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Soko – Abbotsford

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Soko is a high-end Japanese restaurant hide-out in Abbotsford where you can dine and be inspired by their beautiful, delicate plating and their Scandinavian-style décor. Spoil your taste buds with traditional Japanese dishes and delicious Malaysian fusion rice bowls.

Soko is owned by two talented businessmen from Japan and Malaysia (hence the Malaysian fusion), which serves up mainly cold dishes like sashimi and sushi, plus Sinzuku ramen & craft beer.

The chefs at Soko are all trained in Japan. Their sushi chef worked in Japan for 8 years and their ramen master has worked in Japan for 10, so the quality and taste is of the highest, traditional level.

We recently visited Soko to check out their fabulous menu and fell in love with the intricate, artistic plating and relaxed, minimalist ambiance.

Our favourite item of the menu was Soko’s Kingfish Carpaccio, which comes with kingfish sashimi, radish, cucumber, and a cucumber and wasabi sorbet. It was extremely refreshing and every mouthful was full of flavour, their inclusion of the cucumber and wasabi sorbet definitely uplifted the whole dish to another level.

Another dish we enjoyed very much was their Aburi Cream Cheese Salmon, it was basically the perfect dish for lovers of salmon AND cheese. The salmon is semi-raw and the grilled yuzu cream cheese on top is the perfect complement to this gorgeous meat.

At Soko, you can find something you can’t find anywhere else – rainbow rice. All their sushi rolls can be made in both original sushi rice or in their signature rainbow rice. It looks extra delicious over just plain rice; however, the flavour of the rainbow rice is very subtle; in fact, it tastes exactly like normal sushi but in a much more colourful palette. For those who wonder how they colour the rice, it’s done in a very organic way – with plant extract, meaning it is healthier and better for your tummy.

If you are not a huge fan of sashimi or sushi, Soko also offers bowls and Teishoku set. Our favourite from the Malaysian fusion rice bowls would have to be their Hainan Chicken Rice Bento, but we also recommend, trying their Shoyu Chicken Bento, which is quite similar to Hainan Chicken but with more garlic flavour, the fried tofu that comes with this dish is the star of the show.

Next time if you are in the neighbourhood and looking for somewhere new, Soko offers not just high-quality Japanese food but also many Malaysian fusion dishes at great value prices, and in a beautiful setting best designed for sharing with friends! They are open from 11 am to 2:30 pm for lunch (lunch menu only) and 5 pm to 11 pm for dinner. If you had a big day at work, Soko is on most of the delivery services like Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

 

When:  Lunch 11-2:30 | Dinner 5 – 11
Where: 311 Victoria St, Abbotsford
More information: Check out their website.

 

Giveaway: A Few Less Men

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A FEW LESS MEN, is the hilarious sequel to the worldwide hit A FEW BEST MEN, and follows the story of a destination wedding in Australia’s Blue Mountains, which goes horribly wrong when one of the main characters, Luke gets drunk and falls off a cliff. The rest of the  boys, David (Xavier Samuel), Tom (Kris Marshall) and Graham (Kevin Bishop) suddenly find themselves transporting their friend’s corpse back to London, where his grieving Aunt is planning the funeral. When their private jet crash-lands in the bush, the boys must carry the body across the treacherous landscape, resist some sexy ravers, dodge a machete-wielding mother, all in a race against time to return Luke home.

It opens in cinemas on 9 March, and we’re giving away one, in-season double pass, to five lucky winners, to check it out for themselves. Entry is simple via the form below, and closes 5.00pm Monday 6 March 2017.

Competition has now closed.

Terms & conditions available here.

 

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival

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This year Melbourne’s largest celebration fashion is running for ten, gorgeous days.

Aiming to be bigger and better than the previous years, the festival will include world-class runway events from well-known, and up and coming Australian designers, beauty workshops, industry Q&A’s, live entertainment and more.

Not just restricted to Melbourne CBD, the festival will this year kick off with smaller Fashion Weekend events in key shopping meccas like Chapel Street, High Street, Chadstone and Glenferrie Road – all activated with exclusive discounts and activities for shoppers,

but will really ramp up with the Vogue / David Jones Gala Runway to be held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on the 14th of March.

