Category: MELBOURNE

Where to watch the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this year

Mardi Gras 2021 1

Sydney’s annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is going to take on a different look in 2021. The parade’s put on a new look, the venues are hosting different levels of events (none) and the people won’t be as thick on the ground as they have been over the course of the past 40+ years. But that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the festivities from a safe and semi-responsible distance! Here’s where to get your bookings in to enjoy with friends on a screen in quality venues. Where to watch Mardi Gras in NSWThe Bank Hotel, NewtownThe Bearded Tit, RedfernBitter Phew, DarlinghurstBurdekin Hotel, DarlinghurstCafé Fredas, DarlinghurstThe Colombian Hotel, DarlinghurstDaniel San, ManlyDarlo Bar, DarlinghurstHome The Venue, SydneyHonkas, Potts PointThe Imperial Hotel, ErskinevilleThe Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, WhickhamOxford Hotel, DarlinghurstThe Oxford Tavern, PetershamPalace Hotel, Broken HillLansdowne Hotel, SydneyThe Rainbow Underground, WoonoonaThe Shakespeare Hotel, Surry HillsStonewall hotel, DarlinghurstRex Tamworth and Forum 6 Cinemas, TamworthTaylors Rooftop, SydneyUniversal, DarlinghurstQue Bar, Wagga WaggaThe Wickham Hotel, NewcastleThe Winery, Surry Hills Where to watch Mardi Gras in QueenslandEast Brisbane Bowls Club, East BrisbaneCrystalbrook Flynn, CairnsClub Southport, Southport Where to watch Mardi Gras in VictoriaPiano Bar, BendigoPiano Bar, Geelong For more information on the parade viewing events head to mardigras.org.au

South Yarra Melbourne’s newest cafe: Norman

Cafe

After the mess that was 2020, Norman is now open in South Yarra! A visually pleasing space to drop-in to or stay a while, it’s complete with a two-level tranquility, that can hold up to 100 guests. It’s a sleek and sophisticated joint with brushed brass tones, baby blue hues and leafy greens throughout.  And the food? Think a mix of classic cafe dishes with a twist as well as entirely new creations, giving cafe goers every reason to try something new. Whether it be an all-Aussie breakfast dish like Norman’s Vegemite avo toast or something more left of field like zucchini and corn waffles, Norman really has something for every hungry tummy. The brekky board really does have it all with a variety of bite-size sweet and savoury dishes that feature on the menu, and if you’re still hungry, dig into the brekky burger. Find it at ?Shop 2/300 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141 Monday – Saturday – 7am-4pm Sunday – 8am-4pm

11 Melbourne restaurants to celebrate Valentine’s Day at in 2021

Valentines Day

So, Valentine’s Day as a concept is super divisive. Some love it, some not so much, others just use it as an excuse for dinner. That’s where this comes in handy. Here’s a list of 11 of Melbourne’s trendiest and top-notch places to smash a romantic dinner with a special someone – or group of them – you need to book before Sunday. Mejico Melbourne Spice things up this Valentine’s Day at Melbourne’s newest Mexican restaurant and tequila bar, Mejico. Sip on all kinds of margaritas and celebrate with a special set menu including oysters, Mejico’s signature tableside guac, salmon ceviche, Yucatan style BBQ empanadas, porterhouse steak with chimichurri and a margarita cheesecake to finish.Mejico’s Valentine’s Day set menu is available or dinner for $75 per person. Bookings online at Mejico’s website Chin Chin Melbourne Lock yourself and the one you love in at Chin Chin with its special ‘Love Me, Feed Me’ menu. The delicious set menu includes all the dishes you know and love from the CBD favourite including kingfish sashimi, grilled king prawns with Chin Chin papaya hot sauce and more. To finish with something sweet, lovers can indulge in a special Valentine’s Day heart-shaped chocolate and coconut mousse with chilli caramel and raspberry sorbet. Couplers can sit back and relax while they sip on liquid loving cocktails including the ‘Easy Lover’ with Aperol and elderflower and ‘Two’s Company’ with gin, raspberry and rhubarb flowers.  The Love Me, Feed Me menu is available for $89 per person and bookings are available at Chin Chin’s site Bomba  Treat your… Read More

