Year: 2017

Melbourne’s free dumpling festival returns this weekend

Mark Friday 20th October in your calendar dumpling lovers because following last year’s debut the folks at 206 Bourke Street have decided to bring back their epic free-entry dumpling festival, with some of the city’s best on board. Exclusive pop-ups, a tea cocktail bar, a Brooklyn Brewery beer garden and live entertainment will be set…

Read more

Primus Hotel opens New York inspired rooftop bar (Sydney)

Sydney CBD’s Primus Hotel has lifted the lid on their new New York inspired rooftop bar, Level Seven. In preparing for the busy Summer period, the hotel elaborate art deco hotel has hooked up with Veuve Clicquot to turn their exclusive rooftop pool into a lively champagne and cocktail destination for the public. With a…

Read more

Jock Zonfrillo opens Bistro Blackwood on Rundle Street (Adelaide)

An “all-Australian” bistro has had a big relaunch on Adelaide’s Rundle Street, coming from world renowned Scottish chef Jock Zonfrillo. Bistro Blackwood, sister and neighbour to Zonfrillo’s highly acclaimed fine diner Restaurant Orana, has brought the chef a platform for his commitment to indigenous Australian ingredients used in a classic bistro style and for guests,…

Read more

Review: Ballaro brings Sicilian street eats to Newtown (Sydney)

Sitting smack bang in the middle of King Street’s more energetic half, Ballaro is a small but bright new shop pumping out authentic Sicilian-style street eats. Owned by two Italians, the space draws on inspiration from the oldest and most vibrant street market in Sicily with images of fresh produce and crates used to craft…

Read more

Bar Luca is opening a massive build-your-own burger bar in Newtown (Sydney)

The team behind Bar Luca and BL Burgers are taking the next very impressive step in solififying their burger empire, which to date includes acclaimed burger bars in Bondi, Darlinghurst, Parramatta and the CBD. That step: a build-your-own bowl and burger bar with eight bases to choose from, 70 ingredients and toppings, and 20 different…

Read more

Harvest is South Yarra’s new all-day coffeehouse, bar and eatery (Melbourne)

South Yarra’s got a new all-day coffeehouse, bar and eatery with Harvest, a new venture from chef and owner Tim Martin that focuses on a refined menu of wine, aged meats and fermented products. Martin, who brings 16 years of experience to his debut solo restaurant, aims to channel plenty of European influence into local…

Read more

The chefs behind Pinbone are opening an American-style Italian diner with Merivale (Sydney)

Sydney chef duo Mike Eggert and Jemma Whiteman are two names which are always welcome at any table in Sydney, stemming from their time running the city’s hugely popular Pinbone before closing up shop in 2015. Since then they’ve been spotted in and around the likes of 10 William Street and their own Kensington restaurant,…

Read more

Winners of the 2018 Good Food Guide Awards: Attica takes out top honours

The 2018 edition of the Good Food Guide Awards have officially been announced, celebrating a nation brimming with superb talent that’s clearly progressing and evolving at a rate on par with some of the culinary capitals of the worlds. That much is obvious from this list of winners, ranging from Restaurant of the Year (which…

Read more

Bistro Moncur launches a series of rosé inspired events for the rest of 2017 (Sydney)

To welcome the warmer months, Bistro Moncur are hosting a series of events that are all things rosé –  from rosé wine, rosé cocktails and rosé champagne to rosé dinners and degustation pairing. The rosé themed lineup will run from October to December 2017, and takes place at both the Mosman and Woollahra venues. Over the next two…

Read more

Single of the Day: Eilish Gilligan “Creature of Habit” (2017)

Eilish Gilligan is very much setting herself up for a prosperous 2018 if her latest work is anything to go by. “Creature of Habit” is another well-fitting piece of music in the Melbourne vocalist’s growing body of work; dabbling between the ethereal and ambient vibes of past work and plunging right into the deep end…

Read more

Games Review: South Park: The Fractured But Whole (PS4, 2017) is a hilariously addictive RPG adventure

When you first jump into South Park: The Fractured But Whole, you pick up from where the last game, The Stick of Truth, and the last episode of the TV series (Season 21, Episode 4 “Franchise Prequel”), leave off. The boys have stopped playing a Lord of the Rings style quest and are now building their own…

Read more

Nightmares come to life as Stranger Things unleashes one final trailer before its release

After a commercially and critically acclaimed first season, the Netflix exclusive series Stranger Things is back for its second season, and it’s right around the corner, with all episodes releasing October 27th. And to get everyone a little more excited, today they’ve released one final trailer to tease us of the coming mystery… This is…

Read more

The Looming Tower coming to Amazon Prime Video in 2018

Amazon has recently announced that it will be bringing the highly anticipated new series, The Looming Tower, to Amazon Prime Video as an exclusive title for Australian members in early 2018. Packed with an all-star cast, The Looming Tower stars Emmy Award Winner Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, Dumb and Dumber) and Golden Globe and Screen Actors…

Read more

Wintergarden Pictures receives Create NSW funding and SBS Deal for its first project

New Australian independent film company Wintergarden Pictures has secured a selection as one of six filmmaking teams chosen to create fully funded short films that will air on broadcaster SBS’s coverage of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, taking place in 2018. As the recipients of this year’s Create…

Read more

Nine Network’s new crime thriller Bite club reveals an all-star cast

An all-star cast for Playmaker’s new crime thriller production Bite Club was recently announced at Nine Network’s up-fronts event. Currently in production in Sydney, Bite Club has attracted the attention of both Screen Australia, with a major investment in association with Create NSW. Bite Club revolves around two detectives who after surviving a shark attack, join forces…