For those who are more into the countercultural or functional elements of fashion, there are several interesting workshops running like ‘Sequin-Savvy: The History of Calisthenics Fashion’ and an International Women’s Day forum breakfast on 8 March, presented by Marie Claire and Mimco.

Don’t forget to check out the Priceline Pharmacy Festival of Beauty pop, located in the Plaza, just outside the Exhibition building from 14-19 March, you’ll usually get your hands on some pretty decent freebies.

When: 1-19 March 2017
Where: Various locations in and around Melbourne
More information & tickets: Check out their website.

1-19-march-2017

Proud to Be a Chef Awards

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Do you love cheese as much as we do? Is dairy THE diet you can’t go without? Fonterra, a global co-operatively owned company which sources high-quality milk products recently hosted the annual Proud To Be A Chef Awards, and we were lucky to be invited to their gala dinner this year.

The program has been running for 18 years and this year, with no surprise, was an amazing success for both Fonterra and the contestants. Each year, Fonterra Foodservice provide a not-to-be-missed opportunity for 30+ young and ambitious apprentice chefs to go on an incredible culinary experience.

Giles Gabutina, the winner of Proud To Be A Chef 2017 is a young inspiring pastry chef based in Sydney. He got his first job in the kitchen when he was 16 and is keen to work hard to achieve his culinary dreams. In his own words “I hope to “bake” the world a better place by inspiring people to follow their dreams in the same way my inspirations have done for me.” And here he is today, not only the winner of Proud To Be A Chef but also the winner for the Best Sweet Dish!
Follow his journey on Instagram and be inspired.

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So tell us, has it always been your dream to become a professional chef? Because we know that Proud To Be A Chef is a program that will get your foot in the door. Get your chance to win an international scholarship which will be tailored to your individual aspirations as a professional chef. You will also be participating in a 4 day all expenses paid event like dining in a fine dining restaurant.

When: September 2017
Where: To be Announced
More information:  Check their website.

Rainy Day Activities in Melbourne

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Don’t let Melbourne’s four seasons in one day get you down. So it’s a little wet outside, no problem, we’re used to the changes in weather here (it’s why we layer, it’s in our DNA), so to help with your rainy day plans, we’ve gathered our top 5 rainy day activities here in Melbourne, so you can still enjoy the day, AND stay dry. Enjoy…

1. Hit the Arcarde Games up at Bartronica Bar
This place will take you back to your teenage years on a rainy day, enjoy drinks from the bar whilst playing your favourite arcarde games from the 80’s and 90’s . Classic games on offer include the original Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and our favourite, the Simpsons. Wizards can also test their skills on the bar’s collection  of  pinball machines that date back to the seventies.
335 Flinders Ln, Melbourne

2. Go Indoor Rock Climbing
Not only will this activity keep you out of the elements, but it’s fun AND you’ll get fit at the same time. (Bonus) Bring a friend and put your freindship to the test by allowing them to be your harness operator and bring you safely back to the ground. There are multiple climbing walls staring from beginners to the experienced, so you don’t need to be an expert to give this a go. Try Hardrock Climbing – 4/8 Franklin St, Melbourne

3. Lock Your Mates in a Dark Room
Imagine being locked into a room, it’s up to you and your team to solve puzzles, riddles and conundrums to free yourself before time runs out. Sound fun? There are now quite a few places in Melbourne which offer Escape rooms with various themes, and most have food and drinks available from the bar, so you can make an afernoon out of it. Our favourite Escape Rooms are at Strike, QV.
Strike QV – 245 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

4. Get some Culture at the Museum
Melbourne Museum is located in the beautiful Carlton gardens next to IMAX theatre. it’s exhibitions include the history of the Victorian Gold Rush era , Bushranger escapades, (including Ned Kelly), walls of wildlife, flora, fauna and insect displays, and our favourite, the the most famous horse in the world, FARLAP who is on display. Our tip – check out his massive heart.
11 Nicholson Street, Carlton

5. Shop til you Drop in the city
Did you know you can move from Melbourne Central, through Emporium, and onto the Myer Centre and David Jones without getting wet due to the fabulous interconnectivity of these three shopping meccas. Your wallet may not love it, but you’ll while away hours getting retail therapy and staying dry. If you’re willing to brave the rain, pick up a bargain at Spencer Outlet shopping, or check out Harbourtown for the latest brands.
Melbourne Central – 211 La Trobe St, Melbourne
Spencer Outlet Shopping – 201 Spencer St, Melbourne
Harbour Town Shopping Centre – 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands

Arts Review: All This Living

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As the intro to this piece states, ‘age comes to us all you know,’ we’re reminded of this in the opening act, a recollection of a bathroom encounter, when some young pretty things, applying lipstick in the mirror, label the character, Jay, portrayed beautifully by Camilla Blunden, ‘just an old woman.’

