HOT PLATES
Rumble Coffee Espresso Bar
Having earned a reputation as a wholesaler of responsibly sourced blends and world-class single origins, Rumble Coffee Roaster (below right) has taken the next step and opened its own espresso bar. Housed at its roaster in Kensington, the menu will include a filter coffee of the week and various roast styles and brewing methods to suit Melbourne’s caffeine connoisseurs.
The Quarterdeck
Sitting waterside in Narooma on the NSW South Coast, the Merivale Group’s first property outside of Sydney is already a local institution, having started life as an oyster grower’s shed before operating as a tiki bar for the past 20 years.The Quarterdeck will continue trading as usual before being given a signature Merivale makeover.
Elm Rooftop Bar
Sydney’s Darlinghurst neighbourhood has a new rooftop bar. Sitting on top of The Taphouse and looking out to Centennial Parklands, Flinders Street and lush green treetops, Elm (below) is festooned with climbing ivy vines, party lighting and palms, and comes with a retractable awning.
Hinchcliff House
The opening of Hinchcliff House introduces four new eating and drinking concepts to Sydney’s Circular Quay area. Housed in one of Sydney’s last remaining wool stores dating back to the 1860s and diligently restored by AMP Capital with Carter Williamson Architects and URBIS heritage, the venue will feature: a Sicilian bandits’ drinking den, Apollonia, in the basement; all-day diner Grana at ground level; Lana restaurant on the first floor; and an events space on the top floor. Menus will champion sustainable Australian produce through an Italian filter.
La Madonna
Taking up the third floor of the new Next Hotel in Melbourne’s sparkling 80 Collins precinct, La Madonna (above), led by chefs Daniel Natoli and Adrian Li, is determined to dash traditional hotel restaurant and bar stereotypes.The pair will do this by providing guests with menus that change with the season and incorporating elements of their divergent culinary heritages. Sicily meets Hong Kong, in dishes like hand-rolled cavatelli with black sesame and Skull Island prawns.
The Boathouse Rose Bay
Sydney’s Boathouse Group, purveyors of all things waterside and brunchy, has opened a harbourside restaurant and kiosk in the eastern suburb of Rose Bay in the space formerly occupied by Regatta restaurant.