Public art is an intrinsic part of a vibrant and engaged modern society, but by its very nature, it can't last forever. It's a constantly moving and changing force but lives on in the memories of the members of society that it seeks to bring together. Kaldor Public Art Projects has been dedicated to creating these memories for Australians for nearly 50 years, and it'll soon be celebrating this milestone of all the indelible, groundbreaking public art that it's brought to Australian shores. As a part of the Making Art Public anniversary exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW in September, Kaldor Public Art Projects wants to hear your stories about how you connected with its exhibitions — because you are part of the story of public art, after all. Whether you lunched under Jeff Koons' Puppy, counted rice with Marina Abramović or your parents told you about their memories of Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapping a Sydney coastline, your memories, stories and photos help public art live forever. Here are just some of the incredible public artworks New South Wales has seen over the last half-decade, thanks to Kaldor Public Art Projects. [caption id="attachment_726660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaldor Public Art Project 1, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Coast — One Million Square Feet. Taken by art education lecturer Ellen Waugh in 1969.[/caption] CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE: WRAPPED COAST, 1969 Back in '69, the controversial Wrapped Coast project from Christo and Jeanne-Claude was the single largest artwork ever made. It saw two-and-a-half kilometres of coast and rocky cliffs of Little Bay, Sydney wrapped in fabric and orange rope which billowed and rippled in the wind. It was so enormous — larger than Mount Rushmore in the US — that you could not see it all from one vantage point, so visitors walked for an hour to see the work in its entirety. Christo and Jeanne-Claude became famous for their large-scale environmental artworks, or 'temporary monuments', with Wrapped Coast being their first. The people who were lucky enough to see the work in 1969 say it was incredible that artists of this calibre chose Australia for the project: "We were so keen to leave Australia behind, go to Europe and see the world and yet here was a world famous artist doing something extraordinary on our doorstep," said Rhiannon Bowman, in her submission to the Living Archive. [caption id="attachment_726662" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaldor Public Art Project 5, Charlotte Moorman and Nam June Paik. Charlotte Moorman performs Sky Kiss, a composition by Jim McWilliams, above the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, April 11, 1976. Photo: Kerry Dundas.[/caption] CHARLOTTE MOORMAN AND NAM JUNE PAIK, 1976 Avant-garde video and performance art pioneers Nam June Paik and cellist Charlotte Moorman very much shocked Australia in 1976 with over 40 provocative performances taking place across Sydney and Adelaide. The 'father of video art' and 'Jeanne d'Arc of new music', the artists fused music, sculpture, performance and video into one-of-a-kind amalgamations, which were likely emblazoned in the minds of anyone who witnessed them. One performance saw a naked Moorman playing a cello made of ice till it was completely melted by the surrounding radiators and spotlights. Another saw her perform on Easter smothered in 13 kilograms of chocolate, while another saw her playing Up, Up and Away by Jimmy Webb while suspended by helium balloons drifting above the Sydney Opera House forecourt. How could one forget a sight like that? [caption id="attachment_699271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaldor Public Art Project 10, Jeff Koons: Puppy. Museum of Contemporary Art forecourt, December 12, 1995 to March 17, 1996. Photo: Eric Sierins.[/caption] JEFF KOONS: PUPPY, 1995 Chances are you've seen photos of Jeff Koons' Puppy artwork which now sits outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao — but did you know it was created outside of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art in '95? Kaldor Public Art Projects was the group to make that happen. Standing 12.4 metres high facing the picturesque harbour, Puppy was created as a symbol of love and happiness, based on a wooden sculpture of a west highland white terrier from Koons' 1991 Made in Heaven series. Puppy was far bigger than the original, however, containing 55 tonnes of soil and covered in 60,000 blooming flowers. People from all over Australia have fond memories of visiting Circular Quay to see Sydney's very own Koons, with one Sydneysider submitting to the Living Archive saying they "ate lunch under Puppy every day". [caption id="attachment_726658" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaldor Public Art Project 30, Marina Abramović: In Residence. Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay, June 24–July 5, 2015. Photo: Pedro Greig.[/caption] MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ: IN RESIDENCE, 2015 Many speak of the transformative experience that was being a part of Marina Abramović's In Residence. The celebrated performance artist referred to her 2015 installation as a 'brain spa', in which members of the public were conducted through the 'Abramović Method', like Lady Gaga famously experienced at the Marina Abramović Institute in New York. Visitors would be tucked into camp beds by strangers after staring deeply into the eyes of other attendees for an undefined amount of time. You could finish your immersion in the artist's method by slowly walking 'a millimetre a minute' back to the exit, or by counting single grains of rice for as long as you chose. Those who stayed for hours had successfully experienced the Abramović Method, but in a world filled with time limits and a constant to-do list of tasks that need completing, the undefined parameters of time and movement in In Residence challenged many who participated. [caption id="attachment_719762" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaldor Public Art Project 34, Asad Raza: Absorption. The Clothing Store, Carriageworks; 2019. Photo: Pedro Greig.[/caption] ASAD RAZA: ABSORPTION, 2019 The most recent work brought to Australia by Kaldor Public Art Projects was a pretty dirty one — literally. Absorption by New York-based artist Asad Raza was all about breaking and making new ground. If you visited the exhibition at Carriageworks, your initial response might have been "… hang on, this is just a room filled with dirt". And in a way, that is exactly what the project was. 300 tonnes of soil and other organic materials were gathered from all over New South Wales and carefully tended to by a team of cultivators to create a new hyper-rich type of soil: a 'neosoil' entirely from New South Wales. Aside from the soil itself, Absorption provided a spotlight on how fundamental soil is in all of our lives. It also encouraged visitors to take some of the soil home, so the project could forever live on across the state. Kaldor Public Art Projects is celebrating 50 years of bringing beautiful, groundbreaking and important public art to Australian shores with a commemorative exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. Making Art Public will run from Saturday, September 7, 2019 to Sunday, February 16, 2020. Submit your memories of public art from over the years to Kaldor Public Art Projects' Living Archive here.
Maybe you recall first seeing Rebel Wilson two decades back in Fat Pizza. Perhaps her part as "girl in alley" in the Nicolas Cage-starring Ghost Rider initially caught your eye. Or, it might've been her two big Hollywood breaks: Bridesmaids and the Pitch Perfect franchise. Whichever fits, the Australian actor has charted quite the path over the last 21 years — and she's keen to share a heap of stories about it. That's happening in two ways: her new book Rebel Rising: A Memoir and a tour of the country's east coast to chat about her career so far. The printed tome fuels the in-person conversations, of course, with the former due to hit shelves in April, then the live sessions happening in May. An Evening with Rebel Wilson has the right moniker, then, with the event heading to the Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne. In taking to the stage to reflect upon her journey, Wilson follows in the footsteps of everyone from Henry Winkler to Tony Hawk so far in 2024. That said, no one has taken the same route to fame as the Sydney-born actor, with dog shows, creating TV's Bogan Pride and winning an acting scholarship launched by Nicole Kidman just some of the steps along the way. As well as talking through time in the spotlight that's seen her feature in Cats, Isn't It Romantic, Senior Year and Jojo Rabbit as well — plus How to Be Single, Pain & Gain, Grimsby and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, too — Wilson is set to reflect on her personal experiences. Expect a behind-the-scenes glimpse, then — apparently with a Brad Pitt tale thrown in, and details about martial-arts tournaments and an Oscars hallucination induced by malaria. An Evening with Rebel Wilson 2024 Australian Dates: Thursday, May 9 — Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney Sunday, May 12 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Tuesday, May 14 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne An Evening with Rebel Wilson hits Australia's east coast in May 2024, with ticket presales from 10am on Wednesday, February 21 — head to the tour website for further details.
Radically Soft is throwing Sydney's first clothing market celebrating larger bodies, hitting the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre on Saturday, June 24. Founders Cribbs and Tess have pulled together a lineup of inclusive brands and second-hand clothing businesses that will be running stalls with your next favourite addition for wardrobes sized 16–30+. Harlem Starlet, Zavaeh, Creations by DSP, M.Sunflower, Roskr, Kirbee Lawler and Embracing Bella Clothing will all be taking part in this inaugural plus-sized market. Expect new and pre-loved fashion, handmade artwork, accessories and vintage ware to all be available on the day. You can also pick up an adorable Radically Soft tote for $15 (or a special one-of-a-kind coloured tote for $25) so that you can carry home all your killer finds. [caption id="attachment_906441" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wombat Cereal[/caption] The marker is running from 10am–2pm and entry is free. If you want to head along you can register online. Following the market, Radically Soft isn't done with its intersectionally inclusive events. On Saturday, July 15 it's hosting a mid-year clothing swap with We Are the Mainstream at Burwood Library. And, on Wednesday, August 2 the team is hosting a VIP screening of Greta Gerwig's highly anticipated Barbie. [caption id="attachment_906439" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Big Thick Energy World Pride Market, Christine Wang[/caption] Top image: Wombat Cereal
This year has had us all discovering and rediscovering hobbies to try and keep ourselves busy and distracted. And if for you that has involved dusting off the ol' sewing machine, watching some online sewing tutorials and turning swaths of fabric into fashion, then you're going to want to know about Fabric Muse. This store in Chippendale has been supplying designers, costumers, students and home sewers with premium fabrics from all over the world since 2011. Dedicate some time to thumbing through the vibrant prints and designer fabrics — from houndstooth tweed and stretch silk to natural linen and wet-look effect lace.
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one is coming to Australia. This will be the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous work heading to Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series returns for 2023–24. As previously announced, Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. And, the nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that she's best known for will be catching Aussie art lovers in its web. [caption id="attachment_914565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois' Maman, located outside the National Gallery of Canada. Radagast via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] That said, there won't be any physical strings of silk — but Maman is that entrancing. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, it'll sit on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' South Building from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 during Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?'s run. And if it sounds familiar, that's because you might've seen permanent installations of the bronze, steel and marble work outside the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo — or at the Tate Modern in the UK, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in Arkansas or the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. [caption id="attachment_914560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Clouds and Caverns' 1982–89, metal, wood, 274.3 x 553.7 x 182.9 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York, courtesy Kunstmuseum Den Haag © The Easton Foundation, photo: Christopher Burke.[/caption] "We are proud that the subject of our first major solo exhibition in our new SANAA-designed North Building, almost one year since opening, is the great Louise Bourgeois. We are honoured to introduce this deeply influential artist to new generations, and to have the opportunity to share the strange beauty and emotional power of her art with Sydney,' said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand. "The scale of this exhibition, which is one of the most extensive ever dedicated to an international woman artist in Australia, demonstrates our commitment to revealing the depth and complexity of the artistic careers we explore and our commitment to celebrating the work of women artists in our collection and exhibitions." "We are proud to bring Maman, the largest spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois, to Sydney for the very first time, and to be showcasing the extraordinary breadth of the artist's practice, which includes fabric sculpture, works on paper, bronzes, works from her series of Cells, mechanised sculpture, and more." [caption id="attachment_914563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Twosome' 1991, steel, paint, electric light, 190.5 x 193 x 1244.6 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York © The Easton Foundation, photo: Elad Sarig.[/caption] A collaboration with The Easton Foundation in New York, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? will showcase more than 150 works. It's the largest survey of Bourgeois' work ever displayed in Australia — and, as Brand mentioned, one of the most comprehensive ever devoted to a female artist in the country. The Bourgeois exhibition will display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors to will see her Personage sculptures from the 1940s, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between, with the showcase playing up the duelling themes and ideas in her work by taking over AGNSW's major exhibition gallery and 'the Tank'. Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Crouching Spider, and one of the biggest works ever to grace the Tank; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. [caption id="attachment_889027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois, The destruction of the father 1974-2017, archival polyurethane, resin, wood, fabric and red light, 237.8 x 362.3 x 248.6 cm. Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. Photo: Ron Amstutz. © The Easton Foundation.[/caption] Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? runs from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, with tickets on sale from Wednesday, September 6. Sydney International Art Series runs from November 2023 — head to the AGNSW and MCA websites for further details. Top image: Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' 1999, installed during the exhibition 'Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment', Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 3 December 2020 – 20 June 2021 © The Easton Foundation, photo: Filipe Braga.
