Food & Drink

Eau De Vie is quite frankly a place that can easily be mistaken for something other than a cocktail bar. With no sign to provide any hints or indications as to what it hides, it is subtly concealed behind...

It looks like Chapel Street is finally getting that much needed revamp with the new kid on the block, Zhou Zhou, an oriental drinking den with a difference. Situated in the heart of Chapel Street above the...

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. - Ernestine Ulmer Summer isn't over just yet so with a few warm days to come there is still plenty of time to enjoy tasty delights from some of our favourite ice cream...

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (28 February to 16 March 2014) now in its twenty second year is considered the premier culinary event of the year with activities and events featuring some of...

On a warm summer’s evening, Couturing had the pleasure of experiencing an ice cream degustation event held by Helados Jauja.  Calling Jauja ice cream is a bit like calling Beluga caviar, fish eggs - it's...

Looking for something interesting to see over the weekend and combine it with a tipple or two? Then make sure you check out The Zoo every Sunday afternoon at Trunk until end of March. Why you say?...

Not all those who wander are lost - JRR Tolkien Not a truer phrase said by those attending Domaine Chandon's annual Secret Garden Party.  With bubbles a plenty and delicious epicurean food, in the lush...

So it’s that time of year again where boys and girls put their love to the test and try to impress their other halves. For those who are single, this is probably the worst day of the year. Trust me, trying...

Discover your new favourite Fever-Tree product at Top Shelf , the new Boutique Drinks Festival this weekend in Melbourne. Fever-Tree’s range of premium natural mixers will be presented at their very own...

Melbourne's iconic art gallery and Auction house, Mossgreen, has opened a stylish new eatery in its High Street location. The Tearooms are in a heritage space, formerly the old Armadale Picture Theatre, with...

Looking for different places to try this weekend for a drink or two? Couturing has three great ideas for you to try this weekend. The Zoo at Trunk This Sunday, 2 February 2014, Trunk is launching...

Since moving out, I have had the ‘odd’ Vietnamese Food craving and the one thing I’ve missed the most is mum’s ‘Goi Cuon’. So every time it’s on the menu for family dinner, I am more than excited...

Thursday saw the launch of Brown Brother's Summer of Prosecco pop-up bar in Richmond. Melbourne personalities such as Scherri-Lee Biggs, Jo Stanley and Byron Cook from FoxFM, designer Toni Maticevski and...

Texas BBQ and burgers seem to be the food du jour as of late with food trucks devoted to burgers, restaurants claiming to have the best ribs, but where can you find one place that has all these foods together...

Summer is well and truly here in Melbourne. With consecutive 40 degrees plus weather, Melburnians are all looking for the perfect place to escape the heat. Whether you are looking for somewhere to catch up...

In a city that prides itself on fine dining and exquisite cafes and bars, it’s always hard for the optimistic newcomers to make their mark on Melbourne’s vibrant lifestyle. Located in a hidden alleyway...

A method spurred by history. A business inspired by family. Melbourne is well known for its love of gelato, so lovers of this authentic Italian dessert will be pleased to hear of the arrival of...

Melbourne's latest hot spot, The Emerson, has been setting tongues wagging as the latest must-visit place on the social scene. The multi-level Emerson plays host to a club, cocktail bar & lounge, and an...

Super Bowl Challenge I The Super Bowl is one America’s greatest events, showcasing the finest athletes culminating in the most tactical, brutal, and bizarre (to a foreigner) sport that is American...

Looking for a great drinking venue by the Yarra? Look no further than Veuve Clicquot's Airstream pop up bar by the banks of the Yarra. Veuve Clicquot starts  its country wide tour in the glamorous...

If you own a pizza oven or have a pizza stone tucked away at the back of your cupboard, do yourself a favour and attend a Pizza Master Class taught by Master Pizza Maker (or Piazollo) Johnny Di Francesco at...

No matter what people say, the Macaron craze isn't over, especially when you have deliciously beautiful macarons from La Belle Miette. I've been a great fan of the macarons from this little bakery since I...

Get ready for Summer, with Rekorderlig's specially created pack this season which is perfect for sharing! Inspired by the desire of discovery by lovers of the cider, the Beautifully Swedish Collection,...

Christmas definitely came early for some lucky guests who were invited to a very special occasion. Three years ago pastry chef Bernard Chu and entrepreneur Yenn Yee started their new dessert adventure in South...

You’ve probably already heard that Gary Mehigan, co-host of Masterchef, has sold his highly successful Fenix Restaurant in the inner city suburb of Richmond to concentrate on other ventures. Under the...

