Food & Drink

Review: Efendy remains at the forefront of contemporary Turkish cuisine – Balmain (Sydney)

We’re seated outside at Efendy in Balmain on a beautiful sunny Sunday. The courtyard has a casual atmosphere that’s friendly and inviting, extending through to the contemporary Turkish food. There’s nothing too fussy going on with everything we order, just authentic and bold flavours. With a new focus on charcoal grilling, chef Somer Sivrioglu was inspired by…

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Chur Burger has opened its doors at Hoyts Chadstone (Melbourne)

Since October 2016, the newly renovated doors at Chadstone Shopping Centre have been open for shoppers and tourists alike, with hundreds of new stores, restaurants, and meticulously designed architectural elements to admire. For most, the opening of Hoyts Cinema after two years gone was a big step forward for the property, especially given that the…

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There’s now a bottomless rosé happy hour in Sydney

Just because summer’s over doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. See these coming months through rose-coloured glasses, because thanks to Nour, those sunny summer vibes will last long into autumn and winter this year. The contemporary Lebanese restaurant in Surry Hills has just elevated happy hour, with free-flowing rosé for two hours straight, Monday…

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The team behind Mary’s and The Unicorn announce big plans for The Lansdowne Hotel (Sydney)

We have news and it’s yuuuuge!!! Chippendale’s iconic live music venue The Lansdowne Hotel is re-opening and there just aren’t enough exclamation points in the universe to contain or express our excitement. After the closure of many a wild and wonderful place such as The Newtown Social Club, The Annandale Hotel and Goodgod Small Club…

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Dewar’s whisky brings their Scotch Egg Club to Sydney this May

This May, Sydney’s CBD will he home to an unique pairing when Dewar’s Scotch Whisky take the flavors of Dewar’s 12 yo and create a series of cocktails that will match with Scotch Eggs. For those unaware, a Scotch Egg is a UK delicacy that sees a boiled egg wrapped in meat and coated in bread…

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Egyptian food truck El Qahirah coming to Sydney’s World Square this week

El Qahirah, Sydney’s only Egyptian food truck is bringing the tastes of Cairo to the streets of the CBD this April. El Qahirah launched at the beginning of last year and have been supplying healthy, filling and nutritious traditional Egyptian dishes across Sydney since. The food truck serves the three most common dishes in Cairo…

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Tella Balls Dessert Bar’s Concord location is keeping things interesting with new menu (Sydney)

Remember the milkshakes topped with Nutella-filled doughnuts that were strewn across the Internet (particularly Instagram)? Well it’s time to get Insta ready again this Long Weekend as Concord’s Tella Balls Dessert Bar has launched a new dessert menu timed nicely for Easter. Aki Daikos, co-owner of the flagship Tella Balls Dessert Bar in Sydney’s Dulwich…

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Review: Koi Dessert Bar brings Asian flavours to a sweet and savoury degustation – Chippendale (Sydney)

Delectable desserts with Asian influences are at the forefront of Chippendale’s Koi Dessert Bar. Reynold Poernomo of Masterchef fame along with his brothers Arnold and Ronald opened the dessert bar on Kensington Street. A food destination in its own right, the street has quickly become one of the most exciting precincts in the inner city, dotted with cafes,…

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Sydneysiders can get their mouths around coffee-infused fried chicken this weekend

It’s always a good time when an established brand reaches out to some of Sydney’s finest to do a collaboration. It often leads to inventive franken-foods, and this one right here is absolutely no exception. The brand is Nespresso. The Sydney vendor is “sneaker ‘n’ fried chicken” shop Butter. The collaboration: well, the headline says…

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The Cheese Lovers Festival is returning to the Hunter Valley this June

There’s no better combination that cheese, wine, and the Hunter Valley. Nick Haddow leads the cream of artisan cheese makers descending on the Hunter Valley for two days this June for the popular Cheese Lovers Festival; sponsored by Kurrajong Kitchen. Held in spectacular Hunter Valley, the two-day festival, taking place on Saturday 17th June and…

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Sydney’s getting an espresso martini festival next month

All hail the espresso martini, a genius fusion of caffeine and alcohol created by a fellow named Dick and a never to be named supermodel. Regardless of how it came to be, the more important thing is there’s an official festival idolising the signature cocktail heading our way. Following its recent success in Melbourne last…

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Randwick’s The DOG Hotel has something special planned for ANZAC Day (Sydney)

As we approach Australia’s national day of remembrance, ANZAC Day, some of the country’s best pubs are preparing for one of their busiest days of the year. Something about kicking back with friends and drinking beer has somehow become attached to the national public holiday, and for years these drinking institutions have been putting on…

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Epic program announced for Melbourne’s Good Beer Week 2017

Australia’s premier craft beer festival, Good Beer Week is returning to Melbourne from 12-21 May for its seventh year, celebrating the best of Australian and International brews. To help punters choose their own Good Beer Week adventure, this year’s program has been streamlined into four main categories: Beer Lover, Foodie, Beer Geek, and Good Times….

