I’m a journalist, travel writer, editor and copywriter based in Melbourne, Australia. I write pacy travel features, edit edifying websites and fashion flamboyant copy. My articles and photographs have appeared in publications worldwide, from inflight to interior design: I’ve visited every continent, and have lived in three. Want to work together? Drop me a line… 

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Katrina Pizzini’s ricotta & spinach gnocchi with creamy blue sauce

Here it is: the easiest gnocchi recipe ever, fresh from the Victorian high country. I took a photo and threw it up online, but someone suggested it made them want to throw up, so I may refrain from the graphics at this point.

Gnocchi
1kg ricotta
500g spinach blanched, cooled, liquid squeezed out and pureed
120g grated parmesan
1tsp grated nutmeg
170g plain flour
5 large egg yolks

Sauce
2tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
600ml cream
3 tbsp fresh chervil, finely chopped
250g blue vein cheese (D’Ambert if you can find it – camembert is ok, too)

Katrina Pizzini in action, Cheshunt, VIC.

Gnocchi: Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined – the rougher the better. Mould a handful of mixture into a large sausage then roll onto a lightly floured bench until 2cm in diameter.

Cut the sausage with a flat-blade knife on the diagonal and place the gnocchi onto a lightly floured tray. Continue till all the mixture is used.

Drop the gnocchi into boiling salted water about 20 at a time. They’ll sink to the bottom and when the gnocchi rise to the surface, cook for a further minute or two. With a slotted spoon, scoop the gnocchi from the water and place into a serving bowl.

Sauce: Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion. Add the garlic, white wine, bay leaf and peppercorns and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the cream sauce, add the chervil and the crumbled blue vein cheese.

Pasta, Ravioli & Gnocchi
Class $140 per person, Vino e Vita wine club $130 per person
This
class is not just about how to make pasta and the perfect gnocchi.
Participants will learn how to make interesting ravioli fillings and the
different sauces to go with the different pastas made.

First bloom for bonny baby beauties: saying cheese in Victoria’s high country

It’s been a week since these baby camemberts were born, at the Milawa Cheese Factory in the Victorian high country, and their downy fuzz is just starting to grow.

At Anna-Kate Pizzini’s cheesemaking classes, we learned to make camembert from whole milk, then ricotta from the whey separated from the milk.

The ricotta found its way into a spinach and ricotta gnocchi, thanks to a pasta-making class by Anna-Kate’s mother-in-law, Katrina.

And the camemberts are curled up in a container in my esky in the garage, biding their time till they’re ready to eat, in about six weeks.

The classes run the first Saturday of the month and include lots of fabulous cheese tasting, $160 per class or $450 for three classes, which covers making camembert & ricotta, blue cheese & chevre and hard cheese & paneer: www.milawacheese.com.au 

Brick? Brack! It’s all Irish to me: recipe for Irish Bambrick

I was about to post this recipe, then I thought, that’s not very travel-oriented. But wait! It’s a recipe for Irish Bambrick!

So it’s time to break out the Bewley’s tea (Van Morrison’s fave), whack on the Claddagh CD (or Cranberries, Corrs, Boyzone – oh, Rohan – whatever takes your fancy) and carve up a slice of this solid, wholesome tea-time treat.


Irish Bambrick
1½ cups cold black tea
¼ cups sultanas
1 cup currants
¾ cup mixed peel, finely chopped (I think mixed peel is sooo ’50s, I used apricots)
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour (I used 1 cup wholemeal – I AM my mother!)
½ cup walnuts (almonds or brazil nuts)

The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I added a little nutmeg and some cinnamon. In hindsight, I’d drop the cinnamon.

Combine tea, sultanas, currants, mixed peel (apricots) and sugar in a bowl. Cover. Stand the mixture overnight. Stir in egg. Mix in flour and nuts. Spoon into a greased and lined 13x21cm loaf pan. Bake at 160 degrees for 1 – 1 1/4 hours or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. This cake can be frozen for up to three months (though why you wouldn’t want to eat it hot from the oven is beyond me).

A note of warning: the uncooked mixture is seriously sticky. I added an extra splash of tea and it didn’t hurt. And it really needs the full hour or more in the oven, otherwise you’ll end up with a sticky heart.

PS: This recipe was clipped from an Australian nursing newsletter. The spelling of bambrick is weird: I have found reference to ‘barmbrack’, but just I’d call this a brack – take it from one who has consumed many bracks in her time living in Dublin.

Bali: savouring Seminyak

Fois gras trilogy, Metis

Beyond the rice paddies and the beaches, Seminyak is the heart of Bali’s dining scene – and whether it’s organic, local or international, you’ll find fine cuisine for all tastes. 

Seminyak’s streets are pumping with a cosmopolitan array of chefs and restaurateurs, dishing up everything from Aussie steaks to Balinese crispy duck and Jimbaran Bay seafood, and offering up a potpourri of produce that’s never languished on a supermarket shelf.

If you can’t say Petitenget before you hit town, you’ll learn quickly enough. Jalan is the Indonesian word for “street”, and Jalan Petitenget is home to some of the island’s top tables.

