Public Relations Agency
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was a roaring, crowd-pleasing, game-changing success and KDPO was thrilled to play our part in such an historic occasion through working with the series’ official champagne sponsor, iconic champagne house Taittinger.
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There simply cannot be too many easy-going venues that seamlessly combine drinks, food, music and art, which is why we’re ringing the bell for new Windsor bar Young Hearts.
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We’re loving the way Chadstone has gone from a shopping centre to a must-visit food destination. Case in point: Cityfields, the hugely anticipated brasserie-style diner located in The Social Quarter, Chaddy’s ground-breaking new leisure and dining precinct.
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The bagel revolution reached Armadale with the arrival of Hank’s Bagelry in April. The elevated New York-style bagels on offer from the shop by the Beatty Group, the masterminds behind Copycat Bar & Restaurant and Mammoth Café, have become an immediate hit and established it as a must-visit destination for aficionados while making plenty of new converts to the bagel cause.
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A collaboration between Kiwi chef Josh Emett, of Waiheke Island’s The Oyster Inn, and Raes, the gorgeous Byron Bay boutique hotel and dining room, was a meeting of two icons.
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It’s easy to see why retro motels are all the rage. They’re a slice of Australian history, wrapped up in the gold-tinged nostalgia of childhood – and they make the perfect excuse for a roadtrip.
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Has it really been that long? June saw us wondering where the past 15 years had gone when Shane Delia’s acclaimed Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant Maha celebrated its significant birthday (answer: the past decade and a half disappeared in a delicious whirl of silken hummus, fall-apart lamb shoulder and pomegranate-spike cocktails).
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It’s been great to see the much-loved Saint building on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda getting a new lease on life. With five new drinking and dining concepts collected under the Saint Hotel roof, and a surfeit of glamour sprinkled across the entire endeavour, it’s a new city hotspot delivered by a team of hospitality…
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The opening of a new Chris Lucas restaurant is always an event on the Melbourne hospitality calendar so it was a thrill for KDPO to help launch his latest venture, the very glamorous Grill Americano in Melbourne’s CBD.
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The sun has been shining on Melbourne’s iconic Stokehouse for more than 30 years. And now Melbourne’s favourite beachside playground is delivering St Kilda even more vitamin D in the form of newly launched Stokehouse Pasta & Bar, where Mediterranean vibes rule just metres from the sand.
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KDPO has been an enthusiastic cheerleader for what is rightly described as “the world’s most beautiful butcher” since Victor Churchill opened in Melbourne in 2021. So we were counting down the days to their first birthday in November last year, and were on hand to help blow out the candles on the cake.
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Sandwiches are king of the castle right now. Not the sad old school lunchbox numbers but their luxe cousins, made with excellent produce and a chef’s eye for detail. For a case in point, look no further than the limited edition, one-weekend-only sandwich, an amazing collaboration between our client, glam Armadale butcher Victor Churchill, and Fitzroy’s newest food crush, Hector’s Deli.
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The imposing Orrong Hotel has been an Armadale landmark for the past 150 years, and locals (some of them lucky members of the KDPO office) are thrilled it’s had a new lease on life since its reopening late last year under new owners Scott Connolly and Matt Vero.
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Our favourite gelateria Pidapipo really does deserve the label “cult”. Melbourne’s most creative gelato hub has proven its brilliance at blending traditional and innovative techniques and flavours time and again since opening in 2013.
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It’s always exciting when Shane Delia embarks on a new project. Melbourne’s king of Middle Eastern food launched his cocktail bar Jayda in November, and the latest addition to his incredible restaurant and bar portfolio is a stunning exercise in art deco-leaning glamour, with a black marble-topped curved green bar and high-top seating in the front room leading to a sophisticated salon accessed through an archway.
