Author: Erica Enriquez

Spanish Film Festival Launches In Sydney

Thursday, 31st March saw the official launch of this year’s Spanish Film Festival, which will run nationally throughout April, starting with Sydney from Tuesday, 12th April. Screening exclusively at Palace Cinemas around Australia, this year’s program includes 32 films and 8 short films from Spain, in a series called Inspiracion del Corazon.   Festival highlights…

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Royal Mail Hotel’s Robin Wickens brings Regional Victoria to Melbourne in April for two special dinners

Award-winning chef Robin Wickens will take the culinary prowess that made him so popular at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld and showcase them at Eureka 89 in Melbourne, where he will prepare a sumptuous 5-course dinner of locally sourced produce. The dinner, to be held on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th April, will give Melbournians a rare chance to experience Wickens’…

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Ananas Bar & Brasserie will expand to Darling Harbour to make way for El Camino Cantina (Sydney)

Give El Camino Cantina  a big warm “hola” when it sets up shop in The Rocks this May; the Urban Purveyor Group will open its first Austin-inspired Tex-Mex restaurant in The Argyle precinct, replacing their acclaimed French gem Ananas Bar & Brasserie, which will be moving on down to Darling Harbour as part of a new development with indoor and alfresco…

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Saké Restaurant & Bar now offering Saké, Sushi & Sashimi Masterclasses

Splendid.  Spectacular.  Superb.  Smashing!  If you’re a fan of Japanese cuisine, you’ll be pleased to hear that Saké Restaurant & Bar are now running Saké, Sushi & Sashimi Masterclasses from their restaurants in Double Bay and The Rocks. Led by Saké’s resident drinks experts, guests will be taught the history of saké (Japan’s national beverage), learn about its different flavours, and…

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Sydney’s A Moveable Feast event proves to be more than just a regular dining experience

The first of 4 events that make up the A Moveable Feast series of dining experiences occurred on Saturday, 12th March on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, and kicks of a series of events that will take Sydneysiders on seasonal dining journeys. The most recent event sent a warm (because it was certainly that!) farewell to summer.  Guests donned pastel beach chic attire, revelled under the…

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Film Review: Jane Got A Gun (USA, 2016)

Set in the Wild West, Jane Got a Gun centres around Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman), her outlaw husband Bill (Noah Emmerich) and Jane’s ex-lover Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton).  Bill finds himself in a bit of trouble from an outlaw gang and their leader Colin (Ewan McGregor) wants him dead.  In a desperate effort to save…

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Cake Wines celebrates 5th birthday by opening a permanent Cellar Door in Redfern (Sydney)

Sydney winery Cake Wines, since appearing on the scene five years ago, have been consistently sharing their love of wine culture with the wider public, with a commitment to accessibility, and now they have their first permanent Cellar Door in Sydney to spread that love even further. Staying true to their social approach, they’ll continue to hold exclusive…

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Gauchito Gil’s Malbec World Day tangos its way to Melbourne and Sydney in April

Melbourne’s popular Gauchito Gil’s Malbec World Day is making its way to Sydney for the first time, with the event set for Saturday, 23rd April. Named for the legendary, Robin Hood-like Argentine character, Gauchito Gil (who was also known as the Patron Saint of Thieves), the event is organised through Bottle Shop Concepts, who have also run events Game of Rhones and…

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Wellington welcomes Autumn with Cuba Street Festival “CubaDupa” (New Zealand)

New Zealand’s capital of Wellington has sprung to life with a variety of unmissable events to welcome in Autumn, particularly a big street festival celebrating one of the most famous areas of the city, Cuba Street. With more cafes, bars and restaurants per capita than hustle-and-bustle New York City, Wellington is also known as “the…

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Best Western gives Glebe guesthouse a multi million dollar makeover (Sydney)