Coconut rhumballa, Chandi

It’s also the name of a newcomer to the restaurant scene. When we meet, Petitenget‘s executive chef Simon Blaby is eating slow-braised pork belly with confit green-apple puree, shredded cabbage salad and sweet potato puree. “It’s a true homage to great local produce. Balinese pork is second to none,” says Simon, who hails from Queensland’s much-loved Spirit House.

If you’re out to impress, earmark a date at Metis, which opened in 2009 amid the rice paddies and lily-filled water gardens. French chef Nicolas Tourneville serves French Mediterranean cuisine, including a dedicated foie gras menu.

Looking for a Zen-like, Ubud vibe? Neighbouring Sardine has also tapped in to the rice-paddy gastronomical scene. If you’re obsessed with sustainable seafood, hand-plucked herbs and knowing where your onions came from (the mountain village of Bedugul), book a table for what fourth-generation Burgundy chef-restaurateur Pascal Chevillot describes as cuisine du solei1 (“food of the sun”) and sample the gourmet fare from the kitchen, run by Californian Michael Shaheen.

Funky MamaSan

If sand isn’t your thing, slip on some stilettos and trip upstairs to the rootop of Anantara Hotel to find SOS Supper Club, which mixes fine dining, lounging and clubbing.

Local seafoodies gravitate towards the Sunday brunches at W Hotel’s Starfish Bloo by Mauritian-born, Australian-bred chef Kevin Chung, and gleefully feast on the snapper dumplings of MamaSan, helmed by chef Will Meyrick of Sydney’s Longrain fame.

Head to Chandi for its New York take on local cuisine. With lounges facing the crushingly busy Jalan Laksmana it’s also an unsurpassed people-watching locale. “The clientele in Seminyak is a great mix of glamour meets health nut,” says chef-owner Agung Nugroho.

“The clientele in Seminyak is a great mix of glamour meets health nut.”

The glitzy alternative for local cuisine is Jakartan newbie Potato Head Beach Club, which is givinglong-timer Ku De Ta a run for its money with a kids’ pool and the sexiness of a swim-up bar balanced by its fine-dining restaurant, Tapping Shoes.

Overlooking the rice paddies at Metis

Its less formal pan-Asian tapas bar, Lilin, has communal tables overlooking the Indian Ocean, but chances are you’ll have eyes only for the catfish with red chilli sambal or the locally beloved buntut samba1bajak (braised oxtail with traditional chilli sambal).

“Bali is attracting great international chefs who still wish to dream and bend the rules more than you could in a Western kitchen,” says Petitenget’s Blaby, of Seminyak’s embarrassment of dining riches. “It’s magical, not logical.”

TAKE ME THERE
PETITENGET Jln Petitenget 40, tel, .+62 3614733054, petitenget.net
POTATO HEAD BEACH CLUB Jln Petitenget, tel: 62361 473 7979, ptthead.com
SARDINE Jln Petitenget 21, tel: +62 361 843 6111, sardinebali.com
ANANTARA SOS SUPPER CLUB Jln Dhyana Pura,tel, 62361 737773, sosasupperclub.com
W HOTEL Jln Petitenget, tel:.+62 361 473 8106, starwoodhotels.com
BIKU Jln Raya Petitenget 888, tel, +62 361 857 0888, bikubali.com
CHANDI Jln Laksmana 72, tel: +62 361 731 060, chandibali.com
LA LUCCIOLA Jln Petitenget, tel:.+62 361 730 838
MAMASAN Jln Raya Kerobokan 135, tel, +62 361 730436, mamasanbali.com
METIS Jln Petitenget 6, tel: +62 3614737888, metisbali.com

To view as a pdf, click here

Source: Belinda Jackson, Jetstar magazine

Where Maggie Beer relaxes, Fleur Wood eats and wellness and eco escapes: Good Weekend

Where does Maggie Beer truly relax, and Fleur Woods
find a Victorian gourmet getaway? Part of Good Weekend’s 52 ExtraordinaryJourneys that cover wellness retreats and eco-escapes.
 

MAGGIE BEER, cook,
restaurateur, author

The experience: Consistency, attention to detail and utter relaxation
on Kangaroo Island. 
“I have visited the Southern Ocean Lodge four times, as
I host a Kangaroo Island Food Safari each year. Recently, I stayed at the lodge
for five days. I’m a detail freak and I appreciate every little bit. The luxury
is the staff, who are lovely people. It’s in the swivel chairs you sit on. It’s
in the way everything is so restful, and how every window is set to capture a
view: the first time I walked into the lodge’s great room, it took my breath
away. It’s in the greeting on arrival, the freshly made lamingtons served and
the good-quality tea. On my last visit, we walked the cliffs to Hanson Bay
every morning, and every morning the staff would offer to pack us cut fruit on
ice or a picnic and rug. We sat outside for every meal we could, eating the
best food, using seasonal, local produce. The lodge’s signature scent is lemon
myrtle, so there’s a sense of the bush. I don’t relax easily unless I’m by the
sea. Here, I am so relaxed, I just give myself over to it.” 
Dream to reality: Regional
Express (rex.com.au) flies daily from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island; Sealink
(sealink.com.au) has a daily ferry service from Cape Jervis on the mainland.
Southern Ocean Lodge, Hanson Bay, two-night stays from $990 a person a night,
twin share. southernoceanlodge.com.au

