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.
To celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday weekend, Australian online rental website Stayz are flying in a legit former butler to the British Royal Family for a promotion they are fashioning as “The Royal Stayzcation”. Available to book for $1 from Wednesday 18th May at 12pm, the getaway package will see one lucky bidder and their…
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Tim Burton’s saturated interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s famed wonderland was nothing short of impressive when it illustrated 2010’s hugely successful Alice in Wonderland, laying out a strong case for cutting-edge 3D tech in cinema – a relatively new phenomenon six years ago. Dubbed “Underland”, the ostentatious gothic fantasy land reiterated Burton’s unrivaled imaginative flair, and…
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W Hotels Worldwide have had a long-standing and seamless involvement in the music world for years now. Prince once famously performed unannounced at W Hollywood, and their many properties in hot-spots like Barcelona, Seattle, and Bali regularly welcome traveling musicians, producers, and DJs. It then makes perfect sense that W kick up their immersion in…
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Tonight, Monday 16th May, will be the final day of pitmaster legend Rodney Scott’s brief kitchen takeover at Surry Hills’ Harpoon Harry. The takeover, which began yesterday and attracted an enormous queue, is a very rare opportunity for Sydneysiders to take one of the most famous BBQ’s in the world – possibly the best –…
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Next month, on June 4th, some of Melbourne’s most in-demand food trucks will be coming together to raise funds for the Prahran Mission by staging a big Chilli Festival in a vacant parking lot next door to Brunch hot spot Hobba. From 6pm to 10pm, the Melbourne Chilli Festival will be bringing together Dos Diablos,…
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The Hawthorn revival has made a giant leap with the launch of Untz Untz, a new multifaceted venue from local music entrepreneur and club veteran Nick Foley that boasts a shiny 24-hour liquor license and more than a handful of ambitious plans. Gutting the former, long-standing Cheers and replacing it with a concept venue that’s…
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It’s quite clear that Benioff and Weiss are unperturbed about Game of Thrones (mostly) surpassing its source material, and so far it has proved to be more of a blessing than a curse. Now with 4 episodes to show, Season Six has been a solid season of surprising, though rapid, developments that leap forward to…
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The great café revolution that has swept the outskirts of Sydney CBD for the past few years hasn’t quite cleaned up the clutter in the annoyingly one-way streets around Town Hall and Wynyard. Sure, there’s some excellent long-established institutions that have withstood the test of time, but for the most, it’s often a gamble walking…
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The first time I saw Common live was in Sydney, around 2006, when he was brought out as the token hip hop act for Big Day Out. It was, to my knowledge, his first headline tour across the country and I was lucky enough to witness it in a venue as intimate as Metro Theatre….
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A new three-floor bar aimed at theatrical entertainment? We’ll take it! The Oxford Circus is an ambitious multi-purpose venue that has opened up in Darlinghurst, bringing a bit of theatre and pizzaz to nights out in lock-out city from Wednesday to Sunday. With morale about Sydney’s nightlife at a record low, touches like this may…
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Best known as the man behind legendary Belle’s Hot Chicken brand, Morgan McGlone stands as one of the most sought after chefs for casual dining in Australia, especially if we’re talking about the cooking styles of the Southern States. McGlone was most celebrated overseas for his work at the world-renowned Husk in Nashville before starting…
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Bar Chinois has brought an interesting fusion of Asian and French flavours as the very first small bar-cafe to hit the ever-evolving Kensington Street precinct in Chippendale. Shaped into a double terrace near the entrance of hawker-style food court Spice Alley, the new venue stands bathed in a sultry glow which reflects off the homely…
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An new gastro-pub has made its way into Chippendale, fitting out a heritage-listed building on Cleveland Street with what is the latest venture from bespoke hospitality crew Idle Group, the folk responsible for Darlinghurst’s Henrietta and Bondi’s Neighbourhood. With two of Sydney’s most loved venues as part of their portfolio, The New Britannia opens to…
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Get ready for seven days of fine drinking as the annual World Class Cocktail Week comes to task Sydney’s best mixologists with highlighting the city’s fantastic bar culture. In the past few years, Sydney has truly stepped up to rival Melbourne’s scene of small bars; add this to the big pub revival that’s happening, as…
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Winning a Gold Medal and two Silver Medals so early in the game is a big deal for Australian owned Tequila Sesión, who only launched around six months ago. It was their Sesión Mocha Tequila that earned them the Gold (Sesión Blanco and Reposado won Silver) in the influential San Fransisco World Spirits Competition and…
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Inexplicably, The Sunday Telegraph recently published a story based on rumours that world-renowned Chef David Chang will be pulling the rug out from under The Star and moving Momofuku Seiōbo over to their forthcoming competitor Crown Casino. Mariah Carey’s hubby-to-be James Packer will be opening up Crown at Barangaroo, across the water from The Star….
