Category: CITIES

Sydney theatre review: Billy Elliot is in town

BILLY-ELLIOT-THE-MUSICAL-AUSTRALIA-2019-20-River-Mardesic-Aaron-Smyth-PIC-CREDIT-JAMES-D.-MORGAN

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Updated: 16/11/2022

Dust off the tutu and slide on your tap shoes because Billy Elliot is back in town.  Based on the movie of the same name which was released back in 2000, Billy Elliot the Musical is a celebration of dance, infused with comedy, drama and inspiring music by Elton John. Originally premiering in London’s West End in 2005, the musical first toured Australia in 2007 for two years. After a 10 year absence, the production is back in Australia, playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre until December 15, 2019. It then plays at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide from December 2019, the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from February 2020, the Crown Theatre in Perth from June 2020 and QPAC’s Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from July 2020. The show opens by taking the audience back to 1984, to a small coal-mining village in Northern England just as the coal miners’ strike is unfolding under the Thatcher government. Billy’s mother is no longer with us, so Billy is being brought up by Jackie, his working class father who is a coal miner (played by Justin Smith) and Billy’s grandmother (played by Vivien Davies). The role of Billy Elliot is being shared by four young talented actors – Omar Abiad, River Mardesic, Wade Neilsen and Jamie Rogers. Also appearing in the cast is respected Australian actor Robert Grubb, who plays Billy’s hilarious boxing coach, George.  We follow Billy on his life journey during some of Britain’s most turbulent times as it takes him out of the boxing ring… Read More

Category: ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, FEATURES, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY, THEATRE

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World Class Sydney turns the city into stage for Bartender of the Year 2020

Sun-Tavern-cocktails-2

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Updated: 16/11/2022

If your life revolves around alcohol and making cocktails (to serve, not drink), then you’d know what World Class is. It’s regarded as the world’s biggest and most influential bartending competition, instrumental in transforming fine drinking and cocktail culture around the world. This year, it comes to Sydney, where it’ll turn the city of Sydney into a vibrant hub of events, experiences and festivities as an elite group of finalists battle it out to be crowned the world’s best. None of this happens until 2020, but we spoke to one boss chick who’s taking it on herself, a bartender at Isabel, the 2019 World Class Finalist who had this to say: “World Class truly paves the way for innovation in our bars. It helps reshape and redefine what the cocktail experience is by challenging what bartenders know about technique, creativity and charisma. It’s also a great chance to delve into the minds of our peers and see what they get up to, providing a global community where we can learn from and be inspired by each other”. Meanwhile, she and a guy named Tim Philips-Johansson will be competing in a competition that runs in more than 60 countries and has supported, educated and inspired more than 300,000 bartenders through its training and advocacy programme.  Actually, Tim won in 2012 and co-owns a bar in Sydney. He said: “Our bars and bartenders have long been celebrated for being the best in the business, qualified by the fact we are one of only two countries to produce… Read More

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

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Hendrick’s unveils a whimsical limited-edition Midsummer Solstice Gin

Hendricks gin

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Posted: 17/10/2019

Hendrick’s has launched a new limited-edition gin; Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice. The small batch gin is the first innovation to reach Australian shores since the flagship gin was released over 20 years ago. Described as “an enchantingly refreshing twist and floral bouquet that is perfect for light drinking as Australia prepares for the warmer months and longer evenings ahead,” Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice gin makes the ideal drink for the warmer months. The Midsummer Solstice gin has notes of berries, violet, hibiscus and rose hips, making a delectably floral gin and tonic. To celebrate the launch, Hendrick’s has transformed Sydney’s Paddington favourite, the Paddo Inn; renaming it and adorning it with flower installations by artist Dr Lisa Cooper, who collaborated with Hendrick’s master distiller Lesley Gracie to create the floral fixtures. Temporarily renamed the Paddo (G)inn, the local will be serving up specialty Midsummer Solstice cocktails and menus including the Most Unusual Lunch, a two-hour bottomless lunch which promises diners the chance to escape the conventional with a culinary adventure laced with delicious surprises. Hendrick’s will be celebrating the unusual and rewarding curiosity throughout the season, with Sydneysiders encouraged to enjoy the floral festivities. Look out for Hendrick’s floral London cabs and penny farthings which will traverse the streets of Paddington offering a delightful journey from the bar to the beach.