WELL-BEING
CLEAN
SKINS, TAS
The experience:
 Chardonnay body scrub, pinot bath and a glass of wine.
Snuggled in the wild dunes of Tasmania’s far north-east, Barnbougle Lost Farm’s
spa menu includes vinotherapy – embracing blends from the nearby Tamar Valley’s
cool-climate wines. Think chardonnay exfoliant, pinot noir body mask, then a
still-water pinot bath.
Dream to reality: Barnbougle Lost Farm, Waterhouse
Road, Bridport, is one hour’s drive from Launceston. Fly direct from
Melbourne’s Moorabbin Airport. Rooms from $190 a night, twin share; 150 minutes
of vinotherapy from $320 a person. lostfarm.com.au

MASSAGE THERAPY, NT 
The experience: Waterfall “treatment” in
subtropical climes.
Nature’s hand replaces that of the therapist, no booking is required, and there
are no man-made products – just an invigorating pummelling. In and around
beautiful Litchfield National Park south of Darwin, the popular Florence Falls,
Wangi Falls, Sandy Creek (Tjaynera Falls), Surprise Creek Falls and Buley
Rockhole can deliver neck-and-shoulder workouts. The best time to try is early
in the
dry season, May-June.
Dream to reality: Litchfield National Park is a
90-minute drive from Darwin. Walk from carparks to individual waterfalls.
travelnt.com

PAMPER PACKED, WA 
The experience: A splendid bolthole and secluded
beach in the south-west.
Injidup Spa Retreat’s 10 villas have heated plunge pools, ocean views, in-villa
dining and an in-villa massage service. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of
the World network, Injidup is adjacent to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and
within driving distance of the Margaret River wine-and-dine bounty, yet well
suited to travellers who seek to be alone, but pampered, near a brooding sea.
Dream to reality: Injidup is a three-hour drive
southwest of Perth. Two-night weekend villa stays from $650 a night.
injidupsparetreat.com.au

TUB THUMPER, SA 
The experience: Barossa bush bathing.
The seven-suite Kingsford Homestead, built in 1856, has an alfresco two-person
bath set in a private corner of the estate. Guests are handed a basket
containing a bathrobe and salts before they walk into the bush to bathe.
Dream to reality: Kingsford is an hour’s drive
north of Adelaide. Two-night stays from $1780 for two. kingsfordhomestead.com.au

BODY CAMPS, QLD 
The experience: A Noosa ‘‘bodibreak’’ for those
made of tough stuff.
Train like a pro under the direction of Life’s A Gym coaches: think
bootcamp-style sessions on the beach, in the ocean and pool, as well as
running, bike riding, and stand-up paddling and surfing sessions. The regimen
is bespoke and includes fitness and nutrition advice.
Dream to reality: Fly direct from Sydney or
Melbourne to Sunshine Coast Airport. Stay at Outrigger Little Hastings Street,
Noosa. Four-day ‘‘bodibreak’’ from $1650 a person, twin share. lifesagym.com
ECO
WINGING
IT, QLD

The experience: Savannah meets wetlands meets
lodge comforts.
Wake to a chorus of brolgas after a night’s sleep in an African-style tented
stay overlooking the 2000-hectare Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve
in
the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns, in Far North Queensland. The Wildlife
Conservancy of Tropical Queensland spent 10 years developing the reserve.
Dream to reality: By car, it’s about a 90-minute
drive from Cairns or Port Douglas. Lodge stays from $229 a person a night, twin
share. Cairns-Mareeba train and bus services available. Transfers from Cairns
to the Jabiru Safari Lodge are available by special request.
jabirusafarilodge.com.au

BEST BEDS, SA
The experience: Stylish digs deep in native
forest.
Winter and early spring bring forth flowering plants and orchids at the
spectacular Tanonga, a 100-hectare property on the Eyre Peninsula where more
than 25,000 native trees, shrubs, grasses and sedges have been planted to help
restore the land. It’s a robust landscape of incredible views, with two
architect-designed, self-contained lodges sitting among it.
Dream to reality: Regional Express flies daily
from Adelaide to Port Lincoln. Tanonga Luxury Eco Lodges are a 20-minute drive
from the airport. Lodge stay is $310-$340 a night. Minimum two-night stay.
tanonga.com.au

BORN WILD, TAS 
The experience: At home on the edge of the wild
Tarkine.
Corinna is a former goldmining settlement, its riverside workers’ cottages and
stores since renovated and an additional 14 retreats built to complement the
settler vernacular. On the southern side of the Tarkine – the largest temperate
rainforest in Australia – Corinna has rainwater on tap. While you’re there,
take a Pieman River cruise on the stunning Arcadia II, a 17-metre vessel made
of huon pine in 1939.
Dream to reality: Corinna is a three-hour drive
south west of Stanley or 90 minutes north of Strahan, on Tasmania’s west coast.
One-bedroom retreats from $200 a night for two people. corinna.com.au

