George Calombaris has got Greece up to his elbows. Portrait: Corey Sleap George Calombaris is Greek. That much is certain. But wander past his first (and flagship) restaurant, Press Club, and you’d hardly know it. Press Club is unapologetically modern. Designed by Buro Architects, it’s a showpiece fine dining landmark in Melbourne, much favoured by
Poker is the glamour sport of the noughties and to celebrate Lady Gaga is “bluffin’ with her muffin”. Lady Gaga (not her real name) is the real deal, apparently. She’s paid her dooos in the New York club scene, combining a love for high camp exhibitionism and hot pants. That’s right, Lady Gaga isn’t an
Rambutan: 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW (02) 9360 7772 or www.rambutan.com.au Rambutan — inspired by a Thai fruit of the same name — has joined the new ‘Darlo’ Oxford Street strip, which is enjoying a renaissance. Husband and wife team Joe Natale and Milena Molina-Natale has between them an extensive design background in fashion and
Harbour Room: Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, Pier Road, St Kilda (03) 9534 1300 orwww.foodanddesire.com Food & Desire has been busy since Leigh Worcester and his partner took over the business in the new millennium. A change of direction led the catering company from corporate lunches to far more ambitious functions, and since then they’ve refashioned
Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café: East Circular Quay, Sydney NSW (02) 8274 7900 91 George St, The Rocks NSW (02) 8274 7500 Guylian has been selling hazelnut praline-filled chocolate seashells by the shores of Belgium since 1960. And Australians apparently can’t get enough of them. So hungry are we for the chokkie treats that not one,
Gingerboy Upstairs: 27–29 Crossley St, Melbourne VIC (03) 9662 4200 or www.gingerboy.com.au Teage Ezard’s Gingerboy Upstairs has been refurbished to tie in with the downstairs dining area. Still keeping with Ezard’s penchant for hawker street-style eating with more structured dining options, Gingerboy Upstairs adds another dimension. “We have designed the upstairs space as a grouping
Damask Bar: 347 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC (03) 9417 4578 or www.damaskbar.com.au Melbourne’s Brunswick Street is well-known for its Bohemian hideaways… and now there’s the first-floor Damask Bar — a hideaway, sure, but definitely a cut above in the style department. The air is good at Damask, so good, in fact, management has opened a
It’s not often that new technologies promote old fashioned values, but I think the world of hi-tech security is doing just that. We’re used to hearing about security being presented in a ‘what’ll they think of next?’ big brother sense — cameras watching our every move, satellites tracking our mobile phone movements etc — and
Sound is possibly the hardest part of <venue>’s remit to cover. When it comes to lights and interiors, a picture tells a thousand words — the work of an inspired architect or designer is evident in a photo; the results of a professionally-commissioned lighting design will be easy to see on the page; but the
Apparently Britney Spears is nuts. Personally, I don’t spend enough time in supermarket queues to remain fully abreast of the day-to-day Britney soap opera. But tap ‘Britney is nuts’ into Google and in 0.09 seconds you’ll find over 2.5 million compelling reasons why she’s completely cuckoo.