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.

Japanese dessert chain PAFU opens in Macquarie Centre (Sydney)

We’ve already got Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts and Ippudo, so it was only a matter of time before ST Group bought down another very well-known Japanese brand, dipping back into the sweet side with Pafu. Last year the Japanese puff-pastry dessert made a successful debut at QV in Melbourne, so now it’s Sydney’s turn to…

Read more

A new partnership between Velocity Frequent Flyer and Westpac could make it easier for new home owners to travel

Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer Points program has this week announces a new partnership with Westpac, aimed at giving new home owners in Australia access to potentially hundreds of thousands of points. The substantial bank of points being offered come with two options, both accessible to Westpac customers who apply for a new home loan…

Read more

Get “Bound” by FourPlay String Quartet’s latest single and music video

Fresh off tour dates around the country – including a spot at Tasmania’s prestigious DARK MOFO festival alongside Sun Ra Arkestra – Australia’s rocking electric string quartet FourPlay has blessed us with a new original track titled “Bound”, highlighting a penchant for blending the band’s urgent melodies with big, dirty riffs. The unique track has…

Read more

W Sydney to open with an infinity pool overlooking Darling Harbour and almost 600 guest rooms

Following the big-ticket launch of W Brisbane, the first luxury property from W Hotels Worldwide as they steadily re-enter the Australian market, the renowned brand have announced a 593-key property for Sydney. The new-build W Sydney will make its debut in 2020 as part of The Ribbon from award-winning architect Hassel, a $700 million development…

Read more

Sydney Film Festival Review: Colin Minihan overindulges in tension with What Keeps You Alive (Canada, 2018)

Not truly knowing your significant other post-marriage must be a terrifying thought, and it’s one that grounds Colin Minihan‘s What Keeps You Alive in a genuinely frightening premise. Lock that idea up and throw it into a cliche cabin-in-the-woods scenario and you have yourself a fun horror film that’s intriguing and entertaining, if not a…

Read more

Four of Melbourne’s top bartenders plan to open new venue “Fancy Free” this year

Four bartenders who have been instrumental to the rise of Melbourne’s highly regarded Black Pearl will open a new venue in the CBD later this year. Rob Libecans, Chris Hysted-Adams, Matthew Stirling and Ryan Noreiks will lead the charge at Fancy Free, helping shape the bar as a neighbourhood watering hole in the middle of…

Read more

Review: Johnnie Walker Black Label Sherry Edition tones down the smoke for a smooth finish

Johnnie Walker Black Label has been re-imagined with the iconic whisky’s latest iteration, a limited edition expression which benefits from part of the blend being matured in former Sherry casks. Officially titled the Black Label Sherry Edition, the whisky was recently launched in the Australian market and has since become one of the more buzzed…

Read more

Carriageworks announce winter-themed “Burning Love” night market (Sydney)

The next instalment in the ongoing seasonal night markets from Carriageworks will pay homage to smoked, spiced and slow-cooked food with “Burning Love”. Teaming up with the infallible Porteño duo of Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, the arts and entertainment hub will host 55 of Sydney’s leading restaurants, bars and producers with special menus worked…

Read more

Anna Polyviou’s Sweet Street festival announces sugary line-up (Sydney)

Anna Polyviou, renowned Executive Pastry Chef of Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney will once again be leading charge as she curates the hotel’s 5th annual “Sweet Street” dessert festival at the end of this month. Set for one night only on 29th June, the curated sugar rush will bring in a bunch of the city’s best and…

Read more

Sydney Film Festival Review: Jirga (Australia, 2017) is a humane look behind the curtain of war

That Jirga is quiet and understated is the film’s biggest strength, consciously moving away from the lurid details of your typical war blockbuster and presenting something of a bare-bones human story about redemption and forgiveness. When Director Benjamin Gilmour and actor Sam Smith, both Australian, spent 20 days shooting this film they did so at…

Read more

Film Review: Hereditary (USA, 2018) is the dictionary definition of horror

When light finally filled the theatre at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema I could see that the older man sitting next to me was visibly shaken. In fact, I could see many people who looked like they were in desperate need of a good, long hug and maybe a bathtub full of bright yellow rubber ducks…

Read more

Sydney Film Festival Review: Nature and nurture square off in the fascinating Three Identical Strangers (UK, 2018)

BAFTA-nominated documentary director Tim Wardle has an enviable subject with the highly publicised reunion of long-lost-triplets Robert Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman, who found each other at the age of 19, tracking three identical New Yorkers separated at birth by a prominent Jewish adoption agency. It’s the kind of stranger-than-fiction story that the most…

Read more

Marriott have launched their own online marketplace for activities and local knowledge

In an ambitious attempt to zone in on enriching, local experiences for their guests, Marriott’s considerable network of properties around the world have been tied together by the roll out of an online platform dubbed “Marriott Moments”, seeking to offer local-area expert recommendations, bespoke categories and hand-curated lists of things to do across various destinations….

