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.

The Grounds of Alexandria to build dessert oasis cafe for Sculpture by the Sea (Sydney)

It’s about that time again when one of Australia’s most attractive and unique outdoor art exhibitions, Sculpture by the Sea, comes around. Each year a huge range of public artworks are commissioned and displayed along the iconic coastal walk between Bondi and Bronte beaches, making for very memorable sight anchored by the activity in central…

Read more

Hotel Review: Sheraton on the Park (Sydney, NSW) is a genuine five-star experience

As far as the world’s most recognisable hotel brands go, Sheraton is up there as one of the best balanced in almost all facets of luxury accommodation. It’s high end but accessible, elegant but modern, sophisticated but grounded in a way that’s adaptable for all types of guests; for a hotel with roots dating back…

Read more

Australia’s award winning rum festival is happening this weekend (QLD)

Now that it’s been named “Best Distillery Event in the World” from Drinks International Magazine, Queensland’s huge The Spirit of Bundaberg Festival is in a good position to further expand on the success of previous years. Taking place Saturday 15th October at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery, the wild celebration of good local food, great entertainment,…

Read more

Newtown Locals: Hartsyard, Mary’s, Continental Deli and more announce collaborative dishes for Newtown Festival (Sydney)

With the 38th annual Newtown Festival coming up the inner-west suburb will once again be witnessing the return of Newtown Locals, a collaborative program from some of the area’s best chefs, restaurateurs and brewers aimed at sharing their love and passion for the famously bohemian neighbourhood. This will be the third year for Newtown Locals,…

Read more

Interview: Newtown Locals talk food and drink at the 38th annual Newtown Festival

Newtown Locals is a collection of the inner west neighbourhood’s greatest food and drink purveyors, and each year the group comes together at the annual Newtown Festival to offer up special collaborative dishes designed to showcase the communal spirit of the area. Once again, the community cook-offs will aim at providing some much needed funds…

Read more

Paramount Pictures put an end to Melbourne’s Ron Burgundy bar before it even pops up

Heard about that Ron Burgundy themed pop-up bar taking over Melbourne next week? It was a kind of a big deal, that is until Paramount Pictures threw a trident right through those plans and split them in two. Turns out the film studio, which was behind both the original 2004 film and its sequel, required…

Read more

A slice of Tasmania is coming to Meat Market South Wharf this month (Melbourne)

Tasmania is one of those rites of passage for Australia’s food lovers that’s hard to forget. The produce found throughout the country powers some of the best parts of this country’s great food scene, so it’s always an exciting prospect when a showcase from the apple isle travels up to other states. In this case,…

Read more

Five reasons you should road trip it to Orange Wine Festival this year

There’s nothing like crisp country air slapping you awake to take you out of that hustle, bustle Sydney state of mind. For Sydneysiders a brief getaway isn’t just about grabbing a quick, refreshing weekend in the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley (still both incredible places for brief escapism) anymore, with many realising that you need…

Read more

The world’s 50 best bars for 2016 have been named

London and New York have once again dominated the World’s 50 Best Bars, an annual list which each year seeks to provide a thorough overview of the top performing drinking destinations across the globe, from swanky hotel bars to dim speakeasies. Manhattan’s popular Dead Rabbit took out top honours, being named the “Botran Rum Best…

Read more

QT Melbourne opens lush new rooftop bar

Simply titled The Rooftop one of QT Melbourne’s biggest draw cards is a stunning 11th floor bar mirroring the unique character the designer hotel has brought to Russell Street. The city’s skyline will play in the background of the split indoor-outdoor bar, which QT hope will become one of Melbourne’s biggest destinations as we edge…

Read more

Cafe Paci chef brings Darlinghurst a new pop up restaurant with Classico Moderno (Sydney)

The Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy is about to see a major champion with new Sydney pop-up restaurant Classico Moderno, a concept from young local chef Bryan Gerlini who is determined to showcase the best of his home and its classic cuisine. Aside from being the founding Head Chef of Leichhardt’s excellent Capriccio Osteria, Gerlini…

Read more

KitKat are launching a permanent chocolate store in Melbourne this month

After successful pop ups last year in Sydney and Melbourne, KitKat have unveiled plans for their first ever permanent store in Australia. The KitKat Chocolatory will be a DIY dessert store in Melbourne Central, designed so customers can create their own personalised KitKat among other treats like exclusive flavours and handcrafted chocolates. Melbourne street artist…

Read more

UberEATS has now launched in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth

As of today, Uber’s food delivery service UberEATS has officially spread throughout Australia. After launching in Melbourne earlier this year, and Sydney a few months later, UberEATS emerged as a fierce competitor on the local food delivery circuit, providing a service powered by and connected to Uber’s official smartphone app that allows users to order…

Read more

Tim Ho Wan, Dragon Boat and more for free pop up dumpling festival (Melbourne)

Food festivals and collaborations are all the rage right now, so it was about time for a Dumpling Festival. Some of Melbourne’s best dumpling restaurants will be coming together for a five-hour dumpling face-off later this month, a free event that will bring the best out of participating restaurants Tim Ho Wan, China Red, China…

Read more

Ron Burgundy’s Rich Mahogany Bar to pop up in Melbourne

This one is kind of a big deal. Over two weeks starting from October 13th the Porcelain Tea Parlour in Carlton will be making the classy transition into a pop-up bar themed after one of the most glorious characters comedy cinema has ever given us: Ron Burgundy. The bar’s character will be drawn from San…

