Author: Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.

Bar Luca’s Wonka-inspired burger is a tribute to the late great Gene Wilder (Sydney)

Bar Luca has become best known for their epic Blame Canada burger, but their penchant for creating unique, interesting limited edition specials is also a huge reason why the business – which now has three locations across Sydney – won’t stop booming anytime soon. Following the tragic passing of beloved actor Gene Wilder, who is…

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Salt Meats Cheese opens in Bondi (Sydney)

The team behind highly sought after gourmet Italian providore Salt Meats Cheese has officially added Bondi Junction to a long list of recent expansions, gifting one of Sydney’s most famous suburbs access to an array of fine Italian fare and Mediterranean delicacies. They’ve partnered with the Harris family to open the store inside Harris Farm…

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Arnott’s to bring back the original Pizza Shapes in response to backlash

Earlier this year Arnott’s did something very, very bad and ill-advised, inexplicably announcing that they’ll be taking the “if it ain’t broke, break it” approach by changing the recipe for their Shapes range. This unsurprisingly led to frustration and outrage, being that one of the country’s most loved snacks had been completely flipped upside down…

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The Paddington Inn reopens after extensive renovations (Sydney)

Solotel’s legendary gastro pub The Paddington Inn is the latest in long-standing local favourites to benefit from Sydney’s string of renovations, this week unveiling an extensive makeover in collaboration with Sydney designer George Livissianis (who also recently refreshed The Dolphin) along with a new dining room and bar, and a kitchen team headed by ex-Rockpool,…

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Music Video of the Day: A.B Original Feat. Dan Sultan “January 26”

Like an audible fist in the face, Indigenous Australian emcees Briggs and Trials, collectively A.B Original, are back to shake you awake with a powerful song and clip directed at one of Australia’s most contentious issues. With the video revealed at a recent BIGSOUND keynote, “January 26” is a bouncy, funk-inspired track that moves away…

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Good Food Month: midnight feasts, picnic socials, night noodle markets, and more (Sydney)

It seems like Sydney’s turn to host Good Food Month this October will bring the annual event’s most ambitious program to date, turning it up a notch with some of the city’s top chefs who have come together for exclusive collaborative events highlighting some of the best in town. From midnight feasts to whole hog…

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Brian McKnight (USA) talks Better, longevity, and upcoming Australian and NZ shows

R&B songs about love and heartbreak are all too rare nowadays, even more infrequent when we’re talking ones that sound distinctive and sincere. The 21st century is riddled with shallow hits of sex and drugs that rely on catchy hooks or smart production to have any lasting appeal beyond a radio expiry date, so it’s…

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Grumpy Donuts are opening a store in Camperdown (Sydney)

For the past 16 months Sydney-based Grumpy Donuts have been one of the most dominant online delivery food businesses on the scene. They’ve been called Sydney’s finest donuts by numerous critics, whenever they host pop ups you can expect queues rivaling the likes of Burgers by Josh and Uncle Tetsu, and they are regular staples…

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That all-you-can-eat cereal cartoon party you always dreamed of is coming to Sydney

Those mornings spent waking up early to watch Ryan and Jade of Cheez TV introduce some of the best damn television ever made need not be a distant memory with an event like this. Just over a week away, the annual Sydney Underground Film Festival will make it’s triumphant return to celebrate 10 years of…

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Golden Gaynetto: Streets launch Golden Gaytime and Cornetto hybrid ice cream

Sometimes dreams become a reality. Streets Ice Cream have a good history of actually listening to their consumers and actually paying attention to creative requests and unique ideas. One such idea is to create the love child of the brand’s beloved Golden Gaytime and Cornetto, appropriately named the Golden Gaynetto. It was a piece of…

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Australian dessert king Andy Bowdy is opening a cafe in Enmore (Sydney)

After leaving Hartsyard and starting his own online cake shop, Andy Bowdy has emerged as one of the foremost dessert kings in Australia, constantly pumping out high quality cakes and pastries to meet a feverish demand which has remained high since the solo business kicked off over a year ago. Now Andy is ready to…

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The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards announces 2017 winners and new hatted restaurants

While it’s no surprise that Peter Gilmore’s Quay has once again been named “Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year” at the authoritative The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2017 Awards, the comprehensive annual award ceremony did herald a lot of newcomers, as the next generation of Sydney’s top restaurants came to stand toe-to-toe with…

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Team behind Eau De Vie and The Roosevelt plan viking themed whisky bar and carvary (Sydney)

The Speakeasy Group aren’t ones to mess around when it comes to bars; they own and operate Eau De Vie in both Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Boilermaker House in Melbourne, and The Roosevelt in Sydney. All four of these venues are treasured gems in Australia’s bar scene, consistently awarded and always packed. It’s…

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Asia’s best cocktail bar, 28 Hongkong Street, is coming to Australia this month

Maison Ferrand, Neat Spirits, Mancino Vermouths, and Plantation Rum are teaming up to bring 28 Hongkong Street, which was voted Asia’s Best Bar, to town for Sydney Bar Week this month, following which it will pop up in Melbourne for two days. The very welcome news is part of a much larger program which will…

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On the Shelf: “Huxtabrew” by Huxtaburger

“It’s official. We did it. Our own beer. Introducing HUXTABREW!!!,” announced the Huxtaburger team via social media just a few weeks ago, heralding a big step for the loved Melbourne burger chain. The brand has long been a go-to for Melbourne burger fiends, and a sharper focus on their alcoholic offerings can only strengthen that…

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400 Gradi to bring back Johnny Di Francesco’s 99-cheese pizza for one day only… this week (Melbourne)

