Year: 2015

Based on Irène Némirovsky’s bestselling novel, Suite Française challenges the true nature of people through forbidden love, generosity and understanding during a time of vast demise and depression resulting from the horrors of war. Directed by Saul Dibb, it is a romantic drama set in the small French village Bussy. The film follows the tribulations of…

From now until mid-December, popular wine champs Cake Wines will be staging a series of weekend lunches and dinners in local community gardens and farmers markets with the help of some of Sydney’s best chefs, including Mike McEnearney (of Kitchen by Mike fame) and Richie Dolan (of Chiswick). With such talent on board, the Cakes…

French hotspot Ananas Bar & Brasserie has been hosting special Champagne Brunches once a month for awhile now, pulling on various themes from Willy Wonka to Winter Wonderland. The well-received concept is refreshing and playful, spinning the traditional champagne brunch into lively buffets with free-pour packages, and a DJ for background music (themed, of course),…

Despite more than a few protests, Donald Trump was included on the most recent Saturday Night Live, surprisingly going along – mostly to great effect – with some typical SNL hilarity, in addition to starring in a parody for “Hotline Bling. Both cringeworthy and kind of brilliant, SNL manages to convince trump to portray your…

Sam Smith is still one of the most anticipated voices in music today, gleaming with a dulcet, soulful tone that has him easily accenting emotions that contemporaries may struggle to capture. A good demonstration of that is his newly released cover of Amy Winehouse ballad “Love is a Losing Game”, which debuted this past week…

The beard may be gone, but rest assured – Chet Faker is still the king of Australian soul music. On Friday, thousands of fans flocked into the infamous Opera House forecourt for the first show in the new summer series that will welcome both Tame Impala and Florence and the Machine to the prestigious venue….

Following his third release as Tim Omaji, it would seem that the Australia performer has finally broken free of the Timomatic shackles and begun to define who he really is as an artist. I caught up with him to talk about the new single, working with some of the world’s best producers, and what we can expect…

City Calm Down have been on our radar for a long time now, and their debut album (out now) had become one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Seamlessly blending live instrumentation with subtle yet powerful electronica, City Calm Down have cemented themselves as a band with a distinctive sound that sticks out above…

The Need for Speed franchise has been a lot of things to a lot of different audiences over the years. But with such a large back catalogue comes bloat and mis-steps as the well of new ideas goes dry. With the back-to-basics reboot Need for Speed, the series is given the chance to head in some…

With many fans of the series still wary after last year’s disastrous Assassin’s Creed Unity, Ubisoft are aware that they need to stick the landing with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The good news is that Syndicate, though it has problems of its own, is never weighed down by them and constitutes a welcome return to form.

Iconic Islay distillery Laphroaig are celebrating 200 years in 2015, and before the year’s out they plan on bringing their Smoke on the Water Whisky Pop-Up to the east-coast of Australia to spread the love. Two centuries of distilling one of the world’s most unique and rewarding Whiskies is no small feat, so we expect…

William Grant & Sons have recently launched their highly anticipated third release from the lesser-known Dufftown Kininvie Distillery, also marking the first drops we have seen from the distillery down here in Australia. The Kininvie 23 Year Old Batch No.3 is an incredibly rare, super premium single malt Scotch Whisky that is unlike anything that…

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café in The Rocks has a prime location for foot traffic, whether it’s tourists from the many cruises that ship in and out of Circular Quay or regulars who recognise the area as a regular haunt. As a chocolate-cafe chain (they have two other locations in Sydney, both by the water), Guylian…

Neutral Bay’s growing dining scene has just taken a big step forward, welcoming Oscar Espinosa, ex-Head Chef of Mexicano, for his first solo venture, tapping into authentic South American food with La Puerta Latino Flavours. Just off the Military Road strip, on Waters Road, you’ll find the restaurant-bar and it’s heady tapas-style approach to flavours…

Candelori’s is a long-running, well-known restaurant in Western Sydney that more recently went through a major rework and now stands as, quite possibly, the best looking restaurant in the area. Step through that massive door and you’ll be met with an imposing space, designed to fit over 200 diners by stalwart design group DS17, who…

