Australian Distillers Association president Stuart Gregor (centre) with fellow Four Pillars gin distillers Matt Jones (left) and Cam Mackenzie. Photo: Supplied After years of lobbying by the Australian drinks industry, the federal government will allow eligible distillers to receive a full refund of any excise duty they pay, up to an annual cap of $350,000…
Two-hatted Laura restaurant at Pt. Leo Estate. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen Victoria's Mornington Peninsula is the gift that keeps on giving. Coastline meets verdant fields meets an almost unseemly wealth of winemaking and cheffing talent. Not to mention all of the world-class golf courses. But too much is never enough, as the past few years have…
Market Lane coffee from Melbourne. Photo: Supplied 10 of Sydney's best coffee delivery services (all deliver nationwide) Working from home doesn't mean skimping on quality coffee. Whether you're time poor and can only spend the time it takes to pour hot water in a mug or devoted to the full espresso experience, we've got you.Code BlackDrink…
Missing Japan? Cheer yourself up with these three shochu spirits. Photo: iStock There's been little cheer for Japanophiles of late. No travel to the Tokyo Olympics, a global Japanese whisky shortage – and who knows when you'll next see that tiny awesome ramen joint in Shinjuku. Thank goodness for shochu. That's where the (rising) sunshine's…
Perfect pairing: A faultless accompaniment to its natural wines is Ahiru Store's bonito carpaccio with pickled green peppers and ginger. Photo: Luke Burgess Japan has long played creative muse for chefs Michael Ryan and Luke Burgess. They spent months there compiling their book Only in Tokyo. Here, they distil their passion into this essential travel…
Seared Hervey Bay Scallops at Rick Stein At Bannisters. Photo: Supplied Go for the beaches and fishing, stay for the food. Make time for these five food stops on your next coast break.1. Rick Stein at BannistersLocated at luxury Bannisters Hotel, the Australian restaurant of English celebrity chef Rick Stein is somewhere everyone should go…
Fiji could be one of the countries included in an expansion of the trans-Tasman bubble. Photo: Supplied New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has turned her focus on the Pacific in the next steps of expanding the trans-Tasman bubble, Stuff.co.nz reports.Ardern met Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Queenstown on Monday, the first time the pair…
Applicants may work in any section of the kitchen, at any position. Photo: iStock Calling promising young chefs from New South Wales and Victoria: the Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year Award judges want to hear from you.Chefs aged under 30 based in NSW or Victoria can enter the contest for a chance to…
Classic cheeseburger from Betty's Burgers. Photo: Supplied Pop into Betty's for a post-beach burger. Photo: Supplied Belmondo's interior features a model plane. Photo: Supplied Vegan doughnuts at GoVegan Deli. Photo: Supplied The clean cafe interior complements GoVegan Deli's clean-eating ethos. Photo: Supplied Zabe Cafe pours locally roasted Clandestino coffee. Photo: Supplied Zabe Cafe is a…
The outback doesn't get more out-the-back than the Kimberley. Photo: El Questro The concept of adventure is open to question – one person's shark dive is another person's unopened mussel; both could end badly and the degree of danger is purely subjective.For instance, I thought our group was being quite adventurous when we hiked to…
Southwest have ditched plans to restart serving alcohol, following a recent surge in disruptive behaviour from passengers. Photo: AP Southwest Airlines said on Friday it will not resume alcohol services on board until the end of July, ditching its plans to restart next month, following a recent surge in in-flight disruptions by passengers."Given the recent…
Wealthy Asians are escaping to the US to get their Covid jabs. Photo: iStock Wealthy Asians are escaping COVID-19 vaccine shortages and flying thousands of miles to the US to get their life-saving jabs.As American states entice their citizens with lottery tickets and donuts in exchange for a jab in their arms, travel agencies are popping…
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: The first commercial flight of the Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft takes off from Tullamarine Airport on December 15, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off from Melbourne to Los Angeles beginning a new era for the Australian airline. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images) Getty…
Jugiong was a little bypassed village near Gundagai that grew into a food-and-wine destination. Photo: Supplied Welcome to Jugiong: population 222. Until the weekend, that is, when it feels more like 3 million. And that's not counting Hollywood actor Matt Damon, who turned up on the Anzac Day weekend and grabbed a coffee in the…
Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Photo: Lucas Muro Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Photo: Lucas Muro Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Photo: Lucas Muro Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Photo: Lucas Muro Qantas' top-tier, invite-only Chairman's Lounge in Brisbane. Photo:…
