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.
Norwegian Cruise Line is just about ready to begin its inaugural Australian season from Sydney this month as Norwegian Jewel sails into Sydney Harbour on 12th November ahead of its first round-trip itinerary: a five-day “Taste of Tasmania” cruise. The season, which starts this month and ends in February 2018, will include nine sailings around…
Welcome to Sydney Institutions, where we take a look at some of the long-standing venues serving as the beating heart fueling this city’s social landscape. First off, we take a look at a Mosman institution; a pub that has been standing since 1990, given a recent makeover with new owners an new management while still…
Guaranteed to be one of the most talked about – and visited – openings in regional NSW for 2018 is a brand new and enormous Cellar Door complex from the legendary Brokenwood Wines. Set to feature a new cellar door, restaurant and cafe plus its own wine museum, the sprawling development will be a significant…
Kathryn Bigelow has already proven a competent and imaginative voice when tackling tough, complex subjects featuring the kind of gutsy brutality that doesn’t need excessive gore or sci-fi elements. She’s much more concerned with real-world situations, exploring human nature as a function of and reaction to extreme pressure; in some ways, it’s similar to the…
In the midst of restarting his current Boy Meets World tour down in Australasia, Drake took to Sydney for his first Australian show of the tour, fitting his exceptionally designed stage show into the Qudos Bank Arena where he will perform a total of three times over the next week. Foregoing any traditionally big name…
Kings Cross favourite The Powder Keg may be no more, but world renowned mixologist Grant Collins hasn’t given up on owning one of the most comprehensive and playful gin-focused small bars in Sydney. Now, the visionary bar consultant is heading up Gin Lane, a sophisticated new small bar that has just opened in the vibrant…
After debuting earlier this year in Sydney’s Chifley Plaza, Luke Mangan’s burger restaurant Chicken Confidential has officially expanded into Sydney Airport’s T1 International casual dining precinct. Now part of the slow-but-sure evolution of the airport’s dining scene, the casual gourmet burger joint from the renowned chef sticks to the original’s standard of using certified organic…
As hotels across the world continue to introduce more viable dining options for their guests Mantra MacArthur Hotel in Canberra have welcomed in a new modern Mediterranean restaurant titled Podilato, a sister venue to the popular Bicicletta Italian restaurant at Peppers Gallery Hotel. Helmed by experienced chef Sean Mawbery, the new restaurant offers guests and…
Aussie visitors to restaurants like Mama San and Sarong already know what Bali’s renowned Sarong Group are capable of. So it should come as no surprised that the hospitality group’s latest venture is one of the island’s most anticipated openings of 2017. The restaurant, titled Som Chai, is a sophisticated Thai-influenced fine diner carved into…
Off-season in Italy just got a whole lot more tempting thanks to a new partnership between Italo Treno, Italy’s high-speed train provider, and GoEuro, a popular online platform for comparing and booking trains, buses and flights across Europe. The two services have joined forces to offer travellers a substantial discount which opens them to fares…
Melbourne’s one-day gin extravaganza, Juniperlooza, is set for a return this month with a packed line-up of 19 independent Australian and international producers who will be showcasing their expressions as well as exclusive cocktails up and down the waterside Boatbuilders Yard. In addition, there’ll be a bunch of “Talk & Taste” sessions spread throughout the…
As hotels across the world continue to introduce more viable dining options for their guests Mantra MacArthur Hotel in Canberra have welcomed in a new modern Mediterranean restaurant titled Podilato, a sister venue to the popular Bicicletta Italian restaurant at Peppers Gallery Hotel. Helmed by experienced chef Sean Mawbery, the new restaurant offers guests and…
Renowned restaurateur Joe Mammone, who co-owns beloved CBD spots Il Bacaro and Sarti, has welcomed a third restaurant to his portfolio, opening Bar Carolina in South Yarra. Located on Toorak Road, Joe’s first venture outside of the city has been fashioned as a sophisticated and contemporary southside bar and restaurant, offering Italian bistro-style dining with…
Located on Toorak Road, Yagiz is a new modern Turkish restaurant from talented chef Murat Ovaz, who has moved on from Balaclava’s popular Tulum to head up his own venture. The restaurant, which features a stunning 22-seat brass communal table and is separated into both a casual walk-in bar and an expansive 60-seat dining space,…
After it’s time popped up in Sydney’s Hyde Park last month, the famed Night Noodle Market is heading on down for Melbourne’s annual Good Food Month for a eighteen nights of curated Asian hawker-style dining. We all know how it works; each year, various stalls from some of the country’s best food vendors remain popped…
