Throughout the ages, a person who could muster a tune from their water/beer/coke/wine bottle has been oft admired (and occasionally despised if said person is also tone deaf. Never before, however, has a drinking vessel actually come readily equipped to be used as a musical instrument. Tuned Pale Ale is a product that explores the musical potential in everyday objects and promotes social spontaneity. While drinking beer, people become encouraged to start making music with objects around them. This product aims to promote more of this type of social interaction and to inform users about the musical qualities of existing bottles and to make the bottle a better instrument. A clearly marked graphic on the side of the label tells a user what notes can be played at certain levels of liquid by blowing across the top, while the beer case can also be used for percussive accompaniment.
Food
Those fortunate enough to embark on a culinary journey around the world may find themselves savouring chicken roasted over hot coals on a Jamaican beach, or tucking into spiced lamb in Lebanon. Whilst jet setting across the globe may not always be a reality when planning your next meal, you can now infuse your kitchen with international flavours, thanks to a clever online dining concept. Destination Dinners bring recipe kits from around the globe into your own home. Covering cuisine from every corner of the world, the kits include recipes and ingredients ranging from Jeju Island, Korea, to Pattaya in Thailand, all the way to Haifa, Israel. The neatly arranged recipe kits include hard-to-source pre-measured spices, dried ingredients, full cooking instructions and a super-organised shopping list to take to the supermarket.
Coffee cups are designed with one primary objective – to hold every precious drop of coffee as it makes the journey from table to mouth. Good intentions aside, a few rogue drops of coffee inevitably seem to jump out of the cup and spill onto the saucer. Turkish-born product designer Erdem Selek has conjured up a cup and saucer to maximise the fun quota associated with any coffee drops that make their way to no-man’s-land on the saucer. Raised pathways form a maze that traverses the saucer, allowing the coffee drinker to direct coffee droplets on a quick adventure. Both a time-filler and an exercise in navigation, the Oluk Maze Coffee Cup is sure to spark conversation and raise competitive streaks around the office dining area or the breakfast table at home.
With a tradition steeped in creating innovative experiences for guests, the Soneva resort chain is at the cutting edge of intelligent and luxurious accommodation. Soneva Kiri by Six Senses on the Island of Kood in Thailand, is discretely nestled in the south-east corner of the Gulf of Siam. If arrival via private jet, endless white sand, a barefoot-is-best policy and utter privacy isn’t enough to convince guests that they are in resort heaven, a meal in a hanging rattan basket will surely do the trick. Gently swinging above pristine beaches, The Dining Pod is designed to replicate a cocoon with a huge open window to take in the views. Meals are delivered via a harnessed waiter, and guests are left to enjoy the sweeping vistas and gentle breeze.
Fruit does not often merit a place in conversations revolving around history, art or politics, and is usually resigned to occupy grocery shelves, or to laze around in orchards and gardens. Journalist, filmmaker and fruit bat Adam Leith Gollner throws a prying spotlight on fruit in his latest book The Fruit Hunters and speculates that there is more to fruit than what meets the eye. The book’s tagline hints that there is a story of nature, adventure, commerce and obsession in every piece of fruit. From Columbian terrorism, Casanova’s promiscuity, the habits of fruitarians, and a global loss of biodiversity, Adam draws on social, political and scientific references to fruit and its ‘forgotten’ history. Informative without preaching, Adam’s exposé covers exploitation of fruit workers, modern-day pesticide use and genetically modified produce.
If your lunch sometimes goes missing from the work fridge the (above) anti-theft lunch bag is your savior… as you can see it casts a mold-illusion over your delicious sandwich and repulses unknowing hungry coworkers’ eyes. It may also come in handy at home, especially if you’ve a penchant for expensive chocolate and your family a desire for scoffing it down.
When sporting a pineapple-encrusted hat, a decadent proscuitto cocktail ring, and an evening purse adorned with juicy blueberries, your attire will never leave you with a rumbling tummy. Award-winning Italian photographer Fulvio Bonavia has styled, shot and published A Matter of Taste, a photographic montage dedicated to edible fashion. Printed by homegrown publisher Hachette Australia, Fulvio’s works will have readers salivating over gastronomical fashion. The natural and fresh models make for attractive, delicious and lifelike subjects. Fulvio is passionate about the creative process, and solely carries out all of the post-production, to ensure that the work entirely encompasses his own unique vision. In addition to his creative lifestyle shots, Fulvio has lent his sharp photographic eye to a range of clients, including Amnesty International, Audi, Jaguar and Adidas.
