impossibly soft milk bread filled with egg and mayonnaise or cream and fresh fruits. Darlinghurst's Sandoitchi has brought the craze straight to Sydney, with the always-bustling cafe serving some of the tastiest sandwiches you can get. With a perfected bread-to-filling ratio across the whole range, the go-to here is the pork kastu sando with American cheese, cucumber, pickled carrot and tonkatsu mayo. Enjoy your sando with a Single O coffee or a matcha latte. [caption id="attachment_892326" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Credit - Promo Link[/caption] SHABU SHABU: HANASUKI Shabu shabu is a specialty style of nabemono — or Japanese hot pot — where thinly sliced meat and vegetables are cooked in a bubbling pot of warming broth. Keen to get slurping? Check out Hanasuki. This sleek Chatswood venue is serving up some of the best authentic shabu shabu. Chef Takashi Yamamoto has curated a menu with the utmost precision, ensuring every vegetable and piece of meat and seafood is sliced to any exact width for the ultimate tasting experience. Sit around a bar with your own personal pot of shabu broth — and if you are feeling really indulgent, opt for some A5 wagyu, you won't regret it. TEMPURA: HACO If deep fried goodness is your thing, tempura could be your religion. A thin batter surrounding anything from plump prawns or squid, to tofu, eggplant or lotus root, quickly crisped up in a deep fryer? Heaven. It's then time you experienced the philosophy of Chef Kensuke Yada at Haco. Yada has created a specialised omakase experience, which uses tempura to hero each ingredient across his 20-odd-course menu. The cooking technique not only adds a layer of crunch, but gently steams the inside component, preserving its natural flavour. The minimalist venue holds only 12 seats and is tucked away on Alberta Street, a hidden gem that will make you feel miles away from home. Kuon is the ideal spot to start your Japanese culinary expedition in Sydney. And, if you use the code CONCRETE when you book, you'll save $50 per person on the omakase experience. For more information and to nab your seat, head to the website. Top image: Brooke Zotti
A drive to the airport in a rideshare is one of life's mundane experiences, whether or not you're en route to a wedding, and also regardless of if you're meant to be collecting your partner and their dry-cleaned suit along the way. In Fake, this routine journey on an average Melbourne day is a masterclass in tension, a portrait of an unravelling and an unwanted realisation unfurling with no escape. With journalist Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) sitting in the backseat as much that she's trusted melts down, it's a stunning episode of television, arriving five instalments into this eight-part Australian thriller that brings its page-to-screen and reality-to-fiction tale to Paramount+ in full from Thursday, July 4. Viewers spend the preceding four episodes of Fake waiting for a moment like this. For those who haven't read Stephanie Wood's memoir of the same name, charting her time dating a former architect-turned-grazier who pairs his grand romantic gestures with erratic behaviour, there's still no doubt that it's coming. It has to, and not just because series creator Anya Beyersdorf (The Twelve) and her co-scribes Jessica Tuckwell (Year Of) and Hyun Lee (Born to Spy) have Birdie's beau Joe Burt (David Wenham, Elvis) note in voiceover that she was onto him from the get-go. While Fake is a love- and lies-fuelled saga, it's also about how someone gets taken in not by the kind of tales that Joe spins but by the emotions that they prey upon, even when their intuition tingles at the outset — and how deceptions like this, from someone manipulating others and someone fooling themselves alike, always shatter. The words "Joe, 51, grazier" on a dating app introduce the ex-property big shot to Birdie; however, everything that he utters on their first date almost halts their romance there. When the pair meet at a sleek bar, he has a business acquaintance (Yuchen Wang, White Fever) in tow and talks only of himself, grandstanding with the recognisable arrogance of someone who refuses to believe (or simply hasn't stopped once to consider) that they aren't the most-interesting person in the room. She cuts and leaves quickly, despite his insistence to the waitstaff that they'll share more wine. Then she ignores his persistent follow-ups afterwards, until she doesn't. Stylistically, Beyersdorf, her co-writers, and also directors Jennifer Leacey (Prosper), Emma Freeman (The Newsreader) and Taylor Ferguson (Fires) adopt two approaches to bringing both Joe's flurry of messages and Birdie's inner questioning to audiences. The contents of texts and emails are written across the screen, overlaid upon the scene's ordinary background — train windows feature heavily — and also spoken aloud, as worries about being almost 50, single and heartbroken from a failed IVF experience are similarly given voice through repeated snippets of conversation. Sometimes, Birdie's own words haunt her. Sometimes, Joe's do. Sometimes, the judgement of her sniping mother Margeaux (Heather Mitchell, Ricky Stanicky) echoes. Combined, the impact is inescapable: when his indefatigable pursuit joins her lifetime of doubts, especially that she's being too fussy and will always be alone, relenting to his overtures and investing in his narrative is the inevitable outcome. Fake relays its story within this psychological space — a place where it's clear to everyone, including to Birdie, that little is right — to explore how a person who investigates for a living succumbs to fantasy over fact. Joe gleefully spins dreams, beginning with his quiet farm life, then escalating into bigger and bolder promises. He also ticks the basics, such as showing interest, sticking around, declaring his love and making Birdie feel like romance hasn't passed her by. But Joe equally has a tale for everything that always seems tall. He misses as many dates as he makes, his excuses mushrooming as well. His ex-wife receives ample blame, frequently with the smack of convenience. He's cagey about specifics, too, and vague and defensive when questioned. When Leacey, Freeman and Ferguson, plus cinematographer Sky Davies (House of Gods), devote Fake's frames to staring Birdie's way, they push Keddie's excellent performance to the fore — and it is exceptional. She's the lead in a yell-at-the-TV type of show, where viewers can't help but say aloud that Birdie is making the wrong choice again and again, and grounding those ill-fated decisions in relatable emotions isn't a simple task. The more that Fake peers, the more that it also turns the sight of its protagonist hoping yet fraying into a mirror. One of Birdie's potential articles at work is about homelessness, a situation that's never as far away as most would like to think — and one of Fake's throughlines is that being Birdie with Joe isn't beyond anyone's realm of possibility. Wenham, no stranger to on-screen shadiness and slipperiness but with memories of SeaChange's Diver Dan still imprinted in Australia's pop-cultural memory, is equally first-rate. His remit isn't straightforward, either, selling the charm that still wins Birdie over in tandem with the sketchiness that's lurking beneath Joe's striving facade — and the character is almost ceaselessly striving — which is a gig on par with both Joshua Jackson (Fatal Attraction) and Edgar Ramirez's (Wolf Like Me) efforts in season one and two of medical-meets-romance scam series Dr Death. Indeed, Wenham does such an unshakeable job as Joe that by the time that Fake spends the aforementioned fifth episode in a car with Birdie, his presence doesn't stop cutting deep, nor showing the scars that it's carving, even just over the phone. It's hardly astonishing, then, that Fake is impossible to stop binge-watching once its first instalment puts its pieces in place: that warning-sign initial date, Birdie's loneliness trumping her niggling uncertainty, society's conditioning that to be a woman of a certain age without a partner and kids is to be a failure, the disappointment that we can all direct at ourselves if we haven't met our own expectations and, of course, the clash of Joe's dubiousness and his magnetism, for starters. It's also far from surprising that when the route to the airport beckons, and one of 2024's best episodes of TV with it, Fake's audience is right there in the Uber with Birdie, riding and feeling the same bumps. Check out the trailer for Fake below: Fake streams via Paramount+ from Thursday, July 4, 2024.
