Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, read, be merry – iso style.
EAT: Dragon Hot Pot At Home
Dragon Hot Pot is now delivering special DIY Hot Pot kits to Melbourne during lockdown – or you can order a cooked Ma La Tang Hot Pot.
Easy to order in four simple steps; check your postcode eligibility, place your order before 8pm for the following day, select your date and time of delivery (note that there is a minimum spend of $50), receive your confirmation email. Then get ready to roar with a succulent, steaming bowl of delicious Ma La Tang broth for you, family and friends to enjoy and share.
Dragon Hot Pot has a modest range of five base stocks, but over 100 fresh ingredients to turn a humble broth into a luxurious feast!
The Signature Ma La Tang broth, available at all stores, is cooked with more than 24 wild herbs from Mount Emei, Sichuan, China, and follows the century old Sichuan hot pot broth recipe to produce a unique and golden thick fragrance. Other bases, not available at all stores include, the Sichuan Hot and Sour, Pickled Mustard, Collagen Bone Broth and Ma La Spicy Stir-fry and the highly popular vegan vegetable broth.
For more info and to place an order, click here.
DRINK: Whisky Loot
Whisky is broad category of drink – from scotch to rye and, of course, the most common, bourbon.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the wonderful world of whiskies or you are known to be the whisky sommelier of the group, let Whisky Look introduce you to a curated selection of premium malts from around the world. Every month you will receive three new whisky tasters (60mls each) that showcase a diverse range of the finest whiskies from different regions, accompanied by tasting notes and distillery history.
For more, please visit whiskyloot.com.
BUY: Montaigne
Montaigne create timeless, luxe fashion pieces for your everyday wardrobe. Truly transeasonal, they offer staples that work across any weather and look effortlessly stylish.
Designed in Australia and ethically made in Italy from Italian linen, Montaigne’s clothes are made to move in. Breathable and cut for comfort, with timeless, easy silhouettes and shapes.
Discover more and shop the range here.
TRY: SEEH Skincare
SEEH Skincare is a vegan, natural, and Australian made skincare brand that gives back to the community, while creating powerful products that build confidence and nourish the skin.
Founded by Sophie Hansson, a Chemical Engineer with a passion for truly understanding the complex world of skincare, SEEH Skincare produces a range of seven nourishing products that are antioxidant-rich, filler-free, cruelty-free, and work hard for your skin.
Suffering all her life from dry and sensitive skin, and prone to inflammation and breakouts, Sophie developed SEEH Skincare to fill a gap in the market for an all-natural range that was safe for sensitive skin but still packed a punch with powerful ingredients. After two years perfecting formulas and co-developing the range with Australian-based cosmetic chemists, SEEH Skincare was launched online in 2018.
All ingredients in the range have been carefully selected for their potency and SEEH Skincare donates $1 from every purchase to iChange, helping give back to people in need across Australia and the globe.
The Clarify Matcha Clay Mask is a game changer. A luxurious green clay mask with a cream texture to stop drying. It is packed full of skin brightening and smoothing ingredients like fruit AHAs and Kakadu Plum (Vitamin C). I also love the Refresh Balancing Hydration Mist, made with organic rose hydrosol and aloe inspired mist, packed full of humectants and botanical extracts to hydrate, even skin tone, soothe redness and calm irritation. Then there’s the soothing, calming Nourish Superfood Facial Oil, packed full of beautiful lightweight oils like argan, avocado and jojoba combined with an antioxidant-rich superfood oil blend (chia, raspberry, pomegranate, algae and açai).
Shop the range here.
VISIT: Dhaba By The Mill in Kyneton
Jessi and Amar Singh’s Kyneton restaurant, Dhaba At The Mill, has reopened its doors, following the announcement of amendments to dining restrictions in regional Victoria.
Heading back to where it all began twelve-years-ago, chef Jessi Singh will be in the kitchen of Dhaba serving up dishes from its most recent menu as well as guest specials from his Melbourne CBD venues Daughter In Law and Mrs Singh.
Dhaba will serve alcohol for the first time, including summer cocktails, will have added outdoor seating and will run a Dhaba food truck in neighbouring Gisborne every Friday night.
Dhaba At The Mill opening hours:
Dinner 5-9pm, Thursday-Sunday
$20 Thali (meat, vegan or vegetarian option) offered for brunch / lunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am
Address: 18 Piper Street, Kyneton.
Dhaba food truck service hours:
Every Friday 5pm-8pm
Location: 18 Robertson Street, Gisborne
For ongoing timely updates on the offerings follow @dhabaatthemill or @jesssi_singh on Instagram.
READ: Honeybee by Craig Silvey
Honeybee, by Craig Silvey, is a heart-breaking, life-affirming coming-of-age novel, set in contemporary Western Australia.
The most highly anticipated book of 2020, Honeybee is set to continue the success of modern classic and international bestseller Jasper Jones, which has sold over 600,000 copies globally since publication and been adapted into a critically acclaimed film and stage play.
Craig says, ‘I put everything I have into writing Honeybee. It tore me up, but it filled me with joy. I’m enormously proud of it.’
Honeybee is a tender, profoundly moving novel brimming with vivid characters and luminous words. It’s about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter.
Late in the night, fourteen-year-old Sam Watson steps onto a quiet overpass, climbs over the rail and looks down at the road far below. At the other end of the same bridge, an old man, Vic, smokes his last cigarette.
Honeybee throws us headlong into a world of petty thefts, extortion plots, botched bank robberies, daring dog rescues and one spectacular drag show. We meet vivacious, hilarious and generous characters, and we contend with some absolute bastards.
Craig Silvey is an award-winning author and screenwriter from Fremantle, Western Australia. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Rhubarb, was published in 2004. His bestselling second novel, Jasper Jones, released in 2009, is the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010, and considered a modern Australian classic. Honeybee is his third novel.
Honeybee is released on September 29, 2020 by Allen & Unwin.