Sydney bookshop Kinokuniya has a wealth of summer page-turners, new cookbooks, art and design hardbacks and a huge range of manga and anime titles. It's where you might go to pick up a gift that has the power to transport you to other worlds, or to inspire you into action. English Books Assistant Manager Marianne has worked at the CBD bookstore on and off for 14 years. "Time flies when you've got a lot of reading to do," she jokes, and one of the titles she couldn't put down this year was Carrie Tiffany's Exploded View. "Everything about it — the mood, the style, the way the plot unfolds — was so unexpected," she says. "I found it literally breathtaking at times," says the avid reader. Which is why we've asked Marianne for her help. In partnership with Kinokuniya, we asked Marianne for her top recommendations for the types of people we all seem to have on our gift lists this year. Take inspiration from her tips below. THE ONE FOR YOUR FILM BUFF FRIEND Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval ($39.99) "Wes Anderson films have that distinct look we know and love, one of faded-grandeur and pop pastel colours that seems almost too vivid, unique and meticulously constructed to be real," says Marianne. Wally Koval's first book comes from the Instagram account of the same name; "it travels to every continent to tell the extraordinary and unexpected true stories behind more than 200 stunning Anderson-esque locations," she says. "It's perfect for Anderson fans and thwarted travellers alike." THE ONE FOR YOUR FOODIE FRIEND To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon ($39.99) "To Asia, With Love is Kino-fave Hetty McKinnon's homecoming," says Marianne. "It's a joyous return to the nurturing flavours and meals of her childhood and a celebration of the possibilities of modern Asian cooking". In the 2020 cookbook, the internationally renowned food writer takes us through how to make buttery miso Vegemite noodles, stir-fried salt and vinegar potatoes, cacio e pepe udon noodles and banh mi turned into a salad. "Hetty is a fave for a very good reason." THE ONE FOR COMIC BOOK FANS Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams by Naoki Urasawa ($29.99) "When life gives you lemons, follow a chatty crow and a mysterious symbol — isn't that how the saying goes?," says Marianne. This 2020 paperback by award-winning author Naoki Urasawa follows protagonist Kamoda on a journey from Tokyo to France, where a painting heist "might just change his fate". Marianne reveals it has a tongue-in-cheek cameo and endearing characters along the way; "it's Urasawa condensed into one sweet volume". THE ONE FOR THE PLANT NERD Plantopedia: The Definitive Guide to House Plants by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan ($59.99) "One of my lockdown projects was to keep a fiddle leaf fig alive and thriving in my living room — his name is Jean-Michel, and he's doing fine," says Marianne. She's not the only one who adopted a home jungle this year, and Plantopedia, the third book from Sydney's Leaf Supply, is the definitive guide to understanding how to maintain happy, healthy houseplants no matter what space you're keeping them in. "It has more than 130 plant profiles and detailed care information including troubleshooting tips and tricks," she says. "It's also a gorgeous book to pore over as you dream of growing your plant brood." THE ONE FOR YOUR ARTY FRIEND Vincent Namatjira: The Royal Tour by Vincent Namatjira and Tony Albert ($40) "In this debut artist book from the 2020 Archibald Prize winner, Vincent Namatjira places himself front and centre in various historical royal occasions by painting directly onto the pages of commemorative royal photobooks he found in op-shops in Alice Springs," says Marianne. "The works that populate The Royal Tour are irreverent, political, and darkly funny, wrangling history and telling truths with a subversive, cheeky grin." Which is exactly the humorous work we've come to expect from the 37-year-old artist, who took the top gong at this year's portrait prize for his depiction of sporting star Adam Goodes. THE ONE FOR YOUR BEACH-READING BUDDY Earthlings by Sayaka Murata ($29.99) "Young Natsuki, who might be a witch, or an alien from another planet, and her cousin Yuu, spend their summers in the wild mountains, dreaming of other worlds," tells Marianne. "When a terrible sequence of events threatens the two children, they make a promise: survive, no matter what". The latest fiction from the author of Convenience Store Woman is her pick for a summer page-turner this year. "It's definitely my strangest and funniest read of the year," she says. "It is perfect for devouring on summer afternoons, and then sharing with friends. You'll want to watch their reactions, as well as compare notes, when they're done." THE ONE FOR YOUR MINDFUL-LIVING MATE High Grade Living by Jacqui Lewis and Arran Russell ($49.99) "After the year we've had, authors Jacqui Lewis and Arran Russell invite us to come back to ourselves with mindfulness, creativity, and intention — goodness knows, we need it," says Marianne. She's picked out this hardback release for your friends who are into yoga, meditation and Marie Kondo. "This beautiful book examines how to audit, edit and refine your life and your space to reflect who you really are. Filled with gorgeous photography and sleek design, High Grade Living is the perfect aesthetic and spiritual inspiration for the mystics and meditators in your life." THE ONE FOR YOUR GO-GETTING COLLEAGUE Passion Purpose Profit by Fiona Killackey ($29.99) This is for those work BFs who are always talking about their side-hustle — the jobs they wish they could ditch their current ones to pursue. Passion, Purpose, Profit is a practical guide and workbook covering everything from idea-generating to hiring a great team, says Marianne. Author Fiona Killackey maps out how to develop a clear understanding of business ideas without creating financial and emotional stress. "It has step-by-step tips and templates, as well as case studies of successful creative business owners. It will have us all empowered and excited to make bank with our ideas," she says. Perfect for your aspirational pals. Find more excellent gift ideas at Kinokuniya this summer.
There are certain cuisines that any city worth its salt must be able to produce with pizzazz. Pizza, for obvious reasons I won't waste time going into, is one of them. Arte Bianca, a nine-week-old addition to Double Bay's smart-casual scene, is a Sicilian-inspired pasta and pizzeria that deserves to be added to any za-lover's list. And, if it keeps up its current game, it could very well be in the running as one of the best in Sydney. An ambitious claim I know, but let's think about this for a moment. There are two types of pizza: the fat, doughy thick-based versions ideal for soaking up hangovers, and the thin, more traditional style versions that focus on real flavour. The only problem is that a lot of places churning out the latter either throw on too much sauce making the dough soggy and causing the ingredients to slop all over the shop, or the base is just too crispy so all you get is an overpowering burned bread taste in your mouth. Arte Bianca, on the other hand, serves up an almost perfect combination of both. And to be honest, so it should. Owners Mark Paterno and Wendy Limond have been on the hospitality scene for a long time, with Mark spinning pizzas for almost 40 years. Throw his Sicilian heritage into the mix alongside one other pizza chef and two kitchen chefs, and this Italian newbie is prepped and primed for the long haul. On our visit we ordered the signature prosciutto, aged for two years (the meat, that is), and the seafood. If the former wasn't served horizontally, it would be literally rolling out the doors, and the latter is so fresh the big fat juicy prawns go in raw, come out cooked and compliment the unshelled mussels like a salty, fishy charm. We also tried the mushroom risotto, which if you like mushrooms, will knock your socks off in the best ways. The place also looks the part. Bright and white, it includes stylish accents like inside supporting beams left untouched, so their multilayered history of paint jobs shines through loud and proud. The words 'arte bianca' translate as 'white art', in homage to the dough of its primary foodstuff. We're told at this stage there have been some issues with the electrics, so dimmer switches will be added to create more ambiance as soon as possible, but to be honest none of that matters if you can nab yourself an al fresco seat. Take in the autumn ambience of this fancy part of town, sip on a nicely made negroni, and after your meal knock back some house-made limoncello alongside one of the creamiest, well-balanced tiramisus we've had in a very long time. Did we mention the service is also superb? No? Well, it's real, passionate and professional. And to be honest, we're pretty damn happy about it. After all, pizza has such a history it deserves somewhere nice to be served up. Get in and get in quick, the secret is out and plenty of people will be heading east to get their hands on some of the best pizza in Sydney. Words by Jack Arthur Smith. Photos by Bodhi Liggett.
A lavish European-influenced brasserie is swinging open its doors in Sydney's CBD. Brasserie 1930 will officially arrive on Wednesday, March 15, coming to the new luxury hotel Capella Sydney from the Bentley Restaurant Group. The acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus will bring an elegant dining room, next-level eats and a meticulously curated wine program to the expansive inner-city hotel — the first Australian opening from the Capella hotel group. Named after the year the Young Street section of the building was completed, Brasserie 1930 takes the idea of an elevated French diner and injects it with local Australian produce and Sydney-favourite dishes. Expect to kick off your meal with Sydney rock or Tasmanian pacific oysters, as well as prawns paired with fermented chilli mayonnaise. Highlights from the starters section of the menu include beef tartare, brown butter scallops, spanner crab alla chitarra with sea urchin sauce and glazed quail paired with whipped feta. [caption id="attachment_892588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Then there's the mains. Starting from $48, this portion of the offerings is full of no-holds-barred luxury. The seafood selections, for example, include coral trout with potato yoghurt puree and leek, coal-roasted Murray cod with pepperberry butter and eastern rock lobster. There are three steaks on offer if that's what you're craving. Take your pick from the Yarabah wagyu rump cap, O'Connor's bone-in sirloin or Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye that'll set you back an easy $110. And, rounding out the mains is the whole-roasted duck which you can order for the table. This $190 share dish comes accompanied by duck-neck sausage, roasted plum, fennel, spinach and glazed eschalots. [caption id="attachment_892592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Timothy Kaye[/caption] Bentley Restaurant Group's co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt has pulled together a massive wine list to compliment the elegant menu. More than 400 producers from across Australia and Europe are on show, with the by-the-glass menu set to evolve and change over time, spotlighting picks from the hospitality group's wine vault. All of this is housed within an equally grand dining space. Original architectural features of the nearly century-old building have been restored, then complemented with sleek modern furnishings and light fixtures. Brasserie 1930 will join the McRae Bar in the 192-room, eight-storey Capella Sydney hotel. The luxury accommodation will become Australia's first Capella when it also opens on Wednesday, March 15, offering guests an elevated inner-city stay featuring swimming and vitality pools, a fitness centre and a spa alongside the impressive dining options. [caption id="attachment_892589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Capella Sydney and Brasserie 1930 both open on Wednesday, March 15 at 2–4 Farrer Place, Sydney. Top image: Kris Paulsen.
ICYMI, from now until the end of February, Wetherill Park's Kinchin Lane is hosting an al fresco summer festival packed with good vibes and delicious eats. Expect to see live music, a huge variety of cuisine and a series of events and workshops for all ages. But with so much on offer at this western Sydney spot, where should you begin? In partnership with Stockland, we've rounded up our favourite dishes for you to tuck into at Kinchin Lane this month. CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH SPICY PAPRIK SAUCE AT THAI ROCK Thai Rock serves up delicious versions of Thai classics, but we suggest taking a break from your chicken pad thai and branching out. This crispy pork belly with spicy paprik sauce is a must-try — a flavour explosion of crispy pork, wild ginger and makrut lime in a spicy red curry, served with stir-fried green beans. Our tip: order a serve of the excellent pineapple fried rice — served in a pineapple, naturally — to soak up the curry. SIGNATURE KBBQ COMBO (FOR TWO) AT SOJU Wanting to spice up your next date night? What better way than enjoying fun and delicious Korean barbecue at Soju, where you can prepare your platter together at your table for some bonding. This two-person feast features all the classics, including wagyu, pork belly, pork jowl, prawns, veggies and a selection of banchan which will leave you more than satisfied. Naturally, we recommend washing it down with a bottle or two of soju for the full experience. BAVARIAN TASTING PLATTER AT THE BAVARIAN The clue is in the name with this one, folks. At The Bavarian, you will find seven styles of German beer on tap, served in a stein, of course. And what better pairing for your cold, frothy bier than a selection of German-style pub grub? The Bavarian Tasting Platter is designed to share, so round up the crew and head down to enjoy a classic Bavarian pub experience. On the platter you can expect crackling pork belly, the restaurant's signature crispy pork knuckle, German sausages and schnitzel alongside kraut, cabbage, creamy mash, apple compote and bier jus. This is not for the faint hearted — and certainly not for any herbivores out there. CHURROS FOR TWO AT SAN CHURRO If you've been blessed with a sweet tooth, then head to San Churro with a date or a mate to enjoy a share platter of crispy, cinnamon-coated churros served with couverture chocolate, Spanish-style caramel and fresh fruit. These crunchy, doughy delights make a serious case for having dessert first — plus the fruit definitely counts as one of your five-a-day, right? VEGAN DUMPLINGS AT SMILING DUMPLINGS Head to Smiling Dumplings for delicious Shanghainese dishes — served to you by a robot. This is a dining experience for everyone to enjoy, thanks to the restaurant's range of juicy vegan dumplings that don't compromise on flavour and are free of eggs, dairy, shallots and garlic. Try the vegan prawn for a flavour-packed, textural delight, or the beautiful yellow pumpkin dumplings that taste as good as they look. To find out more about Kinchin Lane's Summer Eats and Beats festival, head to the event website.
