Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.
Which U.S city has the best cocktail culture? That’s a bit hard to judge. Is it NYC? San Fran? Chicago? New Orleans? LA? Who knows, but one things for sure – you can’t talk about cocktails without mentioning Las Vegas. The well-heeled oasis of entertainment is often seen as the proving ground for some of…
For the first time in 15 years, Qantas will introduce daily services between Sydney and Byron Bay (Ballina) airport, opening up what should be an enormously popular route as interstate travel ramps up. The popular coastal town isn’t the only destination to see a new route open up though, with Qantas also adding its first…
JBL is tipping towards touring musicians with the JBL CLUB Series, the latest line of headphones from the stalwart audio brand. Having recently launched to the Australian market, this collection of three distinct and differently priced headphones aim to amplify the personal audio experience and serve as the ideal creative companion on the road, focusing…
As of 1st July, Qantas will begin reopening a number of its domestic and regional lounges across Australia, following restrictions on travel and venues being loosened and demand for domestic flights increasing. Importantly, this will be a phased opening that will only include a limited number of lounges in first wave, specifically eleven including Qantas…
Australia’s beloved Koko Black has teamed up with Tokyo-based dessert shop Tokyo Lamington for what will surely be one of the most delicious collaborations of the year. That’s three decadent and unique twists on the timeless lamington – limited-edition treats that will be available for one day only at Koko Black stores on Tuesday 7th…
Straddling the thin line between upper mid-tier and lower high-end, the X3 SuperZoom is the latest smartphone from Oppo spin-off brand realme. And if the spec sheet is anything to go by, this will be one to watch for photography enthusiasts who are looking for something a bit more powerful than the typical mid-market phone….
Although historically an airline exclusively serving regional Australia, Rex is now enacting plans which could see the carrier compete with Qantas and Virgin Australia with the creation of a new domestic operation. Capital cities could now be on this the radar for Rex’s planned expansion, pending successful fundraising of at least $30 million, which is…
Wires suck. That seems to be the consensus when it comes to smart home devices nowadays, and whenever a wireless option drops it is instantly more attractive than the opposite. Requiring wires was one of the few issues I had with the recently launched Arlo Video Doorbell, which is otherwise an exceptional part of the…
Millett Group, the team behind Lord Byron, have officially opened doors to The Surf House – Byron Bay’s newest accommodation with its own distinctive rooftop bar. Seeing as the Millett Group are also behind the award-winning Wake Up! Byron Bay hostel, this boutique, design-forward property should be an attractive option for the the inevitable influx…
Those in need of a delicious break (everyone) should start stretching their queuing-up muscles because Sydney’s getting its first ever KitKat Chocolatory flagship. Opening on 6th July, the debut store will stretch it’s legs at Mid City Sydney, offering up a sizable collection of personalised, premium chocolate experienced inspired by and dedicated entirely to the…
Domestic travel is on the cusp of a resurgence with states across Australia beginning to relax lockdown measures. International travel? That’s a different story. With many countries around the world struggling in the fight against COVID-19, we’ve been given conflicting information on when international travel will resume to a sense of normalcy anytime soon. Some…
Premium Scandinavian outdoor and lifestyle brand Fjällräven has officially launched its new Kånken Art collection in Australia, bringing expressive designs to their reliably high-end gear. The art-forward collection is a limited edition offering in collaboration with Swedish artist Moa Hoff, focusing on playful designs and unique patterns to stand out in a crowd. With domestic…
Thanks to the deluge of connected home devices on the market, it’s highly probable that most households are going to need to reconsider how they handle their Wi-Fi. That’s particularly true for larger households which may have patches where the signal is a bit weaker than those closer to the single – likely ISP-supplied –…
Few personal audio devices have seen such a massive leap on quality in recent years than true wireless earbuds. The careful juggling act between sound quality, battery life, connectivity and comfort has been nearing perfection with recent releases from Sony and Sennheiser. Although those two focus on just being lifestyle buds, with little consideration for…
“Everyone has fooled themselves into a happy ending once or twice”, says NSW-based singer-songwriter Tullara on her new single. “I’d been holding onto the hope that this new love of mine was going to work itself out”. That’s what’s captured here in “Let This Go”, a piercing and poignant folk song, exclusively premiering on The…
