Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.
OLED panels get all the glory in discussions about home cinema nowadays; that often includes a substantially more demanding price tag. Owning one brings a certain level of prestige, though the advantages of say a 4K OLED over a 4K LED do not necessarily justify the eye-watering price differences. Yes, deep inky blacks are ridiculously…
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Announced to coincide with World Chocolate Day (that is, today), Mars Wrigley Australia has upped capacity to their chocolate factory in Ballarat in order to start producing one of the most popular flavours of M&Ms. That’s the salty and sweet Pretzel variant of the famous chocolate, which currently Australians would have had to import online…
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This month, the legendary “Queen of the Skies” will be officially retired from Qantas’ fleet, with the airline bidding a final farewell to its last remaining Boeing 747. Though the iconic aircraft won’t be leaving without considerable fanfare, as Qantas responds to demand with announcement of several “farewell jumbo joy flights” for Australians. Qantas will…
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You may not be able to jet off the Italy anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean your taste buds can’t soak up the splendour of a region as pristine and diverse as Piemonte. This bountiful northern Italian seat of typically rare and celebrates wines will be the subject of a special one-off wine dinner at…
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Acclaimed Australian-born brand QT Hotels & Resorts has finally lifted the lid on QT Auckland, their first New Zealand property after a successful trans-Tasman debut with QT Queenstown and QT Wellington. Located in the city’s Viaduct Harbour, and set for a grand opening on 1st November 2020, the property is now accepting bookings and, from…
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As live music slowly crawls back to the fore, a total of six “Unplugged & Intimate” Sydney shows have been announced by DMA’S. The four-time ARIA-nominees and constant hitmakers will be highlighting forthcoming third album The Glow, giving fans in their hometown the chance to be the very first in the world to hear the…
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Ever-creative Chef Nelly Robinson of treasured Surry Hills underground restaurant nel. has doubled-down on the Disney inspiration that kicked off last year’s limited edition “Once Upon a Time” degustation. The menu, which made global headlines and sold out in a matter of weeks when it was first released, will return as a celebration of that…
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Reopened restaurants have been putting their best foot forward to celebrate the fact they can welcome dine-in guests once again, and this popular Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney’s Marrickville is not holding back. The team at the formidable Hello Auntie on Illawarra Road has created what they are claiming as the world’s first pho-brined fried chicken….
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Though not quite as meandering as the 11-minute “The Johnny Cash Trail”, “Lemon Balm” is a necessary second single for the forthcoming new album from the always joyful Sun Kil Moon. Steadfast with its feathery piano riff, the song is a six-minute rumination that’s just as tender and contented as its predecessor. The new album,…
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Sydney-based outsider artist Joel Veness has examined the idea of isolation and grown it into the city’s newest large-scale mural, adding a meaningful and provocative piece to the inner-city’s growing collection of street art. Although Melbourne nears monopoly when it comes to discussions about street art in Australia, works like this are important to spread…
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Virgin Australia put 125,000 fares on sale for 12 hours yesterday, with prices dipping to as low as $69 between select destinations “because everyone loved a comeback”. Though the flights were picked up quickly, the airline is promising more Happy Hour sales every week as domestic tourism ramps up. The sale included business class fares…
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A 65-seat Middle Eastern style chicken shop has now opened in Surry Hills, a sister venue of neighbouring Nour on the inner city suburb’s iconic Crown Street. Going by the name of Hanrietta, the dine-in and takeaway concept centres around free range charcoal chicken accompanied by numerous sides like breads, dips, pickles and salads. Owned…
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Which U.S city has the best cocktail culture? That’s a bit hard to judge. Is it NYC? San Fran? Chicago? New Orleans? LA? Who knows, but one things for sure – you can’t talk about cocktails without mentioning Las Vegas. The well-heeled oasis of entertainment is often seen as the proving ground for some of…
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For the first time in 15 years, Qantas will introduce daily services between Sydney and Byron Bay (Ballina) airport, opening up what should be an enormously popular route as interstate travel ramps up. The popular coastal town isn’t the only destination to see a new route open up though, with Qantas also adding its first…
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JBL is tipping towards touring musicians with the JBL CLUB Series, the latest line of headphones from the stalwart audio brand. Having recently launched to the Australian market, this collection of three distinct and differently priced headphones aim to amplify the personal audio experience and serve as the ideal creative companion on the road, focusing…
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As of 1st July, Qantas will begin reopening a number of its domestic and regional lounges across Australia, following restrictions on travel and venues being loosened and demand for domestic flights increasing. Importantly, this will be a phased opening that will only include a limited number of lounges in first wave, specifically eleven including Qantas…
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Australia’s beloved Koko Black has teamed up with Tokyo-based dessert shop Tokyo Lamington for what will surely be one of the most delicious collaborations of the year. That’s three decadent and unique twists on the timeless lamington – limited-edition treats that will be available for one day only at Koko Black stores on Tuesday 7th…
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Straddling the thin line between upper mid-tier and lower high-end, the X3 SuperZoom is the latest smartphone from Oppo spin-off brand realme. And if the spec sheet is anything to go by, this will be one to watch for photography enthusiasts who are looking for something a bit more powerful than the typical mid-market phone….