This MacLeay Street shop wants to light up your life in a rather literal manner. Here, you'll find designer candles of all shapes and sizes — including dinner candles for that romantic meal, pillar candles for some flickering ambience, and many a scented candle so your home can smell like lavender, vanilla or whatever other aroma you prefer. Obviously, there are more colours on offer than there are shades in the rainbow, too. That way, you'll always be able to get your hands on a piece of wax to match your decor or personality. And if you're after outdoor candles, floating candles, and everything from candelabras and lanterns to votives to place them in, they're on the shelves as well. Images: Kitti Smallbone
Darling Harbour favourite Bungalow 8 is celebrating its 21st anniversary in style with a grand reopening following a $3-million renovation, splitting into two venues – Bungalow 8 and Bungalow Bar and Balcony. Serving King Wharf visitors since 2003, the revamped day-to-night destination, which reopened to the public on Saturday, October 19, boasts a fresh look throughout the two-level venue complete with a new rooftop dining area, tropical courtyard seating and an upstairs cocktail lounge. While this revamp is set to mark a new era of the popular day-to-night venue, Bungalow 8 will still retain its signature tropical charm that attracted celebrities and revellers alike in the early 2000s. For midday diners, the waterfront venue's updated ground floor and courtyard provide the perfect setting for casual lunches or corporate meetings. An oasis in the bustling harbour precinct, Bungalow 8 will feature an array of lush, tropical plants, cabanas with banquet seating and glittering festoon lighting. Upstairs, the newly renovated cocktail bar and balcony provide a stunning view of Darling Harbour, perfect for late-night drinks and glamorous private events. An homage to the original fitout, the bar retains its signature botanical wallpaper and lush green flooring while melding the old with the new using contemporary seating and sleek LED lighting. Don't let this polished new look fool you though — there is fun and mischief to be had at the waterfront venue once the sun sets over Darling Harbour. At night, Bungalow 8 will become a party destination, playing host to a variety of weekend events. With the addition of a custom DJ booth, curated lighting and a top-of-the-line sound system, local DJs and musicians will keep the tunes pumping late into the night every Friday and Saturday. To close out the weekend, the King Street Wharf venues will hold new Sunday Sessions from 2pm, featuring DJ sets accompanied by a live saxophonist. The venue's decor isn't the only part of Bungalow 8 getting a makeover. Curated by Executive Chef Jason Roberson, a new lunch-till-late menu will be launched, featuring crowd favourites like burgers, sandwiches and salads. The menu will also feature a wave of new dishes such as Thai chilli wings dipped in lime crème fraiche or the Bungalow club sandwich on focaccia. Those dining in large groups will find options such as a charcuterie board featuring a selection from LP's Quality Meats, or a shared snack platter with truffle fries, eggplant parmigiana 'arancini', char-grilled corn cob, and salt and pepper calamari. The menu will also include a wide selection of local and international wines and new cocktails to match Bungalow 8's playful and tropical revamp. Try Sandy's Big Night Out on Kings Street Wharf, featuring citron vodka, cream of coconut, pineapple, lemon and mint, or the Picante de la Casa with blue agave tequila, lime, agave, coriander and green tobacco. Venue Manager Teddy Hepworth says customers will have a lot to look forward to from the venue's new era. "There's a lot to love about Bungalow 8's new chapter and we're excited to swing our doors back open to show everyone! New cocktails to shake, a delicious food menu and curated spaces that compliment both our iconic location and atmosphere." Find Bungalow 8 at 3 Lime Street, Sydney CBD, or via King Wharf. For more details, go to the Bungalow 8 website.
Maroubra locals who have been looking at the inner west with envy at the area's range of markets are about to be blessed with a monthly market of their own. After two false starts due to extreme weather, the market maestros at Cambridge Markets launched this monthly market at Maroubra Beach in partnership with Randwick City Council on Saturday, November 2, which runs from 8am–2pm. Dozens of vendors will dish out hot food, cool drinks, and all sorts of homemade goodies, so you'll want to bring plenty of shopping bags with you. There will also be water bottle refill stations so you can stay hydrated as you explore. Expect also to find fashion, homewares, toys, fresh produce, art, craft, gifting, vintage clothing, plants, and plenty more. Plus, there'll also be live music, along with activities to partake in and some fun rides for the kids. Held down at Broadarrow Reserve, mere steps from the beach, the Maroubra Beach Markets will be held on the first Saturday of each month from 8am–2pm. The Maroubra Beach Markets are taking place on the first Saturday of every month from Saturday, November 2, from 8am–2pm. For more information on Cambridge Markets or any of its events or markets across Sydney, visit the website.
Situated at the heart of Sydney's historic centre, The Collective is Hunter St. Hospitality's new dining and drinking precinct bringing the ideal blend of sophistication and easygoing atmosphere. Opening in April, three restaurants, four bars and several smaller spots primed for elegant refreshments contrast against the storied neighbourhood's cobblestoned streets and turn-of-the-century architecture. Old meets new in terms of the dining options too, with much-loved establishments like Saké and The Cut Bar & Grill complementing the arrival of The Collective's three headline venues – The Garden, The Dining Room, and Cloakroom. With each offering a distinctive atmosphere and culinary flair, there's no shortage of ways to match your mood whether you're seeking an intimate dinner for two or a group feast with friends. Diving into the new venues, The Garden is an al fresco eatery styled after leafy, Parisian courtyard restaurants. Surrounded by heritage-listed buildings in this central hideaway, the vibe shifts from low-key coffee and sandwiches in the shade during the day to cocktails and dinner beneath a starry sky at night. Drawing from The Dining Room's menu, expect light and bright fare, like king prawn cutlets with gribiche. The Dining Room levels up the sophistication inside with welcoming but refined cuisine and surrounds. Here, a locally focused menu becomes a little more indulgent, with seafood dishes like blacklip abalone with bottarga and black rice alongside yellow tuna with blood plum and celery. After your feast, you're invited to head upstairs to the bar and lounge for cocktails and cosy seating. Building on this identity, Cloakroom is where guests can kick back in style with a top-shelf cocktail. Designed for maximum moodiness, warm timbers, dim lighting and plush seating give this 20-seat venue a swanky ambience. The drinks menu is suitably luxe, with a signature Cloakroom martini flanked by a complex collection of cocktails ready to enliven your evening. "Hospitality precincts are having a moment in Sydney, and I believe their appeal will only grow. With an 1800sqm footprint spread across three levels, we saw an opportunity to create something even more special with the properties we already have," says Hunter St. Hospitality CEO, Frank Tucker. "Each venue offers something unique, from casual dining to premium experiences, making The Collective as appealing to tourists exploring the area as it is for corporate and Sydneysiders." The Collective opens in April 2025 at 18 Argyle Street, The Rocks. Head to the website for more information. Images: Steven Woodburn.
There's no missing Blue Spinach — it's quite literally the giant blue building on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst. This secondhand store is a goldmine of designer goodies, all pre-loved and therefore within a far wider range of budgets (no sign of any spinach, however). The high-end consignment has had a loyal following in Sydney for more than 20 years, and it's understandable why — it's pretty impossible not to fall in love with at least one item during every visit. Blue Spinach's owners are qualified valuers and legitimately care about the authenticity and quality of the goods they sell so you can expect to find vintage Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and more in mint condition. That means that while the items in this store may not be the cheapest, they certainly are beautiful. So, if you're after some secondhand designer goodies in tip-top condition, Blue Spinach is an absolute must-visit. Image: Trent Van der Jagt.
Another historic Sydney boozer has been given the makeover treatment. With more than 140 years under its belt, Surry Hills' Keg & Brew Hotel reopens its doors this week, launching into the sunny season with a brand-new look (and rooftop) courtesy of a $10 million revamp. At the hands of owners The Good Beer Company (who also own Paddo's Four In Hand Hotel, Randwick's Duke of Gloucester (DOG) Hotel and The Commodore Hotel on the lower north shore), the former Foveaux Street terrace house has copped a complete overhaul, however a few heritage touches and its historic facade kept intact. It's the second time the group has renovated the venue, having also given it a spruce when it took over the pub in 2014. Head in from today — Thursday, October 3 — and you'll be first met by the ground floor public bar, which still has a solid pub menu of burgers, parmas and steaks, and over 30 taps with rotating craft and mainstream beers. Another 20 beer taps feature throughout the rest of the pub. One level up, the former guest rooms have been transformed into a new 70-seat restaurant and second bar (which will open next month), while above that lies a series of function spaces with room for up to 120 punters. [caption id="attachment_744424" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The new rooftop.[/caption] But perhaps the biggest pull for the impending summer months is the Keg & Brew's new openair rooftop, which not only has its own bar and pizza oven, but some ripper city views, too. Surprisingly, Surry Hills doesn't have too many rooftop bars — save the ones at The Dolphin and The Horse — so we're sure this will become a go-to for cocktail jugs on balmy days and nights to come. This is the second The Keg & Brew is just the latest in a string of recent big-dollar pub revamps in Sydney. Lower north shore gem The Oaks is reopening this month following an ambitious top-to-bottom makeover and in Erskineville, the pub formerly known as The Swanson was recently reincarnated as The Kurrajong. The new-look Keg & Brew Hotel is now open at 26 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills from 10am each day.
Three men sit in a Japanese sushi restaurant. Three men wonder about the vacant lot across the way. Three men, given their fine barista skills, salvage the space with specialty coffee. Welcome to Salvage Specialty Coffee in Artarmon. This newbie sits tucked into the quiet side of Artarmon's train station and is the brainchild of Toby Cutler, Matt Goto, and Dan Yee, all formerly of the distinguished Air Coffee in Castle Hill. Consequently, with such experience to back them, there's no doubting these boys' ability to poor a good espresso. In an effort to get things up and running pronto, they managed to salvage all available resources with impressive results thus far. The cafe is small, yet there has been an incredibly practical use of the space. What was once a bright yellow shop is now a simple but cosy espresso bar with a cool neon sign out the front that really spruces things up. Salvage's espresso counter is this place's focal point, then there's the window counter for those after a prime position for people-watching, and outside's all about 1960s Dutch school chairs set undercover to shelter the willing on a raining day. Coffee is smooth and reasonably priced ($3 take away, $3.50 eat-in). The dark horse blend is roasted by Mecca, and a variety of specialty brewing methods is also on offer. A slow drip apparatus sits proudly on the back wall for those interested in a Kenya Gachatha AA (changes invariably), and for those keen to take some beans home and give it a nudge yourself, relevant items are available for purchase. The menu is short and sweet, with bread and pastries from artisan bakery St Malo in Crows Nest. A sweet lemon tart ($5) or an almond croissant ($4) does go down well with a coffee, but for the absolute sweet tooth hit, sit down and sample the ricotta on sourdough ($9), with honeycomb on top that appears to be fresh from the hive. A lengthier menu is on offer Saturdays, and you'd be hard pressed to say no to avocado, toasted pinenuts, lime, coriander, feta, and tomatoes on sourdough ($14) or the croque madame ($14) with a poached egg and bechamel sauce. The boys here have certainly managed to salvage something out of nothing, and lucky for them, we're already digging it.
A staple in Brisbane since 2019, BrewDog opened its inaugural Sydney facility in 2022. Settling into the vital South Eveleigh precinct that already hosts the likes of Lucky Kwong and Re, the $3.2-million venue is literally huge, spanning a large indoor dining space, a bar and a beer garden. The multi-space bar can seat 720 beer aficionados inside and 190 outside, pouring 40 brews through its taps. Those beverages cover the brand's own beers, of course, as well as 'BrewDog & Friends' guest tap takeovers and collaborations with local breweries. The less beer-inclined is covered, too. Cider, wine, spirits and cocktails are all on offer, alongside a range of non-alcoholic options. All of the above is accompanied by a food menu that features burgers and pizzas, and all-you-can-eat wings ($30) every Wednesday. It's embracing vegetarian and vegan dishes in a sizeable way, too, dedicating half of its range to plant-based bites — including two-for-one vegan eats on Mondays. Pub mainstays like the classic chicken parmy ($28.95) is available in both meat and plant-based varieties, while highlights of the pizza oven include the prawn and bacon Gambino Pizza ($26.95) and the Hero Pizza ($23.95) featuring wild mushrooms, zucchini ribbons, pine nuts and smashed Napoli tomatoes. Rounding out the BrewDog experience is the space's pared back industrial design of steel bar tops, timber benches and exposed pipework and brick that pays respects to the site's history, courtesy of acclaimed space-making shop Studio Y who designed the venue around the original workshop machinery collection. Inside, a massive bar sits in the middle of two seating sections that hosts both low and high tables, as well as couches you can sink into as you sample the brews.
