GPO Grand’s Personal Restaurant Butler is a world first service that promises to truly wow your significant other.
The bespoke system makes GPO Grand the leading location for Valentine’s Day this year, by enhancing your dining experience and allowing for patrons to astonish their dates with an array of indulgent surprises. Choose to lavish your beloved with long stem red roses, Champagne on arrival, a personalised hand written card, or a box of hand crafted chocolate truffles when booking. GPO Grand will do all of the hard work for you with the service provided free of any additional fees or charges, promising a spectacularly memorable experience at every step of the way.
Postales Restaurant
Indulge at Prime Restaurant and share a 1.5kg grain fed Tomahawk steak with your lover or enjoy a three course cheese and wine pairing experience at GPO Cheese and Wine Room. Valentine’s Day has its origin in Italy and our romantic al fresco dining options at Intermezzo will make you feel like you’re in Rome, or soak in some Spanish flair at Postales guaranteed to impress your special someone.
Peter Petroulas, Managing Director of GPO Grand commented, “The Restaurant Butler service was a world first when it was introduced in 2016. It remains an inherently special experience, unique to GPO Grand Restaurants. We are very proud to offer this service which has become an integral part of what we do”.
The Personal Restaurant Butler service is available across all GPO Grand Fine Dining restaurants which include Prime, Intermezzo, Postales, GPO Cheese and Wine Room and Subterranean, accompanying the various special Valentine’s Day Menus on offer, which make GPO the perfect venue to enjoy a uniquely exceptional evening.
Prime Restaurant
GPO RESTAURANT BUTLER SERVICE ADD-ONS
Single Long Stem Red Rose $35
Half Dozen Long Stem Red Roses $70
Dozen Long Stem Red Roses $98
Personalised Card $5
Box of 4 Chocolate Truffles $12
Box of 12 Chocolate Truffles $30
NV Gosset Champagne on arrival $24 glass / $135 bottle
Subterranean Restaurant
About GPO Grand
GPO Grand is an award-winning collection of 14 restaurants, cafes and bars located at Sydney’s premier address, 1 Martin Place. GPO GRAND | No.1 Martin Place | Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone (02) 9229 7700 | Online & Restaurant Butler Booking: www.gpogrand.com | Email: mail@gpogrand.com
Getting up early Monday morning? What better excuse to get all your friends together than for one of the biggest sports matches of the year – the Super Bowl! We all know someone who will be chucking a sickie on Monday to watch the game, so to celebrate one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles, … Read more
QV Melbourne Outdoor Cinema Extends Summer with their Feb-March Flick Fest program
Have you ever noticed that summer gets better towards the end? QV Melbourne is extending the warmth with a new season of their outdoor deckchair cinema from 1 February- 31 March.
The Indian summer season, dubbed Flick Fest, is a new program of themed film screenings, with a curated selection of everything from cult classics to recent hits. Special pre-film events will include live performances, guest appearances, pop-up bars, bring-your-dog charity screenings, ‘A Dog’s Valentine’ and more.
Kicking off the program is a week celebrating strong female characters from 1-4 February, with iconic films featuring fearless female leads, launching with the most epic tribute to the girl’s road trip: Thelma and Louise. The launch week will include live entertainment and free themed drinks from a pop up bar.
Home to the city’s beloved bring-your-dog charity screenings, QV Cinema’s famed doggie dress up nights return on 9 and 10 February with pampered pooches encouraged to attend with their owners. QV will offer free pet photography over the two nights, inviting Melburnians to bring their pets along styled in their most creative costumes to watch Red Dog 2 and the loveable A Dog’s Purpose. Proceeds from ticket sales for both nights go to The Lost Dogs’ Home.
“We made the choice to mix up the programming this year, with a bit of an Indian summer slant. Melbourne is just so vibrant in March, with so many festivals on, that it’s a great time to be out and about in the city – catching a movie after a comedy or fashion show and enjoying something to eat or drink under the stars,” says QV Melbourne’s General Manager Lisa Fleming.
