Year: 2016

From North Sydney to Annandale and now to Darlinghurst, Josh Arthurs (the head of nomadic business Burgers by Josh) knows exactly how to whip burger enthusiasts into a frenzy. The queues his burgers attract are as legendary as the burgers themselves, and that’s not looking to change anytime soon with his most central kitchen takeover…

There have been some big changes over at Urban Purveyor Group as of late, particularly to their mega-venue The Argyle which has waved goodbye to acclaimed neighbour Ananas Bar & Brasserie while the French restaurant has made the leap over to a bigger space near Darling Harbour. To fill the void Ananas have left, Urban…

Newtown institution Union Hotel is turning down the lights for a special craft beer event this month, tapping 40 dark beers over two evenings to help make the winter cold that much more bearable, as well as highlighting some of the country’s best winter brews (many of which are crowd-sourced suggestions). 20 Dark Kegs will…

Little Creatures answered the summer sun with the excellent Dog Days as part of their seasonal release series, but winter has demanded something very different from the famous craft brewers. Blowing in with the furious winds is a domestic stout by the name of The Hotchkiss Six, a dark link back to one of the…

Seeing as Lindt have eight of their cafes and eight of their specialty shops spread across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane, it’s about time the renowned chocolate shop opened up a location for the Gold Coast. Located in Harbour Town Shopping Centre, the newly landed chocolate shop adds great reach to Lindt’s retail portfolio, presenting…

Royal Stacks has quickly shot up to near the top of the list when people talk about the best burgers in Melbourne. Their CBD location on Collins Street has become so wildly popular that a quick expansion was a no-brainer, bringing the brand to Sydney Road in Brunswick with a few small adjustments to the…

Australian beef is amongst the best in the world, that much has been known for years, but interest has recently been jolted by a substantial award handed out at last year’s inaugural World Steak Challenge, which was held in London early October. That award was the title of World’s Best Steak, and it was claimed…

While Maurice Terzini plans to reveal a big refresh to Surry Hills iconic Dolphin Hotel in the coming weeks, he’s been busy preparing a new food and wine series – titled “Bondi Natural” – at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, aiming to highlight some of Australia’s most influential Natural Wine producers. Planned across five weeks,…

Chiswick at the Gallery and Archie Rose Distilling Co. will be teaming up for a one-day-only event later this month, inviting food and craft spirit enthusiasts to an exclusive ‘ginstronomy’ experience on Tuesday 21st June. The special dinner event, which will also highlight a new unique distilled Gin made especially for the restaurant, will be…

For its second year highlighting the renowned island of produce better known as Tasmania, Vin Diemen returns to both Melbourne and Sydney, bringing with it a curated line up of wine, produce, and other beverages from the popular island state. Bringing the taste of Tasmania to the mainland since last year, the event plans to…

The 13th annual Bush Bands Bash is taking place in Alice Springs this August – a result of the Bush Bands Business and the Bush Bands concert coming together and showcasing some incredible talent. In a record-breaking effort, 16 bands from remote communities applied to be part of the Bush Bands Program this year and…

The legendary PJ Harvey performed in front of tens of thousands of people last night at the iconic Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, helping bring to an end a massive four days of live music on the waters of the Spanish city. Playing with an eight piece band that included the likes of Alain Johannes,…

South Australian musicians and industry personnel are encouraged to get involved in the 2016 SA Music Awards this year, the entries for which have been officially launched by Music SA today! The second annual music awards will see the winners announced on Friday, November 11th. For the 2016 event, there are ten public-voted genre awards…

Arriving right on opening time, there’s already a substantial queue of people eager to make a beeline for the Björk Live DJ Set room. It’s a good thing that they are there early, as once you’re in the space, you quickly realise that if you want to actually see the Icelandic musical genius, you will…

While it’s only been three years since The Strokes‘ last album, Comedown Machine, it feels like a whole lot longer, since there was no promotion or touring on the back of the release. After announcing a bunch of festival dates, including an exclusive Australian appearance at Splendour in the Grass this year, the band unexpectedly dropped a…