STYLISHLY SOLAR, VIC
The experience: Corrugated-iron “bush
shelters”, courtesy of architects.
Self-contained studios insulated with sheep’s wool and decorated with found and
recycled materials form The Odd Frog, built on
4.2 hectares in Bright in Victoria’s north-east. It’s a solar-powered stay,
with grey water going to the orchard, walking and cycling tracks (including the
sealed Murray to the Mountains rail trail) nearby, and Bright’s shops a short
stroll away.
Dream to reality: Bright is about a three-hour
drive from Melbourne. Nearest airport is Albury, NSW. Studios from $150 a
night. theoddfrog.com

ROO THE DAY, NSW
The experience: No plastic, thanks, we’re
permaculture people.
Tucked between a sandstone escarpment and the Morton National Park, Kangaroo
Valley has National Trust-listed landscapes and village buildings, a
long-standing ‘‘no plastic bags in shops’’ policy, and tourism operators who
are upfront about their efforts to reduce their carbon emissions. About 1300
people live in the valley, and it’s
a badge of honour for many that there are no traffic lights in the area.
Dream to reality: Kangaroo Valley is a two-hour
drive south of Sydney. kangaroovalleytourist.asn.au
FLEUR WOOD, Sydney fashion
designer

The experience: Towns that let the tables do the talking. 
“Victoria’s Daylesford region is a foodie revelation All
we did on a weekend visit was eat. My favourite restaurant is Kazuki’s –
modern, Japanese-inspired bistro food. There’s beef and foie gras on the menu,
but it’s very light. It’s my kind of food and I wanted everything on the menu.
Wombat Hill House cafe, in the botanic gardens, is a great place to take kids
and the food is fresh, organic and healthy. We had lunch in the conservatory
and were struck by the delicious salads with fresh herbs and the local spring
water. I did manage to get to Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa and visit Lavandula, a
Swiss-Italian-style lavender farm for the signature lavender scones, of course.
It is really beautiful, a good place for a post-spa afternoon tea. There are so
many restaurants, yet there’s still an Australian country town aesthetic about
Daylesford. With a husband and young baby, plus restaurants and spa treatments
to experience, I didn’t have much time for shopping, but we took home some
home-made apricot and almond jam. So much of the food is local and organic and
there’s a real pride in growing and producing your own foods. It’s such a great
community. If it was just outside Sydney, I’d be there every second
weekend.” 
Dream to reality: Daylesford
and the Macedon Ranges is north-west of Melbourne. Self-guided touring
recommended. visitvictoria.com

This article originally appeared in Good
Weekend
. Like Good Weekend on Facebook to get regular updates on upcoming stories
and events – www.facebook.com/GoodWeekendMagazine

Source: Belinda Jackson, Good Weekend Magazine

Three strikes: salted caramel hits out

I thought it was novel that I bought a salted caramel donut from Movida Bakery a few weeks ago. No jam. No chocolate. Salted caramel.

Then, just a few hundred meters and a few heartbeats away, still in South Yarra, the sweet scents from Burch & Purchese lured me in and hit me with salted caramel spread and a chocolate, mandarin and salted caramel cake. This is Adults Only sweets, kids, and they (and their cult following) take their salty caramel pretty damned seriously.

The triumvirate hit a week down the track, when I sauntered in to the northside’s new St Ali’s outpost, in the wilds of Carlton North. And there it was, except this time, the salted caramel appeared in a macaroon lurking on the side of its hit-me-between-the-eyes coffee. (Obvious note: salted caramel is the new macaroon.)

Laid back? You bet. St Ali North

I was caught off guard: I had only just finished mainlining what looks like your standard bacon-and-egg fry, but was in fact stone fruit halved and fried (that’s your ‘tomatoes’), and bacon ice cream, (the roll of white ice cream was doing a good poached egg impersonation, and the bacon was in the form of a scattering of tiny bacon chips on top), served on brioche. Yes, more salt-and-sweet: it was fabulous. I wish I’d photographed it for you, but reader, I hoovered it all up so fast, you would have had to use the ‘sports’ setting on your camera.

It’s not just me, check out seven (seven!) more Melbourne haunts to get the taste of 2012 in the excellent Broadsheet magazine.

Seoul Purpose: a local’s guide to the South Korean capital

Gyeongbokgung Palace


The heart of Seoul lies in its palaces, skyscrapers  – and its stomach.

Seoul is a city is split by the River Han – old money to the north, new money south of the
river. Northside, think palaces, president’s house and traditional hanok houses: snap up classic ceramics or
perhaps a hanbok dress in Insa-dong
and drink 100-flower tea in Bukchon. 

To the south of the river, Gangnam is all
about Euro-luxe labels. Would-be models strut the streets as they shop at the Garosu-Gil
fashion strip, Asia’s largest underground mall, COEX, or too-cool
Cheongdam-dong, with its Italian boutiques and wine bars. 

At any tick of the
24-hour clock, you’ll find some of Seoul’s 10 million inhabitants in the pubs, karaoke
bars, restaurants, internet cafes and saunas. Iif anything closes, it’s always
late. In Seoul, the neon lights are never switched off. 