Read more

Games Review: Middle-earth: Shadow of War (Xbox One, 2017) is a good idea pulled in too many different directions

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a game suffering an identity crisis. It knows what it wants to be and makes genuinely big strides in that direction, but it’s hampered by what seems to be publisher interference. Even at the surface level, it feels like a case study for the growing divide in AAA between developer…

Read more

Cunard British Film Festival Review: That Good Night (UK, 2017) is a dull adaption of a stage play that grapples with morality

That Good Night is a film that could be been called “The Last Night.” This is because it’s a drama about second chances and forgiveness. This handsome film is the last one that the late Sir John Hurt acted in and while it has some intriguing moments, it ultimately suffers from being a play that…

Read more

Greek Film Festival Review: Mythopathy (Notias) (Greece, 2016) is a coming-of-age story that should appeal to Greek audiences

Mythopathy (Notias) is a film about a boy. Except he’s not just any old kid. This child is one that experiences heartbreak in a novel way. When it happens, he looks towards ancient Greek mythology and stories and he changes aspects of these to suit his own narrative. This coming-of-age story is emotional and imaginative…

Read more

Theatre Review: Miracle City is a colourful & spirited musical about some kooky televangelists (Sydney Opera House until Oct 29th)

Miracle City is not your typical musical. The show’s director even dubbed it an anti-musical. It’s what you get when the shiny veneer of a Christian family of televangelists implode, live on air. The results are something that are ironic, funny and tragic in almost equal measure. This show first premiered at Sydney Theatre in…

Read more

Shaun Presland returns to make some changes at Sake Restaurant & Bar

When Saké Restaurant & Bar first began in The Rocks back in 2008, celebrated chef Shaun Presland was a major factor in its success. Now Saké is one of the biggest Japanese restaurant names in the country, with venues up and down the east coast and a tremendous following and things are about to take…

Read more

Moon Dog Brewery Bar now doubles as a late-night roller disco (Melbourne)

Melbourne’s packed with inner-city breweries, and all of them have their own special charm but there’s always been something different about Moon Dog Brewery Bar especially now that they’ve taken on more space. The notoriously inventive brewery now serve their best brews in what is best described as a super eclectic (and ridiculously hipster) garage….

Read more

The Middle Aisle brings popular Melbourne Macramé institution to Sydney this weekend

The Middle Aisle, developed and led by Melbourne graphic designer, stylist and Macramé artist Maggie May, has flourished into a popular fixture within the Melbourne arts scene in recent years. Holding an impressive following online and spurring on that momentum with the opening of Think Thornbury (a creative enterprise established by Maggie and fiancée, musician Josh Kelly, to facilitate…

Read more

Robert Plant and the Sensational Shape Shifters & José González bound for the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is set to host two incredible vocalists next March, with Robert Plant and José González each stopping by for unmissable headline performances alongside their Bluesfest festival appearances. Bringing his band The Sensational Space Shifters to the Concert Hall, Plant will be treading the stage twice, taking the crowd through his extensive career with Led Zeppelin…

Read more

Midnight Oil bringing 10-1 to Fremantle for ‘the oceans’

Their Australian tour is already boasting some of the best shows in recent memory for fans and now, Midnight Oil have added a new date to their extensive list of dates over the next few months. Heading to the Fremantle Arts Centre later this month, the Oils are presenting a special benefit concert to raise money for…

Read more

Music Video of the Day: Holiday Sidewinder “Casino” (2017)

Holiday Sidewinder has returned with a new single in “Casino”, taken from her forthcoming new EP – this is a return we have been hanging out for for ages. Signed with Personal Best Records, “Casino” heralds a new chapter for Holiday as she continues to mine the depths of some hectic psych infused disco pop and…

Read more

Tickets for Angus & Julia Stone’s new Australian tour go on sale this week

Jumping on the momentum their recent run around Australia had spurred on, Angus & Julia Stone are already planning huge shows for 2018. With their new album Snow continuing to make a solid impact with fans, the siblings are striving forward with this new chapter and off the back of recent shows, they’ve proven that they’re…

Read more

The east coast should prepare for another Grouplove onslaught next February

Grouplove‘s connection with Australia extends back far – if you remember that Splendour in the Grass event that first brought the US group out, you’ll remember how much potential burned away and burned brightly on each of those stages Grouplove headlined alongside the festival appearance. Fast forward through albums and various tours that have led…

Read more

Album Review: St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION (2017 LP)

I have never listened to St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) before this album, and while I feel I need to go and do that now, I am happy that MASSEDUCTION was my introduction to her music and her amazing talent. MASSEDUCTION is, quite frankly, the best thing I’ve listened to in a while. The production…

Read more

Photos: Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo hit the red carpet at the Sydney premiere of Thor Ragnarok

Stars Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth joined director Taika Waititi and producer Brad Winderbaum at the Sydney premiere of Thor: Ragnarok today. Nathan Atkins was there and brings The Iris these pics from the red carpet: [print_gllr id=43529] Thor: Ragnarok arrives in cinemas on October 26th. ———- This content has recently been ported from its original…

Read more

DVD Review: A Family Man (USA, 2017) is a dull, cliché-ridden family drama

A Family Man is a film about an ambitious, corporate-type who is forced to reassess his priorities. Sound familiar? It’s because this road to redemption is a well-trodden one. A Family Man continues along this journey of clichés without offering anything particularly original or endearing through the process. Gerard Butler (300) stars as Dane Jensen…

Read more