Food & Drink

The Cullen Hotel relaunches Gramercy Social with a New York inspired menu (Melbourne)

Prahran’s The Cullen Hotel, a member of the acclaimed Art Series Hotel Group, is regularly referenced as one of Melbourne’s very best and brightest properties. For years now, the youthful hotel has thriving on not only a high standard of boutique accommodation, but in-house dining as well, an aspect which has taken a recent leap…

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Review: Salaryman swaps ramen for share-friendly Asian BBQ – Surry Hills (Sydney)

The popular Surry Hills restaurant and bar, Salaryman, quickly became known for seasonal left-centre takes on traditional ramen when it first opened in 2015. Glowing reviews and booming business sustained the concept for a year, but as a strong following built it became clear that a focus on ramen just wasn’t enough, hence a thorough…

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Recipe: Bondi Harvest toss up their tips for healthy and simple dishes this Christmas

The count down to christmas is fast approaching, and for foodie enthusiasts it is one of the best times of the year, for obvious reasons: lots of freakin’ food. If it is your turn hosting this year’s Xmas lunch, or you’re in need of a head-turning dishes to add to to the table, then Bondi Harvest…

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How do we stay healthy with all these delivery services at our fingertips?

Technology has well and truly collided with our hunger for food and cravings for convenience. The emergence of food delivery applications like Foodora, Deliveroo and the latest, Ubereats, are making life incredibly easy: we can now scroll through hundreds of colourful, enticing food options from a huge range of cuisines, and have our choices hand-delivered straight to our…

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Bali’s Saigon Street opens four spin-offs in Sydney

Sydneysiders who have fond memories of dining at Saigon Street in Bali will be happy to know that the popular eatery has been brought across the waters to four locations across Sydney, all opened recently by Aki Kotzamichalis (co-founder of the island’s famed Ku De Ta). Local chef Phil Davenport, who was Ku De Ta’s…

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Fratelli Famous opens on Eagle Street Pier (Brisbane)

Fratelli Fresh’s fast-casual pizzeria spin-off, Fratelli Famous, has been very well received in Sydney and Melbourne this year, expanding as part of Rockpool Dining Group’s (formerly Urban Purveyor Group) ambitious plans that have seen the hospitality group grow immensely in 2016. Now it’s Brisbane’s turn to get the city’s first Fratelli Famous, and where better…

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Asia’s popular Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart open first Australian outlets this month

Popular Asian dessert chain Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, which originated in Malaysia earlier this year, are said to turn over around 20,000 baked cheese tarts pet day. It’s this kind of popularity that has allowed for an easy and rapid expansion into other markets, and the latest to benefit is Australia with four stores in…

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The Regent Kingsford reopens following refurbishment (Sydney)

Revealed just a few weeks out, Kingsford favourite The Regent has thrown open their doors to the public following an extensive makeover that has seen changes to both the interior and the pub’s food and bev offerings. The popular student haunt now sports a restored heritage ceiling and a design that has gone street-level with…

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Review: The Butler’s new head chef makes some welcome changes – Potts Point (Sydney)

Newly appointed Head Chef George Fowler ha brought a sharp focus on seasonal and sustainably sourced produce to make some changes at Potts Point favourite The Butler. Now with a team that also includes Danish-born Executive Chef Kasper Christensen (ex-Quay) and regular foraging sessions with forager and chef Elijah Holland (who worked with Kasper at…

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The Thirsty Wolf is pouring up fairy floss and gingerbread cocktails all summer (Sydney)

Sometimes it pays to be a little over-the-top, which should explain the success of The Thirsty Wolf’s colourful “Unicorn Month” which recently ran throughout November. It’s pretty straight forward, for an entire month the popular Newtown bar replaced a typical Melbourne cup celebrate with a four-week homage to a different breed of horse, channeling the…

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Canadian Club are bringing their Racquet Club pop ups to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

Canadian Club are getting in on that slice of summer celebration by introducing pop-up racquet clubs across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for December and January. In an effort to build anticipation for one of the country’s largest annual sporting events, the Australian Open, the pop ups will be using some of the country’s best known…

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Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise have opened a small wine bar and a Schezuan restaurant (Gold Coast)

After three months of renovations, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise has unveiled some enhancement to their public spaces as well as two new dining venues, a wine bar named Balthazar and a specialty restaurant named SIFU, both located on the ground floor of the popular hotel. Having been named for a 12 litre wine bottle, Balthazar…

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Melbourne’s beloved Dukes Coffee Roasters expands to Sydney’s Barangaroo

Melbourne go-to Dukes Coffee Roasters has officially expanded to Sydney with South by Dukes, a slick new venue in the lower of Tower One in the Streets of Barangaroo precinct. Long known as one of the most highly-regarded specialty coffee roasters in Melbourne, Dukes has built a sizable following for their signature beans which are…

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Japanese fast food chain HottoMotto opens first Australian outlet in Sydney

Following the successful entry of Yayoi into the Australian dining scene, Japan-based company Plenus have begun what they hope will be a nationwide expansion for another one of the popular brand’s, Hotto Motto. The well known bento box chain, which boasts around 2,656 locations world wide, has chosen Sydney’s The Galeries as their first port…

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Hotel Ravesis enters a new era with complete refurbishment (Sydney)

One of Bondi’s best known venues, the beachside Hotel Ravesis, has pushed into the summer holidays with a complete refurbishment, revealing what is perhaps one of the area’s largest and most impressive changes in years. The two-storey space now has brand new interiors for the ground-floor, the balcony and the restaurant & bar spaces, as…