Tosokchon restaurant

Three things you
have to see in Seoul

Tea oils the wheels of Korean
society. The Beautiful Tea Museum is
a gorgeously serene space in the antiques hood of Insa-dong, selling and serving
130 beautiful teas and their accoutrements. It also exhibits perfect, simple
ceramics (Jongno-gu Insa-dong 193-1, www.tmuseum.co.kr ) Otherwise, go traditional at Cha Masineun Tteul, which lives up to its
name, ‘cosy garden where people drink tea’. Take a seat on hanoks warm floor as tea ladies serve iced
strawberry summer punch or hot spiced dae
chu cha
(Asian date tea), rice cakes and toasted sunflower seeds while you
look out on that cosy garden or out over the rooftops (Jongno-gu, Samcheong-dong 35-169).  

Another
wonderful place to see Seoul’s traditional architecture is Bukchon
Hanok Village, considered the most beautiful corner of Seoul. Its neighbourhood
of 900 hanoks makes  a welcome change to the industrial-strength
apartment blocks that pierce the city skyline. The tourist information booth
opposite Gyeongbokgung Palace (Jogno-gu, 1 Sejong-ro, www.royalpalace.go.kr)  offers excellent walking maps of the area, including
a trail with eight signposted photo spots that give the
best
views down tiny, picturesque alleyways and over the rooftops to the palace. 

Of
a more transient nature are the comically named ‘tent restaurants’ that dominate the city’s streets: sun shelters
lined with clear plastic walls to keep out the fierce winter winds. Korea’s
food culture is wildly rich: walk any street and try fried silkworms, suck
down a live octopus, chomp on pig’s trotters or snack on a jeon (Korean
savoury pancake) washed down with makgeoli
(rice wine). At the massive Noryangjin
Fish Market
, buy your seafood and have it thrown in the pot in seconds. No
matter how lean your purse or how limited your Korean, you’ll never starve in
this town.

Samcheong-dong

Artisan Mecca
Samcheong-dong’s
three-kilometer-long cobbled street, between the president’s house and Gyeongbokgung Palace,
sniffs at mainstream labels. On this strip, it’s all about one-offs and their stylish
producers –  shoemakers, milliners, bespoke
designers and art galleries, with a hundred latte-pumping cafés in between. Cool,
yes, but also resolutely Korean. You’ll still find locals queuing for the
classic sujaebi, which is soup with dumplings, green onions and kimchi. You can get your fill of this dish for about $6 at Samcheong-dong
Sujabei (Samcheong-dong 102).


At the table
With hundreds of
eating-out options – from traditional Korean barbeques to fusion fare – in every
neighbourhood, Seoul cements itself as one of Asia’s prime food capitals.
JungSik

SUMMER FLAVOURS A visit to Tosokchon (Jahamun-ro 5-gil 5, Jongno-gu) means
tucking in to samgyetang, a summer broth of ginseng and chicken. Tosokchon enjoys
a cult following, with former president Roh Moo Hyun amongst its devotees.

LIKE A LOCAL Young chef Yim Jung Sik is
currently wowing New York diners with his ‘New Korean’ cooking. His Seoul
dining room JungSik (649-7
Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, jungsik.kr) is a celebration of truly beautiful plates.
The kitchen uses using quintessentially Korean ingredients to serve up fresh
delectable dishes.
CHEAP EATS Visit lpumdang (16-1 Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu, ilpumdang.co.kr) and you’ll
realise that Korea’s best chow isn’t necessarily found in the most expensive
restaurants. Order the Korean shabu shabu
– thin wafers of beef cooked in broth and served with dipping sauce.
Hidden cultural
gems
Want
to find out what the locals are really drinking? “We teach Korea’s drinking
culture – how to pour and what to drink,” says Korean-American guide Daniel Grey. His Korean Night Dining Tour steers you through the joys of
drinking soju (potent rice wine) and
snacking up a storm in the city’s alleyway barbeque cafés (ongofood.com). 

Korean Night Dining Tour

After you’ve been fed
and watered, the place to be on the last Friday of the month is Hongdae
district for Club Day, where $12
gets you entry to a dozen or more clubs in the happening Hongik University area.
Don’t expect to get home early – it kicks off around 11pm and diehards call it
a night around 5am. The second Friday of the month is the smaller Sound Day,
with fewer clubs and a focus on live music, from 8pm-5am (02 333 3910). 

Hongdae

After
a big night, recharge at a jjimjilbang (public bathhouse), which
is guaranteed to knock a dress size off you, thanks to a battalion of
scrubbers and fiery steam
rooms: expect rampant public nudity (yes, they are segregated). Most hotels
have their own sauna, or try the foreigner-friendly, seven-story Yongsan Dragon
Hill Spa (dragonhillspa.co.kr)

The Westin Chosun

Pillow talk
 FASHIONABLE
The Westin
Chosun (Jung-gu, 87
Sogong-dong, westin.com/seoul) is walking distance to Namdaemun market,
Myengdong fashion town, beautiful department stores and two palaces.

SPA BREAK On the side of Mount Nam sit the luxe San
5-5, Jang Chung-dong 2-Ga Jung-gu,

banyan tree.com).
Each of the hotel’s huge 32 suites has a steamy indoor pool and sauna and its
spectacular outdoor pool is a favoured haunt of Seoul’s elite.

Banyan Tree Seoul

BUDGET Sophias Guest House (Jongno-gu, 157-1 Sogyeok-dong, sophiagh.com), a 150-year-old hanok with ondol
rooms (mattresses on heated floors) around a pretty courtyard, a short walk from
the arty enclave of Insa-dong.


