Category: LIFESTYLE

2 places to go for the best Italian and Greek desserts in Melbourne

cannoli on a table

Australia’s prized Mediterranean heritage comes fully into into its own category of awesomeness when you turn your gaze to the food. From the roadside delis of Oakleigh to the gastronomy of the CBD and the full-on production houses of the northern suburbs, there’s no surprise Greek, Italian and Mediterranean food is right up there on Melburnians’ list of ‘must-eats’. But, what about dessert? For those more sugar-inclined, there’s never a reason to overlook the desserts from that region of the world and thankfully, Lukumades (Greek) and Cannoleria (Italian) are filling the gap. Lukumades is – as the name suggests – known for their traditional Greek doughnuts, vehicles for all the sauces and toppings your heart could desire. In fact, they’re so desired that Lukumades has just opened five shops in Indonesia on top of their outlets in Melbourne. They can’t get enough and it’s easy to see why – they’ve taken the traditional lukumade recipe, which is normally served with honey syrup and crushed walnuts, and Australianised it. They look incredible. And if it’s something with a bit more crunch you’re after, that’s where the Italians step in, with their little pockets of deliciousness: the cannoli. The Melburnian Cannoleria was created in 2018 by That’s Amore Cheese; the brand specialises in the traditional Sicilian dessert where the delicate tubes of golden, crunchy pastry are filled fresh daily with That’s Amore Ricotta. We’re getting excited about them again, because on top of their usual quality array of desserts, they’re producing some themed ones for those die-hard… Read More

Shower your fur baby with enrichment toys on National Puppy Day

Stylish Hound

Is your pupper living his or her best life? Not that you need an excuse, but March 23rd is National Puppy Day, so why not show your fabulous four-legged friend how much you adore him or her by gifting an enrichment toy. Enrichment toys help doggos relieve stress and anxiety, which may be caused by separation anxiety. This is particularly relevant right now as some of us start to return to the office after spending the last year working from home. Yes, this is probably just as stressful for you as well, seeing their little face drop when you walk out the door! But, let’s focus on your fur baby for the moment.  When you come home from work, reward your friend for their patience by providing a fun activity. Boutique doggy brand, Stylish Hound has a great range of products that will keep your dog entertained and happy – a great way to help relieve their stress when you come home from work.   These fun products include the Hercules Chew Toys, Snuffle Mats and Lick Mats with suction.  Hercules Chew Toys Fill these nifty toys with your dog’s favourite snack or treat and let them at it! These Hercules chew toys help keep your hound’s teeth and gums clean while they enjoy endless stress-free entertainment. Unlike other brands, Stylish Hound uses a smaller hole to slow your pup down when licking treats out of it.  Lick Mat with Suction Dogs lick for many reasons. It could be to show affection or to grab your… Read More

An exclusive five-course wine and dine experience in Melbourne at Mr Joe

Mr Joe food

From Richmond, Mr Joe is partnering with two of Victoria’s most notable wineries to inner Melbourne with an exclusive five-course wine and dining event. Hosted in collaboration with 2019 Winery of the year winner, Seville Estate in Yarra Valley and Indigo Vineyard in Beechworth, the events are expected to showcase the best of Victorian wine and produce, including an exciting global-fusion set menu. And now, you can enjoy. Get in touch via the website or through details below to purchase a ticket for unforgettable evenings across April 29th and 30th for Indigo Vineyard, and May 6th and 7th for Seville Estate – only at Mr Joe. And prepare yourself for an onslaught of gastronomic intensity you don’t find often. Head chef Martin Sun has curated an exciting five-course menu for the event, featuring the innovative, boundary-pushing cuisine that Mr Joe is renowned for. Sun’s dishes will take guests on a sensory experience around the globe, using cooking techniques and ingredients from different countries including yuzu from Japan, gianduja from Italy, tzatziki from Greece and veloute from France. Despite the inherent worldliness of their cuisine, local ingredients are at the forefront of the menu, with wagyu rump from Sher Wagyu in Ballan, lamb saddle from Gippsland and dairy from inner-Melbourne’s only micro-dairy, St David Dairy. More awaits, but to find out, get booking.