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It’s one of Melbourne’s OG food businesses; an institution that has been trading on its prominent corner of Lygon and Faraday Streets in Carlton for more than 150 years. Yes, we’re talking about King and Godfree, the Italian-hearted deli and grocer. After all these years it has plenty of tales to tell, which makes it…
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We’ve been long-time fans of chef Peter Gunn and his excellent restaurant IDES, so we were more than excited to help him launch his second venue, a wine bar called March. Right next door to his restaurant on Smith Street in Collingwood, March is an intimate, moodily-lit, Japanese-inspired ode to small wine and sake producers, interesting cocktails and exquisite bar food (we’re suckers for the sake-steamed pipis and the sweet-and-sour quail). The offering is pure Gunn with its perfect balance of creativity and flavour, with added drinks ballast from IDES sommelier Hayley McCarthy.
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Babajan, the exquisite little bakery and kitchen in North Carlton, has been gathering a cult following for its “Turkish-leaning” baked, fresh and sweet goods since it opened in 2016 on the corner of Nicholson and Pigdon Streets. Now owner Kirsty Chiaplias has spread the love to the CBD.
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We’ll admit it: all of us here at KDPO are just a little bit addicted to fashion. In fact, we’re sure it’s embedded in our DNA, along with our collective love for the incredible style of Sydney-based lifestyle brand bassike.
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The KDPO office’s love of coffee is legendary – which makes it double the fun that one of our clients is Jack Murat, the pioneering Australian single origin coffee bean farmers changing the caffeine game.
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Melbourne-based designer Sener Besim is internationally renowned for his contemporary jewellery, eyewear and knitwear. His jewellery has been worn by the likes of Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton and has been described as “futuristic, clean, sharp and aspiring to perfection”. His work also looks amazing on anybody who wears it so KDPO was excited when…
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Anyone who has encountered Victor Churchill, the acclaimed marble-clad butcher shop in Sydney’s Woollahra, has been dazzled by the audacity of its vision.
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Can’t travel to Italy right now? Well, look no further than Sand Hill Road’s flagship CBD venue, Garden State, which mid-last year shifted gears on its flagship Garden Grill.
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It was a red-letter day when HER swung open its multiple doors in early February. Almost six years in the making, the four-level, multi-concept venue on Lonsdale Street in the city became an instant Melbourne landmark and the latest addition to our famous “vertical laneways”. A grand Victorian rescued from neglect by the HQ group…
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Anyone who lives in Melbourne knows the city’s restaurant scene can be best understood in terms of BCC (before Chin Chin) and ACC (after Chin Chin). For the past decade it’s been a party disguised as a restaurant – which makes it absolutely no surprise that the 10th birthday of the Flinders Lane lovely was…
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We relished the opportunity to introduce the world to the debonaire Patsy’s, a wine bar and meat-free bistro that swung open its doors, opened directly opposite the Queen Victoria Market on the fringe of Melbourne’s CBD late last year.
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There are few prettier settings in Melbourne for lunch than the Terrace cafe. Tucked inside the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, it’s right next to the vast Ornamental Lake and has amazing views across the gardens to Government House. In even more excellent news, this little slice of bucolic paradise has recently re-opened after a major renovation from new operator, the Darling Group, which includes Top Paddock, Higher Ground and Sorrento’s Stingers in its portfolio.
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We were fizzing with excitement when leading international wine house Chandon engaged KDPO to assist in promoting its Garden Spritz Summer Sessions pop-up at its stunning Yarra Valley estate.
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It was love-all when Melbourne’s iconic late night souvlaki institution Stalactites joined forces with the highest ranked Greek tennis player in history, Stefanos Tsitsipas – all in the name of raising funds for mental health.
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We fell hook, line and sinker for the joys of promoting the North Carlton seafood shop The Fishmonger’s Son.
