Travel & Lifestyle

Renowned chef Jessi Singh has returned to Australia to bring his “unauthentic Indian” cuisine to Sydney, opening Surry Hills’ newest restaurant Don’t Tell Aunty. The space, which replaces the old 4Fourteen, is marked by Singh’s fun and casual atmosphere, inspired by the home of a traditional Indian aunty – that being a place where you…

Applejack, the group behind beloved Sydney venues like The Butler and The Botanist, will finally be making their way into the CBD for the first time with a new restaurant and bar on Carrington Street. Named Bopp & Tone for the Applejack founders’ grandfathers – Keith “Bopp” Evans and Anthony “Tone” Adams – the Mediterranean…

Now connecting Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau is the world’s longest bridge and tunnel sea crossing, a megaproject measuring in at 55km, which is 20 times longer than San Fran’s Golden Gate Bridge, and containing enough steel (400,000 tonnes to be exact) to build 60 Eiffel Towers. Costing approximately $20bn, it’s one of the…

It has been two years since U.S fast-food giant Carl’s Jr opened their first ever Australian store in Bateau Bay on New South Wales’s Central Coast. It was a success, as was the steady roll out of stores that followed as part of a very ambitious expansion set to see around 300 stores open across…

Union Square has long been a useful anchor for visitors set to explore San Francisco, one of the most consistently impressive and dynamic cities in the world. It’s why many big-name hotel chains can be found spread throughout the heart of metropolitan heart of San Fran, with Hilton Union Square remaining one of the most…

The final three months of 2018 bring plenty of opportunities for gastronomic tourism (the best kind of travel), whether you’re heading over to North America, travelling around Asia or just keen on a road trip in your backyard. These six highly curated food festivals are well worth getting off the couch for, from historic long-running…

Unless you’re heading there on business, chances are the riverina city of Albury isn’t too far up the bucketlist when it comes to those essential Aussie road trip destinations. Although, the major regional city, located on the banks of the Murray River, is a convenient and completely worthwhile stop-off on the way to (or from)…

Chatswood burger joint Royal Stacks is celebrating a whole two years since it’s first shop in Sydney, moving up from Melbourne to great acclaim with a total of 130,00 burgers and 3000 liters of frozen custards sold to date. On Saturday 27th October, those celebration will hit their peak with a huge party, featuring a…

If any domestic service calls for a slight upgrade, it’s the coast-to-coast flight from Sydney to Perth. While not exactly a gruelling long-haul, the five hour service is testing enough that a little bit of extra comfort goes a long way. We tested Virgin Australia’s Economy X product on the service to see if the…

South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival is an annual conference held in Austin, Texas, and is the number one hot spot for eyeing down your fav new artists. Mixed with a bunch of industry legends and newbies from around the world, artists perform in front of industry professionals, media and fans at venues ranging from…

Australia’s beloved Art Series Hotels have just introduced a slick new concept for hotel guests looking for a little participatory art project for dabble in. From now until December 30th, Melbourne gems The Blackman and The Olsen, and Brisbane’s The Johnson, will offer a “Colour Your Stay” package where guests can grab a spray can,…

Melbourne’s watery rooftop oasis is almost here, ushered in with the launch of Reunion Island Pool Club, re-shaping the former open-air digs of St Jerome’s – The Hotel into a breezy mecca of swish plunge pools, pop-ups from local hospitality heroes, and more. The sprawling and highly anticipated venue, a first for the Australia, officially…

Boutique hotels are at their best when you can see the sincerity in their design. Soulful touches and nostalgic nods to the property’s primary source of inspiration, whether that be a neighbourhood, a concept or a nearby institution, is always appreciated and is what ends up the most memorable part of any stay. The Fleming…

Some of the Inner West’s greatest culinary minds have come together to open a pizzeria on King Street, Newtown. This is a big deal. Talks of Bella Brutta (meaning “Beautiful Ugly”) began earlier this year, speaking of a pizza diner spearheaded by co-owner Luke Powell of Chippendale institution LP’s Quality Meats along with the crew,…

In its 31st year, the annual Folk Alliance International Conference announces their offical showcase lineup, being held from February 13-17, 2019, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The conference is a gathering of the folk music industry and community. It crosses a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Francophone, Global Roots, Indigenous,…