Attention seafood lovers. Get ready to get your mitts on some of the freshest oysters in the country at the Narooma Oyster Festival. The annual event is back with a mouth-watering selection of NSW-native rock oysters, seafood, and other gourmet treats from the Eurobodalla Coast region. On Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, visit the Narooma quay for a day of live music, cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, and, of course, plenty of oysters (almost 70,000 will make it from tide to table). Meet local oyster farmers and learn about the art of oyster shucking, or simply sit back and enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery. This year, the Narooma Oyster Festival is offering tastings from oyster farms from all over southern NSW in Oyster Farmers Alley, oyster-tasting masterclasses with a leading Aussie seafood authority, cooking demonstrations from top chefs, a twilight social, a lazy champagne and oyster cruise, and much more. Tickets start from $25 and are as plentiful as the oysters — but are selling fast, so head to the website to get yours. Pro tip: the festival is a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Sydney, so local accommodation is popular and should be booked in advance. Shuttle buses are bookable to and from Bateman's Bay and Bermagui. Images: Destination NSW
In the late nineteenth century, a young Henry Lawson had moved to the city and was on his way to becoming perhaps the era's defining writer, as well as a prolific drinker and fixture in many of the city's pubs. The Edinburgh Castle, which dates back to 1885, was apparently a favoured spot for him to hole up for a beer-fuelled writing session — and the recent refurbishment to the Hotel pays tribute to this legacy with an Australiana theme. In the upstairs bar — a surprisingly sedate oasis in a busy corner of the city — the walls have been painted a deep shade of bottle green and the room studded with vases of bottlebrush and other colourful native flora. Beautiful leadlight windows keep the space relatively light while maintaining its Georgian architecture. However, it's not just the design that is warmly nostalgic; one of the best things food can achieve is reminding you of your childhood and an unfussy, delicious plate of grilled lamb cutlets ($20) with a generous dollop of mint jelly are a memory-starting carbon copy of how my grandmother made them. A floury, scone-like ball of damper ($8) is another nod to the Australiana theme. Head chef Daniel Lanza was previously sous chef at North Bondi Fish, so you'd expect the seafood to be on point — and, as it turn out, the simply-presented but delicious roast snapper ($25) doesn't disappoint. Scattered with capers and sitting alongside a green and gold zucchini, herb and squash salad, it's the kind of dish that always returns to the kitchen as a clean plate. Their take on the schnitty — the saltbush chicken schnitzel ($22) — is well-seasoned and one of the heartier options, sitting alongside crispy potatoes and chunky tomato sauce. It's a menu that embraces the truly old-school, with upmarket sausage rolls, devon and cheese toasties and daggy-but-delicious sides like a basket of fat, golden house-made potato scallops ($8). They come sprinkled with chicken salt and will remind you of afternoons getting takeaway on the way home from school. A small bowl of plump, juicy glazed Chantenay carrots ($9) is another example of the honest, unpretentious fare on offer. A couple of true blue desserts would be a nice addition, but there is an all-Australian wine list with the likes of a 2015 'The Whip' Riesling from Canberra's Capital Wines, which offers floral notes. Cocktails (all $18) are sound from the sweet Lawson's Cup which benefits from the berry-like flavour of hibiscus-infused gin. City Slick — a nicely balanced gin and citrus combination — is probably the pick though. Then there's the Old Spiced Pal, which makes the inspired addition of cinnamon to a classic cocktail (people love cinnamon). Overall, the refurbishment has given the Edinburgh Castle a real sense of identity, and looks to the hotel's past to provide a vibrant future for the venue.
Vegans must have a tough time in pubs, with meat and cheese usually front and centre of most menus. The Green Lion — the new eatery above The Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle — however, is catering exclusively for vegans and recreating pub classics like burgers, hot dogs and nachos with meat- and dairy-free alternatives. If you're not vegan or a regular to the category, it can be hard to judge how good vegan pub food is. Visually though, the resemblance is uncanny. Here, soy-based products are turned into beef patties, mince, battered fish, pepperoni and even melting cheese — the success of which is variable. For instance, a Green Mack Burger with a beefless patty, 'cheese', pickles, and special Mack sauce ($18) definitely resembles a cheeseburger; the mind boggles at what has to be done to soy products to make them look, and taste (sort of) like meat. And while it's perhaps not the most delicious thing you'll ever eat, it's definitely not bad. But, for carnivores at least, the vegan substitutes don't live up to the rich, savoury, salty cheese and creamy mayo flavours the brain is expecting. The fish tacos ($16) are more successful — the fishy-tasting tofu is battered, fried and thrown into a tortilla, and benefits from a fresh tomato salsa. The Panko tofu chips with wasabi mayo ($11.50) are oil-heavy, not really crunchy and the mayo lacks any real wasabi heat. It's a shame the less processed options like a vegetable curry ($15.50) don't deliver in flavour or texture, but it's early days and we're hoping they're still tinkering with dishes in the kitchen; adding a bit more spice, sharpness and freshness could smarten things up. The tiny cups of chocolate coconut vegan ice cream ($4) are cute and tasty. The interiors are — to put it one way — eclectic. There's a fairly bare dining room that's generally busy with families, younger and older locals and other mix of other punters. It's pretty tattered, in a nearly charming pub-like way. There's a library-cum-bookshop, green carpet, dark brown upright dining chairs and a redeeming wrap-around balcony. Service is friendly and we give major props to the vegan drinks list, particularly the vegan wines. The soy-based meat substitutes at The Green Lion do an okay job of recreating the real thing, but if you're vegan, the experience of being in pub — and being able to order anything off the menu and drink anything behind the bar — is a fantastically rare experience. It's worth a visit for the vegan and the non-vegan, the curious and the ardent alike. Images: Steven Woodburn.
Sydneysiders with a sweet tooth should make tracks to Clovelly, where renowned pastry chef Yves Scherrer is now pumping out his goods at new patisserie and bakery Madame & Yves. Scherrer — who's opened the venue with partner Jennifer — has worked across several of Sydney's fine dining institutions, creating stunning desserts at the likes of Sokyo and now-closed restaurants Est and Ananas Brasserie. He also recently coached the Australian World Pastry Cup team — which went on to win sixth place worldwide — and is the man responsible for Sake's much Instagrammed dragon egg dessert. While the dragon egg will not make an appearance at Madame & Yves, a few of Scherrer's other famed creations will grace the menu — including the salted caramel eclairs from Ananas and the white sesame gelato from Sake. The leaves room on the menu for a whole heap of new creations, like the matcha yuzu roll (matcha sponge, mascarpone yuzu cream, yuzu whipped ganache, shiso leaf gel and choux pastry) and the piña colada tart (coconut mousse, lime curd, rum-flambéed pineapple and sweet pastry). Expect cakes, tarts, fresh bread and pastries aplenty. There is a whole host of croissants, from the classic ham and cheese, to a Ferrero version filled with hazelnut and dipped in chocolate. There's also a sizeable list of handmade gelato and sorbet on offer, including vanilla bourbon, pineapple yoghurt and lemongrass varieties. You'll also notice a focus on native and seasonal Aussie ingredients here, with no artificial colours or additives to speak of. Patrons can see an environmental focus elsewhere in the shop, too — notably in the biodegradable plant-based packaging and the Green Caffeen swap-and-go cup cups. For those coffees, the patisserie has teamed up with social enterprise Madding Crowd Coffee, a small-batch Sydney roaster which donates a portion of profits back to charity (and whose beans come in reusable tins). The Clovelly Road shop is small, which means you can watch the team of pastry chefs in action from the open kitchen as you order at the counter. There are a few outdoor tables, too, made for morning coffees and croissants.
Life can feel like it's getting more and more hectic, especially after the past 15 months or so. But, thankfully, clever Australians keep coming up with new and creative ways to de-stress. You might've already hurled an axe at a target, for instance, or smashed plates, TVs, printers and computer monitors with a baseball bat. Now, Sydney's latest high-powered stress reliever has arrived, allowing you to get messy and wild with a supply of colourful paints and some white walls. Gladesville's new Smash Splash — an offshoot of the Melbourne venue of the same name — does include a classic smash room, where punters can unleash their destructive tendencies on unsuspecting glassware and breakables. But it also plays host to a 'splash room', inspired by an offering that's gone gang-busters across the USA. Here, you're invited to tap into your inner Jackson Pollock and get gloriously messy at your own private paint party. You can book the splash room for 30-minute sessions, with up to four people allowed in at once and your choice of tunes on the speakers — all for $50 per person. Don your protective gear, step inside and get as creative as you like, hurling cups of paint, smashing or batting paint-filled balloons or simply going to town with your hands or some paintbrushes. Best of all, there's not a scrap of cleaning up involved. In the future, Smash Splash will also feature a 'crash room', where you'll don sumo suits and play in a ball pit. Whether you choose to smash, splash or, soon, crash, the venue is all about helping its patrons alleviate stress in unique ways. And yes, it's available to book for parties, should your whole crew need a therapeutic way to work through their frustrations. Find Smash Splash at Unit 2, 37 College Street, Gladesville. It's open on Friday 6–8pm, Saturday 11am–6pm and Sunday 11am–6pm.
If the old wardrobe needs a bit of a pick-me-up, get yourself over to SWOP quickly. This delightful secondhand clothing store in Darlinghurst is all about unique, beautiful and sustainable fashion. Inspired by the culture of vintage exchange in the United States, SWOP promotes anti-waste, affordability and sustainability — so it's the perfect place to go for conscious fashion. With both contemporary and vintage threads hanging in colour-coded order, this store is a goldmine for finding that one-off piece your wardrobe needs. Images: Saskia Wilson.