On Friday 9 February, it’s ‘A Dog’s Valentine’. QV Cinema and The Lost Dogs’ Home are inviting Melburnians to meet their most loyal Valentine – an adopted pup to provide with a forever home, and just in time for Valentine’s Day! Cinema goers will meet a range of adoption dogs at 7:30pm, when a matchmaker from The Lost Dogs’ Home will provide expert matchmaking tips. For example, Labrador-cross Rosco loves long walks on the beach and prefers driftwood to balls. He’s suited to someone with an active lifestyle and lots of energy. Other dogs who come with their owners are invited to arrive with fur fluffed, dressed in their date-night best. All pups will parade down the red carpet to sniff out their favourite Valentine.
“It’s a fun spin on Valentine’s Day – because who is going to stick with you through thick and thin? An adopted dog will give you a lifetime of love and companionship. At The Lost Dogs’ Home, we have many wonderful dogs waiting for their happily-ever-after. We are very thankful for QV Melbourne’s support in shining a light on shelter dogs to help them find homes,” says Ben Pocock, General Manager of Shelter & Outreach Services, The Lost Dogs’ Home.
From 22 – 25 February, QV Cinema offers the chance to see previous Oscar favourites La La Land and Arrival, 2018 Oscar nominee Get Out, plus multi Australian AACTA Award Winner Lion, on the big screen before the Academy Awards on 4 March.
As Fashion Week descends on Melbourne, QV invites you to get your fashion fix at the cinema with a series of stylish films screening from 1 – 4 March. From 8 – 11 March, QV is throwing it back with a week of cult 80s classics and will host a cocktail bar, with a different 80’s themed cocktail available each night.
Bring the kids along to Animation Week from 15 – 18 March and sing-a-long to your favourite musicals from 22 – 25 March, with free popcorn for cinema guests each night.
Melbourne’s only silent cinema is located right in the heart of the city on the Astroturf lawn in QV Square. The intimate open-air deckchair cinema remains one of the city’s most affordable outdoor cinemas. Tickets at $12* (plus $1 booking fee) include deckchair seating and high quality headphones for every audience member.
Sessions begin at 8:30pm Thursday to Sunday nights from 1 February to 31 March 2018, with special event screenings commencing at 7:30pm.
Film lovers can wander down Artemis or Red Cape Lane to the open-air courtyard for intimate screenings of QV Outdoor Cinema’s eclectic variety of films. Grab a burger from Grill’d, a Movenpick ice cream or a dark hot chocolate from Max Brenner and lounge back in an intimate 80-seat deckchair cinema nestled in the heart of the ‘city within the city’.
Worlds apart from other retail precincts in Melbourne, QV represents the quintessential Melbourne lifestyle. Intimate laneways in the urban precinct give visitors the freedom to wander and discover the eclectic mix of shops, cafes and restaurants at their own pace. Located on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, QV has something for everyone with boutiques, enlightening entertainment and cosmopolitan bars and restaurants.
What: QV Melbourne’s Outdoor Cinema Flick Fest season
Tickets: All regular sessions cost $12*, or $14* (*plus $1 booking fee) for doggie dress up charity screenings. Bookings and full program available via qvcinema.com.au.
Combine 1 part peach puree with 2 parts Edenvale Alcohol Removed Sparkling Cuvee and stir gently. Delicious!
Sparkling Fruit Sangria
Ingredients:
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
10 large strawberries, sliced
1 cup orange juice
1 750ml bottle sweet white wine
1 750ml bottle your favourite bubbly
Directions:
Place all fruit and orange juice in a large pitcher or bowl, add wine and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 3 – 24 hours. Right before serving, add the sparkling wine. Taste; if you’d like it to be sweeter, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, honey, or agave. Serve and enjoy!