Australia’s first premium online cocktail subscription service has launched, paving the way for Cocktail Porter to deliver bartender-designed cocktail kits directly to front doors across the country. A concept birthed in Sydney, Cocktail Porter was founded by Cameron Northway of Sweet&Chilli and Bondi restaurant Rocker, aimed at pushing a modern, on-demand product for those wanting…

Craft beer rockstars Young Henrys have hooked up with Byron Bay clothing brand and hemp advocates Afends to release one of the first legal hemp beers in Australia, and the first to use brand new water soluble hemp oil technology. Simply dubbed the Hemp IPA, the beer was brewed to reinforce Afends’ initiative of promoting…

Out of all the excellent new openings populating Sydney’s hospitality scene before 2019 kicks off, few are as high-profile as this one. Employees Only, the award-winning speakeasy born in New York’s West Village and often referred to as one of the world’s best, is finally ready to open it’s doors in Sydney’s CBD. It will…

Supplier of Australia’s second Scotch of choice Grant’s Whisky have launched a brand new blended scotch sporting a fresh new look and name as part of a global re-branding exercise. Grant’s Triple Wood Blended Scotch Whisky was unveiled this week at Grant William & Sons offices in North Sydney, its eye catching amber colour and…

Starting from next week, Virgin Australia will roll out a total of seven new international lounges across the country and in New Zealand, significantly expanding their network and adding to the airline’s existing 12 premium domestic lounges. Australia will get three new international departure lounges, while New Zealand will have four. Award-winning British lounge specialist…

Fancy a giant squid on a stick? Get on down to Footscray where new quick service restaurant IKA8 is hoping to add their take on South East Asian street food to the suburb’s already diverse casual dining scene. Giant squid dishes cooked openly on the fire grill or fried in oil will be the signature…

To celebrate their seventh year of forming a wine-inspired relationship, New Zealand’s Invivo Wines and UK comedian Graham Norton are planning a fine-dining pop-up degustation event with a bottomless supply of their new Graham Norton Prosecco at Chiswick Restaurant in Sydney on Sunday October 21st. Made from 100% Glera grapes from the Veneto and Friuli…

The infamous Ritz Cinema in Sydney will be transformed into a terror abyss straight from the depths of the ocean as The Kraken Black Spiced Rum takes over the venue this Halloween – Wednesday October 31st. Guests shouldn’t expect the typical movie-going experience at the Kraken Screamfest. Horrors from the deep like mutant mermaids and…

Free food lovers rejoice, as both 8bit Burger and Gelato Messina are kindly giving away freebies in Sydney and Melbourne, for a whole month. Not only that, but the free food is all from exclusive creations in partnership with Liven to celebrate the launch of their own cryptocurrency. Hence, the food is cryptocurrency themed (wtf)….

There are few places in the world which change as regularly as New York City. The dynamic, kinetic centrepiece of the U.S is rightfully one of the most common answers to the question “what is your favourite city in the world?”, with it’s unmatched landscape of world-class restaurants, museums, comedy clubs, public parks, and distinctive…

Get out your glass slippers, pull on those ball gowns and pre-book your Uber so you don’t risk your carriage turning into a pumpkin. Why, might you ask? Because a Disney themed brunch is on it’s way to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and you most definitely do not want to miss out. Whether you plan…

Whether wizard, witch or vampire everyone is invited. On 27th October, Network Canada’s famous Halloween shaker Halloween International – Devil’s Night is set to return to Sydney’s Greenwood Hotel. In addition to 3 DJ areas, the party has several Canadian activities lined up for guests, from bull-riding (Calgary Stampede style) to snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies. They’ll…

Menulog has made the wise decision to team up with the excellent Salt Meats Cheese to do something a little bit special – and massively overindulgent – for World Pasta Day on the 25th of October. The celebration of all things pasta will give Sydney locals a chance to try to country’s very first (according…

Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, the brains behind Sydney icons Mary’s and The Unicorn, along with Mary’s Group Executive Chef Jimmy Garside, are doubling down on their pizza options at The Lansdowne Hotel with the launch of Mary’s Pizzeria. Described as the “Mary’s Burger” of the pizza world, the new venue has been fitted into…

The results are in and Japan has overtaken Singapore to claim the top spot on the 2018 Henley Passport Index. This triumph comes as a result of Japan gaining visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, meaning Japan now enjoys visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations. Beating out Singapore by just one destination, the two have…