DRINK > Mikkella Bar, Shibuya

Sharing the same space as the About Life Cafe (read our review here) in the evening they pull down some venetian blinds that cover the coffee shop and pull up the venetian blinds that open the bar. The rest of the space is the same… It is tucked in a back street of…

ByEd ItorMarch 30, 2024

DRINK > TOKYO

DRINK > Gen Yamamoto, Tokyo

You have eaten an omakase (degustation course) before but have you experienced an omakase cocktail bar? Probably not. With only 8 seats this bar has a slightly reverential experience as cocktails are elevated beyond mere libation to fine palate experiences. You have to make a reservation (at least a week in advance) as…

ByEd ItorFebruary 15, 2024

EAT > ROME

EAT > Ristorante Giulio Passami L’olio, Rome

On any trip to Rome you are likely to have someone tell you about their favourite restaurant, a little place that is down a lane way, off on a quiet street far from the tourists and the piazza. Giulio Passami L'olio is one of those places, if like us you walk the cobbled streets…

ByEd ItorFebruary 13, 2024

STAY > ROME

STAY > Hotel H’all Tailor Suite

You know it is not all about the breakfast but at this hotel it is definitely a consideration. Hotel H'all is a boutique hotel of just 14 suites each with it's own style and identity. It is also home to Michelin Starred Ristorante All'Oro (ALMANAK 18/20) which is downstairs. That means…

ByEd ItorFebruary 13, 2024

EAT > ROME

EAT > Ristorante All’Oro, Rome

All'Oro is a restaurant of creativity and individuality. A Michelin Starred restaurant in the lower ground of the boutique hotel H'all Tailored Suites. Chef and owner Riccardo Di Gacinto and his wife Ramona bring a playfulness to the presentation of the dishes but each is also delicious. Di Giacinto worked with…

ByEd ItorFebruary 13, 2024

STAY > MELBOURNE

STAY > Hotel No, Melbourne

The thing about Hotel No is that it is not really a hotel at all, rather it is truely unique glamping in the centre of the city. It starts with a secret 'speak easy' entrance which takes you to the rooftop and there you will find your shiny chrome Airstream. I know you…

ByEd ItorFebruary 12, 2024

DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

DRINK > François Lumpp Givry 1er Cru ‘Crausot’ 2020 (94/100)

Crausot is a relatively recent premier cru, established in the 1990's, the vineyard sits at the southern tip of the appellation. Soils are very calcareous driving complexity and minerality. The Lumpp family originally come from Baden, Germany and emigrated to France in the late 1800's. Two brothers François and Vincent began…

ByEd ItorFebruary 9, 2024

CAFE > MELBOURNE

CAFE > Bench Coffee Co, Melbourne

Bench coffee has been roasting coffee and building a brand of smart coffee houses around Melbourne including Slater Street, 580, and Saint Dreux. Now on Little Collins Street they have launched a beautiful flagship store, that you would be forgiven for thinking was in Tokyo. Bench talk about the elegant and familiar flavours…

ByEd ItorFebruary 9, 2024

STAY > MELBOURNE

STAY > Adelphi Hotel, Melbourne

The Adelphi was the first boutique designer hotel in Melbourne build into a narrow warehouse that dated back to 1938 by renowned Melbourne architects Denton Corker Marshall for a couple of decades it held that top spot for those looking for style and individuality for a hotel in the centre of the city. In 2013…

ByEd ItorFebruary 9, 2024

DRINK > SYDNEY

DRINK > Cantina OK! it is tiny but it is also fabulous

At the end of a dark alley off Clarence Street, not far from the Sydney Town Hall you will find a micro mezcal bar that you are probably going to want to make your regular. Cantina Ok! opened in 2019 and it really is a tiny bar, it probably could fit 20 (small)…

ByEd ItorDecember 5, 2023

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