Sangria
Lemon & Lime Mocktail
Ingredients:
1/2 Lemon, 1/2 Lime and Edenvale Sparkling Cuvee
Directions:
1. Cut lemon and lime into small rounds
2. Pour desired amount of Edenvale Sparkling Cuvee into glass
3. Add lemon and lime rounds
4. Stir and enjoy!
Lemon & Lime Mocktail
Cucumber Cooler
1 cucumber
Mint leaves
Peel cucumber and blend in a blender to create a smooth consistency
Add mint leaves (muddle, bruise mint leaves with a wooden spoon)
Strain
Add 2 cups of Edenvale Sparkling Cuvee
Stir
Cucumber Cooler
Mimosas
Mimosas are synonymous with Sunday brunch. So, if you’re planning a festive season brunch at your place, why not try a DIY mimosa bar! Place a few bottles of Edenvale Alcohol Removed Sparkling Cuvee in an ice bucket, and arrange alongside different types of juice (orange, pomegranate, grape fruit, pear), bowls of chopped fruit for garnish (orange, lemon, lime, strawberry) and champagne flutes. Then let your guests create their own mimosas and experiment with unique flavour combinations.
Whitewool Farm – Hampshire South England Words by Sindy Chan chansindy.cd@gmail.com Images courtesy of Troy Nam with Hasselblad ‘Utopia’ I woke up to the sound of morning birds’ after a sound sleep in my ’wagon train’ at Meon Springs. The ‘wagon train’ is one of the six lakeside shepherds’ huts purposely-built for fly fishing lovers and holiday makers … Read more
Ballindalloch Castle, the much-loved family home of the Macpherson-Grants, was the last sightseeing itinerary of our 3-day-2-night The Belmond Royal Scotsman “Taste of the Highlands” train journey.
On day 3, before departure for sightseeing, Headwaiter Marx shared the daily menu, informing us that Aberdeen Angus beef was to be the main course of our formal dinner that night.
I realised later that we had encountered the Aberdeen Angus cattle in their homeland – the Ballindalloch Estate in Speyside of the Scotland Highlands, in a riotous profusion of season’s colours.
The black, hornless castle, a breed noticeable for its meat quality and easy rearing, are descended from the herd first started by the 3rd Baronet of Ballindalloch, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, in 1860, and are now the oldest surviving bloodlines of Aberdeen Angus in the world.
Guy Macpherson-Grant of Ballindalloch Castle received us at the coach park. Ian Gardiner, our Host on The Royal Scotsman Train said that Guy and wife Victoria always received Belmond guests upon arrival, personally taking each group around the castle.
Guy Macpherson-Grant of Ballindalloch CastleSeasonal splendour – Ballindalloch Castle
Wining Before Dining
Belmond Royal Scotsman Formal Dinner
I was so delighted to have Paupiette of Scottish oak-smoked salmon, my favourite poached langoustine, tomato & chive dressing as starter; and fully enjoyed the main courseRoast fillet of Aberdeen Angus beefin the Highlands of Scotland.
From what I learnt from steak gourmands, Aberdeen Angus breed is rich in flavour, juicy with a hint of sweetness from the grass. The smaller conformation allows for a thicker steak with the resulting contrast in textures – caramelised outside and buttery, melt-in-the-mouth inside. The short fibres, exquisite marble-textured Aberdeen Angus produces tender meat with excellent nutritional balance.
Paupiette of Scottish oak smoked salmon, poached langoustine with tomato, chive dressingPairing wine – Bacchus, Offida, Le Merlettaie Ciu Ciu, Italy 2015Roast fillet of Aberdeen Angus beefChocolate Cremeux, lime caramel sauce & hazelnut ice creamCheese and coffee in the Observation Car after dinner
First dinner on board
Isn’t that amazing …
The Royal Scotsman’s very fine culinary “Taste of the Highlands” are delivered from a two-chef’s kitchen?
Starter – Honey Roasted Duck Breast, Beetroot Chutney, Toasted Hazelnuts & Orange Reduction reminded of a little of Oriental flavour; pairing wine Wachauer, Rainer Wess, Gruner Veltliner Austria 2014.