At a time when we've all been spending more of our minutes, hours, days and months on home turf, Instagram has just launched a new feature to help you make the most of it — and to help throw some love towards all of the small businesses in your area. Hitting the social media platform from today, Tuesday, September 14, the new 'Map Search' function lets you use Instagram to find restaurants, bars, shops and venues near you. Can't decide where to grab lunch? Looking for a hair salon in your vicinity? This'll assist. How does it work? Map Search uses a map (obviously) that highlights popular tagged locations. You might've seen these spots pop up in your feed anyway, and you could've even tagged some yourself. And, you can access the new function in a few different ways. You'll see an icon in Instagram's Explore feature, which is where you can hit up the map, and even filter locations by fields such as salons and restaurants. You'll also now see maps pop up whenever you search for particular hashtags — the very pandemic-appropriate #takeaway, for instance — which'll then highlight the relevant places that fit the hashtag near you. The aim: to support small businesses, and to help Instagram users do the same. Thinking local has been one of the mantras of the past 18 months or so, due to lockdowns, restrictions and border closures — and we all know that the hospitality industry, and small businesses in general, have been doing it tough during the pandemic. Map Search also helps give small businesses a boost on a platform plenty of them are using, and that many of us are using to find them anyway. So, the proprietors of restaurants, bars and shops get another way to be seen by potential customers, and patrons get another way to discover their local haunts. Fancy looking further afield? While Map Search definitely lets you find places immediately around you, users can also search anywhere they like. Either pinch and drag the map to wherever you're interested in, click on an Instagram geotag — which'll bring up the map, so you can start searching from there — or just type wherever you're looking for into Explore. For more information about Instagram's new Map Search function, head to the social media platform's website.
There's something about spending a long lazy summer day at the beach that just can't be beat. Some of our overseas friends have got this down to a fine art — think beach chairs and shady umbrellas set up ready and waiting on the white sand of a Brazilian beach, with caipirinhas and coconuts served up from the little stalls dotting the shoreline. But fear not! Although we're a little short on beach bars (except this one), back in Australia we've perfected beach luxury, BYO-style. Here are our ten favourite beach chairs to bring along with you to your favourite sandy spot, whether it's on the grassy knoll at North Bondi, on a buzzing Gold Coast main beach, Victoria's quaint Brighton Beach or a tiny secret beach at the mouth of the Hawkesbury. BANANA SUNLOUNGE, SOMMERSAULT We couldn't resist. No list of beach chairs would be complete without the humble banana lounge. They'll take you to the sand, to the park, and all the way back to those memories of the days before water restrictions when you plonked one under the sprinklers in the backyard. You can even pull them out for sleepovers. Inexpensive, functional, iconic... and don't forget they fold flat for easy storage with that familiar 'click-click'. BEACH SEAT HAVANA, SUNNY LIFE Modern comfort, lightweight portability and a retro-inspired colourful print? This chair ticks a lot of boxes for seaside adventuring. As well as that, being from the clever people at Sunny Life, you can even find a beach umbrella or towel to complement your chair. But it's not just about looks — this chair has a handy pocket providing a place to stash your valuables. And see that strap? That makes for easy carrying without bumping aluminium poles all over your shoulder. DANIA FOLDING TEAK BEACH CHAIR, SKAGERAK We know teak is pretty — Danish mid-century furniture sure taught us that. But did you know this tropical hardwood also has a number of special properties that make it an excellent outdoor material? A high oil and rubber content make it naturally weatherproof, it's strong, and with a little love and recent finishing is easily cleaned. This teak beach chair will let you bring all those perks to the beach, in a fetching Danish design. If you're into your eco-credentials and a bit wary of tropical hardwoods, check out this bamboo option, and the recycled number below. TRIOPLINA CHAIR, MUUMUU DESIGN With lush covers to choose from including black and white cowhide, leather, cotton canvas and even kangaroo, Muumuu Design makes each of their stunner folding chairs by hand right in Sydney. Featuring sustainable marine-grade plywood frames and hand-finished with either a stain or clear protective finish, they're designed to last, as well as look good. The Tripolina design was first patented in 1877, and has been popular as a campaign or safari chair ever since. This is a chair with a pretty long history — and it's had a modern update thanks to the folks at Muumuu Design. Check out their full range. RECYCLED DECK CHAIR, ECOCHIC We love a good folding deck chair. Especially when they're locally made and recycled, like this chair from Ecochic. Handmade out of recycled Australian hardwood, these chairs come in natural or white. As well as being made-to-order, they're made to last — right down to the stainless steel screws and bolts. Ecochic are on a bit of a mission to make eco-friendly furniture available to people around Australia, whether or not they have access to a store. That means they keep their shipping fees as low as possible. You can check out their eco credentials here. PANTONE FOLDING CHAIRS, SELETTI Introducing Seletti, the company bringing Pantone to the beach. Their range of folding chairs are available in those familiar colours loved by many a design aficionado. Team up with your friends and see what colour palette works best for your beach times this summer. TREKKER LOUNGE, THERMAREST Next on the lounging front is this cleverly designed number from Thermarest. Known for their top-notch sleeping mats, if you do already have a Thermarest packed away for your outdoor adventures, all you need is the Trekker Lounge chair to convert your mat into a lounge chair fit for the beach. It's pretty clever, and as a bonus it's super lightweight which means it can see you from the beach to the bush, if you're planning some summer hiking too (or both, if you're lucky enough to be hiking to a secret beach somewhere). ORSON DECK CHAIR, RODA Last but not least, check this one for style. Designed by Gordon Guillaumier for RODA, the lovely lines of this chair are perfectly complemented by its matching footstool. The chair features a teak frame, and the little capote (that's the shade sail) means this is another super comfortable, shady chair to kick back in. All that's missing from this picture is some kind of delicious cool drink, and maybe one of Sydney's cracker sunsets after a day at the beach. BUNGALOW BEACH CHAIR, BUNGALOW As part of our search for the ideal beach chair, something came to us. Shade. How nifty is it to have a little awning over your head, protecting your face from the beating rays and your arm muscles, tired from shielding your face all day? So it was with much delight we stumbled across the Bungalow Beach Chair. Not only does it have a comfy towel design that lets you lounge out right on the sand, there's a hammock-shaped back to support you. But what we're eyeing off the most is that shady shade, right above where our heads go. This chair also comes with a zippered pocket for your things. Want the ultimate summer set-up? Check out these seven nifty beach tents.
UPDATE: DECEMBER 24, 2019 — Turns out muggles are quite keen on leaving their muggle lives behind for a few hours, because The Wizard's Cauldron sessions have been very popular. As such, the event will now continue into next year, until Sunday, January 12. After that, the bar will move onto Melbourne. In recent times, this fine country has seen Harry Potter brunches, dinners, movie marathons and trivia nights. And that's not to mention the Cursed Child mania that's happening down in Melbourne. But are you sick of it? No chance. If there's one thing we know, it's that the demand for Harry Potter will never die — and this latest pop-up, along with the fact that there is a seemingly endless stream of Harry Potter events to come, proves that. The next piece of mainstream Harry Potter fandom to hit Sydney this August will be the Wizard's Cauldron. Inspired by the experiences that the gang had in potions class — and hopefully avoiding the botched polyjuice potion episode — the pop-up bar will mix magic and mixology. That's to say, there will be cocktails. Probably with some dry ice and bubbling substances. It'll be sort of like a science class, except you'll wear robes and mix your drinks with a wand. And drink what you mix, of course. The 'experience' will take 90 minutes and will cost you $49. For that, you'll get a hot mug o' mead and help from a (probably) greasy-haired Potions Master to mix a potion or two for yourself. You may or may not have to take your O.W.L exam after. Either way, there'll be a cash bar so you can celebrate or commiserate your results for further drinks and snacks. The Wizard's Cauldron will run sessions on random days between August 28 and December 8. Session times vary from afternoon right through to 9pm.
Chin Chin built its name on punchy Southeast Asian fusion cuisine, with the Sydney outpost carrying on the Melbourne original's legacy since 2017. Now the famed restaurant is hosting a one-night-only collab with Four Pillars, featuring a gin-fuelled dinner on Wednesday, August 13, stacked with knock-out cocktail pairings. Complementing Chin Chin's beloved four-course Feed Me selection, the night kicks off with a Disco Is 4 Eva cocktail. Its yuzu and passionfruit burst is the ideal match for kingfish sashimi and prawn and ginger dumplings. Up next, the Tamarind Southside offers a sweet-tart blend, combining dry gin, tamarind caramel, lime and mint. It goes down a treat paired with roasted pork belly and roasted pumpkin served with peanut satay. Then, it's time for the Bang Bang Bloody Shiraz, a spicy number concocted from Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, tequila, and hot and sour sauce. Married with chicken khao soi and a mixed leaf salad brimming with fresh Asian herbs, expect a curious combo overflowing with citrus and peppery notes. Of course, you can't depart without dessert — in this case, it comes with a double dose of gin. Here, the Mango Sticky Rice cocktail, featuring toasted rice-infused yuzu gin, is served alongside a coconut sago brimming with Four Pillars Negroni Gin ripple ice cream and rhubarb candied pink grapefruit.
