Category: FEATURES

Redfern Surf Club opens and locals are as into it as they are confused

Redfern Surf Club 1

Because Redfern is so known for it’s pristine white sand, crystal blue oceans, exponential horizons and endless supply of beach-goers, it only made sense for the place to open right in the thick of it all, the corner of Henderson and Botany Road. The new Redfern Surf Club is all the bits of Redern you love in one, complete with classic, fun bevvies with free popcorn and an inclusive, unpretentious approach to service. It’s the baby of Yannick Maslard, who used to be the manager of The Cliff Dive and Oxford Art Factory, so it’s got something good going on. Yannick and his pals wanted a place that stayed true to the ‘local’ that everyone has in their own community, right in the heart of the suburb, accessible all the time. That’s the spirit of the surf club. “We built the bar we all wanted to hang out in,” says Maslard, speaking for an extended family of Sydney hospitality regulars and friends who have chipped in to overhaul the sun-drenched, heritage-listed space – once a bank, and most recently a chook shop. Wielding paint brushes and power tools, a team of good mates have donated their time and creativity to help transform the former Grill King site into a lush indoor courtyard with a collection of curiosities and an enviable supply of plants. The walls have photos and paintings combined with surfing paraphernalia and a pool table. It’s about lazy summer holidays down the coast, right in the middle of town. It’s casual, easy and welcoming. They… Read More

The boozy and bougie Sydney Brunch Club will serve up bottomless Moet on Sydney Harbour cruises

Sydney Harbour cruise yacht

There’s a new brunch club in Sydney – and it comes with bottomless Moet. The Sydney Brunch Club is casting off for the first time from Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf at 10.00am on September 22 and 23, serving-up good times, sunny skies and endless food and champagne for its guests. From the moment you step aboard, you’re flute in-hand as you find a nook on board and be cruised around the Harbour ’til 1pm. After an onslaught of tunes on board by Dan Rowntree and food by The Blonde Butler, you then hop back on dry land for a yet-to-be-revealed party atop one beloved Woollomooloo rooftop nearby. Tickets are $150 a pop from the Sydney Brunch Club website.

The new MG ZS car is the ultimate entryway into owning a SUV

MG ZS SUV James Banham

When you see a car like this, you think expensive… Sunday drives ? The new MG ZS SUV launched in 2017 as the second SUV from MG Motors and does style easily, and affordably ??? And the best bit? Has all the extras as standard and starts at $22,990! #mg #suv #newcar #testdrive #fourwheeler #sunday A post shared by T H E F (@the_f_online) on Aug 4, 2018 at 11:29pm PDT But, what you found out that the base model MG ZS – now owned by the Chinese SAIC Motor Company – would set you back only just over $20k? When it comes to getting into SUV ownership, MG Motors know what’s going on and have crafted a perfect to drive, easy-to-use and stylish-to-look at SUV for inner city driving that more than ticks all the boxes. It has scored a 6/10 rating on Cars Guide, which indicates two things: it looks good, the inside is nice and it’s good value for money, but it lets you down in a few areas, which if quality driving is high on your agenda, might lead you to rethink. The look It’s a handsome car. It’s the kind of set of wheels you’d happily park in your driveway for the neighbours to ogle. And ogle, they would. Despite its wheels that look a little too small for the size of the girth above them, it’s a nice, sleek design with a small-yet-spacious feel about it. The gradients on the body of the car look like a more modern age Mazda variation,… Read More

Exercise, health and fitness: Bulk Nutrients is changing it all

Bulk Nutrients influencer

When you think ‘protein powder’, you think orange men, gigantic drums of whey powder in scary big portions with scary-bad flavours and the gym. If you’re into that; great! If you’re not and exercise for fun instead of a profession, then you’re going to be in the market for something else. This is exactly why Bulk Nutrients is as successful – amongst other reasons – as it is. And it hasn’t even been around that long. Took a tour of the Bulk Nutrients factory in Hobart. Wanted to nick a whole crate ?? #chocolate #bulknutrients #protein #bulknutrients @bulknutrients A post shared by T H E F (@the_f_online) on Jul 24, 2018 at 2:12pm PDT They do whey protein, casein, supplements, recovery supplements and heaps of other stuff for the most diligent of gym-goers, right down to the most casual. And the best bit is, it tastes great. And, when like me, you’ve just dropped a great big whack of weight, thanks to your efforts at F45 and want to give health and nutrition supplements a red hot go, and they offer to fly you to their Tasmanian mothership for a two-day fitness bender to try it all out – you know it’s going to be a good time. Bulk Nutrients is the wholly Australian owned and privately operated baby of Tasmanian local entrepreneur Ben Crowley. He started it back in 2007 as he was living abroad in Japan and found he spent so much time and money shopping online for his protein supplements from the US without… Read More