BOUTIQUE In the expat district of Itaewon you’ll find IP Boutique Hotel (737-32
Hannam-dong, Yongsangu, ipboutiquehotel.com) It has has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, with jungle swings in
the foyer and compact, mirrored all-white rooms.



LUXURY RakKoJae (98 Gye-dong,
Jongno-gu, rkj.co.kr) is a serene luxury hanok in Bukchon, with natural jade
floors in its ondol rooms and a yellow-mud sauna.
National Folk Museum

Don’t leave Seoul
without:

Visiting
Gyeongbokgung Palace
, the first home of the Joseon dynasty.
Dating from 1395, it also houses the excellent National Folk Museum with a
great, kitch-free gift shop. Closed Tuesdays (royalpalace.go.kr) For live
entertainment, you can’t beat non-verbal theatre,
which is massive in Seoul – great if your Korean is rusty. 


Nanta is a
blood-pumping kitchen comedy set to traditional samulnori rhythm, and audience
members are regularly invited on stage to participate (nanta.co.kr). 

Finally,
spend a day at Namdaemun Market; stop for dumplings in alleys of food
stalls or buy jars of pickled ginseng or gorgeous kitchenwear from more than
1000 stalls. Nearby, you’ll find the 14th-century Sungnyemun Gate, officially Korea’s
Number 1 National Treasure.

Insa-dong

Q&A

Celebrity snapper Kim
Jung-Man
is Korea’s top commercial photographer and been named one of the
country’s Men of Culture in 2000.
What’s the quintessential
photograph of Seoul?
It lies somewhere between the historical past and
the advance of the modern structure: the juxtaposition between hanoks and palaces and its modern
architecture. It is best to find this in Gwangwhamun, near Gyeongbokgung Palace. 
What is the most beautiful street in Seoul? Personally, I think I’m
the only one in Seoul who enjoys red lights. I take photos while stopped in
traffic. 
Where’s Seoul’s
heart of art
? Hongdae and Insadong. Independent musicians play in the park
at night in Hongdae and there is a great grunge feeling to the street art
there. Hongdae has various flea markets where artists sell their wares while Insa-dong
is famous for its many art galleries and historic feeling. 
Where do you go to find nature in Seoul? Namsan, which is Nam
Mountain, the center of the city. There is nature even in the heart of Seoul,
if you know where to look. 
Your favourite art gallery in Seoul? Gallery Kong (157-78
Samcheong-dong, Jongno-go, gallerykong.com)





Getting there: To book your flight to Seoul with our codeshare partner, Singapore Airlines, visit www.virginaustralia.com or simply call 13 67 89 (in Australia).
Source: Belinda Jackson, Voyeur magazine, Virgin Australia. October 2012.

Groovy is the new gold: vintage Ballarat a-go-go!

Nostalgic ... makeover maven Miss Lulu.
Nostalgic … makeover maven Miss Lulu. Photo: Belinda Jackson

Forget the pioneering days of the rush – instead dig the nostalgia of Ballarat’s new vintage scene, writes Belinda Jackson.
“It all started with my glasses. I always wanted cat’s-eye glasses,” says Miss Lulu. Perched on a high bar stool, her redskin margarita is as pink as her hair, which is teased into sky-high 1940s curls. Was I the only person in Ballarat who didn’t know they’re called victory rolls?
This is the swimsuit for the curvalicious. 
“Vintage just suits Ballarat,” says the self-styled 1940s pin-curl pin-up, whose glittering bolero jacket, black bustier, deep cleavage and wide skirts have the whole restaurant entranced.
Eclectic Tastes cafe, Ballarat.

Eclectic Tastes cafe, Ballarat. Photo: Belinda Jackson
Ballarat’s always had a nostalgic scent about it – the re-created gold rush town of Sovereign Hill is on the city’s outskirts and the main drag, Sturt Street, is lined with monuments to past glories, from the Boer War to Burke and Wills’s inland excursion. There’s a bandstand dedicated to Queen Alexandra (King Edward VII’s missus), squat Queen Victoria overlooks the rotundas, turrets and cenotaphs, and the old Southern Cross flag of the Eureka Stockade hangs in the beautiful art gallery. The top hotel is Craig’s Royal and the theatre is Her Majesty’s, one of the best preserved in the country.
Antiques, Goods & Chattels, Ballarat.
Antiques, Goods & Chattels, Ballarat. Photo: Belinda Jackson

