Gourmet Traveller

From the team behind Shell House and The Dolphin, The Grill has landed in Martin Place and it’s already defying expectations. “We don’t want to be known as just another steakhouse,” says culinary director Joel Bickford. From first bite, Bickford is r

When Etta’s Hannah Green and Julia Busuttil Nishimura recommend a great eating spot, you go there! This tofu teishoku (set menu) saw us feast on lightly fried tofu in dashi broth, pickles and miso soup for breakfast, with a compulsory side of chicken

I spent my previous career [as a brand creative] going to terrible cocktail parties, standing in a room making small talk. Flamingo was built to host great parties. I care deeply about hospitality and that journey for people. So the house and garden

From the walled towns of San Gimignano and Lucca to the pastel-hued villages of Cinque Terre, Tuscany overdelivers. Explore Italy’s most bountiful region with Abercrombie & Kent’s 10-day Treasures of Tuscany and the Italian Riviera journey, via priva

Every year the Emerald City transforms with more than 130 theatre, interactive installation artworks and outdoor music performances. Our pick of the program? The soulful tunes of Jalen Ngonda. 4 to 26 Jan, sydneyfestival.org.au A celebration of Tasm

What started off as a short stay helping out the Kiln team while a chef was away has turned itself into me calling Ace home. Having spent the last seven years of my life living and breathing Saga [his former bakery], it felt like a breath of fresh ai

SYDNEY’S NEWEST FOOD AND DRINK PRECINCT has emerged from scaffolding on the Redfern-edge of Cleveland and Baptist Streets. Wunderlich Lane has drawn in some of the city’s most respected operators to transform a former supermarket into an eating and d

1 What is the IATA code for Tokyo’s Haneda Airport? 2 Which cooking technique can also mean to mock or tease someone humorously? 3 Next year, Gourmet Traveller will celebrate a special birthday. How old will we be? 4 Hōjicha is a type of what? 5 What

ONE-OFF EATS POP OFF AT THE MELBOURNE FOOD AND Wine Festival each March. And after more than three decades of festival fun, it’s still positioned as the premier Australian event on the international food and wine calendar. Returning in 2025 with an i

Native pepperberry leaves carry the aroma of Australian bushland, with notes of paperbark, cinnamon and herbs, which adds the ideal seasoning to these mixed olives. Coated in a punchy extra virgin olive oil that’s infused with rosemary, each green an

Karima Hazim is a natural storyteller and cook who has an intuitive, artistic touch with food. Karima and her mother Sivine Tabbouch were longtime regulars at my restaurants, I loved their enthusiasm, always ordering almost every dish on the menu, an

Lakeside lunching in Adelaide PAGE 34 Hong Kong dumplings hit Brisbane PAGE 30 Cantonese comfort in Double Bay PAGE 29 The return of Melbourne’s Anchovy PAGE 33 PHOTOGRAPHY PETRINA TINSLAY ■

On my second visit to Song Bird, two months after it opened, the mood is on an upward trajectory. Service has clicked into confident and charismatic gear and there’s a newfound tempo to proceedings, spurred by the hum of family gatherings and Double

SOY SAUCE IS UBIQUITOUS across cuisines and often overlooked as a key element – surprising, given its critical role in imparting salt and umami depth. At Central, it receives deserved attention, anchoring several impressive dishes. Take the dim sum,

IT BODES WELL FOR ANY meal when the opening dish is so good you close your eyes to better concentrate on its flavour. The dish, from the menu at the recently relaunched Anchovy, is a wedge of crisp, cold sapo melon compressed with ginger and sprinkle

When a bowl of steaming mussels arrives at a sun-kissed table overlooking Adelaide Botanic Garden’s lake, conversation stops. Senses previously tickled by the sight of ducklings and floating art installations momentarily shift to the intoxicating aro

After making the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2024, Maybe Sammy is giving summer Spritzes a luxury upgrade. Their Airport Chauffeur Spritz is bright, bubbly and holiday-ready, with a mix of tequila, Cocchi Americano and grape cordial topped with Cham

How do innovation and tradition blend on your watch? When you think about it, I have been on the planet for just a few decades, compared to almost 240 years of history of the House. My goal is to always respect and keep the consistency of our style.

