Page 31 – ALMANAK MAGAZINE

CAFE > Home Croissanterie, Balmain Sydney

Balmain was once a working class suburb with an early opening pub on each corner of the street but since the early 1980s when the port's were closed down and the land converted to apartments, Balmain has become a super desirable suburb to live. Just a 10 minute ferry across the harbour to…

February 1, 2024ByEd Itor

CAFE > SYDNEY

CAFE > Tropicana, Sydney

Back in 1980 there were very few places in Sydney that served espresso coffee and cappuccino, but one of those was the Tropicana Cafe, know to most as simply 'the trop'. It is a super casual, laid back place where Sydney learned to fall in love with its number one coffee drink the…

February 1, 2024ByEd Itor

STAY > MELBOURNE WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > The Prince, Melbourne

Fitzroy Street, St Kilda is a street that oscillates between grunge, derelict, hip, smart and fashionable and then back again. Once famed for its seedier side of life today the bayside suburb of St Kilda is a lot more gentrified though its darker edges still remain. The Prince was once old Prince of Wales,…

February 1, 2024BySimon

CAFE > CAFE > MELBOURNE

CAFE > Hardware Société

Hardware Société redefined the concept of breakfast in Melbourne in 2009, ditching the eggs and smashed avocado on toast that was de rigour for most cafe's and instead constructing layers of flavour more akin to gourmet fine dining than usually expected at breakfast. Where once there was just a 35 seat restaurant in Hardware Street,…

January 31, 2024ByEd Itor

CAFE > CAFE > MELBOURNE

CAFE > Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, Melbourne

Perhaps Melbournes most famous cafe is Pellegrini's in Bourke Street where it has been serving old school Italian food and espresso since 1954. When you enter the long room and sit at the bar or facing the mirrored wall you might think that the decor has not changed much since it opened.…

January 31, 2024ByEd Itor

INTERVIEW >

INTERVIEW > Good vibes with the VIBAe Founders

Building a global brand requires an amazing product, clever marketing, incredible passion and enormous drive. It really helps if you have a product that customers have a fervent almost religious passion for. The founders of VIBAe seem to have all of that and then some. This is the story of how two Australians…

January 31, 2024ByCrispin

Le Méridien Melbourne > Image Credit | Le Méridien

STAY > MELBOURNE WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Le Méridian, Melbourne

The Le Méridien hotel sits at the top of the city in what was once a theatre, cinema, live music venue and a legendary nightclub. The former Metro sat empty for years waiting for a major redevelopment and that came in a totally different direction with the French hotel brand opening a smart…

January 30, 2024ByEd Itor

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Tempranillo

DRINK > Marqués De Riscal Riserva 2017 (94/100)

Herederos Del Marqués De Riscal is a wine broadly recognised by fans of Tempranillo the world over. It is a "go to wine" see it on a wine list and you know that you are safe, this is going to be a nice bottle of wine, impress your friends or a date. Its…

January 25, 2024ByCrispin

WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > SHIBUichi Bakery, Shibuya

We don't usually write about bakeries or cafe's but it is time to change that because SHIBUichi has to be the best bakery we have visited in Japan and once discovered we have been back again and again. If you are looking for quality baked goods early in the morning (any time before 11am) you…

January 24, 2024ByEd Itor

EAT > TOKYO WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Ryan, Tokyo

Did someone say Soba? Ryan is not quite your standard Tokyo noodle stop. It is a stylish room with tables as well as bar seating, seating is comfortable and you can easily settle in for something of a session here. And let us be clear this is not a ¥900 noodle…

January 23, 2024ByEd Itor