- Victoria Pearson
Taste
News and views from across the world
Golden Hour
Savour the summer at Byron Bay’s 48-hectare regenerative farm and restaurant, Frida’s Field. Renowned for its contemporary cuisine, the venue is expanding its offerings with Summer Sundowners — a series of alfresco Saturday-afternoon sessions. Head chef Alastair Waddell uses produce from the market garden and orchard. Think ploughman’s plates and house-made terrines, plus local cheeses and tartines. Cocktails made from home-grown ingredients are served alongside local beers and wines. Saturdays, from 3.30pm. fridasfield.com
Pride Of Place
Viral kitchenware brand Our Place lives up to the hype, creating products designed to simplify the cooking process while also enhancing your decor. Specialising in multifunctional non-stick pans and pots that are both toxin-free and easy on the eye, Our Place delivers pieces — such as the Always Pan and the Perfect Pot — that are rendered in editorial-inspired hues such as Blue Salt, Lavender, Tierra and Cielo. Throw in a utensils kit and fry deck to really impress your next dinner guests. From $210. fromourplace.com/en-au
Needle Drop
New Sydney hotspot Busby’s unites some of the best from Australia’s hospitality industry — Mike Bennie (P&V Merchants), Paolo Maffietti (Maybe Sammy) and Clayton Wells (Automata) — to create a must-visit natural wine and record bar, located within Paddington’s Oxford House. Drawing inspiration from Bambino in Paris, Sway in Berlin and LA’s Gold Line, it delivers a food and drink offering (the seasonal share plates complement a revolving wine and aperitivo list) that spins alongside a top-notch cultural program packed with local artists including Jonti (Stones Throw Records) and The Santamaria Brothers. oxfordhouse.com.au
The Block
Crafted from solid sugar maple with an end-grain pattern, this is more than just a cutting board — it’s a piece of functional art. Created by Black Creek Mercantile & Trading Co. in collaboration with Athena Calderone of EyeSwoon, the butcher block boasts non-marring rubber feet for stability and is finished with food-safe, non-toxic materials. The bleached maple naturally develops a distinctive pattern and patina over time. Approximately $945. eye-swoon.com
Christmas Toast
’Tis the season for giving … and drinking. Australian gin distillery Four Pillars has released its annual holiday blend. Created by the brand’s distiller, Cameron Mackenzie, the drink is a tribute to his late mother, Wilma. Her 1968 Christmas pudding recipe (originally published in The Australian Women’s Weekly) was a key inspiration. The Four Pillars team made batches of the pudding, which they incorporated into the distilling process. The limited-release bottle also showcases original artworks by the artist Jo White, evoking the essence of a unique Australian Christmas. $100. fourpillarsgin.com
Open and Shut
For the serious wine collector, the Coravin Timeless Six Preservation System offers a sleek new way to savour your treasured drops without uncorking them. Available to purchase in a suite of sophisticated colourways, with options for a high-gloss finish and metallic accents, this mechanism transforms the traditional realm of wine preservation, extending the lifespan of still wines for weeks, months or, in some cases, even years. $699.95. coravin.com.au
Bonjour, Martinez
The opening of Sydney’s Martinez adds to the buzzy Quay Quarter Tower scene. The restaurant and bar’s alfresco rooftop and aesthetic conjure the south of France, aligning with executive chef Alex Wong and head chef Andrea Sonnante’s Mediterranean-inspired menu. Sample the seafood-focused plateau de fruits de mer and bouillabaisse, alongside cocktails such as the Martinez (barrel-aged gin and cherry vermouth) and the oyster martini (gin, sake and vermouth poured over an oyster). martinez.sydney
This is an extract from an article that appears in print in our tenth edition, Page 58 of Winning Magazine with the headline: “Taste - News & Views”. Subscribe to Winning Magazine today.
