Month: May 2016

Winter Fashion in Melbourne

Stuck with old hoodies and track pants this winter? Then we have the perfect five Melbourne CBD stores to visit that will have you setting the fashion standard this winter. Dangerfield – Funky, vintage, alternative, fun and unique. These are just some of the terms that come to mind when stepping inside a Dangerfield shop. They offer a great variety of seasonal fashion and accessories to stand out from the crowd this winter, including classy throw backs from their revival and princess highway ranges or the Dangerfield range that brings out the inner grunge.    224 Flinders St, Melbourne Topshop – Need a complete rebuild of your winter wardrobe? Then the ever popular Topshop is a must. As one of the worlds biggest fashion retailer brands, Melbourne Emporium’s multi-level store will have you overwhelmed with the wide range of sleek on-trend selections, from formal business attire to casual hip street wear. Either have a light browse by yourself or book an appointment with one of their personal shopping assistants, specially picked to help you find …

A lazy brunch at Street Talk Café

Last weekend, we crossed the river to the south side to Street Talk Café for a late, lazy brunch. Positioned on the High Street, diners have the option of sitting on the tables on the street, inside the cafe or out the back in the undercover courtyard. As lovers of sunshine, we chose the front. Opening late last year, Street Talk Café is the brainchild of Dean Fouritz and is a simple celebration of coffee and delicious, locally sourced produce, culminating in hearty, wholesome fare. Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern spices are fused in what can simply be described as flavours with extraordinary substance. We must admit that everything on the menu sounded delicious and we had such a hard time deciding, but after we heard the recommendations from Dean, we knew we had to order the Iron Mike. The dish is described  as cauliflower florets, fresh green peas, yellow lentil puree, toasted chickpeas, burnt lemon, poached eggs, almond flakes and oregano salt. A well-balanced dish in terms of texture and taste with a burnt lemon …

The Life of a Circus Oz Performer

Rob Curtis was always destined to be a  star circus performer. Starting tap dancing and juggling at the age of 11, it wasn’t long before he joined his first circus at just 15 years old. Fast-forward to many years later, Robbie is now a member of the Circus Oz family where he is a juggling, tumbling and acrobats master. We had a chat with him about all things Circus Oz.   Robbie, you started your circus career at such a young age! Was it always a childhood dream that you got to live out? I was very physical as a youngster. I knew from very early on that I wanted to do something physically creative for a job. When I joined the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and discovered acrobatics and dance, I knew that was all I ever wanted to do!   You definitely have the most fun job of anyone we know, but we can imagine it’s some pretty serious work as well! Can you tell us  what you love most about being a …

The Desperattes: A Lady’s Guide to the Art of Being a Wingman

‘You can be my wingman any time….Bulls***! You can be mine.’ Quite possibly the second best quote from one of the greatest Tom Cruise movies of all time, and line I desperately wanted to drop after seeing this supremely talented trio hit the stage. I want to borrow them next time I’m out on the town… in fact the entire audience did. As a moderately recently single lass (but not quite at desperate status), I was more than intrigued by the name of this all-girl group, the fabulous show name, and seeing their hot pink beehives in real life. So armed with one of my best actual-girl-wingmen, off we trot, wine in hand to get some tips from these sharply dressed women of the shocking pink hair. We weren’t disappointed. I’ve come home with a list of fabulously hilarious pick up lines as long as my arm (I’m not sharing as I’ll spoil the show), as well as every single female orientation of the term ‘cock block.’   A Lady’s Guide to the Art of Being a Wingman …

Italian Wine & Food Festival

Enjoy everything that’s good about eating and dining in Italy at the Italian Wine & Food Festival. Debuting this year, the festival will bring together the best Italian cooks from Melbourne including Johnny di Francesco (400 Gradi) and Rosa Mitchell (Rosa’s Canteen + Rosa’s Kitchen) who will be headlining the show. Shop until your heart’s  content with over 200 of Italy’s finest wines plus salumi, cheese, pasta, coffee, olive oil, gelato and pastries at the Gourmet Traveller Food Market. If you want to learn how to cook authentic Italian cuisine like Nonno, there’s be demonstrations from 400 Gradi, Caterina’s Cucina e Bar, 38 Chairs, Trattoria Emilia, La Bonta, Bar Idda and Saluministi. Spend the whole day there or even make a night of it with DJs playing the best Italian vinyl and European track until 9pm. Buon appetito! When: 11am – 9pm, Sunday 29 May Where: Royal Exhibition Building Visit the Melbourne Italian Wine & Food Festival website.  