Even when you're holidaying in a place that's known for its sun, surf and sand, sometimes you just want to splash around while peering down on the world. The Gold Coast is as famed for its sky-high stays as it is its beaches, so finding a towering hotel to spend a few nights in isn't hard. But if you're looking for somewhere brand new with a rooftop infinity pool boasting views out over Southport, there's only one place to book into. TRYP by Wyndham Southport Gold Coast marks the chain's first-ever outpost in Queensland and only the second Wyndham Hotels & Resorts site in Australia, after it made its Aussie debut in Adelaide. The brand also boasts venues in the US, China, the Philippines, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Brazil and Paraguay, among other spots around the globe, but joins the list of hotel names making the leap Down Under. Come 2025, Australia's first Mondrian will sit at the other end of the Gold Coast, in Burleigh Heads, for instance. St Regis has also locked in its initial Aussie appearance on the Goldie, but in 2027, with Budds Beach its destination At TRYP by Wyndham Southport Gold Coast, guests can turn an apartment in the 4.5-star hotel into their temporary home away from home, staying in of the 225 self-contained one-, two- or three-bedroom spaces. Whichever you pick, you'll have your own fully equipped kitchen, a dining table for meals if you're eating in, plus a king-sized bed. And as for gazing beyond the four walls around you, you'll get either waterway or hinterland views, including from balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows. Open since Wednesday, December 4, 2024 — just in time for summer holidays — the hotel is part of Southport's $3.8-billion Imperial Square development. But there's plenty onsite at TRYP by Wyndham Southport Gold Coast to keep you on the premises, such as an Italian and Mediterranean restaurant serving up dishes, alongside that rooftop swimming spot. Amore Ristorante started welcoming in diners back in mid-November in advance of the broader hotel's launch, and can cater to 100 people. Serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner daily under Executive Chef Robert McWhinnie, the restaurant's menu spans Tweed River oysters and crab mousse-stuffed blossoms for starters, wagyu beef bolognese among the house-made pasta options, plus wild-caught seafood and boneless chicken with lemon cashew cream for something more substantial. For dessert, chocolate cannoli and tiramisu made with Lavazza coffee are two tastebud-tempting choices. To wash all of the above down with, the drinks list features both a range of cocktails and Italian and local wines. While heading up top for a dip is already a drawcard — and you'll see both the ocean and the city as you swim — a luxe day spa is also on the way. So, when you're not taking a splash, you'll be able to hit the steam room or sauna. A fitness centre is onsite, too. When the Imperial Square precinct is finished, it'll be big — so sizeable, in fact, that it'll feature the tallest towers on the Gold Coast. Find TRYP by Wyndham Southport Gold Coast at 59 Meron Street, Southport, Queensland — and head to the chain's website for booking and further details.
Diamond Head Campground lies in the sheltered southern corner of Dunbogan Beach, on the watery edge of Crowdy Bay National Park. There's plenty to do, from swimming in the calm, aquamarine water to exploring spectacular Split Rock. Walkers will be keen to conquer one of the nearby hiking trails, which take in swamp mahogany and paperbark forests, as well as coastal panoramas aplenty. Just check NSW National Parks website first, as some are still closed because of the bushfires. The campground has 75 pitches for tents, but you're welcome to pull up in your caravan or motor home, too. Among the facilities are showers, toilets, barbecues and picnic tables, so you're fully covered here. [caption id="attachment_770660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] National Parks NSW[/caption] Top image: National Parks NSW
If you've long thought of Port Macquarie as one big waiting room for God, it's obviously been ages since you visited. It's true that Australia's sun-loving retirees have been digging in here for decades. The climate is the most liveable in the nation, with temperatures hovering at late 20s and early 30s in summer, but rarely slipping into single digits in winter. Plus, there are eighteen beaches (eighteen!), from friendly Flynns Beach to nine-kilometre-long Lighthouse Beach, where you can go on camel safari. But, more recently, Generations X and Y have been catching onto the salubriousness of this 44,000-person strong town, a four hour drive north of Sydney and six hours south of Brisbane. And they're moving in. In fact, Port (that's what the locals call it) is the fastest growing area in New South Wales. Luckily for you, the influx is bringing some serious hospitality experience with it. Here's how to spend a weekend in the area. STAY Port's many beaches make up its eastern coast, but along its northern edge runs the mighty Hastings River, which was the original home of the Birpai people. It starts 180 kilometres northwest in the Great Dividing Range and runs all the way into Port Macquarie. Today, the riverfront is home to Port's swankiest hotels. One of these is Sails Resort by Rydges, which scored a $15 million revamp last year. To sleep right on the water, reserve a water view king room or, if you're with friends, a suite. Either way, you'll be dozing in a signature king-sized bed, lolling about on spacious couches and crooning 'Ol' Man River' from your private balcony. The hotel pool, encircled with palm trees and dotted with private cabanas, is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet-esque by night. The town centre is just a ten minutes walk away, but, to travel in style, grab a vintage bike or, even better, a paddle board from the lobby. (Yep, you can travel via river all the way). [caption id="attachment_562409" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Lindsay Moller Photography via The Stunned Mullet[/caption] EAT The restaurant that put Port on the gustatory map is The Stunned Mullet. In 2005, co-owners Lou Perri and David Henry moved into this 90-seater space, overlooking sweeping coastal views north to Point Plomer. In 2014, the duo earned their first Good Food hat, and kept it in 2015. Italian-born, Canadian-raised Perri has two obsessions: Australia's finest produce and the world's best wines, while Henry is busy turning Perri's selections into decadent dishes as executive chef. Freshly shucked local oysters arrive as an Asian-inspired flight — the first topped with white miso and shiitake pearls, the second with finger lime ponzu and the third with nam jim. Mains feature meat cuts fit for royalty, like Glacier 51Toothfish, whose name comes from its icy habitat: 2000 metres beneath sea level, off the southern tip of Heard Island, an Australian territory in Antarctica. Farmed closer to home in Orange is Mandagery Creek venison, here laced with Australian natives, like wattleseed, macadamia nut and lemon myrtle. Perri will jovially guide you through the international odyssey that is the wine list — trust his recommendations if you can't make up your own mind. Back riverside, still-water sunsets, tapas, art and live music are on tap at the Latin Loafer. Flop onto a camelback sofa with a mango chilli lime daiquiri in hand and be transported to South America. Nicholas Diaz, who co-owns the restaurant-bar with musician and music promoter Simon Leigh, specialises in generous tapas plates, ranging from moreish takes on classics — like salted cod croquettes and chorizo in red wine — to fresh inventions such as heirloom carrots with beetroot, smoked goat's cheese and almonds. Don't be shy to ask the waitstaff for a match from the exotic Spanish, Argentinian and Chilean wine selection. West of Port Macquarie, the Hastings River nurtures thousands of hectares of fertile land, where warm weather crops, like avocado and macadamia, thrive, and cattle and chooks have space to free range. Many local cafes are making the most of these Edenic surroundings. Among the most outstanding is Drury Lane Eatery, co-owned by Canadian-born head chef Drury Woolnough and partner, Kate McCarron, who've been getting to know local producers. Salmon smoked an hour's drive away is transformed into a bright salad with apple and lemon fennel dukkah, while leaves grown 40 kilometres upstream at Near River Produce make for a mean green breakfast, with beans, chilli and fried eggs. Book one of the outdoor tables in the leafy courtyard opposite Glasshouse Theatre. For invigorating ocean views, grab a seat at Milkbar — if you can get one. Locals roll up from Town Beach and cram into this friendly cafe to tuck into hearty dishes, from house-made baked beans with herbed goats' cheese to baked eggs with feta and spinach. In the unlikely location of Gordon Street, Port's best coffee is brewing at Social Grounds, which, with its graphic murals and dark wooden tables, feels like an inner-city cafe. Choose between single origin or The Story, a blend combining beans from Ethiopia, Sumatra, Colombia and Rwanda. The hand-scrawled blackboard menu is short but fierce — try the spiced poached eggs with field mushroom, haloumi, avocado, rocket and dukkah on sourdough. If you're road tripping to or from Sydney, take a break in Newcastle's West End with lunch at The Edwards. Co-owners Chris Joannou (yep, Silverchair's bassist) and barista Chris Johnston have turned this warehouse that was Joannou's parents' dry-cleaning business into a fun, unpretentious cafe-bar. Beer taps are made from steam presses, lights are made from tumble dryers and there's loads of space for ping pong matches, art exhibitions, live music and night markets. The cheese plate is a spectacular mountain of softs, blues, truffle-infused oil, berries, dates and breads. DRINK Port Macquarie's wine history is as nearly as old as the Hunter Valley's. The first vineyards were planted in the 1860s, but, while the Hunter expanded, the North Coast's winemaking scene fell into decline. That was until Cassegrain kickstarted a revival in the '80s. Drop by the stone-paved cellar door overlooking rolling vineyards to try the famous Chambourcin; Cassegrain was the first winery in Australia to grow this French-American variety commercially. Fifteen kilometres south, at Lake Cathie, Long Point Vineyard and Art Gallery serves up Agent Orange liqueur and refreshing ginger beer, which is brewed on-site among other interesting drops. The indoor gallery features temporary exhibitions by local artists, while in the landscaped grounds, you'll rediscover two escapees from Sculpture by the Sea. In restaurants and bars all over the North Coast flows a beer by the name of Black Duck. It's brewed right here in Port and, should you pop in, brewer Al Owen will happily take you on a tour, talk you through a tasting paddle and, if you're hungry, hand you a locally-sourced food platter. Don't be shy to give Murphy, the resident Great Dane, a good dose of love too. DO Starting at Town Beach and finishing at Tacking Point Lighthouse, the nine-kilometre Port Macquarie Coastal Walk takes in three beaches, several stunning lookouts and Sea Acres National Park, where the rainforest meets the sea. Conquer the whole length or drive to a particular point and walk a section. The 1.3-kilometre Sea Acres Boardwalk lifts you seven metres above the ground, into the canopy. To get to places you can't go on foot, join Port Kayak for an adventure. For seventeen years, local guide Mark has been taking visitors through mangrove ecosystems, along rivers and down freshwater rapids. On his daily two-hour discovery tour, starting at 10am, you'll meet water dragons, who'll even climb onto your boat, and an enormous flying fox colony. On the way into or out of town, swing by Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries, where brothers Anthony and Richard Sarks have created a pick-your-own fruit kingdom. What began as a roadside stall serviced by an honesty box has turned into a mecca for growers and eaters interested in getting their hands dirty and knowing more about where their food comes from. The brothers will talk you through the ins and outs of hydroponics, before letting you loose among their immense greenhouses, filled with more than 30,000 plants across eight tomato varieties and five types of strawberries. Hungry? Stick around for a tomato-fuelled bite at Cafe Red. And if you're keen to unleash your inner Picasso while on holiday, keep your eyes peeled for an Eat Sip Paint pop-up, hosted by Paint the Town Port. You're provided with a paint, easel, nibbles and courage-giving glass of wine, while local artist Aimee Pelley, talks you through creating an artwork, step-by-step. LET'S DO THIS; GIVE ME THE DETAILS By car: Port Macquarie is about four hours north of Sydney, about six-and-a-half hours south of Brisbane and about twelve hours north of Melbourne. By plane: QANTAS and Virgin Australia fly between Port Macquarie and Sydney (65 minutes), Brisbane (85 minutes) and Melbourne (three hours). Jasmine Crittenden travelled as a guest of Destination NSW. Images: Peter Saw (unless otherwise specified).
If you've recently found yourself in a park tossing a lump of wood around, and often, then we've got an event for you. Anyone who fancies themselves a chance of making the Finskaroos will be descending on Petersham Bowling Club on Sunday, October 29 for the Australian Finska Championship. Surrounded by the dreamy suburban surrounds of the Inner West bowls club, 128 pairs of Finska lovers will go head to head from 9am, battling it out for the grand prize of $1000. For anyone not on board the hype train just yet, Finska or Finnish skittles is an outdoor group game where teams have to knock down wooden pins in a race to 50 points. The competition is open to everyone, from first-timers to experienced throwers. After the first few rounds, teams will be split into two comps to ensure that you're paired up with players of a similar skill level to themselves. If you want to spend your Sunday on the greens scoring points over a beer and a laugh, you will need to sign up beforehand. Registration will set you and your Finska partner back $40 per team.
