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.

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…

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Marhaba have opened a premium pay-to-access lounge at Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport’s international terminal has recently received an Australian first pay-to-enter premium lounge by passenger service company Marhaba. Located in Terminal 2 the lounge, which is staffed by a team of 26 from 6am to midnight daily, is available to passengers departing Melbourne on any airline and offers a number of brag-worthy features including comfortable…

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Bali’s new Palm Springs inspired cliff-side beach club looks incredible

Bali’s newest beach club, the recently opened Ulu Cliffhouse, stands 35 metres above sea level and is unsurprisingly glamorous and ambitious, giving the area of Uluwatu a distinctive clifftop playground defined by a 1950’s Palm Springs aesthetic. The 4600m² property is part of the ongoing evolution of the island’s cultural scene, drawing on the surrounding…

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Changes to Eurail Pass set to make Europe more accessible for Australian travellers

Beloved by Aussies travelling to Europe for their flexible options and access to 28 European countries via train travel and various partnerships, Eurail are set to introduce a number of deals for jet-setters coming from down under following the reveal that Australia is one of the biggest markets in the world for the European travel…

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Live Review: Craig David, Ne-Yo & En Vogue bring the energy as “RnB Fridays Live” returns to Australia

Craig David has a new song about Instagram (it’s not good), TLC love Australia so much that they are coming back down under in 2018 (announced via a video package halfway through the gig), and Ne-Yo doesn’t nearly get the credit he deserves as a performer. These are just a few of the things we…

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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….

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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…

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Sydney’s top academics to turn the city’s bars into classrooms this month

Following a successful Sydney edition last year, internationally recognised keynote concept Raising the Bar will once again be taking over the city’s favourite drinking holes for the third year in a row. The concept is simple really: facilitated by the University of Sydney, a total of 20 academics will be spread across a program of…

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Melbourne is getting a unique immersive and participatory theatrical experience in 2018

He’s widely known as founder of the triumphant St Jermone’s Laneway Festival, the mind who brought a world’s first glamping experience as well as one of the city’s coolest bars, and the guy who turned a disused factory into a hipster chapel of love and creativity, but for his latest gift to Australia Jerome Borazio…

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Jerome Borazio announces one-of-a-kind immersive theatrical experience for Melbourne in 2018

He’s widely known as founder of the triumphant St Jermone’s Laneway Festival, the mind who brought a world’s first glamping experience as well as one of the city’s coolest bars, and the guy who turned a disused factory into a hipster chapel of love and creativity, but for his latest gift to Australia Jerome Borazio…

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The 13th annual Australian Beer Festival returns to The Rocks this weekend (Sydney)

Long known as one of Sydney’s most anticipated celebrations of beer and cider, the Australian Beer Festival is making its way back to The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks for two-and-a-half days of partying driven by the country’s best brewers. Kicking off on Friday 13th and wrapping up Sunday 15th October, the festival will…

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Oscar Wylee to donate 100% of all profits to charity on World Sight Day this week

Beloved Australian eyewear brand Oscar Wylee, which has showrooms all throughout the East Coast, will once again be heading into World Sight Day by donating 100% of all gross profits earned on the day to not-for-profit charity partner Sight For All. All purchases made from Oscar Wylee’s ten retail and online stores on Thursday 12th…

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World’s Best Steak winners Jack’s Creek to host special six-course dinner in Manly (Sydney)

It’s safe to say that when you hear the name Jack’s Creek you are guaranteed a good steak. In fact, you’re guaranteed the world’s best. Three times they’ve taken out top honours in the World’s Best Steak international competition, proving that their superior produce coming from NSW is truly special for those who love a…

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Review: The Bistro at Manly Pavilion finally does the heritage listed building justice (Sydney)

It’s a mystery why a number of restaurants have failed in this exceptional heritage listed building overlooking the sparkling waters of Manly, with different iterations of the former bathing pavilion over the past couple of years not quite sticking the landing. Though it’s tempting to place a fine dining establishment in this stunning space, perhaps…

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Menulog set to host a Jeff Goldblum movie marathon in Sydney

Online food delivery platform Menulog are yet again pushing their current partnership with one of the most beloved actors in the world, Jeff Goldblum. Though instead of bringing the man himself down to our shores, this time their inviting customers to Hoyts Broadway for their first ever “Goldblum-a-Thon”, a six-hour treat of Jeff’s films back-to-back,…

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Marrickville’s Vic on the Park has been sold to Merivale

It seems since moving into Enmore with the Queens Hotel, Justin Hemmes and his hospitality empire have furthered their interest in Sydney’s inner-west. Now Merivale have added another local icon to their expansive portfolio, buying up Marrickville’s beating heart: Vic on the Park. This brings plenty of potential to Merivale’s love of constant big-ticket events…

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Melbourne’s dedicated Espresso Martini festival will return in November