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It was difficult for Melburnians not to feel a little jealous hearing about Sydney-dwelling southern Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant INDU. We’re not just talking the signature lamb raan but the glamorous surroundings, the subcontinental cocktails and the all-round oh la la. So we were doubly thrilled to help launch INDU’s Melbourne chapter in the…
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Iconic St Kilda restaurant Stokehouse got into a plate-smashing mood to celebrate Orthodox Easter this year, with a one-off dinner with its Executive Chef Jason Staudt and talented chef Matt Germanchis. Matt is behind Anglesea’s acclaimed Fish By Moonlite, so it should come as no surprise that the night included some amazing seafood in the…
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Melbourne’s most glamorous and mysterious new cocktail bar is Curious by name and curious by nature. Tucked away in a subterranean cocoon in Melbourne’s brand-new W Hotel, it’s the new address for the glitterati – which meant it deserved a suitably exclusive launch party. KDPO pulled together a guest list of movers and shakers from…
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Melbourne’s arts scene is always full of thrills and surprises, one of the latest being Souvenirs of Sleep, the most recent and ongoing project of prolific young artist and filmmaker Ling Ang that KDPO helped launch and promote. Consisting of a photobook and an immersive experience installation, Souvenirs of Sleep documents Ling’s lucid dreams, focussing…
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KDPO has long been an admirer of social enterprise Free to Feed, which for the past five years has been creating empowering employment opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers while spreading awareness through shared food experiences. So naturally we jumped at the chance to provide pro-bono help in May when FTF launched their fabulous new…
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Live music is back, baby! While virtual gigs sustained us through 2020, it’s great to get back to experience music IRL (real life… remember that?). Following the phenomenal success of last year’s live stream event Live, Loud and Local, KDPO once again jumped on board with Coopers Brewery and Live Nation Australasia to promote live…
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Melbourne loves Providoor, Shane Delia’s premium delivery service that brings food from some of Melbourne’s best restaurants to peoples’ homes. Providoor has always been much more than just another delivery app – as it proved conclusively with a recent series of virtual masterclasses designed to celebrate key dates in the calendar, including Easter and Mothers’…
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We at KDPO are firmly in the pro-chocolate camp, so it was a thrill to launch Hunted + Gathered’s new chocolate spread range, along with the retail release of their cooking chocolate. You’ve probably already heard of these cool kids on the chocolate block, but by way of backstory, Hunted + Gathered was started in…
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The Westin Hotel has brought a nautical theme to its legendary High Tea. In collaboration with Four Pillars Gin, the boozy, seafood-themed experience is called High Seas and includes gin-based cocktails (like the 50/50, a mix of Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Lillet Blanc and orange bitters) and delicate and delicious finger food like curried…
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Want a great example of successful pivoting during lockdown? Look no further than the successful collaboration between Melbourne bayside restaurant icon Stokehouse and legendary seafood wholesaler Clamms. Stokehouse chef Jason Staudt joined up with the Clamms folk to put together three boxes of premium seafood and BBQ goodies that could be enjoyed at home, on…
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The beginning of 2021 has already seen some of our favourite clients presenting exciting new initiatives. Prahran Market cheese gurus Maker & Monger have collaborated with former MasterChef winner Diana Chan on a deliciously fiery toastie called the Sambal Hae Bee. Inspired by Malaysian dried shrimp sambal, the toastie has shrimp, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, chillies…
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We were beside ourselves with post-COVID excitement when we finally got to host our first in real life event for South Australian winery Bird in Hand. Birds of a feather flocked together at our equally lovely client Stokehouse’s elegant private events space, the Palm Room. Enjoying stunning St Kilda beach views, fabulous food from executive…
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The festive season was a little bit different last year, for obvious reasons, but we have become expert practitioners in the art of the pivot. Case in point: our annual Start of Summer lunch, which is held every year on the first Friday of December at Johnny’s Green Room. In pre-pandemic times, Johnny’s rooftop with…
