Food & Drink

Sydney’s lavish, perfectly located Pier One Sydney Harbour has now started taking private bookings for one of the luxury hotel’s most coveted corners, for groups of up to 10. With hotels still finding their place in the ongoing pandemic, the “Harbour Bridge Balcony Party” is an attractive option for groups that feel like something special…

Following the announcement of their new vegan restaurant Safiya, the team behind Salt Meats Cheese are introducing a plant-based banquet menu for their Italian restaurants in NSW and QLD. The ‘Soul Meets Cheers Vegan Series’ will take place across all venues (except Southbank) on Tuesday 8th September at 6pm. A strictly vegan approach to classic…

Attica’s Ben Shewry has hooked up with the founding members of eternally acclaimed music wizards The Avalanches to throw “A Party for Melbourne”, a virtual house party taking place on Saturday 12th September. “The idea for A Party for Melbourne grew out of our friendship with Ben and Kylie Staddon from Attica,” said The Avalanches’…

Whether it’s traditional Naples-style pizza, classic pasta dishes or their iconic wood-fired sandwiches, Vanto restaurant is the place to be when it comes to authentic Italian cuisine. Nestled on the first floor of the Queen Victoria Building, the hidden gem pays homage to traditional and modern Neapolitan cooking. Noted as Ospitalità Italiana certified (which is…

Sydney’s wildly popular Donut Papi has teamed up with Fireball Whisky for a very limited edition, just-in-time-for-fathers-day “Fire in the Hole” doughnut. Breaking down the base profile of Fireball Whisky, the ever-creative team at the Redfern store has created what is easily one of Papi’s most exciting (and delicious – we tasted it as a…

National Burger Day is this Thursday and to celebrate all things delicately stacked and impossibly cheesy, The Greengate Hotel is offering $12 for all their burgers and $8 pints of craft beer. Not only are they serving up their classic burgers, they’ve also announced three new additions to the menu. This includes menu special, the…

To celebrate International Dog Day (which is today, you’re welcome), various IHG hotels across Australia are opening up various ways to pamper the many good boys and girls that have been mostly stuck inside right along with us. Your dog needs a staycation too, so take note of all the hotels introducing ways to pamper…

Seeing as just about every brand in Australia has Gelato Messina on their ‘must collaborate’ list, it was only a matter of time before Kellogg’s tapped the dessert lords to help celebrate the relatively new White Chocolate version of the company’s famed Coco Pops. From September 1st, Gelato Messina will be slinging a Coco Pops…

Whether it’s their innovative rice paper rolls, vermicelli noodle bowls or their classic soup phở that you love, Roll’d is dishing out their latest noodle soup range this winter. Extracted from Roll’d owner, Bao Hoang’s mum’s (Phien Hoang) secret recipes, the traditional Vietnamese soups include the Bún bò Huế, Bánh Canh Cua and Mì Tôm…

Australia’s whisky pioneers over at Tasmania’s Lark Distilling Co. have lifted the barrel on their first ever blended malt whisky, Symphony No.1. Released at the perfect time, with Father’s Day right around the corner, the release has been built with a harmony of exceptional Tasmanian single malt whiskies, collated to offer whisky lovers an approachable…

Bali’s deeply-rooted wellness retreat COMO Shambhala Estate owes much of its worldly repute to its dedicated culinary program. Clean, fresh and healthy eating is but one aspect of the holistic, 360-approach to immersive wellness here, so if a recipe comes from the property’s Head Chef, you can be sure its well worth your time. Fans…

We may be sliding down the tail of winter and into spring, but such a soul-stirring dish as an eight-hour lamb shoulder is typically appropriate for any seasons. While you’re spending an inordinate amount of time in your kitchen sharpening up those chef chops, it’s pretty much a requisite for any potential dinner-party-thrower to master…

Dessert king Reynold Poernomo, who owns KOI in Chippendale (and more recently, Ryde) with his brothers Ronald and Arnold, has partnered up with famed liqueur Disaronno to curate a special dessert menu for Father’s Day 2020. A five-courser, the menu has been worked up in collaboration between the KOI team and Disaronno brand ambassador Danilo…

Not every dessert signals to the Australian Government an urgent message about climate change. Ben and Jerry’s latest one does just that. Dubbed “Unfudge Our Future”, the pint was created with PM Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Energy Minister Angus Taylor in mind, sending a pointed message that the dessert-loving public want fossil fuels…

