Food & Drink

Recently opened luxury resort Riley has lifted the lid on Cairns’ first and only rooftop bar and restaurant, presenting locals and guests with Rocco which sits on the property’s 12th floor. Defined by its 270-degree views of the tropical city and the surrounding Coral Sea, Rocco is being pushed as a venue big on “atmosphere,…

Famed for their exclusive wagyu beef omakase menus, Tokyo’s Wagyumafia has officially begun expanding outside of Japan, with their first international location opening up in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Fitting into a modest 18-seat space on Oi Kwan Road, the members-only restaurant (non-members can still go, but they’ll get a pared down menu) has unsurprisingly…

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and as we rush towards the middle of February and into an overly commercialised bouquet of roses, chocolate and declarations of love (or, you know, single awareness), Sydney’s best are coming out to play. Let’s not get too cynical about it though, especially when venues across the city put their…

Bondi restaurant Rocker will host a 3-course offal showcase this February thanks to a transformation by The Kraken Black Spiced Rum. Titled ‘Eat Your Heart Out’, the menu has been developed by head chef Stuart Toon, as well as celebrity chef and restaurateur Darren Robertson who is co-owner of Three Blue Ducks, Rocker & Locura…

What is being described as an “exceptional and inimitable Japanese dining experience” is making its way to Sydney Harbour’s Campbell’s Stores, set to open later this year and set a new benchmark for the city. Titled Ura San, the ambitious restaurant is one of the first announced for The Rocks’ restored harbour-side precinct, an adaptive…

Salt Meats Cheese has long been a stalwart of reliable Italian produce and dining in Australia. The group have been expanding rapidly over the past few years, so it was only a matter of time before Sydney’s Northern Beaches got their first taste of Edoardo Perlo and Stefano de Blasi’s lively concept. Following their most…

It was bound to happen some day, and there’s no surprise that Sydney’s Milky Lane, harbingers of ridiculously over-the-top and indulgent foods, were the ones to do it. The five-store chain (Parramatta, Cronulla, Gold Coast, Coogee and flagship Bondi) has decided to go full “broke millennial” and spray rounds of Mi-Goreng inspired goodness on top…

The minds behind cult favourite Mary’s Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham are opening a new live music venue as they take over and reimagine the former site of The Basement into Mary’s Underground. The venue, which has hosted everyone from Slum Village to Prince during its 45 year history, will very much continue as a…

Kyoto band Zahatorte are a genre-defying trio who blend old-world European cafe sounds with the undeniably Japanese penchant for perfectionism. They’ll be coming to Australia next month for the first time, and before we show them our own country, we asked them to share with us their nine favourite secret hangouts in their hometown. So…

Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t look like the NSW state government are removing the shackles they first placed on Sydney’s once vibrant hospitality (and hence, tourism) industry in 2014. And while people continue to campaign against the paralysing ‘lockout laws’, it’s looking like adaptation is the best way to go, at least…

Gentrification hasn’t yet swept through Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kong’s least affluent working class neighbourhoods in Kowloon. As one of the more underprivileged areas in the city, it’s certainly a few steps removed from the comparative polish of Central or Tsim Sha Tsui, but that doesn’t mean that tourists won’t find anything to…

Sydney’s ever-changing dining scene has welcomed some super strong entries over the past few months, and while there are almost too many to list in just one article, we’ve done our best to zone in on five we think deserve extra special attention. From a Waterloo restaurant bringing an interesting dimension to vegan dining, to…

I first tried Singapore restaurant Porta during my stay at Park Hotel Clarke Quay and while I didn’t say so in the small paragraph I wrote about it, I did immediately notice the lack of diversity on their menu in terms of dietary options. I mentioned that I was a pescetarian quite immediately when I sat…

After opening their first ever expansion in Chatswood, Bondi-born favourite Shuk has now revealed their third store, smack bang in the heart of breezy Elizabeth Bay. Located on the back street of Roslyn Gardens, a short walk from Rushcutters Bay and Potts Point, the 50-seat venue fits into the brand new Trebartha Apartments (those lucky,…

All 46 Gelatissimo stores across Australia are now stocking a very summery limited edition flavour, which is perhaps the brand’s strangest – and possibly best – yet. The new release is a partnership with Bundaberg Brewed Drinks to capture the profile of the company’s most successful drink, that being their craft brewed Ginger Beer. “We…

