Author: Chris Singh

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.

Sydney welcomes tiny cocktail and meze bar “Baraki”

Sydney favourite Alpha has opened up a tiny new cocktail and meze bar named Baraki, carved into the ground floor of 240 Castlereagh Street with just 8 seats. The smaller-than-small bar will extend Executive Chef Peter Conistis’ vision beyond Alpha and upstairs cocktail bar Beta, channelling the Athens neighbourhood of Plaka with two backlit walls…

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Forget Hot Cross Buns: Mode Kitchen & Bar is doing Sydney’s best Easter weekend menu

Created especially for this coming Easter long weekend, an exclusive three-course menu lovingly curated by Head Chef Francesco Mannelli will reiterate just how essential Mode Kitchen & Bar has become to Sydney’s discerning gourmands. Truly earning its place in the opulent lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, the highly regarded Mode Kitchen & Bar…

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Adam Liaw’s favourite Sydney spots for some top quality beef

Is there any source of food recommendations as reliable as a master chef? Adam Liaw, he who took the crown on the second series of MasterChef Australia in 2010, has been a beacon for good food around the world through numerous TV appearances and cookbooks over the years. So it makes perfect sense to grab…

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Game of Thrones Season 8: Five theories on the end

George R.R. Martin loves his irony. It’s pretty much the only reliable rule that runs throughout A Song of Ice & Fire, and hence Game of Thrones. Arya kills Polliver the same way he killed Lommy; Ramsay Bolton is mauled by his dogs; Jorah is sold into slavery at one point – Martin loves drawing…

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Samsung launch Australia’s very first 8K televisions

The Australian market has officially welcomed its first ever range of 8K televisions, representing a substantial leap in tech trends, with the expected price bump that comes with it. And while LG, Sony and Hisense have yet to unveil their models for this year, Samsung has gotten the jump with their new Q900 range which,…

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HBO releases special Game of Thrones collection of single malt whiskies

While wine may be the drink of choice in HBO’s phenomenal Game of Thrones, the various textures of the show’s universe are best expressed through Whisky. Diageo have recognised this, and so has HBO; which is why they’ve teamed up to officially release several expressions from different iconic brands, each making up a limited-edition collection…

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Hawaiian Airlines introduce longest U.S interstate route with Boston-Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines has introduced five weekly nonstop services between Honolulu and Boston, opening a substantial link to the New England region. It is now the longest regularly scheduled domestic route in U.S history. Clocking in at a whopping 5,095 miles, the HNL-BOS (HA90) route takes means almost 10 hours in the air for those heading…

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The five most pleasant surprises on the Splendour in the Grass lineup

Splendour in the Grass dominated music news this week with the unveil of their 2019 line-up, which is headlined by millennial hip hop heroes Chance the Rapper and Childish Gambino, as well as world-conquering Aussies Tame Impala and Top Dawg Entertainment crooner SZA. Not just on-trend, it’s exciting as hell. But as always, Splendour is…

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Delta Air Lines launch upgraded Boeing 777 for Sydney to L.A route

In an exciting update, Delta Air Lines have introduced some very substantial changes on board their refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft which flies daily between Sydney and Los Angeles. The aircraft will now feature all four of Delta’s signature branded seat products, most excitedly lead by the award-winning “Delta One”, which is the first business class…

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Track of the Day: Alex Lahey “Am I Doing It Right?” (2019)

In prepping her forthcoming album The Best of Luck Club, Melbourne’s Alex Lahey has come through with a hugely anticipated follow up to the project’s first single, “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”. On the new one, “Am I Doing It Right?”, Lahey continues to up her blunt storytelling as she addresses the judgement that…

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Hawaiian Airlines suspend flights

Hawaiian Airlines expand on codeshare agreement with Virgin Australia

In a move that will offer Australian and New Zealand travellers more options when it comes to flying over to Hawai’i, Hawaiian Airlines have entered an expanded codeshare agreement with Virgin Australia. More than a dozen Australia and New Zealand cities will benefit from this broader range of flights to Hawai’i, as well as the…

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HBO to commence Game of Thrones studio tours in 2020

As the final season of HBO’s monumental Game of Thrones creeps ever so closer, an exciting announcement has ensured fans of the hit TV show will still be able to ride the wave of crushing character deaths, extreme violence, and pouncing sers long after this forthcoming string of episodes is done and dusted. As reported…

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Australians just got an unprecedented guide to Turkish food

If you were told you there was a cookbook out there with a whopping 550 Turkish recipes you might be slightly taken aback. While the regionality of cuisines like Italian, Thai and Japanese have really taken off in the past few years, upping the recognition that there are many vastly different types, Turkish has never…

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Emirates ready new four times weekly service to Porto

Highly awarded airline Emirates will be officially landing in Porto later this year, making the increasingly popular coastal city it’s second destination in Portugal and upping access for Aussie travellers wishing to discover this increasingly popular destination. The new service, operated by a Boing 777-300ER aircraft in a three class cabin configuration – 8 private…

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KFC is bringing exclusive free “chachos” to Melbourne

The fast food gods at KFC have been flirting with Mexican hybrid foods lately, birthing what they are describing as a “one-in-a-lifetime” special called “chachos” – obviously a portmanteau for chicken nachos. And it seems Melbourne’s late-night locals are going to be the lucky ducks to receive this unholy creation, as KFC pull up their…