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The Best Places to Celebrate Easter 2017 in Sydney

Easter AKA the longest public holiday of all time, is upon us once again. While chocolate is definitely what the doctor ordered for the four-day weekend, there’s going to be plenty of special menus and events offering all kinds of savoury and sweet deliciousness. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites in Sydney for you,…

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Flower Child Cafe brings a taste of the tropics to Warringah Mall (Sydney)

Co-founded by Chris Lu (Happy as Larry Pizza Truck, Bondi Hardware) and Adam Choker (The Grounds of Alexandria) newly launched cafe, garden and eatery the Flower Child Cafe lends itself to Warringah Mall’s ‘world class design’ philosophy whilst providing a tropical oasis from the exhausting business of retail therapy. ACME & Co (The Grounds, Drake…

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Wizardfest is Australia’s first touring Harry Potter inspired party

If you hadn’t noticed already, pop culture inspired parties are very popular. There’s something about dressing up and stepping into an IRL RPG-like world where you down cocktails named after cultural touchstones and quote things in badly imitated voices without getting awkward stares. So Wizardfest should go down a treat. What’s Wizardfest? Well as you…

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Recipe: Sake Jr’s Japanese Fried Chicken with Gochujang Sauce

By day, fast-casual chain Saké Jr is a health-focused Japanese inspired smorgasbord of fresh DIY Japanese bowls and sides. With an injection to their menu from renowned chef Neil Perry, the increasingly popular chain has introduced a “Jr By Night” menu that pushes into a different kind of vibe, with a special night-only offering including…

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Ray-Ban are now letting you turn your social media feed into a new pair of sunnies

Sunglass stalwarts Ray-Ban have decided to kick their successful “Ray-Ban Remix” concept up a notch and tap further into the social media generation by allowing customers to personalise new pairs of sunglasses with their Instagram or Facebook feeds. The enormously successful, visual-first social media platforms have come to capture users’ personalities, presenting feeds which are…

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Keg & Brew are doing vegemite pies and specially made 2-Up Pale Ale for ANZAC DAY (Sydney)

Along with Sydney’s annual ANZAC Day March, our national day of remembrance is often used to celebrate the relaxed way of life credited to this country. In other words, it’s always an excuse to spend the day with mates at one of Australia’s most beloved institutions: the pub. The harbour city’s seemingly endless collection of…

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Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke launches Hawke’s Brewing Co. lager

Bob Hawke, former Australian Prime Minister, has announced to opening of his very own beer brand, putting his name to the new Hawke’s Brewing Co., a Port Melbourne brewery founded by locals Nathan Lennon and David Gibson, brew. To celebrate, they’ll be rolling out their very first product, a Hawke’s Lager, across several iconic Sydney…

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Guardians of the Galaxy themed Doritos Supernova launches in Australia

With the second Guardians of the Galaxy not too far away Marvel have partnered with beloved party-style Doritos to launch some very oddly coloured limited edition chips, going by the name of Doritos Supernova. The snack has now landed in shelves across the country, bringing with it a flavour description that promises a zesty blast…

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Emirates passengers can use laptops until they board US-Bound services; announce on board loan service

It was revealed last month that passengers either coming from, or transiting in, a slew of Middle Eastern countries, would have to adhere to strict new conditions when it came to the sorts of electronics they were able to bring on board. Basically, any electronics larger than a smartphone (larger than 16cm (6.3in) long, 9.3cm…

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The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2017 have been announced, here’s the full list of winners

The anticipation was at an all time high this past Wednesday at a special ceremony held at Melbourne’s historic Royal Exhibition Building. With the highly authoritative World’s 50 Best Restaurants already announcing their 100-51 positions last week, with some very fine entries, discerning diners all across the world were speculating as to which destinations would…

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Review: Carmen inspires a Spanish feast at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – Mrs Macquaries Point (Sydney)

With spectacular harbour views and the Sydney cityscape as a backdrop, Carmen at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is a delight for the senses with vibrant costumes, spectacular fireworks, and as a result Spanish-inspired dining. Five different restaurant and bar areas, ranging from casual to fine dining, are on offer for pre-performance experiences. Casual options…

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There’s a Maker’s Mark pop-up now open at The Argyle (Sydney)

Maker’s Mark, the Kentucky company behind the handmade whisky, are showcasing an “old-fashioned” pop-up in one of Sydney’s oldest buildings. From the 27th of March to 23rd of April, Maker’s Mark will transform the courtyard of The Argyle in The Rocks into an open-air bar that will have more than just an extensive range of…

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White Rabbit Brewery have released a Pana Chocolate stout for Easter

One of our favourite craft breweries here over at the AU is the consistent and imaginative White Rabbit. The sister brewery to Little Creatures, both occupying the same space in Geelong, have impressed with recent experiments like their red wine infused craft beer, so it stands to reason that this latest release is going to…

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Breaking Bad’s Los Pollos Hermanos is popping up in Sydney next week, and so is Gus Fring

Gone but definitely not forgotten, AMC’s now iconic Breaking Bad series is still making waves through pop culture, largely in thanks to currently running spin-off Better Call Saul, the third season of which will be premiering in Australia in Stan come April 11th. Cause the celebrate? You’re god damn right. After popping up at SXSW…

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Mjolner is Redfern’s new viking-themed carvery and whisky bar (Sydney)

Mjølner (pronounced Mjol-near), Asgard and Valhalla: three terms one would associate with storied Viking culture and the legend of Thor, and possibly some of the last things you’d associate with Sydney’s dining scene. That’s changed now that The Speakeasy Group, the same team behind Eau de Vie (both Sydney and Melbourne), Boilermakerhouse and The Roosevelt,…

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Super Combo, a Street Fighter themed burger bar, opens in Bowen Hills (Brisbane)

Under The Green apartments at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills is where you’ll find the recently opened Super Combo, a burger bar that looks to Arcade classic Street Fighter for inspiration. Co-owned by Hao Vu and Michael Nham (of Melbourne’s NSHRY), who both grew up mashing buttons on Street Fighter II at their local…

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Review: Chefs Gallery refresh their menu with a range of new flavours (Sydney)

I’m constantly impressed by just how damn successful Chef’s Gallery is. The restaurant, which has a flagship at Town Hall but has expanded in recent years to places like Parramatta and Hurstville, is constantly one of the busiest dining spots in the area, always commanding a wait list that can stretch to an hour if…

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