The Haven Inn, on 196 Glebe Point Road, has been given a roughly AUD$3 million facelift by Best Western Hotels & Resorts .  This makes Best Western Haven Glebe the hotel group’s fifth Sydney hotel, alongside the Best Western PLUS Hotel Stellar in Sydney CBD and Best Western Twin Towers in Artarmon. Listed as a 4-star boutique hotel, the Best Western Haven…

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Good times for a good cause: Bars March returns to celebrate bar culture and animal rights

Here’s something to raise your glass to: Bars March, a month-long event that will make any bar aficionado happy, is back in 2016, and it’s all for raising money for animal charities. More than just a celebration of bar culture, Bars March brings together over 50 venues across the city, helping to raise money for the Animal Welfare League…

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Australia & New Zealand now connected on one ski pass in a Southern Hemisphere first

Aussie and Kiwi ski bunnies are finally united under one lift pass, connecting Thredbo Resort with NZ Ski resorts Coronet Peak, The Remarkables (Queenstown) and Mt Hutt (Christchurch). The pass, called The “Mountain Collective”, is an alliance with the world’s best independent ski destinations, also including Canada, USA, Europe, Japan and South America, allowing skiers…

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OzHarvest CEO CookOff kicks off again in Sydney and Brisbane

Time for the 1% to get their hands dirty!  The fifth annual OzHarvest CEO CookOff is back again on 7th March, and it means 50 of the country’s top chefs, alongside 150 business leaders, will feed 1,300 homeless and disadvantaged people from Sydney and, for the first time ever, Brisbane.  The events will take place at The Cutaway…

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Pardon My French relocates to permanent shop in Prahran (Melbourne)

Originally a crêpe stall in South Melbourne Market, Pardon My French has now opened a permanent shop at 396 Chapel Street, Prahran. The famed crêperie is the brainchild of head crêpe-maker John Milic and his partner Pauline Henley- Smith, and the move is a welcome one for their loyal customers, who wait patiently in line for a crêpe at their former location. “We…

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Novotel Barossa Valley announces restaurant collaboration with Saskia Beer

The next few months will be a busy one for South Australian food producer, cook and food educator, Saskia Beer, as she offers her 25 years’ experience as a chef and food producer to team up with Novotel Barossa Valley Resort in the redesign of the hotel’s restaurant, as well as the food & beverage selection….

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The Doughnut Bar brings their own brand of indulgence to Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall

Doughnut Lovers rejoice! The Doughnut Bar has opened in the Wintergarden, Queen Street Mall, a welcome addition to their current locations at Eat Street Markets and Edward Street. Regarding the opening of the new location, owner Leigh Devlin says, “I feel that what makes us special is that we are small and detailed in what we do.  So, in order to best…

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Brisbane’s free Regional Flavours Festival returns in July

Brisbane’s South Bank Parklands will come alive again from 16th – 17th July with the return of the Regional Flavours Festival, singing the praises of Queensland’s freshest produce, local fare and fine wine, alongside indulgent treats (like gourmet brownies) and a range of food trucks The city’s signature free food and lifestyle event will bring festival-goers an opportunity to…

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Ooh la la! A Fromage a Trois! Melbourne’s foremost cheese and cider festival is back for 2016

Cheese, drinks and you. The perfect trio, non?  For lovers of cheese, cider, wine or beer, you’re in for a treat, with the return of the Fromage a Trois, on Sunday 6 March 2016. Back for the third year, the Fromage a Trois  festival will be held on the grounds of the historic Werribee Park Mansion, a mere 30 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD….