Honey Roasted Duck Breast
Main Course – Oven-Roasted Halibut, Fondant Potato, Wilted Spinach, Crayfish & Chervil Veloute and pairing wine Montagny 1er cru, Les Grappes d’Or, Feuillat Juillot, Burgundy, France 2014 was a perfect match.
Oven-roasted Halibut
Who doesn’t like Champagne Jelly?
Dessert –Timbale of Seasonal Berries in Champagne Jelly, Raspberry Sorbet & Marshmallow
Timbale of seasonal berries in Champagne jellyPairing wine Montagny 1er cru, Les Grappes d’Or, Feillaut Juillot – Burgundy, France 2014
Risotto perfectly cooked
I always have problem with chewy, half-cooked Risotto. On the Royal Scotsman train, I discovered the perfectly cookedRoasted butternut squash Risotto.
Dine Well then Water Taxi to The Australian Open! Pre Tennis Package at Pure South Dining and P.S Bar + Kitchen Pure South Dining has been a fine dining institution for 13 years. Following their 2017 renovation and expansion over two levels, the river level of the restaurant has now been reimagined as P.S. Bar + … Read more
Rockpool Foundation launches Sweet Treat Project to deliver gifts to children in foster care
Rockpool Bar & Grill Passionfruit Pavlova
Rockpool Foundation, the official charity arm of Rockpool Dining Group, has today launched the Sweet Treat Project, which aims to raise at least $75,000 over the festive season to provide children in foster care with personalised gifts.
From Wednesday, 15 November to midnight on Tuesday, 26 December, $1 from every dessert sold across all 58 Rockpool Dining Group restaurants in NSW, Victoria and Queensland will be donated to the Rockpool Foundation’s Sweet Treat Project.
Rockpool Foundation will work with foster care agencies in each state to tailor 250 gifts, each to the value of $300, to every child’s specific needs and circumstances. Gifts could be anything from music lessons, to art supplies and sporting equipment.
Saké The Rocks Dragon Egg Dessert
From Rockpool Bar & Grill’s famous Passionfruit Pavlova and Saké Restaurant & Bar’s decadent Dragon Egg, to the much-loved Fratelli FreshBanoffee Torta, El Camino Cantina’scinnamon-dusted Churros with salted caramel sauce and Burger Project’s irresistible soft serve desserts, everyday sweet treats for diners will be converted into meaningful treats for disadvantaged kids.
Spice Temple – Three Milk Cake with dried raspberries, pistachio & almond
Other Rockpool Dining Group restaurants participating in the Sweet Treat Project are Rosetta Ristorante, Spice Temple, Jade Temple, Ananas, Munich Brauhaus,Bavarian Bier Café, The Bavarian, Saké Jr and Fratelli Famous.
Saké Restaurant Flinders Lane – Tofu Cheesecake
Rosetta Melbourne Baked Chocolate Mouse with caramelised pears
Every dessert on every menu is included in the Sweet Treat Project.
Diners who purchase a dessert at one of the Group’s restaurants in NSW, Victoria and Queensland during this period will receive a complimentary entry into the draw to win ‘The Ultimate Summer Dining Experience’, which recognises Rockpool Dining Group as an official restaurant partner of the 2018 Australian Open.
The Ultimate Summer Dining Experience includes :
• 4 x day-session tickets for the 2018 Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena for two consecutive days (valued at $3600)
• $5000 Qantas voucher to use on flights and accommodation
• $1000 voucher for Rockpool Bar & Grill at the Australian Open
• $150 meal voucher for Burger Project at the Australian Open
• 2 x $750 dining vouchers for Rockpool Dining Group’s premium Melbourne restaurants: Saké, Spice Temple or Rosetta Ristorante
• Meet & greet with Rockpool Dining Group Culinary Director, Neil Perry
Burger Project Christmas Soft Serve
**Information and Images Courtesy of Rockpool Dining Group/Rockpool Foundation– Rachel Lebihan
Chefs Gallery, Sydney’s favourite contemporary Chinese Restaurant Group, continue to revolutionise Asian cuisine with their biggest menu update in seven years. Available now is a mouth-watering range of tantalising new menu items exclusive to each restaurant location in Town Hall, Macquarie, Bankstown, Parramatta and Hurstville.
