Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, read and be merry.
EAT: At Uncle Bomba, The Spanish-Viet Pop-Up You’ve Been Waiting For
This weekend will see two CBD-located creative culinary geniuses join forces as Bomba‘s Jesse Gerner will meet Uncle‘s Dai Duong to bring city goers a unique Viet-Spanish lunch, all in the name of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Aptly titled, Uncle Bomba will see each venue present its unique take on the other’s cuisine. Book at Bomba and expect Gerner to plate up a Spanish twist on Vietnamese classics, or head four blocks over and see Duong dishing up a hearty serve of Viet style on iconic Spanish bites.
Both lunches will treat guests to four-courses with a matched cocktail on arrival.
More: MFWF
DRINK: At New Melbourne Cocktail Bar, Jasper’s
Hidden away in Goldie Place with an iconic trumpet marking its entrance is Jasper’s – the hottest place you need to know about when it comes to world-class cocktails. Jasper’s features a rotating selection of craft gins, an extensive whisky selection, and a carefully curated wine menu.
Mesmerising guests with the elegance of the 1920s, the venue boasts moody and luxurious interiors, and often features smooth, intimate performances from world-ronowned jazz and contemporary artists
Jasper’s old-world charm continues through to the venue’s concealed courtyard of century-old exposed bricks featuring vibrant greenery, warm lighting, and soft acoustics that will have guests completely forget they’re nestled in the heart of the city’s CBD.
Jasper’s is located at 14 Goldie Place, Melbourne and is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Tuesday – Thursday from 4.30pm – 1am, Friday from 4.30pm – 3am, Saturdays from 6pm – 3am. Live music from Thursday – Saturday between 9pm and 12am.
BUY: Mighty Magnesium From Amazing Oils
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and is required for 1,200 of 1,600 bodily functions. Responsible for biochemical reactions, magnesium ions act as enzyme co-factors in reducing, controlling and moderating cellular oxidative damage. Due to poor oral supplementation and change in modern dietary habits, less than 60 percent of adult men and women meet the adequate intake values for magnesium according to the World Health Organisation.
Considered a form of brine, magnesium oil is made from a mixture of magnesium chloride flakes and water. When these two substances merge, the resulting oil-like liquid offers transdermal qualities which enable the body to effectively and safely absorb the nutrient-rich benefits of magnesium verses inferior oral alternatives.
Sourced from pristine local salt lakes of Australia, Amazing Oils, a family run and operated Sunshine Coast company specialising in magnesium chloride health solutions, uses organically registered magnesium chloride to actively replenish magnesium levels in the body and assist in optimal cell, bone and tissue health.
Formulated as part of their natural magnesium range, Amazing Oils’ Natural Relief Oil Spray (from $21.95 rrp), Gel Roll-On ($27.50 rrp), and Bath Flakes ($25.95 rrp) offer a minimum of 100mg of elemental magnesium absorption by the body in order to assist and aid in the relief of:
- Muscular injuries, aches and pains
- Cramping and restless legs
- Insomnia and poor sleep quality
- Headaches and migraines
- Joint pain and arthritic pain
- Healthy bone density
- PMT-related cramps and tensions
- Mild skin irritations and inflammation
- Stress and nervous tension
- Energy production and mood regulation
More: https://amazingoils.com.au/
TRY: Murder on the Puffing Billy Express
Come aboard for a night of deception, intrigue and mystery on Puffing Billy Railway’s Murder on the Puffing Billy Express. As you ride the train into the dark of night, you will meet the characters and hear their stories as you try to solve the mystery of ‘who dunnit?’ Entrée will be served during the forward journey, before disembarking the train at the historic Nobelius Packing Shed. More of the story will unfold as guests enjoy a sumptuous dinner, before the killer is revealed in a dramatic ending. Guests will board the train back to Belgrave and enjoy tea and coffee to finish off the night. Come dressed to the 1920s and 1930s ‘flapper’ era. Prizes for the best dressed.
Dates: Saturday 23 March, Saturday 30 March, Saturday 13 April, Saturday 11 May, Saturday 25 May, Saturday 15 June, Saturday 22 June, Saturday 29 June 2019
More: https://puffingbilly.com.au
VISIT: The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
One of the biggest events in Melbourne city’s calendar is returning this year: The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, from March 27 – 31.
Attracting over 100,000 visitors each year, the biggest horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere is looking fresher and more impressive than ever before.
Some spectacular stand outs include:
A Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired indoor plant installation from The Plant Society – complete with the chance to win a golden ticket hidden in the grounds
2019 charity partner Beyond Blue heralds a new chapter of mindful, meditative gardens that are designed to combine form and function as they raise awareness for mental health and help calm the mind
An incredible line up of Show Gardens that include a giant manmade hive encasing a golden elm from New Zealand designer Bayley LuuTomes; a collaboration between Candeo Design, Semken Landscaping and Jason Hodges (Lawn Solutions Australia) that includes a stunningly lit Perspex walled pool and a lawn zone completed with life-sized bronze Labrador statues playing; a gigantic, 1.8m dinosaur egg nestled in the garden of Christian Jenkins; and a Mediterranean-inspired terracotta dream from TRACT, complete with agave blue waves and a stunning pink South American silk floss tree
An interactive Welcome Garden that will feature curtains of Kaynemaile – a ringlock mesh created by Lord of the Rings Weapon Designer Kayne Horsham
Hands-on kokedama workshops from Leaf and Bear, floral classes Melbourne Flower School and DIY masterclasses from Ryobi
A floral-inspired high tea from Holland America
Ichiyo Ikebana Floristry School will be flying over headmaster Naohiro Kasuya all the way from Tokyoto showcase a spectacular Ikebana installation
RMIT Fashion students will display plant-based couture creations that transform twigs to tulle, foliage to fascinators and blossoms to bodices, with designs that think well and truly outside the vase
The one and only Gardens by Twilight will return on Friday 29 March, extending the hours of the Show to give city dwellers the rare opportunity to kick off after work drinks surrounded by floral installations, award-winning gardens and live music with a craft beer or glass of rosé in hand.
More: http://melbflowershow.com.au
READ: The New Anthology of Classic Travel Literature from Lonely Planet
Edited by Mark MacKenzie, Curiosities and Splendour is Lonely Planet’s collection of classic travel literature from 29 great authors and adventurers.
Lonely Planet journeys back in time with this anthology of celebrated travel writing. The selected tales illuminate an array of extraordinary experiences over land and sea that continue to captivate contemporary audiences.
“The best travel writing evokes not just a sense of place, or of wonder, but relates its story with a distinctive voice,” writes the book’s Editor, Mark MacKenzie, in his Introduction to the book.
“Perhaps all that needs to be said is that the very finest travel writing,” Mark says, “elevates the everyday to the sublime.”
Curiosities and Splendour includes tales from Mary Anne Barker (“Station Life in New Zealand”), Robert Byron (“The Road to Oxiana”), James Cook (“Voyages”) Charles Dickens (“American Notes”), Ernest Shackleton (“South”), Mark Twain (“Life on the Mississippi”), Edith Wharton(“In Morocco”), and more.
Curiosities and Splendour, published March 2019, by Lonely Planet, RRP AU$29.99.