How to take-on a two-day fitness bender in Hobart with Bulk Nutrients – and survive

James Banham Bulk Nutrients

Sure there’s exercise and fitness, but doing it in Sydney on Bondi Beach, glistening under the southern sun in a balmy 25-degrees is nothing compared to doing it in the freezing cold in Hobart. Or up an even colder mountain. But, when you and a contingent of six other faces and folks in the Aussie fitness industry get on a plane and head south from Sydney to do just that as guests of Tasmanian born-and-raised protein supplement manufacturer Bulk Nutrients, you know you’re in for something quite unique. Bulk Nutrients and its founder, Ben Crowley were keen to show off the best that Tasmania – his home state and the home to his upwards of $27 million business based in Grove just out of Hobart – had to offer. And that they did. With a group of personal trainers, fitness writers, Instagrammers and bloggers in-tow, the Bulk team put themselves and their group through our paces to test the benefits of what Bulk Nutrients protein supplements can do. And after and two day assault on the bod, it seemed pretty unanimous – they work! Here’s what we took-on, what we recovered with and what we personally back. Day one with Bulk Nutrients: Arrive at Hobart airport. It’s cold. Super cold. Like, single digits cold. Coming from Sydney, it’s a shock to the system, but we all survive, order our green teas and coffee at the single cafe in the terminal before piling in to the seven-seater people mover to head to destination number one: Raw Challenge… Read More

Raise a fork for our farmers with Rockpool this drought season

Rockpool Raise Fork

We need food to live. And we get food from farmers. Without farmers there’s no food. Without food, we die. So you can see how this major drought that is affecting more than the livelihood of Australian farmers has a very real and very horrifying knock-on effect for all of us, yeah? That’s why the likes of hospitality group Rockpool Dining Gruop, directed by Australian chef Neil Perry, are putting on the first ‘Raise a Fork’ initiative to help Australian farmers and their rural communities. The Bavarian and The Bavarian Beerhaüs restaurants in the drought-affected states of NSW and Queensland will host the Raise a Fork For Our Farmers drought relief fundraisers on the last Sunday in August, ensuring all profits made are donated to Aussie Helpers, which supports Australian farming families in need of assistance. The Raise A Fork For Our Farmers campaign is part of an broader commitment by Rockpool Dining Group to support farmers struggling to cope with devastating drought conditions, with more fundraising to follow. Australian farmers are at the frontline of record dry conditions that have plunged the entire state of NSW and over 50 percent of Queensland into drought. Rockpool Dining Group’s affinity with and reliance on farmers and local producers is what is driving their commitment to the cause. Raise A Fork For Our Farmers drought relief fundraisers will be held here, if you want to participate: New South Wales The Bavarian Beerhaüs: York Street, Sydney The Bavarian: Bondi Beach, Castle Hill, Chatswood, Entertainment Quarter, Manly, Miranda, Parramatta,… Read More

Looking into the future: How Aida is changing the game for Opera Australia

Opera Australia Aida king

Going up against the traditionalist lovers of classic opera is no easy thing. You have to be one ballsy creative with a great vision and a lot of grunt. Good thing that the artistic director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini is just that and has taken this month’s production of renowned opera Aida as the first stepping stone on the way to the future for the Australian opera company. Aida is the story of the enslaved Ethiopian princess in Egypt, who’s got a thing for a guy called Ramades. Ramades is sent off to conquer her homeland of Ethiopia and he returns with her Dad – the King – as a slave. Ramades is then given the Egyptian princess’ hand in marriage, but he doesn’t want it, so the two meet-up for one last hurrah on the banks of the Nile before it all comes crashing down. It’s a dramatic love story that, if any other productions of it around the world would indicate – is one hell of an effort by the costume and set design team, let alone the director and singers themselves. Just look at the production on Coolangatta beach by Opera Australia in 2017. But in 2018, Opera Australia is doing something different for now and for the future, working with a unique set, incredible cast and costumes and the world-class, ‘knee-weakeningly’ incredible voices of the singers – as per usual – and a production that is as much appealing to the younger generations of screen-addicted millennials as it is for the… Read More