Basically the hub of all coffee table books, Published Art stocks everything and more on art, design, photography and architecture. You're unlikely to just stumble into this stuff anywhere else. Every book on the shelf goes through a careful screening process, each being hand-picked and directly sourced by the store manager, Rebekah Lawson. Expect to find titles such as Henri Cartier-Bresson: Here and Now housed alongside children's books of full-colour Pinocchio illustrations. Prices won't break the bank either — most items can be bought for under $100. The shop is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am till 4pm, or you can schedule a visit by appointment.
If there's one thing that puts Australia head and shoulders above the rest of the world when it comes to tourism, it's that you can enjoy every type of climate in one place. Enjoy shredding it on the ski slopes? You're sorted. Love sojourning balmy beaches in your speedos? No worries. Over 18-percent of the country is made up of desert, which also makes Australia one of the best places for the ultimate desert experience. From red sand dunes and dramatic sheer cliffs to wallabies around watering holes and ancient rock formations, the desert could not look any better than in Central Australia. So, we've teamed up with Tourism Central Australia to give you the ultimate desert itinerary in the Red Centre. Want to plan your very own adventure to the Red Centre? Take a look at our handy trip builder to start building your custom itinerary now.
Amidst Sydney's ever-changing hospitality landscape, there's a collection of establishments that has stood the test of time. The independent venues that make up YCK Laneways, tucked away down alleyways and occupying unassuming corners around York, Clarence and Kent streets, have weathered economic fluctuations, shifting trends and a global pandemic to remain pillars of consistency in the Harbour City. Read on to be reminded of some of your ol' faithful CBD haunts — you may even discover a few places you (somehow) haven't tried yet.
Ahead of World Whisky Day this Saturday, May 20, The Bottle-O is here to ensure you have all the fun facts needed to bluff your way to being a whisky connoisseur — even if you've yet to take a sip. Whisky can be intimidating for some, but it's a versatile spirit with a style that's guaranteed to suit anyone and everyone. You could enjoy a bourbon on the rocks or a scotch neat, a ready-to drink flavour-laden can or a shot topping up a citrusy highball (which we have a standout recipe for). Or, maybe you'll like it sweet and cinnamon-spicy. Guaranteed: there's a dram for you. Now, where should your explorations start? What's with the barrels? Why are ice cubes called 'rocks'? And why, oh why, is it somehow correctly spelled both whiskey and whisky at the same time? Let's dive in. WHISKY 101 Let's start with the basics. Whisky is a spirit made with grain, water and yeast that's distilled in massive copper stills (essentially kettles) and then aged in barrels. But you can't just use any grain. You'd be hard-pressed to find a tipple made with oats, for instance. In Scotland, whisky is made from malted barley, whereas in the United States, they use a combination of corn, rye, wheat and barley. WOOD GIVES WHISKY ITS COLOUR AND FLAVOUR Did you know that when whisky comes out of the still it's totally clear and colourless? The colour of whisky comes from the oak barrels it's aged in. Oak barrels contain vanillin, which (as its name suggests) gives a vanilla flavour, but when toasted (literally charred on the inside with fire) the wood gives more caramel notes. As the temperature in the storeroom fluctuates — warmer in summer and cooler in winter — the spirit seeps into the wooden grain taking on the colours and flavours. American bourbon distillers use virgin barrels (read: never been used before), while Irish whiskey and other producers use secondhand bourbon or wine barrels to age their spirit. The longer a whisky spends in a barrel the more flavour it gains. This is why you might get cherry notes on an Irish whiskey, after being aged in a barrel that used to have sherry in it, and more honeycomb flavours from a bourbon like Jim Beam. The year on a whisky label tells you the number of years it's spent in a barrel. So, Glenfiddich 12 Year has spent, yep, 12 years in a barrel before being bottled and sent to the shelves of your local The Bottle-O. IT IS SPELLED BOTH WHISKY AND WHISKEY It's fairly common knowledge that whisk(e)y originated in Ireland and Scotland. The original Gaelic term — uisce beatha, pronounced ish-kah va-ha — was anglicised when the Brits took over, which resulted in the two different spellings. Simplified, Irish whiskey is spelled with the 'e' and Scottish without. This little trivia tip will help you work out where a whisky's distilling method or style originated from. For example, we've got our exceptional drops Down Under usually missing the 'e', indicating we learned our trade from the Scots. The Yanks, however, were trading with the Irish — so whiskey it is (as is seen on classic bourbons from Kentucky). 'ON THE ROCKS' MEANS EXACTLY THAT Fun fact: freezers weren't always around, making it easy for you to grab a few ice cubes to both keep your sip cool and take the bite out of the booze. So, what did the highlanders do to make their scotch more palatable? Simple, they would take cold rocks (like stones from a clear stream or spring) and put them in their cup before adding their whisky and diving in. Nowadays, we've moved on from actual rocks — although you can find fancy fake ice cubes made from rock if you want to be clever about it — but the phrase has lived on. WHISKY LIQUEURS AREN'T FLAVOURED WHISKIES Essentially, a whisky liqueur is a combination of a base whisky and other ingredients like herbs or spices. And flavoured whisky? It's made by adding ingredients to whisky during the ageing process. If you're in the mood for a sweet and spicy twist on whisky, one liqueur that fits the bill is Fireball. This Canadian spirit blends cinnamon and whisky for a fiery and flavourful drink that's perfect for sipping or mixing into cocktails. Whether you're a whisky fanatic searching for your next favourite dram, or you've only admired from afar up until now, now you've got five fun facts in your pocket to bluff your way through celebrating on World Whisky Day, Saturday, May 20. Now's the time to pick a bottle from your local The Bottle-O and discover its deliciousness. The Bottle-O is the independent store slinging your favourite boozy sips all over Australia — and a standout spot to nab your whisk(e)y of choice. Ready to dive in? Head to the website. Top image: Choochart Choochaikupt (first)
Queensland has the Big Pineapple and Big Mango. New South Wales boasts the Big Prawn and the Big Merino, and you'll find the Big Lobster in South Australia. They're just some of Australia's 150-plus big things, because we sure do love giant versions of foods, animals and everyday items — and if you'd like to walk into a huge whale that's also an underwater observatory, that'll be on the cards from the end of 2022, too. Australia already has a couple of big whales, but not like this one. The animal-shaped structure will house the Australian Underwater Discovery Centre, and it'll sit right at the end of the Busselton Jetty in Western Australia. That means that it'll be located two kilometres out to sea — and, when it launches in December next year, it'll become the largest natural marine observatory in the country. The $30 million centre has been in the works since 2017, when Busselton Jetty started looking into ways to increase the capacity if its current underwater observatory — because it can only accommodate 44 people per hour. Now, however, the designs for the new site have been revealed. Marine contractor Subcon has appointed Baca Architects as the project's lead architects, and it's going with a cetacean design that resembles a whale. The design recreates the marine creature in an abstract but still noticeable manner, and will be made to look as if the concrete structure is raising its head over Geographe Bay. When the building comes to fruition, it'll span 900 square metres across multiple levels, and huge windows will be a big feature. Some will measure up to 5.5 metres tall and 12 metres long, letting visitors peer out at the area's marine life — including via a partially submerged window called the 'cetecean's eye'. Attendees will enter from the pier, which is 5.5 metres above the average sea level, then descend down through an art gallery and accompanying exhibition spaces to the observatory on the ocean floor level. Those galleries will mainly focus on new habitats for fish and coral, but underwater sculptures and marine art will be part of the project, too. And, if you'd like to eat beneath the ocean's depths, an underwater dining experience is also set to be included. Project engineers Core Marine have experience with restaurants under the sea, as the company also worked on Norway's Under. The Australian Underwater Discovery Centre will be designed to withstand cyclones and storm surges, including 6.5-metre-high waves, and will feature an outer surface that'll enable barnacles and algae to graft onto the outside, like they would with a real whale. And, as it'll be fabricated onshore, the centre will then get towed out to its location — which is planned to occur in tandem with 2022's annual whale migration. As for Busselton Jetty's current underwater observatory, it's set to become a marine research centre. It'll focus on promoting clean oceans and educating people about ocean climate change. The Australian Underwater Discovery Centre is set to open at the end of Busselton Jetty by December 2022 — we'll update you with an exact launch date when it's announced.