Melbourne’s Hawthorn Hotel is back in 2021

Hawthorn Hotel

The Australian Venue Co and Swinburne University of Technology have joined up with the Hawthorn Hotel in Melbourne to bring it back to life. Listen closely enough and you can hear every student of the nearby University cheering! After closing its doors in 2020 due to the impacts of the coronavirus, the 152-year-old venue will undergo a renovation to provide a mix of dining, socialising and event spaces for The Hawthorn Hotel regulars, as well as a dedicated space for Swinburne alumni, industry partners, staff and students. The University’s carved out a spot in the pub and licences the first floor of the venue, which will be transformed into a dedicated space for its alumni, industry partners, staff and students. Meanwhile, the ground floor will be operated by The Australian Venue Co, a world-class hospitality group delivering exceptional food, drink and entertainment experiences across more than 150 venues nationally. So you know it’ll be good.

An experience with a difference – surviving the zombie apocalypse at Zero Latency

Screen Shot 2020 12 11 at 10.21.47 pm

Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Experiences are always fun but if you’re looking for something a little different from the standard cheese-making session, then look no further, because you probably haven’t experienced anything like Zero Latency.  Zero Latency VR Sydney has just opened its doors and it’s the perfect time to gift your zombie-killing mates an experience they won’t forget. It’s a free-roam, virtual reality experience that takes place in a 200 square metre arena (about the size of a tennis court). There are no annoying cables or wires and you can play with up to groups of eight friends. After a thorough briefing from the friendly staff, you’ll then strap on your backpack, pop on your earphones, VR goggles, grab your gun, and then attempt to survive a reality TV show set in the zombie apocalypse in Undead Arena. If zombies aren’t your thing, your team can have a crack at escaping a stranded space station taken over by robots in Singularity. Both are guaranteed to elicit screams of excitement, fun, and fear! You’ll be drawn into a world where all that matters is survival – and it’s serious fun and a great way to escape the real world for a little while.  As you roam the arena killing zombies or robots, you’ll be guided to elevators, moving platforms and spaces where enemy robots or zombies appear out of nowhere, so you’ll want to have a team that watches each other’s backs.  More games will become available over time, including Far Cry VR which… Read More

Lake Club summer pop-up coming to Albert Park in Melbourne

Lake Club 1

Lakeside bars around the world, eat your heart out; there’s a new pop-up in town. Melbourne’s newest lakeside social, Lake Club by The Smith Prahran X Power House is the summer destination Melburnians didn’t know they were missing! It’ll launch this 9 December and can be found right above Albert Park Lake. Open seven days a week, Lake Club is the perfect destination for casual cocktails and delicious snacks – whether it is drinks with friends while enjoying the sun-drenched deck, or grabbing some favourite dishes to-go for the ultimate lakeside picnic. The menu is full of fresh, summer inspired food from Local Calamari to Red Coral Lobster and Prawn Rolls, Cape Grim Wagyu Katsu Sanga to Plant Based Burger and Charcuterie to salads. Contactless ordering will be available via Mr Yum to encourage safe social distancing. Find the Lake Club at Power House Deck, 34 Lakeside Drive, Albert Park and at the website

Bellboy cafe is opening in Melbourne East Brunswick Village this December

Bellboy cafe Melbourne

Brunswick in Melbourne is getting a new cafe this December: Bellboy, your friendly neighbourhood venue that’ll bring to life the East Brunswick Village development and will offer a brunch style menu with dedicated bagel section and coffee roasted on site. The menu’s quality brunch items created from nice produce, including house-made sourdough crumpets and flat bread. Complete with its own bagel section, Bellboy offers a refreshing break from the low-quality standard Instagram café dish norm with delicious fillings ideal for breakfast, brunch, lunch or a mid-afternoon feed. Supplied by Savion and available in plain or sesame, the bagels will be great for both eat in and take away. Menu highlights include Muffuletta Bagel $15 (with ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, red pepper, olive salad and mustard), Eggs Cacio e Pepe $17 (soft scrambled eggs, pecorino, guanciale and zucchini pickle on seeded sourdough) and Chop Chop Salad $17 (wild rice, seasonal greens, avocado, tomato, beetroot, sweet corn, house pickles, soft boiled egg, everything bagel seasoning and buttermilk ranch dressing, with the option to add chicken, haloumi or salmon). Contactless ordering and payment is available. Of course, coffee is roasted on site by former Golden Bean winner Mark Leo. The café’s ‘Penthouse’ blend is called Ding Ding and the filter blend is called Wake Up Call. Check out more and plan your first visit at the Bellboy website.

