Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, read, be merry.
EAT: Circl
Nestled in an iconic Melbourne laneway, Circl is the CBD’s latest wine-centric restaurant, and it is now catering to the pre-theatre crowd with an earlier weekday opening and prix fixe menu of its celebrated food.
Located on Punch Lane in the heart of Chinatown, Circl embodies a warm and welcoming atmosphere. From its city fringe location, it is ideally located within walking distance from the likes of The Princess Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre, and Regent Theatre.
Now available from 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, Head Chef Elias Salomonsson (Scott Pickett, Vue Group) will plate up a selection of Circl’s seasonal European-influenced dishes, with the option of a two ($65pp) or three-course ($75pp) set menu. Start with the likes of stracciatella, charred leek and chives, or a ricotta and mushroom ravioli with parmesan; before moving on to mains whether it’s a steak frites with Café de Paris butter or gnocchi with marinated peppers, olives and parmesan.
Go for thirds and enjoy beautifully created desserts from a strawberry gum parfait with river mint and matcha sable; or a cherry beer sorbet with pistachio and soft chocolate. Snacks, sides and Circl’s award-winning wine list will be available to order alongside.
DRINK: Gria
Fun, fresh and delightfully unique, new wine brand Gria is vibrant, fizzy and damn delicious, bursting with sunshine and good times.
Gria is a delicious reinvention of classic sangria, blending premium Victorian wines with a vibrant spritz and innovative flavours to deliver the essence of sangria’s fruit and spice in a refreshingly light drink.
There’s Red Gria and White Gria to cover every occasion. Though fabulously fun and easygoing, Gria also comes with some serious winemaking smarts.
Lauded winemaker-cum-chocolatier Peter Wilson has applied his alchemic smarts and prized palate to create these innovative, lip-smackingly tasty tipples.
Wilson is a highly regarded winemaker and wine judge who has produced countless award-winning wines for Whitebox Wines and the iconic Yarra Yering. He turned his remarkable gift for blending exquisite flavours to the art of chocolate in the 1990s when he co-founded the acclaimed Kennedy & Wilson chocolaterie.
Gria is available now at independent retailers, RRP $25. For stockists, visit griaspritz.com.au.
BUY: Valanolia
Free radicals are silent aggressors that quietly undermine the skin’s structural and aesthetic integrity. Born from environmental factors like UV radiation and pollution, these unstable molecules accelerate premature ageing by depleting collagen and elastin and stealing healthy electrons. While Aussies dedicate a significant 62% of their monthly beauty budget to defending their face from these biological assailants, only 12% is spent on safeguarding the body.
Combatting free radicals and bridging the gap between luxury and affordable beauty, award-winning olive grove, Valanolia, launched their first antioxidant body treatment, the Olive Essence Body Wash, to cleanse, protect, and nourish skin below the neck.
Packed with a potent blend of antioxidants—including beta-carotene, vitamin E, squalane, and polyphenols like oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol—the oil-in-gel formula harnesses the benefits of over 360 cold-pressed olives to neutralise free radicals and boost the skin’s resilience and radiance.
Hydrating, nourishing, and non-comedogenic, the multisensory bath and shower lather deeply cleanses and moisturises without jeopardising the skin’s delicate pH, and actively addresses dermatological concerns such as fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, redness, acne, and loss of elasticity. My skin feels smoother, softer and is visibly more hydrated.
Processing up to two tonnes of olives per hour and utilising a proprietary two-phase extraction method, Valanolia manufactures its entire range using renewable solar energy, water-saving irrigation systems, and natural fertilisers. Consider me impressed.
TRY: Sun Ray
Meet Sun Ray, the Australian-designed UPF 50+ clothing brand that’s challenging the status quo on our traditional approach to sun protection, levelling up with a new and stylish way to block harmful UV rays this summer.
Made for lovers of the outdoors, Sun Ray was envisioned by founders and friends Maddy and Stu during their travels, where they spent their days hiking, exploring the local markets and relaxing by the beach. They sought to create clothing to not only shield you from the sun’s harmful rays, but that also effortlessly fits into your daily lifestyle.
Sun Ray’s collection features a range of stylish and functional pieces, including long-sleeve shirting options in modern silhouettes, classic caps, and a fresh take on the 1990’s inspired mullet brim hat that’s back and better than ever. Made from the most comfortable, breathable, and lightweight fabric on the market, these garments are designed to keep you cool and protected, whether you’re hiking, exploring, or simply enjoying a day outdoors.
Rated UPF50+ by the Australian Government body ARPANSA, Sun Rays pieces shield you from 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. This is the highest possible sun protection rating available.
VISIT: Melbourne Marriott Docklands Rooftop Infinity Pool Pass x Aperol
Enjoy swimming, spritzes and the hospitality at Sunset House, where the ultimate highlight of the activation is ‘Sunset Hour’, running daily from 4pm to 6pm. Guests can indulge in $12 Aperol Spritz while soaking in curated beats that bring the relaxed elegance of Mediterranean beach lounges to life.
On until 31 March 2025 – reservations for the weekday pool pass are now online.
Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands – 15 Waterfront Way, Docklands.
READ: Groomed by Sonia Orchard
Sonia Orchard was in her forties when she told a therapist about the boyfriend she had when she was fifteen. He had been a decade older than her. Her therapist responded with ‘Sonia. You were violated.’ With her own daughters now teenagers and the March4Justice changing the conversation about sexual assault, Sonia tentatively called the police. This started the traumatic and gruelling journey to face what had happened to her when she was a child.
Written in real time, Groomed navigates through a legal system stacked against victims of sexual assault, with the obstacles to justice becoming clearer and more confronting than ever.
When facing her own court case, Sonia couldn’t shake bigger questions: how had we allowed this to happen, and what would it take to fix it? In an attempt to answer these questions, Sonia shifts between memoir and research, delving into culture, neuroscience and evolution, unpicking the enduring narratives that fuel these issues.
On 23 January 2024, the Australian Government asked the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to undertake an inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence. With figures like one in three women and one in five men in Australia experiencing child sexual abuse and ‘fewer than 10% of sexual assaults reported to NSW police end in a conviction’, Groomed arrives at a crucial moment as society seeks to improve the experiences of victims and survivors of sexual violence.
Groomed provides insight into what is involved in facing one’s past sexual trauma and addressing it via the justice system and, as Sonia says, ‘how that justice system fails survivors and society at large, entrenching the problems of sexual abuse.’ She says, ‘It is a call to action. It is also me extending a hand to other survivors.’
Shocking, gripping and utterly captivating, Groomed stands as another essential work in the canon of bold writers such as Bri Lee and Jess Hill.