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Film Review: Trumbo (USA, 2015)

Dalton Trumbo was a political activist, a writer, a family man, and a man of principle. In Trumbo, a new film starring Bryan Cranston in the leading role, we’re taken back to a time when going against the grain was grounds for treason and imprisonment.  It’s one of the most intriguing – and ghastly –…

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Tiger Beer brings the streets of Singapore to Sydney with “Woks of Art”

From now until the end of March a selection of bars across Sydney will host a new art exhibition by iconic Asian brand Tiger Beer, who have partnered with James Dive from The Glue Society to bring barely-cooled woks from the street of Singapore and transform them into “Woks of Art”. The aim is to…

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Canberra’s Good Food Month announces delicious program for 2016

Citi’s Good Food Month,  has heralded its most diverse program for this year’s Canberra festival, packing in a variety of food and drink events found across the city and regional ACT, presenting a great opportunity for local and visiting food lovers to check out the array of special dinners, lunches, drinks and markets across the month. This year, the program’s categories…

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Rising star Clinton McIver opens Amaru on Armadale’s High Street (Melbourne)

Clinton McIver,  of Clayton Bowls Club fame, has launched Amaru, the name being a hyrbid of an Aboriginal term “Amaroo” meaning “beautiful place” and the Portuguese word “Amar”, which means “to love. Roughly translated to “a beautiful place to love”, it’s the ideal way to describe a luxurious, intimate, tasting-menu-only space, located on High Street in Armadale. “One of my…

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Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival teams up with Mercure Canberra for an all-in capital experience

The annual Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival is back for its 9th year on Saturday 19th March from 11am to 6pm in the the gardens of the heritage Mercure Canberra in Braddon, and will showcase Australian breweries as well as live bands, food and family entertainment.  The Festival will present more than 80 beers and ciders for tasting, and visitors…

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The Schaller Studio celebrates old Hollywood glamour with the Marilyn Monroe Exhibition Package (Bendigo, VIC)

The name Marilyn Monroe conjures up images of old Hollywood glamour and an enigmatic pop icon who still fascinates people to this day. The Bendigo Art Gallery will showcase some of her costumes, personal clothing and artefacts, curated and drawn from private collections worldwide, and never before seen in Australia. Those planning a visit to…

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Film Review: Zoolander 2 (USA, 2016)

When the first Zoolander film hit the cinema in 2001, the world was a very different place.  Smartphone technology went as far as colour screens (pretty sure we were all still playing that weird snake game on our phones waiting at the bus stop with our travel 10s), but with zero online connectivity.  Social media…

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Burger joint fit for royalty opens on Melbourne’s Collins Street

It looks like the rebirth of the quintessential American burger experience is here to stay, with the launch of flagship burger joint Royal Stacks at 470 Collins Street in Melbourne. The venue evokes a cross between the grandeur of a New York style lobby, but with a decidedly Melbourne twist, with the fit out including…

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Fresh Catering set to open No. 10 Bistro in Sydney CBD this month

Sydney-based catering company, Fresh Catering, is set to open a new restaurant at 10 Macquarie Street in the Sydney CBD. Named No. 10 BISTRO, it will open on February 3rd and follows their recent news of acquiring new business from The Mint and Justice and Police Museum. Fresh Catering will also operate the ground floor…

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169 Darlinghurst is offering high-quality, organic food and classic cocktails above Tatler (Sydney)

Iconic and entertaining Darlinghurst venue Tatler now includes new hotspot, 169 Darlinghurst, situated above the popular Sydney haunt. Tim Clark, who established Tatler, was also behind this new venture. Overlooking one of the city’s most eclectic neighbourhoods, 169 Darlinghurst, a café, bar and nightclub, showcases a menu full of seasonal Australian produce with strong Japanese,…

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Westfield Sydney announces series of Lunar New Year events

Westfield Sydney will celebrate the start of the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year, the Year of the Monkey, by hosting a range of in-centre activities. From 28th January onwards, shoppers and visitors alike will be able to get a taste of Chinese culture by participating in beautiful events such as the Chinese Calligraphy demonstration or…

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Yoga and Mindfulness festival ‘Wanderlust’ heads to Thredbo with live music from Xavier Rudd and others (NSW)

Thredbo may be an unbeatable town in winter, but its summers are not to be sniffed at, either. This season, along with their current schedule of summer events, they’ll also be hosting Wanderlust, one of the planet’s most popular yoga and mindfulness festivals. From 18th February, Wanderlust will feature 4 days of activities and art,…

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