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.
Read MoreHospitality
Young At Heart
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.
Read MoreA Bagel Attraction
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.
Read MoreA Cruisy Collab
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.
Read MoreMaha’s Big Night
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).
Read MoreThrill at the Grill
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.
Read MoreFanfare for the Classic Pub
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.
Read MoreThe March of Wine
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.
Read MoreTurkish Delight in the City
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.
Read MoreMeat, Meet Art
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.
Read MoreGarden State goes Italian
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.
Read MoreHER to the Power of Four
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…
Read MoreA decade of Chin Chin
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…
Read MorePatsy’s Charms North Melbourne
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.
Read MoreChandon Puts the Sparkle in Summer
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.
Read MoreGrand Slam Souvlaki
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.
Read MoreGone Fishing
We fell hook, line and sinker for the joys of promoting the North Carlton seafood shop The Fishmonger’s Son.
Read MoreStokehouse by moonlite
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…
Read MoreCuriouser and curiouser
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…
Read MoreFree to feed ready to party
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…
Read MorePlay it live and play it loud
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…
Read MoreSpecial delivery
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’…
Read MoreHunted + Gathered + slathered
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…
Read MoreThe Westin sets sail
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…
Read MoreTicking the box
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…
Read MoreTasty collaborations
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…
Read MoreBird in Hand pops a cork
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…
Read MoreJohnny’s Green Room salutes the sun
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…
Read MoreAussie beach house on the Yarra
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…
Read MoreLakeside lovelies
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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