Fat Pig Farm, Matthew Evans' new cookery school. Photo: Michelle Crawford Matthew Evans is clean-cut for a farmer. His fingernails are spotless, his face smooth and there's an Anthony Bourdain semblance. Like Bourdain, Evans has been a chef, writer and television personality. He quit his job as a senior Fairfax food critic in 2005 and moved…
Melbourne chef Johnny Di Francesco developed his award-winning pizza recipe after a working trip to Naples. Photo: Kathy Tran Naples is not only the birthplace of "real" pizza but, many say, Italy's best pasta, pastry and espresso. Australian Italian chef and award-winning pizzaiolo Johnny Di Francesco reveals the places he chooses to wine and dine,…
Local grass-fed beef is on the menu at Homage restaurant, Hidden Vale. Photo: Supplied Let's get it out of the way straight up: Marsden's Seafood, the fish and chip shop that once belonged to Pauline Hanson, is still in business. These days it's owned by a pleasant Vietnamese family and they can chicken salt a…
Classic cheeseburger from Betty's Burgers. Photo: Supplied Pop into Betty's for a post-beach burger. Photo: Supplied Belmondo's interior features a model plane. Photo: Supplied Vegan doughnuts at GoVegan Deli. Photo: Supplied The clean cafe interior complements GoVegan Deli's clean-eating ethos. Photo: Supplied Zabe Cafe pours locally roasted Clandestino coffee. Photo: Supplied Zabe Cafe is a…
Delicious trip: The Indian Pacific crosses the Nullarbor Plain at a leisurely pace. Photo: Selina Day Freedom awaits as we chug out of Adelaide, with thousands of kilometres ahead on one of the world's great rail journeys.It's enough to get any travellers tingling. Add in the lure of premium wine and food on the Indian…
Non-alcoholic beers, spirits and wines are enjoying a boom in demand in Australia. Photo: Supplied A booze-free beer is now the best-selling drink in bottle shops and pubs There's no doubt alcohol-free drinks are having a bit of a moment. With an ever-expanding range of premium booze-free wines, beers and spirits hitting the shelves, there has never been…
Perfect pairing: A faultless accompaniment to its natural wines is Ahiru Store's bonito carpaccio with pickled green peppers and ginger. Photo: Luke Burgess Japan has long played creative muse for chefs Michael Ryan and Luke Burgess. They spent months there compiling their book Only in Tokyo. Here, they distil their passion into this essential travel…
Dr Charles 'Chuck' Hahn at the Malt Shovel Brewery in Camperdown, May 2021. Photo: Wolter Peeters In the beginning there was porter, shipped to Australia by the First Fleet and enjoyed with salt beef in Botany Bay. Later came Carlton, Foster's, Tooheys and Tooth's. At some point: Light Ice. Today, the domestic beer scene is…
The Stokehouse in St Kilda. Photo: Supplied From kangaroos to beachside views, here are some of the best tables, and tableaux, around Australia.Arc Dining, Brisbane, QLDBrisbane-born young gun Alanna Sapwell moved back to the Sunshine State from Sydney's Saint Peter in 2019 to take on this light, airy riverside pavilion and adjacent wine bar, and she's…
Vegan cooking class in Udaipur, India. Photo: Supplied "My plan for you is to leave India with an extra kilogram," says Bhagirath Purohit. Our tour leader smiles, looks down at his belly and pats it. I survey the rounds of warm, whole-wheat chapatti, springy khaman (steamed chickpea cake) flecked with mustard seeds, long pods of…
The Farm in Byron Bay. Photo: Anthony Ong 1. Cooking by the lake Proving that if you build it they will come, hospo veteran Alla Wolf-Tasker has added a cooking school to her lakeside restaurant, hotel and spa. The Lake House all-day masterclasses ($240 a head) attract leading chefs from around the country. The next,…
The modern warehouse space is a one-stop food destination. Photo: Adam Gibson Flinders Island, off the coast of Tasmania, has become famous among chefs for its giant rock lobsters, lamb, wallaby and muttonbird (a fat-rich native harvested by the Aboriginal population). But until now the rugged land has been relatively restaurant-free. The annual star-studded food…
Fresh, light, young and uncomplicated, prosecco originated in north-eastern Italy and took over the world. Photo: iStock Prosecco is the name and the wine on everyone's lips, judging from the racks of bottles of the product, both Australian and imported, in my local bottle-oh. Fresh, light, young and uncomplicated, prosecco originated in north-eastern Italy and…
#1: Monsterella (how the couple's daughter Mila pronounces 'mozzarella') offers an array of authentic Italian street food. Photo: David Prestipino As you make your way south from Milan to Rome to the rustic heartlands of Napoli, Calabria, Abruzzo and Sicily, the style of pizza in Italy changes as dramatically as the language and the landscape, bringing a…
Rotisserie chicken from Pickett's Deli & Rotisserie at the Victoria Market. Photo: Pat Scala EARL Canteen's customers have been begging them to open at Melbourne Airport for years. "It's definitely our most asked-for location," says Jackie Middleton, EARL's director and co-founder."I think there's a perception that food at the airport isn't great, and Melburnians are…
Why do we drink so much of the same varietals? Isn't that just a little boring? Photo: iStock Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, semillon and riesling: they're the mainstays of the Australian white wine offering. Added together, they account for 75 per cent of the white wine that's produced in this country.But there are probably…