EVERY NOW AND THEN, A TWIST ON A CLASSIC cocktail comes along that might just outshine the original. And so it is with Oska Whitehart’s take on the Adonis – a lesser-known aperitivo built on Sherry and sweet vermouth from the late 19th century, named

WHO SAYS WINE HAS TO BE SERIOUS? A FRESH WAVE of pre-bottled spritzes from winemakers across the country shows us that quality and fun can effortlessly coexist. These bottles combine carefully selected grapes with high-quality fruits and botanicals,

THE HUNTER VALLEY HAS NO SHORTAGE OF VISITOR ATTRACTIONS, from stately stopovers to paddock-to-plate eateries and a vibrant year-round events calendar. Leaving is the hardest part of any trip here. Two hours can get you from Sydney’s CBD to Australia

1 The hoteliers behind Brisbane’s Calile and Sydney newcomer The Eve will turn their sights on Melbourne’s inner city next, opening the 188-room Hannah Street Hotel. Expect an urban oasis with a neighbourhood bar, restaurant and rooftop bar, plus a l

Ever wondered what bartenders make at home? Like chefs, they keep it simple. In summer, Lachlan Bentley drinks a variation on an Americano. “I really enjoy them topped with beer instead of soda,” he says. “It’s called an Americano Perfecto.” The choi

HOLIDAY READING IS FULL OF NOBLE INTENTIONS. WE PACK our bags, look at the stack of books we have deliberately purchased for the time away, and hope for the best. With a brick in carry-on luggage and more in checked luggage, we’re lucky if we make it

Christian Ryan isn’t one for subtlety. Refinement and balance? Certainly. But with the volume dialled up, always. “I want punchy flavours,” says the Restaurant Maria head chef and co-owner, and Gordon Ramsay Group alum. “Not too salty, too sour or to

SERVES 4 // PREP 15 MINS // COOK 30 MINS 40 gm (¼ cup) pine nuts 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 400 gm minced lamb 2 tsp each cumin seeds and sesame seeds 1 tsp each ground coriander,

3 eggplant (about 400 gm each) Olive oil, for brushing ¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar 1 garlic clove, crushed ¼ cup (loosely packed) parsley For basic charred eggplant, preheat a barbecue or lightly greased cha

MARATHOPITA IS A CRETAN PIE THAT MAKES THE MOST OF SEASONAL greens. While its more famous cousin, the spanakopita, is familiar enough to be on menus in cafés and bakeries around the country, the marathopita celebrates both wild leafy greens and Greci

MAKES 16 // PREP 25 MINS // COOK 15 MINS Devilled eggs are a retro cocktail party classic. Our Spanish take incorporates a spiced salt with smoky notes, crisp jamón for texture and nasturtium leaves for wrapping. Substitute large rocket leaves if una

SHANNON MARTINEZ, THE CHEF MAKING VEGAN food for everyone at Melbourne’s Smith & Daughters Social Club, Smith & Deli and Lona Misa loves Italian food. So much so that Vegan Italian Food is the name of her new cookbook. “I love the seasonal philosophy

OF ALL THE POSH EXPRESSIONS IN THE GLOBAL lexicon, my favourite plummy abuse of language is turning a season into a verb, as with “summering” or “wintering”. If you live an aristocratic life of ease and languor, you need all the verbs you can get, I

Once in a blue moon, life hands you the kind of day you wish would last forever. Where the moments fade too fast and you want to press pause, to savour every second and the glimmers in between. It’s a sensation I experience on a clifftop in Kéa Islan

In a burgeoning era of hotel sleek, chic and boutique… is the classic hotel robe dead? No, long live the hotel robe. That white, fluffy gown isn’t just for lazing and lounging, it’s emblematic of that extra touch of old-school luxury, of elevated com

The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc glistens with glamour. The legendary hotel, which started as a retreat for writers and artists, was opened in 1870 on a breathtaking corner of the Cap D’Antibes, where rocky cliffs tumble into the Mediterranean. Since then

With centuries-old heritage and jaw-dropping coastal vistas, it’s little surprise that Dubrovnik is often dubbed the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town is enclosed by city walls and offers panoramic views of terracotta

WITH FLOURY FINGERS, I’M FINDING MY RHYTHM here as I meditatively knead and stretch. In the village of Ano Meria on the island of Folegandros, I’m learning to make tiropitakia (mini cheese pies) and matsata (Folegandrean pasta) with a shop owner know

Sun shade PAGE 150 Object of desire PAGE 154 PHOTOGRAPHY ANSON SMART. INTERIOR STYLING TAMSIN JOHNSON.■

1 Beau side table in Walnut, $749, Fleur Studios. 2 Wave dining chair in Black, $960, Rachel Donath. 3 Peppy Taps 4-in-1 filtered tap in Brushed Nickel, $2999, Harvey Norman. 4 GrandOak Chevron timber in Mink Grey, POA, Carpet Court. 5 Silk cabi

1 Ballade Beni M’Rirt rug, $15,900, Tigmi Trading. 2 Louis Poulsen PH 2/1 stem light fitting, $5390, Cult Design. 3 Authete vase in Warm, $100, McMullin. 4 Simon James Fragment dining table, POA, District. 5 Dune concrete side table in Bluebottl

Channelling retro cool, the Poolside California Pagoda umbrella exudes effortless charm and simplicity. The forest-green and white stripes are reminiscent of the classic poolside parasols at Lake Como’s Passalacqua Hotel, with their fringed canopies