Update: December 11, 2018 — Summer can get expensive. You're splashing out on presents for friends and fam, and the number of parties going on has increased tenfold. So, we're big fans of happy hours during this season — especially when they go for three hours. Bistro Rex has just launched l'aperitif, which run from 3.30–6.30pm every day at the Potts Point restaurant and features $5 wines (white, red and rosé), $5 Young Henrys natural lagers, $10 cocktails — including negronis and a spritzy chamomile number — and a range of $10 snacks. Bistro Rex, the latest French dining room to hit Potts Point, is hard to fault. More than that, it offers a casual alternative to some of Sydney's more theatrical restaurants: an unpretentious space serving timeless French food on simple white plates. The eatery doesn't feel a need to distract diners with design, but the space is still impressive. You're dining in Macleay Street's former Commonwealth Bank building, so there are large pillars between the tables, marble accents, and wood-framed mirrors high on the walls. It's all pretty luxurious — especially with the Chesterfield booths in the corner — but there's more than enough casual seating to balance it out, with rows of wooden tables and a few spots to dine at the bar. Because you're in a French restaurant, order the chicken liver parfait ($21). It's not particularly rich here; instead it's light, creamy, and served with sweet and sour jelly. The scallops with cashew and curry leaf ($26) are silky and complemented by the sweetness of leek on the plate. Chefs Jo Ward and Michelle Powell obviously know what they're doing with seafood, because the market fish of the day (on our visit, it's snapper) is perfect, flaking easily when the cutlery hits and swimming in just the right amount of sauce. The steak frites with Café de Paris ($39) is served spot-on medium-rare and drenched in butter — it's a classic combination, and why would you alter it? Main meals are on the heavier side, so order the Nashi pear salad with celery, chicory and hazelnuts ($16) to lighten things up a bit, and match your dish to a glass off the predominantly French wine list (the front page can be ordered by the glass, carafe or bottle). On the pass there's a single truffle in a glass dome — ask for it to be shaved over anything and everything. . None of the four options on the dessert menu are particularly eye-catching on paper, but all are delicious once they arrive — and are an unexpected highlight of the meal. Skip the cheese course and order the hazelnut parfait with dacquoise banana cream ($14); it's served with a chocolate biscuit shard and topped with banana cream, which balances the sweet and slightly savoury. The apple tarte Tatin ($14) arrives warm, sweet and sticky – there's a refreshing quenelle of choc-mint ice cream on the side. If you're not a dessert person, try the old-fashioned that's been lightly stirred with cold-brew coffee ($14). You could take your parents, friends, love interest or colleagues to Bistro Rex. Come for lunch on the weekend. Come for dinner on a Tuesday. Bring everyone. Order dessert.
Great Southern Nights has just dropped its lineup for 2026, confirming the return of the multi-city festival of Aussie-made music for its fifth run, and showcasing a list of huge names and a mix of genres that will bring it to life in 2026. If you've never paid it any mind before, a TLDR: where most venues pick one venue to roll with, GSN picks hundreds. Hundred of venues calls for hundreds of gigs, and 2026 will see over 300 performances take place on stages from the South Coast up through Sydney, out as far west as Dubbo and all the way up to Byron Bay, from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 17. The lineup is just as expansive, too, bringing legends and rising stars alike together across the state. [caption id="attachment_1070441" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jesse Thompson[/caption] First up is a 2026 GSN first: Live Fest. The curated, single-day event is first taking place in Dubbo, featuring country and folk icons Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins and Kasey Chambers, indie rockers The Cruel Sea, funk legends The Cat Empire and rising genre-defying songwriter Jess Hitchcock. Then the fun heads to Tamworth with indie pop and local rock talent like Jet, The Living End, Kita Alexander, Thelma Plum and Lime Cordiale. For the rest of the statewide program, well, you can imagine there's plenty of artists to pick from. Some of the standout names are Jessica Mauboy, Peking Duk, Genesis Owusu, Ball Park Music, The Whitlams, Playlunch, Jack River, Meg Mac, Young Franco, Gordi, Keli Holiday, The Grogans, WILSN and many, many more. [caption id="attachment_1070442" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Matt Jelonek[/caption] Great Southern Nights is organised in part by Destination NSW and ARIA, helping to drive visitation to cities across the state, instead of just piling crowds into the same Sydney venues and regional fields year after year. Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said, "Great Southern Nights shows the power of live music to bring people together and create energy in communities right across NSW. When you see local venues buzzing and artists performing in towns big and small, you really feel the impact these experiences have beyond the stage". [caption id="attachment_1070443" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Georgi Griffiths for Destination NSW[/caption] CEO of ARIA Annabelle Herd added, "Great Southern Nights is about connecting audiences of all ages across NSW with the unique joy of great live music and showing up for the places that support it. Bringing iconic artists to multiple regions across NSW creates big, shared moments for local communities, friends, and families". Visit the Great Southern Nights website to browse the full program and start planning your trip to any one of the participating cities.
Spend the day lazing about in one of Sydney's sweetest parks; Mardi Gras' Fair Day is back again for 2015. With gourmet food stalls, live music and comedy acts, this day-long celebration is sure to make your Sunday just a little more colourful. From 10am on February 22, join the expected 80,000 other attendees heading along to Chippendale's Victoria Park for a free excuse to get out and enjoy the sun. Everyone's covered, with fairground rides, on-stage entertainment and the festival's famous DoggyWood dog show. Round off the day by kicking on to King Street for the free After the Fair Party at the Newtown and Bank Hotels.
In 2022, Sydneysiders were hit with a devastating development: the closure of longtime Enmore Road favourite Stanbuli. With that sad news, however, came the exciting announcement that beloved chef Ibrahim Kasif would be at the helm of a new venue, a wine bar and manoush restaurant that NOMAD Group had first announced back in 2021. Beau is a multi-faceted 100-seat venue divided into two sections. The first, Beau & Dough, opens its doors on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills on Tuesday, February 7, while Beau Bar will officially launch on February 24. Open from 7am till late seven days a week, Beau & Dough is all about manoush all day every day. Kasif has created a menu that champions this form of Lebanese flatbread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you arrive in the morning, pair a carby treat in the form of a breakfast manoush with a cup of joe made using Beau's signature house blend of Single O coffee. "I can't wait to see people walking down the street with a manoush in their hands," says Kasif. When lunchtime rolls around, you can still opt for flatbread, topped with the likes of za'atar and cheese, spicy lamb, or sujuk and egg. Alternatively, you can dive further into the all-day offerings, which is where you'll find a crumbed blue-eye trevalla burger topped with yoghurt and tahini remoulade, achiote-spiced spatchcock, twice-cooked lamb neck and a Middle Eastern-style chopped salad. "Beau has your whole day sorted, from manoush to go, a sit-down breakfast or lunch in the laneway, or dinner and a glass of wine from our expansive and ever-changing list that focuses on unique and interesting Australian wines," NOMAD Group co-owner Rebecca Yazbek says. Once Beau Bar swings its doors open, you can expect an impressive 300-strong vino list offering different varieties and price points, plus a more lavish selection of eats featuring chilled seafood platters, lobster thermidor, flank steak, and an ox tongue bun with Moreton Bay bug and Russian sauce. Beau will be located just down the road from NOMAD. The manoush restaurant is housed in a bright sunlit street-level building, while the wine bar will have a more secluded, moody atmosphere, with private use of Fracks Lane which connects Reservoir Street to NOMAD's Foster Street. The opening of the Beau Bar will, in fact, reinstate the laneway for the first time in a century. Find Beau at 52 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills. Beau & Dough is open 7am–late seven days a week from Tuesday, February 7. Beau Bar will open on Friday, February 24 and will be open from midday for lunch and 5pm for dinner seven days a week.
Parramatta's farmers markets have returned to Centenary Square just in time for your Christmas shopping. The markets have returned boasting all the fresh produce, artisan goods and all the tasty takeaways you could want. Traditionally held on Fridays, the markets are popping up for a five-week trial of new midweek opening hours that will see it operate on Wednesdays from 7.30am–2.30pm. Fruit, veggies, bread, honey, pastries and flowers will be among the goods marketgoers can get their hands on, as well as food from some of Sydney's best food trucks and local takeaway businesses. Think doughy gluten-free desserts from G-Free Doughnuts, saucy pasta selections from On Ya Gnocchi, Gozleme King's spinach and cheese favourites and your caffeine fix from Coconut Coffee. In its current iteration, the markets will run weekly up until Wednesday, December 22, with plans for the new year yet to be announced. "With the festive season here, it's the perfect time to visit," says City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Steven Issa. "There's always a buzz in Centenary Square when the Parramatta Markets are on."
Whether or not you love the holiday season, you can't deny that it's the perfect time to get together with the people you love and celebrate the good times. If you're the one lumped with the unlucky task of finding the best place for everyone to let their hair down a little, finding a venue can be a little tricky, especially with a small army behind you hollering for drinks and canapés. In an effort to take some of this stress off your weary shoulders, we've had a good look at venues around town that can accommodate larger collections of people. We've looked at pubs, bars, restaurants and everything in between so you don't have to. In partnership with Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée, here are our picks of venues where you can sip on a glass of bubbly and chill en masse with your squad over the holidays. THE ROYAL HOTEL, PADDINGTON No one uses space quite like The Royal. Despite the fact that the hotel is the size of a standard Paddington terrace house, they've pulled off a trick that would have made Lewis Carroll jealous and filled the space with three completely unique levels. Whether it's the picturesque rooftop, the slick Elephant Bar, the historic terrace or the good ol' public bar, The Royal can cater for groups of any size, and is a great place to order a bucket of bubbly and split it amongst your friends. They also offer extensive functions packages so you can make the most of your Yuletide revelries. ESTER, CHIPPENDALE Perhaps this year you're not in the mood for a massive do with far too much booze and a high risk of a social faux pas. Should this be the case, perhaps living it large with dinner is a much better option, and Ester is well worth checking out. The menu is deliciously fresh and the wine list would make Bacchus blush. Plus, the setup of the restaurant is perfectly sized to cater for most groups. Rather than reliving hangovers of Christmas past, Ester will keep you classy this holiday season. INTERCONTINENTAL SYDNEY, CBD There's no reason your annual get together has to be tucked away in the beer garden at your local. Why not get all dressed up and try something a little fancier? The InterContinental is no stranger to catering for groups and, with their multiple functions areas and menus, they've got a portfolio diverse enough to provide whatever it is you need — whether it's a fancy to-do in The Cortile, or a sit down dinner at 117 Dining, the hotel has all bases covered. FOREST LODGE HOTEL, FOREST LODGE Taking all your best buds out for a Christmas catch-up doesn't necessarily mean dropping a hefty wad of cash. Sometimes all you need is a cosy garden, a cracking craft beer list and a good, old fashioned local pub. The Flodge has all these things in swathes, plus a pool table and a few arcade games smattered around the joint to encourage a healthy dose of competition. What says Christmas in Australia more than a few jugs of the finest local beers with your mates at the pub? 4FOURTEEN, SURRY HILLS This restaurant space is sneakily tucked away among endless shopfronts in Surry Hills, hiding the fact that there's oodles of space inside to host any end-of-year function you might care to organise. In addition to the delicious a la carte and drinks menu, the functions packages cover everything from a small group in for a sit down dinner, to complete conversion of the venue to suit the needs of groups of up to 120 people. Heck, the team at 4fourteen have even pulled off the odd wedding, so an office Christmas party should be an absolute breeze. COOGEE PAVILION, COOGEE Overlooking one of Sydney's most iconic beaches, Merivale's Coogee Pavilion is the perfect place to celebrate the Australian summer with the people you hold dearest. As well as the slick public bar with its oversized Jenga and table tennis, the Pav also offers an amazing terrace that's perfect for a group get-together. WEBSTERS BAR, NEWTOWN It's been a while now since this bar shucked its Zanzibar skin and greeted the world anew as Websters Bar. Included in the transformation were some wicked renovations in all areas of the venue, creating a whole new spot for punters to enjoy. Websters can cater for big groups on every level of the pub, so whether you want a few tables put together in the public bar, or you want your own private corner in the sleek Bourbon Bar, or you want to book the whole roof out for your revelries, Websters has got your back. THE NELSON HOTEL, BONDI JUNCTION Sometimes you just have to salute the people who've done what they've done well while the years have kept marching on. The Nelson has had its doors open since the days when there was only one world war, and the same friendly vibe of a classic local pub remains. The food is simple yet delicious, and there's a huge amount of space to bring all your pals for a feed and a few cold ones. So while Christmases come and go, The Nelo will host parties for all of them. THE BUCKET LIST, BONDI BEACH With the golden sands of Bondi Beach merely metres away, The Bucket List is the perfect spot to sink a few cold ones in the dying summer sunlight.The venue has a laidback vibe, where your party can mingle among the other revellers — or, if you can gather everyone on your Facebook friends list, you can book out the whole joint for up to 400 people. CLOVELLY BOWLING CLUB, CLOVELLY Just like the first time you tried asparagus as a kid, you're going to need to keep an open mind here. Although it's not the full service deal you get with a lot of other venues on this list, Clovelly Bowls is a spectacular place to get outdoors, fire up a barbecue you don't have to clean, and have a drink while playing some sports with friends and family. Add the Covelly cliffside location and you've got yourself a fine venue to muster up Christmas cheer in even the biggest Grinch. Celebrate this season with Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée — available at your local supermarket or liquor store. Top image: Coogee Pavilion.
Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney opened in 2022 with the goal of feeding those in need. The Crown Street eatery supplies free lunches to those dealing with food insecurity four days a week. The daily plant-based menu is packed with nutrition and applies a zero-waste policy. In order to raise money for OzHarvest and to invite the public into the space, the Surry Hills spot hosts regular neighbourhood dinners, too — and to mark its first birthday, it has pulled together an all-star lineup for its March series. Every Wednesday night in March, Refettorio OzHarvest will welcome a different beloved chef for the Guest Chef at the Ref series. Each guest will grace the kitchen, whipping up a three-course meal for the diners using rescued ingredients from other kitchens. Kicking things off with Da Orazio's Orazio D'Elia on Wednesday, March 1, the month-long series will feature appearances from Spice Temple's Andy Evans, Claire Van Vuuren of Bloodwood, plus Colin Fassnidge and Matt Moran. You can expect dishes in each chef's signature style that also abides by the eatery's no-waste policy. Van Vurren's dinner on Wednesday, March 15 will be an extra-special one, with P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants accompanying the food with a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. [caption id="attachment_842715" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Each ticket to the dinners will set you back $120, and while the price tag is hefty, it's one that you can feel good about. Each ticket sold will directly translate to serving six people a nourishing meal during the venue's lunch services. The eatery serves approximately 70 freshly made meals each day that it's open, supporting the community and ensuring that everyone has access to a filling meal. Spots at the dinners are sure to fill up quickly, so if you want to treat yourself to a special meal for a good cause, head to the OzHarvest website to secure your seat. [caption id="attachment_842709" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] GUEST CHEF AT THE REF SERIES: Wednesday, March 1 — Orazio D'Elia, Da Orazio Wednesday, March 8 — Andy Evans, Spice Temple Wednesday, March 15 — Claire Van Vuuren, Bloodwood with P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants Wednesday, March 22 — Colin Fassnidge, Banksia Bistro at Banksia Hotel and ex-4Fourteen Wednesday, March 29 — Matt Moran, Chiswick, House Canteen and Barangaroo House Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney's Guest Chef at The Ref series will run on every Wednesday in March. Tickets are $120 per person. Top image: Jasper Avenue.
Part of the family of venues that call the historic H. May building home (Continental Deli, Osteria Bucca and Mister Grotto), Flora is an all-day vegetarian restaurant with a sustainable edge. Guided by Head Chef Jude Hughes, who boasts a background working in eco-conscious venues like Byron Bay's Three Blue Ducks and The Summertown Aristologist, diners can expect inventive veggie dishes where local and seasonal ingredients are pushed to their flavoursome limits, along with culinary creations that hero fermentation, house-made vinegars and woodfired goodness on every plate. Start small with house pickles and woodfired tempeh, go heartier and tuck into grilled mushrooms with confit garlic and yolk, or venture into more exotic territory with the likes of Congo purple potato gnocchi with fioretto, lemon and lentil miso. Desserts are no different, and the hero treat is undoubtedly a Queen Garnet plum trifle with sweet corn custard and popcorn meringue. The drinks menu is an all-Australian affair, with a curated selection of wine, cocktails and coffee available from open until close. This new space is also wonderfully atmospheric, with modern vintage furnishings and charming accents creating a warm but refined ambience. Walk in from 8am to enjoy invigorating morning options, or book for dinner to indulge in elevated vegetarian cuisine.
With the sale of Marrickville's iconic Vic On The Park to hotel powerhouse Merivale, the ardent hipsters of Enmore Road are on the lookout for a traditional, independent boozer to call their local. The "Wazza" is the inner west pub of yesteryear — a simple, reasonably priced menu, sport on the telly and cheap beer alongside a couple of local craft taps. This unpretentious pub might look to be another old man's watering hole, yet the unassuming decor of the main bar gives way to a secluded, shady and spacious outdoor garden courtyard full of hipsters, tradies and families alike. The bamboo-panelled walls of the garden, coupled with multiple umbrellas all centred around the shade thrown from the large tree in the middle of the garden make for a great place to hide from the traffic outside and forget how close you are to the city. A great neighbourhood pub with one of the best kept secret gardens in the area.
Film tix for a tenner, filmmaker Q and As, happy hours, themed parties and an epic virtual reality program are all happening at this year's Sydney Film Festival Hub, which will take over Town Hall from 7–17 June. Whether or not you have a movie ticket, head to the bar between 4:30pm and 6pm on weekdays for happy hour drinks, including $12 gin cocktails and $8 wines. The festival's beverage partners are Archie Rose, Young Henrys and Eden Road Wines, so you'll be in good company. While you're at it, poke your head into the Hub Box Office: $10 tickets will be up for grabs until 8:30pm nightly. Meanwhile, Talks at the Hub will give you the chance to learn more about the back stories behind your favourite flicks. Some of the festival's biggest titles, including Dying to Live, Jirga, Half The Picture and The Breaker Upperers, will be up for discussion among their directors, actors and producers. If you feel like disappearing into an alternative world for a while, then step into one the Hub's virtual reality shows. Planet Immersive will transport you deep into the Arctic, to experience the impact of climate change, while Space Explorers: A New Dawn travels into outer space. The full VR program is over here. Throughout the festival, three free themed parties will be thrown in the hub. Kicking things off on Thursday, June 7, is Mad Mix Party — combining video art and feminist tunes — then on Saturday, June 9, Boys II Girlz Party will feature hits from Take That, NSYNC and The Jackson 5. The latter will (fittingly) follow the screening of I Used To Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story. The following Saturday, Spike Lee's funky soundtracks will be showcased at Spike's Juke Joint. Sydney Film Festival Hub will be open Tuesday–Friday, 4.30pm till late; Saturday 9 and 16 June, 11:30am-late; Sunday 10 June, 11:30am-late; and Sunday 17 June, 11:30am-6pm.
The predictably sole stay available in the Zig-Zag-occupied Republic of Zubrowka, Wes Anderson's mighty Grand Budapest Hotel is quietly killing it over at Trip Advisor. With its own page up for user reviews, photos and generous applause for its cable car access, mountaintop location, satisfying concierge and significant amount of available rooms, the fictional hotel is now rated higher than Paramus, New Jersey's Holiday Inn Express. Seems the marketing team have pulled one humdinger of a stunt, celebrating the UK DVD/Blu-ray release of The Grand Budapest Hotel. If only Trip Advisor had been around for The Shining, they might have pulled a few more winter guests. The official description, as provided by the 200-room 'hotel' reads as follows: Located in the mountainous Republic of Zubrowka and reached by funicular railway The Grand Budapest Hotel has all the advantages of being secluded amongst nature, while having attractions including the Kunst Museum and Mendl’s Patisserie close at hand. Famed for its staffs’ meticulous attention to detail and commitment to the wellbeing of its residents this hotel proves to be the perfect retreat — you’ll never experience anything quite like the Grand Budapest Hotel. True to Trip Advisor form, the comments section is the best bit. Whether fuelled by fans or the marketing team themselves, there's some chortleworthy digs in there for fans of Anderson's wonderfully whimsical hotel: "I am a lady in my 80s and I had the pleasure of staying in this wonderful hotel. Charming, luxurious, soothing, breathtaking... these are just some of the words I'd use to describe the concierge. Simply put, Gustav blew my mind. The hotel wasn't bad either." "Its best days may be behind it, but it's at least quiet, and you never have to wait for a table at dinner time." "As much as I enjoy the solitude, though, it's not perfect. The elevator has the odor of some strong cologne that just won't dissipate, and every so often a VERY creepy old man wanders around and sleeps in the servant's quarters. I'm sorry, but somebody like that has no business amongst the classes that would be staying in a grand hotel." "One of the few genuinely historic buildings remaining in Zig-Zag-occupied Zubrowka. The concierge is lazy, but also quite accommodating." Marketing teams for The Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bates Motel and Hotel Transylvania are face palming right now. Via Indiewire and IWATCHSTUFF.
Arguably Australia's most scenic zoo, Taronga Zoo is a popular spot for families and tourists alike. Officially opening as Taronga Zoo Sydney back in 1916, it is now home to 4000 animals from over 350 species. Head here and you'll encounter giraffes, elephants, tigers, sun bears, meerkats, lion cubs, chimps, gorillas and more — all while overlooking Sydney Harbour. Apart from seeing all the adorable animals, critters and creatures, you can also stay the night at the on-site Wildlife Retreat at Taronga: a 62-room eco-luxe hotel located smack-bang in the middle of the zoo. If the idea of a zoo sleepover appeals to you, you can skip the luxe hotel and opt for its Roar and Snore experience instead. At this overnight adventure, you'll stay in safari-style tents (complete with bathroom facilities) as well as get to know some of the zoo's cuddlier residents, go on an exclusive night tour of after-dark animal parties, catch animal feedings and tour some of the enclosures. The zoo also hosts an annual summer gig series in its grounds. Dubbed Twilight at Taronga, the live music events runs in January and February, and sees many people descent upon the zoo's natural amphitheatre backdropped to some of the most impressive views around town. In short, whether you're an animal lover, music fan or just keen to live it up in a luxe hotel, Taronga Zoo Sydney is as much for adults as it is for kids. [caption id="attachment_830236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Taronga Zoo via DNSW[/caption] Taronga Zoo Sydney is open from 9.30am–5pm daily. Top image: Destination NSW
If you've got a mate in your circle with a weakness for vintage fashion, don't spend any more time trawling through eBay. You'll get the right old-school pressie at Route 66. Among the plethora of well-loved objects here are cowperson belts etched with names like 'Cherry' and 'Dub', leather fringe jackets, bandanas, floral skirts and loads of denim. Route 66 started life in 1988, on Crown Street, Surry Hills, before moving to King Street, Newtown, earlier this year. It's now open seven days a week — making it perfect for last-minute gift buying panic attacks.
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.