China Diner has been a longstanding eastern suburbs hotspot for locals to hit up for a luxurious spread of dumplings or after-work cocktails by the beach. The moody interiors are the perfect place to while away the hours, while working your way through the drinks menu and that day's exciting mix of modern Cantonese eats. The mixed steamed dumplings ($24) are an easy place to start and always a home run with the whole party. Similarly, the chicken and sesame spring rolls with blood plum ($17) and the prawn and black fungi wontons ($17) are certified crowd-pleasers. More sizeable options are available to share or to order for a solo feast. The stir-fried king prawns ($37) come marinated in XO sauce and accompanied by asparagus and baby corn, the steamed silken tofu ($17) is topped with black vinegar, chilli and sesame seed dressing, or you can go all-out and opt for the twice-cooked crispy half chicken ($36). If you're with a group and you're looking to splurge, turn your attention towards the banquets which are available for $49, $59 and $69 per person depending on how extravagant a meal you're planning. The $59 option comes with all of your favourites including barbecue pork buns, xiao long bao, twice-cooked crispy chicken and pork san choi bao. And, as of Sunday, May 8 2022, yum cha is back on the menu. Exclusive to the Bondi outpost, China Diner's yum cha has made a return from 11am until 3pm every Sunday. Carts are roaming with a range of dumplings and buns (the prawn tom yum is definitely the way to go) with other China Diner favourites like 'chiko spring rolls' and chilli caramel pork belly on hand to ensure you have a memorable finish to your weekend. Updated Thursday, May 11 2022.
Among the English language's best phrases, 'all you can eat' ranks up there with the best of them. It'd sound great in any language, of course, and you might hear it in German over the weekend of Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31 — aka 'so viel du essen kannst'. Specifically, you might hear either version at Munich Brauhaus, The Bavarian and the Bavarian Beerhaus, which are all offering an appropriate stuff-your-face deal. For a two-hour sitting, you can tuck into as many schnitzels as you can stomach. Served on a platter, there are three varieties on offer: the uber schnitzel, which is decked out with rocket, semi-dried tomato and parmesan; the jager schnitzel, topped with wild mushroom ragu; and the good ol' parmigiana, which obviously comes with melted mozzarella, tomato sauce and ham. Talk about good schnit. The special costs $35 per person, also includes unlimited mashed potato and potato salad — yep, both hot and cold spuds — and is available for bookings of at least two people. You do need to book, however, so gather the gang, get planning, and make a date with the Munich Brauhaus in The Rocks, Beerhaus on York Street or one of NSW's 13 Bavarians.
After closing its doors in 2016, Sydney's Theatre Royal will finally reopen on Thursday, December 2. The show doing the honours: Jagged Little Pill the Musical. And, while that's fabulous news as it is, giving the city another venue to host big productions is even more exciting. The 1200-seat Theatre Royal is one of Australia's oldest theatres, dating back to the 1870s. But most Sydneysiders will know it in its current form, which reopened in the 1970s and was designed by famed Australian architect Harry Seidler. It was built as a replacement for the old theatre, as that was demolished when the MLC Centre was erected — and, before sitting idle for the past five years, it's played host to everything from the Australian-premiere season of Cats to a three-year season of The Phantom of the Opera. While the reborn venue will launch with Broadway's hit Alanis Morissette musical, that's not the only big-name show set to tread its boards in the coming months. In January, for Sydney Festival, Theatre Royal will play host to Girl from the North Country — which features the songs of Bob Dylan. Then, from April, it'll be filled with the song-and-dance that is four-time Tony Award-winner An American in Paris. As announced back in 2020, the NSW Government has signed over a 55-year lease to global company Trafalgar Entertainment (TE), handing over the keys to the space together with Dexus (owner of the MLC building) with hopes of encouraging more big-name musical productions to the harbour city. While Sydney nabbed the 2021 production of Hamilton, it lost Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Melbourne, which one theatre producer put down to Sydney's "lack of a mid-to-large size venue". Jointly run by famed British theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, TE is promising to change this with its "Sydney gets it first" approach to programming of "first-class productions" — which is proving true with Jagged Little Pill and Girl from the North Country. Known for producing award-winning musicals and shows, such as The King and I, The Rocky Horror Show and War House, which have performed at London's West End and Melbourne's National Theatre, the company is also transforming Theatre Royal into a live-streaming content hub. In terms of physical changes during the multimillion-dollar refurbishment, TE has kept true to Seidler's original designs, while also increasing capacity from 1100 to 1200 via a redesign that's added an extra row of seats. The venue now sports a two-tiered setup, with no seat within the auditorium any more than 23 metres from the stage. Red and gold still feature heavily, colour-wise. There's also a new circular glass entrance space decked out with floor-to-ceiling windows, for views of King Street from the internal theatre foyer — and vice versa, including being able to see Theatre Royal's ribbed ceiling and geometrically precise hanging Mercator sculpture, as designed by Italian structural engineer Pier Luigi Nervi and American sculptor Charles O Perry respectively. And, there's a new Theatre Royal sign, as crafted and produced by Newcastle-based Owen Signs. The Theatre Royal reopens at 108 King Street, Sydney from Thursday, December 2. For more information, head to the theatre's website. Images: Pierre Toussant.
When Sydney Sweeney was in Sydney at a Sydney Swans game earlier in 2023, it wasn't just because she was playing the Sydney version of Pokémon and catching them all. Rather, the Euphoria and The White Lotus star was filming a romantic comedy. And when Boxing Day hits this year, cinemagoers will be able to see the end result. Right now, you can watch a sneak peek at rom-com Anyone But You, too, thanks to the movie's just-dropped first teaser trailer. The setup: Sweeney plays Bea, who had a great first date with Ben (Glen Powell, Top Gun: Maverick), then suggests that they pretend to be a couple when things don't quite work out otherwise. There's more to the story, but that isn't what teaser trailers are for — so why the pair's spark fizzled after their first date hasn't been revealed so far. As for that pretence, it comes while they're at a destination wedding. The location: Australia, obviously. From the first look, this clearly falls into a specific category of Aussie-made movies, aka flicks shot Down Under that can't stop reminding viewers that they're set Down Under. So, the trailer includes multiple shots of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The latter even features in the background as Bea and Ben are having a Titanic moment on a boat. Anyone But You is directed and co-written by Will Gluck, who has both Easy A and Friends with Benefits on his resume, then the vastly dissimilar Annie and the two Peter Rabbit movies. On-screen, as well as Sweeney, Powell and a whole lot of Sydney — the city — Alexandra Shipp (Barbie), GaTa (Dave), Dermot Mulroney (Secret Invasion), Bryan Brown (C*A*U*G*H*T) and Rachel Griffiths (Total Control) also feature. Check out the trailer for Anyone But You below: Anyone But You opens in cinemas Down Under on December 26, 2023.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will be transformed next week when the Games of Thrones Exhibition hits Sydney. With over 100 real artefacts, props and costumes (no replicas) the free exhibition will keep fans from gnashing their teeth as they await season five. The exhibition features a virtual experience that simulates life on top of the wall, where fans can catch a 360 degree panoramic view over Castle Black, as well as the opportunity to snap a selfie atop the Iron Throne. Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth on the most downloaded program in history, is in town to launch the show. On a sunny winter morning outside Three Williams cafe, we caught up with the Irish engineer-turned-actor to talk finger puppets, potatoes and patricide. So thanks for chatting to us after no doubt a long flight. It's wonderful. I've a mate here who I've been threatening to come and see forever and I just haven't had the opportunity and when this came up they didn't have to ask me twice. This exhibition has gone all over hasn't it? Toronto, Amsterdam, Belfast, London. It's a real treat. What's really cool about it now is that HBO aren't trying to make a quick buck out of it. It's free. It's a little thank you to the fans for, you know, making it as big as it is. But it needs to finish real soon, otherwise I'll be naked in the next show, which would be unheard of. All my costumes are in this exhibition. For the fans, it's just a real treat. There are some fans, aren't there? Nobody knew it was going to be such a phenomenon. It's just this really expansive backdrop to an incredible story of family and paranoia and jealousy and power and how power corrupts and how the powerful, generally speaking, are just taking care of themselves. Our first female PM loved the show. Yeah she's a fan, a big fan! And Barack Obama. He insisted on getting season four before the public got it. So power does corrupt. That's how you know you've got power. He's a big fan. Jack Nicholson is a fan. Martin Scorsese. Who else? It's extraordinary the amount of people who love this show. You see it at the exhibition. You've got the emos and the goths and those people coming along who are kind of hardcore but generally speaking it's kids from sixteen to one hundred and sixteen watching it. It's not a niche program at all because it's