EAT > Pinotta, Fitzroy North (15/20)

Pinotta has been a busy bustling bistro wine bar on St Georges Road in Fitzroy North since 2011, led by the vibrant Heidi Modra who welcomes guests who come from the neighbourhood and across Melbourne. The big change in 2024 is the addition of Phillipa Sibley as executive chef. Sibley (you may well remember her…

ByCrispinJune 11, 2024

SKI > USA WHERE TO SKI >

SKI > Mammoth, California

When people talk about Mammoth, they normally say something like "yep, wow, can't wait to get back there". Or "the best skiing I have had in the US". Or "I love the incredible diversity of the mountain". Or "bloody hell it was impossible to drive there in the blizzard". Mammoth Mountain creates…

ByCrispinMay 14, 2024

SKI > JAPAN WHERE TO SKI >

SKI > Aizu, Nekoma Mountain Fukushima, Japan

There are over 22 resorts in Aizu it is a region with an enormous quality of cumulative snowfall and micro fine snow, there are great runs in fresh snow that don't require any hiking, a lower risk of avalanche because of the dense trees. The best option is to seek out a local guide…

ByCrispinMay 13, 2024

DRINK > MELBOURNE

DRINK > Above Board, Melbourne

A serious cocktail bar. Only 16 seats and no standing permitted. That is the message for the now widely acclaimed Above Board. Located off Smith Street Collingwood it is not easy to find but this is an area where cocktail bars are serious and Above Board take that to a level more akin…

ByCrispinMay 9, 2024

EAT > MELBOURNE

EAT > Bar Olo, Melbourne (17/20)

Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar bar or restaurant and had that immediate feeling of familiarity? That sense that yep, this is my place. From the moment you pass through the curtains into the small space that is Bar Olo on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy you have a feeling that this is something a…

ByCrispinMay 6, 2024

STAY > SYDNEY

STAY > Ace Hotel, Sydney

The Ace Hotel in Sydney knows how to party. It is definitely that kind of place. If you are looking for a low key discreet place to chill, then this is probably not the place for you. If you are looking for a hotel that is party central then good chance…

ByCrispinMay 3, 2024

EAT > MELBOURNE

EAT > Emerald City, Healesville

Almanak does not often write about the places we have not been able to visit yet but this is a place we are very excited about and as soon as we get the chance to update with a proper review we will do so. However in the meantime lets get into what we are…

ByCrispinMay 3, 2024

EAT > KYOTO

EAT > Sushi Masumoto, Kyoto

In the beautiful back streets of Gion where the traditional ‘Matcha’ tea houses hide away there are some amazing restaurants hidden behind the sliding doors and ‘Noren’ doorway curtains. One of these outstanding restaurants is Sushi Masumoto which is a set Omakase course sushi restaurant preparing perfect individual morsels for 12 diners (eight at the…

ByCrispinApril 8, 2024

DRINK > KYOTO

DRINK > Wine Bar Fleur Parf, Kyoto

It is a quiet street in the Shimogyo Ward of Kyoto where we found Wine Bar Fleur Parf, it is hidden at the end of a long passage (lit by lamps on the ground), past a beautiful courtyard garden to the bar at the back. There you find a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle…

ByCrispinApril 8, 2024

EAT > OSAKA

EAT > Mitsuyama, Osaka

A wander around the neighbourhood and looking into a doorway we discovered Mitsuyama, but they were booked out for dinner so we decided to commit and book for the following evening, a decision that turned out to be outstanding. It is a small restaurant, our party of five were the only diners this night but…

ByCrispinApril 4, 2024