A few years ago when I played Far Cry 3 (co-incidentally, another Ubisoft title), Vaas, the game’s villain posed me a question: “Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? It’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting shit to change.” That’s kind of what it feels like to…

The November issue of Entertainment Weekly has just been released, and with it is a bunch of first-look imagery and details on Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first in a planned trilogy. First off, it’s important to note that although J.K. Rowling was heavily involved in all 8 Harry…

Ahead of the big Doctor Who Festival this month at Hordern Pavilion/Royal Hall of Industries, Broadway Shopping Centre has become the new temporary home to the returning Pop-Up Shop completely dedicated to the iconic sci-fi franchise. Aimed at all the companion, Whovians, and Time Lords around the city, the pop-up stocks exclusive merch, toys, gifts,…

It has been a massive week for Warcraft fans, who have patiently waited for more images and a trailer from the upcoming epic fantasy film based on the phenomenally popular game World of Warcraft since San Diego Comic-Con when we saw the first official character art. Earlier this week, Legendary revealed a new poster for…

Before you all start to fantasize about Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan, I must tell you; this musical is not the stage adaptation of the 1998 film of the same name. But, I can assure you it is just as juicy, just as sexy and just as heartfelt. City of Angels is all about the…

Kansas City Shuffle (KCS) has given The Rocks has a shiny new café to play around with, and this one is far from your standard newbie. For one, it comes from the ultra reliable Ben Sweeten, standing as his seventh café venture, after involvement in successful venues like Joe Black Café and Proud Mary. Secondly,…

Munich Brauhaus has long had a formidable reputation for bringing the best of Bavarian beer, food and culture to our tiny corner of the world. With Oktoberfest currently in full swing, revellers have gathered every night this month alraedy at the revered bier-haus to show off their dirndls and lederhosen with glee. Exploding with German…

With countless established restaurants around the world, the title of “Best Restaurant in the World” is one that cannot be taken lightly, and it has belonged to Copenhagen restaurant Noma on more than one occasion. What Chef René Redzepi has done with Noma has attracted people from all over the world, so immortalising his journey…

Last week Balmain welcomed a brand new eatery attached to the recently re-worked Cricketers Arms Hotel on Darling Street. Named One Ford Street the attractive new spot will focus on fresh, authentic Italian food with a menu designed by Chef Sam Bennett (ex Bourke Street Bakery; Fix St James) who is working alongside floor manager,…

Only about an hour’s drive from Melbourne CBD in Healesville is where you’ll be able to find the new Four Pillars Distillery. The much adored, award-winning Australian Gin will officially be opening it’s distillery doors to the public this weekend (31st October – 1st November) and celebrating with a series of masterclasses, tours, and of…

If you live in Sydney then you are no doubt aware of how influential Applejack Hospitality have been to the small bar scene. They own and operate some of the city’s most popular and distinctive haunts including Bondi Hardware, The Botanist, SoCal, and most recently, The Butler. Now, the rapidly expanding hospitality group have announced…

Rosebery’s new food emporium on Morley Avenue is quickly starting to take shape, coloured with a range of top Sydney eats and drinks and this week the precinct just welcomed the third Australian store from Zeus Street Greek. The hugely successful greek street food purveyor has been on quite a roll since the first store…

For one of the most recognisable and awarded steak houses in Sydney, The Rocks’ The Cut Bar & Grill has never really offered a burger on their menu. That’s all changed now; as part of their lunch menu, The Cut now offer up a David Blackmore Wagyu Beef Burger and it’s come after a great…

Highly regarded dumpling master Eric Koh initially planned to stay a temporary resident at Work in Progress for just six weeks in September, but his @Erickoh residency at Merivale’s small bar has met with such a huge response that demand has forced him to remain in the kitchen until 23rd December. Koh’s dim-sum pop up…

In a surprise announcement, Coldplay have released the details of their next album A Head Full of Dreams along with the tracklist and the full version of their first single. “Adventure of a Lifetime” has the band delving into a little disco-funk, providing a nice groove over which Chris Martin sounds comfortable and confident. The…