If you’ve spent this year’s ongoing pandemic glued to your kitchen, like most people, then you’ve probably picked up an Airfryer recently. The wondrous kitchen appliance has been MVP for 2020, keeping things nice and (relatively) healthy while still offering up that indulgent deep-fried-esque crisp and almost criminally easy prep. It’s also likely you’ve spent…

After the successful launch of restaurants in the Wynyard Precinct with Bopp & Tone and June’s Shoppe, the Applejack group is launching its third CBD venue, Hester’s Cafe and Bar. The cafe and bar will offer a dine-in and takeaway menu designed by Bopp & Tone Head Chef, Sa Va’afusuaga. Expect some classic breakfast dishes,…

From the historic stockyards of Oklahoma City to the electric streets of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma is one of the most fruitful stops on that bucket list Route 66 drive you’ve always wanted to take. While that quintessential trip may be off the cards for now, we’ve gone ahead and sourced a few cocktail recipes to…

The lingering taste of garlicky toum that has left an indelible mark on Sydney’s food scene in the past few years can typically be traced back to El Jannah. The charcoal chicken joint, born a stone’s throw from Granville Station, peddles the kind of dreamy never-forget-your-first-time that has since seen the business expand to include…

In doubling down on the ‘healthy’ part of its brand identity, Grill’d is accompanying the launch of a new and improved 100% Natural burger menu with a neat little initiative tasking customers to simply walk for a discount. Anyone who wants a dig at the new menu can simply get $10 off any burger or…

Pink is cool, but everyone knows that that black is just a better look for any spirit. Enter the world’s first naturally black gin, echoed from the pure waters of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and captured in a neat-looking bottle from the award-winning Christchurch-based Scapegrace distillery. Simply dubbed Scapegrace Black, the stylish and unique gin…

Award-winning and highly influential wine bar Monopole is packing up from its long-standing Potts Point address and making the convenient move to Hunter Street in the CBD. Owners Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt, who will maintain a Potts Point with Yellow along with a new concept, have secured a new venue overlooking Australia Square, and…

Dragon Cake, Japanese Forest Cake, or the iconic Strawberry Watermelon Cake. You’ll get to take your pick when Newtown-born phenomenon Black Star Pastry opens their new Sydney CBD store on the ground level of The Galeries. Just off the Pitt Street entrance to the central mall, Black Star Pastry will be conveniently positioned for city…

To celebrate their 50th anniversary in Australia, Pizza Hut is set to give away a whopping 50,000 free pizzas between Monday 3rd August and Friday 7th August. Each day, Pizza Hut will open up the online giveaway between 4pm and 6pm, with pizza-lovers simply required to just head to the website and follow the instructions…

Sydney’s Darling Square is fast-becoming the ‘it’ precinct for new and exciting eateries, adding to the already strong scene of casual eats which includes DOPA by Devon and Saga Lyte. Now, Darling Square has welcomed a host of new concepts, ranging from an 11-seater sushi and sashimi bar, to a inventive toastie joint. Kuon Omakase…

KitKat Chunky and KitKat Gold have been spliced together to create the chocolate brand’s latest offering, perfectly timed to jump on all the hype that’s been surrounding the historic wafer these past few weeks. First, Sydney got its very first KitKat chocolatory, which opened to massive fanfare with an endless array of KitKat flavours, its…

David Thompson’s Long Chim in Sydney CBD is now firmly positioned as one of the best spots for modern Thai food in the city. And it’s often the opening acts that get all the fanfare, with plenty of smaller dishes served up as the highlights of this restaurant’s extensive menu. Count the incredible vegetarian spring…

“This one looks like it’d fit right into the movie Pineapple Express”, write Sydney’s feverishly popular Burger Head on Facebook, referring to the restaurant’s weekly special. As with several of the city’s most popular burger spots, Penrith-born Burger Head does up a unique and inventive burger each week which is almost always lapped up in…

Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group has officially confirmed an exclusive master franchise agreement with Five Guys. This will involve the iconic US burger chain opening stores across Australia and New Zealand, starting with multiple venues in Sydney CBD. “Our commitment is to open approx. 20 stores nationwide in the right locations and with the right staff,”…

Some of Sydney’s top restaurants have come together under the “Plates For Good” initiative, established to help industry staff who have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Eight of the city’s favourite eateries have committed to donating the purchase price of every Westholme Wagyu dish ordered to that venue’s staff who have lost income…

As truffle season is here, it’s no surprise that our favourite restaurants have begun showcasing the winter fungus on their menus. As New Shanghai returns with their new winter truffle menu, the AU Review caught up with New Shanghai’s Head Chef Sam Wu, who spoke about all things truffle and the inspiration behind the new…