With each restaurant offering its own exclusive selection of dishes, customers are now able to walk into any Chefs Gallery location across Sydney and have a wholly unique culinary experience.
Fans of Chefs Gallery’s hugely popular classic menu can rest assured – the old favourites are all still there, with plenty receiving scrumptious upgrades, delicious new additions, and updated flavours.
“We’re thrilled to introduce this thoughtful new selection of spectacular dishes, largely influenced by each neighbourhood where we reside, from the suburbs of Sydney to the cities of China. Each dish is a brilliant compliment to all the favourites that have been loved and devoured over the years,” said Chefs Gallery Owner Kaisern Ching.
Here’s a taste of what’s on offer at each location:
TOWN HALL
Diners can look forward to a mind-blowing blend of classic Asian cuisine with contemporary twists, including delicately sweet jumbo king prawns steamed atop a light bed of sake and egg white custard, topped with black tobiko, plus Fujian style blue swimmer crab, served with dried and fresh scallop fried rice and housemade XO sauce.
MACQUARIE
Macquarie Centre’s braised and deep fried quail on the bone is an elevated take on a classic Chinese quail dish, and the duet of long red and green chillies filled with ground pork and fish paste, pan-fried to perfection, is the perfect share-plate fare.
PARRAMATTA
Parramatta’s Korean-style “mac and cheese” of rice cakes, sweet corn, butter, three cheeses, sambal and Korean chilli flakes is a flawlessly-executed fusion masterpiece, and even old-school Chinese take-out favourites get an inspiring modern update, with honeycomb chicken wings slathered in a delightfully sticky shiso, yuzu and honey glaze.
HURSTVILLE
Hurstville salutes a Cantonese classic with the wok fried Rostbiff Black Angus beef with cheung fun rice noodles, yellow garlic chives and sweet soy sauce. Vegetarians haven’t been forgotten either, with the golden battered eggplant, coated with melt-in-your-mouth salted duck egg yolk and black tobiko.
DESSERT MENU
The much-loved, innovative desserts menu has also received a delectable makeover, with a new range of irresistible treats blending traditional Asian flavours with refreshing modern influences joining the iconic Prince and Princess Piggy buns and Emoji Friends buns.
New desserts include a jaw-droppingly gorgeous deconstructed pavlova with Asian-inspired fresh and freeze-died fruits, and a French toast with peanut butter filling, toasted marshmallows, Persian fairy floss, honeycomb and housemade Hong Kong milk tea ice cream. All these desserts and more are available at all Chefs Gallery locations.
The Fitzroy Street Halloween Festival was totally spook-tacular as you can see by the fabulous pics!
Roving entertainment and fun-filled activities ensured there was something for everyone whatever the age.
The Fitzroy Street Halloween Festival ran from afternoon through to early eve, with celebrations spanning the entire length of Fitzroy Street. Special appearances from some of our favourite Halloween personalities, included the Addams Family, the creepy cast of Rocky Horror, and the one and only Dracula, helped maintain a vibrant atmosphere.
However this community event wasn’t all screams and scares! Endless family friendly entertainment included stilt walkers, fire twirlers, and face painters keen to transform fresh faces.
There were plenty of treats alongside the tricks last Saturday, with a variety of cafes, restaurants and bars along Fitzroy Street guaranteed to calm your terror.
Many of the traders and stores along the famous Fitzroy Street strip also got in on the action, decorating their stores, and hosting some of the special guests.
The cauldron was certainly brewing with Fitzroy Street totally transformed, entertaining both Halloween first-timers, to veterans of the festival.