Festival. Noun: An occasion for feasting or celebration, especially a day or time of religious significance that recurs at regular intervals. I’ve never been a religious person; however, I have always...

As far as launches go, the opening of Rice Workshop resembled something more of a cosplay convention than a restaurant opening. The spectacle of Harajuku Girls (and Boys) originates from Harajuku district of...

GALLIANO, the sophisticated Italian liqueur of choice, will be bringing a taste of Italy to the Taste of Melbourne this Thursday 14 November by giving visitors the chance to sample the world's first Ristretto...

Melbourne Cup Carnival is more than just fashion, frivolity and fun. It's also about the food, with many high profile Australian chefs putting on outstanding menus for guests in the various marquees in the...

Celebrate the last of 'A Touch Of...' High Tea with a twist, making this High Tea a very special one on Sunday 17 November at Abbotsford Convent. “A Touch Of…” by Bursaria is a uniquely new High Tea...

November in Melbourne is usually associated with fashion and horses as the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival kicks off Spring fun, or Movember is also when men begin their journey to groom fantastical...

In much the same way that you wouldn't expect a coffee liqueur and ginger beer to make much of a drink but end up pleasantly surprised, the re-branding of Tia Maria could be best described as a collaboration...

Absolut put the 'Art' into party last week as it transformed new Melbourne hot spot, The Manhattan Lounge, for an Australian first initiative called The Blue Room by Absolut. The Blue Room saw influential...

Schweppes is bringing a twist to the Birdcage during Melbourne Cup Carnival, with a unique marquee that will provide an experience reminiscent of the Melbourne's best bars and restaurants. The 2013...

In a city where the bar and restaurant culture is among the best in the world, it is hard for a new comer to stand out. State of Grace, Melbourne's latest entry into the food and drink scene, left a...

Lavazza is serving up some fantastic Italian fare in the Birdcage during Melbourne Cup Carnival with some of Australia's best Italian chefs on hand creating their signature dish over the Melbourne Cup...

Tea lovers rejoice! The opening of Theic Tea Bar in Collingwood has brought speciality tea to the fore of Melbourne's cafe scene, with an establishment dedicated to the wonders of tea. Opened by Nathan...

90 Secondi. 400 Gradi. These are Johnny Di Francesco’s two pizzeria e cucinas located in the Docklands and East Brunswick, respectively. However more significantly, they aptly represent di Francesco’s...

Dumplings have become an institution in Melbourne for the young and old – from the cheap and “dirty” dumplings of Shanghai Dumplings which caters for the masses of hungry uni students, to the elegant...

Iconic Melbourne bar, 1806, won two Bartender Magazine Bar Awards recently, after being nominated for an unprecedented 7 Bartender Magazine Bar Awards. Owner, Lisa Kelly, and the teams at 1806 and The...

Pinot-philes (defn: Those that love Pinot Noir wine) gathered en-masse on Saturday in Melbourne at the St Kilda Town Hall for the second annual Pinot Palooza, a celebration of all things Pinot Noir. The...

New York based Jewellery designer, Samantha Wills, joined race-goers trackside at Flemington on Saturday for the Turnbull Stakes, as curator and host of Yellowglen house, one of the only public marquees for...

An iconic cocktail that can be recreated at home, the signature Schweppes Flemington Fling is the perfect drink trackside this year during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Created by Dave Kerr of Melbourne's The...

The one place you need to visit during the 2013 Melbourne Cup Carnival (aside from the betting arena) is the Schweppes Flemington Fling Bar on Level 1 of the Hill Stand, which was launched on Saturday at...

There are two things you notice when you first walk into George Calombaris' new venture, Gazi. The first is the amazing ceiling - ceramic pots placed across the whole surface. The second are the aromas coming...

ULTIMAT VODKA, one of the world’s leading and ultra-premium vodkas, is giving away over $5,000 and exclusive prizes in the Ultimat Vodka Short Film Competition. The competition invites all aspiring and...

The first-ever EFTERSKI FESTIVAL in Thredbo went off with a bang last weekend, with the sold out Big Air Big Beats event featuring three days of music, sport and film extravaganza. Sponsored by Rekorderlig...

Think Wine tastings are stuffy and boring? Well, think again as Pinot Palooza hits Melbourne-town on Saturday 5 October at St Kilda Town Hall for a wine tasting with a twist. Event organiser, Dan Sims,...

    Let's start this Editor's Test, with the following: if you are looking for great Italian food with a great atmosphere and delightful staff, you must visit Pinocchio's. This...

