Travel & Lifestyle

Two-storey mini golf bar Holey Moley is opening in Newtown (Sydney)

Now that Brisbane and Melbourne have been hit with this weird hybrid of a bar and mini golf course, it’s Sydney’s turn. Opening up in Newtown, the rapidly expanding Holey Moley is set to mirror its success in the other two cities with a pop-culture approach to the timeless tradition of putting a ball into…

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5 things you need to know about Sisters, Oregon: The best kept secret in America?

When driving through Central Oregon, one may pass through a town by the name of Sisters. Anchored by two golf courses and sitting about 30 minutes from Bend, it’s the quintessential American drive-thru that you’ve head of; some six million cars passing through the town a year. It’s a town that has seen its economy…

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Park City, Utah: Sundance Shines in Summer

Perhaps best known internationally as the ski resort that houses America’s largest independent film festival, Sundance, held annually in the dead of winter, Park City is a year round attraction in the heart of Utah. Located about thirty five minutes from Salt Lake City airport, entering Park City and its historic Main Street feels like…

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Dark Mofo’s fiery Winter Feast once again proves itself a foodie’s dream come true (Hobart)

Taking over Princes Wharf 1 for a total of seven nights during the festival, Winter Feast remains one of the most recognisable and accessible elements of Dark Mofo, a 13-day arts and music festival held in Hobart each June. It’s a night market if you want to paint a less inspired picture, but really it’s…

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McWilliam’s Wines highlight cool climate with new McW range

Highly awarded NSW-based McWilliam’s Wines have introduced a new range to their extensive family, titling it the “McW” range and pushing it into the market as a sub-brand based on the integral relationship between the land, the climate and the winemaker. Placing the focus upon the elegance and intensity of the high altitude, cool climate…

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Team behind Happy as Larry Pizza Truck open permanent Sydney CBD cafe

One of the greatest food trucks to have ever hit Sydney was undoubtedly Happy as Larry, a genuine wood-fired pizza oven on wheels that would regularly pull up at all sorts of events, festivals and general gatherings with fresh, delicious and generous pizza. The truck is no more – expect for private functions and the…

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A Month-Long Pie Time Celebration heats up the Southern Highlands

Over the month of June, the Southern Highlands in New South Wales is embracing the wintry weather and celebrating it with pies. Whether it’s discovering the Pie Trail with just under 30 local pie makers, getting involved in Pie Making competitions or the Pie Time Festival on 24-25 June, it’s a fun-filled festivity for pie-lovers. Last weekend,…

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Winter Essentials: Butter is now doing fried chicken ramen (Sydney)

Butter, Sydney’s ever-popular purveyors of buttery fried chicken, have decided to tackle winter head-on with a limited edition add-on to their menu. It’s a fried chicken ramen of course, replacing your typical pork chasu with two crispy fried chicken tenders to swim around in a Tonkotsu style dashi and chicken broth alongside thin noodles, ajitsuke…

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Queensland favourite Betty’s Burgers opens up in Darling Harbour (Sydney)

After dominating the burger scene up north, and recently expanding to Melbourne, Queensland-originated burger shack Betty’s Burgers has arrived in Sydney, opening up their first shop underneath Darling Harbour’s slick ICC. Bringing their award-winning burgers and indulgent desserts to one of Sydney’s busiest areas, Betty’s Burgers should undoubtedly recreate the same success that has seen…

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QT Sydney is hosting an after-hours whisky showcase with Glenmorangie

Celebrated single malt scotch whisky Glenmorangie will be showcased over two days at QT Sydney as part of a special “after hours” tasting event this this month. After a successful stop-off at QT Melbourne earlier this month, the tasting event will be tempting both whisky connoisseurs and new-comers in Sydney with a focused, finessed showcase…

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Neil Perry brings his Burger Project to Edward Street (Brisbane)

Continuing the impressively rapid growth this gourmet burger chain has managed since first debuting in Sydney’s World Square, Neil Perry’s Burger Project has this week opened its second store in Brisbane. As of Tuesday 20th June, Burger Project is now serving up their popular mix of burgers, sides and desserts on the busy shopping and…

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The smooth Festival of Chocolate will return to The Rocks this August (Sydney)

Returning for it’s fourth year of spreading sugar and assorted confectionery fun the smooth Festival of Chocolate will once again take over The Rocks across one weekend in August. Decadent exclusive treats and established favourites will be on show on Sat 12 and Sun 13th August from some of the country’s finest dessert businesses, pastry…

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An ambitious two storey wine bar has opened in Windsor (Melbourne)

When the teams behind mainstays like Saigon Sally and Tokyo Tina, and Pastuso and San Telmo come together to open up an ambitious new modern wine bar it’s safe to say expectations sit at the top end of the spectrum. Neptune, recently opened in Windsor, stretches across High Street with a wide reach of food,…

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Brisbane Times’ Good Food Month announces 2017 program

Brisbane Times will once again be putting on their Good Food Month in Brisbane this July, spreading a number of curated dining experiences across the month including returning staples like Brisbane’s Young Chefs Lunch and a twist on old festival favourite, Hats Off Dinner, now known as Hat Swap; new events will include Laneway! Streetfood!…

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Luke Mangan to open Chicken Confidential at Sydney Airport

Luke Mangan has a lot on his plate right now. In addition to bringing an al-fresco dining experience to P&O’s new Pacific Explorer later this month, the respected chef has just announced an expansion for his recently launched Chicken Confidential brand. After debuting in Sydney’s Chifley Plaza earlier this year, the organic chicken burger joint…

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Peer-voted list of top 100 restaurants in Australia revealed

