Month: November 2015

Juniperlooza: all of the gin

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On the banks of the Yarra, sun shining in one of those ‘once a month’ beautiful Melbourne days, Pilgrim and Riverland Bars hosted a fun, laid-back festival affair – entirely dedicated to gin. I love gin, but I’m not what you would call a connoisseur – that’s what I really loved about Juniperlooza – you didn’t need to be going in, but, by the end of your experience you came out a little more cultured on the topic. Split across the two areas were 14 drink stands manned by local bars like the iconic Gin Palace, plus international, local and interstate gin distilleries – each with their own signature cocktail on offer, or, for those who wanted to keep it simple – the classic gin and tonic. The accessibility of chief distillers was a real highlight, listening as they proudly discussed their botanicals (one particular gin, from the West Winds Gin company – infused one of their navy-themed gins with Murray sea salt, one sip instantly made me crave seafood), the history of the term …

One Sunday Morning

Christmas shopping at Markit

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Markit returns to Federation Square on Sunday 29 November  for it’s sixth year. There’ll be  over 100 Australian independent designers selling limited-edition jewellery, ceramics, fashion, art prints, homewares and more. For those who are looking for early Christmas presents, Markit is the perfect place to buy those Australian-made products with an original edge. Meet the designers in person and shop their one-off bespoke items that aren’t readily available elsewhere. When: 10am-5pm Sunday, 29th November Where: Federation Square Visit the website here.

Melbourne’s newest food truck party

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If you ever needed an excuse to visit the east side, this is it. This summer, Hawthorn welcomes The Early Bird, Melbourne’s newest food truck party. The trucks will set up on the  grass laid hot spot tucked away next to Auburn train station, and will be serving up Melbourne’s best breakfast, brunch and lunch options every Wednesday to Saturday. All the regular food trucks will be there including  Mr. Burger, Doughboys Doughnuts, Toasta Food Truck, BeanToMelbourne, Danger Dogs, Sliders On Tyres, Baskerville Jaffles and more. Bring your dogs, bring your bikes or bring your dog on a bike, The Early Bird  is pet friendly, bike friendly and family friendly. Finally if you don’t wait to wait in line for your morning coffee fix or lunch you can pre order it  by contacting Jamie@beantomelbourne.com.au.  When: 7am – 3pm, Wednesday – Saturday  (Friday night with licensed bar coming soon) Where: 10 Newburgh Place, Hawthorn. Next to Auburn Train Station. Visit the website here.   

Drink a drop with us at Wine on Wednesdays!

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Wine, we all love to drink it, but do we know how to tell a good drop from a bad one? If you were to take a blindfold test, would you be able to tell the difference between a shiraz from a cabernet sauvignon, a riesling from the chardonnay? Meat Fish Wine have just launched Wine on Wednesdays where they aim to expand your wine knowledge, because let’s face it we’d all like that extra bit of help when you’re that person that has  to bring to dinner. The courses are designed for all wine enthusiasts, whether you’re a novice wine drinker or full-on wino. Moving through the 8 noble grapes (ten points if you can name them!), the course will discuss the origins of the grape, aliases, what it looks like, where it grows, the ultimate climate for best grape growth and how much of the grape is in production. To finish off the course, you’ll get to taste 6 wines typical of that grape variety. We Know Melbourne Giveaway: Want to enjoy some delicious …

Marriage of Figaro

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The We Know Melbourne Concierge team was lucky enough to attend the opening night of Opera Australia’s new production of the Marriage of Figaro. The Melbourne season follows a very well received stint at the Sydney opera house so we were expecting big things and we weren’t disappointed! British director Sir David McVicar has chosen to set the operatic action in the 1640’s rather than the more standard French Revolution era. This makes for interesting viewing as the period is similar to when Mozart originally wrote the music in 1786. In the same year Lorenzo De Ponte wrote the Italian libretto (don’t worry there are ‘subtitles’ above the stage)! Of course the music is stunning and you will hear many tunes that you recognize, but what really took our breath away were the amazing stages for the different acts. The sets were huge and very atmospheric, particularly those featuring moonlit outdoors scenes. Our favourite performers were mainly the female characters. Taryn Fiebig shines in her signature role as the feisty Susanna and she provides many …

A Forking Good Time at Taste of Melbourne

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Last Thursday saw the kick-off of the annual restaurant festival Taste of Melbourne and we were there to sample the delights from Melbourne’s finest, as well as some notable chefs from abroad. Armed with empty stomachs, we headed straight to the South African Garden for a Masterclass with chef Benny Masekwameng, known not only for his culinary skills as Executive Chef for the Tsogo Sun Group,  but as one of the judges on the popular MasterChef South Africa. Chef Benny’s chosen recipe was a melting pot, borrowing flavours from across the globe. We were surprised to find that the hero of the dish was not the lamb chops or ratatouille, but a tie between the creamed spinach (the addition of peanut butter being key) and the crisp, deep fried mielepap cubes. Mielepap is Afrikaans for maize porridge, similar to polenta, and is a staple food of many South Africans. Next stop was Circa, the Prince for Cape Brim Ox Cheek, which (while being a bit on the small side of things) was cooked to perfection, …