Category: AUSTRALIAN FOOD, FOOD & DRINK, SYDNEY

London Cocktail Week’s done – but The Sun Tavern is always worth a visit

Sun Tavern cocktails 3

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Updated: 16/11/2022

London Cocktail Week takes over the city every year in October, turning it on for the most beloved bars around the city. It’s a slurry, hazy blur of cocktails and spirits, but for those whose persistence for flashy beverages knows no end, it’s the week of the year. And The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green took it upon itself this year to get amongst it, and you know what? No one was mad. It’s a quaint little corner spot, that for the week, was whipping out £6 cocktails to thirsty locals and visitors, concocted by the minds of one bartender ‘Ross’. They in fact partnered with cocktail bar, Discount Suit Company for their London Cocktail Week House Party series that ran 6-13 October: a series of unmissable bar collaborations with globally renowned and celebrated bars spanning form LA to Barcelona, including World’s 50 Best, Limantour. Couple it with a steady flow of pizzas from Yard Sale and it made for a quality night. Sure, it’s done for 2019, but dropping by for a visit and tipple, just ‘cos you can is always a solid idea. See more at the Sun Tavern website.

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, LONDON

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Buying art is possible – London’s Affordable Art Fair is in town

Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London , UK 06 Mar 2019.

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Posted: 15/10/2019

Walking around some of London’s most renowned galleries like the National Gallery, V&A or Somerset House, it’s easy to convince yourself you’ll never own anything nice for your own walls. Until, you stumble across quaint little (read: massive) art fairs like the Affordable Art Fair, that travels around the UK, and your thinking’s shifted. The Affordable Art Fair has revolutionised and democratised the art market with its fun and accessible approach, bringing art under £6,000 to its three UK locations: Battersea Park, Hampstead Heath, and Bristol, as well as an online shop. In fact, it was the Fair’s 20th birthday in early August 2019 and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. Every fair offers something different, with a diverse range of local, national and international galleries showcasing art in an array of styles. Pieces by household names sit alongside the latest emerging talent. The concept has become a global phenomenon with 14 fairs in 11 cities across several continents.  There’s a Fair on in Battersea from 17-20 October.

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, LONDON

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Jump into bed with 300 strangers – there’s a new kind of date night in Perth

Movin cinema

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Updated: 15/10/2019

150 beds. 300 couples. A lot of curious hands. A lot of quality movies. This is a date night in Perth when Mov’in Bed is in town, Perth’s outdoor movie experience with beds instead of bean bags and couches and a couple’s ideal night out at its core. They’re doing something different this year, though, with a thematic Hollywood diner served straight to your bed. Expect 50s American classics and have a bit in the James Dean, our home made crispy bacon burger or try our fresh Cesar Salad aka the Grace Kelly. Desserts have not been forgotten with the Gary Cooper, a unique Nutella milkshake and the John Travolta, our huge west coast banana split. And for the healthy ones & veggo’s we’ve got our portobello mushroom burger, the Jimmy Hendrix. Not mentioning a curated selection of wines, beers, champagnes, ciders and soft drinks. So, for romance, food and a flick, this is it in Perth. See the full list of what’s on, here.

Category: CITIES, LIFESTYLE, PERTH

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Where to go for Asian deliciousness in Melbourne – plus wine

Jacob's Creek Night Noogle Markets 2019 #30

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Updated: 02/11/2019

The Melbourne Night Noodle Markets are on in Birrarung Maar, so Jacob’s Creek is making people remember why wine and Asian food works so well together. Tipi’s are a far cry from being anything representative of Asia – maybe Bedouin? – but hey, they’ve got one and it’s full of wine and carbs and no one’s mad about it. It’s a quiet sanctuary away from the heaving noodle-hungry crowds of the Market, that provides the perfect spot for those wanting to grab a seat under cover and enjoy a glass of wine by the fire with their favourite thing (person or food will do). The wines have been perfectly paired for every kind of spicy, salty, sour or sweet delicacy found at the bustling Asian street food festival for you to enjoy the ultimate culinary wine moment in style and comfort. They’ve got it all on-hand, from the crisp Le Petit Rosé, to the rich and smooth Double Barrel shiraz, Jacob’s Creek has the perfect drop for your noodle market experience. Check it out in Melbourne from 7-24 November! Find out more about the Melbourne Night Noodle Markets here.