A seven-course vegan feast is being planned by a group of seven Melbourne chefs, all of whom will join forces at The Vincent later this month to explore and highlight the potential of modern vegan cuisine. What’s more is that the whole feast has been designed around and inspired by the classic tale of The…
Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo, will welcome a new luxury property this month with the opening of Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, joining the high-end group’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa – which opened in 2016 – as one of the most prominent hotel launches in the country in nearly 30 years. Positioned along the ocean-side Galle…
The official next step for speaker technology is upon us, ushered in with the advent of voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby and Window’s Cortana. We can now command our speakers to play music and give out all sorts of information thanks to robotic helpers ready and willing to serve,…
Cameron and Allister Ashmead, co-directors of acclaimed family-owned winery Elderton Wines, have opened a stunning new cellar door on in their Nuriootpa vineyard, gifting the Barossa a warm and inviting addition to the region’s dynamic hospitality scene. What’s more is that the cellar door is fashioned as a Gentleman’s bungalow drawing from the First World…
Matt McConnell, chef and co-owner of Melbourne’s popular Bar Lourinhã, is putting on something pretty damn special for locals who have a particular craving for crab. Drawing inspiration from his cultural homes of Portugal and Spain, Matt plans to host a one-off “Crab y Cava” party at the bar, set for Wednesday 22nd November with…
Aussie visitors to restaurants like Mama San and Sarong already know what Bali’s renowned Sarong Group are capable of. So it should come as no surprised that the hospitality group’s latest venture is one of the island’s most anticipated openings of 2017. The restaurant, titled Som Chai, is a sophisticated Thai-influenced fine diner carved into…
After a huge year of growth for Tella Balls Dessert Bar, which first made international headlines with their doughnut-topped milkshakes before opening in both Sydney’s Dulwich Hill and Concord, the self-proclaimed “King of Desserts” has finally gone interstate. Co-owners Aki Daikos and Simon Kappatos have now opened up a 54-seater cafe at the sun-soaked Surfers…
For a very limited time Nike are giving their excellent collaboration series with Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, “The Ten”, its own dedicated pop-up store in Sydney. The news follows the already announced raffle by pop-up partners Supply Store which allowed winners access to purchase both the Nike Blazer x Virgil Abloh ($200 AUD) or the…
Matt Moran’s firing up his brand new retro Chiswick Veggie Van to deliver special complimentary veggie boxes to lucky Sydneysiders over the next few weeks, all containing seasonal produce hand-picked from his purpose-planted Chiswick gardens. Aimed at showcasing the new spring menus at his restaurants Chiswick Woollahra and Chiswick at the Gallery, the boxes highlight…
Melbourne-based artist Zhong Chen is the muse for The Chen, the latest property from the country’s unique Art Series Hotel Group which is renowned for its high-end hotels dedicated and built around the works of an individual Australian artist. The group’s eight art inspired hotel will open later this month on November 22nd in Melbourne’s…
“Monsters” is very much a direct continuation from last week’s “The Damned”, and on the surface that is very wise choice for The Walking Dead, treating these as installments in a wider thread rather than thematically distinctive “episodes”. This week, we were dropped right back into the all-out assault against The Saviours, coming from Team…
Barbecue, whiskey and live music are on the cards when Jack Daniel’s bring their epic pop-up Barrel House back to Melbourne’s Crown Riverwalk this month to coincide with Melbourne Music Week. From Friday 17th November, the Barrel House will be hosting a wide array of over 40 Australian artists spanning various genres, putting their sounds…
Since it opened earlier this year, The Grounds of the City has quickly established itself as one of the go-to spots for communal dining in the CBD. Though a 5pm closing time coupled with high demand meant longer wait times and a big no to after-work sessions; luckily that’s all been fixed now (well except…
Vietnamese favourite Hanoi Hannah has hooked up with Huxtaburger to offer a special limited edition Bánh Mi Burger, clashing two food staples together in what is no doubt going to be a huge hit. Huxtaburger’s Daniel Wilson and Hanoi Hannah’s Mathew Johns worked closely together to come up with the perfect east-meets-west fusion, ensuring that…
KFC Australia is on a revival binge at the moment, putting a few long-forgotten favourites back onto the menu, much to the delight of fast food fans across the country. Recently it was the deep-fried greatness of gravy mashies, now it’s the Double Shell Zinger Taco. It’s pretty self-explanatory for those who don’t remember the…