There’s a rumbling underground, it’s not another earthquake or even that volcano-that-no-one-can pronounce erupting – it’s underground supper clubs. Supper clubs are run by everyday people/sometimes ex-chefs, who open their home to random guests (word is usually spread online) and host a dinner for them. The dinners have garnered hipster popularity worldwide – but you’ll have to do some serious Google-digging to find them. The most established of these supper clubs is Jim Haynes‘ in Paris. This France-based American expat has been hosting Sunday dinners in his Parisian home for over 20 years. Jim’s suppers attract an international crowd of various demographics, on a night there you’re bound to encounter someone with an interesting life story. Now across the ocean to that acclaimed city crooned by Frank Sinatra and most recently Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – (more…)
Image via Drach Pascal Claude.
Dining under a clothesline is usually reserved for camping trips, rather than boutique French gastronomy. Whilst the odd pair of knickers swaying in the breeze overhead could be a disconcerting sight for some diners, the designer fit-out and creative atmosphere at La Corde à Linge will impress anyone with a laundry. Celebrating good food, flawless design and laundry delights, La Corde à Linge hangs out its laundry in the heart of the Alsace region, where France nestles up to its German neighbours. This French nook is comfortably tucked amongst the canals of Petite France, Strasbourg and is designed with clotheslines lining the ceiling, weighed down by bright, white linen and crisp undergarments. The menu is inspired by an assortment of fabrics, and patrons can swill regional wines, whilst savouring traditional Alsatian flavours such as mustard meatballs (lace) and duck confit (linen).
This May-Day long weekend ushered in the seventh annual Noosa Food and Wine Festival. The weekend-long celebration of food and wine plays host to a myriad of national chefs, local providores and other foodie related things. This year Masterchef critic Matt Preston attended, and went head-to-head with five other food critics (Lizzie Loel, Bob Hart, Tony Love, Simon Thomsen and Necia Wilden) in a cook off challenge. Each critic had to prepare an appealing finger-food meal to feed the thousands of festival-goers. At the end of the day the people chose their favourite; Matt Preston, whilst Lizzie Loel and Bob Hart claimed the Critic’s Choice award. (more…)
In the sector of good quality espresso coffee Australian cities have New York City pegged. Think about it, every Aus capital city (and many “country” towns) have a myriad of great coffee options where coffee snobs (read: most of the Australian population) can order their latte, flat-white or short macchiato with no qualms. World-renowned chefs love our coffee too. When visiting Australia in March for the Melbourne Food & Wine festival, Chef Jamie Oliver twittered he had the ‘best coffee ive ever had in my life’ in Melbourne. It’s no wonder then, that Aussies returning from ‘The Land of Opportunity’ sneer about how hard it was to find a good coffee, we’ve… (more…)
It would seem that you’re never too young to live your dream. In fact, for award-winning chef and restaurateur Shannon Debreceny, idealism, naivety and youthful abandon were probably integral to his early success. Shannon opened his Banaglow cafe, Ate, when he was just 25 and, seven years later, his upstairs restaurant, Satiate, has received its first Chef’s Hat in the SMH Good Food Guide. But if you ask Shannon whether he would do it again, knowing what he knows now, he hesitates, laughs nervously and places the question in the difficult-to-answer basket. Let’s come back to that later. (more…)
Matthew Howland prides himself on his ability to adjust to his surroundings. From his younger years living in Central Queensland, to his adolescence at a Brisbane boarding school, back to Rockhampton for university and then the requisite two-year working holiday in the UK (plus six months travelling around Europe in a Bedford van), Matthew’s adaptability is understandably well seasoned. And perhaps it is this experience that has enabled him over the past few years to become an unwitting craftsman of communities – one who creates a gathering place that exudes an energy and creativity that attracts the masses. First, it was Flipbook Gallery in West End and, now, Woolloongabba foodie haven The Crosstown Eating House, which Matthew runs with two of his lifelong friends, brothers Ben and Matt (co-founder of The Gunshop) Christensen. (more…)
sa·voir faire \, sav-, wär-‘fer \ n.m. 1: Know-how. French, savoir-faire, literally, knowing (savoir) how to do (faire).