After the melancholic Morning Phase released in 2014, Beck‘s last single “Dreams” came as a pleasant surprise; upbeat Beck is back. His new release, “Wow” is no exception, with Beck’s lazy rapping and beats making a comeback. We’re hoping we’ll get an album entirely of this sort of sound and songwriting sometime this year, but for now we’ll…

The celebrate the screening of the Oscar-nominated A War at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, Danish actor Pilou Asbæk sat down with Fergus Halliday to chat about everything from the rules of engagement to Game of Thrones and the American election. I won’t take up much of your time so, I’ll jump right into it. The thing that, sort…

This documentary film festival is an Australian edition of the renowned Canadian festival that will take place across three cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra) from 14th June – 3rd July. The renowned Canadian festival hotDocs, the world’s leading documentary film festival will bring 24 inspiring and thought-provoking films from 15 different countries. The program has…

Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell put the ‘u’ & ‘I’ in ‘quirky’ when they team up in the action/comedy adventure, Mr. Right. When unlucky-in-love Martha (Kendrick) meets Francis (Rockwell) he seems different from other guys. Really different. In fact, if you don’t count that he’s a hitman on the run from crime cartels, he may…

From Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger comes Vinyl, a new drama series that explores the drug and sex fuelled music business of the 1970s. Richie Finestra (Bobby Canavale) is a major-label exec with a dark past and an even darker present. With his company, American Century Records, facing a number of client crises, and with…

The Iris has chosen this week’s picks, so sit back and invest your nights with your small screens. Tuesday Once Upon a Time, 7Flix, 7:30pm AEST Emma disappears after becoming the Dark One. The rest of our heroes must come together to find her, an impossible quest. Unless they seek help from an unexpected character….

The Sydney Film Festival is kicking off this week and we’ve gathered together a short-list of some of the big films you’ll absolutely want to make space on your flexipass to see. Blood Father Directed by Jean-François Richet and show in the crispy outlands of New Mexico, Blood Father marks Mel Gibson’s return to the action movie. He…

It’s almost time for the greatest show in video games, the video game Christmas in June, the great yearly pilgrimage of our people. E3 2016 is just around the corner, is what we’re saying. Want to catch all the action live, as it happens? Look no further. Hit the jump to see every single livestream…

The Fort Worth Stockyards Hotel has more than a ‘certain’ charm about it – staying in this establishment makes you feel like you’re taking a step into a Western film. And in the good way. First opened in 1907, the history of the hotel is ever present; from some elements of the decor, to the…

A once-charming cabaret chanteuse has gone rogue – armed with a biting wit, an appetite for romance and revenge, and a set of lungs you really have to hear to believe. A brand new work from this fearless darling of the Australian Cabaret Stage, Rogue Romantic sees Anastasia’s satirical wit turn personal experiences inside out…

Long-standing Newtown institution Zanzibar is effectively gone, transforming into what is now to be known as Websters Bar with new concepts to shape the iconic venue’s three levels, including it’s coveted rooftop. What one will now find at Websters Bar now is a sophisticated ode to vintage Whisky bars, both paying homage to the unique…

The classic New York pizzeria regularly serves as inspiration whenever a new by-the-slice joint opens up anywhere around the world, and this latest Melbourne diner is no exception. Simply titled Pizza Pizza Pizza, the new venue over at the Meyers Place precinct pays homage to the pizzerias of the 70’s, dedicated to serving carb lovers…

Mulled Wine Daiquiris and Winter Juleps will be taking over Darlinghurst’s Della Hyde this month as the cosy small bar teams with Thredbo Tourism to stage “Della Après-Ski”. It won’t exactly be the Austrian slops down below Oxford Street, but will be a series of warm winter-friendly events which highlight the new drinks list along…

HTC haven’t exactly been leading the race when it comes to the ongoing battle of smartphone supremacy, attracting both considerable praise and criticism with their previous releases. Their 2016 flagship is here to focus on the former, highlighting the progression at HTC headquarters which has been informed by a closer relationship with customer feedback and…

Single malt Scotch Whisky Auchentoshan American Oak has now made it’s way to the Australian market via Beam Suntory and Coca-Cola Amatil, and the team behind it has laid down quite the tempting challenge to the Australian bar industry. Highlighting the triple-distilled difference the Whisky goes through in Glasgow, Scotland (it’s the only Scottish single…