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It was born in Sydney in 2013, but the opening of Mejico in Melbourne in December represented a homecoming of sorts. Ian Hicks, the Hicks Hospitality Group Director, is a proud Melburnian, so to bring the hugely popular Mexican restaurant and tequila bar to his hometown was a deservedly proud moment and KDPO was happy…
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It’s not really summer until Arbory Afloat, the much-loved floating bar and restaurant anchored next to Flinders Street Station each year, announces its décor and flavour theme for the coming season. In previous years there’s been a Euro beach club vibe but this year, like the rest of us, they’re sticking a little closer to…
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The place to be this summer has been lakeside in Albert Park. KDPO helped the teams behind South Melbourne diner Half Acre and catering creatives food&desire establish a pop-up urban retreat that makes the picnic rug a chic accoutrement indeed. Lakeside at Carousel was all about giving event-starved Melburnians the chance to grab a COVID-19…
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While everyone in Melbourne was bummed about not being able to frequent their fave brunch spots on the weekend when we went into our first lockdown in March, little did we know that Australian charity OnePlate would come to our rescue. In May this year, Australian charity OnePlate launched its first-ever cookbook “Brunch in Melbourne”…
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Cookes Food is a premium and multifaceted events and catering company that has been no stranger to a pivot in 2020. After a calendar full of events and functions were cleared overnight for Cookes founder Sophie Storen in late March when COVID-19 hit our shores, Sophie and her team put their thinking caps on and started…
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Everyone’s favourite gelateria Pidapipo decided to combine forces with much loved Melbourne artist Beci Orpin to lift the spirits the only way they knew how; with art and gelato cakes. In late July, Pidapipo owner Lisa Valmorbida worked her magic and came up with three different mini gelato cakes all with puff pastry bases and…
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Carlton North café Babajan has been winning over locals, tourists and foodies alike with their delicious Turkish and Middle Eastern creations for years. Due to its cosy nature, it wasn’t too COVID-19 friendly, so owner Kirsty Chiaplias decided to make the leap into transforming Babajan into a takeaway and provedore heaven in August 2020. The…
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Now in its 14th year, Young Gun of Wine had to mix it up a little in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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It would take a stronger person than us to get through this whole pandemic thing without a few beers. Collingwood brewery Stomping Ground was happy to keep brewing beer during the shutdown but was also sad about all those COVID-shuttered pubs across the city so they decided to do something.
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One of the few upsides of COVID-19 is observing the creativity and compassion it has brought out in so many in our communities. One initiative that KDPO loved so much we donated our time to help get the word out was from our clever friends at event and design consultancy, Moth Design.
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Past and present came together in an unexpected but ultimately comforting way at King & Godfree recently. K&G, a licensed grocery store operating since 1884, has been owned and operated by the Valmorbida family since 1955 and was recently renovated. And then COVID-19 arrived to spoil the party.
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Live music is one of the things we’ve missed the most in lockdown, so KDPO was completely on board when Coopers Brewery engaged us to promote their virtual entertainment series, Live, Loud & Local, nationally.
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To celebrate one year of good times at Johnny’s Green Room, we threw an exuberant birthday party on Thursday 5 December with 200 of our closest friends, family, media and industry faces.
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When we saw three young Bondi guys making waves and changing the fast-food scene in Sydney with Fishbowl we were excited to find out that they were making their way down to our beloved Melbourne.
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For the third year in a row, Arbory Afloat sailed up the Yarra and moored itself beside Flinders St Station for another epic Melbourne summer. Following on from a recent overseas work research trip, the team at Arbory decided to focus on a Miami theme this year to encapsulate the cultural diversity of the vibrant American city.
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Our fave cheese guy, Anthony Femia, has had a serious upgrade in his lodgings, swapping his cute but humble antique cheese cart for a bells-and-whistles permanent stall at the Prahran Market.
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Melbourne food truck king and owner of Brunswick’s Beatbox Kitchen, Raph Rashid staged a 24-hour burger flipping marathon for charity in August to raise money for the Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS).