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Rockpool Dining Group bring Saké Jr to St Collins Lane (Melbourne)

Rockpool Dining Group’s rapidly expanding Saké Jr has just seen a second venue open up for Melbourne, this time at St Collins Lane. The popular fast-casual spin off to Sake Restaurant & Bar debuted earlier this year as part of a larger expansion for Urban Purveyor Group (now Rockpool Dining Group following a merger with…

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Guzman y Gomez plan to open drive-thru outlets across Australia in 2017

After being named fastest growing food chain last year, Guzman Y Gomez have designs on expanding their Mexican fast food beyond expectations come 2017, recently announcing at least 12 drive-through outlets to roll out across Australia over the next 12 months. As reported by The Australian, the popular Mexican chain [which honestly deserves the praise]…

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Jupiters continue transition into The Star Gold Coast with two new dining experiences

For the past few years, locals and visitors have been watching Jupiters Gold Coast stand at the forefront of an enormous wave of change for the area. 2015 and 2016 especially have seen the tourist destination take on a dramatic evolution ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, from artists taking over nearby hotels to a…

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Review: Bangbang Cafe (Surry Hills) remains on the front line in Sydney’s ferocious burger wars

Concealed on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, Bangbang Café remains a refuge for fresh salads, take-away coffee and gluttonous burgers, a menu which in the past year or so has placed the modest business in prime position on the front line of Sydney’s ongoing burger war. It oozes casual cool from its open, sun-lit shop…

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Review: Frisco Hotel (Woolloomooloo) pushes into a new era with an exciting new look and menu

A warm Summer’s day became cooler as the breeze off the Woolloomooloo water blew towards The Frisco Hotel that lies one block away from the water. Tightly-wound townhouses are stacked up the street, as the maritime blue poles of the nautical themed herald a new era for the long-standing pub. Under new management, the 13-week…

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Queensland’s awarded Betty’s Burgers open first venue in Melbourne

One of Queensland’s most awarded burger shacks, Betty’s Burgers & Concrete Co. (often referred to as just Betty’s Burgers), has long been a staple for burger fiends and visitors up north. Their three stores, the flagship in Noosa and the subsequent openings in Surfers Paradise and Robina, have remained in such high regard that it’s…

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On the Shelf: Jameson’s Cooper’s Croze

2016 has been a big step forward for Jameson, especially seeing as this year saw them unveil a whole new family of expressions celebrating the heritage and craft that swirls around the hugely popular Irish blend. Their whiskeys have always been greatly received around the world so watching them push their Whiskey Maker’s adventurous range…

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Here’s where you can cop the Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “Core White” release this weekend

The new Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “Core White” release is one of the sexiest pairs to come out of the now iconic, “queue for days” collaboration between adidas and Kanye West. The fever-pitch demand each time a different expression of these bad boys hits the worldwide market is kind of ridiculous, but easily justified if…

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Your guide to Melbourne’s best New Year’s Eve events 2016-17

Now that we’re in December, Melburnians are no doubt scrambling to lock in those perfect NYE plans, and with so many options available around the most liveable city in the world, one is definitely going to need some help sorting through all that’s on offer. Pretty much every venue around Melbourne will be trying to…

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Gojima: Chase Kojima’s premium rice burger joint opens this week (Sydney)

Celebrated Japanese chef Chase Kojima, he who has brought us both Sokyo in Sydney and Kiyomi in Broadbeach, will see his third Australian restaurant and first permanent casual venue, Gojima, open at The Star Sydney this week. This 70-seat eatery is a bit different from the other two though, it’s fashioned as a premium rice…

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The Woollahra Hotel unveils cocktail lounge Bar Moncur (Sydney)

Sydneysiders are well familiar with Bistro Moncur in Woollahra; the hatted french bistro occupying the upstairs area of The Woollahra Hotel has long been a dining go-to with food now overseen by renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi, who serves as the Group Culinary Ambassador for owners Public House Management Group. Recently, the brand extended to include…

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Melbourne to get “the Glastonbury of food truck festivals” at Coburg Velodrome

A new weekend festival will be arriving to Melbourne in January as Velodrome Events, the teams behind the likes of Red Bennies and Beyond the Valley, presents their Velodrome Food Truck Festival, a four day celebration of food, music and…Mexican wrestling. It’ll be taking place over the Australia Day weekend from 26th to 29th January,…

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Your guide to Sydney’s best New Year’s Eve events 2016-17

Now that we’re in December, Sydneysiders are no doubt scrambling to lock in those perfect NYE plans, and with so many options available around the famed Harbour City, one is definitely going to need some help sorting through all that’s on offer. Pretty much every venue around Sydney will be trying to coax you through…

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Merivale open Queen Chow and The Smelly Goat in Enmore’s Queens Hotel (Sydney)

Merivale weren’t about to end 2016 quietly, playing one last card for Christmas just weeks after unveiling Paddington’s well-received double-venue Fred’s and Charlie Parker’s. It now feels like a long time ago when Merivale announced that they had purchased Enmore’s historic Queen Victoria Hotel, and for over a year we’ve been slowly drip-fed info about…

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CLOSED Win a case of Hardys Wines, tickets to Australia vs. Pakistan, and a behind-the-scenes tour with Glenn McGrath

Hardys Wines, the official wine partner of Cricket Australia, is now edging into the Hardys Wines Summer of Cricket as Australians gear up for the season. To celebrate, we’ve teamed with them to give away a money can’t buy experience to one lucky AU Review reader, featuring quite a bit of wine, a date with…

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