Category: FOOD & DRINK

Best crepes in Sydney for Vivid Festival: Four Frogs Creperie

Four Frogs crepes

The countdown is on to Vivid Sydney, where spectacular light exhibitions transform the city over a three week period commencing Friday 24 May. While there will be events taking place all over the city, Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House and The Rocks will no doubt take centre stage during this iconic light festival. As the city illuminates from 6pm each evening, you’ll probably want to grab dinner before, after or in between discovering the inspiring light installations. The nights will be cool, so what better way to warm up than indulging in a warm glass of mulled French cider and a delicious crepe at Circular Quay’s Four Frogs Creperie. Founded by four Frenchmen who fell in love with Australia, Four Frogs Creperie is the real deal when it comes to mouth-watering sweet crepes and galettes (savoury crepes). With over 50 variations of a mix of crepes and galettes on offer, even the fussiest eaters amongst us will find something to satisfy. For those seeking a traditional French galette, you can’t go past the La tartiflette which is produced with bacon, Swiss and raclette cheese, potato and onion slow-cooked in cider. You can choose to add an egg to the topping, which is highly recommended if you really want to enjoy the complete ‘la tartiflette’ experience. We’ll also let you in on a very important tip, particularly during those cold evenings by the harbour: the homemade mulled cider is exceptionally good, so why not spoil yourself and order a glass to accompany your meal. Made with… Read More

SYDNEY: Dinners for VIVID – Chroma dinner at Mode Kitchen & Bar, Four Seasons

Mode Kitchen & Bar_Hiramasa kingfish sashimi, sweet & sour onions, macadamia

VIVID Sydney will again take over the city from 24 May to 15 June, so if ever you’ve wanted to eat colour, the time is now. What? Mode Kitchen and Bar on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney – and under the insanely legendary hand of head chef Francesco Mannelli – is putting on what’s called the Chroma dinner. It’s a sumptuous feast of gastronomic proportions, open to the public, for the entire season for VIVID in Sydney. “Inspired by interesting and extraordinary Australian ingredients I created a unique menu to stimulate guests senses, whilst paying homage to my Italian heritage playing with cooking techniques to create natural vibrant colours and dishes to excite our guests,” said Francesco. It’s a dinner of the celebration of light, colour, sound and sensation created around three dishes and a dessert specifically designed to awaken the senses and take diners on a culinary journey of colour, scent, sound and light. Each dish has been carefully matched to a cocktail or drink by Roderick Boerma, Grain Bar Manager who reigns from Amsterdam and is a true master of fine local produce. Inspired by RGB, these colours have been created to enhance the dining experience as guests enter a world of colour and a sensorial awakening. And if that wasn’t enough, Mode has transformed a space into a white canvas, ready to integrate the very unique BroomX projector that has abilities to create spectacular virtual reality projections who surprise and delight guests, transforming the newly white room into… Read More

Simple yoghurt done simply: The new range from five:am

Five am yoghurt

Long gone are the days of yoghurts drowning in sugar and a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce, five:am has launched a new range that makes things simple. And the difference is, it’s actually good. You know normally when someone tries to ring out a new range of yoghurt without the bad stuff we all love, it can sometimes flop? Well, this doesn’t. The new range is called five:am SIMPLY. They say it’s yoghurt as it should be and made with nothing but yoghurt and fruit or honey. It doesn’t include any added sugar, any nasties, preservatives or anything artificial. So, for those who’re after something that isn’t leading to your own demise, this isn a good choice. Get five:am from supermarkets.

Highball: New Zealand’s first dedicated spirits and cocktail festival

Wellington cocktails

Right in the middle of Wellington, New Zealand, Highball is happening on 11-12 May. It’s the country’s immersive celebration of cocktails and spirits, giving people the chance to explore distilleries, rare exports and other bevs, presented by local and international masters of Wellington’s cocktail bars and talent. Joined by the women of Wellington who’ve made such a name for themselves in the bar scene, they’ll be shaking, stirring and garnishing cocktails throughout the festival. Abi Chilcott (Havana Bar) and Laura Walker (Forrester’s Lane) are are a couple of newbies who are making waves in the bartending industry and will show off their bespoke cocktail recipes and the secret to a perfect cocktail. In partnership with Liquorland, there will be 16 regional and international distilleries on show throughout the weekend, including Johnnie Walker (Scotland), Arette Tequila (Mexico), as well as Kiwi craft spirits producers like Denzien Urban Gin Distillery, Thomson Whisky and many more. See more at the festival’s website.