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Been to Dark Mofo in Hobart before? If that’s a no, then just know that the annual winter solstice festival is sensory overload of oddities and experimental arts that’s unlike anything Australia has on its stacked events calendar. Each June, when the 11-day festival consumes Hobart with music, art, noise, food, light, film, and events,…
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Philippines airline Cebu Pacific has announced a pretty sweet sale aimed at providing Australian travelers with easier, more affordable access to two of Asia’s leading destinations: Hong Kong and Taiwan. Both on routes leaving from Sydney, passengers can now book flights for as low as AUD $229 one-way for basic packages (that exclude meals and…
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I absolutely loved Wolf Creek when it was released in 2005. I absolutely hated Wolf Creek 2 when it was released in 2014. Tonally, these movies were polar opposites, with indie-thriller used to sketch the first, and a ridiculous, excessive, and quite standard horror creeping into the latter – a disappointing change, despite it being…
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Last year’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was a bold move for Drake, moving away from the ultra-relatable, slightly neurotic rapper-singer and towards something closer to street-minded hip hop, taking aim at critics over dark, brooding beats that were glued together by an adrenaline-inducing energy. It was mafioso rap for the selfie generation,…
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May has become one of the most exciting months of Australia’s culinary calendar thanks to the massive dining program that aims to celebrate The Australian Financial Review’s Australia’s Top Restaurants presented by Qantas, highlighting the best of the best with exclusive events and special offers in each state set to showcase what makes this country’s…
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Mid-way throughout August this year Sydney will be getting a brand new Thai street food restaurant from world-renowned Chef and restaurateur David Thompson, a man who has long been considered as an authority on Thai food. Thompson has confirmed that he’ll be bringing his famed Long Chim restaurant in Sydney, adding it to his list…
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Tomorrow, May 5th, will bring Cinco de Mayo around once again, celebrating Mexican culture around the world, and you can be sure some of Sydney’s best are getting involved with various specials, events, and more. We’ve put together a guide for the best happenings in Sydney tomorrow so get across these and you’ll soon be…
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Melbourne’s bar scene is perhaps the most influential in the country, and it’s a constant reference point for creativity and culture, always moving forward. That forward movement has resulted in some pretty epic openings in the past few months so from Fitzroy to Cheltenham we bring you seven of our favourite new and new-ish bars…
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”Chris, we need you to fly up to Cairns and travel to a private resort near Mission Beach where you’ll stay the weekend”. Never have I heard a sentence so sweet. A unique blend of safari and suave, The Elandra, Mission Beach sits pretty in the middle of a tropical rainforest, approximately two-hours drive from…
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Adelaide has been described as one of the fastest rising and ‘smartest’ cities in the world, with an emerging presence on the global radar to further Australia as a great and diverse country to visit. There’s something about the wide open spaces being only a stone’s throw from the city, or the fact that you’re…
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In 2010, Australian actor Mia Wasikowska found herself propelled into the spotlight when she landed the coveted role of Alice in the reboot of Alice in Wonderland, playing opposite Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway. Six years later and she has jumped back into the iconic role once more for a sequel many thought would never…
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Discerning diners around Sydney have long known that Sixpenny is one of the city’s best, and soon enough the recently opened Silvereye should be joining that rank seeing as Chef Sam Miller has been building up quite the culinary following. The two respected dining destinations will be coming together to collaborate over a special one-night-only…
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Straight from South Carolina, the world-renowned pitmaster Rodney Scott will be heading to Sydney for the first time to set up shop in Harpoon Harry’s Public Bar for a two-day-only barbecue pop-up this month. Chef Morgan McGlone, who is currently holding the culinary reigns at the Surry Hills venue, is good friends with Rodney, and…
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Another year, another comprehensive list. The Australian Financial Review’s Australia’s Top Restaurants’ Top 100 list was revealed tonight during a ceremony at The Star Sydney, crowning Melbourne’s Attica as the current best in Australia. The second edition of AFR’s yearly celebration of excellence highlights the best of the best in Australia and serves as a…
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