A new Mexican restaurant lights up Pink Alley in Melbourne

Mexican restaurant Melbourne

Life’s back to (almost) normal and now, it’s time to get back into the groove. Melbourne’s Pink Alley is welcoming a new resident: Meijco Melbourne! Think: tableside gauc, late-night margaritas and over 260 varieties of tequila and mezcal – the largest selection in Melbourne – all while open until 3am on weekends. You’ll find it in the courtyard and glasshouse space of the existing Collins Quarter Building right in the middle of the city. Mejico is a place inspired by a love of life, flavour and festivity, bringing the streets of modern Mexico to Melbourne with colour, music, aroma and of course, margaritas. With courtyard dining and an upstairs tequila bar and margarita lounge, Mejico is serving delicious market-to-table lunch and dinner daily, uniting regional flavours and techniques from the city with influences from coastal towns. And it wouldn’t be a new Melbourne restaurant without an artistic collaboration, so the Sydney-cum-Melbourne foodmasters have opted to team with Ash Keating, who’s created a large neon pink and black, hand-painted mural in the entryway and other artworks entire two-storey space. Find Mejico Melbourne at 1 Pink Alley, Melbourne.

Chin Chin Melbourne lives on with their Make Me Feed Me packs

Chin Chin food

With lockdown ruining our lives, there’s officially a silver lining: We can still go to Chin Chin on Friday 2 October. Well, not “go to” in the pre-Covid sense of the word, but they’re now doing delivery boxes to your place for just $75pp. In conjunction with their other incarnation, Hawker Hall – packs available for $65pp – , your weeknight meals are officially sorted. Appetite need whetting? Think wagyu brisket, butter chicken curry and cauliflower with curry spiced yoghurt cream – and heaps more. We’ve got the Chin Chin menu and Hawker Hall menu for your enjoyment. Pre-orders for delivery on Friday 2 October will cut off on Wednesday 30 September at 12pm, unless sold out prior. Delivery on all orders is a flat fee of $15 and SMS tracking is provided for all orders.

Celebrate World Chocolate Day with limited-edition lamingtons from Koko Black x Tokyo Lamington

Koko Black lamingtons

Could there be a better way to celebrate World Chocolate Day than with a packet of limited-edition lamingtons from Koko Black and Tokyo Lamington? All we can say is, thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing this incredibly decadent offering to chocolate lovers for one day only.  One of Australia’s favourite chocolate brands, Koko Black has collaborated with Tokyo Lamington, which was co-founded by Eddie Stewart, the mastermind behind Black Star Pastry, the creators of the famous Strawberry and Watermelon cake.  For one day only, you can get your hands on these delicious lamingtons on World Chocolate Day, which is on Tuesday 7th July. But be quick, as there is a limit of one pack per person (which contains three lamingtons) and they will only be available for one day only for $21 per pack at the following Koko Black stores: VICTORIA: Carlton, Chadstone, Como Centre, Doncaster, Highpoint, Town Hall, Royal Arcade, The Glen. NSW: Strand Arcade & QVB While Tokyo Lamington is based in Tokyo and Singapore, there are plans for more collaborations on the horizon in Australia, so hopefully, we’ll see more of Tokyo Lamington in the near future.  Here’s some more mouth-watering details about each lamington: Caramelised Coconut Lamington: Celebrating a Koko Black favourite, the Caramelised Coconut Praline, this decadent lamington features almond and caramelised coconut cremeux coated in delicious white chocolate with a caramelised coconut finish. Davidson Plum and Sao Thome Lamington: This unique lamington delivers an exquisite sweet and sour flavour, combining Australia’s native, sour Davidson Plum, with Koko… Read More