unpredictable. Right from when our leading man Ned Stark got chopped it was a game-changer, because it broke, especially for the States, where your leading man gets in trouble, overcomes, gets the girl and disappears, boring boring boring. People went, 'What? Hold on, we need to watch this thing properly, because this is just messing with our heads.' If Davos suddenly turned around and told Stannis to shove it I don't think we'd see that coming. It's not in his nature. He's the kind of guy, if you were in trouble you'd want him in your corner. His loyalty and decency is unquestionable. Listen, he's treated well apart from having his hand chopped off. Is it a glove you use? Sometimes it's a glove. Sometimes it's little green puppets on my fingers that then get digitally removed. Pop quiz: If Davos was going to be killed off would you prefer his head was chopped off, his skull was popped or torture? Torture's always good 'cause you have the audience on your side. You're sort of a veteran but you started late as an actor. You worked as an engineer, lived in Africa and got married all before taking up the game. Your career before GoT is pretty accomplished but has your life changed in a big way since – I've been outed. I feel like I've been gay and kept it quiet and now people know. But you're coping. But I'm in front of the pride march with a stick. There is a bit of that. Listen, people's memories are really short. What's good about it is I have to wear this [gestures to beard], my pubic balaclava, when filming and when I finish filming off it comes and nobody knows who I am. Luckily I started late enough not to be impressed by myself. But you're Ireland's pin-up boy… There's a very healthy begrudgery in Ireland. No one gives a fuck who I am. You're not allowed to get on any sort of pedestal. It's kind of healthy. My ego's enormous anyway. I don't need it massaged. I can do that myself. You've brought your youngest along. Are you the coolest dad ever? Of course. Isn't that obvious. No, yeah, he's my travelling companion. He keeps me out of trouble. He keeps me out of the pip. I think he had a book. I'm impressed. A kid with a book. Yeah, but it's a book about guns. I'm raising a small serial killer. At the moment he's choosing which weapon to end my life with. He's probably looking at me through the window and saying I'm gonna pop a cap in your arse, Dad. No, he's cool. He's a sixty-year-old man trapped in a thirteen-year-old body. He's the kind of dude I got to for advice. He's an extraordinary little fella, my boy. In my last 35 seconds I have to ask, for my editor, reflections on The Little Princess? She's a fan! Quite a few tweets come through — OMFG Davos Seaworth is the dad from The Little Princess. The Little Princess was nineteen years ago so a lot of those eight-year-old girls are now watching me as Davos. And now they're hugely attractive, gorgeous-looking women, and I'm close to death at this stage, but at least I've kept these ladies very happy when they were kids and I'm keeping them happy when they're grown-ups. I love my job. There's not many movies for daddies and little girls. Can you think of any other ones for fathers and daughters? Oh man, the The Shiralee. It's this Australian one … It's got Bryan Brown in it. I used to look like Bryan Brown. Just quickly, I'm working on a story and I want to list all the things you can do with potatoes. Because you're Irish, and I don't mean to be racist, but I was wondering if you could add anything to my list. So far I've got mashed potato, fried potato, boiled potatoes, potato bake, potato soup... Mashed potato sandwiches. Keith Lemon's favourite dish. If you had to give up onions or potatoes? Well this is not an option. No. I cook. You have to give up one. Shit. Onions or potatoes? Onions are so incredibly important but listen, we'd die without potatoes. Now you're going to remember The Shiralee or will you forget? It's S-h-i-r-a – [A lady walks past and tells us to shut up our very female-specific body parts several times before moving on.] ...Welcome to Australia! That's fantastic. I wonder if she arranges flowers for a living. When do you head home? I leave Tuesday. We're going to open the exhibition. I couldn't wait to get down here. Does Australia really feel as far away as everybody – It's the moon. It's the moon. Next stop, the Sea of Tranquillity. Game of Thrones: Season 4 is now available on Google Play. The Game of Thrones Exhibition is at the MCA from July 1-5.
The Colonel's finest chook pieces have helped line many a stomach before a big night out. They've proven tasty in the boozy early hours of the morning, too, and also when a hangover strike the next day. KFC isn't usually eaten at a nightclub, however, but the fast-food chain itself is changing that for one night only in Sydney. From the brand that's done 11-course fine-dining degustations, Peking Duk-led festivals, weddings, cocktails, ugly Christmas sweaters for humans and pets alike, and a soothing playlist of chicken frying and gravy simmering — which is genuinely relaxing — of course a place to hit the dance floor with KFC in hand is next on the list. Dubbed The Fried Side Club, it's popping up from 8pm–3am on Saturday, October 21 at a secret venue in central Sydney. And yes, it comes with free chicken. There'll be tunes, too, courtesy of Luude — which means hearing 'TMO (Turn Me On)' as well as his 'Down Under' remix — plus Kinder and Foura. So, you'll make shapes and eat chicken. If someone decides to give the 'Chicken Dance' a spin, it'd be mighty fitting. The Fried Side Club will also be selling KFC x Luude t-shirts and KFC footwear (yes, sliders will come in there, too) both at the club and online, with proceeds going to the Black Dog Institute, ReachOut Australia and Whitelion. The reason for KFC setting up a temporary nightclub is to launch Luude's Zinger sliders, a new menu item that's served in pairs featuring two varieties. One uses chilli relish, the other KFC's Supercharged sauce — and both include half a Zinger fillet. They'll be given out free all night at The Fried Side Club, so no need to grab dinner before showing up. "KFC has been a staple on the diet forever — so when they reached out to partner on a project, I was 100-percent keen," said Luude. "We're setting up a secret club that is a replica KFC store, you've even got to go through the fridge to get in — it's sounding wicked. They've also let me create a secret menu item too, so you'll be able to ask for Luude Zinger sliders all over Australia. A childhood dream collab." If you're eager to head along, you'll need to grab a ticket, which are available from 9am AEDT on Wednesday, October 4. Everyone who nabs a spot will be told the secret location 48 hours out. And if you just want to try Luude's Zinger sliders without experiencing a KFC nightclub, they're available from now until Monday, October 30 via the secret menu on the KFC app. The Fried Side Club will pop up from 8pm–3am on Saturday, October 21 at a secret venue in central Sydney — get tickets from 9am AEDT on Wednesday, October 4.
One of Sydney's most cherished Chinese restaurants, Golden Century, is set to permanently close its doors. According to a notice posted by ASIC on Thursday, August 19, the restaurant went into administration earlier this month. The CBD mainstay closed its doors on Saturday, June 26 due to NSW's current stay-at-home orders and according to its website, it was set to reopen at the end of August. Run by Eric and Linda Wong, Golden Century has been an institution for after-hours feeds in Sydney for decades. Most notably known for its late-night banquets and XO pippies, the restaurant has proudly served Sydneysiders since the 1980s and has grown a cult-like following throughout the city. [caption id="attachment_725461" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] In 2019, Golden Century opened XOPP — a new restaurant in Darling Square dedicated to its signature pippies in XO sauce, and added a 1500-bottle wine bar to its original Haymarket location. The restaurant has since endured multiple lockdowns and reduced foot traffic in Sydney's CBD due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the future of the Golden Century group is unconfirmed, tributes for the restaurant have already begun rolling in online. Dan Hong (Ms. G's, Mr. Wong and El Loco) posted a series of heartfelt Instagram stories writing to thank the venue and saying that, "My kids have grown up [at Golden Century]". The new Sydney advisory group Committee for Sydney said it was "shocking to see iconic Chinatown restaurant Golden Century go into administration. No question, the longer this goes on, the more significant reshaping of our city's local economies we're going to see." Golden Century is located at 393–399 Sussex Street, Sydney.
Instead of 'dinner and a show', how about 'tea and an exhibition'? After spending a few hours wandering through the ever-changing and always fascinating Asian art on display at White Rabbit, settle in for homemade dumplings and tea at the Teahouse. Herbal teas are the go here — Chinese and Taiwanese styles that you may never have heard of are listed alongside white teas, iced teas and matcha products. Ask one of the staff if you need a recommendation — our pick is the chrysanthemum and goji berry which comes served in a glass pot so you can watch the leaves unfurl as your delicate brew infuses.
This cosy bar has become a favourite with Bondi locals, both for its food and beverage options as well as its comfortable surrounds. Forget about OTT beach cocktails: wine is the drink of choice here, served by the bottle or the glass. You'll find drops from all around the country as well as New Zealand, France, Argentina and beyond — but you don't need to be a wine snob to enjoy what's on offer, as the drinks list provides short descriptions below each tipple. In addition to reds and whites you'll find a small but tempting selection of spirits, or you can ask the waiter about their secret beers and ciders. The food offerings are similarly tempting, with a mouthwatering array of tapas share plates along with a generous selection of cheeses. The decor is low-key and casual, with dim lighting, comfy couches and seats for around 20 people, making Speakeasy an ideal place for a quiet night out with friends.