Aggressively blending real-time strategy and first-person shooter elements works, on paper. Disintegration is the latest title to hybridise the two genres, promising a new kind of gameplay that, while interesting, lacks the necessary depth to truly set it apart from novel sci-fi games of the past. Driving the hype behind this game is the involvement…
Neil Perry’s stalwart Spice Temple is back. After a few weeks of having Rockpool transform the basement venue, the popular Sydney restaurant has fired up the wok for diners to explore the wonders (and heat) of regional Chinese. And that, of course, means 10-dish Golden Banquets, lunchtime Yum Cha, and also signature dishes like Executive…
The ice cream lords of Ben & Jerry’s have teamed up with Sydney’s Bennett St Dairy to take their cookie dough to the next level with a new limited edition range. The popular Bondi bakers have been amplified through select B&J stores, supplying their Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough so Ben & Jerry fans can…
No, this isn’t a Throwback Thursday. Legendary Brit band The Psychedelic Furs are back and prepping their first album in almost three decades. Although they’ve been reformed and touring since the 2000’s, this marks the first new studio music released since the very early 90’s, which kicked off with the release of single “Don’t Believe”…
2020 has surely been a weird year, and you’d be forgiven for being a bit taken aback when we remind you that we’re halfway through it already. Since at least mid-March, many have largely been in lockdown, economies have threatened collapse, bushfires have devastated, systemic racism has been confronted head-on, and we have been rightfully…
With hotels now throwing their doors open for guests, we’ve made the very hard choices to narrow Sydney’s excellent spread of hotels down to ten we’d recommend for a post-iso staycation. From a luxurious restoration in the leafy suburb of Mosman and a Double Bay mansion, to the CBD’s best design-forward luxury hotels, book into…
The AU Review has always been about connecting readers with the best of arts, entertainment and culture. From music and books to travel and food, for more than a decade now the website has been dedicated entirely to discovery and re-discovery, celebrating the best experiences from around the world. To further that, we continue to…
Like the crackle of a flickering candle, Josh Kroehn‘s aching “Never Found” is the perfect companion on a slow-moving winters night. That’s why we’re proud to bring you the exclusive premiere of this new music video today, showcasing the talent this Adelaide songwriter has for capturing the heady themes of self-acceptance and change both through…
To big up their partnership with Deliveroo, burger chain Grill’d has today confirmed an exclusive secret menu item only available via the delivery service. Buried amongst the typical Grill’d menu on the Deliveroo app is a ridiculously tempting, limited edition Brisket Cheeseburger. And it sounds more than worth the effort of digging through the stacked…
Melbourne’s three-store Goldeluck’s bakeshop has been caking itself in e-commerce for a few months now, delivering “survival boxes” with pastries and doughnuts around the areas of Lakeview, Eastland and Croydon. Now, the bakery has made an ambitious online jump to nationwide deliveries, with a limited menu that includes dessert boxes packed with loaded brownies and…
Melbourne artist Joel James, who is becoming increasingly known for his cathartic live performances, has released a sentimental new power ballad by the name of “Movie Kind of Timing”, striking close to the high-flying emotive pop of bands like Imagine Dragons. A soft silky piano melody pulled out to reveal a bleeding, achingly vulnerable chorus…
It’s always worth paying attention to what Sydney’s now legendary BL Burgers are doing each week. They pretty much pioneered the now widespread trend of gourmet burger joints touting inventive, and often ridiculous, themed weekly specials. Some of them have become deeply embedded in the passionate burger culture built in Sydney over the past few…
Comedian and YouTube sensation Nat’s What I Reckon has built up quite the profile based off his hilarious, straight-shooting, shit-pasta-sauce-hating cooking videos. As iso upped the demand for cooking videos, his blunt approach and cuss-heavy humour quickly positioned him as one of 2020’s brightest stars. Now, that star is hitting the road. Though Nat had…
You haven’t really visited San Francisco until you head on down to the waterfront, order up a piping hot clam chowder, and dive right in. The heart-warming, soul-stirring signature is a hit for anyone who heads on over the Bay Area, and we’re here today to let you know how to recreate it at home….
In a nod to the return of national travel, Webjet has now launched a 72-hour sale for Aussie travellers with prices for domestic packages slashed by 20%. It follows a massive flight sale over the weekend by Qantas Group, which saw tens of thousands of flights sold for as little as $19. Now, people have…