This comment, makes it real for her, and thus launches the rest of the performance where she digs deeply into the phenomenon of getting old, and how over time, older women somehow lose their voice, become invisible, and incorrectly feel they have become a burden to society.

As the piece progresses, she attempts to turn these beliefs on their head, re-empowering women, as wise, important, highly visible beings with stories to tell, all the while batting off the inner voices that creep up, and try to convince her otherwise.

This show was difficult to follow in parts, as the narrative jumped from whimsical inner thought to thought, from real life to fantasy through paint stores, pots and pans, to magical woods filled with fiery Goddesses. However, each part, whilst individually challenging to understand, did in fact paint a much larger picture, and like a technicolor patchwork quilt, made perfect, warm, comforting sense.

We found the delivery to be reminiscent of a Shakespearean monolog, crafted by a counter-culture, highly empowered woman.

All This Living is a brave one-women performance. Honest, strong and at times funny, it starts out to answer the question ‘is our society captivated by youth,’ and makes a very convincing argument to the contrary.

All This Living is playing at the Butterfly Club until Sunday 26th February.

When: Until Sunday 26 February, 2017
Where: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Tickets and more information: Check out the Butterfly Club website.

Keeping Fit Like a Melbournian

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We’ve gathered together five, true-Melbourne-style ways to keep fit all year round, like a true-blue Melbournian would….

1. Run the Tan
For the uninitiated, the tan is that fabulous dirt running track which encircles the city Royal Botanical Gardens. If you are lucky, you’ll enjoy looping past the Yarra River section whilst a concert is on at the Sidney Myer Musical Bowl, if you aren’t… you’ll come a-cropper on Heartbreak Hill like most of us end up doing.

The tan is an easy stroll or short tram ride from the city, is around 3.85km for one loop, and the quickest lap ever was 10 minutes and 12 seconds, run by Craig Mottram in 2004. At 7.30am on the first Saturday of every month, the Victorian Road Runners offers 4 km and 8 km time-trials around the Tan Track.

Jogger at Royal Botanic Gardens

Jogger at Royal Botanic Gardens. Image credit: Josie Withers

 

2. Try something different – like Silent Disco Yoga
Yep, how cool does that sound?

On 21 March, Melbournian yogi’s can hit up an After Dark Silent Yoga Disco, 90 minutes of Vinyasa style yoga hosted by one of Australia’s leading instructors, Kate Kendall, accompanied by DJ James Mack on decks. Wearing a pair of noise cancelling headphones, class attendees enjoy no distractions, so it’s all about the music, the breathing and the flow. For more information about this and to purchase tickets, check out their website.

silent-yoga3. Challenge Yourself at the 1000 Steps
Get up nice and early for this one, as the car park fills up fairly quickly, so if you aren’t great at reverse parking into tight car-parking spaces, aim to get there by 8am at the latest.

The 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges is a popular spot for those who are training for challenging hikes like the Kokoda Trail, and whilst it’s only around the 20-minute mark to get up to the first section, it works you hard. Thankfully you’ve got 2 options to get to the top, we recommend taking the Kokoda Memorial steps up, and giving your knees a rest on the way down, by taking the Lyrebird Track down.

You can choose to do the full trail which is around 5km, or pause at the first stop, split a banana with your walking pal, and head back on down for some sweet scones, jam and cream in town. You’ve earned it sista!

4. Get on board a fun run (and train like a boss).
Melbourne is the queen of the fun run. Melbourne Marathon, Mothers Day Classic, Run for the Kids, Run Melbourne, Colour Run… the list goes on and on. If there is a cause, Melburnians turn out in the thousands to run in it’s name.