Do you yearn for a simpler time when people swanned about drinking tea, eating sweet things and generally enjoying a luxuriously lazy Sunday afternoon?  Well then you have not yearned in vain good people,...

Navigating Melbourne with gluten intolerance in your back pocket can be tough to say the least. If you've got other intolerances or eating preferences then that just makes things all the more tricky. Never...

Like some sort of budding annual event the Queen Victoria Market's Luna 1878 Night Market is back again this year, and this time it’s personal.  Just when you thought there was absolutely no reason to go...

Although Melbourne is the coffee Mecca of the antipodes there seems to be a strong undercurrent of tea pulsing through the cities arteries.   It might be coffee that kick-starts Melbourne’s engine but tea...

When people think of winter they rarely think of going down to the beach, which is the exactly why you should consider it.  The Mornington Peninsular is a sprawling wonderland and now - when the swarming...

To the majority of Melbournians, Docklands might as well be antipodean to where they lay their heads. It is in fact a mere block away from the CBD and thanks to a few clever cooks, there's a new reason to...

If, like most warm-blooded mammals, you have been suffering through the recent icy blasts - so cold they could extinct a dinosaur - then it’s high time you warmed yourself up with a stiff drink.  However,...

If, like many Melburnians, you are about to make your pilgrimage down to Hobart to see MONA (and remind yourself that Melbourne isn’t that cold) then you will also undoubtedly need your caffeine...

Little Big Sugar Salt. What is in a name? Can a person look like a 'Terry'?, can Sue from marketing be just like the Sue from accounts? Well, where Little Big Sugar Salt is concerned, finding out what's in...

Hidden in the heart of the Moroccan Mountains, a couple connected over peach iced tea and local beer. They shared stories, shared sips and when they returned, they longed for that taste of escape. In true...

There are a couple of things that make up a great cafe in Melbourne. Location, atmosphere, good coffee and tasty food. The newest addition to Kew, has all these ticked, but in a slightly different...

Northcote: the final frontier of low-budget, high-culture, community living. They say it’s the new Fitzroy – a tag previously pinned to Clifton Hill before house prices boomed and the DINKS moved in. Yet...

Now everyone likes to think they know Fitzroy and I'm sure you've has brunched at Breakfast Thieves and dined at Vegie Bar and think Naked in the Sky is totes magical at sunset, but if you're going to spend...

Brunch in Melbourne, whilst delicious and one of the most important weekend meals, can get a tiny bit repetitive. If you're tired of your tomato baked eggs, french toast and eggs benedict, maybe it's time to...

With the mercury dropping, at a fairly rapid rate in Melbourne, it's time to say goodbye to peachy Pinot Gris and Rose on balmy summer afternoons. Instead, it would be far more appropriate to warm the soul...

'Tis that time of year again, when we celebrate our mothers by treating them to breakfast in bed, a ladies lunch or a fine wine and dining experience. If you’re still unsure of where to take your mum this...

Melbourne is littered with both large and hole-in-the-wall coffee shops; a cup of caffeine available at every corner. However, the question that plagues city wanderers is how to filter out the bad from...

Got a free Friday or Saturday night in the next couple of weeks? Well, grab a couple of friends and shimmy your way to Somerset Place, which becomes heavily doused in tequila and all things Mexican thanks...

A few years back a couple of young volunteers sat on an African beach and sipped beer that tasted a lot richer than the economic climate. This disparity got Zanna Mccomish and Simon Griffiths talking and I...

At face value Cafe Blac may come across as a fairly unassuming and typical suburban cafe but don't be so quick to judge, because like most good things, at Cafe Blac,  it's the inside that counts. The new...

With a name that alludes to a rather large amount of space, Fifty Acres is a surprisingly cosy spot. Nick Gaoutsos and his team have settled in on the retail end of Bridge Road, providing shoppers the perfect...

After closing down the lauded Der Raum to start Gamsei, "a produce driven Der Raum 2.0" in Munich, Matt Bax has left Bar Americano (and soon to come Bar Economico) in its wake. But far from an ode to the...

Only a short stroll from the CBD, North Melbourne was built by locals, for locals. Subsequently it's often overlooked by Melbournians, and travellers alike, for the busier haunts of Carlton, Fitzroy and...

Private school girls, the football team, ageing population and expensive real-estate are all terms you may have associated with the suburb of Hawthorn. How rude! There is so much more to this Eastern beauty....

Ah, Coburg. Famed for its density of kitschy bridal stores and Middle Eastern take-out shops, the sprawling, creek-side ‘hood' is frequently overlooked due to its perceived lack of viable entertainment...