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Although historically an airline exclusively serving regional Australia, Rex is now enacting plans which could see the carrier compete with Qantas and Virgin Australia with the creation of a new domestic operation. Capital cities could now be on this the radar for Rex’s planned expansion, pending successful fundraising of at least $30 million, which is…
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Wires suck. That seems to be the consensus when it comes to smart home devices nowadays, and whenever a wireless option drops it is instantly more attractive than the opposite. Requiring wires was one of the few issues I had with the recently launched Arlo Video Doorbell, which is otherwise an exceptional part of the…
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Millett Group, the team behind Lord Byron, have officially opened doors to The Surf House – Byron Bay’s newest accommodation with its own distinctive rooftop bar. Seeing as the Millett Group are also behind the award-winning Wake Up! Byron Bay hostel, this boutique, design-forward property should be an attractive option for the the inevitable influx…
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Those in need of a delicious break (everyone) should start stretching their queuing-up muscles because Sydney’s getting its first ever KitKat Chocolatory flagship. Opening on 6th July, the debut store will stretch it’s legs at Mid City Sydney, offering up a sizable collection of personalised, premium chocolate experienced inspired by and dedicated entirely to the…
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Domestic travel is on the cusp of a resurgence with states across Australia beginning to relax lockdown measures. International travel? That’s a different story. With many countries around the world struggling in the fight against COVID-19, we’ve been given conflicting information on when international travel will resume to a sense of normalcy anytime soon. Some…
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Premium Scandinavian outdoor and lifestyle brand Fjällräven has officially launched its new Kånken Art collection in Australia, bringing expressive designs to their reliably high-end gear. The art-forward collection is a limited edition offering in collaboration with Swedish artist Moa Hoff, focusing on playful designs and unique patterns to stand out in a crowd. With domestic…
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Thanks to the deluge of connected home devices on the market, it’s highly probable that most households are going to need to reconsider how they handle their Wi-Fi. That’s particularly true for larger households which may have patches where the signal is a bit weaker than those closer to the single – likely ISP-supplied –…
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Few personal audio devices have seen such a massive leap on quality in recent years than true wireless earbuds. The careful juggling act between sound quality, battery life, connectivity and comfort has been nearing perfection with recent releases from Sony and Sennheiser. Although those two focus on just being lifestyle buds, with little consideration for…
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“Everyone has fooled themselves into a happy ending once or twice”, says NSW-based singer-songwriter Tullara on her new single. “I’d been holding onto the hope that this new love of mine was going to work itself out”. That’s what’s captured here in “Let This Go”, a piercing and poignant folk song, exclusively premiering on The…
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Aggressively blending real-time strategy and first-person shooter elements works, on paper. Disintegration is the latest title to hybridise the two genres, promising a new kind of gameplay that, while interesting, lacks the necessary depth to truly set it apart from novel sci-fi games of the past. Driving the hype behind this game is the involvement…
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Neil Perry’s stalwart Spice Temple is back. After a few weeks of having Rockpool transform the basement venue, the popular Sydney restaurant has fired up the wok for diners to explore the wonders (and heat) of regional Chinese. And that, of course, means 10-dish Golden Banquets, lunchtime Yum Cha, and also signature dishes like Executive…
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The ice cream lords of Ben & Jerry’s have teamed up with Sydney’s Bennett St Dairy to take their cookie dough to the next level with a new limited edition range. The popular Bondi bakers have been amplified through select B&J stores, supplying their Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough so Ben & Jerry fans can…
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