As if a festival with Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Alice in Chains and Judas Priest (and those are only the headliners) wasn’t enough, a supersized food program packed with some of the East Coast’s finest eateries has been announced for both the Sydney and Melbourne legs. As was the case last year, Jake Smyth and Kenny…

The first big Australian brand collaboration of 2019 is here, teaming Peters Drumstick with Gelato Messina for a limited edition collection of four drumstick ice creams. Launching around Australia from mid-January, the collection reimagines four of Messina’s most popular flavours as the classic Aussie drumstick as we steam towards what is usually the hottest month…

Heading to FOMO Festival in Sydney or Melbourne this weekend? Well, this is just a reminder to enter on an empty stomach because both legs have a very tempting food line-up planned alongside live music from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Rae Sremmurd, Kali Uchis, Mura Masa and more. Like all boutique festivals nowadays, the…

multi-award winning chef, caterer, restaurateur and lecturer Darren Taylor is bringing a special pop-up restaurant to Carriageworks over the next few weeks, inspired by the buzzing energy of Sydney Festival. From tomorrow until 27th January, COSECHA will be bringing inspired Spanish dishes to the art institution, operating from lunch right through to dinner. With Carriageworks…

The rumours were true! Arnott’s have officially won the great snack race of 2018, managing to (finally) funnel a classic Aussie combo into the latest flavour for Shapes. Vegemite & Cheese Shapes is being described as “the spirit of the nation distilled down into a cracker”, and has now made its way onto supermarket shelves…

You might not want the same-old go-to spirits for this year’s NYE house party, especially since there have been some new expressions released over the past few months that have really tempted drinks enthusiasts away from their regular bottles. New Year’s Eve brings the perfect time to introduce our new column, “On the Shelf”, which…

Shake off that epic NYE hangover and make it a two-day binge to bring in the New Year. Sydney’s got some of the best New Year’s Day parties in the world, so sleeping it off just ain’t gonna cut it if you want to kick-start 2019 in the most epic way possible. To help, we’ve…

Sydney may have the more famous fireworks display, but Melbourne hold their own when it comes to raucous New Year’s Eve parties well worth heading out for. Assuming you’re not house partying this year, you’re going to want to know where the best spots are to party 2018 into the past, so we’ve rounded up…

It’s that time of year again, and you can bet Sydney’s best venues are going to pull out all stops to try and top their previous New Year’s Eve celebrations. We’ve sifted through and picked out five parties we think are totally going to be worth it this year, so if you don’t yet have…

Last Wednesday saw a launch night to celebrate the re-opening of trendy restaurant, Fish & Burger Co (F&BC). Located in Doncaster East just outside of Melbourne, the venue has been beautifully decorated and modified by design agency, Studio Equator. Light bulbs and greenery dangle from the ceiling, whilst natural light floods through to create an open…

Although Sydney will be getting a few patches of rain here and there this weekend, plenty of the city’s most visited beaches will no doubt be packed full of summer-loving folk. That’s why Devliveroo have launched speedboat deliveries, in partnership with Messina, to keep those lazing on the sand well fed throughout the day. Across…

The guiding light of Michelin stars have been luring people to memorable meals for decades now, but never before have so many of them been clustered under the one roof. With the recent unveiling of the Michelin Guide 2019 Hong Kong – Macau, one hotel has proudly set an impressive global benchmark for having the…

Renowned for their signature spin on Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine, Bondi stalwart Shuk is finally ready to expand on out to the North Shore with two new venues, one in foodie hub Chatswood and one in the breezy Elizabeth Bay. The expansion comes after celebrating their fifth year in the Bondi community, and it’s…

It’s hard to believe 2018, an exhausting year for many around the world, is already coming to a close. Just one look at any news media would tell you people around the globe put up with a lot this year, and that’s all the more reason to make this Christmas one that’s stress free and…

Looking for the best Italian food you can possible find in our nation’s capital? It’s going to be hard to look past Agostinis, which has now become the city’s very first to receive the exclusive “Ospitalità Italiana” certification from the Italian Chamber of Commerce in affiliation with the Italian government in Rome. Basically, what this…