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Byron Bay’s iconic luxury boutique, spa and restaurant Raes added another string to its bow this year when it kicked off its inaugural Artist in Residence program with artist Stanislas Piechaczek.
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The Westin Melbourne loves a collaboration. Last time around it was all about the cheese when the hotel joined forces with our favourite cheese shop and toastie technicians Maker & Monger. Now they’ve joined forces with crazy dessert alchemists Burch & Purchese.
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Modern Thai juggernaut Chin Chin celebrated Melbourne dads on Fathers’ Day this year with a special ‘Feed Me’ menu, featuring a roll call of Chin Chin classics for just $69.50 per head. But this is Chin Chin so the fun didn’t stop there.
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Pepe’s Italian & Liquor opened its doors revealing the epic transformation from the original Trunk Restaurant & Bar on Exhibition Street. Owner Nick Kutcher drew inspiration for the Italian-American style menu from his time living in New York, which celebrates Italian immigrant cuisine, starring classic pizza and pasta dishes, as well as family-style shared mains.
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Arbory Afloat, Melbourne’s hottest (and longest) floating restaurant and bar swapped spritz and pizza for Namaste and downward dog when it hosted Yoga On The Yarra for International Women’s Day.
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Peroni has climbed aboard the party train to celebrate its first significant global brand overhaul in more than a decade.
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Boozy, buffet and brunch are three words we can all get behind. Put them all together and they’re even better as Adam Wright-Smith is currently proving at Half Acre, his bar, eatery and events space in South Melbourne.
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Yarra Valley-based winery Chandon celebrated their sponsorship at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival with a lunch in August at one of KDPO’s second homes, Agostino Wine Bar in Carlton.
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We helped spread the word about the latest Arbory Live sessions – a 10-week long music and experiential art program that ran from early November into the New Year.
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Off the back of the success of its Byron Bay and Noosa restaurants, Light Years opened a third outpost in the always sunny Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
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Following the phenomenal success of Chin Chin Sydney’s underground event space Chii Town, the Melbourne Chin Chin mothership now has its own dedicated space.
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By now most diners and restaurateurs would be familiar with the ‘Broadsheet Effect’. Get on the publication’s radar and suddenly people are lining up out the doors to try what you’ve got. So it’s no surprise that their new Kitchen project was an eagerly anticipated affair.
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The team who curated the successful ‘Wakes me Into’ and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ exhibition reunited for ‘Simple Gestures’ to raise money and awareness of Youth Cancer.
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It was time to celebrate the opening of King & Godfree’s new rooftop bar, and launch, we did.
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The deli owners at King & Godfree helped bring Italian culture to Melbourne in the 1880s. After years of planning and renovations, it’s back doing what it does best… only better.
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They say those in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones. Maybe they should instead follow Half Acre’s example and throw get-togethers in a large, light-filled dining space.
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We figured it was our duty to pack the sandals and linens and head north again to check out the new additions to our favourite beachside destination.
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Ahh, spring racing. You get to party when you win, party to drown your loses, and perhaps party the hardest when you forget the horses are running.
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Did you guys know Argentina boasts the world’s best steak? Or that Chilean’s fish from one of the longest coastlines on Earth? If not, it’s time for a hands-on (napkins tucked) education at Citrico Cocina.
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High Cheese is a contemporary take on English high tea with a much, much greater emphasis on cheese. So, really, they should’ve thought of it centuries ago.
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Australia’s best Young Gun of Wine (YGOW to keep things short) just wrapped up its 12th competition year! The Final 12 Trophy event was held at Mona on Monday 18th June, and team KDPO was there, front and centre, wine glass polished and ready.
