EAT > Reine & La Rue, Melbourne 18/20

With so many new restaurants opening in Melbourne in 2023 it might be easy to miss one. Especially one that is hidden behind the grand old ANZ bank but missing out on Reine & La Rue would be a mistake as this is amongst the best restaurants to open in Melbourne over the five years.…

BySimonDecember 12, 20230Comments

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Apsley Gorge, Pinot Noir 2020 (95/100)

Apsley Gorge Vineyard was founded in 1990 by former abalone diver and lobster fisherman Brian Franklin. He planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes on a 7 hectare plot of land near Bicheno on Tasmania's east coast at the entrance to the Apsley Gorge. Apsley Gorge Winery sits right on the sea at Bicheno. WINERY The region…

ByCrispyDecember 12, 20230Comments

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Chardonnay

WINE > A. Rodda Willow Lake Chardonnay 2021 (92/100)

The Willow Lake Vineyard Chardonnay from A.Rodda is consistently amongst the top chardonnay's in the country and the 2021 release is another excellent release. Some people maybe asking why are you reviewing the 2021 not the 2022 release, well that is because that is the one I am drinking right now. 2021 was an important…

ByCrispyDecember 11, 20230Comments

DRINK > MELBOURNE

DRINK > Apollo Inn

Apollo Inn opened in the heart of Melbourne's Flinders lane restaurant precinct in 2023, it was ostensibly a good place to have a quick cocktail while waiting for a table at Gimlet or one of the other nearby restaurants. But it was so popular that the queues to get in for a drink at this…

ByEd ItorDecember 7, 20230Comments

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, 20230Comments

INTERVIEW >

INTERVIEW > Cowboy Simple

I think the year was 1987. I have this somewhat fuzzy recollection of hanging out with my high school friend Lewis, who had recently moved from Adelaide to Sydney. We had a couple of beers and he suggested we go and check out this band that some guys (also from Adelaide) were playing in. We…

ByCrispyDecember 1, 20230Comments

DESIGN INTERVIEW >

INTERVIEW > Mark Bergin – For a Better Future

Mark Bergin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of BETTER FUTURE, the world's largest network of Design Award programs. A program he started in 2010 to celebrate design excellence in Australia has now grown all around the world. I caught up with Mark in Reykjavik, Iceland where he was having a couple of…

ByCrispyNovember 23, 20230Comments

DESIGN INTERVIEW >

INTERVIEW > Per Brickstad is Transparent

Martin Willers (left), Per Brickstad (centre) and Magnus Wiberg (right) | Image Credit - Transparent Per Brickstad the Chief Designer for Transparent (center), along with Martin Willers the CEO (left) and Magnus Wiberg, the Sales Director (right) are the founders of Transparent. Together they started out running a successful design studio, but 10 years on…

ByCrispyNovember 22, 20230Comments

EAT EAT > MELBOURNE

EAT > Johnny Vince & Sam’s, Melbourne (10/20)

Any new Italian restaurant opening on Carlton's Lygon Street needs to have something special to be noticed. The premise for Johnny, Vince and Sam's restaurant is to capture the daggy cool of 60s and 70s vintage with some classic Italian dishes and there are aspects of this that are excellent, but on the day we…

ByCrispyNovember 16, 20230Comments

EAT EAT > PARIS

EAT > Le Train Bleu, Paris (13/20)

There are few restaurants that offer the grandeur of Le Train Blue located at the boarding end of the hall in the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris. The restaurant was originally built in 1900 as part of the Exposition Universelle (The World's Fair) and it features a series of connected dining rooms each…

ByCrispyNovember 15, 20230Comments

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