Pick a few that work for you date and distance wise, and get training any way you can with running, spin class, even walking. You’d be amazed how well you actually do in the competitive environment, and pretty soon you’ll be a fun run junky like us.

5. Morning Gloryville (a pre-work dance party)
Every now and then, the Morning Gloryville crew bring a pre-work dance party to town. Pitched as sober raving, conscious clubbing, ticket holders get to dance the morning away before work, in whatever outfit they choose (thinking Burning Man meets Rainbow Serpent), and enjoy free massages, a juice bar, coffee, yoga, and all round love, so when they get to work, they feel pretty darn amazing. These are normally held at 1000£ Bend in the CBD. Keep an eye out on their website for upcoming dates.

Eat, drink, make & learn

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Are you passionate about coffee making? Is it pasta you crave at the end of your long day? Ever wanted to master your home made coffee brewing skills? Or is indulging in cheese one of your daily routines?

The Craft & Co, a collective leaning centre in Collingwood offers classes in all of these areas and more for those with an interest in the culinary and arts.

The Craft & Co works with local producers in Melbourne and offers classes ranging from salami making, pasta making, coffee cupping, brewing for beginners, cheese making,  learning why bees matter so much or exploring the magic behind craft distillation.

All classes are $75, 3-hours long and including a tasting, one in-house brewing beverage, questionnaires and hands-on experience. If you are unsure what class you should take, you can even try out their free pasta or wine making demo class on Sundays to get a feel for the courses.

Here is a sneak peak of what you get from the classes:

Pasta Making: All attendees enjoy freshly made pasta, cooked by their head chef. Included with dinner is a house-made beer or wine to wrap up your class.

Coffee Cupping: Learn a fool-proof method to master café quality coffee at home with an espresso shot and pour over brew.

Cheese Making: Learn how to make Romano and Ricotta from expert cheese makers and finish your night with a custom-pairing menu of similar style cheeses made on the night, matched with pre-selected beverages.

Sausage Making: Learn how to make traditional sausages. Finish with a tasting of your sausage-making efforts, including an in-house brewed beer or wine.

Introduction to Distilling: Get to know the history of craft distilling in Australia from Sebastian Reabure at The Craft & Co’s distillery and explore all aspects of craft distillation.

Why Do Bees Matter: This class will highlight the important role bees play in agriculture and pollination, including a tasting platter of honey paired with The Craft and Co’s very own house made wine, cheese, and prosciutto.

Salami Making: Learn how to make a traditional salami, including a pairing menu of similar style salumis made on the night and pre-selected beverages.

Where: The Craft & Co, 390 Smith St, Collingwood
When: January – April
More information: Check out their website.

Dog Lover’s Show 2017 T&Cs

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PRIVACY: We are committed to the privacy of your information. We do not, and will not, distribute, disclose or sell any of your personal information to third parties, other than as required by law or as necessary to process a payment.
By entering the contest, you agree to release the Competition Entities, Instagram and Facebook and Twitter from all responsibility or liability for damages, losses or injuries of any kind resulting from participation in the Competition or any prize-related activities, if any, or any awarding, possession, use and/or misuse of prize(s), if any, awarded herein. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. You are providing your information to ErdiGroup Hotel Collection and not to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Promoter is ErdiGroup Hotel Collection (ABN 58 328 593 784 & 50 693 006 965)  of 195 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000.

Information on how to enter and prizes forms part of the terms of entry. Entry into the competition is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.

WHO CAN ENTER
This contest is open to all current or new subscribers to the We Know Melbourne Marketing Database (and any affiliates marketing databases) who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and live in Victoria.

Employees of ErdiGroup Hotel Collection (the Sponsor) its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and internet agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible. Immediate family includes the following: spouse, ex-spouse, defacto spouse, child or step child (whether natural or by adoption), parent, step parent, grandparent, step grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step brother, step sister or first cousin. Void where prohibited by law.

All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply to this competition. If you cannot or will not comply with these Official Rules, you should not participate in the competition.

By entering this competition, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in these Official Rules or the competitions itself. You also agree to be bound by all decisions of the Sponsor or its designees, whose decisions are final and binding.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older as at the date of entry in order to be eligible to enter the competition.