It was hyped and hyped and hyped. And now it's finally here. Darling Square's new slinky-like Exchange Building has opened its doors and, as well as being home to a sparkly new two-storey library, its filled with — and surrounded — by eateries from top Sydney chefs. Inside, you'll find the Maker's Dozen: ten restaurants serving up everything from Japanese pasta to Vietnamese tacos and cakes from an Enmore fave. Outside, on Little Hay Street, there's Electric Treat Street, which is a haven for Sydneysiders with a sweet tooth. The two new precincts join the already-open Steam Mill Lane, too, which houses spots such as Belles Hot Chicken, Edition Coffee Roasters, Marrickville Pork Roll and Melbourne burger joint 8bit. If you work anywhere nearby the Square, you're certainly not short on lunchtime (and after-work snack) options. To help you decide where to go on your next lunch break, we've rounded up some of our favourite dishes from the new openings. [caption id="attachment_738422" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] SAGA LYTE The little sister to Enmore's Saga, the aptly named Saga Lyte is serving up Andy Bowdy's elaborate cakes, cheesy toasties and flaky pastries. One of our favourite savoury options is the Lee Tran (named after Sydney food writer and podcaster Lee Tran Lam). It's a golden toastie filled with charred broccolini, chilli mayo and caciocavollo (a southern Italian cheese). Other pre-dessert highlights include the pork and veal sausage roll and the rotating pie (steak and onion when we visited). After this, we highly suggest digging into one of the single-serve cakes — pavlovas, vanilla slice, lemon meringue pies, choux buns, the list goes on — and if you take it back to the office, we're forecasting some serious brownie points. Open: 7am–11pm What to order: Lee Tran [caption id="attachment_738439" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] PASTA WAFU What happens when Kirby Craig — of Bar Ume and Ume Burger fame — teams up with the duo behind Barangaroo's vermouth bar Banskii? They open a Japanese pasta shop, of course. While not an obvious concept, it's an extremely tasty one. The stars of the menu are five umami-packed pastas, featuring the likes of miso bolognese, nori, soy butter and shiso. Choosing a favourite is hard, but one we keep going back to is the Kinoko Spaghetti. Translated as 'mushroom' spaghetti, it's a pretty apt description of the dish, which has miso mushrooms, shoyu butter and shio koji (a salty fermented seasoning). It's suggested you add an onsen egg to this, which we also recommend you do. As Pasta Wafu is licensed, you can pair your spaghetti with a sake or umeshu, too. Open: 11am–11pm What to order: Kinoko spaghetti (with onsen egg) BUBBLE NINI Sydney — and Haymarket in particular — is not short on bubble tea joints. But, this one's a little different. Every morning, the team makes fresh pearls, of which there are six different flavours. Once you've chosen from the 50 different flavours of teas (with punny names like Jasmine Is a Cute-Tea, It Takes Two to Mango and How Ya Bean, Matcha Happening?) you can pick your pearls: sakura, matcha, taro, brown sugar, mango peanut or strawberry. It's a lot of decision making. Luckily, we've done some taste-testing and the A Taro-Bly Bad Name (they're not wrong) with taro pearls is a winner. It's also a really pretty lavender colour, if you're there for the 'gram. Open: 8am–10pm What to order: A Taro-Bly Bad Name [caption id="attachment_738458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] BAU TRUONG We've had Japanese pasta, now get ready for another left-of-centre culinary combination: Vietnamese tacos. You'll find them at the new CBD outpost of the Cabramatta favourite Bau Truong. Here, there's not a tortilla in sight. Instead, the banh trang gion (the proper name for the 'tacos') are served on bowl-like rice crackers and topped with the likes of prawn, braised pork belly and beef jerky. If you like your cuisines fused, you'll be happy to know that Bau Truong also serves up a deep-fried banh mi — with Vegemite. Open: 11am–11pm What to order: Banh trang gion [caption id="attachment_738411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] DOPA BY DEVON The Devon team has found a winning formula with its cafes (located in Surry Hills, Barangaroo, North Sydney and Brisbane), but now it's trying something new: a Tokyo-inspired milk bar. Located on Little Hay's Electric Treat Street, Dopa by Devon has over twenty varieties of donburi. These rice bowls come topped with the typical teriyaki chicken, katsu pork and king salmon sashimi — plus house specialties like cheeseburger wagyu, beef tongue, ling cod and even a sub-Antarctic toothfish. But, the dishes making waves on social media are its desserts. Giant matcha cookies, OTT parfaits, loaded milkshakes and shaved ice desserts are all on the lineup, and we can't get enough of the latter. The strawberry kakigori (Japanese shaved ice dessert) is sweet, surprisingly creamy and refreshing. We think it'll be a big hit with city workers come summer. Open: 11am–10pm What to order: Strawberry kakigori AND THERE'S MORE... Yes, lots more. You could, in theory, spend an entire weekend here eating a drinking. If you do have more stomach space to fill, we suggest swinging by Hopper Kadé for a Sri Lankan hopper, Bucket Boys for a refreshing brew, Boque by Tapavino for a chorizo burger — or out to Rey Jr on Little Hay for some Filipino street food. Find Maker's Dozen, Electric Treat Street and Steam Mill Lane in and around The Exchange, 35 Tumbalong Boulevard, Haymarket. To check individual restaurant's opening hours, head to the Darling Square website. Images: Kimberley Low
What's better than one Sydney Moonlight Cinema? Two, obviously. In addition to the CBD's stint of openair movie-viewing, Western Sydney also plays host to the outdoor cinema — so get ready to watch flicks under the stars at Western Sydney Parklands between Thursday, November 16–Sunday, January 30. Like its sibling venue, Moonlight Cinema Western Sydney is screening new movies, recent must-sees and festive flicks, starting with Free Guy on opening night. From there, you can head along to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Disney newbie Encanto and the family-friendly The Boss Baby: Family Business. And, for your merry outdoor movie-watching pleasure, the Christmas selection includes Love Actually, Elf, The Grinch, Die Hard and Home Alone. It's also worth remembering that Moonlight Cinema is BYO — and there'll be food, snacks, a bar and (if you'd like to pay for them) bean bags as well. And, in great news for movie-loving pooches, you can bring them along, too.
Owned by an ex-Coffee Alchemy barista, new neighbourhood café Double Tap is serving up coffees to froth over. Despite its remote Marrickville location, hidden among warehouse lots and residential terraces, the new family-owned coffee shop is already starting to pick up steam, with many considering their brews pretty hard to beat. It's the first venue for owner and manager Daniel Karaconji, who worked as head barista at Coffee Alchemy for almost a decade. While the batch of beans may be different, Karaconji continues to win over hearts and spike blood pressures with his silky milks and caramelised cremas. If you're interested in knowing what you're drinking, Double Tap sources all its coffee from small batch roasters only, with its house blend Silver Bullet by Panorama Coffee Roasters in Sydney's Wetherill Park. Used for white coffees only, the Silver Bullet blend is made from Brazilian and Ethiopian beans and reveals lingering notes of cacao, berries and stone fruits. For black coffees, customers can choose their own single origin beans, with offerings from Sample Coffee, Wood & Co, Grace & Taylor, Small Batch Roasting Co and Market Lane, among others. If you're starting to get the jitters, try hitting up the food menu, with Double Tap serving a homely menu of toasted sarnies, fresh salads and brekkie bowls. Made on toasted Brickfields sourdough, the sandwiches are particularly tasty, even more so, when you consider the price. Options include a free-range poached chicken with chives, blanched almonds and a mustard-seed mayo ($9.50) as well as a mortadella, provolone and fresh mint with sliced green olives ($9.50). Cakes are also a standout with Karaconji's wife and mum hand-baking the selection. Today, Karaconji's mum Yovanka has rustled up a CWA-quality strawberry and cream sponge ($6), while his wife Elizabeth came to the table with a glazed lemon and yoghurt ring ($6). Slices are whooping nana-sized portions and the rustic appearances and homemade taste are equivalent to a big, warm hug. While this may be a family-owned cafe, the interiors are sleek, with warm Australian timbers, native floral decorations and a botanical wall mural, painted by Karaconji's brother, Alex. While Double Tap may not be doing anything "new" or "different" per se, sometimes just doing the simple things well can be pretty revolutionary. Images: Letícia Almeida
The annual floral show Fleurs de Villes is returning to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney with a vibrant new floral exhibition tailor made for this year's Sydney WorldPride. This follows the success of last year's popular FEMMES exhibition. Running from February 17–26, Fleurs de Villes PRIDE will showcase a series of fresh floral installations made by Sydney's top floral talent, each of which celebrates an inspirational member or ally of Australia's LGBTQIA+ community. This includes the legendary Kylie Minogue and some of Sydney WorldPride's Rainbow Champions like Courtney Act, Keiynan Lonsdale and Deni Todorovic. Visitors to the exhibition can also enjoy colourful flower markets, expert floral talks, demos and workshops and unique Floral Discos — where guests can toast to the start of Sydney WorldPride and party to live DJ tunes alongside the vibrant floral exhibit. In celebration of this kaleidoscopic exhibition, Fleurs de Villes is giving away a one-night stay at the Intercontinental Sydney (valued at $500). This lavish five-star hotel is located right on Circular Quay, boasting views across the famous harbour. The winner will stay in a City View room, getting access to the most luxe facilities — including an indoor pool that looks out over the Sydney Opera House. A decadent breakfast for two is also included. Ready for a luxurious city staycation? Enter your details below. [competition]887514[/competition]
Headed by distiller Odelia Potts, Kings Cross Distillery is Macleay Street's cocktail den and distillery featuring house-made gins, cocktails and Spanish snacks — plus personality aplenty. As with many old buildings in the area, the venue's past lives are varied and salacious. These include an illegal gambling den and an adult bookstore with a hidden vault. That vault is no longer home to questionable activities, but the distillery's precious bottles of gin. The fit-out pays homage to the building's history and emulates speakeasies from the 1920s — think dark green leather booths, exposed brick walls and gold details aplenty across the split-level bar. The distillery's 200-litre pot also sits front-and-centre. Expect seats for 120 all up and a kitchen serving mezze-style bites like garlic prawns ($29), sea bass ceviche ($29) and anchovies ($28). You can also order caviar by the ten-gram serve ($75). Apart from the gin, the distillery will also make its own vodka and whisky, and pours other spirit and wine brands from around Australia and the globe. Guests can even keep specially selected drops in personalised spirit lockers, where bottles can be stored between visits and then used in any concoction on the menu. Eager punters can pre-purchase those spirit lockers (for a cool $400–1350) and have one all ready to go for opening night. On the bar's cocktail menu, you'll find a bubble-topped Impeachment ($24), a Sin and Tonique ($24) and gin old fashioned dubbed Pepperation Makes Perfect ($24). All made with one of the distillery's house-distilled gins, of course. And you can leave with a bottle of that gin, too, with the classic dry gin and Garden Island navy strength gin available online and in-store.
This article is sponsored by our partner, Toshiba. Acclaimed around the world for its delicate complexity, Japanese cuisine has an attention to detail that is exquisite. No wonder it’s seen as an art form to many. Consequently, the dining scene is equally as impressive, in every sense of the word. Yes, they have 32 Michelin-starred restaurants in the country, but it's not all fancy, elegant and expensive. Think complete opposite to fine dining. Think of cafes where you can pat owls, restaurants where you throw your rod out of the boat and fish for your dinner, and cafes where French maids serve you chicken katsu and write ‘love’ on it. These places will literally change your notion of what is possible in the culinary showground. For a seriously Japanese experience that's a little closer to home, check out Toshiba's Pop-Up Zushi Roller-Coaster, a totally free and fantastic dining set-up on for a limited time only. Dine with a furry friend Created by a Finnish artist back in 1945, the Moomins are a fairytale family of white, roundish hippopotamus-like creatures that live in Moominvalley. We all know that Japan has paved the way for these kinds of things, with Hello Kitty cafes left, right and centre, so it’s only natural that a Moomin cafe exists in Tokyo. And Moomin fans will hit the roof. From the cutlery right through to your food, everything is in the shape of Moomin, and if you're a solo patron, you can even dine with a giant stuffed Moominpapa as your companion. It’s Moomin madness. Don’t be surprised if you end up talking like Thingumy and Bob. "Hmmmm….this yushi is really summy", etc. Dine with a feathered friend Cat cafes are so 2013. The quirky hangout craze in Japan now is places where you can drink your coffee with some friends — of the feathered sort. Owl cafes have become quite the hoot (excuse the pun) since Fukuro no Mise in Tokyo gained popularity in 2012. And we’re talking real owls here. Here you can eat your owl-inspired food while patting a barn owl. Understandably, this is not normal interaction for owls and humans, so there are strict guidelines to follow once you’re inside, such as washing of hands, not talking too loudly and having a staff member present should you want to hold one. The queues can get lengthy due to number restrictions, so make sure you don’t get too excited once you're in; it could send them into a flutter. Fish for your Food Like the idea of fishing for tea, but not hanging out in a dinghy for hours in the hopes of catching a feed? Zauo restaurants in Tokyo are taking fresh seafood to the next level. Ushered to a seat in the boat-shaped area, you can then request a fishing rod and some bait and commence fishing for your dinner from the moat beneath, swarming with various kinds of fish. The rule is that once you’ve caught it, you’ve bought it. So be careful should you be the adept trawler — you better hope that ¥16,000 ($170) lobster you snagged is tasty. There is fun in this though; the whole restaurant cheers you on if you’ve had success. Furthermore, the chef can prepare it however you like. Alternatively, if your patience is wearing thin and you feel like a floundering angler, simply order direct from the menu and beat the others to it. Dine on a cute, fake train Railway enthusiasts, unite! Little TGV is one of Tokyo’s distinctively themed cafes, with train-themed decor and booth seating similar to that of a railway carriage. A model railway chugs around the eatery, and as well as train-shaped food, the menu is inspired from railroads and trains all over the country. A cross between an izakaya and a maid-cafe, this place runs along the same lines, with waitresses dressed in train conductor uniforms. This, however, doesn’t mean it’s solely male clientele; Little TGV is popular with both local and foreign patrons wishing to soak up some of the cutesy/randomness of Japanese culture. High-speed sushi No longer do you have to wait five minutes till that California roll glides past you again. The high-tech sushi train at Uobei is all about delivering dishes via a high-speed chute. Customers place their order from the computer touch screen from their bench and within 60 seconds the high-speed rail sends the sushi careening down the chute, stopping right in front of you. After you’ve taken the plates (maximum three on one rail at a time), a simple press of a button sends the dishes flying back to the kitchen. Not quite sure how your green tea could fare at this speed, but that is what we call fast food.
