Author: Chris Singh

Long-standing publication Gourmet Traveller have once again scanned Australia’s rich and diverse hospitality scene to find our nation’s top performing hotels across various categories. From established luxury properties to boutique gems, the awards this year represent a very wide range of accommodation options for locals and visitors, acknowledging everywhere from a newly opened favourite in…

Each year the authoritative judging panel of Diageo Reserve World Class enters, analyses, and awards the Australia’s bar scene to celebrate its top performers. Swarms of talent stand behind bars across the country each and every night, ensuring that not only are we pulled into a world of well-made cocktails and well-selected spirits, but we…

In what is a very big step for The Lucas Group long-awaited, three-level concept restaurant Kisumé has finally been unveiled to the public, opening for lunch and dinner with designs to become a major player in Melbourne’s dining scene. Fashioned as a contemporary Japanese restaurant, Kisumé offers diners three options: the ground floor and basement…

The opening of the Queens Hotel late last year marked Merivale’s first ever venture into Sydney’s inner-west, refreshing an Enmore institution into what has now become the go-to for its gorgeous upstairs cocktail bar, The Smelly Goat, and resident dumpling kitchen Queen Chow. Now the property has added Zebra Bar to that offering, completing the…

After 2012’s Kon-Tiki went down in history as the first Norwegian film to pick up nominations for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe, directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg were well-placed to score a job helming one of the most ambitious franchises in modern mainstream cinema: Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney’s monstrously successful billion-dollar…

With a focus on age-old Italian cuisine, the much-anticipated trattoria-style Bacco Osteria e Espresso has now opened in Sydney, fronted by Executive Chef Andrew Cibej and Head Chef Scott Williams, both whom are well known for their work at favourites like Ester and Berta. This is their first CBD venture as a team, positioned on…

Opened just a few weeks ago in Darlinghurst, Madame Shanghai is an old-school Shanghai street food and yum cha spot by the same team behind Sydney’s beloved Lotus restaurants and Papa Bo Min. Vintage-minded with a love of all things Chinoiserie, the new venue overlooks Hyde Park and brings a bit of Sydney’s leafy icon…

Manly locals sure are spoiled when it comes to quintessential drinking spots. They’ve got Four Pines, which remains a favourite, and now just a short stroll down from the wharf is Manly Spirits Co., the Northern Beaches very first artisan distillery. Just opened recently for public tours, tastings and cocktails, the distillery aims to welcome…

Murray’s Food Store, a modernised throwback to the classic milk bar, recently landed in Prahran and has quickly built quite the loyal following. It’s not hard to see why either, with a menu that puts twists on classics as well as offers made-to-order juices alongside freshly baked pies and New York style bagels. Taking over…

the cons of Winter are always balanced against the undeniable benefits that the colder season brings. Yes there’s a lot of rain, but throughout Australia there’s also plenty of celebrations, many of which have to do with food and drink. Sydney’s got Vivid and Sydney Film Festival coming up, Tasmania has Dark Mofo to look…

The lush InterContinental Sydney Double Bay has already proven itself as a bit of destination for the eastern suburbs, attracting much more than just hotel guests with their winning trio of restaurant Stockroom, classy bar Stillery, and that famed rooftop bar. Oh and then there’s Sake and the newly opened Mr G’s to keep things…

Earlier this year we brought you news of a neat new collaboration between Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Co. and acclaimed tattoo artist Kian Forreal, better known as Shodai Horisumi. The partnership gave rise to a new series of four rare Japanese inspired gins, the first of which was Horisumi Autumn with a very curious infusion…

As the city prepares for another round of Vivid Sydney some last minute events taking place during the festival are starting to take shape. The latest: a three-day festival of over-the-top and incredibly indulgent desserts like giant marshmallow sandwiches, dessert burgers and deep-fried oreo bites. It’s set to be a dramatic explosion of all things…

In what is a huge step for one of Australia’s most unique and treasured hotel groups, QT Hotels & Resorts have officially made their way across the ditch, expanding to New Zealand with the opening of QT Museum Wellington, and the forthcoming arrival of QT Queenstown. QT has become widely known in and outside of…