Entrants under 18 years of age must obtain the prior permission of their parent or legal guardian in order to be able to enter. If the competition winner is under 18 years of age, the prize will be awarded to the winner’s parent or legal guardian.

The Promoter reserves the right to request winners to provide proof of identity, proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address and/or proof of entry validity in order to claim a prize. Proof of identification, residency and entry considered suitable for verification is at the discretion of the Promoter. In the event that a winner cannot provide suitable proof, the winner will forfeit the prize in whole and no substitute will be offered.

HOW TO ENTER
Beginning 2o February 2017 at 12.01am EST follow the instructions to enter the competition by either;
Becoming a new subscriber to receive We Know Melbourne (Erdigroup) electronic mail marketing communication; and
Tell us in 30 words or less your favourite moment with your pooch.

WHEN TO ENTER
The competition commences on 20 February 2017 at 12.01am EST and concludes on 28 April 2017 at 11:59pm EST. Entries must be received by the Promoter prior to the competition close date and time.

The time of entry will in each case be the time the online entry is received by the Promoter’s database, not at the time of transmission by the entrant.

The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any late, lost or misdirected entries not received by the Promoter or delays in the delivery of the SMS message due to technical disruptions, network congestion or for any other reason.

Entrants may enter as many times as they like, but only one prize will be awarded per person.

PRIZE ON OFFER
Winner will receive 1 x double pass to The Dog Lovers Show (valued at $60). The prize will be mailed to the winners.

Prizes cannot be transferred, exchanged or redeemed for cash.

It is a condition of accepting the prize that the winner must comply with all the conditions of use of the prize and the prize supplier’s requirements. It is the responsibility of the winner to confirm such conditions with the prize supplier or other relevant third parties.

In the event a winner does not collect the prize, then the entire prize will be forfeited by the winner and cash will not be awarded in lieu of the prize.

Winners or any travel companions under 18 years of age must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian at all times.

Note that the redemption of the prize is subject to availability.

Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name, photos and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation unless prohibited by law.

No substitution or transfer of prize by winner permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event that the advertised prize is unavailable. All applicable income taxes are the sole responsibility of winner.

By entering, entrants and their respective parents or legal guardians release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this competition or any prize won

DRAW AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNER
The prize winners will be the selected in accordance with these terms and conditions that is drawn by a representative of the hotel at 195 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria to be selected at random at 1oam, on 1 May 2017.

The Promoter’s decision is final and the Promoter will not enter into correspondence regarding the competition result or any other decisions the Promoter makes in connection with the Promotion.

The winner will be notified by telephone or email immediately. The winner may also be announced via the official @WeKnowMelbourne Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts

No purchase necessary. Buying will not help you win. Your chances of winning without making a purchase are the same as the chances of someone who purchases something. It is illegal to give any advantage to buyers in this competition.

Return of any prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

FURTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Any attempt by an individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of this promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such individual to the fullest extent permitted by law. Promoter is not responsible for faulty, incorrect or mis-transcribed phone/e-mail transmissions, incorrect announcements of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind including any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit a user’s ability to participate in the promotion.

Promoter reserves the right to cancel or modify the promotion if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by Sponsor/judging agency/administrator, in their sole discretion. In the event of termination, a notice will be posted online and the competition will be conducted from among all eligible entries received prior to termination. Any damage made to the Site will be the responsibility of the authorised e-mail account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry.

Proof of submitting entries will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Promoter. Any entries which are suspected of being fraudulent (including those using robotic, automatic, programmed or similar methods of participation) will be disqualified, based on determinations made solely by Promoter. Promoter reserves the right to prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the account holder fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.

All entries become the property of The Promoter. All opt-in entries will be entered into a database and The Promoter may use the entrant’s names, addresses and telephone numbers for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes in any media worldwide without notice and without any fee being paid unless otherwise advised by the entrant. By opting-in, entrants confirm that they allow their details to be used for this purpose. If entrants no longer consent to their details being used for future marketing purposes, the entrant should contact The Promoter. Any request to update, modify or delete the entrant’s details should be directed to The Promoter.