There’s a new Rumble Coffee espresso bar at Kensington, Melbourne opening up

Rumble coffee

Rumble Coffee Roasters are known for making waves in the world of Melbourne drinkers – the coffee capital – and have long been causing a rumble from their Kensington roastery. Up until now, they’ve commanded attention in the wholesale market and now, they’ve opened up a cafe! Originally from New Zealand, Matt Hampton and Joe Molloy have spent decades running award-winning cafes and espresso bars (Octane Espresso, The Truffala Seed) and developing profound, lifelong passions for both hospitality and specialty coffee. In doing so, they felt that there was so much more that coffee roasters could, and should, be doing to support both the cafes they sold their coffee to, and the producers and farmers from whom they purchase their beans. Find it at Rumble Coffee Roasters is located at 8 Thompson St, Kensington VIC 3031.

What should you wear to an autumn wedding in Australia?

Women hat

In Australia, autumn starts somewhere around March and lingers on until May. The season is quite lovely, with warm weather and sunny days, but it can also rain a lot in some parts of the continent. In fact, the Northern regions are most likely to be wet, so plan your trip accordingly.  Now, when it comes to a wedding, summer would be the best time to organize such an event. Still, autumn also works if you’re lucky and get good weather. So, if you’re coming to Australia to a wedding event in the fall, it’s best to be prepared with some clothes for chill weather.  But how about the main event? What type of outfits are best suited for such an occasion? Well, Australia is no different from any other countries, so there shouldn’t be anything shockingly different. Moreover, since it’s a wedding, you should orient your choice of garments based on the theme of the wedding and location (countryside or a city). What’s even more interesting, is that you can come without hauling a fancy dress through customs. There are plenty of elegant establishments that will help you find the perfect and most astonishing outfit! Moreover, you can even hire dresses in Sydney or any other major cities (also known as renting the dress).  So, all’s left now is to decide on the type of outfit you’d want. We took a peek at some of the most recent events and fashion trends and learned that these top three outfits would work best. #1: Midi… Read More

Kiss stressed-out and blemished skin goodbye with hemp-infused skincare by Hey Bud

HeyBud skincare

Say goodbye to blackheads, acne, oily and dry skin with Hey Bud’s hemp-infused skincare range which is packed with all the good stuff, including gamma-linolenic acid, the most effective natural ingredient to regulate your skin’s moisture. Hey Bud was born out of frustration from skincare products that didn’t deliver, prompting the three business partners and founders – Ollie, Fedele and Alex – to come up with a product that delivered positive results after countless experiments and research.  They found the magical properties of hemp was key to reducing inflammation and common problems which affect many of us such as blackheads and acne. Hemp, which is a strain of the Cannabis Sativa plant, has specific natural oils that are not produced by the body, but are fundamental in skin health, helping with aging skin and moderating oil production.  Hey Bud’s popular Australian Hemp Clay Mask helps to detoxify the skin while drawing out impurities and oils. The mask also helps tighten skin, which is helpful for those with enlarged pores. The mask is packed with essential nutrients from the hemp seed oil, as well as other ingredients such as almond oil, matcha, avocado oil, goji, aloe vera and kaolin clay.  How to use the Australian Hemp Clay Mask: STEP 1: Clean Start with clean dry skin & apply with clean fingers. Avoid eyes (duh) & apply an even layer across your face. STEP 2: Let it soak – Let the natural high soak for 10-15 minutes & the mask will harden & dry. STEP 3: Share… Read More

Been meaning to learn a language? Preply will help you master speaking like a local

Man on laptop call

If there’s one language most Australians want to learn, it’s Spanish. But with expensive tutoring, too many class options and strict University requirements and insane dedications of time to navigate around, it’s no wonder most of us aren’t bilingual. Shame too, given we’re now all in hardcore post-Covid lockdown travel planning mode. But turn your attention to Preply for a sec, a new online language learning service that is quite genuinely shaking things up. We’ve all heard of Babbel and Duolingo – good services that are self-driven and focused on fundamentals – but Preply is all about connecting you, the learner, with a tutor for lessons that cut-out the open interpretation of self-driven online courses and curriculums and help you speak like a local. For as low as USD$15-20 per hour, Preply connects you with a tutor based anywhere around the world for lessons conversation skills (50% of users), for professional development (20% of users) and to prepare for relocation abroad (13% of users).Up until now there are so few options out there that even come close to competing to this! Preply’s just scored over USD$45 million in funding, so is about to undergo a huge turn-up, connecting Australians with their most popular language choices – and more – Spanish, Arabic, French, Chinese and Japanese. Head to the Preply website to discover more and prepare for your first post-lockdown holiday (soon!).