September 5th 2016 is National Cheese Pizza Day. Yeah it’s a thing, and yeah it’s cause to celebrate with perhaps the cheesiest pizza known to mankind, the 99 Cheese Pizza, which was famously created in 2014 by 400 Gradi owner and World Pizza Champion Johnny Di Francesco. Since then petitions have been made begging Di…

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Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds reveal first single from new album, “Jesus Alone”

Ahead of next week’s release of Skeleton Tree, the 16th studio album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the iconic Australian band has unveiled first single “Jesus Alone”, a solemn number accompanied by an equally soul-bearing video taken from the band’s other project, a movie entitled One More Time With Feeling. The pain stemming…

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SoCal Hardware: SoCal is popping up in Bondi Hardware for this month only (Sydney)

Applejack Hospitality are mashing up two of their most popular bars for a month-long pop up this September. Their wildly popular over-the-bridge Neutral Bay bar SoCal will be scraping together all their Mexican and Cali inspired share plates, tacos, quesadillas, ceviches, mezcals, and tequilas and heading east, unloading it all at the equally busy Bondi…

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Top Melbourne bars are forming an Old Fashioned cocktail trail this week

Some of Melbourne’s top bars are forming an Old Fashioned trail for the next eight days (2nd to 10th September) to celebrate Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned Week, looking to follow Melbourne Spring Fashion Week with a different kind of style. After success earlier this year in Sydney, the classic Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky will spread…

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InterContinental Sydney Double Bay reopens lush rooftop lounge bar to the public

Now that Spring is officially here, it’s time for Sydney’s big, beautiful rooftop pools to come out of hibernation and start preparing for an influx of sun-soaking Sydneysiders. InterContinental Sydney Double Bay are able to take that a step further thanks to their luxurious pool-side The Rooftop bar, which is home to a stunning, spacious…

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Film Review: Don’t Breathe (USA, 2016) is an unexpected refresh to an exhausted genre

Fede Alvarez surprised horror fans in 2013 when he tackled a remake of Evil Dead in a way that was satisfying and consistent with the classic blood-soaked series. This time around the Uruguayan director is trying his hand at something much different, a sharp original home-invasion thriller titled Don’t Breathe about three delinquent burglars who…

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Where to take dad to eat in Sydney this Father’s Day

Father’s Day is this Sunday 4th September and a man’s got to eat, right? If nothing else, the day is a chance to celebrate all your main man does throughout the year, and there are few ways to do that then by treating him to a good old fashioned feast, whether it be a sunny…

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Devon on Danks to close in Waterloo; Devon Cafe to open at Barangaroo (Sydney)

One of Sydney’s all-time favourite casual dining spots, Devon Café, will be expanding from the flagship in Surry Hills this October to open a new venue at Barangaroo. The very welcome news does come with a heartbreaking announcement though: the hugely popular Devon on Danks in Waterloo will be closing its doors in a couple…

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Broadway Shopping Centre unveils new food and retail line up after $55 million redevelopment (Sydney)

If you’ve visited Broadway Shopping Centre in Ultimo within the past week you may have noticed quite a few changes going on. The historic retail and dining hub has just completed a $55 million redevelopment to it’s second and third levels, an overdue refresh that has brought in new brands such as H&M, Sunglass Hut,…

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Fratelli Fresh are giving away 500 free build-your-own pizzas this week (Sydney)

Fratelli Fresh will officially launch their long awaited casual pizzeria spin-off, Fratelli Famous, this week in the level 5 food court of Westfield Sydney. Set for Wednesday 31st August, the trusted Italian brand will be firing up that custom-built pizza oven to kick off their massive planned expansion – they want to open around 100…

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On the Shelf: Stolen Smoked Rum

Caribbean-sourced, Florida-bottled, New Zealand’s Stolen rum made waves a few years ago with a distinctive Coffee & Cigarettes flavour, but now they are pushing in an entirely new direction: rebranding as the world’s first smoked rum, maintaining a similar taste but toning down the sweetness and lifting the smokiness. Matured in ex-American whiskey oak barrels…

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Win a SodaStream Power valued at $250 CLOSED

You’ve no doubt heard of SodaStream by now, that home carbonation product that is pretty much a godsend for fans of sparkling water across the world. The benefits of having fresh sparkling water at your fingertips is evidently something many people have been adding to their daily kitchen (or office) routines, a trend that doesn’t…

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Orange Wine Festival announces special program to celebrate 20 years of winemaking (NSW)

One of New South Wales’ best known and most loved annual festivals returns when the Orange Wine Festival takes over the famous cool-climate region come October. Spread from 14th to 30th October, the stacked program, celebrating 20 years of Orange as a wine-growing region, will add an additional two signature festival events along with its…

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Rootstock: artisan wine and food festival returns to Carriageworks this November (Sydney)

For its third year bringing a program of natural wines and sustainable, artisan produce to Sydney, Rootstock will once again be setting up within the iconic walls of Carriageworks come November. Maintaining a dedication to sustainable practices and organic, biodynamic, and natural wines, Rootstock stands as one of the most unique food and wine festivals…

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Summer Hills’ One Penny Red has expanded with the opening of Vernon’s Bar (Sydney)

The team behind Summer Hill’s popular One Penny Red restaurant have completed a long awaited expansion with the level-one opening of their new concept Vernon’s Bar, extending the lively atmosphere of an already largely celebrated local favourite. Chef RJ Lines (ex-Longrain) will help the new bar-restaurant distinguish itself with a menu of modern seasonal dishes…

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