Read more

Pure Blonde expand with low sugar, low carb apple cider

Pure Blonde has to this point been synonymous with beer; most recently realising a surge in sales with the introduction of their low-card alternatives after seeing a double digit decline in regular beer sales. In an effort to stick to these lighter alternatives the Carlton & United Breweries brand have now expanded into the cider…

Read more

Birds of the Inner West: Sydney’s fried chicken festival returns with huge line up

Sydney got its first ever food festival dedicated to some of the city’s best fried chicken and wine with Birds of Redfern back in July, a curated line up that brought in the likes of Hartsyard and Mitch Orr to deliver crispy greatness while Cake Wines took care of the locally made drops. It was…

Read more

Converse and DC Comics release The Dark Knight sneakers

Converse have unveiled two retro comic designs in collaboration with DC Comics for the 30th anniversary of Frank Miller’s iconic The Dark Knight Returns. A collage of panels from the mid-60’s featuring Batman, Robin, and Catwoman define the new look Chuck Taylor All Star ’70 sneakers, apparently pulled straight from DC’s archives to illustrate a…

Read more

Mister Gee, Knafeh, and Happy as Larry heading to new Western Sydney festival with over 40 food trucks

Food festivals are all the rage now, and Western Sydney is finally getting an onslaught of them. The latest is Off the Eaten Truck Festival, a mammoth sized event presented by Rooty Hill RSL and The Bearded Bakers. Over two days over 40 of the city’s best food trucks will be rolling along to the…

Read more

World BBQ champion Tuffy Stone will headline Meatstock Melbourne this year

Get your grills out because Meatstock Melbourne is back for another year, and they’ve pulled some big smoking guns to come headline a stacked program in April of next year. Both Tuffy Stone, four-times world BBQ champion, and Jess Pryles, renowned Hardcore Carnivore, will sit at the top of a lineup that once again aims…

Read more

Lotus brings dumplings and modern Chinese to Barangaroo (Sydney)

After a successful expansion to The Galeries last year Lotus have now opened up their third Sydney venue, as Barangaroo’s obligatory dumpling and modern Chinese restaurant, a massive 160-seater designed by the ever-reliable DS17. Bringing over their excellent menu and adding a few new additions (expect more seafood) to help settle into the new waterfront…

Read more

Pinot Palooza is bringing the goods to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane this month

After successful runs in Adelaide and Perth in August, i>Pinot Palooza will be dropping by Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane this month for the country’s largest annual Pinot Noir and music festival. Bottle Shop Concepts have had Pinot Palooza as a star event on their portfolio for five years now, sitting with events like Game of…

Read more

Video Games Review: Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS, 2016)

It took a few years for gamers outside of Japan to finally see the modern remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, a reverent update of one of the longest, most in-depth, and sadly underrated JRPGs of the 21st century. It was originally released for PlayStation in the year 2000, a huge…

Read more

Festival Review: Listen Out – Centennial Park, Sydney (01.10.16)

Long before the lockout laws, something else was killing the vibe among Sydney’s party scene: competition. One or two day festivals across the country were dropping like flies and it seemed like Fuzzy’s long-running Parklife was about to meet the axe, until the business made the wise decision to go boutique. Downsizing and effectively avoiding…

Read more

Review: Four in Hand by Guillaume – Paddington (Sydney)

Few chefs in Australia command the type of ohhs and ahhs that regularly surround Guillaume Brahimi and everything he does. The man has not only become synonymous with the type of culinary mastery one would find at his eponymous fine-dining restaurant in Paddington, but proven his versatility over recent years with his more accessible Bistro…

Read more

Review: Sugarcane – Coogee (Sydney)

After years of standing tall as a Surry Hills favourite, Sugarcane has uprooted and opened as a beachside retreat in Coogee. Chef Milan Strbac realised the sea change earlier this year, bringing the sunny suburb his energetic, Asian menu but kicking things up a bit, complementing Milan’s Thai-heavy style with other South East Asian cuisines,…

Read more

Opera Bar plans special long lunch for Good Food Month (Sydney)

Browsing the stacked program for Sydney’s Good Food Month will bring you across some pretty lavish, ambitious events, but pay just as much attention to the simple ones – they’re usually the highlights after the month-long festival of exploring the city’s best through eating and drinking is said and done. An example of such a…

Read more

Sokyo’s Chase Kojima to serve premium rice burgers at new casual restaurant (Sydney)

Award-winning Japanese chef Chase Kojima, he who has turned Sokyo into one of the best in Sydney and has opened the equally fantastic Kiyomi on the Gold Coast, has announced that he’ll be moving into something a bit more casual for his third venture, Gojima. Opening up opposite Momofuku Seiobo at The Star, Gojima will…

Read more

The Iris’ EB Games Expo 2016 Awards

PlayStation’s VR is almost ready to be unleashed on a public that largely has very little idea of what awaits them. That idea became a little clearer after EB Expo though, one of the general public’s first real chances to go hands-on with this beautiful piece of immersive tech, with a handful of demos designed…

Read more

Archie Rose, Big Papa’s and more for Marrickville’s weekend food circus (Sydney)

Across three days in November Sydney’s inner-west hub of Marrickville will play host to communal festival Street Food Circus, a forward thinking collective who have tapped into some of the city’s very best to create a pop-up mix of artisan food traders, craft beer, wine, vinyl DJs, and live music. They have looked far and…

Read more