Butcher and the Farmer does bottomless British brunch in Sydney

Smeg Butcher Farmer toaster

At the Tramsheds in Glebe, right in the heart of Sydney, Butcher and Farmer has nestled in nicely; and now they’re doing bottomless brunch. Because; Sydney. With stuff on the menu like eggs sunny-side-up, bacon, BATF signature pork and fennel sausage, confit mushroom, roasted Roma tomato, fried Sonoma bread, house braised beans and a hash brown, it’s a good time. Top it all with bottomless prosecco and the very British Pimm’s cups, it makes for a good time. Why? Butcher and the Farmer have teamed up with Will Stewart and Steve Flood, both English, who’ve spruiked the new Union Jack themed Smeg toaster, on show at Butcher and the Farmer, to inject a little English into seaside Sydney. It’s an explosion of British gastronomy, right in the middle of town, which for those with a penchant for the UK, will hit the spot ideally. See more and make your own booking at the Butcher and Farmer’s website.

MELBOURNE: Winter got sweeter with the igloo garden at Auburn Hotel, Hawthorn

Auburn Hotel igloo

Date night, work dinner, need a drink, or just ‘cos, the Winter Igloo Garden at the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn is there for it – and doing it well. Caged, steel igloos fill the back courtyard of the colonial days hotel along Auburn Road, adding a haunting, but super cute arrangement to the otherwise incredibly ornate 100+ year-old hotel. It’s a trendy take on traditional outdoor dining, giving guests shelter from the cold of winter, while keeping warm by sucking back Wild Turkey‘s American Honey bourbon. A sweet treat as well as an alcoholic smack in the gob you know you want, the American Honey bottle isn’t often seen, but ticks all the boxes of what you’re after from a drink in the middle of winter. It’s warming (‘cos bourbon), but sweetened in a dangerously morish way, thanks to the honey. The Wild Turkey folks and the Auburn Hotel have even partnered with the good, bee-loving people at Melbourne City Rooftop Honey to pair with their American Honey hot toddy, espresso martini, honey julep, old fashioned – the list goes on. Igloo packages cater to those looking for something cosy and intimate in a communal dining space, with larger group sizes of up to 28 people able to enjoy private seating and cocktail events in the mega igloo. The menu, inspired by the smooth, sweet flavour of American Honey, includes a selection of cured meats and cheeses drizzled in honey, followed with dessert, a chocolate honeycomb fondue. All designed to be paired with American Honey… Read More

Luke & Friends: Luke Mangan and David Rayner’s new menu at Glass Brasserie

Luke Mangan David Rayner Glass Brasserie 1

What do you get when two prominent Aussie chefs who are passionate about seasonal, quality local produce join forces to create an Autumnal menu? An inspiring and memorable dining experience – and in one of Sydney’s most vibrant and lively venues, no less. This is exactly what renowned chefs Luke Mangan and David Rayner have created at Mangan’s signature restaurant, glass brasserie in Sydney. This is the third iteration of ‘Luke & Friends’, with Mangan collaborating with Noosa-based chef Rayner, owner and head chef of Thomas Corner eatery in Noosaville. Previous ‘Luke & Friends’ collaborations include celebrity chefs Guy Grossi and Maggie Beer. Mangan and Rayner’s friendship goes back a long way. They both share a passion for using seasonal, quality local and regional produce, celebrating the natural flavours of their chosen ingredients. And their passion for showcasing outstanding local produce shines through in the three impressive seafood dishes which are part of this exclusive offering, including a salmon ceviche, avocado, finger lime, pomegranate and shiso; a cuttlefish linguette, chilli, tomato, shallots, garlic, creme fraiche and oregano; and BBQ East coast baby octopus, caponata and black garlic. Refreshing and bursting with flavour, each dish tells a story about the beautiful and carefully sourced produce from around New South Wales. To round off the perfect meal, you can’t go past Luke’s Signature Liquorice Parfait with apple and lime, which is celebrating 25 years of pure deliciousness. Even non-liquorice lovers have been known to turn after sampling this exquisite sphere of explosive and clever flavours. The BBQ… Read More