Get your body moving at a Silent Yoga Disco

If you’re anything like us, you’ll be struggling to find the motivation to exercise in this colder weather. The old boring routine at the gym doesn’t seem to be as fun in winter, especially when you could be sitting in front of the TV or drinking vinos next to a fireplace. Enter Flow After Dark Silent Yoga Disco! After a massive sold-out Sydney event, the next chapter is coming to Melbourne this May The Disco session will be 90 minutes of all-level Vinyasa Yoga led by Flow Athletic co-founder, Kate Kendall, to the fluid beats of Sydney DJ, James Mack. Partnering with Silent Sounds, Style Runner is bringing fun back to winter exercise. When: 7pm – 9pm, Tuesday, 14 June 2016 Where: Melbourne Town Hall Visit the Flow After Dark website.

Melbourne’s Must Eat Winter Dishes

Baby, it’s cold outside. If all you’ re craving is something hot to warm you up from the inside out, brave the cold because these winter dishes are worth coming out of hibernation for!   Pork Buns–Tim Ho Wan Join the lines at the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant, because Tim Ho Wan’s world- famous pork buns are worth the wait. Oven baked gnocchi – Solarino Flavoursome balls of goodness. This pasta dish is the perfect winter comfort food. Hot & Spicy Boneless Fried chicken  – Sam Sam Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. Ain’t no thing like a fried chicken wing. The Godfather – Hakata Gensuke If you can handle the heat, we’d recommend ordering the Godfather level 2 – it will warm you up from the inside out. Be warned, it’s super spicy! Squid Ink Tagliolini , squid & bottarga – Tipo 00 Cooked to perfection, this rustic dish is perfectly complemented  with a winter red wine. Brisket Reuben – 5 Points Deli A classic Reuben  that comes with sauerkraut, …

Melbourne on a Budget

If you’re strapped for cash, but still want to get the best out of our city these five activities will give you the best bang for your buck without putting a dent in your wallet. Eureka Skydeck Conquer your fear of heights and get a bird’s eye view of Melbourne from the Eureka Skydeck. Tickets are only $20 for an 88th floor view. Half Tix Still a word of mouth secret even to local Melbournians, Half Tix is a box office located at Melbourne Town Hall, offering heavily discounted tickets to most shows and activities that are currently running around the city such as theatre shows, tours, river cruises, comedy and festival events. The only catch is the tickets are for the day of performance or event but if you have a flexible schedule, this shouldn’t bother you. Free Walking Tour The tour that we recommend starts from the State Library of Victoria (at the front of the Sir Redmond Barry statue) at 10:30am each day and runs for approximately 2 ½ hours. Its a …

Festival of Steve

A day for the modern man. Celebrating the dapper gentleman, the annual Festival of Steve returns to Melbourne this May. Taking on a new location at Federation Square, the festival will gather designers, retailers, purveyors of classic merchandise, stylists and outfitters to rejoice in being a thoroughly modern gentleman. This year’s program will include a series of talks: 12pm – Scorsese Curator Talk. Presented by ACMI in partnership with Festival of Steve. 2pm – Scorsese, Style and Masculinity. Presented by ACMI in partnership with Festival of Steve. 4pm – The Rise of Men’s Style. Presented by Festival of Steve in partnership with Executive Style. Along with the talks, you’ll be able to taste some of Melbourne’s finest food and beverages while chatting to some of the best-groomed men of Melbourne. Get your beard oil ready! When: 11am – 6pm, Saturday 28 May Where: Federation Square Visit the Festival of Steve website.

Community Dining at Tamil Feasts

The We Know Melbourne team are always looking for new and exciting places to eat, places to try that are bit different, but still delicious and provide a true gastronomic experience. Last night we discovered just that! Heading out to Ceres in Brunswick we joined a community of diners who had to come to try Tamil Feasts. Tamil Feasts is a social enterprise supporting recently settled asylum seekers through the celebration of food and culture. Initially starting just over a year ago, the feasts were initially only supposed to be a one-off event, but they were so popular they had to hold more. They now serve twice-weekly feasts (vegetarian/vegan on Tuesdays, meat/vegetarian on Mondays) , prepared by four Tamil men currently seeking asylum in Australia. Our feast last night was a 3 course vegetarian banquet which started off with bhajis, a small flat cake or ball of vegetables, fried in batter. Delicious and crispy, it was the perfect dish to whet our appetite! The feast then continued to include a thali type plate serving a mixture of curries …