Since its arrival in 2021, Re has blazed a trail as one of Sydney's best bars and a standout spot within the South Eveleigh precinct. It's landed on the lists of the world's best bars multiple times, it's hosted pop-ups from other game-changing watering holes, and it's completely altered the benchmark for sustainability in Sydney, with cocktails made from discarded bread or chicken feet. Now, it's on the move. The brainchild of Scout founder Matt Whiley, Re closed its original Locomotive Street outpost in February, posting an "out of office" message to its Instagram account. Three weeks on, it's now been revealed that the boundary-pushing bar will be reopening alongside Ricos Tacos at Cleveland Street's The Norfolk Hotel. The inventive haunt will fill a La Salut-sized hole at the pub, arriving in Redfern four months after the Spanish wine bar shut its doors during PUBLIC and Love Tilly Group's falling out. Staying true to its zero-waste and sustainable ways, Re 2.0 will redirect waste from the kitchens of PUBLIC's venues, giving new life to otherwise-discarded produce from Maybe Sammy, Sammy Junior, El Primo Sanchez, Busby's, Derrel's, The Lady Hampshire and Dean & Nancy on 22. "Bringing Re to Redfern at The Norfolk feels like the right move for the bar," says Whiley. "We never want to stop being creative in our practice, so finding this location energises us and gives us more opportunity for us to stretch into new material and work with new people." Whiley will work with former Automata owner and PUBLIC's Creative Culinary Director Clayton Wells on both the food and drink menu, creating dishes and drinks that can work harmoniously. While we don't have a concrete open date for the bar just yet, it's expected to begin welcoming people to the former La Salut site at some point in April. As with the original South Eveleigh space, sustainability has been built into the core of the new Re, with recycled and repurposed materials playing a major role in reimagining The Norfolk's corner bar. "It's also great to help PUBLIC reduce their impact across their award-winning pubs, hotels and bars, as I believe this process of minimising waste is something we should be embracing across the industry." [caption id="attachment_832341" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The space when it was La Salut, Nikki To[/caption] Re will be located at The Norfolk, 305 Cleveland Street, Redfern in April 2024. Follow along at the bar's Instagram account.
This year, Melbourne and Australia got its first not-for-profit bar Shebeen on Manchester Lane. With every drink sold going towards developing projects in its country of origin, it is changing the way we think about charity and sipping a tipple. We have Simon Griffiths to thank for this. Concrete Playground got hold of Simon to talk about his philanthropic work, Shebeen, toilet paper and his cat. What drove you to philanthropic work? I started working in the corporate world but quickly realised that I wanted to use my skills to solve social problems, not just business problems. After a lot of research I found that the number one problem faced by development aid organisations was a lack of funding, so I decided to create a new channel for funding, moving away from the donation market, and instead creating an avenue for consumer dollars to create social impact. After you came up with the concept for Shebeen with Zanna McComish, what was it that made you think, this really might work? The basic concept was actually 100 percent Zanna's, but it has snowballed into something much larger and more sustainable over the years. When Zanna first mentioned the idea to me, I was so excited that I knew a lot of people would dig it as well ... we just had to figure out how to make the business model work. How was it getting partners and suppliers on board? The really tricky part was raising the capital to get the venue open. We ended up raising social capital, i.e. without any financial return, from 20-25 different investors, then pieced together product partnerships with Brown-Forman, Schweppes and Silver Chef to fill the remaining cash shortage. We did everything on a tiny budget, so had to garner pro bono support from anyone and everyone, including Foolscap Studio (interior architecture), Swear Words (graphic design), Run Forrest (PR and communications), McCorkells Construction (building), Alpha 60 (uniforms), Tin & Ed (murals and uniform graphics), and so on. It has been a long but amazing ride! What is one of the projects you are most excited about contributing to in the developing world? I really get off on KickStart, who we work with in Ethiopia. Around 80 percent of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa are small-scale farmers who depend on unreliable rain to grow crops. KickStart figured out that irrigation would allow many of them to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, so they developed the MoneyMaker pump to allow farmers to draw water from rivers, ponds and wells to irrigate large areas of land year-round. Basically their pumps create a substantial and sustainable increase in household income — and they're really great at measuring their impact. We know that every $1 we give them turns into $12 of profits and wages for one of their farmers. That's a pretty exciting return-on-investment — or return-on-drinking-an-Ethiopian-beer. For you, how does Shebeen's support to the developing world differ from other charitable organisations? Basically we give consumers an opportunity to put their purchasing power to work. Now that we're open we're 100 percent self sustaining — we're already profitable and will start donating funds in the next four months or so. We'll only seek to raise additional capital to open new venues. What do you want people to take away from Shebeen? We want them to start thinking a little differently about what it means to be a consumer, and where their money ends up. After five years in the making. What does it feel like to walk into the bar and see it as a reality? It's still quite surreal to see people in there! But we've been so busy it's also been difficult to stop and celebrate. I'm taking my first weekend off for the year this weekend — it's going to be great! Where do you see Shebeen in five years? In five years we're hoping to have venues in five or more locations and will hopefully be looking at our own retail range of products as well. What is your favourite drink on the menu? I've really gotten into our cocktails. I really like the Ginger Kaffir Limeade, which is made with Kaffir Lime infused Finlandia vodka, and our warhead-sour lemon frozen margaritas, which we're making with El Jimador tequila. We're just about to start experimenting with cocktails on tap, too. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Usually my alarm, or my cat biting my foot. Occasionally it's a hangover. What's next for Simon Griffiths? Getting Shebeen doing a great takeaway lunchtime trade, opening the second Shebeen venue, and selling more toilet paper — I also run whogivesacrap.org. Images by Clever Deer.
Every film is a portrait of ups and downs, no matter the genre. Without change and complications, plus either a sprinkling or a shower of chaos, there's little in the way of story for a movie to tell. In just three features, each hitting cinemas Down Under in successive years since 2022, Macedonian Australian filmmaker Goran Stolevski has demonstrated how deeply he understands this fact — and also that life itself is, of course, the same rollercoaster ride. So, when Housekeeping for Beginners starts by jumping between a joyous sing-along and a grim doctor's visit, he lays that juxtaposition between existence's highs and the lows bare in his third picture's frames. He has form: You Won't Be Alone, his folkloric horror film set in 19th-century Macedonia, segued early from new life to a witch's fate-shaping demands; Of an Age, a queer love story that unfurls in Melbourne, kicked off by flitting between dancing and a desperate against-the-clock rush. In You Won't Be Alone, the shapeshifting Wolf-Eateress who chose an infant to be her protege was played by Anamaria Marinca, the Romanian actor who has proven an unforgettable screen presence ever since the one-two punch of 2004's TV two-parter Sex Traffic — which won her a Best Actress BAFTA — and 2007's Cannes Palme d'Or-winning film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Stolevski reenlists her assistance for Housekeeping for Beginners, and also illustrates his awareness of another immutable fact: that the eyes of Anamaria Marinca relay tales all by themselves. Here, they're weary but sharp and determined. They're devoted yet fierce, too. They possess the unrelenting gaze of someone who won't stop fighting for those she loves no matter what it takes, and regardless of how she initially reacts, a path that her social-worker character Dita is no stranger to traversing. That aforementioned crooning comes courtesy of precocious five-year-old Mia (newcomer Džada Selim), her rebellious teenage sister Vanesa (fellow debutant Mia Mustafa) and the charming Ali (Samson Selim, another first-timer), the young man who newly shares their Skopje abode. Everyone, including Vanesa and Mia's mother Suada (Alina Șerban, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn), dwells under Marinca's Dita's roof — with the latter not just cohabitating with her girlfriend and her kids, but turning the house that she inherited into a refuge for those that North Macedonian society frowns upon. Ali is the latest lover of Dita's longterm gay roommate and friend Toni (Vladimir Tintor, Kumovi), hanging around after an app hookup. Young lesbians Elena (Sara Klimoska, Tin Kamp), Flora (Rozafë Celaj, Sophia) and Teuta (Ajshe Useini, yet another newcomer) also call the spot home. Being queer isn't a criminal offence in Housekeeping for Beginners' setting, but both same-sex marriage and adopting children by LGBTQIA+ couples are illegal. In the country's class system, being anything but Macedonian is also hardly greeted with warmth; Dita is Albanian, while Suada, her children and Ali are Romani. This motley crew is navigating each and every day the best that they can together; however, their safe space has grief in its future. It's Suada and Dita who attend the medical appointment at the movie's start, with Suada diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer. Her one wish: that Dita adopt her girls, and also get married to and play happy families with Toni, who is Macedonian, so that Mia and Vanesa will be free of the stigma that Suada has always had to weather as a Roma woman. Stolevski is a plunge-in director — and screenwriter and editor, again taking on all three roles on Housekeeping for Beginners as he did on Of an Age. He dives into lives already in action and motion, crafting films that feel like they're dropping in. Ups and downs have preceded the events that his movies spin into their plots, then, and more will follow after his flicks tap out. Accordingly, he isn't one to spoon-feed specifics and context. The dynamics between his characters in Housekeeping for Beginners are revealed to audiences naturally, as are the setbacks and discrimination they encounter, often as viewers spend time in Dita's always-noisy, always-bustling home. While this isn't a one-location picture — Šutka, the Skopje municipality that's the world's only local administrative area with Balkan Romani as its official language, also features heavily — it is a film where observing its key figures in surroundings both comforting and challenging conveys as much as dialogue. Putting Marinca at the fore, a mix of grace and intensity beaming from her performance as Dita, was always going to rank among Stolevski's best choices in a feature filmmaking career that's already filled with stellar casting (see: Constellation's Noomi Rapace, Bad Behaviour's Alice Englert and Elite's Carloto Cotta in You Won't Be Alone; and also Swift Street's Elias Anton, Eden's Thom Green and Savage River's Hattie Hook in Of an Age). He's also a detail-driven director, making emotions and complexities plain in decisions as simple as the arrangement of people at a wedding and where the camera peers (or doesn't) when someone is speaking. And, again and again, he guides portrayals to match. From Șerban, he gets blistering power, with Suada explosive from the moment that she questions whether her medical treatment is being shaped by her ethnicity. Džada Selim, Samson Selim and Mustafa are all discoveries, too, breathing realism and vitality into the movie's youngest hearts and minds. Roving and intimate cinematography from Naum Doksevski (Sestri) also ensures that watching Housekeeping for Beginners feels akin to stepping inside it — and pondering the same questions that Dita, Suada, Toni, Ali and company each are. As the film that was selected as North Macedonia's Oscar contender in 2024's Best International Feature category (The Zone of Interest won) rides just a sliver of the ups and downs that its characters will face in their days, albeit significant ones, it gets them examining what comprises a family. There might be no such thing as a smooth-sailing journey from birth to death, or a surefire way to avoid heartbreak and loss, for anyone. There certainly isn't within Housekeeping for Beginners, which can also skew darkly comic when it comes to the bureaucratic hoops that require jumping through. But as Stolevski charts in his third movie about yearning for a place to belong, it's the people that you share those travails with day in and day out that makes a household.