Attention all coffee-seekers: you may have just found the new brew — or brews — you've been searching for. Beloved Melbourne-based Padre Coffee has finally arrived in Sydney, bringing naturally-processed Colombian blends to its first ever NSW setup at Paddington's Five Ways. After growing a cult-like following at its flagships in Melbourne and Noosa, it's time to discover what all the hype is about. Padre on Glenmore Road features a storefront for the brand's coffee blends and home-brewing equipment, as well as a spacious espresso bar and cafe boasting a range of freshly-baked treats to accompany your coffee. Sample the pastries and bread supplied by Staple Bread & Necessities, cookies from Cut Lunch Deli and the famous Portuguese tarts from Clovelly's Tuga Pastries. "We're absolutely thrilled to share the Padre Coffee vision and brand with Sydney coffee lovers," said the NSW head of Padre Coffee, Ben White. "Our blends have garnered a strong following with online buyers across the city's eastern suburbs and CBD, so we're looking forward to now having a dedicated space for our coffee drinkers to enjoy their daily cup." The store, located not far from the The Royal Hotel and Tequila Mockingbird, is serving up limited edition flavours to celebrate its launch, including adventurous and fruity caffeinated sips such as cherry, raspberry, strawberry and rose. You'll want to get sipping on these rare brews before they sell out completely. You'll find Padre Coffee's Sydney outpost at 241A-241B Glenmore Road in Paddington — grab your special brew from 7am to 3pm Monday to Sunday.
Stay tuned. More info on its way. Images: Kitti Gould.
While overseas boba chains are kicking goals all over our city, there's something to be said for a local haunt. No Fail is Sydney's homegrown bubble tea brand. Its signature item is the brûlée pearl milk tea, which you can also add cheese foam and even a full on side of crème brûlée to. No Fail has also recently released a new yoghurt range, which changes seasonally — at the moment, there are watermelon, paw paw and strawberry yoghurt flavours to choose from. Secret menu items are on the docket here, too, and the new cups have a caricature of a pig dabbing on them. The brand has recently expanded from Haymarket to open a second outpost in Sydney's other bubble tea mecca, Burwood, and we expect more will follow.
This William Street boutique has been serving well-dressed women in Sydney for the best part of two decades. Owners Nicola Lie and Juliet Kember started out with their eyes on the fashion and style of Belgium for inspiration, but time has evolved the store's range into a collection of local and overseas brands including Issey Miyake, Dries van Noten and Comme des Garçon. The overall style here is loose fitting, laidback and structural, created from premium fabrics and designed to outlast high street trends. It can be a fairly intimidating boutique to approach, so take a look at the collection online for an idea of what's likely to be in stock — or keep an eye out for Poepke's biannual archives sale for the best bargains. [caption id="attachment_779551" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] If you're browsing William Street's upmarket stores, drop by to check out the Maison Balzac glassware, Mondo Mondo jewellery and sleepwear by Deiji Studios, which you'll also find in store. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
David Byrne started 2025 by singing and dancing with Robyn at Saturday Night Live's 50th-anniversary concert, then releasing the Saoirse Ronan (Blitz)-starring first-ever music video for 'Psycho Killer' 48 years after the song's debut. In 2026, he'll kick the year into gear by bringing his latest world tour Down Under in January. The iconic Talking Heads founder and frontman is hitting the road to support his latest record, September 2025 release Who Is the Sky?. In Australia and New Zealand, he's playing his first gigs since 2018, when he brought his American Utopia tour — which none other than Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) turned into a concert flick also called American Utopia, aka one of 2020's absolute best films — this way. In Sydney and thinking "this must be the place"? You're right: Byrne is venturing to the Harbour City, playing ICC Sydney Theatre on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. If you caught his American Utopia gigs or watched the film, you'll recognise some other familiar faces on the Who Is the Sky? tour. Byrne is taking to the stage with 13 musicians, singers and dancers, some of whom were part of the American Utopia band. Just like in those famous shows, his fellow performers will all be mobile throughout Byrne's latest set. Like tour, like album: Who Is the Sky? isn't just Byrne's first set of live gigs since American Utopia, but also his first record since that Grammy-winning release came out in 2018. Launching on Friday, September 5, 2025 — with first single 'Everybody Laughs' out now — the new album features St Vincent, Paramore's Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco among its guests. Byrne has long been a must-see live performer — and there's long been filmic proof of that fact. Forty-two years ago this December, he made concert film history with Talking Heads when he walked out onto a Hollywood stage with a tape deck, pressed play and, while standing there solo, began to sing 'Psycho Killer'. Then-future The Silence of the Lambs Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme directed cameras his way, recording the results for Stop Making Sense. [caption id="attachment_1008708" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shervin Lainez[/caption] Live images: Raph_PH via Flickr.
When Somedays launched in 2005, it began with boutiques in Melbourne and Surry Hills selling menswear and womenswear by international brands, along with fashion-forward sunnies and delicate jewellery. Its third outpost, found on the corner Shipwright Walk and Scotch Row in Barangaroo, is now its only physical store, as the fashion retailer is now primarily based online. What hasn't changed for Somedays in the last 15 years is its commitment to Nordic style. Whether you're browsing online, or in store, you'll find jeans by Swedish brands Dr Denim and Nudie Jeans, men's jackets and merino jumpers from Norse Projects and button-ups by Copenhagen label NN07. [caption id="attachment_779800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Though not every brand is Northern European; there's also Australian leather brand Bellroy, French sneaker label Veja (whose sustainably made shoes are produced in Brazil), New Zealand labels Lonely and Kowtow, plus Wool & Bear hats, made with 100-percent Australian wool by milliners in inner Mongolia, Sri Lanka and China. You'll spot the corner boutique as you come down the escalators from Wynyard Walk — the elevated walkway between Wynyard and Barangaroo. It's a small space that showcases hero pieces from its much larger online range — and it knows its Monday-to-Friday crowd. Coffee on your shirt? Forgot your heels for that power lunch today? Somedays will sort you out. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
Visual artist Ho Tzu Nyen loves cats. While previous works have explored Singapore's colonial past, in Ten Thousand Tigers, Nyen chooses to reveal one of his home country's neglected histories — the history of the feline. In this work, he reveals how cats, whether "big and small, wild and domesticated, imagined and real" have had real, undervalued significance in the birth of the nation. Premiering in Australia at Carriageworks for the first time, Nyen's visual work, Ten Thousand Tigers pays homage to the symbolic power and sheer magnificence of the Malayan tiger. Blending together live performance, video, installation, and sound, Nyen's work is a spectacular sight of surreal theatrics that hopes to unearth the supernatural cosmologies and mythical folklores surrounding the creature. As an artist, Nyen has previously displayed exhibitions at the Guggenheim, the Venice Biennale, Tate Modern and Sydney's Artspace, among others. Image: Ho Tzu Nyen, Ten Thousand Tigers, 2014 Esplanade Singapore (Olivia Kwok).
A multi-level dining and party space has arrived on Little Hunter Street, adding to Sydney's current late-night revival. Joining the likes of The Abercrombie, Club 77 and the soon-to-open Pleasure Club on the list of new and revamped venues pushing Sydney's nightlife into the early hours of the morning, Zaffi is a versatile space boasting a 42-seat ground-floor restaurant and a 122-capacity basement bar that's committed to keeping the party rolling until 4am on weekends. "The name 'Zaffi' means 'celebration' in Arabic, so we wanted to create a space where people not only come to celebrate but also where people know you're going to have a good time. For me, those spontaneous nights are the best kind of nights!" says Zaffi owner Chady Khouzame. Khouzame has enlisted the help of ex-Chin Chin and Rockpool chef Graeme Hunt to create a refined Australian-Lebanese menu for the street-level dining room. It's a sharing affair at Zaffi, with plenty of mezze options including dips and veggies paired with mains like Aleppo pepper roast prawns and char-grilled spatchcock. "We want our menu to be big on flavours and sharing, so the food isn't very complicated," Hunt says. "Some light raw dishes to begin with, moving onto your mezze options, then some larger mains that have been designed to share." The two banquets menus are highly affordable, with the $60 option bringing a table-covering feast of saj, hummus, baba ganoush, eggplant fatteh, labneh, haloumi, kofta, cauliflower, spatchcock, pickles and chips — or, for an extra $29 per person, you can basically sample the entire array of eats on offer, with the addition of pan-fried snapper, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, panna cotta and cheesecake. Downstairs in Zaffi's party bunker, you'll find pink velvet-cushioned booths, neon lighting, communal tables and upbeat tunes encouraging late-night revellers to stay well past midnight. "We literally raised the roof to allow people to dance on tabletops," continues Khouzame. The snacks also keep coming, with highlights from upstairs including kofta, dips, chips and grilled honey and za'atar haloumi all available on the after-hours menu. Zaffi is open at 10–14 Little Hunter Street, Sydney, from 5pm–late Tuesday, 12pm–late Wednesday–Thursday, 12pm–4am Friday and 5pm–4am Saturday.
When Winnie-the-Pooh moseyed into a slasher movie in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, the film endeavoured to prove that there's room in the pop-culture honeypot for multiple takes on AA Milne's beloved bear. More horror flicks are coming, because of course they are. But, embracing the usually cuddly figure's sweet and innocent side, so is a supremely nostalgic, family-friendly stage musical from Disney. Winnie the Pooh: The New Stage Adaptation debuted back in 2021 Off-Broadway, then took the Hundred Acre Wood and its famous felt residents to Chicago, back to New York, on a tour of the US and to London. The next stop on the Mouse House-created show's itinerary: Australia, starting this winter, and playing capital cities and regional towns alike. Hailing from American Australian producer, writer and director Jonathan Rockefeller, Winnie the Pooh: The New Stage Adaptation brings Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Owl and Tigger to life with puppets — life-sized versions, which look as cuddly and fuzzy as anthropomorphic stuffed toys should. Also joining them is Christopher Robin, in a production that brings together a heap of songs from past Winnie-the-Pooh movies. "The music, the spectacular life-size puppets and the charming performances are the perfect way to introduce (or re-introduce) audiences to live theatre, and this is a must-see show for Winnie-the-Pooh fans," said Rockefeller, announcing the show's Australian run. "We are excited to bring the Hundred Acre Wood to Australia so that audiences of all ages can join us for this heartwarming production." Winnie the Pooh: The New Stage Adaptation will play Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, and also has dates booked in everywhere from Dandenong and Bunbury to Launceston and Geelong. Again, this is a firmly all-ages affair, so expect plenty of young Winnie-the-Pooh devotees in attendance. For those keen to see a childhood favourite in a new format, Australia's stages have been delivering blasts from the pasts with frequency over the past few years, spanning Frozen the Musical, Shrek the Musical, Cinderella, Mary Poppins and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast musical in Sydney, just to name a few. WINNIE THE POOH: THE NEW STAGE ADAPTATION AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2023 DATES: July 7 — Drum Theatre, Dandenong July 12–16 — Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane July 20-23 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney July 26–27 — Princess Theatre, Launceston August 3–6 — Theatre Royal, Hobart August 9–10 — Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga August 16–20 — Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide August 23–24 — Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah August 25–26 — Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, Bunbury August 29–September 3 — Regal Theatre, Perth September 7–9 — Canberra Theatre, Canberra September 14–17 — Riverside Theatre Parramatta, Parramatta September 21–25 — Comedy Theatre, Melbourne September 27–28 — Geelong Arts Centre, Geelong September 30–October 1 — Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury Winnie the Pooh: The New Stage Adaptation tours Australia from July — for more information, and for tickets from Thursday, June 15, head to the production's website.