There’s been a French buzz in the air in Brisbane over the past two weeks, but as the Alliance Française French Film Festival draws to a close some Franco-Brisbanites may find it difficult to say “Au Revoir” to all things Gallic. Fear not, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat has written a new book. Her new venture steps away from the food/diet focused genre and into self-help. Shock! However this self-help book is well worth the trek into that frightful section of the bookstore. Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire is a working woman’s guide to the business world – the way French women do it. (more…)
Ever tried eating a Chocolate-Covered Bacon Maple Donut Bar? Sometimes after a late-night booze session, you’ve fantasised about a Bacon Cheese Pizza Burger though, haven’t you? Website This is why you’re fat. is a shrine to such food excess. In brief, readers send in photos of all kinds of artery-clogging, heart-endangering, fatty food creations – most of which need to be seen to be believed. The site is rather bewitching – each photo more extravagant than the next, it leaves you yelling, “Oh no they didn’t!?”
What Hansel and Gretel did to the gingerbread house, we can now do to our dining room chairs – eat them. The Panpaati edible chairs are the tasty brainchild of Spanish industrial designer Enoc Armengol, who aims to allow the circle of life to interact seamlessly with everyday design. The Panpaati chairs are made entirely of dough and then baked into bread, and are a solid replication of Enoc’s interest in producing 100% biodegradable design. Those who are still hungry can snack on the edible side table that accompanies the chairs. The chair’s skinny legs may not be strong enough to carry the weight of hungry mouths, but they are bound to add a unique edge to outdoor picnics.
Japanese culture is beyond fascinating; Japan’s glitzy and vibrant culture reflects a mixture of constant innovation blended with a respect for beautiful traditions. Japan’s infectiously glittery world is alluring to a foreigner. The country’s spectacular advertising market has attracted many global companies, and Japan’s craving for new and exciting products grows more frenzied. To succeed in the highly competitive Japanese product market, companies must understand the traditional aspects of Japanese culture and be able to create something that Japanese consumers will always want. Nestlé has conquered one of the most competitive markets in Japan, snack foods, championing the beloved Kit Kat. Over a decade, Nestlé has produced more than 200 Kit Kat flavours, constantly creating significant consumer attraction. Kit Kat’s undeniable success in Japan is almost comical considering Kit Kat’s modest representation at corner stores here in Australia. Yet Nestlé has cornered the chocolate bar market by creating a cleverly targeted marketing campaign.
It’s that time of the year again, when we can over indulge ourselves with chocolate decadence and be free from the impending guilt, well, almost. While chocolate eggs and bunnies steal the limelight at Easter time, the Australian Bilby shapes our national Easter treat. For an extra sweet Easter gift, visit Darrell Lea and take home a beautiful Easter Bilby. Darrell Lea has been producing and selling bilby shaped chocolate creations since 1994, and donate all proceeds to the Save the Bilby Fund to protect the 6000 bilbies left in Australia. Bilbies are an enchanting little animal, with large ears, a silky coat and a long tail, they are endangered in Queensland, declared vulnerable throughout the country. Like many native animals, bilbies must compete with introduced animals, such as rabbits and cattle for their food, and their homes have been destroyed by development.
As a kid, I took great satisfaction when I heard the satisfying ‘clunk’ of pulling a little wooden Babushka doll apart. I can now re-live my childhood Russian affiliation thanks to Fred Studio’s M-Cups measuring cups. The six little cups fit neatly into a Babushka (or Matryoshka) arrangement, and are cute as a button on a Moscovian blazer. The measuring cups are becoming a staple item on the shelves of Brisbane’s boutique homewares shops, so it’s hard to miss the little Matryoshkas beaming at you from their red and white packaging. With Russian beauties taking over the catwalks, versions of beef stroganoff creeping onto our menus and Russian vodka a staple in our bars, it seems only fitting to add some Red Square flair to our kitchens.
The way an orange is eaten is a very personal choice. Do you peel it and then cut it into segments, or leave it whole and pleasurably bite into it like an apple? Or do you leave the skin on and cut it into quarters? The Apostrophe orange peeler by Alessi definitely has a new designer take on orange eating. The Apostrophe works like an agile plough and cuts through the peel creating decorative marks. The ergonomic peeler, which sits comfortably in your hand, allows you to easily make the squiggly lines on an orange. Apostrophe is made of two parts welded together, a solid hemisphere and the other part hollow. This gives it the right balance when in use, and this also allows you to rest it in an erect position when placed on a table. The oranges would look great in a bowl of fruit and the orange peels can be used as cocktail garnishes.
