HOT: Sushi Ten, Shop 14-15 Port Phillip Arcade, 228 Flinders St, Melbourne

I confess that even though I’m a food snob, when it comes to Japanese food I can’t really tell the difference between good and excellent. If it’s Japanese then I’ll tend to like it (gluggy rice aside).
Not so my friend Ev, who has lived in Japan, visited the country many times and is very selective [...]

HOT: Prodigal Sons, Greater Union, 131 Russell St, Melbourne

MIFF #9: Kimberly Reed’s documentary about her unusual family Prodigal Sons had so many twists I don’t even know where or how to begin. Perhaps the easiest way is to just set it all out in a list [spoiler alert!]:

Kimberly used to be Paul. She’s now a very attractive blond-haired woman – I would never [...]

NOT: Seamstress, 113 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Seamstress describes itself as ‘a contemporary, mid-price Cantonese eatery boasting two premier cocktail bars.’ I can’t vouch for the two cocktail bars (but the top bar was beautifully decorated with a rack of chinoiserie clothing running along the ceiling over the bar), but I can assure you that the restaurant was a NOT.
Firstly, it is [...]

HOT: The Emerald Peacock, 233 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Leave the city for two years and dingy Lonsdale Street seems to have been refurbed into the street where people go out to the hip new places.
In true Melbourne style, the door to The Emerald Peacock was unmarked. However, the entrance was still noticeable from the street due to the ornate fireplace and eye-catching peacock [...]

HOT: Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, NGV Australia

Ever since I moved into my new place, I’ve been obsessed with design blogs. I spend so much time trawling Google Reader for inspiring and ingenious art, design and craft that it might as well be my full time job. Hence I haven’t had time until now to see some real-life design at NGV Australia.
The [...]

HOT: My Magic, ACMI Cinemas, Federation Square, Melbourne

MIFF #8: The opening scenes of My Magic made me wonder whether I’d be spending half the film with my eyes squeezed shut. An enormously overweight man (who reminded me of my nightmarish ex-boss – argh!) sat at a bar alone and kept asking for his liquor glass to be topped up. When the bartender [...]

Ask the Doctor: Restaurant for 16th birthday party

Help me Doctor!: What’s a good restaurant in Melbourne to take my family for my sister’s 16th birthday? There are 6 of us going. My grandmother is coming and she is quite old so not too many stairs would be ideal. Early dinner also preferable. I thought about Rockpool but it may be too expensive. [...]

HOT: Hansel and Gretel, Greater Union, 131 Russell St, Melbourne

MIFF #7: Despite the fact that I’m not generally a fan of horror movies, every year at MIFF I seem to gravitate to at least one Korean horror film (oh god, the nightmare of the octopus-eating scene in Old Boy). This year’s offering was the creepy Hansel and Gretel with its evil twist to the fairytale.
Eun-Soo [...]

HOT: All Around Us, Forum Theatre, 154 Flinders St, Melbourne

MIFF #6: Oh, I was completely enraptured by this Japanese gem.  All Around Us (Gururi no Koto) was a beautifully measured film about a young Tokyo couple finding their way through their early years of marriage.  The carefree Kanao and fragile Shoko got married because Shoko fell pregnant and at first their relationship is stiff and strained. As the years [...]

HOT: Giselle, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne

The second of my forays into World Opera and Ballet was the lovely 2006 production of Giselle by the Royal Ballet.  Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru was deservedly promoted to the top rank of Principal after this performance of Giselle -  her bright smile and blithe spirit were perfect for the innocent Giselle, her technique was [...]