Australia’s casual eats scene is so damn fine that of course the sports industry is going to want a slice. The organisers behind College Football Sydney Cup have had the good sense to move away from plastic-tasting hotdogs and stale-tasting doughnuts and enlist the help of some real pros to cater match day on 27th…

After building a passionate following with their Newtown store, Sydney’s beloved T Totaler, purveyor of hand-blended tea, has opened up a little bit closer to the heart of town, securing a small but impressively designed space in The Galeries. Opening up opposite Incu the purveyors of locally grown artisan tea have lined the new bright…

The always impressive Vivid Sydney will be casting a huge net of creativity over the city as of next week, presenting locals and visitors with yet again one of the most exciting programs in the entire country. Lights, music and ideas are the three pillars around which this program is curated, but there’s always so…

Wild Turkey are currently running an event series inspired by their iconic Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell, split between Sydney and Melbourne with an ode to passionate and talented Australian artists ranging from music to food. The food part is of particular interest here because the organisers have had the good sense to hook…

You’re going to want to hit up Semi Permanent this year. The design conference has partnered up with Carriageworks to bring La Rosa Social Club over to Sydney, after much success in L.A and Berlin. A concept given life by famed filmmaker Aaron Rose, the pop-up bar is designed to be pull together elements of…

As far as marketing pushes go, this one takes the cake. Films often inspire all sorts of cool little happenings in cities around the world, and in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales it’s an eerie looking ghost ship that’s set to stalk Sydney Harbour for the next few…

The fine folk behind Four Pillars have just announced that this year they’ll be bringing back their phenomenal Bloody Shiraz Gin, which last year completely sold out just four months after it was released. To satisfy demand, the gin distillery will be producing even more bottles of the epic gin-wine combo, which takes Four Pillars’…

Melbourne is swiftly gaining a reputation as one of the leading cities in the world when it comes to everything vegan. We have the festivals, the stores, the people, and most importantly the food. It’s no surprise that there is always a new vegan restaurant popping up somewhere, so it was my absolute pleasure to…

Crown Street pasta bar Besser is no more, having now been reshaped and reborn as the second location for Flour Eggs Water. While both brands are more casual members of the A Tavola family, owner Eugenio Maiale made the decision to tighten the focus on Flour Eggs Water, mirroring Tramsheds’ resident Italian staple with a…

What has been one of the most quintessential New York eats for a very, very long time has finally announced plans to start shipping their famous food, like their perfect pastrami, worldwide. What’s more is that us down here in Australia could be on the mailing list in the near future. As reported by NY…

Sushi rolls not enough for you? If so then Sushirito + Juicery, a new eatery on Chippendale’s lovingly curated Kensington Street, should be able to meet your needs. The team behind it are the latest to recreate a mutant-food from overseas, bringing Sydney a central spot to grab a Sushirito alongside Korean shaved-ice desserts and…

For the third year in a row, Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland is offering Australian artists something pretty darn unique with their annual “Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Prize”. Open from now until June 30th of this year William Grant & Sons are on the look out to award one very (and we mean very) lucky…

And the Social Media campaign award of the year goes to: Martin Brown. The man formerly known as Smiles Again (one half of the now defunct Mind Over Matter), and now known as Smizzy, has been flying a bit under the radar for these past few years. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been hard…

Fresh from opening up his second store for Koi in Ryde, former MasterChef favourite Reynold Poernomo has just announced a pretty damn tempting collaboration with KitKat. Taking inspiration from there experimental KitKat Chocolatory range, Reynold has crafted an exquisite, limited edition chocolate dessert going by the name of KitKat Secret Garden, and he’s going to…

It’s just about time for the controversial but incredibly insightful The Hemp Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium to return to Sydney after thousands of Sydneysiders turned up to the inaugural event last year. The two-day symposium has gathered a lineup of brilliant minds, both global and locals speakers, to fill the space across…

One of this year’s biggest openings is upon us. The crew behind the famous Grounds of Alexandria is now putting the finishing touches on their hugely anticipated Sydney CBD opening: The Grounds of the City. Mirroring much of what made the sprawling inner-west property such a huge hit for both locals and visitors, this big…