But Victoria’s third-largest city has a new groove, with a rush of fresh blood bringing a 1940s-’70s vintage scene to town, spearheaded by the likes of Miss Lulu who, in three hours, will transform you from trakky-dakked slob to pert and perky ’50s pin-up girl or goth rockabilly – or perhaps your heart’s more psychobilly? With your newly set big hair, red lips and a wiggle in your walk, it’s time to hit the streets to dress the part.
First stop is a burgeoning vintage enclave on Main Road, headed by That Little Vintage Shop, a cornucopia of fox furs, fabulously wide-brimmed hats, ’60s knits and evening coats harking back to days when it took time to get dressed.
Owner Jennifer Bottomley studied fashion in ’60s London and has been running the shop for 17 years. “Y’all right there, love?” she calls out to a customer, her northern English accent weaving through the piles of clothes. Her collection dates from the 1920s, but the ’80s is quite ’20s, she says as she runs a hand over a $1000 Canadian raccoon fur, designed for pleasurable stroking.
Across the road, cute little ’50s-style cafe Cake Bakeshop sells old-fashioned paper straws, invitations and party favours for baby showers and kitchen teas while churning out the cupcakes, coffee and macarons in old-school lolly flavours.
Nearby, Antiques, Goods & Chattels suggests serious fustiness, but it’s awash with ’60s kitchenalia and garagenalia, and a carousel horse greets me on entrance. I snap up a fabulous old wooden painter’s stepladder, still authentically spattered with paint, perfect for slinging some woven Arabian saddlebags over (or for changing light bulbs).
Swimwear by My Sister Pat.

Swimwear by My Sister Pat. Photo: Simon Schluter
It’s on the next block down on Main Road that this vintage scene starts to become serious.
My Sister Pat designs and manufactures beautiful ’50s-inspired swimsuits – more like playsuits – with classic halter and tie necks and boylegs that bestow instant booty. I clamber out of my jeans and into a super-cute little blue-and-white polka dot number and, va va voom, I’m transformed into instant ’50s pool kitten. A very slim woman is in the next cubicle; you know, the type who rocks a bikini. Is it mean to note that in the same style swimsuit, she just looks … well, left wanting, to be perfectly frank? This is the ultimate swimsuit for the curvalicious.
Sifting through the racks beside me is Debbie, a rock’n’roll aficionado who’s into the Ballarat Rockers, a social rock’n’roll dance club that meets on Friday nights. She’s shopping for the perfect outfit for an American rock’n’roll holiday through Memphis, New Orleans and, of course, Las Vegas. “Usually, I make my own,” she says, “so I don’t look like everyone else.”
In an age of mass production, My Sister Pat guarantees that no more than six swimsuits are cut from the same cloth. “Except for the red-and-white polka-dot swimsuit, because everyone wants to be Marilyn,” says owner Rosemary Gilbert-Waller. “Except me. I want to be Grace Kelly,” she states, flicking the record player as Connie Francis has a little meltdown and starts to jump.
Connie, Grace, Patsy Cline, Audrey Hepburn … “It’s an era of beauty, and it hasn’t been lost,” Gilbert-Waller says of her label, which is now stocked internationally, from Cannes to Canada. What started off as a vintage shopping trip in Ballarat is fast turning into an education on being womanly and the art of feminine elegance.
“I like going to places where I fit the decor,” says the epitome of girlish glamour, Miss Lulu. The newly refurbished Mallow Bar and the cosy Babushka Bar both get the thumbs up for their retro looks, as does high tea on Sunday afternoons at Craig’s Royal Hotel, with its ’50s chairs and lounges and swish velvet curtains. Eclectic Tastes cafe has a whiff of nanna chic about it, with its knitted tea cosies and teasets, which get the edge thanks to a backdrop of red walls, Mao-pop paraphernalia and raunchy Indian film posters.
The Oceanic Lounge in Portico Wine Bar, on Ballarat’s main drag, Sturt Street, is a local favourite as it’s a regular venue for the nine-piece Ballarat Ska Orchestra. Yes, Ballarat has its own ska orchestra, belting out its signature ’60s Caribbean beats, and it also has its own roller-derby league, where six teams of rockabilly chicks hit the rinks. Expect ’70s boardshorts, kneepads and a smattering of tatts.
Vintage chicks say the new Front Bar is your best option for a drink and a little shakin’ to some ’60s soul sounds without the uni or clubbing crowds. Alternatively, if you were at a loose end on a Wednesday night, you could go go-go dancing. “I just thought, Ballarat needs this!” says Miss Daisy Amazing, a dancer who teaches an enthusiastic crowd the moves of the ’60s. And for $12, you, too, can strut out like a retro Miami groover.
To live the vintage dream completely, you’d be shopping at De’s Recycled Fashions for ’60s nylon dresses – think royal blue with gold paisley – or for vintage crockery and what some say is the town’s best coffee at Vegas and Rose, stockist for runaway sensations Trunk & Orderly’s handmade weekender and school cases.
And for seriously cool vintage fabrics, haberdashery and the cutest kids’ craft gear, The Crafty Squirrel is a must-visit. If you thought crafty equals fusty, the notion is dispelled by designer and uber-craftster Morgan Wills’s perky rockabilly ‘do, married with an apple-green cardie and a floral apron that on me would scream “frump!” but on her is just damned cool. Every Friday, she dons a vintage apron and pops a photo up on her Facebook page to a bevy of waiting fans.
“I love all that cutesy Japanese and Korean aesthetic, and French vintage,” she says, but it’s the Australian kitsch that is totally adorable; souvenir tea towels renewed and reborn into cushions that fly off the shelves. The non-sellers appear to be all from Canberra – no comment. Wills steers us down to the edgy Red Brick Gallery, where a nearby power pole, wrapped in crocheted rugs, leads the conversation naturally into “yarn bombing”, or “knit tagging” if you prefer the English term.
“Ballarat’s always been known for its antique shops,” says long-time antiques dealer Sherryn Bailey of Antiques, Goods & Chattels, “but many owners are now passing away.” In their wake comes the new guard, a wave of crafty artists and tricky-minded business girls. Sure, Ballarat still has Sovereign Hill and its gold rush attractions, but there’s life in the old town yet. It’s just life from a different era.
The writer was a guest of Ballarat Regional Tourism.