Located just off China Town’s main strip,  awaits Cantonese restaurant, New Kum Den. As I entered the venue, the resurgence of kitsch Chinese restaurants about town came to mind - which, for me, was...

It's impossible to deny, we live in an era where cooking shows and restaurants pop up like daisies in Spring, celebrity chefs are as revered as actors and we find ourselves enthralled by some new grain or...

Descriptions like 'smooth caramel texture' and 'zesty aftertaste' are the kind of uber-specific things baristas say or that you see written on single-origin coffee boards. Such recounts of subtle flavours...

One of the most important components to any wedding, would have to be the wedding cake. After all, the cutting of the cake photo is memory-box must have. The cake must look beautiful, and for anyone with a...

On the tail end of last week and at the top of a secret staircase, Mamasita played host to a Mexican tour as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. The six course tequila-paired feast, showcased...

Food for your wedding ought to be delicious, detailed and not too difficult. Fortunately, you can enlist the aid of culinary event specialists. All of whom have a focus on delivering the best food and...

Welcome to the Happy Palace, where a suspicious stairway leads to a hot pot that's boiling over with babes, cocktails, deep fried parcels of yummy goodness and the kitsch charm of old school...

Sydney siders turned Melbournians, Jessica Dalziell and Gregory Young, have made themselves at home on High St in Prahran with their new tapas and wine bar, The Wise. Couturing attended the official opening...

Ombra Salumi Bar is a fresh seedling with roots that run deep in hospitality culture. Having opened in November by Guy Grossi and managed by his son Carlo, the salumi bar next to Grossi Florentino, began...

Spurring on rumours of being a married couple, Nicholas and Dax Byrne have produced their first child in the form of NBHD (neighbourhood) Neanderthal. This cafe and bar off Chapel may be the product of...

There's nothing more romantic than a day spent ankle-deep in a vineyard, sipping on some of our state's finest. At Dominique Portet, this rural fantasy is only one hour away. Nestled deep within the Yarra...

Lately the pop-up store phenomenon has been moving from the world of fashion into food. Taking notes from designer flash sales and exclusive temporary stores and market stalls, Market Lane have set up a...

Just a short 30 minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD, Bulleen is home to the stunning Heide Museum of Modern Art and the popular Café Vue. If you’re looking to get out of the city for a day and appreciate...

Spring Street's Grocer is the opening act of John Brisbane's and Con Christopoulos' budding community centralised around the finer sensibilities of "old world Europe". The first cast member in this piece...

The Brunswick Mess Hall opened last Wednesday night (16th of Jan) with a bang. Brunswick's first beer hall is a welcome new addition to Sydney Road's night life. The huge space has a communal feel and aims...

Storm in a Teacup is celebrating its first anniversary with Smith st after snuggling into the street-scape a year ago. "I wanted to start a business good for people, both health-wise and spiritually,"...

Tea parties have been all the rage since your great-great grandmother’s grandmother could knit a doily. And we at Couturing wholly agree. Tea parties are a must for this summer so we’ve collected some...

An exciting new French patisserie shop has just been piped into Sydney Road's busy network of multicultural specialist stores. By Josephine offers family-recipe macarons and other tasty morsels encased in...

It's your cheat day, your treat day! The day you allow yourself to let go a little, but you want to do it right, don't get overwhelmed in the confectionary aisle and end up choosing a macadamia and honey...

We hear the experts talking about 'super foods', but which ones are actually super? Here are some of our favourite super foods that will help give you a healthy start in 2013. Chia Seeds These little...

Christmas wrapped up nicely and the new year has ticked over without a hitch. People are heading back to work and some of us are still partying. Here is a recipe for an all occasions biscuit; whether you...

The mere mention of summer festivals can make some of the strongest of us squirm. Hideous memories arise. Visions of entering a portable toilet on the last leg of its four day sun-soaked marathon, of not...

Monday 31st New Years Eve! Couturing has picked the best New Year's Eve celebrations around Melbourne to help you get wild. Whether you're celebrating at a festival, at an event or even a house...

Last week Couturing chatted with the founder of Slim Secrets, Sharon Thurin. Thurin has watched her hobby of helping people curb their unhealthy snacking habits, turn into a globally recognised brand. We found...

Last Friday I woke to the drizzling rain that graces Melbourne every other day, I braved the first sign of cold I had felt in a few weeks since summer had hit, and I marched myself down to Federation Square...

In the warmer months we tend to change our eating habits, and salads are always at the top of the list. We've chosen, made and tasted, three simple summer salads that will leave you feeling fresh, light and...