The truffle menu at InterContinental Sydney’s 117 restaurant is incredible

Truffle degustation

Truffle season is upon us and Sydney’s InterContinental Hotel at Circular Quay is turning it on for those of us who’re as die-hard as the very providores that bring the little morsels to our plates. Senior sous chef Luke Fernley – and master of the sweets, Simon Veauvy – have developed a five course set menu degustation that showcases not only the desirable truffle, but the luxuriousness of the 117 dining room, tucked away in the secludes of the hotel. Subtle, rich and very much what you want from a degustation, the menu at 117 at the InterContinental has been created to the integrity of the truffle to really showcase what they are as a standalone thing, but primarily, how they work with such foods as simple as brie cheese, to the more robust wagyu short rib – and everything in-between.   Each course has truffle grated, shaved or infused with absolute finesse, in a way that only their expert chefs know how. What’s on the menu? You start with a truffle fettuccini, made with fresh pasta, which is arguably the best vessel to carry a truffle’s heady aroma. You then move on to a Piccolo Farm pastured quail, complete with fresh truffle shavings. Followed-by a wagyu short rib,because why not, with truffle shaved and permeated throughout a potato puree. Included are the likes of Simon Veauvy’s ‘Nutty Black Truffle’ brie which combines macadamia, malt and black truffle ice cream. Complete the meal with artful pairings of wine, all sourced from regions near and dear. With an… Read More

Good Food Month Sydney turned 20 and looks more delicious than ever

Good Food Month Sydney cake

Just after Melbourne was treated to its own Good Food Month Melbourne, and Canberra celebrated Good Food Month Canberra, at last it’s Sydney’s turn with the return for the 20th year, of Good Food Month Sydney! As usual, along with Citi, the city of Sydney will celebrate 20 years of unforgettable food events this October. The flavour-packed, talent-filled program shines a light on the influential chefs and restaurants that have helped shape Australia’s culinary landscape and the talent that will define its bright and exciting future. This year, they’re taking a retrospective look at how the local and international dining scene has developed over the last 20 years, celebrating the chefs, dishes and restaurants that paved the way and stood the test of time. Hyde Park Palms is a returning pop-up restaurant often associated with Good Food Month Sydney and can be found in the heart of Hyde Park North from 4-21 October. It’s a custom-made Palm Springs-inspired restaurant will play host to conversations with Australian culinary masters Neil Perry, Bill Granger, Christine Manfield, Stephanie Alexander and Ross Lusted. The renowned Sydney Night Noodle Markets will be back, too, starting on 4 October. It will be populated this year by the likes of Gelato Messina, Hoy Pinoy, The Original Korean Twist Potato, Mr Bao, Shallot Thai, Donburi Station, Waffleland, Wonderbao, Donut Papi, Eat Fuh, Puffle, Poklol, Chat Thai, Teppanyaki Noodle, The Wagyu, May’s Malaysian Hawker, Bangkok Street Food, Black Star Pastry, Satay Brothers McHenry Avenue, Grumpy G’s Kitchen, Chinese Dim Sum King, N2 Extreme Gelato,… Read More

Lonely Planet inspires a lifetime of travel on foot with Epic Hikes of the World

Hiking

Just because Lonely Planet clearly doesn’t stop, what with cruise guides amongst their myriad other things for itchy-footed travellers, they’re back this month with a reason to travel from now until forever with their Epic hikes of the World instalment. The latest book comes packed with 50 hiking routes in 30 countries along with 150 ideas to keep you putting one foot in front of the other for decades to come. It even has five amazing hikes from Australia included in there, too. There’s enough land after all… Hiking has become the number one most enjoyed activity for active travellers, according to a recent study on adventure tourism*, and Lonely Planet being the legends they are, know what we need to keep it up. The new book comes a part of the ‘Epic’ series, which gave us such pearlers as the Epic Bike Rides of the World (2016) and Epic Drives of the World (2017), offering challenge-after-challenge to the most gun-ho of travellers.   The Aussie hikes in this book they’ve included are Sydney’s Seven Bridges (27 km), The Great South West Walk (250 km), Tasmania’s Three Capes Track (46 km), Victoria’s Feathertop to Bogong Traverse (77 km) and Indiana Jones and the Gold Coast (54 km). The book is jam-packed with all the perks of true insight, like practical information on the best time of year to hike, how to get there, where to stay and what to eat. All hikes are coded according to difficulty, taking into account their duration, local conditions and possible inaccessibility. Get the new Lonely Planet book Epic Hikes of the World for $44.99 from… Read More