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Something like a phenomeno(m) It’s what most parents dreams are made of. The answer to getting kids to eat (and love!) their veggies. The secret? Well, it’s a Phenomenom. Yep, you heard, Phenom-e-nom with an m. It’s a first of its kind food education program that’s broken things wide open when it comes to kids,…
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Picture the Rochey, a long-standing neighbourhood pub in Fitzroy that had undergone a facelift and reputation change just over three years ago, doing its bit for the foodies and drinkers of the inner north of Melbourne. Craft beers, innovative cocktails and rock ‘n’ roll
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Babajan already gives the Carlton North breakfast crowd a spicy antidote to smashed avocado and eggs benedict. Trouble is, you used to have to get there before nightfall. Until now.
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This year CAPI’s bullet-shaped bottles shot to number one, taking out Best Tonic Water at the 2017/18 World Beverage Competition (it’s just one of their 12 prestigious awards to-date). So when they were set to launch their new Native Tonic, we thought it best to host it somewhere that felt worlds apart from the competition.
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Mark Twain once said, “too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough”. We’re inclined to believe him (especially since that moustache of his would’ve trapped a lot of whisky).
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When you wake up with your brain rinsed into the size and texture of a dry sponge, it’s easy to start hatching clean living plans (that start tomorrow). We’ve embraced a simple way to improve our health and doesn’t involve broken promises.
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In April 2018 Pidapipo opened their new gelateria on Degraves Street. This officially meant a Pidapipo now exists on each side of the river and in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD. It’s a well-tested strategy really: divide and conquer.
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You know something tastes good when it inspires lines out the door. And you know something tastes darn good when people can’t handle waiting and start demanding their own recipe book.
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On February 14 we matched Pidapipo with one of Australia’s most sought-after illustrators, Alice Oehr. Her style always manages to imbue the every day with idiosyncrasy and a little bit of wonder, which is what you need (especially on Valentine’s Day).
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What do you do when you want to impress people at home with a dining experience that’s très déliicieux and artfully prepared but you’d rather not dedicate your entire life to learning how to be a top chef? Romu Oudeyer and his partner Liz have the answer.
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CAPI released a new range of carbonated beverages that are completely free of artificial flavours and sweeteners. In other words, they’re good for you. Some might say cocktails for breakfast are bad for you. But if you make those cocktails using natural cucumber or lemongrass & ginger-infused CAPI then everything evens out. Probably.
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Any stroll down Swan Street (or Brunswick Street, or Gertrude Street, Glenferrie Road, or Chapel Street or… the list goes on) will prove that Melbourne loves American style dining. But you’re unlikely to see a Starbucks unless you’re en route to the airport because we need our Melbourne coffee (goshdarnit!).
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If the fizzy stuff saves your life from time to time, you’ll know no one does it better than CAPI. They’ve remained a family-owned, family-run business since they started out in 2012. But there’s only so much growing you can do before you need to upgrade your office.
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Arbory Bar & Eatery has been so popular that they’ve had to extend service onto the water over the warmer months. And when they asked us to help relaunch their Arbory Afloat concept again for summer 2017 we were more than happy to jump aboard.
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Online shopping stores tend to build aesthetic trust because, unlike bigger retail outlets, there’s usually a very small team of likeminded people running the show. They behave and shop like your actual friends.
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People tend to queue outside The Lucas Group venues with patient, barely contained excitement; it’s like they’re waiting for tickets to the Rolling Stones final tour (supported by Beyoncé, Jay Z and Harry Styles).
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Unlike a lot of wine labels, this is the kind of thing that actually fulfils its ostentatious promises. It’s the Young Gun of Wine awards, a chance for the very best up-and-comers in the wine scene to show off their best drops and compete for glory.
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The Yarra-side fence line at Flinders Street Station used to attract old chip packets and fare evaders. But since Arbory Eatery & Bar took over in 2015, the spot’s been transformed into an idyllic drinking nook; perfect for winding down in the shade and watching the city drift by.
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Byron Bay. Turquoise seas, tropical rainforests and sand so fine it dimples like silk under your toes. It’s perfect. And Rae’s on Wategos is the perfect place to make the most of it.
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