Category: ASIAN FOOD, AUSTRALIAN FOOD, CITIES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, SYDNEY

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How to do Thanksgiving in London

Food salad Thanksgiving

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Updated: 16/11/2022

London isn’t America, but that doesn’t mean we can’t adopt some of their customs, right? Especially when they involve eating. Thanksgiving is the US tradition of giving thanks for what you’ve got and a retrospective look on the year that was before the onslaught of Christmas, so, doing the same in London can only be a good thing. To get into the spirit of the beloved American tradition, popular London restaurants Riding House Café (Fitzrovia) and Rail House Café (Victoria), welcome their Thanksgiving feast on Thursday 28th November. They’ll be hosting banquets, complete with seasonal cocktails called The Ginger Pilgrim made from bourbon, honey, lemon and ginger. This’ll partner with a slow roasted Norfolk bronze turkey cooked in herb butter, ideal for sharing. Pair it all with cornbread and sausage stuffing; maple-buttered sweet potatoes; mac and cheese; and creamed corn casserole, vegetables like traditional glazed sprouts with smoky bacon; and green beans with praline. Calvados gravy and cranberry and confit orange relish will also be served alongside this inviting feast. All for only £40 per person for lunch and dinner on Thursday 28 November 2019, the question is why not?

Category: CITIES, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, LONDON

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Raphael is coming to the National Gallery London

Rafrael

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Posted: 07/10/2019

From 3 October 2020 to 24 January 2021, the National Gallery London will host the work of Raphael. He was a painter, draughtsman, architect, archaeologist, and poet who captured in his art the human and the divine, love, friendship, learning, and power, who gave us quintessential images of community and civilisation: Raphael’s life was short, his work prolific, and his legacy immortal.  In the year that marks the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death, the National Gallery will present one of the first-ever exhibitions to explore the complete career of this giant of the Italian Renaissance.  In his brief career, spanning just two decades, Raffaello Santi (1483–1520) shaped the course of Western culture like few artists before or since.  This exhibition will examine not just his celebrated paintings and drawings – but also his not so widely known work in architecture, archaeology, poetry, and design for sculpture, tapestry, prints, and the applied arts. The aim is to do something no previous Raphael exhibition has ever done – explore every aspect of his multimedia activity and in 2020, the Gallery will do just that. Find out more at the National Gallery’s website.

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, LONDON

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Bottomless bloody Mary brunch in London at Aster

Aster food

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Posted: 06/10/2019

Because ‘Sunday’ is another word for ‘hangover’ and nothing fixes them quite like the kick of a bloody Mary, Aster is doing something new. Their Sunday Feast is taking over the whole place on Sundays, complete with a bottomless bloody Mary bar and Lillet spritzes, while the rest of it is extravagant, to say the least. The spread includes unlimited starters, arranged across the bar, that includes a range of crunchy jumbo prawns; vibrant tabbouleh chicken salad; matjes herring; fresh Colchester Rock oysters; and an epic selection of charcuterie. Meanwhile the mains on offer come right from the kitchen and cover the whole gamut of ocean to paddock, cooked to order and presented with a spread of the traditional Sunday roast-like sides that will have you eating for what feels like hours. Think tender roast leg of salt marsh lamb with rosemary and garlic; butterflied sea bass; grass-fed sirloin from native breed beef cattle; and a Moroccan vegetable pastilla with wild mushrooms and flaky pastry. And let’s not forget the dessert bar – the first thing that greets you when you walk into the space – complete with apple strudels, fruity cheesecake and tarts to decadent chocolate mousse, Eton mess and lighter options such as cake pops. The Aster Feast will be available from 15 September and every following Sunday from 12-4pm. £35 per person Unlimited starters and desserts Bottomless Bloody Marys for an additional £15 Every Sunday from 12-4pm From 15th September onwards Aster | 150 Victoria Street | London SW1E 5LB

Category: CITIES, FOOD & DRINK, LIFESTYLE, LONDON

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