Alcohol for breakfast: Archie Rose does a new ArchieMite batch

Archie Rose ArchieMite 2

It’s made from distilled Pepe Saya butter and Sonoma sourdough toast, so it’s basically breakfast; the new batch by Rosebery distillery, Archie Rose, is all kinds of Australian in a bottle. Apparently we’ve got a penchant for umami breakfast spreads – oh, hi Vegemite – so Archie Rose has taken cue and crafted its new – very limited – batch after what we’re into. And apparently, it’s good! “It’s lots of fun,” says Archie Rose master distiller, Dave Withers. “It sits in this weird but interesting place. Trying to describe how it tastes is like trying to describe the colour blue. If you like that savoury flavour of yeast-extract spreads, you’ll really enjoy it.” It uses a combination of individually distilled ingredients including a selection of blended yeast-extract spreads (“mites”) along with 25kg of freshly churned butter and 15kg of toasted sourdough from fellow Sydney producers Pepe Saya and Sonoma Baking Co. so you know it’s at least different. Released on May 8 (maaate), it’ll be a welcome, fun, umami drop to the Archie Rose range, serving up a mitey character at the front followed by a buttery, almost warm, crisp-edged flavour. See more and grab a bottle from the Archie Rose website.

Drinking from the Wave Glass means you never need to use straws again

Australia is SO anti-plastic, we’ve all heard by now the shocking reality that every piece of plastic that’s ever been created for us, or used by you, still exists somewhere on Earth. Shocking. Which is why people are making a proactive change in the level of consumption in Australia and to a lesser extent, the world. Enter the Wave Glass, the new invention that’s doing away with one of the needs for straws in drinks that is sure to cut down their use by quite a lot. NOTE: Australians use 10 MILLION plastic straws PER DAY, so any dent in that is a win. The new Wave Glass is a custom made, hand blown piece of glassware that has to compartments for your drinking ease. You’ve still got to crank your neck backwards to down the glasses’ contents, but it’s a darn sight better than smashing through 15 straws over 15 drinks on a Saturday night out with the girls. It took six months to create and develop and now, the patented Dual-Chamber Technology successfully holds liquid mixed with crushed ice and garnish (or whatever features in your preferred drink), while the other vessel acts as the drinking chamber, allowing only the chilled liquid from the bottom of the vessel to be enjoyed. This all means it’s drinkable without ruining lippy, make-up, or making it look like you’re sucking on anything as you go. Trend leader and Bar of the Year*, This Must Be The Place in Sydney, will be the first bar to stock Wave Glass this… Read More

Jardin Blanc: Eat with Raymond Blanc at the Chelsea Flower Show in London

Jardin Blanc Raymond

In what is possibly one of London’s most refined experiences at the hands of chef Raymond Blac, Jardin Blanc will again appear in Chelsea this year for a stunning gastronomic experience that money can buy. Blanc’s two hats will take centre stage at the secret garden restaurant – Jardin Blanc – amongst the renowned Chelsea Flower Show in London, giving diners a taste of what the £402 per person package can award you. From 21 to 25 May, Jardin Blanc will once again be the premium hospitality experience and hot ticket for London’s must-visit show, turning out access to the show, a complimentary open bar and special menus curated using the best seasonal ingredients, served with style for ticket holders. It’s all about flowers, food and fine experiences, all designed by Raymond Blanc and inspired by springtime’s sensational produce in a super flash surrounding. What to expect at Jardin Blanc “[Jardin Blanc is] an enchanting place filled with art, food, fun and of course, flowers,” said Raymond. “From breakfast to lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, we’ll provide for you a memorable experience.” Think ‘terrace’, with glasses of champagne, a pergola covering and swinging benches by Myburgh Designs, unlimited gin cocktails using Warner Edwards’ gin and the freshest of spring botanicals. For those a little more ‘hands-on’ and gin inclined, there’s a a gin tasting at Jardin Blanc as part of Tuesday’s La Lily Regale package, which for Friday visitors, means access to a live cookery demonstration from Raymond, with exclusive tastings accompanied by Champagne. Find… Read More