Feeling lonely? New funding for QLife means they’ll have your back whenever you need them

man-in-black-crew-neck-top-leaning-on-metal-fence-3214772

Lockdown and Covid was rough for literally everyone around the world, so there’s no surprise a few of us struggled. A lot of us struggled. And sometimes it felt like there was nowhere to turn to. Thankfully though, in those dark times and feelings of extreme isolation, loneliness and other thoughts and feelings, there were organisations there – often a call away – offering support where they could. One of those is QLife, Australia’s LGBTQ+ support service, who thankfully received a huge $100k cash injection courtesy of ANZ Bank, all purposed to help with their large influx of requests for assistance during lockdown. QLife experienced a 58% increase in the number of people wanting to access its telephone and web services. It also recorded a 31% increase in calls from people who said they had experienced feelings of “isolation” and “loneliness”. With the support they received, QLife’s managed to dedicate a further 2,250 hours of support to those in need, not only in the lead-up to the recent Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, but beyond. So if those thoughts are lingering and the effects of Covid-19 haven’t quite shaken off yet, remember that even on our own, we’re still together.

Pizza takeovers in Sydney and Melbourne at Ria Pizza + Wine and Arbory Afloat

Arbory Pizza 2

Because pizza is everyone’s favourite thing let’s celebrate the right way. Ria Pizza + Wine’s new Pizza Party Series is kicking off this March, playing host to some of the country’s best chefs for a series of pizza parties supported by Breville. Momofuku Sei?bo’s Paul Carmichael will be launching the first party in Sydney style on Sunday 28 March, taking guests to the beaches of Barbados with Caribbean-inspired pizzas. The menu includes ‘Maybe I’m just a Jerk‘ (smoked fior di latte, jerk seasoning, egg), ‘Leonardo DiCrabrio’ (blue swimmer crab, salt cod XO, cream cheese) and ‘The Cal Jumped Over the Moon’ (jamaican beef patty & cheese calzone). It’ll go down like this: From 5 pm, pay $70pp and embark on a pizza-based journey of: – Maybe I’m Just a Jerk (smoked fior di latte, jerk seasoning, egg) – Leonardo DiCrabrio (blue swimmer crab, salt cod XO, cream cheese) – Is Pineapple on Pizza Illegal in Italy? (cured pork, chilli, pineapple) – The “Cal” Jumped Over the Moon (Jamaican beef patty & cheese calzone) Snacks- Piklitz and avocado- Cos, mojo, parmDessert- Layered strawberry & white chocolate yoghurt cake Find it at 71A Macleay Street, Potts PointSydney NSW 2011 Meanwhile in Melbourne, the riverside Arbory Afloat will be hosting a Detroit Style Pizza pop-up, slinging only 75 of the deep dish, cheesy rectangular pizzas each day from 12 March to 31 March. Dished up by Afloat’s resident pizza phenomenon Salim Gafaryi and Executive Chef Nick Bennet, the limited-edition pizzas are topped with plenty of cheese (edge to edge) and a range of delicious… Read More

Kiehl’s has the answer to dull-looking skin with their new supercharged skincare program

kiehls small

Do you suffer from dark spots or skin hyperpigmentation? Are you looking for a skincare product that helps visibly brighten your skin? Then apothecary-based New York skincare brand, Kiehl’s has just launched a supercharged program that targets exactly that! Clearly Corrective Accelerated Clarity Renewing Ampoules is a two-week brightening ampoule program that reveals a new level of clarity.  The treatment is formulated to target signs of clarity loss, including dullness and uneven skin tone, through accelerated skin renewal. Designed to be used consecutively for 14 days, the program — formulated with Activated C and a blend of Glycolic, Lactic and Phytic Acids — rejuvenates and renews for brighter skin with noticeably enhanced clarity. How do you use it? One box of Clearly Corrective Accelerated Clarity Renewing Ampoules contains 28 vials, which you use over 14 days (one ampoule in the morning and one in the evening). The ampoules can be used as a step in your current skincare routine, after cleansing and toning and before applying a serum and moisturiser. Shake each vial of the brightening ampoule formula before use To open, twist vial top and pour entire contents into the palm of your hand and discard the vial Gently apply the water-light ampoule formula to clean, dry face and neck, avoiding the eye and lip areas In case of contact with eyes and lips, rinse thoroughly with water Follow with a facial serum, such as our dark spot corrector, or continue with the next steps of your skincare routine Repeat morning and night consecutively… Read More