If you find yourself thinking back on Law & Order re-runs, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs or Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight, you're probably thinking about one particular type of scene. There's an art to a good on-screen interrogation — to seeing characters verbally spar back and forth, as one probes for answers and the other tries to avoid their questions — that's riveting when it's done well. It's also hilarious when it's done comedically (see Brooklyn Nine-Nine); however, nothing beats a grim, serious, eyes-blazing, nostril-flaring confrontation between a suspected criminal and a savvy detective who are both confined to the same small room. Netflix, in its seemingly never-ending quest to turn every single possible idea into highly binge-able streaming content, is taking this concept and running with it in its new anthology crime series Criminal. Love interrogations, but not so fussed about all the stuff around them? Then you'll want to glue your peepers to this newcomer when it arrives later this month, because it's all about heated chats in police interview suites. In fact, that's all it's about. Announced back in June, the streaming platform's latest show will tell a dozen different tales across just as many 45-minute episodes — spending three episodes each focusing on cases in France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. Criminal will also unfurl its tense arguments with some considerable star power, with David Tennant and Agent Carter's Hayley Atwell among the UK cast. You might also recognise Laurence Anyways' Nathalie Baye and The Unknown Girl's Jérémie Renier in the French instalments, plus Phoenix's Nina Hoss in the German episodes. Behind the scenes, the claustrophobic, cat-and-mouse-style program also boasts a heap of talent, which'll again vary from country to country. Killing Eve writer George Kay and She's Out Of My League director Jim Field Smith will oversee the whole thing, and take care of the British chapters, while The Returned and Spiral helmer Frederic Mermoud, Downfall's Oliver Hirschbiegel and Dark Impulse's Mariano Barroso will do the honours in France, Germany and Spain respectively. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAZac21Y9D8 Criminal will release on Netflix on September 20.
It's been a rocky few years for Jamie's Italian in Australia, having relaunched with full ownership in 2017 only to lose ownership again just one year later. Luckily, the Brisbane-based Hallmark Group took over the management of the Australian restaurants, but not without some casualties — the Canberra and Parramatta outposts (the latter of which is set to become a steakhouse) quickly closed. But now, perhaps in an attempt to help us put our faith back in the brand, Jamie's Italian venues across Australia will launch a series of bottomless prosecco lunches for a very reasonable $50 per person. The one-month deal will run every Saturday from September 8 through to October 7 — and it includes a lot more than just an endless supply of sparkling wine. Each table will be served small bites to share (including those crispy polenta chips), and everyone will get a big bowl of pasta. You'll be be able to choose which one you want, too — think classics like prawn linguine and carbonara, and signatures including the truffle tagliatelle and fresh crab spaghetti. Plus, it'll all be topped off with panna cotta for dessert. If we know anything, it's that people really love Jamie's Italian. As such, these lunches are sure book out fast, so front a pineapple and book it already. The bottomless prosecco lunches will be available at Jamie's Italian Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. They'll run each Saturday from from 12–4pm from September 8 until October 7. You can book here.
If you've noticed a rise in bathhouses opening across Sydney lately, you're not imagining it — and come spring 2025, the North Shore is also getting in on the wellness boom. Escape Bathhouse, a brand-new sanctuary from the team behind luxe Mudgee glamping retreat Sierra Escape, is set to open in Roseville's heritage-listed Seymour building, bringing with it the same sense of tranquility and relaxation for which Sierra Escape has become known. As the number of bathhouses opening in the city continues to increase, Escape is part of a wider shift in how Sydneysiders are choosing to rest and reset. But where many other bathhouse experiences are geared toward solo escapes or quick refreshers, Escape Bathhouse is being pitched as a more social — yet no less intimate — wellness destination, welcoming couples, friends or anyone looking to carve out some time for genuine self-care. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Escape Bathhouse (@escapebathhouse) Spread across two levels of the striking, Spanish Mission-style Seymour building, the 320-square-metre space will offer a blend of traditional and modern therapies. Downstairs, you can dip into a hot mineral pool and unwind at the zero-alc bar, while upstairs will house steam rooms, infrared saunas, ice baths and massage treatment rooms. For Co-Founders Cameron and Tasch D'Arcy, Escape Bathhouse is a natural evolution of what they started at Sierra Escape. "We've always been passionate about creating spaces where people can truly reconnect — with themselves, with their partners, and with their friends," Tasch says. "After the success of Sierra Escape, we knew we wanted to bring that experience to a broader audience." "The North Shore is the perfect location for us to create a sanctuary where wellness and connection are at the forefront, allowing our guests to reset, rejuvenate, and experience the power of self-care in a social and intimate environment," Tasch says. With the North Shore still largely untapped when it comes to dedicated bathhouse experiences, this launch feels like a well-timed arrival. Whether you're having a post-gym sauna, a weekend pamper session or just looking for some time out, Escape will be a luxe space to hit the pause button — and you won't even have to leave town to do it. Escape Bathhouse is set to open in spring 2025 at 989 Pacific Highway, Roseville. For more information, head to the venue's website.
Situated on beautiful rolling hills just outside Mudgee is Sierra Escape, a luxury eco-glamping experience. Sierra Escape is an adults-only retreat making it the perfect spot for a romantic getaway. After a day of wine tasting in Mudgee, make tracks to your private tent equipped with a lush bed, fire pit and hot shower. Watch the sunset over the hills with a glass of locally produced wine in your own outdoor bathtub before getting cosy in front of the indoor fireplace. Then, start the next day with a sunset walk to the hilltop lookout, some yoga on the deck and a swim in the pool made from a shipping container. [caption id="attachment_852431" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Top image: Cameron D'Arcy, Destination NSW
Bulletin Place — the street — is quite the anomaly. Not only is it one of the more aesthetically pleasing side streets in the CBD, with its Victorian pastel-coloured building facades, but it also harbours some of the best beverages Sydney has to offer. By night, Bulletin Place — the bar — is the place to be. But during the day, crowds flock to Cabrito Coffee Traders to get their caffeine fix. The team here takes the bean business very seriously. Produce is ethically sourced from the global coffee capitals and house-roasted to perfection. Blends are on constant rotation and the old-school felt menu is a cheat sheet to nailing the tasting notes. Coffee geeks are also spoilt for choice in serving options: filter, cold drip, batch brew or plain ol' espresso. With coffee as the main affair, things are kept simple food-wise. 'Something between bread' is the general theme; there's toasties for breakfast and burgers for lunch. If you're after something sweet, the unconventional lamingtons from LusciousKiki are unmissable. In a jungle of poor coffee choices, it is clear to see why this small laneway shop generates such a buzz — and not just from the caffeine.