Five other things to do in Ballarat

1 Hire a bike and cruise the lovely Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Buninyong Botanic Gardens, established in the 1860s. Welcome Nugget Bike Hire, 0423 268 618, ballarat.com/ballaratonabike.
2 Well up with pride in front of the original Eureka flag at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia’s oldest regional art gallery. artgalleryofballarat.com.au.
3 Buy up at the farmers’ markets: Ballarat Fresh Produce Market (first Saturday of the month); Ballarat Lakeside Farmers Market (second and last Saturday); Buninyong Farmers Market (third Saturday).
4 Uncover a hotbed of talent by designers and emerging artists at the quarterly Design Exchange market — October 7, December 16, Mining Exchange, 8 Lydiard Street North, thedesignexchange.com.au.
Walk the monuments of Sturt Street: two kilometres of central gardens with bandstands, statues and fountains.

Trip notes

Getting there: Ballarat is a 75-minute drive from Melbourne. Rental cars can be hired at Tullamarine, or V/Line (vline.com.au). Fast trains operate from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station to Ballarat.
Staying there:  Martin Place sleeps nine at a pinch in two queen bedrooms and bunks in the kids’ room, which is fantastically kitted out with toys and books, and is also pet-friendly. From $215/night midweek, 12 Martin Street, 0429 439 448, www.montroseofballarat.com.au.
Shopping there:
De’s Recycled Fashions, 202 South Street, (03) 5332 8300.
Miss Lulu’s PinCurl Pin-Ups, 0433 207 814.
My Sister Pat, 74A Main Road, mysisterpat.com.au.
Red Brick Gallery and Emporium, 218A Skipton Street, 0402 416 097, redbrickgallery.com.au.
That Little Vintage Shop, 13 Main Road, 0425 731 639.
The Crafty Squirrel, cnr Errard and Urquhart streets, (03) 5331 4548, thecraftysquirrel.com.au.
Vegas and Rose, 96 Humffray Street North, (03) 5332 4287, vegasandrose.com.au.

Eating there:
Craig’s Royal Hotel, 10 Lydiard Street South, (03) 5331 1377, craigsroyal.com.au.
Cake Bakeshop, 30 Main Road, (03) 5333 3384, cakebakeshop.com.au.
Eclectic Tastes, 2 Burbank Street, (03) 5339 9252.

Living in the vintage scene:
Babushka Bar, 59 Humffray Street North.
The Mallow Hotel, 18-20 Skipton Street.
The Front Bar, cnr Mair and Peel streets.
Miss Daisy Amazing’s Go-Go Dancing, 14 Camp Street, 0448 314 445.
Ballarat Roller Derby Leagueballaratrollerderby.com.au.
Ballarat Ska Orchestrafacebook.com/ballaratskaorchestra.
Ballarat Rockersballaratrockers.com.

More information: Ballarat Regional Tourism, (03) 5320 5758, visitballarat.com.au.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/activity/shopping/groovy-is-the-new-gold-20120921-26aej.html#ixzz27MSQiAa0

London canteens and Indian tea houses

Today, I’m relying on photos to tell the story, rather than words. These are two beautiful spaces that crossed my desk this week:

Pop Up Canteen is, as the cafe branding suggests, in London, a feature of design junction, the London design festival now in its second year, from 19-23 September 2012. Here’s what they say about the space: 
“Pop Up Canteen, a special
collaboration between the Canteen group
of restaurants, Transport for London
(TfL), with furniture supplied by Modus
and lighting from Very Good &
Proper
. Canteen, which has a number of permanent sites across London, draws
heavily on TfL’s utilitarian chic for its interiors, which is what made this
collaboration such a perfect fit. The canteen will be designjunction’s largest
eatery on the top floor and the space will be art directed by Michael Sodeau.” 
And my second-favourite image this week is the Best Exotic Marigold Tea House, at Floriade, Canberra’s own celebration of Spring, running 15-23 September 2012. 
“Floriade visitors can enjoy a selection of exotic Indian teas and treats whilst being swept off their feet by the beautiful Indian inspired surrounds,” promises the press release. 

Five-star kids: Cinderella and sugar overload at the Langham

Proving that it’s never too early or late to start Disnifying your life, my diary now includes a date for the Langham hotel’s Cinderella Children’s Tiffin. It is the ultimate date for Melbourne’s five-star kids.

The menu includes Tiara cookies, Kiss the Frog in Jelly, Love Heart cupcakes and, of course, there’ll be Fairy Bread. Groan-ups may gravitate toward the scones, jam and cream. Oh yeah!

The tiffin will be featured at the hotel during the upcoming school holidays. I’m expecting plenty of pink frocks and fairy wings. I don’t believe I’ll be disappointed…

Global Salsa

Well, you’ve scrolled this far. What do you think? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.

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