Read more

Virgin Australia launches inflight Wi-Fi on international flights to the USA

Virgin Australia have introduced reasonably priced inflight WiFi on their international route between Australia and Los Angeles, helping passengers stay connected during the 14 hour trip. The service will cost $12 for the duration of the trip, available for passengers embarking from either Sydney (13.5 hours) or Melbourne (14.5 hours). The recent introduction means that…

Read more

AccorHotels purchase Mantra Group for $1.2 billion

AccorHotels has maintained a strong presence in the Australian market since first opening here with Novotel Sydney in Darling Harbour in 1999. Not only is that presence growing, particularly with the recent opening of five-star hotel – and Instagram star – Sofitel Darling Harbour, but the hotel group’s portfolio has just taken a giant leap…

Read more

Review: Rap legends Slick Rick and Raekwon rock the mic in Sydney

Witnessing undisputed rap legends live on stage is somewhat of a rarity in Australia. We’ve (surprisingly) managed to get KRS-One, watched in awe as Big Daddy Kane rocked the mic, seen Masta Ace a few times, and we even got Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow once. Once big names through the late 80’s and early…

Read more

Boost Juice are now serving Vegemite smoothies across Australia

“We’re always looking to think outside the square when it comes to product development”, said Chief Marketing Officer of Boost Juice Joanne Bradley. And outside of the square they have most certainly thought this time, with the ubiquitous juice brand introducing new flavour The Vegemite Boost. It obviously contains Australia’s most divisive (to non-Australians anyway;…

Read more

Virgil Abloh to release “Nike x OFF-WHITE Football, Mon Amour” collection in Australia

“Big, bold and full of nuanced visual cues” is how Nike are describing their latest collaboration with Off-White and famed designed Virgil Abloh. The forthcoming collection, which channels Abloh’s perspective on the world’s most popular sport, football. Following a similar collection by Nike and Kim Jones, artistic director of Dior Homme, Abloh’s “Football, Mon Amour”…

Read more

Milk ‘N’ Sugar: Sydney’s epic three day dessert festival returns this weekend

After the successful launch of Milk N Sugar last year, the artisan dessert-only food festival is back this year, once again setting up at Overseas Passenger Terminal for the weekend of 8th to 10th June. As it coincides with Vivid Sydney, last year’s debut was unsurprisingly popular – especially with it’s $2 entry fee –…

Read more

Market City continues to roll out an all-new Asian dining precinct (Sydney)

Earlier this year, Haymarket icon i>Market City unveiled a refinement to their Asian food scene, sweeping things over and moving towards a curated collection of restaurants dubbed 1909 Dining Precinct. Now the popular destination hosts eight deluxe Asian restaurants, in addition to its over food offerings which include long-standing Yum Cha favourite The Eight and…

Read more

Ippudo finally bring their famous ramen to Melbourne

Following much acclaim with outlets across Sydney, world renowned ramen brand Ippudo has finally uncovered their long-awaited Melbourne expansion. Debuting in April at QV, Ippudo has arrived with their signature Japanese options, most importantly highlighting the legacy of famed ramen chef Shigemi Kawahara who many credit with the rise of tonkotsu. Melbourne’s first ever Ippudo…

Read more

Six essential things to do in and around Fingal Bay

Port Stephens is one of the most valuable road trips available to those living in New South Wales. The quintessential Aussie scene of laid-back beaches and copious hiking trials has long been a magnet for both domestic and international tourists looking to soak up the scene outside of a major city. The harbour’s eastern most…

Read more

London Bridge’s high-end The Shard unveils Bar 31

The “created by locals, for locals” Bar 31 has been revealed as the newest edition to the immensely luxurious and eye-catching Shangri-La At The Shard in London. Intentionally located at the base of the towering high-end hotel, the bar is now the closest drinking spot to London Bridge Station and will waste no time in…

Read more

Vivid Live Review: H.E.R stuns with a perfect performance at Sydney Opera House

Shortly after emerging from Soundcloud obscurity within the past year or so, elusive musician H.E.R has surely become one of the most exciting new artists in popular music. Her voice, equal parts silky and slick, is matched by the excellent songwriting that can be found all throughout her self-titled EPs Volume 1 and 2, two…

Read more

Shannon Noll and Menulog are opening a concept store in Surry Hills this week (Sydney)

Legendary iconic Australian legend-slash-icon and the world’s best singer (if memes are your thing) Shannon Noll has done a Jeff Goldblum and teamed up with Menulog to open a pop-up store in Sydney today. Based on research which shows Aussies spend more than an hour each day preparing meals instead of getting a good night’s…

Read more

Interview: Ari Aster, Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro on the making of Hereditary

Just about every horror movie leading up to release is dubbed “scariest. ever” because that’s the way hype works. “Scary” is what pulls us into horror movies and often creates unfair expectations which leave us – especially horror buffs – bitterly disappointed. As someone who is fairly well-versed in horror and finds something to love…

Read more

Little Creatures reveal seasonal winter stout: “The Fuggle is Real”

Craft beer heroes Little Creatures have unveiled their seasonal release for winter this year, releasing a smooth stout dubbed The Fuggle is Real. Building upon their always popular seasonal release series, the dark beer is a move away from what Little Creatures is usually known for, opting for something a bit different as they release…

Read more

Merivale’s long-awaited The Collary is now open (Sydney)

After an extensive remix to a beachside classic, Merivale have finally unveiled their second epic Northern Beaches hub with The Collaroy. We’ve already seen what the juggernaut hospitality group are capable of with The Newport, so this long standing waterfront pub should easily go down as one of this year’s biggest openings. Keeping the local…

Read more

Your food and drink guide for Vivid Sydney 2018

It’s here! Vivid Sydney has begun for another year, stepping up to its now globally renowned reputation with a massive celebration of light, music and ideas. There’s so much going on from now until the 16th June so we’ve put together a quick food and drink guide to keep handy while you’re out and about….

Read more

Fanta have released their own fashion line and it’s as strange as you’d expect

Fanta, as in the soft drink, have released a small and outrageously weird capsule of clothing and accessories described as “functional and fashion-forward”. It’s confusing, but somehow if strangely glorious brand activations were a competition (which is pretty much the case nowadays) then the famously bright orange beverage is looking like at a gold medal….

Read more