Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, read, be merry.
EAT: Arbory Afloat’s Loco Bocadillo Sandwich
Arbory Afloat Balearic Beach Club is saucing things up this month with the introduction of ‘Loco Bocadillo’, a short selection of special sandwiches available exclusively in March.
Inspired by Can Paixano – an old sailor’s bar in the back streets of Barcelona – the ‘Loco Bocadillo’ menu will hero rustic, saucy sandwiches, as well as cava and sparkling wines.
Known simply as “La Xampanyeria” (the champagne bar) by locals, Can Paixano is a beloved Spanish institution with flavour – both literally and metaphorically – at the forefront of everything they do. Their sandwiches being the perfect example – filled with anything from ham and camembert or pancetta and peppers to smoked rib with roquefort cheese.
On board at Arbory Afloat, Executive Chef James Gibson will be serving his own version, dipping crunchy, crusty white bread rolls in rendered pork dripping and packing them with a rotating selection of juicy hot and cold fillings.
“The menu will change from week to week,” describes Gibson. “Some sandwiches will celebrate seafood centric combinations, others will be packed with Jamón and charred Padron peppers or pork cheek and Guindillas.”
“What’s certain is you’ll need both hands,” he adds. “It’s a casual affair so they’ll be served whole and on grease-proof paper. They’re messy in all the right ways so get ready to tie up your hair and roll up your sleeves.”
Just like in the back streets of Spain, cava will also be available by the coupe to cut through the rich and flavourful sandwiches, as well as schooners of Estrella Galicia.
Here for a good time, not a long time, Arbory Afloat’s ‘Loco Bocadillo’ lunch special will be available daily throughout March from 11am until sold out. Prices will differ along with the menu but each sandwich won’t set you back more than $15-20.
DRINK: Fuzzy Bare
Fuzzy Bare is the new kid on the block – fizzy, fun and ready to drink!
Organically grown, no additives, vegan and moderate in alcohol ‘Fuzzy Bare’ is made from using the leftover skins that have been pressed off from Fourth Wave Wine’s Cowpunk wines. Water is added to the press where is left for 12 hours to interact with the skins. The solution is then pressed to tank and the residual sugar fermented out to dryness to make a beautifully refreshing, lower in alcohol beverage.
The Fuzzy Bare range includes two Pinot Gris Piquette’s (available in bottle and can format) and a Pinot Noir Piquette.
The Fuzzy Bare range is available in select Dan Murphy’s, BWS and independent retailers nationwide or online here.
BUY: Brava…Support For Fuller Busted Women
Brava is the only exclusively D Cup & Up lingerie chain in Australia. With luxury, fuller-bust European brands new to Australia, and exclusive to Brava, women D Cup & Up are spoilt for choice. Bra sizing can be confusing, so the Brava fitters ask a range of questions and bring bras suited to the customer’s needs.
Brava Co-Founders and Directors, mother and daughter duo Lin and Maxine Windram, had shared a dream of being able to visit a lingerie store and not be treated as a problem. Both blessed with a fuller bust and a basic desire to wear beautiful, uplifting, well-fitted bras, they have provided a solution where once there was none. Founded in 2006, Brava now carries the best lingerie and swimwear brands designed specifically for fuller busts. The very experienced and empathetic D Cup & Up bra fitters fit by eye, no tape measures – ever. Brava believes that if our lingerie fits (and doesn’t dig, cut, bite or name-call), it has the power to make us feel confident and more accepting of our bodies, which already do so much for us with so little thanks.
Brava have just opened a new store at the QVB Building in Sydney — and it is not like any other store. When a woman enters, she is taken on a journey to discover curated walls of bras, including every day, special occasion, sport, maternity, and bra-sized swimwear, as well as a QR code to scan for style information.
For more on Brava, click here.
TRY: The Ultimate Lobster Roll Experience at Crown Melbourne
Lobster rolls are the ultimate decadent treat. Skyrocketing in popularity over the last 20 years, the zesty culinary creations can be found throughout Melbourne from food trucks to fine-dining and now, Crown Melbourne. Nothing beats the delicious combination of rich lobster on buttery brioche.
Crown’s signature restaurants are embracing the trend and putting their own special spin on the iconic lobster roll – creating 10 quirky, gourmet and unexpected variations of this signature dish.
Until 31 March 2023, be transported through a journey of flavours, as Crown’s premium restaurants produce their own versions of the popular lobster roll, specific to each venue’s cuisine.
Featuring lobster & prawns, indulge in 10 different rolls from Crown Melbourne’s premium stable of restaurants including Nobu, The Waiting Room, Koko, Silks, Bistro Guillaume, GingThai, The Atlantic, Rosetta, Spice Temple & Rockpool.
Talented chefs will put their own twist on the popular lobster & prawn roll, offering something unique to each venue, with each roll priced at an incredible $15.
Find your perfect roll at Crown Melbourne here.
VISIT: Totti’s Lorne
Merivale’s much-loved restaurant Totti’s will welcome locals and visitors for the first time this weekend on Saturday 11 March when its doors swing open within the Lorne Hotel.
The opening will mark the fifth outpost of Totti’s, created by Merivale Executive Chef Mike Eggert, after four successful openings in Sydney. Executive Chef and Surf Coast local, Matt Germanchis, is at the helm of the Lorne restaurant, adding his local passion and knowledge to Totti’s menu classics.
Designed for guests to roll in straight off the beach, the Totti’s Lorne menu captures the best local seafood and produce from King George Whiting to Apollo Bay octopus, complemented by local wines.
The menu will also include Totti’s signature antipasti and woodfired bread, handmade pastas including pappardelle lamb ragu, ziti prawn alla vodka, and fettuccine tomato sugo and stracciatella.
The specialty dessert menu will include Totti’s tiramisu, banana splits, chocolate torte, and a classic affogato. Executive Chef Matt Germanchis will also be bringing his famous gelato recipe to the Lorne Hotel.
Bookings open at 9am on Wednesday March 8 at merivale.com/venues/tottis-lorne.
Totti’s Lorne will open from 12pm on Saturday 11 March, 2023.
READ: Good Mourning by Sally Douglas & Imogen Carn
Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn met after the sudden deaths of their mothers only months apart. Their experiences led them to launch a podcast, and their no-holds-barred, relatable approach to talking about grief sparked a growing following of people eager to have honest conversations about what it really feels like to deal with loss.
Good Mourning is a compassionate survival guide for anyone dealing with grief – the kind of book Sal and Imogen wish they’d had to help them through the dark times. Here they shine a light on the many ways grief can impact our lives (hello ugly crying, exhaustion and ‘grief brain’). Along with expert advice from clinical psychologist Tamara Cavenett and warm words and insights from hundreds of others who’ve experienced grief, the authors offer practical tips on coping with isolation and loneliness, navigating grief at work, managing milestones and so much more.
Whether you’re one month in or ten years down the track, Good Mourning will help you make sense of life after loss — and know that you’re not alone.
Good Mourning, Murdoch Books, is out now.