The Australian Financial Review Australia has announced their 3rd annual peer-voted top 100 restaurants list, celebrating excellence across the nation. Going through and rounding down this country’s exceptional dining scene to a top 100, a challenge by any means, was once again done by a panel of insiders, positioning the list as a unique ranking…

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KFC Australia to introduce home delivery service next month

It’s the speedy evolution of fast food this generation has always dreamed of. Australia has been left behind as the rest of the world introduces delivery services for the most well-known chains and frankly it’s left us a bit bitter. KFC Australia seemed to have realised this, hence the recent announcement that the chicken empire…

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James Squire have just opened a new pub in Frankston (Melbourne)

James Squire have opened up a new dedicated Brewhouse over in Frankston to bring Melbourne a fresh take on their awarded brews. Named The Cheeky Squire the just-opened pub serves as a substantial makeover to the former Davey’s Bar & Restaurant, which has long been a fixture on the famed “pub corner” that sits at…

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Paul Wilson opens Brasserie at Prahran Market (Melbourne)

Restaurateur and British-born chef Paul Wilson has now added Brasserie to the series of eateries he plans to roll out under his Wilson & Market stable. The new restaurant joins the busy scene at Prahran Market, bringing at 250-seater that promises lively stretches of lunch and dinner put together by a team which includes Wilson…

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Zephyr Sky Bar pushes into the colder months with levitating cocktails (Sydney)

Sydney’s stunning open-air Zephyr Sky Bar are making the most of their first ever winter season, introducing a fresh new cocktail menu that includes a few innovative surprises for both guests of the Hyatt Regency and the general public. At the forefront is a gravity-defying Fig Leaf Sour, a levitating cocktail hovering over a magnetic…

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Bongo’s Bingo: Australia’s bingo rave is coming to Brisbane

After selling out their Sydney and Melbourne events in less than five minutes, the team behind the UK’s popular Bongo’s Bingo have decided to bring their quirky rave-bingo to Brisbane. For one night only, Fortitude Valley institution The Tivoli will host this unique spin on bingo on Friday 30th June, joining Sydney’s Paddington Town Hall…

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Review: Hotel Palomar (Beverly Hills) provides a much needed moment of quiet in fast paced Los Angeles

I’d never visited Los Angeles before this week. After 17 hours in the air, a turbulent Auckland-Los Angeles leg and with the jetlag still in that quiet moment before your body realises everything is wrong, I was ready for a moment of quiet. Thankfully, quiet is exactly what the Hotel Palomar in Beverly Hills gave…

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A new Sydney Seaplanes experience is taking off at Rose Bay

Sydney Seaplanes with its fleet of five planes has recently completed the construction of a new upscale terminal at Rose Bay, featuring a lounge, restaurant, discreet VIP space, function area, and flying boat museum. A Sydney Seaplanes Flight to Palm Beach The Sydney Secrets 30-minute scenic flight ($285 per person, minimum 2 adults) tours around the Harbour…

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There’s a free Nutella food truck making its way along the East Coast this month

Yes you heard right, as if New South Wales wasn’t Nutella crazed enough, as if we already didn’t have enough Nutella cafes or Tella bars or chocolate festivals where Nutella is uber prominent in everything or infamous donuts filled with chocolatey hazelnut goodness (I’m looking at you Krispy Kreme). Those sexy evil geniuses at Nutella…

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Canadian Club are bringing “bad sweater” themed pop-up parties to Sydney this June and July

Canadian Club are running a string of “bad winter jumper” themed events across Sydney over the coming weeks in the bid to warm up your cold, winter evenings. Happening at venues Greenwood, The Bucket List and Casablanca, guests can expect the venues to be transformed into winter wonderlands with unique DJ line ups and giveaways…

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Pepsi are rounding up Sydney’s top chefs for a vanilla themed pop-up restaurant

Following the recent launch of its new Vanilla flavour, Pepsi Max are bringing a pretty damn sweet pop-up dining concept to Sydney for three days later this month, rounding up a talented bunch to offer cheap-as-chips $30 set menus. That talented bunch consists of Mitch Orr (ACME), Jimmy Hurlston (Guilty, Easey’s), Andy Bowdy (Saga) and…

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Stephen Seckold is overseeing a new restaurant in Parramatta: Husk & Vine (Sydney)

Stephen Seckold, best known for his excellent work at Pyrmont’s Flying Fish and Surry Hills’ Salaryman, is making his way to Parramatta this July with the opening of Husk & Vine. The new kitchen and bar hopes to add greatly to the west’s ever-changing dining scene, paying homage to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultural…

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Review: Pullman Quay Grand’s Q Dining impresses with new menu (Sydney)

The Pullman luxury hotel chain has been a strong leader in Australia’s hospitality sector, with highlights in the last couple of years including the opening of their new location at Sydney airport and a sleek refurbishment of Pullman Quay Grand’s Quadrant restaurant now dubbed Q Dining.  Led by Executive Chef Stefan Brademann (Bennelong, The Fat…

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Matt Moran returns to Paddo Inn with New Grill (Sydney)

The Paddington Inn affectionately dubbed ‘Paddo Inn’ by locals is reigniting an old friendship with renown chef Matt Moran who began his illustrious career there over two decades ago. The Inn which is operated by Solotel gave Moran his first leg up in the industry and was the catalyst for a very prosperous partnership between…

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Review: Motif Restaurant highlights exceptional produce from Hokkaido (Tokyo, Japan)

Very few words can describe just how exciting the dining scene in Japan really is. It’s almost dizzying to think just what kind of journey your palate will be taken through on a trip to the famously unique country, presenting you with everything from the standards like ramen, sushi and yakiniku through to the likes…

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