The Promoter’s privacy policy can be viewed at http://www. http://www.erdigroup.com.au/page/Privacy_Policy/. To request access to, or to update, personal information the Promoter holds about them, entrants can contact the Erdigroup Privacy Officer at 195 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 on (03) 8662 1301.

Valentine’s Day in Melbourne

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Suddenly, the post-Christmas bliss of January is over and we find ourselves well into February, and if you are a commercially influenced romantic at heart (like us)…. Valentine’s Day.

The pressure mounts every year for some, the need to outdo the previous year, or perhaps impress a new love interest, coupled with the fear of failure and rejection. Never fear, we’ve gathered together a top 5 list of things to do in and around Melbourne this Valentine’s Day (or close enough to..) for those who aren’t smartly already planning to rock out at Guns N Roses that night.

1. Coburg Drive In Food Truck Festival – Fifty Shades Darker
The smell of the popcorn, the coziness of the car… the drive-in is a perfect date night, and at the Coburg Drive-In and Food Truck Festival you can also combine that with an insatiable lust for delicious food from all of your favorite Melbourne food trucks like Yo India, Real Burgers, Mamma Van, our pick – Mary Had a Little Lamb, to name a few. On Valentine’s Day this year, the crew are holding a special edition screening of the dark, dirty, but oh so popular Fifty Shades Darker. Naughty!

Where: Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In, 155 Newlands Rd, Coburg
When: 14th February, gates open at 5pm
More information: Check out their website.

2. QV Outdoor Cinema – Ryan Gosling Celebration Week
No further description needed…

But seriously, these guys are dedicating the better part of a week to appreciating the goodness that is Ryan Gosling, screening Blue Valentine on the 9th and Crazy Stupid Love on the 10th. Friday the 10th of made even better with with free cocktails for all cinema goers who arrive early at 7:30pm, and an opportunity to pose with a life size cut out of the man himself.

Half Nelson screens on Saturday, and the festival of RG appreciation wraps with The Notebook on Sunday. So, maybe it’s not ACTUALLY on Valentine’s Day, but it’s in the spirt of the day right?

Where: QV Outdoor Cinemas, Swanston Street, Melbourne
When: 9-12 February, from 7.30pm (screening starts at 8.30pm)
More Information: Check out their website.

3. Singles Night at the Queen Vic Markets
Yep, many people selfishly think that Valentine’s Day is only reserved for couples. But they are wrong. The Queen Victoria Markets are fabulously dedicating the night after Valentine’s Day to those who are single with a  special edition Singles Night Market.

Basically, it’s all the usual awesomeness of the Summer Night Markets (amazing food, sangrias, Pimms etc) but if you are wearing red –  you might just find the love of your life. Of course this night is not exclusively for singles, it’s just a nice twist on a fabulous concept, that might just bring love to some of Melbourne’s most eligible people.

Where: The Queen Vic Markets, cnr Elizabeth & Victoria Streets, Melbourne
When: Wednesday 15 February 2017 from 5.00pm
More information: Check out their website.

4. Pack a picnic and hit the Botanical Gardens
Step one, hit up the Vic Markets and load your recyclable shopping bag with every kind of delicious delight from the deli section. We’re talking cheese, salami, olives, antipasto, heck, throw some oysters in there if you can keep them cold. Then grab a few bottles of chilled sparkling wine from the nice section of the bottle-o fridge.
Step two, mix it with a picnic rug, some paper cups and the usual gear, jump on the tram heading up St Kilda Road and you’ve got yourself a pretty low-cost, chilled evening in the last of the summer sun with your nearest and dearest.
Make sure you bring an iPod, speakers and some battery operated candles if you want to add that classy touch.

5. Ride the Rollercoaster at Luna Park
We’re not kidding. It’s cute, its retro, it’s pure old fashioned romantic.

This Valentine’s Day, Luna Park is offering lovers a package that includes two unlimited ride tickets (for 5 hours), one carnival game (win your special friend a giant bear and watch the smile come to their face), a souvenir photo of the scenic rollercoaster and some fairy floss.

Just think, you barely have to prepare, and if the weather’s nice, it’s a pretty memorable evening. Ticks all of our boxes. Cost is $65 per person.

Where: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade St Kilda
When: Tuesday, 14 February 2017
More information: Check out their website.

You’re welcome.

Words by Kerstyn Dance.