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Etihad Airways begin trialling in-air wellness solutions by Panasonic

Etihad Airways have announced a new partnership with tech giant Panasonic to jointly develop and trial several new wellness solutions aimed at enhancing the in-air experience for passengers. And the first of those solutions will be a newly developed program worked up by Panasonic and Detalytics aimed at addressing the issue of jet lag. Dubbed…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: No Label Necessary Feat. Kudzai “Like You” (2019)

Ahead of their forthcoming EP MIDN9T X, Sydney duo No Label Necessary – individually Creepah from Sydney and Thony Remy from Brooklyn – have gone straight for the clubs on new single “Like You”, a party-minded hip hop cut that seems destined to burn up radio both nationally and overseas. Slick and polished, the duo…

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Michelin Guide is coming to California: here’s what that means

Come June of this year, the famed Michelin Guide, which has been reliably guiding gastronomy travel for over a century, will launch its first ever regional U.S edition when it comes to California. Announced early last month, Michelin and Visit California teamed up to charter this unprecedented expansion, prepping the Michelin Guide California 2019 which…

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Hotel Review: Mantra on Hay keeps things simple in East Perth

In a relatively quiet area of East Perth is where you’ll find Mantra on Hay, not as central as some of Mantra’s – well, now Accor’s – other properties in the “most isolated city in the world”, but close enough that you don’t feel like you’re missing any of Perth’s increasingly energetic social scene. It’s…

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Hotel Review: The Press Hotel flows with history in Portland, Maine

As part of Marriott’s highly regarded “Autograph Collection”, the one of a kind Press Hotel in Portland, Maine is a shining example of the kind of magic one can spark when channeling a building’s history into something new and exciting. In this case, it’s the site of the old Portland Press Herald newspaper, the state’s…

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Tech Review: Bang & Olufsen refresh the E8 with “Late Night Blue”

Every now and again Bang & Olufsen reach back into their ever-growing catalogue of high-end audio devices and iterate on what they’re most renowned for: design. Aesthetics in tech has always been hovering over the industry, but it’s only within the past few years that a sharp focus on exquisite looks has really shifted into…

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Hotel Review: Peppers King Square beats fast in the heart of Perth

On the Western edge of Perth’s densely packed CBD, opposite the vibrant piazza of Kings Square, and a short walk from the nightclub lined streets of Northbridge and Perth’s busy RAC Arena, stands the modest Peppers Kings Square. It’s a hotel that boasts an enviable, dynamic location and has a lot to offer guests and…

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Hands-On with Huawei P30: Everything You Need to Know

Leaks aside, the official word is now out and spreading like wildfire. Announced just moments ago from Paris, Chinese tech giant Huawei will be releasing their follow-up flagship smartphones to last year’s remarkably successful P20 and P20 Pro with, you guessed it, the P30 and P30 Pro. The company’s incredible growth in recent years (up…

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Hands-On with Huawei P30 Pro: This camera is all kinds of magic

Uluru, one of the most famous rock formations in the world, and one of Australia’s most essential sites/sights, stands solidly in the scrubby dessert of the Northern Territory. Its presence is really like no other natural landmark in the country: powerful, spiritual, beautiful, inspiring. Located about 335km south west of Alice Springs, it is one…

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Hotel Review: Shangri-La’s twin towers stand stately over Bangkok’s Chao Praya

I can’t take my eyes off the bedhead in my Deluxe River View Room. First my phone scans it – vertically and horizontally (because social media demands both orientations now) – and then my eyes. I’m mesmerised. The scene of gold, Elephants and gods painted across dark wooden panels, is the most striking feature of…

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Five new Sydney venues you need to check out

Sydney has now left summer behind (I assume anyway – climate change) and we’re now getting to that point where hiding away in a restaurant or bar for an absurd amount of time is perfectly acceptable. Extended breakfasts, long lunches, endless dinners – all totally reasonable as the weather turns to shit. That’s why we’ve…

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The Greatest Show in Las Vegas: What to Expect from “Absinthe”

It’s always worth paying close attention when a Las Vegas production signs on for a substantial extension, even years after it has already been playing in the same spot. It means the show has become its own sizable piece in the endless jigsaw of culture, class and crass that is a typical night on the…

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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Preview – rich, terrifying and nimble

FromSoftware are good at making games writers nervous. We head along to these hands-on previews with our heads held high (metaphorically, many of us have terrible posture), confident in our ability to kick some serious digital ass and wow any observers with our mad skills. Demon’s Souls? A cake walk. Bloodbourne? Orphan of Kos was…

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Track of the Day: Shura “BKLYNLDN” (2019)

A small, gentle drum pattern sits behind “BKLYNLDN” (Brooklyn London), the incredibly effective new single from English synthpop artist Shura. And it’s simplicity which defines this new offering, giving Shura a swooning backdrop for her remarkably delicate performance, illustrated by the embrace of two women in a blue-tinged music video. The song’s visuals are inseparable…

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Live Review: The Eagles prove legends never die with flawless Sydney show

Finding a way to continue Eagles without Glenn Frey, who passed in 2016, must have been difficult. How does one treat a legacy so treasured by music fans the world over, after a loss so deep? The answer, in this case anyway, is actually quite simple. “We aren’t the same band we once were”, founding…

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