Off the back of last year’s hugely successful event, Mr Black’s Festival of the Espresso Martini is set to pop-up at Melbourne’s famous Meat Market for a full weekend in November. Set to be bigger than last year’s festival, the venue will be transformed into four different bar areas for coffee lovers to get across,…

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Australia Square Piazza to host two-day night markets this month

Across two nights, 11th and 12th October, Sydney’s popular Australia Square Piazza will be hosting their own free-entry night markets with all the usual suspects like live music, food stalls and a special bespoke cocktail pop-up by Ryan’s Bar. Aimed at highlighting the food and drink offerings of the Australia Square precinct, the market will…

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Sonos reveal first voice-enabled speaker: Sonos One

Although numerous rumours these past few months haven’t exactly allowed Sonos the element of surprise here, the famed electronics company best known for their high quality speakers have now officially announced that their newest product will be a smart speaker with support for multiple voice-activated services. Dubbed Sonos One the device, which launches around the…

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Peter Kuruvita hooks up with Novotel Manly for one-off sustainable seafood feast (Sydney)

Celebrity Chef Peter Kuruvita has linked up with beachside property Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific to offer guests a special seafood feast this month. The event, dubbed Seafood from the Heart, will feature five courses of dishes making use of a range of fresh seafood including wild scallop sashimi, salmon pearls, local tuna, BBQ southern calamari,…

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Messina are doing dessert katsu sandwiches at Night Noodle Markets (Sydney)

Not content on letting anyone else steal the spotlight at this year’s Night Noodle Markets in Sydney, Messina have went and flipped some classic Japanese dishes into masterful dessert creations. It’s no surprise of course, Messina are always pumping out these new and exclusive desserts for huge events like NNM, but this year is on…

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Stoneleigh to transform empty Melbourne warehouse into immersive wine sanctuary

Last year Stoneleigh shaped up an abandoned Sydney warehouse with a super immersive wine project, defined by creeping vines and teeming with fresh New Zealand drops. It’s time for that conceptual wine event to head on down to Melbourne now, with the leading New Zealand wine brand taking over an empty warehouse on Flinders Street…

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Gravy Mashies: KFC bring back fried potato balls with a twist after huge demand

After almost a decade of online pressure and oddly passionate fan outrage KFC Australia have finally put something back on the menu that has been sorely missed: Gravy Mashies. For those who may not remember the fast food classic, they are basically deep-fried golden potato balls, and now they come oozing with gravy inside. Australians…

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Melbourne’s three-day Chinese lantern festival returns this weekend

Melbourne’s annual Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival by Crown Melbourne is set to return this weekend, stretching over three days for its fifth year in bringing tens of thousands of locals and visitors together for food, family and entertainment along the Crown Riverwalk. With various Asian eats offered from stalls which line the walk, as well as…

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Review: Bryson Tiller shakes up the Sydney Opera House on his Australian tour

Bryson Tiller’s stock is skyrocketing in the music industry right now. It was only a matter of time really; anyone that caught onto his 2015 debut Trapsoul (or the “still finding his voice” Killer Instinct for the early birds) would have seen this success coming from a mile away, Tiller representing a new wave in…

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The Southern Highlands is putting on an unmissable glamping feast this month (NSW)

It’s not just Sydney that’s full of exciting food and drink experiences for Good Food Month this October. Drive for just over an hour out of the city to immerse yourself in a sunken forest deep inside the picturesque Southern Highlands and you’ll find what is undoubtedly this month’s essential overnight food and wine experience….

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Rekorderlig introduce ‘Hard Cider’ to the Australian market

Known for their “Beautifully Swedish” aesthetic and unique approach to cider, Swedish brand Rekorderlig, take a big step forward with a brand new addition to their cider line-up. The newbie, titled Hard Cider, aims to take things up a notch, with 6.5% ABV which is much higher than usual. Two flavours are being introduced as…

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InterContinental opens Vietnam’s highest luxury hotel in Hanoi

Complete with a signature steakhouse and unprecedented views of Vietnam’s bustling capital, InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 has now opened as the country’s highest hotel. Located within Hanoi’s Landmark72 complex, the new 359-room luxury hotel stands attached to a vibrant precinct which comprises retail, commercial and entertainment offerings, positioning it as an ideal addition to the city’s…

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Sydney is getting a free European cheese festival in October

After a well-received debut in Melbourne, three-day cheese festival Bon Fromage is moving on up to Sydney, set to take on the harbour city as it shapes into Carriageworks’ Bay 25 for a mid-October weekend. The festival will be defined by a series of masterclasses and demonstrations from some of Sydney’s best and most reliable…

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Down N’ Out have officially opened their first permanent Sydney burger joint

After popping up as the resident kitchen at Sydney CBD icon The Sir John Young Hotel, creative burger joint Down N’ Out has officially moved on up and opened their first ever bricks-and-mortar restaurant. Located in Ryde, the business that once made global headlines with their wildly popular Pokémon burgers is now a permanent shop…

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